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favvn · 2 months

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The Apple: The Cult of a Machine

An analysis of the Star Trek: TOS episode that examines how Vaal and Akuta are running a cult on the planet Gamma Trianguli VI and why Jim Kirk would interfere with the inhabitants' culture as a result.

This is long because I do not know brevity :) (4k words! Not counting the episode transcripts!) As a content warning, I do discuss religion and cults in very broad and synonymous terms. I realize this could be upsetting to some that I link the two together, so I am stating that upfront.

Some background information before I begin. First, I am aware of the criticism one can have towards this episode (i.e. Kirk falls into a white-savior trope, Kirk destroys an alien culture because it doesn't fit his human ideals, the Federation's desire to see societies advance is at odds with the idea of non-interference and they are colonizers at worst, etc. It goes on.), yet I am torn as to its merits. I feel like it is very easy for modern audiences to see the faults of this episode owing to changing perspectives and an increase in broader knowledge within the past 50 years and miss the forest for the trees as a result. In other words, I am baffled to browse the tags, read other analysis posts, and see no one mention the cult aspect. This post is my attempt to correct that gap.

As a refresher and something to contemplate before I dive in, the crux of the episode: the Gamma Triangulians have free will, yet they exist to serve a computer. Are they still free in this scenario? (Alternatively, is a prison no longer a prison if it has been chosen by its inmates?) Is Kirk helping the Gamma Triangulians by destroying Vaal, or is Kirk forcing his ideals on the inhabitants under the guise of freedom?

Akuta: Not Your Typical Leader

Akuta is not presented as your typical cult leader or leader in general. He has no weapons and nothing to show his position (jewelry, different clothing, or different tattoos, etc.) beyond the antennae at his ears. More importantly, he is shown first in a moment of vulnerability, crying after Kirk strikes him. Akuta is placed in a very innocent light as a native of the planet who has suffered from aggression, whereas Kirk is placed squarely as an aggressive interloper. This sets the tone for how the audience sees him versus Kirk, and, frankly, I'd argue it has worked given other critiques I have read that seemingly overlook any agency Akuta or the other inhabitants of Gamma Trianguli VI have.

It is also worth noting that Akuta does not try to hide or wipe his tears. He leaves them to mark his face. I point this out because big, emotional displays (especially rage or distress) can be used as a means to manipulate others. To cast oneself as a victim is a powerful tool of manipulation, one that cult leaders will use to control the emotional responses of their followers and their dependency on the cult. In other words, a cult leader will get obedience from a follower by claiming that the cult--and especially the leader themself--is persecuted by outsiders and that outsiders wish to destroy the leader and the cult. If a follower's obedience to the cult wavers, then they must not be a true believer but an outsider to be shunned and cast out into a cruel and wicked world. These assertions are wrapped into emotional appeals in order to create an emotional reaction rather than allow a rational, thought-out response. Even without the intent to manipulate, most people react more kindly and with more care to someone who is crying.

Akuta's initial language about his tribe is a tell right away. He calls them "the Feeders of Vaal" instead of "the Vaalians" or "the People of Vaal." Those phrases would highlight their existence as separate from their duty to Vaal and grant them more individuality and personhood. Instead, "feeders" is used by Akuta to introduce those he leads, a term that explicitly refers to their job. (If my point isn't clear, imagine introducing yourself occupation-first to strangers before ever giving your name. Feel dehumanized yet?)

Granted, Akuta will later refer to them as "people," so it's possible I am reading too much into word choice. However, it is telling that of all the ways to introduce those he is said to lead, Akuta's first choice of phrasing was "feeders." Word choice is the result of decisions unless one is to believe writers don't think about the tools of their craft. That being said, contrast this to how Kirk refers to them:

He heard the two phrases "Feeders of Vaal" and "People of Vaal" and went with the latter.

KIRK: They're not going to hurt you. I promise you. Akuta, Akuta, we come in peace. We would like to speak to this Vaal. AKUTA: Akuta alone speaks to Vaal. I am the eyes and the voice of Vaal. It is Vaal's wish. SPOCK: Captain, this is fascinating. If you will permit me, sir? (Akuta has metal wires sticking out behind from behind his ears.) KIRK: Antennae? AKUTA: They are my ears for Vaal. They were given to me in the Dim Time so the people could understand his commands and obey. KIRK: You speak of the People of Vaal. Are they nearby? AKUTA: We are close to Vaal so we may serve him. I shall take you there.

