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2ofswords · 5 years

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Since I am so tired of reading „I know Dankovsky sucks and his ending is horrible“, before every comment that defends him, I will now throw myself into the fires of discourse and write an essay about:

Why The P1 Utopian ending does not mean Danko is an asshole

(A bit of swearing and a lot of spoilers under the cut)

Since I already spoke about being tired of disclaiming a lot, here are some of them. Firstly: This is NOT a comparison and I am definitely not saying, that his ending is better than the ending of the Haruspex or the Changeling. That would be ridiculous and I wholeheartedly belief that the other characters have morally better endings. (Though I will make one ending comparison at the end of this essay just to make myself even more of a hypocrite and there will be a comparison of one aspect of all three P1 endings, that is not made to compare their general quality but… well… this specific aspect of the ending.)

Also this essay isn‘t about Dankovsky not being an asshole. This is not a character analysis, I am only talking about the ending and his relationship regarding his path towards it. There are entirely different arguments to be made about his character that I will not talk about. Surprisingly a character is not only defined by the outcome of their story.

And last but not least the weirdest disclaimer of them all: While my arguments try to defend Dankovsky in his ending I totally understand if you still think his ending makes him more of an asshole. Killing a lot of people is always a dick move and the decision is still a horrible one. I do not really want to argue that people are wrong for judging him based of his ending. I just want to explain, why we also do not have to feel ashamed for deciding to not judge him as a complete asshole based on the main outcome of his route and why his motivation isn’t only based on spite or even ruthless calculation. Also, I think that there is a lot to say about his decision, that isn’t really said and that these are interesting aspects. Sorry to say it, but I just wanted to have a catchy title. I just really love this ending and it’s complexity and wanted to discuss it aside of calling it the evil Danko ending.

So. Let’s start with the easy argument that some people are talking about.

Argument 1: Danko completely lost it and holding him accountable due to his rationality defies the point of his route.

This one is… one of the weaker arguments, but I will still elaborate on it. The entirety of his route is built upon loss and failure. While the Haruspex starts with a mob that wants to kill him and works his way up, the dynamic of his route is him seemingly starting on top of everything and slowly loosing his bearings and by the end of the story this man is already driven to madness. Being used as a pawn in politics, getting daily “fuck you”-letters from the Powers that Be, realizing your lives work is already destroyed and all of your colleagues are probably as doomed (and being the one responsible because he was their leader), realizing that Aglaya – who was the one person who seemed to be his ally at the end – used and betrayed him just like everyone else, having the one truly honestly kind person commit suicide at least partly because of his failures, witnessing his own helplessness against the plague (an enemy that should align with his expertise as a doctor), being hated from day one by almost everybody in town, realizing that the political allies are totally bonkers and also preparing to off themselves (Victor! You seemed moderately sane at the beginning. The betrayal!), getting almost beaten to death while trying to help the town while spending all these days in an hostile place that slips into chaos… yeah I think you really aren’t in the headspace for rational thought. It is a miracle that that guy hasn’t completely broken down and day eleven and to some extend day 9 and 10 are showing him as completely unhinged already, only leading up to a decision, that isn’t really made out of spite or coldness but rather desperation and blind tunnel vision. The day eleven mission involves him going on a rampage against a military squad because of a vague hint and he only checks after the killings, if Andrew is even there. That isn’t a calculated action it’s about a man being completely shattered and making everybody suffer because of that. (Which is also horrible, but an entirely different sort of tragedy.) By now he just shouldn’t be the one handling the situation at all but the local powers sure want to wash their hand of any guilt that they haven’t already attracted. Also – and more importantly – the Polyhedron literally is the one good thing happening to this man. After going into it on day 9 he thanks Khan for reminding him of a childhood he has forgotten! He has a shit week, he is completely beaten down (quite literally) and this is the one happy moment he finds in all this chaos. Clinging onto that is surely not rational, but it is human. We all know that the Bachelor has the tendency to survive on willpower alone and here clinging to the tower and its miracles is literally his only motivation to continue his route at all. Of course he is going to protect it at that point, if thinking about any other option bring nothing but utter misery and the acceptance of complete and utter failure. After all Dankovskys route is about the limits of his rational worldview and how it hinders him more that it serves him in a world, that isn’t defined by rational beliefs. Of course he will be out of it by the end and actually loosing his composure is an important part of his suffering and character development in the story. His ending is not a sign of rational thought but the last consequence of being enraptured in a web of circumstances that forbid him from making rational decisions in the first place.

Truth to be told, I don’t really like this as an argument. I love this thought as a peace of characterization. As much as I love his ending and the horrible consequences and the actual failure it imposes, when we look at the other playable characters. But it doesn’t really help us here. It doesn’t change the fact, that Dankovsky destroyed an entire town just for a dream, a man-made building, a promise of utopia that we never witness ourselves. He still destroyed so… so much! But… let’s look a bit deeper into the motivations behind that exchange.

Argument 2: The Trolley problem

“There is a runaway trolley barrelling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there is one person on the side track. You have two options:

Do nothing and allow the trolley to kill the five people on the main track. Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person. Which is the more ethical option? Or, more simply: What is the right thing to do?” (Wikipedia)

There is a variation to this question and interestingly enough it is one of the morality questions Aglaya asks in Pathologic 2: Would you push a man down a bridge, to save the children from a train? The curious thing is, that we can see all healers giving the same answer, (even if we have the choice to choose differently, since it is… you know… a dilemma). Necessary sacrifice is a constant of all three routes and every single protagonist has to kill in order to save a larger amount of people. Still, the game never answers moral choices with a simple answer and here with the Utopian ending we can see the darker side of this moral dilemma in full force (to a lesser extend this also applies to the Humble ending, since it also involves the Trolley problem, albeit on a smaller scale.) If we take the Kain’s studies about the focus and the soul seriously and see the Polyhedron as a method to ensure immortality seriously – or if we at least assume that Dankovsky wholeheartedly believes in that concept – than protecting the Polyhedron at the cost of the town suddenly becomes the Trolley problem at a significantly larger scale. The Polyhedron could ensure the survival of humankind but only at the expense of the town and it’s infected inhabitants. After all death is to Dankovsky but an affliction that can be healed just like the plague and consumes far more victims (if not all of them even if one would survive the disease). And that poses the question: When does the Trolley Dilemma stop working? What if there are two million people on the tracks and one million on the other side? What if there are hundred people on one and ninety nine on the other? What about five million vs. four million and nine hundred thousand? Can a human life be counted against the life of several others? If we look at the game itself and the healers answer in their daily life, it seems kind of simple: Yes, it is possible. The effort of saving is worth dirtying your hands after all. Risking at least your own life seems like a fair deal and no route really works without at least some degree of human sacrifice. But on this larger scale… it seems absurd. And… well… it is. But still. If we just try to empathise with the Bachelors mindset. If there is a possibility to cure humanity’s mortality… if there is a sliver of possibility (and since Thanatica is destroyed the Polyhedron seems like the only possibility at this point)… what kind of sacrifice is worth preserving it?

I myself have my own answer to that question. In Germany the Constitution starts with the sentence “Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar” or: “Human dignity shall be inviolable.” (This is the official translation though a more direct translation would be “Human dignity is inviolable” which is more of a statement and less of a law) Even if the effect of that sentence in politics is very debatable and it is incredibly vague and not really a usable sentence as a law… I really like it. The human rights as a concept as well as equality can be concluded from the fact, that human dignity is something that cannot – under any circumstance – been taken away and is always a thing that must be considered just by being human. It is… nice. And it also means, that a human being cannot be seen as a mere object and has its own agency. A human being is not quantifiable in their existence by any parameter, be it birth, skin colour, gender, sexuality, religion, interests, talent, job, body, etc… It is incredibly important… and incredibly interesting in our scenario. Because if life isn’t quantifiable at any circumstance… the Trolley Dilemma has a solution. There is no way to tell, if one life can outweigh several others and deciding over their lives is something and judge over the worth of their live is something one should never do. Thus Dankovsky’s choice to save the Polyhedron and outweigh the lives of the infected seems morally wrong.

But… is that the answer the game has? Well… the artbook of Pathologic 2 states that the design of the game is about enforcing ambiguity and I would argue that the first instalment is no different. Firstly: In times of crisis lives become quantifiable. That is part of the tragedy. The healers’ lives are suddenly worth preserving, while others appear as nameless numbers in a daily statistic and caring about the individual dignity seems impossible. As already said the act of killing in order to preserve life is almost mandatory in every single run. So, what about human dignity? Can it even be preserved under such a dilemma? (And there is probably a point to be made about everybody being dolls and thus not even a being with dignity and agency at all… but I digress) Especially doctors have to face this dilemma and they have to make these judgement calls, weather they like it or not. The game doesn’t answer it but makes different variations of the same dilemma that we may judge differently. The Utopian ending is one variation.

