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fancygremlin · 6 months ago

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Small update on my progress: the next episode for me is Part 35 “The Deal” and although I don’t know what’s going to happen, the title suggests there might be a big reveal maybe? So, I thought I could expand on my predictions for the rest of season four before getting on with it!

As I previously mentioned, I’m pretty sure John knows a lot more about Kayne than he lets on. This was particularly evident in the season three finale (where we get a taste of how excruciating it was for John to drag Arthur’s lifeless body to safety after their encounter with Kellin). The interaction between John and Kayne was… interesting.

My theory is that John has made a deal with Kayne already... and it might be something to do with ensuring he gets a body at the end of all this. I also believe that John’s resistance to go back to Arkham after they survived all that transpired in season three might be somehow connected to his deal. Him vaguely asking Arthur if it’s immoral to lie to someone to protect them wasn’t exactly subtle. Based on nothing but gut instincts, I think that there is something waiting for them back in Arkham (perhaps a ritual or something similar) that will conclude John’s deal. There might be a small chance that Arthur finding all of this out is what will be the thing that will fracture their relationship?

Anyways, we can assume that, striking a deal with Kayne involves paying a price. I speculate that he is an entity not too dissimilar to genies where he is able to bend reality to grant wishes, but there is always fine print that exploits the victim. We saw exactly how good Kayne is at twisting the deals to his advantage (actually, entertainment seems a more apt word) when Arthur pleaded him to get John back.

It is important to remember that at this point in time of the podcast, Arthur is on the verge of dying, he is alone, scared and desperate. He is incredibly vulnerable. He is desperate to get John because he is convinced that this entity is the only one that tolerates him and cares about him and can actually understand and support him no matter the circumstances. He has no ties with anyone else. Everyone despises him, rejected him or betrayed him. His own self loathing (and the way his past mistakes haunt him) convinced him that he has ruined every relationship he ever formed in the past and he is irredeemable. In Arthur’s mind it’s quite literally just him and John against the world at this point.

Arthur did not realise that what when he was asking for John, he was actually pleading for a shred of comfort, a familiar face, a presence that he felt safe with as he hit rock bottom. Kayne knew this, but he played into the vagueness of the request to screw Arthur over even more. Of course Arthur spirals when he realises that what Kayne granted him is not what he needed or wanted. He can’t find comfort in Yellow like he hoped he could, because Yellow is someone that does not feel familiar, safe or comforting (everything Arthur needed so desperately). Yellow is just another uncertainty, another possible danger.

This tangent was to simply say that Kayne is incredibly good at granting wishes in ways that in text do adhere to what was requested, but ultimately are twisted enough to cause more damage than good to the person who strikes a deal with him.

So what did John ask for? And what price did he have to pay?

I can only speculate, but since a central theme with John’s character is about becoming your own person/ forming your own personality, I believe that he wishes for freedom. We know from season one that he hates living in the Dark World, to the point he fears being sent back there. I think that he never liked being the King in Yellow and was desperate to start anew somehow.

I think that the price he needed to pay were his memories. I also believe that the fact that John’s memory problems are flaring up right now (after Kayne brought Arthur back to life in the mines of Addison) is not a coincidence.

John’s memories have been really spotty from the very first episode of season one. It is strange that he has very scattered and incredibly limited knowledge in a bunch of things that seem almost random. It is strange that he has no idea what those symbols on the back of the book he was bound to mean, and it is strange that it felt like he had never interacted with the Trader while him and Arthur were in the Dreamlands' woods. Sometimes he knows things that makes sense he would know (e.g. how to banish the wraith in season one), while other times he feels familiarity with things that should be brand new to him (e.g. the song “You call it madness, I call it love”, which is a song that I don’t think was released in the Dark World as well).

All this evidence leads me to believe that John has struck many many deals with Kayne to try and escape the King in Yellow and each time he failed, a piece of his memory was lost. That’s how he knows the song, but has a very spotty memory of many things from his own reality.

I absolutely adore how the themes in Malevolent are introduced so subtly at the very start of each season. I feel that each season has distinct ones that could foreshadow how Arthur and John's relationship progresses throughout the show.