It is very important to note that Akuta speaks of a time before Vaal, "the Dim Time." This means the inhabitants could have had an entirely different culture before Vaal. The episode itself leaves their ages vague--they could be only decades or thousands of years old. Any past they may have had before Vaal could have been destroyed or forgotten with the passing of time and "replacements." It can be assumed that Akuta was the leader of the Gamma Triangulians before Vaal and that Vaal chose Akuta to be its eyes, ears, and mouth because the inhabitants already follow and trust Akuta.

Another note is the phrasing that Akuta uses for their relationship to Vaal. They need to "understand his commands and obey" and live close to Vaal "so we may serve him." Akuta himself holds his role because "it is Vaal's wish." Replace Vaal with God and capitalize Him and these could be sentences lifted from a copy of the Bible itself. Their relationship to Vaal is religious. Vaal is not a machine to them but a god worthy of a name and reverence.

It is important to note how Vaal acts as both the object of religious reverence and the leader of cultish obedience. At the risk of grossly summarizing a contentious issue within scholarly circles, those who study religion have long argued whether or not there is a line separating a cult from a religion or if the two words are merely synonyms for the same thing. When I say cult I do not refer to the esoteric worship of a deity within a pantheon (example: a cult of Dionysus; within Christianity there was a cult of Mary Worship), but the same cults that isolate followers from society in order to control their thoughts, their actions, their resources, and their skills for the leader's gain (example: Jonestown, Heaven's Gate, etc.) Both a cult and a religion have their own chosen people, those who know the truth compared to the nonbelievers and the outsiders. Both urge that outsiders and nonbelievers may persecute a believer for their faith. Both ask of their followers' time, resources, and skills. Dress codes, taboos for forbidden behavior/rules, and the like feature in both. Again, I am heavily summarizing an issue that is still debated in academic circles on the basis of my own memory, but the overlaps between a cult and a religion can not be overlooked, especially when discussing this episode. In my opinion, The Apple illustrates the similarities between cults and religions beautifully. (As an aside, it should go without saying why the linking of religions and cults as being the same thing is controversial. Anyone who follows a religion will hardly want their beliefs to be viewed as one in the same with the deadly manipulation of cults.)

AKUTA: These are the people of Vaal. (Everyone is grown up, with white hair and wearing a simple cotton sarong.) KIRK: Where are the others? AKUTA: There are no others. KIRK: The children. AKUTA: Children? You use unknown words to me. KIRK: Little ones like yourselves. They grow. AKUTA: Replacements. None are necessary. They are forbidden by Vaal. MARTHA: But when a man and woman fall in love, AKUTA: Love. Strange words. Children. Love. What is love? MARTHA: Love is when two people are (Chekov demonstrates by putting his arm around her waist.) AKUTA: Ah, yes. The holding, the touching. Vaal has forbidden this.

Akuta refers to "children" as "replacements," a term that distances the speaker from the relationship of an offspring to a parent and destroys the personhood of the inhabitants of Gamma Trianguli VI. In simpler terms, "replacement" is another dehumanizing word choice. Contrast this with Kirk's use of "little ones," which specifically links the offspring to the parent as a smaller version of themselves. Personhood is retained with this phrase. Kirk goes further and specifically says of the children that "they grow." After Bones conducts medical evaluations on the Gamma Triangulians, he declares them a stagnant group despite their long lifespans, ranging anywhere from their twenties to thousands of years old. They seemingly do not age or change from their exposure to their sun. They do not grow their food (from Akuta's words by the end of the episode, it is entirely possible that Vaal creates it as ripe and ready to eat), and it is possible they no longer create their homes, their tools, or their clothes (in other words, these things were made by the Gamma Triangulians but before Vaal, in the Dim Time. Now, with their lives so perfect not even the sun ages them, why should their homes need repairing or their bowls break?) What better way to stop a group from questioning their state of living than to deny them something that must change if it is to survive? To see a child grow every day would call their entire being into question. Vaal doesn't want self-awareness from its feeders. Vaal wants feeders who follow orders without question.

Another chilling tell for the cult is that Akuta does not understand the word "love." Love, of course, can take many forms according to the relationships it is found in (i.e. the love between a parent and child, the love between friends, the love between neighbors or coworkers, the love between a couple, etc.). Love does not necessitate sex or romance to be present in a relationship, but it does necessitate, at the very least, affection and care shared between two people. One hopes that the Gamma Triangulians hold some form of love for one another, but for their own leader to not know the word or offer a word of their own as its Gamma Triangulian counterpart is concerning.