What I want to say is, that – if we take the Kains’ believes seriously and see the survival of miracles against the law of nature not only as progress but as a question about human mortality itself – the question if the Polyhedron is worth saving is a very different one. I personally think that the idea of the focus still feels too esoteric to be a real point of interest but on the other hand… it is not like we haven’t some proof when we visit Khan and listen to his testimony. It is not that this place is above it’s miracles, and we know that a lot of the mysticism is grounded in reality, be it by the very real ways of the Kin or the past existence of Simon. So only thinking of the polyhedron as an abstract concept is… well doing it a disservice if we take the other parts as serious. Yeah it is made out of it’s own idea but… you know being like “it cannot exist but it can sure puncture the earth and kill everything” is… a weird way of thinking and it sure is a McGuffin (and even called that in the Artbook) but as we said, the game is about ambiguity and the only way to look at its existence is not only “evil tower of doom”. Is it worth keeping? Eh… I wouldn’t say so myself. I still think the Utopian ending is pretty shit and seeing the tower as salvation for our mortal lives is pretty farfetched. But the question for this essay is: Is it wrong to think, it is worth keeping? And from Dankovsky’s perspective, who sees it as the only possible chance of curing human mortality… Well… the answer at least isn’t as simple anymore. But – and now we are getting somewhere – the argument about the complexity of human value can be also made without even relying on Kain-Bullshit.

Argument 3: The Utopian Ending is the only ending, that completely gets rid of the plague (at least from Dankos point of view)

But wait you say, the other endings also defeat the plague! There even is a cure, something our beloved Bachelor of Medicine never archives. What is this lunacy?

Well here is the catch: A cure does not destroy its disease. Or at least it is an unreliable method. Sure, if everyone is cured and/or the disease helps to build antibodies, then it does help to get rid of it. But the sandpest seems to leave the bodies and not finding these remnants and antibodies is one essential part of the Bachelor’s route. It is the reason Rubin needs a living heart in the first place. The disease doesn’t seem to stay and no antibodies seem to be developed. (And even if I try to avoid material of Pathologic 2 in this analysis since there are differences in the Canon I still at least want to mention, that the Panacea as well as the shmowder do indeed not help against the disease after it is cured and a person can be reinfected. I do not know, if the same is the case in one and if you can test it out.) But if there are no antibodies, the cure could only eradicate the disease if every single infected person is cured at the same time. Good luck with that! That’s not bound to be a complete mess in this town!

This is backed up on day 12 in the Bachelor’s own route. When he is presented with the options the other healers have, he always asks both of them the same question: How does that ensure the future of the town? The Haruspex makes a cure yes. But what if the disease returns? After all the underground water he talks about still exists and there is no telling, if it will ever reemerge. It already happened once… The Haruspex doesn’t answer with “no, that will never happen”. He says that they will have enough cure if this is the case. An optimist, I see. And definitely not a satisfying answer if we consider a scientific perspective. What if the cure runs out? What if they find out too late and the plague spreads outside of town? A cure is not a waterproof system against plague. (You know what works better though? A vaccine.) Daniil’s mission was always to eradicate the disease and this would not do the trick. Having only a cure is risky. And it might not be a permanent solution.

The same applies for the Humble ending. If one asks the Changeling what would happen if the blood of their sacrifice runs out she answers “There will always be people willing to sacrifice themselves” Which is… just great. Constant human sacrifice just doesn’t seem that sustainable. And it also means that there will be constant loss of human life. Something that might even lead to more sacrifice in the long run (although that would be a reaaaaly long run considering how long the sacrifice of the Clara’s bound is supposed to last.) But it sure as hell doesn’t make the plague disappear. What if there are no willing sacrifices? What if Clara is gone and there is no one to perform a miracle? Clara’s ending relies on faith by nature and putting your trust in it is easy from a player’s perspective but even harder when there are lives at stake, the success unsure and these questions to consider.

Dankovsky’s ending is built upon uprooting the plague and eradicating it. The problem is that it is everywhere and not easily destroyed. As Lara very adequately realised: There is no source. His ending is the consequence of that goal and even if it loses in every other aspect, this is the one, where it wins. It actually destroys the problem itself. Building a new town and keeping the tower it cannot reach, actively minimalizes the possibility of the plague reappearing. And a more permanent solution might save more lives than one that sounds more humane at the beginning.

Okay, to defend the Haruspex for a change of pace: In his route he actually does believe that his method eradicates the disease as much as Dankovsky is convinced that his solution does the trick. For him the source is the Polyhedron and the way, it wounds the earth. With it removed the plague will not reappear. But why should Dankovsky share this belief? No one tells him! The inquisitor says that the Polyhedron is the root of evil but there never is any actual proof for that. Even If the Polyhedron is partially responsible and Danko actually does acknowledge this, it is the bloody mess of underground fluids that are in fact the source (which is ironically confirmed by the Haruspex himself). As he tells the inquisitor herself at the last day: The source and the cause can be too different things. It already seeped through Andrey’s spiral to the upper layers. The damage has already been done and in fact the Polyhedron is now the only save place, where nobody is infected. Everything else needs to be destroyed to eradicate the disease but why even destroy the Polyhedron? Wait. Why even destroy the Polyhedron? What good would that even do if we would consider it? What the fuck would Dankovsky even do with the destroyed Polyhedron, how would that save the town?

Argument 4: Dankos ending isn’t about the town vs. the polyhedron at all!(From his perspective. It totally is for the player though!)

I experienced something weird while playing the Bachelor’s route in P1. And with that I mean that I experienced something weird, that I wasn’t already expecting. After hearing so much about the fabled Polyhedron love, assuming that he sacrifices the whole town for its sake and hearing from the inquisitor in Pathologic 2 again and again how obsessed he is, I waited for the revelation. The moment Dankovsky would completely lose it and become utterly and undeniably obsessed with the children’s tower. That moment… never happened. Or well… it happened remarkably late and with less impact than I thought. Until day 9 the tower isn’t even a point of interest to the Bachelor, which is two thirds of his route. But even after you witness the miracles of the Polyhedron yourself, you still can argue against its glory. You can agree with Aglaya on day 10, that it seems dangerous (even if that could also be tactics, but until this point there is not really a reason for that). Hell, you can tell Peter on day 12, that his ideas will always only exist in his mind and blueprints and that the new town they will create will not work out! That is so weird, if the result of his run is, that he sacrifices the town for the Polyhedron! Why is there always an option to speak against the miracle we want to save? Isn’t that completely strange?

If we take the town vs. polyhedron conflict serious then… yeah it is. But is this all, what his end can be about? I would argue against it. Because what finally tips him to his solution and completes his view on the map of the town isn’t the Polyhedrons glory: It is the towns underground water and the Haruspex telling him, that the deeper layers are infected. That is, when he flips his shit and he even has an “oh no, it can’t be!” moment. Weird, isn’t it? If he would be set about destroying the town, why agonizing over this information? But from his point of view it is a nail in the coffin, the realization, that the whole towns ground is seeping with infection and if not eradicated, it will reappear. The Bachelor doesn’t have a cure and the Haruspex, while promising that he has a solution, sure as hell doesn’t explain how that would work and insists on arguing his own case without interference. (Which is completely understandable but doesn’t clear the situation.) The Bachelor has no means on his own to fight the plague outside of destroying the town. This is his only option to call of the bombardment of the Polyhedron and the tower and from his point of view, destroying the tower would archive absolutely nothing. It is free of infection, why destroy it? What would ripping it out do aside from letting even more blood seep out? In his own case, this would be completely useless, thus destroying the Polyhedron does not save the town! When the Bachelor flips the switch and guides the trolley in a different direction, he isn’t guiding it from hitting the Polyhedron to hitting the town. He guides the trolley from hitting the town and the polyhedron to only hitting the town! And by the way to only hit the town which his infected people while everybody else evacuates in the tower. (Which is confirmed by his ending cutscene, where people are actually present. After all it takes the healthy to built the new town). In his own mind, the Bachelor is saving people, not killing them! He does what he can so that the most of them survives and in his case, destroying the town is the only method to ensure victory at all.

If we stick to his own route – as I am doing right now – we have two counterarguments against this theory. The first one: But isn’t that only the failure of finding a better method? And: yes it is. As we already discussed in the first argument, the Bachelors story is about failure and the game itself is about necessary sacrifice, lose-lose situations and making the best out of a desperate hopeless scenario. Which leaves us with the question: Could Dankovsky have found a better solution? And… maybe. If he was more attentive, made different choices, would have been nicer to the Kin… There always are “ifs” but I would argue that the ones in this scenario are… pretty small odds for a change. He does genuinely try to inspect the abattoir and find a solution and ensure it’s safety and is almost punched to death as a result. The Kin regard him with absolute hostility, and for a good reason but it doesn’t help his case. Without Burakh’s knowledge and caste-rights making a cure would be (almost) impossible. He isn’t allowed to do any normal doctoring the one time, he tried to gain some blood from dead people, multiple guards had to die in order to ensure this absolute act of evil to go unnoticed. Thus he has to rely on Rubin’s secret lab. The possibility of Simon and his powers against the plague also aren’t usable… The Bachelor doesn’t even get to see his corpse after all. What choice does he have other than eradicating the cause itself? It’s definitely not the elegant solution that he was hoping for but there is a reason for him switching to inspect everything after ruling out a living plague carrier. These are the desperate means of finding a solution when his own knowledge of medicine has already failed him and the hopes of providing such medicine are already dwindling. Saving the town is simply not an option, the moment itself becomes the source of the plague.

The second counterargument is this one: Why not side with another healer, when they provide a better solution? And this is also a very valid argument. And thus, the moment it becomes an option, we as the Bachelor can choose to do so. If he has the cures that are necessary to ensure another healers victory, it is completely possible to avoid that ending. He doesn’t have to stick with it as well as the other healers do not have to, so judging him based on the other routes being better outcomes becomes obsolete. He has the ability to use these options, but if we lack the cures, his own solution is the only one. (Of course you can also save the other characters bound and then still decide to destroy the town, but using this scenario as his only motivation, when you can totally decide for yourself is a bit harsh, isn’t it?)