I will be rambling about it below (sorry if it's a but messy, I wrote it all in one sitting and didn't proof read it very thoroughly).

The first season is introductory, so we are shown right away how the characters struggle to come to terms with their condition and how to make the best of it to actually accomplish their goals.

This theme is introduced when we learn right at the start of episode one that Arthur is a pianist, as well as a private investigator. The piano requires two hands to play a song. The right hand plays the main melody, the one everyone recognises by ear and is more likely to hum when recalling the song. The left hand plays the accompaniment, the melody that is perhaps not as nice to hear on its own, but makes the song being played that much more complete.

It's not a coincidence that Arthur keep the control of his right hand, while John gains control of the left hand. Arthur is the one that has to interact with the world around him, he is the one that people see and hear and talk to, he is the one that ultimately controls where to go and how to move about a space. He is the main melody, the one people recognise and hear and remember. John is instead stuck in the background, unseen and unheard... limited to just relaying visual information to Arthur. However, without John's aid, Arthur would be incapable to do anything at all. John is the accompaniment: the trained ear can't hear it well, but without it, the main melody would not be as complete, or as rich, or pleasant to hear.

In season two we have them transported in the Dreamlands and this is an environment that John is more familiar with. This is not a safe place to stay, anything or anyone could bring harm. We see the characters pushing their boundaries, learning how to survive... but is it fair to respond to a harsh environment with more harshness? In about episode two (I think, I am writing this all from memory, so sorry if I am misremembering), Arthur mentions Aesop's fable of "The Woodcutter and the Trees". The quote that is being repeated multiple times over the course of the season is "at least the handle is one of us".

If we want to apply the fable to Arthur and John, it could be possible to infer that Arthur might be the axe, while John is the handle. Arthur is the one that is foreign to the place, that does not understand it and is more often than not ready to resort to more violent or extreme methods to escape or resolve issues. On the other hand, John mentions that he has faint memories of the Dreamlands, he is part of them and he remembers he had some sort of control/dominance over them when he was part of the King in Yellow. It's because of John that Arthur is even able to access the Dreamlands in the first place, so maybe John did betray in some way his nature and bringing harm to the place that he once called home.

In season three, the main theme was the (1) loss of humanity and (2) identity. In this case, this was communicated, respectively, (1) by removing a thing that was at the core of the characters' personality, and (2) by offering a narrative foil to the characters.

Loss of humanity for Arthur was symbolised by the destruction of Faroe's music box, which sent him down a very dangerous and dark path of self-vendetta fuelled by murderous rage. On the other hand, Arthur's narrative foil was Larson. Both characters experienced a great loss, but the motivations and (in particular) emotional response to the event was what made them become very different people. Arthur's loss of his daughter haunts him constantly, drags him down with the gravitational pull of a black hole. He cannot forgive himself, to the point of considering himself a monster that does not deserve redemption or forgiveness. On the other hand, Larson willingly sacrificed his daughter for power and money and never experiences any remorse or guilt for his deplorable actions.

Loss of humanity for John was shown by having Arthur strike a deal with Kayne: John is back, but with none of the memories or experiences he lived with Arthur. He is back as a manipulative fragment of the King in Yellow. It's interesting how he regains all his memories when Arthur plays Faroe's music box. Of course, John's narrative foil is... another version of himself... Yellow. I could write an entire essay comparing the two and their respective journeys on how they wanted to try so hard to form their own identities... but I'd go off on a very long tangent. This is already long enough and I am blabbering too much.

I've JUST started season four today and I am two episodes in and I am suspecting that this season's theme is fractures... Just in episode one I heard Arthur choosing a story about a broken relationship between two friends, then the multiple mentions between Arthur and his father in law, and then in episode two there was also the broken window in the room they are renting in Mary's apartment... I am honestly so scared that by the end of this season something very big will happen that will push Arthur and John apart and fracture their relationship almost irremediably.

I know John is hiding something very big from Arthur and it's very possibly something regarding Kayne. I also have a sneaky suspicion that Arthur had a real chance to get some answers about Kayne from Yellow, but of course he just decided to NOT DO THAT!