Now, the episode links love to a strict romantic and sexual understanding owing to how it uses and subverts the Genesis creation story and, of course, the absence of children on Gamma Trianguli VI. It should go without saying that if sex is linked to reproduction, then sex is linked to children, so if love is linked to sex as this episode has it, break the first link and you have nothing else from the chain. This is supported by how Akuta goes so far as to call children "forbidden by Vaal" in addition to "the holding, the touching" of romantic and sexual relationships.

If something is forbidden by a society, there is a taboo attached to it, lest the society keeps engaging in what is forbidden and renders the distinction--and by extension, the rules governing the society--as useless. Usually, this involves some sort of punishment as enforcement in addition to the emotional response of doing wrong. Punishments can range from isolation from the group, imprisonment, or death. I will go into greater detail on this last point later. (For now, I need to dismantle a god.)

Vaal: An Unlikely God

Vaal is a stationary computer hidden in a serpent-shaped cave, not a god as the Gamma Triangulians believe. This appearance subverts what one expects from a cult leader as the computer could have been an android capable of walking, talking, and living among the Gamma Triangulians. An android would be in direct contact with the inhabitants without the need of someone like Akuta to aid it. A stationary computer, on the other hand, needs eyes, ears, a mouthpiece, and further aid to even have contact with the inhabitants. In other words, Vaal is beholden to Akuta's existence. Gods are supposed to be more powerful and more knowledgeable than those who worship them. Otherwise, there's nothing remarkable about them. This is why religion operates on a distinction between that which is sacred (the god, Vaal in this instance) and that which is profane (the Gamma Triangulians). Vaal, despite its ability to control the elements and grow food, is limited in its basic existence. Without Akuta, Vaal becomes an isolated computer within a cave that could be forgotten and ignored until its power supply dies.

Another sign that Vaal is an unusual god is that it requires food to keep living. Ritual offerings of food, animal or human sacrifice, and the like occur in religion, so the act of the Gamma Triangulians offering Vaal food as part of a feeding ritual isn't unusual in it of itself. It matches an established cultural practice. What is strange is that Vaal uses the food to stay alive much like any other biological being would, so the ritual is not an action of reverence but a necessity that has been made sacred. While it is hard to see in the episode, the inhabitants are shown offering rocks and stones as food for Vaal. These are objects that they could use themselves as materials for tools or buildings. Instead, they are given to sustain a god.

Vaal is beholden to reciprocity to keep living just as much as the Gamma Triangulians are, which acts as a way to ensure both Vaal and the inhabitants of Gamma Trianguli VI keep each other alive. It is a risk for Vaal should the inhabitants choose to stop the feeding ritual, but as it is revealed, Vaal ensures their perfect paradise. Their weather is stable, the sun does not burn them, and they are always fed without having to work for it. Fear and other strong emotions can be a good way for a cult leader to ensure control, but to ensure a perfect environment and steady food supply in tandem with the threat of fear is even better. ("Bread and circuses" is another way to phrase it. So long as people are fed, distracted, and happy, their freedoms can be chipped away in plain sight.) In other words, the Gamma Triangulians would have to give up paradise itself if they were to starve Vaal to death, not that Akuta would allow it.

But how can a computer that needs food to live still control the elements and plant life itself? How can such a thing even punish or harm other beings? Simple, like any other cult leader, Vaal has other aids beyond Akuta lest Akuta takes control for himself.

This is only a selection of the various v-shaped pieces of metal seen throughout Gamma Trianguli VI, but it is important to bring attention to them. They look like the fangs of a serpent, matching the serpent-shaped cave of Vaal, so it makes sense to assume these are extensions of Vaal scattered throughout the planet. The episode itself does not mention them beyond the scene where Akuta instructs the men to kill the strangers. However, if these objects act as antennae or, better yet, amplifiers, then these objects are the key to Vaal's powers over food, the weather, and especially the localized lightning strikes used on both invaders and those who do not follow Vaal's laws.

Therefore, death is the form of punishment for those who break Vaal's laws. This is how replacements are needed, how their culture is stagnant. Anyone who would challenge Vaal has simply been killed, although perhaps not right away. Vaal may warn them at first with the thunder, only for later transgressions to lead to their deaths. (This is further supported by the force field that protects Vaal from those who get too close without Vaal's permission.)