Of course, this argument collapses the moment we play any other route and he is trying to convince us to save the Polyhedron and abandon our own plans. However his own route can be considered his own perception of the story and our knowledge, how much he knows about the others paths is pretty limited and dependant of our choices as the player. Also, seeing his character and the changes made with that in mind, we can actually explain, why they appear. Of course, everybody tells Artemy how much the Bachelor is in love with the tower, when we’re not seeing it to that extreme in his route! It is necessary to fulfil his role in the Haruspex route. Of course, both the Bachelor and the Haruspex will appear as demons in Clara’s route. They do offer nothing but destruction from her point of view and both solutions seem destructive and spiteful, if they try to convince her. Everybody seems on board with seeing the characters in her route differently, but I think that the same applies to the Bachelor and the Haruspex in each other’s route, since their roles in the game changes. Or at least the perspective changes based on the others worldview. The Haruspex seems a lot more dangerous and his medicine a whole lot shadier, while the Bachelor seems to be more in love with the tower and ready to abandon everything for it, because it seems that way in comparison to the other persons knowledge of the situation. This is also backed up by the doll ending, where the Bachelor is being called out as the villain most of the time. In other routes he appears more villainous than in his own route, because we do actually have the means of comparison. But this is our perspective and not actual character motivation. We as the player do have the choice to work toward an ending. We can with our knowledge of the game go the extra mile to secure enough cures from the very beginning and help another healer. We are aware of the fact, that Clara and Artemy are other playable characters and we know from the very beginning that their beliefs have to be of value and their solutions will be backed up by their own routes. We know the opposition these characters stand in and while we see the different routes we may judge them for ourselves. And while Clara definitely knows and the other two healers show some sensibility towards this opposition (the “left hand, right hand”-quote comes to mind), at least the male healers are basing their decision upon their beliefs and not some outside point of view (while Clara watches and not-so-silently judges them). They even try to help each other and even provide the key insight to their own plan’s destruction (the Bachelor guides the inquisitor eyes to the Polyhedron and its structure, while Artemy outright tells Daniil of the underground infection). Of course they do not have the full picture! How could they, this entire game is about them not having it and making terrible mistakes! Dankovsky doesn’t have the ability to judge his own solution how the player does. And while judging his ending based on this information is completely valid and sensible, implying that he knows this detriment and still goes through with everything feels… a bit unfair to say the least. The conflict of the town vs. the polyhedron is an important debate in the game. And yes, Dankovsky’s role is being the advocate of the polyhedron, but man, this guy has the tendency to get manipulated into advocating random shit! The town vs. polyhedron debate is as present with him, as it is with the Haruspex. With the Polyhedron being the source in his route, he really has no choice but to remove it. After all, this guy really has no reason, to protect the Polyhedron. Of course he doesn’t! He would never sacrifice the town for the sake of his own ideology!

Argument 5: Let’s talk Nocturnal!

I promised one comparison, didn’t I? Still, we are now diving into abstract talk about the games’ themes and less about character motivation. Consider this more of a bonus and a different thought and less as an argument for Dankovsky himself. Comparing one ending to a different one does not make one of these characters more or less of an asshole. And comparing Pathologic 1 to Pathologic 2 obviously doesn’t tell us anything about the canon of either of those games, since they have vastly different results and we have no idea what the Bachelor’s endings will look like in Parhologic 2 (though I would be surprised if we couldn’t destroy the town and save the Polyhedron. But who knows, in Artemy’s case the army only pisses off.) Still, I think it is very interesting to talk about both of these endings side by side.

And I will begin this comparison by telling you that I love this ending! I am so happy that it exists and I think it is glorious and I think it’s existence is really important. I am so happy that Artemy has a reason to destroy the town. But is this okay? Or – as a comparison – is this a better idea than the one Dankovsky had?

I would argue that these endings have a lot in common. They both preserve their own ideals and establish a radically new order at the cost of the town itself. They both kill a shit ton of people for the miracles they have witnessed along the way. One could even argue that the Nocturnal ending is more horrifying. Firstly, more people die. While the Bachelor saves the uninfected, Artemy saves only those who “live with earths will” which seems to be like… the ten guys chilling in the abattoir and some of the kids. We know that there are only mere hundreds of people left of the kin and since everybody in the termitary doesn’t seem to count… who even gets saved? It’s at least as vague as the question who isn’t infected and can be saved at the Utopian end. But – more importantly – Artemy definitely has a choice in that matter and decides to sacrifice the town for the sake of the past. (If you’re not me. In my playthrough I got the courier note twenty minutes before 22:00 and the game was like “what are you going to do, such a hard choice” and I was like “I literally do not have the time to get this thing to town hall”. And then Aspity was like “you made your own conscious and completely willed decision” while Artemy just awkwardly stared at her…) But even disregarding that, the ending is surprisingly similar. Yet I see no one judging either the Haruspex or his ending for being overly cruel and well… killing a lot. Actually, I only read posts defending it and saying that it is as morally okay as the diurnal ending and could also count as a good end. And… I kind of agree. The sacrifice of the diurnal ending is pretty steep and destroying some species – while the worms, herb brides and albinos definitely show human qualities – is pretty fucked up as well and preserving them can seem worth the cost. (Oh my, do not say we arrived at the problem of human value again!) Still… It is destroying the town for its miracles. That is literally what this ending is about, yet our asshole sense does not tingle at all! Why is that?

I think there are two arguments for this difference between our outlook on the Nocturnal and the Utopian end. The first one is that the Kin and its culture is very endangered and protecting it just seems more morally sound than protecting some rich dudes. Which is very fair and the Kains are very fucked up. Buuuut, it isn’t like there is the termitary quest that preludes the diurnal ending. Finishing the game doesn’t exactly mean that we abandon the Kin. Part of its beliefs and culture, yes. Definitely, and as I said I still think the Diurnal and Nocturnal ending are pretty balanced. But a part of the Kin is assimilated and is coping and while protecting its culture and very real traditions is completely valid, the Nocturnal ending also destroys parts of the Kin (the Termitary part) as ill fitting for living with the earth…. So… hm… It’s not as easy as saying “but you help the Kin in one and some rich dudes in the other”, since the Kin itself are also torn and we are still only allowing a specific way of living. A specific worldview containing the miracles of the town… On the other hand, the polyhedron and its miracles can also be considered endangered and unique. It is a one of a kind structure as is the miracles it can provide. The Stamatins are pretty unable to reproduce it, as the game likes to tell us and destroying it would destroy all hopes of a one in a time event to come to life. Also there are talks about the Utopians being a faction of the entire town with one third of the population agreeing on their beliefs (as it is the case with the other ideologies). And the plans Peter and Maria make do sound interesting, dreamlike and… well unique. Something that can also only happen in this circumstance. But alas… we do not know that much about it and their word is only what we have. And this is the second aspect that makes the Nocturnal ending more relatable: Buildup. We witness first-hand what this Nocturnal world would be (sometimes for better and sometimes for worse), we know the beings and the miracles of the earth. We do not really get in touch which the utopian ideas and only have the rambling of good old Georgji which… yeah that doesn’t help their case! But there are kids calling this new town an “eternal adventure” a miracle that can come to live and I would say, that this thought is quite beautiful. And it certainly is unique, which is the main argument of the Nocturnal ending. Wonders, plague and miracles. Destroy one and the other will vanish. So… what is worth keeping a miracle? The answer now seems even harder to grasp. Maybe even impossible.

But we also do not have every puzzle peace. I still have hope for the two different routes and with them there are the possibilities of new realizations and also new endings. I myself am really curious if we either get an option to save the town or a reason to destroy the Polyhedron as the Bachelor. (And I am very curious as well, if Clara will get a second ending. What would that even be? An all destruction ending to set everyone free???) There also could be more elaboration on the Polyhedron and its inner workings. Maybe we will even understand what the Kains are talking about! There are some allusions to a more concrete Kain worldview. The nut-game while very disturbing makes the entrapment of the soul way more real and gives the focus some context. (It also doesn’t only connect it with the polyhedron since “anything can be a focus. A polyhedron, a room, a nut”.) The same applies to the clocks and their connection to the save system, which makes the miracles of the Kains way more real. And I digress. Only time will tell.

Conclusion:

I think it is clear by now, that this way too long text isn’t really about giving answers and more about perspective. I myself would say that the Bachelor’s choice is terribly misguided most of the time and the only possible method to save anything at best. But I do not think that it is made with its destructive force in mind. What I wanted to show is, that the motives and the narratives surrounding this ending are way more complex and also really, really interesting. (I just wanted to gush about this game!) As are the characters that comment on the situation at hand. And reflecting on how we judge them can say a lot about our own view and the world (this one as well as the Town on Gorkhon).

#pathologic #daniil dankovsky #repost because the first didnt show up as a search result

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stevenuniversetanzanite · 4 years

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The Angel Among Us (Cordelia X reader) Part 7

Last part for this yay! Honestly thought this chapter would be longer. I’ll work on Venable one again soon but it will be easier with this out of the way. God what am I going to do when this is all done? Another series I guess.

Parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 , Part 4, Part 5 , Part 6, Part 7

Sequel: Fallen Angel

One the first day light was created, the second, sky. One the third day, dry lands and the sea was created, plants blossomed and grew throughout Pangea. The fourth day - the Sun, Moon and stars were created. Sea and sky animals on the fifth and humans and those of the land the next. The seventh was a day of rest and was made a holy day.