Can't wait to have this show mess me up once more.

#imagine me looking like in that Charlie Kelly with the Pepe Silva conspiracy wall meme. you know the one I am talking about #anyways… how’s everyone’s Sunday going?#also! Ive had Oscar for less than 30 minutes and I find his distressed demeanour and avoidant personality very interesting #can’t wait to know more about him

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paimonial-rage · 1 year ago

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lol yeah ok - how about 12 and 13 instead? - last anon

[Character Analysis Ask Meme]

What is Neuvillette’s love language?

As that he does not have a way with human relationships, Neuvillette shows his feelings best through acts of service and gift-giving. After all, words are difficult and easy to construe. Quality time often leaves him at a loss for the very words he has a difficult time with. And physical touch? That’s simply too intimate for him. So what better way to show how he feels through something concrete? Surely if he gives of his time and resources for the people he cares about, they will understand how high of a regard he holds them. At least, he hopes.

What is Neuvillette like in a relationship?

As unfamiliar with human emotions as he is, you notice Neuvillette’s feelings for you long before he does. How can you not? You see it clearly—the softness in his eyes whenever they fall upon you, the fondness in his smile, the requests for you to stay if not just a moment longer. You are taken by surprise the day he notices. He approaches you with a troubled, albeit bashful expression. He says that it was brought to his attention that he has feelings for you. Adorable as he is, what else can you do but accept them?

Much to your expectation, there is a hesitance in his step after he begins to court you. He has never been in a relationship before. He doesn’t want to mess it up. So how close is he allowed to walk next to you? Is it proper to offer you his arm? Will you refuse him if he asks you to accompany him to a show? But your presence at his side leaves him light-headed. How many times this has lead to social gaffes and things of the sort? But when you laugh, how can he not chuckle to himself in turn?

With Neuvillette, you will find no bombastic displays of affection. There will not be poetic words of love and adoration. After all, Neuvillette is a simple man and will show his love through simple, yet earnest ways. He will want to spend time with you. He will want to do his best to communicate and be honest with you. He will want to make you happy in any way you see fit. He will do his best for you.

Zhongli's below the cut!

What is Zhongli’s love language?

Anyone close to the Geo Archon knows his penchant for gift-giving. Really, it often catches many by surprise the sheer thoughtfulness and rarity of the gifts he gives. Not only are they often pricey, but also chosen with the receiver specifically in mind. It’s not rare to see people moved to tears upon receiving them, touched by the amount of care he puts into each one. As with gifts, Zhongli is also liberal with the words of affirmation he gives others. He does not hesitate to state a person’s strengths, nor how high of a regard he holds them. With him, there is no room for doubt.

What is Zhongli like in a relationship?

You don’t exactly know when you both became an item. As wordy as Zhongli is, he never bothered to tell you his feelings plainly. He even rejected you at first, stating he didn’t see you in that way. But then he said he’d try, didn’t he? And from that point, things began to change. How he’d invite you to Miss Yun’s performances, or offered his arm for you to take while he’d walk you home. How he’d tell you the most outrageous stories with a straight face, then laugh with an amused glint in his eye when you took him seriously. Somewhere along the way, the wall he kept began to fall.

Still, it is hard to tell his feelings as he never becomes the most physical with his affections. He does not hug you, nor does he hold your hand when you walk at his side. Sparing the moments when you’re the most endearing, he does not often kiss you of his own accord. Still, there is a level of familiarity and intimacy that he displays with no one else. You’re the only person he’ll let by his side on the days he wants most to be left alone. You’re the one whose opinions matter the most. You’re the only one he’ll tease as mercilessly as he does. You’re special.

With Zhongli, you realize that your relationship with him is not primarily one of romance, but of companionship. He does not simply view you as a friend. No, you’re much more than that. Out of all the things that come and go in his life, you are and will always be the only constant. You are everything to him. Even if you may part ways for a time, the place by his side will always remain yours. A relationship with you is a contract, one that he will always uphold.