It is important to also note that these metal objects are the only instances of metal on the planet. It is possible for the inhabitants of Gamma Trianguli VI to have metal tools and metalwork, but Vaal seemingly does not allow them to have it.

It should go without saying, but the presence of metalwork denotes a more complex state of development for a society. Metal tools enable further technological developments and retain more longevity and strength than most plant-based materials. If Bones is correct that the Gamma Triangulians are thousands of years old, that's a long time to stay in such limited conditions despite the presence of technology that operates beyond their comprehension (Vaal, the computer). This is not to say the Gamma Triangulians are stupid, but they are being kept in the dark by an entity with more knowledge and power than they have. Cults operate on that ignorance and power imbalance.

The Cult in Action

The episode is kind enough to show how the cult operates in real time, how the Gamma Triangulians react to new knowledge, and how change is rejected by Vaal or if it is allowed.

When Makora and Sayana see see Chekov and Martha kissing, they are initially confused. It does not cause pain or anger, yet the act of kissing seemingly does nothing the two Gamma Triangulians can understand in their limited knowledge of love and relationships. Makora asks if anything can be gained from such an action and notes how it does not help gather food or serve Vaal. Their lives are strictly measured by their usefulness to Vaal. Love, kissing, and sex do not help Vaal, so these things are unknown and not permitted.

Makora and Sayana decide to try kissing anyways, their curiosity getting the better of their apprehension. Vaal manages to see this even before Akuta comes to correct them, letting out a warning of thunder as the couple embraces again. Akuta then reminds them of the law and asks, "Do you beg the lightning to strike?" Remember Kaplan? He didn't take cover fast enough during the first storm and was struck by Vaal's lightning, reduced instantaneously to a smoking pile of ash. This is the fate that awaits Makora and Sayana for embracing and kissing one another.

AKUTA: Vaal has spoken to me. His words are true. Hear them. We are to kill the strangers. MAKORA: Kill, Akuta? We do not understand. AKUTA: It is a thing to do, like, like feeding Vaal. Vaal explained it to me. I will show you. This (the melon) is the head of one of the strangers. Find a heavy stick. Come up from behind the stranger and do this. (He swings his stick and smashes the melon to pieces.) AKUTA: It is a simple thing. It is the word of Vaal. It will be done to all of them when the sun returns in the morning.

When Akuta gathers the men to instruct them to kill the strangers, Makora is confused. They have no concept of killing, which makes sense if they are dependent on Vaal for everything from their food to their longevity. There is no danger in their lives beyond disobeying Vaal. What is telling is that this new knowledge first comes from Vaal, delivered by Akuta. Akuta links the act of killing to the feeding ritual, something the Gamma Triangulians will understand. Yet to kill and to feed are not synonymous actions. One takes life, and the other supports life. Akuta links them together because, just as feeding Vaal is their duty, so is killing if Vaal wills it.

This is how the feeding ritual would have begun. Vaal would have told it to Akuta, who would have linked it to another ritual the Gamma Triangulians would have done. This way, the chain of leadership remains unchallenged and unbroken. The new behavior has a link to a current behavior, comes from their leader Akuta, comes from Vaal their god.

In what is the biggest tell of a cult, the Gamma Triangulians follow their orders to kill despite earlier questions and hesitations. They are like the civilians of Summerisle from The Wicker Man 1973, seemingly odd in their beliefs at first, only to gleefully participate in a ritualistic murder when told to do so. In a cult, anyone can be made to do the unconscionable. An individual's own ethics and morality fail to matter in the face of what the cult demands.

The Apple: Genesis Subverted

SPOCK: Captain, you are aware of the biblical story of Genesis. KIRK: Yes, of course I'm aware of it. Adam and Eve tasted the apple and, as a result, were driven out of paradise. SPOCK: Precisely, Captain, and in a manner of speaking, we have given the people of Vaal the apple, the knowledge of good and evil if you will, as a result of which they too have been driven out of paradise.

I mentioned it briefly earlier, but it is important to note at this time how The Apple recalls the Genesis creation story and turns it on its head. As a brief refresher, Adam and Eve live in the paradise of Eden. They want for nothing and desire nothing. They are perfectly cared for and perfectly content. The one thing they are told not to do is to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Adam and Eve are tempted by the serpent to eat the Fruit of Knowledge (most commonly translated to be an apple), and they gain the knowledge of good and evil, the shame of wrongdoing, and self-awareness. God casts them out of Eden for disobeying, and the two are to live out a hard life of pain with a decreased lifespan. (I know my summary is not your typical Bible school lesson owing to my phrasing, bear with me. It's my summary and I am choosing my words for a reason.)