Now you might be asking, how the hell was light created if the sun or stars didn’t exist? The answer is- stop thinking this comes from a book written and translated over 100 times, there is bound to be errors. Also, humans weren’t there until the sixth day, so who the hell knows what happened.

Man was crafted in the likeness of the creator which humans named God. Fashioned out of dust, the first man was made. He and many to follow would return to said state after death. A human woman was crafted out of one of the man’s ribs.

Humans were riddled with sin from their creation. Eve, the woman crafted from the man, Adam’s rib wasn’t the first woman created for the man. Another made from the dust to act as Adam’s wife. She refused to lay beneath Adam during sex or let the man exert dominance over her. This wasn’t in god’s plan. When they couldn’t get the first wife back, that’s when God made Eve. She however, sinned to, stealing an apple from the tree of knowledge.

Ten generations passed, and humankind became more corrupt. The land was purged, a rain poured for forty days and nights and the rest were history.

Not everything was destroyed in the rain. Not all of God’s failures could be erased. The conniving snake that tricked Adam and Eve back in the garden lived on. For he was not a snake but the devilish fallen angel casted out of heaven. Along with the snake was the garden of Eden. Now it was hidden way from the world, saved as a memory of the failures of humanity. Only the truest of heart could find it- that or those who know how to find it.

The Sanctuary, humans last hope. Well it was until you got to it.18 months in a plant covered heaven. Hidden behind a waterfall within a mountain. It was like living in ‘Journey to the Centre of The Earth’. Planted in the middle was the tree containing forbidden fruit. This time there was no snake not that you needed one when you were with the child of hell himself.

“You’ve been a loyal ally,” he said as he looked over your shoulder to the tree. The leaves were a luscious green and the apples were a vibrant green. A trunk sat beside the tree; you knew the boy had it brought here before the two of you entered this life-sized terrarium. An ecosystem that had remained untouched for billions of years and would have remained that way if you both weren’t there to disrespect the space. The blonde man you had accompanied, plucked an apple and handed it to you.

The bombs had gone off leaving this land the only place to be left untouched by the nuclear weapons. Ironically, the first place to exist is and will most likely be the last place to contain life. Satan’s kingdom would be crafted on the foundations he recked for humanity. The ‘Sanctuary’ was the perfect place.

As the story goes, one man and one woman take a bite of the forbidden fruit.

“I know how this story goes,” you said, raising the apple to your lips.

“Then you’ll know it wasn’t the snake that made them pay but their God.” Michael had a point. You’d been with him this long, if he wanted to kill you know it would be a waste. There was no one to condemn you for your sins. “You seek answers but refuse to hear the answers. That fruit in your hands contains all the answers in the universe. Anything you need to know is at your fingertips. It’s up to you choose to accept the gift of clarity.”

“And if it changes my outlook on you or myself?”

“Me? Certainly not. But you? I can’t predict.”

You gazed down at the shiny apple. Gripping it in both hands you rip it in half and handed on half to the man.

“Together,” you said. You both ate your respective part of the apple.

“Now, what did you see?”

~~~

An angel- a spiritual being believed to act as an attendant, agent, or messenger of God, conventionally represented in human form with wings and a long rob. Living humans are only known to have witnessed two of the nine types of angels of which the two lowest forms, guardian and archangels, mingle among man. The others had no purpose among mortals.

Your creation happened long after the creation of earth but before the time of Jesus. You were an archangel, responsible for managing life on Earth, including the creation and facilitation of soul contracts, life paths, the spiritual development of souls, order within the natural world etc. You were lowest out of the level for your reputation as replacement of a former angel, Lucifer.

You didn’t understand the importance of your job, why care for these humans? Let them do it themselves. You never witnessed the years of evil all caused by one fallen angel.

You, the 2.0, crafted in his likeness with the removal of his ill-intent. You knew what you were, they didn’t bother hiding that. You knew him to be pure evil, corrupter of God’s plan.

Free will, something you weren’t allowed to have. We were all meant to be subservient to the Lord. He, the morning star, was the first to be cast out of heaven. He was defiant, not agreeing with god. All he would’ve had to do was simply said “I sinned, I submit, please forgive me,” and the matter would’ve been resolved. But he was too arrogant, feeling too proud to bow down. He used his own logic and blamed God for misguiding him. Why would God give them knowledge if they weren’t meant to use it?

Your life was a self-fulfilling prophecy. It was never yours to begin with.

Human’s didn’t belong in the kingdom of heaven; they didn’t belong at all. Why was the Lord so infatuated with his creation? Human’s fascinated you, the ability to come back from sin and earn their place in the holy kingdom. It wasn’t forced but advised. Sin still existed and you could choose to break the 10 commandments. Choice. You wanted to choose your life not be bound to a memory of someone else and forced through the wrongdoings as if it were prophesied.

You could have been good if someone bothered to explain your questions. Always being brush off to the side caused you to rebel. You can’t do this without any explanation as to why. Archangel Michael brought up your status as replacement constantly but if your ‘predecessor’ was here he wouldn’t speak a word.

“I’ll see you at the end times,” were the last words you said to the angel. The man will have a special role in the end times [“For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-1 7)”] Now with knowledge of the end, you didn’t believe that for one second.

“Catch her! Stop Y/N!” The angles that guarded the gates of heaven shouted as you ran through people’s heaven’s gate crashing and accidentally destroying them in the process. You jumped from room to room, hiding amongst people’s belongings to lose the guards chasing you.

The group zoomed past. You sighed before stepping out of your hideaway. The air was musky, you got the sense you weren’t home anymore. Your powers were unhinged, unable to control them was becoming more dangerous than ever.

Accidentally transmuting into an unknown location was never good.

You’ve stepped into the devil’s den.

You wandered, getting your bearings. It was all too new to you, how where you expected to follow along?

You stumbled into him, the man you were designed after.

You resonated with his actions and logic, maybe because you were him in some way. That’s the problem with the likeness, the blurred line between who you are and who you are seen to be. If he betrayed, then, so would you?

He wasn’t like you expected, rude or demeaning. He was cunning, motivated by ill-intent, but who’s to judge if it’s morally good or bad? Those concepts confused you, bad could be good in another’s eyes.

The man knew who you were exactly, rumours of your creation spread fast in the spirit world. “Sister. I didn’t expect to meet you so soon. I would have prepared for your arrival.” He offered his land to you, to help rule his throne. He had bigger plans for the end times than he let on. He fed into your desire, the same confusion he had experienced at the beginning of his rebellion.

He offered you whatever you could have wanted in order to steal you from the grips of your creator. “I want to understand the purpose of all of this. Why are humans so important? Why are expected to follow subserviently?” A life of my own.

“Then go, seek out your own answers and when you get bored or don’t like the answers that you find, there’s a place for you here.”

“How do I get there? I don’t have control-” You’d gotten there by mistake, you couldn’t your powers yet. The angels expected you to which is how the ruckus in heaven began.

The former angel chuckled and explained that earth would be a perfect playing ground for you to learn them for yourself. He kindly answered your question, “Think of suddenly being were you want to go and step forward. You’ll be incognito unless you want to be seen. No angel has had long term exposure to humans, who knows the damages it could cause”.

You found yourself amidst a sandstorm. You knew few things destinations on earth, but you knew one that would be a good starting ground… Eden. Sand flew everywhere. You covered your eyes protecting it from the granules flying everywhere.

Along your journey you find a woman stranded, you called out to her. She sheltered herself with the fabric, she peered up slightly to catch a glimpse at you. Her face was scratched raw in placed due to the environment. You extended your hand out to help her, you noticed the red bloodstain on her clothing. “Are you injured?” you asked. The woman didn’t understand you. Either of you spoke the others language. You sighed, using your index and middle finger and guided her to shut her eyelids. You pulled the woman close before placing a hand on her wound healing her. You sheltered the woman from the storm, extending your wings and wrapping them around her to protect her.

She was your first. Your first living human interaction, friend, lover. It only lasted a couple of weeks before the side effects happened. There was a reason you weren’t meant to be down there for long. Her body broke down in your presence. Each day there was less and less to love. She was your first heartbreak. Your first death.

A day after her death you found Eden. You buried her underneath the tree of knowledge in hopes that her death wasn’t a waste. Countless followed her, all meeting the same fate. You saved women only to cause them more harm. None complained nor blamed you for you had ‘saved them’ in one way or another.

It got to a point you would only show if called upon. You always took a trinket, it could have been the kleptomaniac on you and occasionally, for your favourites, you stole ideas from them, and she ware them when they died. Most of your clothes were from other people including the frame of the glasses you wore at the academy.

Heartbreak, betrayal, lust, Lost. Happiness, unity, fulfilment. Kindness generosity. This is what it’s like to be human. There is no one way to live but through your life, you experience a lot, both positive and negative.

Somehow, in your darkest hour there was light. You managed to befriend a young man; his name long escapes you. He was a descendant of the Salem witches. Up until this point you knew nothing of magic users among the earth. Throughout your years your friendship blossomed. You limited your interactions with the man for his safety. The man became the chancellor (two before Ariel Augustus) as well as taught at the school he attended in his youth. From time to time you haunted the halls. Towards the end of his days, he offered you something to mend your soul.

To truly understand something, you must see it up close, to experience something (by either firsthand or by a secondary source) and to formulate your own ideas on it. You made it clear why you were on earth and though you had understood what it was like, it wasn’t enough.

“To tell you the truth, this may not be the best idea.” A cigarette in hand, you flicked off the ash into a tray nearby. You never said it was going to be the best idea. “You’ve gone in too deep. Someone’s going to get hurt-” You raise your hand cutting him off by their fear of you alone.

“I’d call you a friend,”

“Thank you?”

“I’d hate to see you die too.” You brought your cigarette up to your lips, inhaling the deathly sweet smoke that has and will kill many. “But you treat me as a god and not an equal. I am no different than you. You see, I have to do this. You aren’t the first to confuse me for something better and if I am to truly understand, I must live in your shoes. Submit myself entirely to science.”

“But this can’t be done the way you plan without flaw.”

“So, let there be flaws.” Your friend, the man you’d been with since he was a young man, who dedicated his whole life to you was in disbelief. You were driving yourself into insanity and in turn bring him down with you, for he worshipped you, claiming he had found god reincarnated. But the man was wrong, you were no god.

“And when it’s all done, what of it then?”

“That won’t happen until the end times.”

In your final hours, you sat down with a piece of parchment and a pen. You weren’t sure why he believed they would take you. You gathered he would put in a word with the staff of the establishment that you belonged, whether they believed the man, only time would tell, you thought as you sealed the letter.

An identity spell only lasts until the death of the caster, to ensure it lasts longer as secondary plan was devised. Capsules containing the powered used in the spell could need to be ingested. Once they wear off, related stimuli could jog the memory.

When you awoke from the spell. You stood outside the gates of Miss Robichaux’s, letter in hand anxious for your years to come.

