HIII HI HIIII HII ITS ME IM OP HIII THANK YOU FOR READING MY FIC HIIIII I WANTED TO DO SOME DIRECTOR COMMENTARY ON SOME OF YOUR POINTS CAUSE YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD
-going down ur list here, there is major symbolism of the play being little shop! since little shop was kinda the granddaddy of musical sci fi and very much an inspiration for be more chill/the squip itself, I felt it was only fitting ! but even more than that, ophios gradual progression of convincing the boys that its fine and normal was similar to twoey convincing Seymour that its fine and normal as more and more fucked up things happen.....
-as per ofio being niceys-- yes!!!! Yes he is doing little magic tricks and being nice and polite in order to give them a false sense of security!!! Ophio as a character is a lot more self aware than his canon counterpart, he's fully aware of outside opinions and how others perceive him, so navigating that isn't hard for him. Hes also EXTREMELY patient and kinder than you'd expect-- because he has the *power* and leeway to do so. It takes a lot to make him snap and get aggressive like we see at the end of the fic: in fact, the only reason he GOT all hivemind and scary was BECAUSE of the twist at the end: he knew he had won already, so he didn't need to hide or make nice anymore.
-the building that is Ophiuchus Secondary is a real highschool, it was My highschool which is why I picked it (I knew the layout so I wouldn't make continuity errors while writing it). If you message me I will send you images of this fucking school it is actually intimidating and eerie.
-Jasmine! I picked jasmine as part of the horror element because I remember one day randomly smelling jasmine outside and going 'huh that was weird. Itd be cool if that was scary'. Something i really really love writing is making something completely innocent into something terrifying and dreadful with the right context. Entries into this list that my friends will recognize: the word "spoilers", the word "made", the nickname "ace", the two of wands, the smell of seawater, ect ect ect.
also something I didn't know while writing this was that one of my friends has a MASSIVE JASMINE BUSH IN HER YARD. she didn't know they were jasmines either. i have unintentionally made them very scared of their yard. my bad homie
-When it comes to the school tour being catered to the boys-- abso fucking lutely. Beyond the surface level positive takeaways of each room, you also get some deeper stuff in each area. In the computer lab, you get their video game interest catered to-- but you also learn that the squip is purposefully taking the less convenient route because its better for their hosts. In the wood shop, you get ophio joking around and buying expensive tools for the shop-- but you also learn hes willing to bend the rules for the greater good and let you in on his secrets. (That's a big one. Feeling like you're in on a secret is a huuuuge and extremely effective manipulation tactic that i write into like, every squip). And in the art room, on the surface its everyone getting along-- but underneath, its everyone getting along *with MICHAEL.*
-qhen it comes to hivemind stuff, I wanted to write it very much ambiguous. Theres a very clear insect-like structure, yes, but its very unclear how much ophio is ACTUALLY in control of everything. a big question during the fic is "is he lying and is this all a facade", which the answer kind of becomes 'yes' during the chase sequence. I kept the real answer super ambiguous because I wanted the audience to draw their own conclusions on if ophio was lying or not .
(However there is a correct Answer and the answer is actually No. The answer is actually that ophio was in fact telling the truth the entire time and does not control his hive at all times. i consider the students to be separate characters. he does in fact ask permission before possessing his hosts-- which isn't really a point when you realize that not only did he spike all the cafeteria food and then lace every unsquipped student within ONE WEEK, and also subconsciously manipulated the student body to be more accepting of his presence. hes kind of a freak but hes my freak. heart emoji)
-fun fact! the mystery of ophio high started as (and still is) a roleplay scenario! the finished storyline was a combination of about 4 different "runs" of the tour storyline. one of them had leon Kennedy from resident evil 4 in it. that shit was crazy