In The Apple, the inhabitants of Gamma Trianguli VI live in paradise. The sun does not burn them or age them. They do not have to struggle to grow food or hunt. Their needs are perfectly met by their god Vaal. All they must do in return is to perform the feeding ritual for Vaal and uphold Vaal's laws, meaning they are forbidden to kiss or have sex or have children. This is where Gamma Trianguli VI's similarities with Genesis.

Unlike the Genesis creation story, the god Vaal is hidden in a serpent-shaped cave and is actually a computer. The deity is linked to the deceiver, the symbol for Satan in the Genesis myth, the serpent. This serpent does not tempt the inhabitants of paradise with forbidden knowledge. Instead, Vaal keeps the Gamma Triangulians ignorant. Apples and other such fruit are not off-limits, nor do they enable one to gain forbidden knowledge. Therefore, when Kirk eats an apple during the crews' round table sex discussion, nothing new is gained. (The landing party already knows what sex is as it is not forbidden to them. The mystery is how humanoid beings are to reproduce without sex.) The landing party does, however, share their knowledge and encourage the Gamma Triangulians' curiosity either directly by openly questioning their culture as Kirk does when he asks about children, or indirectly as Chekov and Martha do when they are inadvertently seen kissing. This is why Spock later refers to Kirk as being Satan for tempting the Gamma Triangulians and leading them out of a comfortable paradise by destroying their god. (The reference is ruined, in my opinion, by Spock's pointed ears being made into a punchline joke about him appearing more like Satan than Kirk.)

So, why does our protagonist, Jim Kirk, interfere with an alien culture at the risk of destroying their culture, disobeying Starfleet Command, and ignoring the Prime Directive? For two reasons: The Dim Time and Tarsus IV.

1. "The Dim Time" Akuta's own words to describe the time before Vaal. Vaal may be everything to the Gamma Triangulians when Kirk and the crew arrive, but Vaal was not originally a part of their lives or culture in the beginning. If there was a time before Vaal, there could be a time after Vaal. If my previous posts about Jim Kirk do not make it clear enough, the man might take risks in doing his job and especially in protecting others, but they are always calculated risks. (The only thing Kirk does not care about is his own life.) Much like taking the risk of accelerating the war between Eminiar VII and Vendikar in order to force peace talks out of sheer terror, Kirk took stock of the situation and realized nothing would change unless an outsider did the drastic decision. (As one can assume, the refusal to arrive to one's appointed death on Eminiar VII might result in armed guards bringing the dissenter against their will to the disintegration chambers. However, the strong sense of duty that compels the people of Eminiar VII to follow the tradition of assigned deaths in their computerized war might make the use of force unnecessary.)

MEA: Don't you understand? Our duty KIRK: Your duty doesn't include stepping into a disintegrator and disappearing. MEA: I'm afraid mine does, Captain. I, too, have been declared a casualty. I must report to a disintegrator by noon tomorrow. KIRK: Is that all it means to you? To report and die? MEA: My life is as dear to me as yours is to you, Captain. KIRK: Then how can you stand MEA: Don't you see? If I refuse to report and others refuse, then Vendikar would have no choice but to launch real weapons. We would have to do the same to defend ourselves. More than people would die then. A whole civilization would be destroyed. Surely you can see that ours is a better way. KIRK: No, I don't see that at all. MEA: It's been our way for almost five hundred years. (A Taste of Armageddon)

2. Tarsus IV.

KARIDIAN: (reading) The revolution is successful, but survival depends on drastic measures. Your continued existence represents a threat to the well-being of society. (stops looking at the paper) Your lives mean slow death to the more valued members of the colony. Therefore, I have no alternative but to sentence you to death. Your execution is so ordered. Signed, Kodos, governor of Tarsus Four. KIRK: I remember the words. I wrote them down. (The Conscience of the King)

As the survivor of a famine, a revolution, and a massacre that he was selected to die in, of course Jim Kirk would immediately balk at the idea of humanoid beings living their lives in service to a machine and taking the machine's orders. If Kirk were one to follow orders and do as he is told, he would quite literally be dead.