~~~

“Did you get the answers you wanted?”

You got answers you sought. You understood their purpose. Humans were playthings for the Gods. A hobby to waste away at. A game gone wrong. A game you had power over. A game you were breaking all the rules for being down here. You weren’t your brother, you weren’t tossed aside, you shouldn’t be down here. Your friends, all those you forgot about. There were too many. You needed to go back to see them. But you can’t, you ran off.

“So, you’re my nephew? You better not start calling me Aunty, I’m too young for that.”

“It’s good to finally meet you, truly.”

You paused for a moment, thinking about how you felt about all of this. Numb? “Same with you, Mickey.”

“You still going with that?”

“Yes, and now you can’t stop me, I’m your aunt-”

“That’s not how this works.”

“Shut up, I’m your boss now- Kidding.” Michael scowled at your comment. “In all honesty though we should get to work on this place. Torch it?”

“Why the rush? We got a year to waste.”

#cordelia x reader #cordelia foxx x reader #cordelia goode x reader

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vfdbaudelairefile13 · 5 years

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Chapter Forty-Nine:

The One Where Sunny is Challenged to a Sword Fight

Violet woke up from her place on the floor a few hours later. She looked around confused. Did I fall asleep? She asked herself as she sat up, leaning back towards the front door. She looked around the room and saw documents all over the floor and the table as she began to frown. She remembered what had taken place before she had fallen asleep. She stood up shakily. Did that really happen? Did I really say that I hated him? She asked herself as she walked around the room, her mind was playing it over and over on an endless loop. Her words like venom, her tone like acid, she intended to hurt her father and she had got what she wanted but as she walked quietly around her cold, empty home she understood the saying ‘be careful what you wish for’. All she could think about was how she made her father cry. She wracked her brain remembering exactly what she said. ‘ She wanted me’ Violet remembers saying calmly but then she lost all control of her words. ‘ It’s you that she didn’t want!’ Violet wiped a few tears from her eyes as she remembered how hard her words had hit him.

“What have I done,” she whispered to herself. She started slowly putting these documents away, she kept a few in a neat pile on the table, hoping to write down a few more notes into her commonplace book before her father had the chance to either destroy them or hide them from her again.

The more Violet thought about everything, the more conflicted she became. On the one hand, she was sorry that she had reacted in such a way that made her father cry. She was sorry that she had screamed to him three times that she hated him when deep down she didn’t hate him, she was simply angry with him. She honestly felt guilty because she wasn’t heartless but a part of Violet also felt like her reaction minus a few bits of irrational rage was justified. So on the other hand, she was angry and a small part of her didn’t regret the interrogation. She was also annoyed that she had asked her father to give up VFD and instead he left her to go do something for VFD. She was sick of the lies and secrets, her father has been lying to her for who knows how long about so much. She just wanted answers. She wanted to know where she came from. She wanted to meet her mother, simple as that. If her father was telling the truth that he truly did not know where her mother was, then she knewwhat did.

She thought about her meeting with Jacquelyn. Remembering that the woman said that if she needed anything to call. She took Jacquelyn’s card from her jacket pocket staring at it. Is it worth it? She asked herself as she stared at the card. Would it be worth joining this stupid cult to find her mother?

Violet stared at the card and then looked at the phone. Would Jacquelyn help her find her mother or make her ‘volunteer’ in exchange for knowledge on her mother? She sighed. She was honestly debating joining a cult. Jacquelyn had said that she was a year late for apprenticeship...whatever that meant. If she were to join, would Jacquelyn be her mentor since she was the one who successfully recruited her? She could deal with that. Jacquelyn seemed like a nice woman.

She looked towards her backpack next to the door. What if I just simply ran away? She thought. She didn’t necessarily need a cult to find her mother. She could do it herself, couldn’t she? She sighed as she sat down to jot down the notes. No matter what she decides, she at least wanted to speak to her father. To tell him that she didn’t hate him, although she was heavily disappointed and hurt by him. So she decided that she’d wait until she sees her father again before choosing her destiny.

But the one question on her mind was: Is joining VFD worth meeting my mother? And as Violet sat in silence jotting down her notes from her father’s documents, she couldn’t decisively say ‘yes’...but she couldn’t entirely say ‘no’ either.

________________________________________________________

Lemony felt like his sister as he drove like an unhinged madman to Paltryville. Violet’s words were replaying in his head in an endless loop. He wiped his tears from his face every so often. All Lemony could think about was the seriousness in his daughter’s voice as she screamed the words I hate you! At him, as he left, once again, to save the Baudelaire children. He sighed. Was lying from her worth it? He asked himself. Almost immediately, he answered himself Yes, of course, it was. You were only doing this to protect her.

But was that the whole truth? Lemony was lying to her about VFD’s existence and what is job truly pertained to protect her. The less she knew about his past and her mother’s past and VFD as a whole...was protecting her. But then there were the lies about who the Baudelaires were. Why he had rejoined VFD after so many years and if he knew her mother’s location. Which all of these lies felt like he was protecting himself in a way. Allowing Violet to know about the death of her mother and the fact that she has two half-siblings could enrage Violet. It could make her hate him... more. Seeing that she already does hate him. She’d blame him for her lack of relationship with her mother and she’d blame him for screwing up in life, so badly, that he couldn’t adopt the two Baudelaires.

He shook his head as he continued to speed towards Paltryville. He was thinking about Violet’s entire interrogation. Lemony knew she was right in a few of her points, but the one that he couldn’t help but focus on was her point about Beatrice. Beatrice did want Violet...Beatrice wanted to raise her firstborn but because of Lemony’s situation was unable to. In a way, some people who hate Beatrice could say that she died as a deadbeat mother, although that was not the case at all. He frowned. He knew fully well that Beatrice wanted Violet. He also knew that Beatrice was willing to make arrangements so that he could also see their daughter and be a part of her life. Lemony also knew that Beatrice did not want him. Beatrice had returned the engagement ring and wrote a two hundred page note detailing why she couldn’t and wouldn’t marry him. He also knew that he could never fault Beatrice on that decision. He had fucked up. He had convinced her to steal from their old friend and he convinced her and two others to help him carry out a double homicide and he hated himself for it. He’s hated himself every day since. He couldn’t remember the reasoning VFD gave to him for the double homicide...and he feared that the only reason he couldn’t remember the reasoning is that the reasoning was insignificant. As Lemony sat here and drove, he felt as though VFD had chosen him for a reason. This double homicide was not the first time that Lemony had murdered, although the first time he did was when he was around Klaus’ age. Maybe they chose him because they knew his moral compass was off. He should have just did it himself. But selflessly, he had involved not only Beatrice but Bertrand and his older sister, Kit. He began crying harder. That night had ruined Kit’s life, too. He wouldn’t be surprised if Kit hated him like his daughter. I wouldn’t blame her...Hell, I don’t even blame Violet.

Lemony knew deep down that Violet most likely said these cruel things out of anger, but even if he believed that. He also wholeheartedly believed that she had every right to hate him. Why should he be surprised if Violet, or Kit, or even Beatrice hated him if he hated himself?

He knew Violet deserved better. He didn’t regret his daughter at all. He loved her more than anything on this planet...but he did regret ever meeting up with Beatrice that Thursday so long ago. If he had just pretended like he never received the letter from the carrier crows than he would’ve never been able to ruin Violet’s life. She would have been raised by her mother and Bertrand. She would’ve grown up being a big sister to a younger brother and then eventually been gifted a baby sister. Lemony had no doubt in his mind that she would’ve been the perfect older sister. Lemony also had no doubt in his mind that if this were to happen, she’d have a far better life with Beatrice than she has had with him. But he was selfless back then, he desperately wanted to meet his baby girl and he desperately wanted to see Beatrice again. Even as he was reading Beatrice’s two-hundred-page letter to him, he had always hoped that they would have gotten back together eventually.

