As Fisheye Placebo is based on a version of the real world, many events and elements draw influence from real scenarios. These notes are often mentioned in passing by the author Yuumei.
Real World Events/Yuumei's Life
- The Republic of Ceria blocks all access to Google's search engine. This is in reference to China's continued censorship of Google in matters regarding prohibited material. Most infamously is the censorship of all material and images that relate to the Tiananmen Square Protests and eventual massacre in 1989.
- The phrase "Bodies Upon The Gears", seen on Frey's headphones, is in reference to the political activism of Mario Savio
in 1964, and the speech he gave at the University of California, Berkeley Campus.- Yuumei notes Berkeley as her alma mater.
- The scene where Vance's family drives through the slums was inspired by an event Yuumei experienced when she lived in China. Her father drove through a slum area with her in the backseat. Though this experience is mirrored in the scene, Yuumei's father was less forgiving, stating they should not have to rely on charity and handout to survive. It is meant to be presented without moral, only stating that poverty occurs and both parties are at fault.
- Robin's headphones are real; they're Brookstone Axent Wear Cat Ear Headphones that Yuumei designed.
Programming/Coding
- Frey's Trojan virus shows at one point the words "Zero Day". The term Zero Day is a programming term that denotes an attack that exploits a previously unnoticed vulnerability within a computer's programming.
- Vance's glasses flash "ERROR 417 EXPECTATION FAILED" upon realizing his roommate is actually Frey. The actual HTTP code denotes when the server cannot meet the requirements of the request-header field. In short, commands or expectations are not met.
Tropes
- Series Hiatus: Due to the author's personal issues as well as having hand pain due to repetitive strain injury, the comic has fell into one from 2015/2016 to 2018, the most recent update as of January 2019 being Chapter 2 Part 8 in November 2018. However, after the November 2018 update, Yuumei has stated on reddit that she intends to update more frequently.