Owing to Kirk's experiences and the ambition that seems to drive him forward, to prove that he survived for a reason, he values work and the striving towards a better future (ironic, perhaps, if one recalls Karidian's words before reading the death summons.) Thus, he does not see the loss of paradise as a thing to avoid or to mourn. For Kirk, work makes humankind what it is. Work speaks to the hope of another day (otherwise, why build, why create if there is no hope for a tomorrow?). To live in perfect contentment is not a life at all if every day stretches forward without any challenge or change, if one is to only follow orders and nothing else. Stagnation is the opposite of life.

MCCOY: Well, that's the second time man's been thrown out of paradise. KIRK: No, no, Bones. This time we walked out on our own. Maybe we weren't meant for paradise. Maybe we were meant to fight our way through. Struggle, claw our way up, scratch for every inch of the way. Maybe we can't stroll to the music of the lute. We must march to the sound of drums. (This Side of Paradise)

This is why, even when Akuta asks how the Gamma Triangulians are to live without Vaal, Kirk replies like so:

AKUTA: But it was Vaal who put the fruit on the trees, caused the rain to fall. Vaal cared for us. KIRK: You'll learn to care for yourselves, with our help. And there's no trick to putting fruit on trees. You might enjoy it. You'll learn to build for yourselves, think for yourselves, work for yourselves, and what you create is yours. That's what we call freedom. You'll like it, a lot. And you'll learn something about men and women, the way they're supposed to be. Caring for each other, being happy with each other, being good to each other. That's what we call love. You'll like that, too, a lot. You and your children.

Remember, Kirk was supposed to die on Tarsus IV. Star Trek TOS never reveals exactly what he did to escape Kodos and survive with the eight others until Starfleet came with aid. We can assume he and the others left the boundaries of the colony and took their chances--together--in the wilderness of Tarsus IV. I want to stress that last point: Kirk survived by the help of others and aided their survival in return. Hence, his words to the Gamma Triangulians, "You'll learn to build for yourselves, think for yourselves, work for yourselves, and what you create is yours. That's what we call freedom [...] And you'll learn something about men and women, the way they're supposed to be. Caring for each other, being happy with each other, being good to each other. That's what we call love." Kirk envisions a community living for their own selves, not for the whims of a despotic leader, regardless of if that leader is another human being or a machine disguising itself as a god.

#star trek tos #the apple #jim kirk #tarsus iv #trek meta #this side of paradise #the conscience of the king #a taste of armageddon #this is quite possibly the magnum opus of my meta posts #also if anyone wants to understand my insanity.... i typed this up. on my phone. HELL to do so.#also anyone wanna guess what i have a degree in 🤭 this post is one big tell #i am sorry that the ending of this is all text. 28 images out of a 30 image limit 😵‍#anyways my most heartfelt thanks to anyone who reads this long meta post in full 💛

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cocogum · 5 months

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Amalia gives me major pansexual vibes✨💖💛💙

(a rant on why you should think so, too)

Yeah, this is canon I don’t care.

One thing that you need to know about Amalia is that she gives off MAJOR SUS VIBES and I’m so done with waiting for someone to say it first. So here I go.

You can’t tell me that the way she kept staring at her bodyguard in season 1 wasn’t gay. There’s no way. If Armand wanted her then so was Amalia lol.

Eva doesn’t usually make herself look so girlish, she’s always uptight and thinks about work first. But every time she did have her hair down and tried to look her best (whether she did it intentionally or not), Amalia would LITERALLY BLUSH. Like we’re not talking about a pink blush that we barely see to the point where you have to squint your eyes to see it. No, no we’re talking about RED RED.

And I have two scenes you can see in Season 1 to prove it!

Exhibit A : “The Ugly Pageant” (Season 1 episode 4)

This episode started it all!

So if we fast forward to the scene where the group learns that the doors to the castle only opens to cursed princesses, Yugo gets the idea that they should dress to look the part in order to get inside. They get dressed and compliment how weird they all look before Eva comes out of the bushes to reveal herself.

Okay first of all, let me just say how cute it was for Amalia to try and convince Eva to let her help her 💕 she’s such a cute bestie 💕✨

Second of all, DO YOU SEE THAT BLUSH?!? Ruel and Yugo were just as surprised as Amalia but they weren’t blushing!! Only Amalia was!! Like what kind of reaction is that when you see your bodyguard dressing up?? THAT’S NOT A NORMAL REACTION! Also look at how red her blush is, it’s FREAKING PINKISH RED.