As he entered the desolate town of Paltryville, he knew he had to push away all of his self-deprecating and self-loathing thoughts to the side. He had to stop sulking in his own self-pity and figure out a disguise. He didn’t know what Olaf had planned this time, he didn’t even know what disguise Olaf was wearing this time. All he knew was that the Baudelaire orphans were living at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill. Which confused him. Why would Poe send two small children to a lumbermill? He asked himself. Then he remembered just how incompetent Poe was and it all made sense.

The last time Lemony was in Paltryville, he, the Baudelaire parents and a few other volunteers were here helping the townsfolk with the aftermath of a fire. He remembered how the only two buildings to survive the fires were the lumber mill and a VFD secret headquarters, although he couldn’t imagine that the building was being used since the schism. He remembered that the owners of the lumber mill vaguely, he thought about whether or not he should disturb them and explain why he’d be trespassing onto their property. But he decided against it remembering that the one who was always smoking cigars with a cloud of smoke masking his face was rude and obnoxious and the other one was the definition of a pushover. When he arrived at the gates of Lucky Smells, he could hear a faint noise coming from inside. It sounded like one of the lumbermill machines.Why was a lumber mill operating its machinery at nearly one in the morning? He asked himself confused. But his heart sank when he thought about one possibility. Olaf. He listened carefully to the noise, trying to determine what it was. It sounded like a giant chainsaw. He gulped. He wouldn’t use a chainsaw to kill those kids...they’re his money bags. He thought darkly. Then his face fell when he realized that technically Olaf did not need both Baudelaire orphans alive to get their fortune. He hurriedly concocted a disguise in two minutes. He hoped that this disguise would suffice. He didn’t have time to make an elaborate disguise this time. So he settled for the first thing that came to mind. As he exited his taxi, he grabbed a box of verdant flammable devices.

_________________________________________________________

Before I inform you of the Baudelaire orphans’ side of things let me first explain to you what the expression ‘seeing in black and white’ means. When someone says that you are ‘seeing in black and white’ it simply means that a person looks at the world in a manner that is oversimplified and often incorrect.

For example, like many newspapers, the Daily Punctilio is printed in black and white, and its outlook at the world is oversimplified and entirely incorrect. The death of noted scientist Montgomery Montgomery? Not due to snake allergies. The destruction of Josephine Anwhistle’s home? Not the work of a cabal of realtors. The exact cause of the Baudelaire and Quagmire fires? Although my associate and I haven’t figured out who had done it...I can tell you that they were not accidents. And at the time that certain articles were written...Lemony Snicket was not dead.

Now I am sorry to inform you that there was not a terrible accident at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill during the Baudelaires' dismal time there.

There were two.

It is my duty to report these events correctly, the way that they actually happened. But if you prefer to look at the world in black and white then you should avert your eyes and pick up a copy of the Daily Punctilio instead. Because I know the truth behind the accidents at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill and I can assure you that it’s better if you didn’t.

I beg of you...STOP reading this sad tale now. Imagine this story has a happy ending. You can pretend that Lemony Snicket brutally murders Olaf and adopts the two plucky Baudelaire orphans. Or, if you want to be more realistic, you can imagine that Lemony simply rescues the children from another one of Olaf’s villainous schemes and decides to indict them and his daughter into VFD where the three children have marvelous adventures solving the mysteries that surround them. Or…if you want to be even more realistic, you can pretend that the story continues in the same pattern as it has since you read the very first word in this story. Although I must tell you...that that’s not how the story goes.

But...if you choose to read on, let me warn you...the misery doesnot end here. In fact, I visited Paltryville before I met my associate, many years after the Baudelaires’ story took place here.

It was long after the Lucky Smells Lumbermill had closed its doors and Dr. Orwell’s office had fallen into disrepair. Of course, the building wasn’t originally an optometrist’s office at all, but the headquarters to a troublesome organization.

That is where I learned what actually happened to Klaus Baudelaire and Lemony Snicket. Poor, poor Klaus Baudelaire...poor, poor Lemony Snicket.

It was enough to make my associate and me want to abandon civilization and live by a pond. But...if you choose to look this misery in the eye...don’t say I didn’t warn you...because it’s all downhill from here.

Sunny Baudelaire woke to a loud, strange hmmm noise, she turned to where she thought her brother was. Her eyes got wide as she realized he was not beside her. She sat up immediately. Listening to the hmmm of the lumber mill’s deadliest machine in the late hours of the evening. Her heart sank as she hurried out of the dormitory towards the sound of the mill’s chainsaw. Sunny crawled as fast as she could across the courtyard. She finally reached the doors of the lumbermill and pushed it slightly open just a crack to scope out the scene. She could hear the voice of the person she hated the most inside boasting about his premature triumph over the Baudelaires.

“You’ve been fortunate so far, you little twerp!” Olaf hissed. “But not anymore!”

“Yeah, you tell him, boss!” Foreman Flacutono replied taking off his gas mask, revealing himself to be the hook-handed man, who like Olaf had his back to Sunny, who glanced around trying to see what the two villainous men were talking about.

“One more accident and you’ll be mine! ” Olaf bragged still in his Shirley disguise. “And this will be the worst accident the lumber mill has ever seen.”

Sunny’s eyes widened entirely when she saw that she was correct. The rusty sawing machine was whirring away, making that dreadful humming sound that had woke her up, and there was a log on the machine’s conveyor belt, all ready to be pushed into the saw. The log seemed to be covered in layers and layers of string, the string that had been inside the string machine before Klaus accidentally smashed it. Sunny took another look to make sure that she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. It looked like the string was wrapped around something else, tying a large bundle to the log. With a heap of dread washing over the younger Baudelaire orphan, she realized that the bundle was Charles. He was tied to the long with so much string that it looked a bit like a cocoon. She looked at Charles, who was whistling and smiling as he was eagerly awaiting his demise. Sunny realized that he, like her brother, was still hypnotized. She was utterly alone.

“Now, you lucky brat, would you like to send that log into that saw?” Olaf asked cheerfully.

To Sunny’s horror, her brother stood at the controls of the sawing machine. She could see from his vacant expression that he was completely in Olaf’s control. He muttered, “yes, sir,” as he pushed the level forward blissfully unaware that he was sending Charles to his death.

Without thinking, Sunny yelled, “ Klaus! No!”

Both Olaf and his henchman jumped in surprise as they both turned around to glare at the younger Baudelaire orphan.

“Well, well, well,” Olaf said peering down at Sunny. “If it isn’t...the biting brat. You’re just in time to see the accident!”

“Rem!” Sunny yelled glaring at Olaf, which meant, “It’s not an accident, you vile piece of dog shit! You’re doing this on purpose!”

Olaf looked to Sunny confused and then looked at the Hook-Handed Man shrugging his shoulders. To Sunny’s surprise, the Hook-Handed Man translated for her. Causing both her and Olaf to look at him in disbelief.

“I have a younger sister,” he muttered more to his boss than to Sunny. “She used to talk in a similar way,”

Olaf rolled his eyes but Sunny was happy that she could insult Olaf and someone would tell him what she was saying. Olaf glared back at the infant orphan, “Now, let’s not split hairs,” he said mockingly as he pointed a bony finger at Klaus. “ That’s Klaus’ job.”

“ Klaus!” Sunny shrieked. “ Behave!” to her horror, Klaus didn’t move. He didn’t even acknowledge she had said anything.

Olaf began laughing harshly at her. “Oh, come on. Do you really think I’d make the control word that simple?”

“Fuck off!” Sunny shouted. She knew there had to be a control word. She knew for a fact that there was a word that was used to control Klaus and a word used to free him. Sunny knew that Olaf must have used the word just now to get her brother to move the lever that controlled the log that Charles was blissfully tied to. She also knew it had to be a word that Sir used when they were arguing with him and a word that the fake foreman used when Klaus caused the first accident. But what was the common word?

“Klaus!” she cried again.

“Shout as much as you want!” Olaf bellowed menacingly at Sunny as he took a step closer to her, she bared her teeth at the villain, looking around for some kind of weapon other than her teeth. She stood tall, refusing to show this asshole any fear. “You’re big brother isn’t here right now…and your baby talk will do you no good!” he informed her in the most belittling tone he could muster. “Poor little orphan. Haven’t you learned anythingthis year?...month…? Whatever. Wherever you two go, I will be waiting. Wherever you two hide, I will hunt you down. Why? I’m smarter. I’m pluckier. I’m stronger!” Olaf boasted.

He turned his attention towards Klaus and growled in annoyance when he realized that the log had barely moved. “Put some lower back into it, fucking weakling!” he shouted. Charles continued to whistle happily as Klaus just stared off into space. Sunny realized that Olaf forgot to use the secret word. Olaf turned his attention back to Sunny. “I’m unstoppable! ”

Sunny rolled her eyes. “Odi?!” She yelled at Olaf, which meant, “Why do you hate us so much!?” The Hook-handed man translated for Sunny.

Olaf smiled his trademark cruel smile. “Like I told your brother earlier today because it’s fun!” he said laughing.

He turned his attention to Charles. “How are you doing back there, Charles?”

“Oh, just peachy!” Charles replied chuckling.

Olaf began to laugh at his villainy and the Hook-Handed Man joined in. “Wait until Sir finds out that his partner’s been turned into human boards! I bet he won’t even wait until morning to fire…” his eyes got wide as he gasped. Olaf glared at him angrily as the two villains and Sunny watched as Charles’ expression went from one of blissful unawareness to one of utter confusion and fear.

“Where am I? What’s going on?” Charles asked realizing that he was tied to a log that was headed towards a chainsaw. “Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!”

Sunny realized instantly that Charles was unhypnotized. He became unhypnotized the very moment that the Hook-Handed man uttered the word ‘fire’. With a triumphant smile on her face, she turned to her brother. “Fire!” she shouted as loud as she could. “ Klaus! Fire! Fire!” she shrieked. “ Off!” which meant, “Turn off the machine!”

To her surprising horror, she watched as her brother continued to ignore her and stare into space. Olaf began laughing again. “Nice try baby-laire,” he said mockingly. “But did you really think we were stupid enough to use the same word on your bratty brother that we used on the rest of the mill workers?”

Sunny’s eyes went wide with realization. The rest of the mill workers. Meaning not just Charles. ‘Fire’ was the secret word for the mill workers. Sunny thought she could use this to her advantage. But how?

Olaf knelt down to glare at Sunny, who once again, bared her teeth which stopped Olaf from picking her up. “You will never find the word to save your brother! And you certainly won’t find it in time to save Charles!” he said mockingly.

Sunny glared at Olaf. He was ignorantly undermining her due to her age and size. She was not going to stand for that. Sunny knew that when it came to the fight against Olaf, she brought just as much as to the battle as Klaus did. Hell, she brought more of the bronze than her brother, although he brought more of the brains. They were a nearly perfect team, in Sunny’s opinion. Just missing a secret weapon. The third piece to their puzzle.

Sunny was the one who bit Olaf to defend her brother, Sunny was the one who knew they had to get back into the Reptile Room to figure out how to prove to Poe that Olaf killed Monty. Sunny was the one who knew that allowing Ink to bite her would show that Olaf was a liar. Sunny was the one who used her teeth as a lockpick to open his suitcase, and she later used her teeth to free Ink from captivity.

Sunny was the one who had the idea of eating peppermints to buy them time to decode Josephine’s note. She was the one who had the idea of using the anchor to save her brother from Hurricane Herman. Sunny was the one who had the brilliant idea of starting a fire to signal for help. She was the one who had an easier time working at a lumber mill. She was the one who figured out Olaf’s terrible scheme without the help of her older brother.

Sunny knew that she was a pivotal part of the Baudelaire duo, but if Olaf wanted to dismiss her as a useless baby, that was okay with her. It made ruining his plans all the better for Sunny. Sunny knew that this time, she had to save the day, all on her own because Klaus was unable to help her this time. She remembered every single time Klaus saved her, even that day when she was only six weeks ago and she was choking on her rattle, the day they became thick as thieves. She knew she had to power through despite everything in her way, every obstacle that she faced, every set back that could befall her. She had to do this for Klaus and she was going to do this for Klaus.

“Corrogo!” she shouted at Olaf angrily but confidently, which meant, “Challenge accepted! Bastard!” The Hook-Handed man translated for her as Olaf rolled his eyes in response.

“Help me! Help me!” Charles screamed as the log was slowly inching towards the saw. He looked at the older Baudelaire orphan in fear and confusion as Klaus just stood there lifelessly.

Olaf turned his attention towards Charles, giving Sunny an opportunity to sneak away from the villain and head towards the foreman’s booth where the PA system was located. “Sorry, Charlie! No one’s coming to help you now.”

“ Help me!” Charles shouted as loud as he could.

Olaf turned back to where Sunny had been standing. “Wait...where’d the baby go?”

Just as he asked his henchman that, he heard Sunny’s voice over the PA system screaming the word, “ Fire!” as many times as she could. Hoping to break the mill worker’s hypnotic trance and get them to help her save her brother and Charles.

Olaf walked to the booth and Sunny bared her teeth at him again. “What have you done!?” He shouted in her face angrily. He turned to his henchman. “Shut the door!”

The Hook-Handed man hurriedly went to barricade the door before the approaching angry mob of unhypnotized mill workers could get inside. Charles continued to cry for help while this was happening. Olaf watched as his henchman was successful in barricading the door which allowed Sunny to save Charles in a more hands-on way. She had successfully climbed on top of the log that Charles was tied to and she began to hurriedly bite through the string that held him captive. “Thank you! Thank you!” Charles cried when he noticed Sunny trying to help him.

Olaf notices this and growls. But then he smiles thinking that maybe if he times this right, Charles and Sunny will be cut up by the log leaving him the hypnotized Baudelaire to get the fortune. “Lucky! Would you like to cut the log faster?” Olaf asked.

Klaus’ eyes went wide as he muttered. “Yes, sir.”

Sunny’s eyes went wide but with pure happiness as she realized that Olaf foolishly taught her the control word. She stopped biting the string holding Charles and looked at her brother. “Lucky! ” she shouted. “Back!” which was Sunny’s way of saying, “Would you like to reverse the direction of the log?” To her surprise, Klaus pulled the lever and the log began to move away from the saw while muttering, “yes, sir’.

Olaf growled at this. “Lucky! Push that fucking lever forward!” Klaus complied immediately after muttering, ‘yes, sir’.

“Lucky!” Sunny shrieked. “Pull!”

“Yes, sir,” Klaus murmured, complying with his sister’s request.

“Lucky, push!”

“Yes, sir,” Klaus muttered, obeying Olaf’s demand.

“Lucky, pull!”

“Yes, sir,” Klaus murmured, following Sunny’s direction.

“ Lucky! Towards the fucking saw! ” Olaf bellowed angrily.

“Yes, sir,” Klaus replied, listening to Olaf.

“ Lucky! Away! ” Sunny screamed glaring at Olaf, taking the time in between demands to try to bite through the ropes that tied Charles to the log.

“Yes, sir,” Klaus answered, doing as Sunny dictated.

“ Lucky! ” bellowed a new voice from the second story of the lumber mill. Olaf, the Hook-handed man, Sunny, and even Charles all looked to see Dr. Orwell glaring down at them. “Don’t listen to your sister!” she ordered Klaus.

Sunny went wide when she heard Klaus’ response.

“Yes, sir,” Klaus muttered.

“Lucky, push that log into that fucking saw!” Olaf ordered again looking at Sunny triumphantly.

“Wait, why didn’t you think of that?” the Hook-handed man asked.

“Cause he’s a fucking incompetent moron!” Orwell shouted. “I just stopped by to see if everything was running smoothly, and I’m glad I did. Because it wasn’t! How do you nearly get outsmarted by a fucking infant?”

Olaf growled. “Hey, wait. How did you even get inside? There’s an angry mob at the door?”

“You’re right. I don’t trust you with all my secrets,” she replied as Olaf made a ‘whatever’ face, as she walked over to Sunny and picked her up stopping her from saving Charles with her teeth.

Sunny looked at Klaus for help. “Klaus! Please! Stop!” she cried.”Gice!” which meant, “Please don’t hurt Charles!”

Dr. Orwell looked down at the whimpering infant in her arms. “Oh, you know they say holding a baby can make all these deep, primal parenting instincts kick in,” she said more so to Olaf and his henchman. “But I don’t see it,” she said as she carried Sunny away from Charles.

Sunny looked into the eyes of the evil hypnotist, looking for an ounce of humanity. “ Please, ” she whimpered. “No impetu!” she cried, which meant, “Don’t force my brother to do this terrible thing!” Orwell looked at the infant confused until the Hook-Handed man translated for her.

Orwell looked down at the infant, “It is a terrible thing, I know,” she said in her faux sweet tone. “But it’s a terrible thing that the Baudelaire fortune goes to you two brats, instead of me and Shirley. It’s also a terrible thing that I didn’t get the chance to end either one of your parents.”

And with the mention of wanting to murder her parents, Sunny was done playing nice. Sunny glared at the optometrist, turned her head and bit her hand as hard as she could. Dr. Orwell yelped in pain, dropping Sunny harshly to the ground. Sunny watched as the optometrist lifted her black cane into the air and pressed the red jewel. As she did, Sunny watched as a shiny blade emerged from the opposite end. In a mere second, to Sunny’s surprise, Dr. Orwell’s cane became a sword. “ En Garde! ” Orwell shouted smiling a wicked smile at the younger Baudelaire orphan. Olaf’s face lit up in excitement, fully ready to see Sunny die while his henchman’s face went pale with worry.

Sunny looked from the unhinged expression on the crazy hypnotist’s face to the sword in her hand. She then gave a low chuckle. What has my life come to? Sunny asked herself as she stood up and yelled “ En Garde!” to the hypnotist as she opened her mouth wide prepared for a sword fight.

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2ofswords · 5 years

Text

Why The P1 Utopian ending does not mean, Danko is an asshole

(A bit of swearing and a lot of spoilers under the cut)

So. Let’s start with the easy argument that some people are talking about.

Argument 1: Danko completely lost it and holding him accountable due to his rationality defies the point of his route.