LOOK AT IT ‼️‼️

But if you think that the blush in the Ugly Princess episode was only on Amalia’s face because she was wearing some actual blush, then YOU’RE SORELY MISTAKEN.

Because here she is, not even a second earlier. She’s got no makeup blush on!

I find it funny and cute to believe that that scene could’ve very well been Amalia’s awakening. Cuz like imagine not waking up to THIS:

CASE CLOSED: AMALIA WAS ACTUALLY BLUSHING IN THAT SCENE.

And now here’s another scene I want to show you.

Yes there’s more! ✨✨

Exhibit B : “Vampyro” (Season 1 episode 6)

THIS ONE DOESN’T EVEN TRY TO HIDE AMALIA’S FRUITINESS.

Cuz not even two episodes have passed, and we’ve already got ANOTHER SCENE where she blushes YET AGAIN at Eva!!

Gruffon brings the group to Fourfoot, a shady town with a gloomy atmosphere. Gruffon insists that they need to pass through it to go to Oma Island so the group decides to stay and sleep in an inn for the night. But it turns out that the leader of the town was possessed by a level 5 shushu by the name of Ombrage (also known as Shadowfang in the English ver.) and she specifically told him to bring Eva to her so she can possess her and be freed from her prison.

Vampyro manages to get Eva and this causes Amalia to scream at the guy to give her crush bodyguard back.

Fast forward, the group eventually gets to Vampyro’s place, followed by Dally too, and THIS IS WHERE I LOSE MY SHIT-

Cuz as soon as they get inside, Amalia is faced with an unconscious Eva looking like she’s in the process of being possessed.

AND WHAT DOES THIS BITCH DO?!?!? SHE BLUSHES!!!

LIKE EXCUSE ME?????

I get that Eva looks really good in that outfit but you gotta stop!! You’re blushing at the wrong time! 😭😭 Even Dally had some decency to not focus too much on how she looked in that moment 😩😩

AMALIA TOTALLY HAD AN INNOCENT ONE-SIDED CRUSH ON HER IT WAS SO OBVIOUS PLZ-

I can still go on and on and talk about all the other things Amalia went through with Eva (like the time she snapped and let the Tree of Life possess her body when she heard Eva’s screams, or when Amalia held Eva’s hand before showing her THE MOST SACRED PLACE IN THE SADIDA KINGDOM THAT ONLY THE ROYALS CAN HAVE ACCESS TO, etc, etc.) but I believe she was mostly worried for Eva since they were getting an actual friendship between each other.

But it doesn’t change the fact that Amalia blushed at Eva EVERY TIME SHE LOOKED BETTER THAN NORMAL.

I rest my cases.

The answer is obvious at this point.

Also, it’s not like Ankama never portrayed any lgbtq+ characters in the past before.

In the show “The Treasures of Kerubim” (which is all about Kerubim telling his past adventures to young Joris), there are two reoccurring lesbian characters: an osamodas named Simone and an ecaflip named Julie.

Simone is the housemaid of Kerubim’s house (which is a literal shushu lol) so we get to see her often in pretty much all the episodes while Julie, a hairdresser from Astrub, gets to be seen from time to time since she’s Simone’s girlfriend. Keep in mind that this specific show came out in 2013 so not only was Ankama depicting lgbtq+ material but they were also NEVER afraid of showcasing the two girls loving each other and even plainly showing it when they had the chance (for example, there was even A FULL EPISODE THAT HAD ONE OF THEIR DATES IN IT)

So if Ankama can make obvious lesbian pairs without trying to lower it down or trying to exaggerate it back in 2013, who’s to say that they couldn’t make Amalia blush when seeing Eva dressing up BECAUSE she had some kind of crush for her in the beginning?

All I can say is that based on the pieces of evidence that we got, I suspect that Amalia could be bi or pan.

I’m leaning more toward pan though because she was able to love Yugo even though he has his dragon blood problem. (<- this truly made her look like she cared more for his personality rather than how he looked)

Actually, I bet that she would still love the guy even if he was a full-grown woman too 😆😆

(Female!Yugo x Amalia is my guilty ship and I can’t help it, it’s super cute. I think about it so many times while i’m also thinking about Yugo x Amalia 😩😩)

SO YEAH PANSEXUAL AMALIA IS REAL AND NO ONE CAN TELL ME OTHERWISE!!!

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