Argument 2: The Trolley problem

There is a variation to this question and interestingly enough it is one of the morality questions Aglaya asks in Pathologic 2: Would you push a man down a bridge, to save the children from a train? The curious thing is, that we can see all healers giving the same answer, (even if we have the choice to choose differently, since it is… you know… a dilemma). Necessary sacrifice is a constant of all three routes and every single protagonist has to kill in order to save a larger amount of people. Still, the game never answers moral choices with a simple answer and here with the Utopian ending we can see the darker side of this moral dilemma in full force (to a lesser extend this also applies to the Humble ending, since it also involves the Trolley problem, albeit on a smaller scale.) If we take the Kain’s studies about the focus and the soul seriously and see the Polyhedron as a method to ensure immortality seriously – or if we at least assume that Dankovsky wholeheartedly believes in that concept – than protecting the Polyhedron at the cost of the town suddenly becomes the Trolley problem at a significantly larger scale. The Polyhedron could ensure the survival of humankind but only at the expense of the town and it’s infected inhabitants. After all death is to Dankovsky but an affliction that can be healed just like the plague and consumes far more victims (if not all of them even if one would survive the disease). And that poses the question: When does the Trolley Dilemma stop working? What if there are two million people on the tracks and one million on the other side? What if there are hundred people on one and ninety nine on the other? What about five million vs. four million and nine hundred thousand? Can a human life be counted against the life of several others? If we look at the game itself and the healers answer in their daily life, it seems kind of simple: Yes, it is possible. The effort of saving is worth dirtying your hands after all. Risking at least your own life seems like a fair deal and no route really works without at least some degree of human sacrifice. But on this larger scale… it seems absurd. And… well… it is. But still. If we just try to empathise with the Bachelors mindset. If there is a possibility to cure humanity's mortality… if there is a sliver of possibility (and since Thanatica is destroyed the Polyhedron seems like the only possibility at this point)… what kind of sacrifice is worth preserving it?

Argument 3: The Utopian Ending is the only ending, that completely gets rid of the plague (at least from Dankos point of view)

But wait you say, the other endings also defeat the plague! There even is a cure, something our beloved Bachelor of Medicine never archives. What is this lunacy?

This is backed up on day 12 in the Bachelor’s own route. When he is presented with the options the other healers have, he always asks both of them the same question: How does that ensure the future of the town? The Haruspex makes a cure yes. But what if the disease returns? After all the underground water he talks about still exists and there is no telling, if it will ever reemerge. It already happened once… The Haruspex doesn’t answer with “no, that will never happen”. He says that they will have enough cure if this is the case. An optimist, I see. And definitely not a satisfying answer if we consider a scientific perspective. What if the cure runs out? What if they find out too late and the plague spreads outside of town? A cure is not a waterproof system against plague. (You know what works better though? A vaccine.) Daniil's mission was always to eradicate the disease and this would not do the trick. Having only a cure is risky. And it might not be a permanent solution.

Okay, to defend the Haruspex for a change of pace: In his route he actually does believe that his method eradicates the disease as much as Dankovsky is convinced that his solution does the trick. For him the source is the Polyhedron and the way, it wounds the earth. With it removed the plague will not reappear. But why should Dankovsky share this belief? No one tells him! The inquisitor says that the Polyhedron is the root of evil but there never is any actual proof for that. Even If the Polyhedron is partially responsible and Danko actually does acknowledge this, it is the bloody mess of underground fluids that are in fact the source (which is ironically confirmed by the Haruspex himself). As he tells the inquisitor herself at the last day: The source and the cause can be too different things. It already seeped through Andrey's spiral to the upper layers. The damage has already been done and in fact the Polyhedron is now the only save place, where nobody is infected. Everything else needs to be destroyed to eradicate the disease but why even destroy the Polyhedron? Wait. Why even destroy the Polyhedron? What good would that even do if we would consider it? What the fuck would Dankovsky even do with the destroyed Polyhedron, how would that save the town?

Argument 4: Dankos ending isn’t about the town vs. the polyhedron at all!(From his perspective. It totally is for the player though!)

If we take the town vs. polyhedron conflict serious then… yeah it is. But is this all, what his end can be about? I would argue against it. Because what finally tips him to his solution and completes his view on the map of the town isn’t the Polyhedrons glory: It is the towns underground water and the Haruspex telling him, that the deeper layers are infected. That is, when he flips his shit and he even has an “oh no, it can’t be!” moment. Weird, isn’t it? If he would be set about destroying the town, why agonizing over this information? But from his point of view it is a nail in the coffin, the realization, that the whole towns ground is seeping with infection and if not eradicated, it will reappear. The Bachelor doesn't have a cure and the Haruspex, while promising that he has a solution, sure as hell doesn’t explain how that would work and insists on arguing his own case without interference. (Which is completely understandable but doesn’t clear the situation.) The Bachelor has no means on his own to fight the plague outside of destroying the town. This is his only option to call of the bombardment of the Polyhedron and the tower and from his point of view, destroying the tower would archive absolutely nothing. It is free of infection, why destroy it? What would ripping it out do aside from letting even more blood seep out? In his own case, this would be completely useless, thus destroying the Polyhedron does not save the town! When the Bachelor flips the switch and guides the trolley in a different direction, he isn’t guiding it from hitting the Polyhedron to hitting the town. He guides the trolley from hitting the town and the polyhedron to only hitting the town! And by the way to only hit the town which his infected people while everybody else evacuates in the tower. (Which is confirmed by his ending cutscene, where people are actually present. After all it takes the healthy to built the new town). In his own mind, the Bachelor is saving people, not killing them! He does what he can so that the most of them survives and in his case, destroying the town is the only method to ensure victory at all.

If we stick to his own route – as I am doing right now – we have two counterarguments against this theory. The first one: But isn’t that only the failure of finding a better method? And: yes it is. As we already discussed in the first argument, the Bachelors story is about failure and the game itself is about necessary sacrifice, lose-lose situations and making the best out of a desperate hopeless scenario. Which leaves us with the question: Could Dankovsky have found a better solution? And… maybe. If he was more attentive, made different choices, would have been nicer to the Kin… There always are “ifs” but I would argue that the ones in this scenario are… pretty small odds for a change. He does genuinely try to inspect the abattoir and find a solution and ensure it’s safety and is almost punched to death as a result. The Kin regard him with absolute hostility, and for a good reason but it doesn’t help his case. Without Burakh's knowledge and caste-rights making a cure would be (almost) impossible. He isn’t allowed to do any normal doctoring the one time, he tried to gain some blood from dead people, multiple guards had to die in order to ensure this absolute act of evil to go unnoticed. Thus he has to rely on Rubin's secret lab. The possibility of Simon and his powers against the plague also aren’t usable… The Bachelor doesn’t even get to see his corpse after all. What choice does he have other than eradicating the cause itself? It’s definitely not the elegant solution that he was hoping for but there is a reason for him switching to inspect everything after ruling out a living plague carrier. These are the desperate means of finding a solution when his own knowledge of medicine has already failed him and the hopes of providing such medicine are already dwindling. Saving the town is simply not an option, the moment itself becomes the source of the plague.

Of course, this argument collapses the moment we play any other route and he is trying to convince us to save the Polyhedron and abandon our own plans. However his own route can be considered his own perception of the story and our knowledge, how much he knows about the others paths is pretty limited and dependant of our choices as the player. Also, seeing his character and the changes made with that in mind, we can actually explain, why they appear. Of course, everybody tells Artemy how much the Bachelor is in love with the tower, when we’re not seeing it to that extreme in his route! It is necessary to fulfil his role in the Haruspex route. Of course, both the Bachelor and the Haruspex will appear as demons in Clara's route. They do offer nothing but destruction from her point of view and both solutions seem destructive and spiteful, if they try to convince her. Everybody seems on board with seeing the characters in her route differently, but I think that the same applies to the Bachelor and the Haruspex in each other’s route, since their roles in the game changes. Or at least the perspective changes based on the others worldview. The Haruspex seems a lot more dangerous and his medicine a whole lot shadier, while the Bachelor seems to be more in love with the tower and ready to abandon everything for it, because it seems that way in comparison to the other persons knowledge of the situation. This is also backed up by the doll ending, where the Bachelor is being called out as the villain most of the time. In other routes he appears more villainous than in his own route, because we do actually have the means of comparison. But this is our perspective and not actual character motivation. We as the player do have the choice to work toward an ending. We can with our knowledge of the game go the extra mile to secure enough cures from the very beginning and help another healer. We are aware of the fact, that Clara and Artemy are other playable characters and we know from the very beginning that their beliefs have to be of value and their solutions will be backed up by their own routes. We know the opposition these characters stand in and while we see the different routes we may judge them for ourselves. And while Clara definitely knows and the other two healers show some sensibility towards this opposition (the “left hand, right hand”-quote comes to mind), at least the male healers are basing their decision upon their beliefs and not some outside point of view (while Clara watches and not-so-silently judges them). They even try to help each other and even provide the key insight to their own plan’s destruction (the Bachelor guides the inquisitor eyes to the Polyhedron and its structure, while Artemy outright tells Daniil of the underground infection). Of course they do not have the full picture! How could they, this entire game is about them not having it and making terrible mistakes! Dankovsky doesn’t have the ability to judge his own solution how the player does. And while judging his ending based on this information is completely valid and sensible, implying that he knows this detriment and still goes through with everything feels… a bit unfair to say the least. The conflict of the town vs. the polyhedron is an important debate in the game. And yes, Dankovsky's role is being the advocate of the polyhedron, but man, this guy has the tendency to get manipulated into advocating random shit! The town vs. polyhedron debate is as present with him, as it is with the Haruspex. With the Polyhedron being the source in his route, he really has no choice but to remove it. After all, this guy really has no reason, to protect the Polyhedron. Of course he doesn’t! He would never sacrifice the town for the sake of his own ideology!

Argument 5: Let’s talk Nocturnal!

Conclusion:

#pathologic #daniil dankovsky #ending spoilers #god this is long!#Well... I can't draw and my English isn't good enough for creative writing so I guess this is my contribution to the fandom now #Weird thoughts that spontanously come out of my brain.#I'm so sorry everyone!

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