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unproduciblesmackdown · 2 years ago

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catch my hazy silhouette through a rain-obscured window on a dim evening as i thoughtfully pace hands clasped behind my back through the accusing parlor

that is to say: back at it again with mitzi and mordecai's murder mystery marination and musings, because putting down a lot of thoughts does in fact still help sort things out even without any clear conclusions reached

what i've expounded upon enough to imo warrant further whole separate posts is a point touched upon in some tag which is that like, i'm honing the "but why would mitzi have some secret here re: atlas's death with mordecai, of all former fellow associates" wherein i don't think there can be any purely Logistical reason. like how there's plenty of other associates to choose from, and the only thing that particularly differentiates mordecai would be like....what, precision? in taking a shot or cooking some books? that's possible, but mordecai has to have some motivation to be aligned with her as well, but what we also have on hand to consider is the way they're Still aligned enough to keep this secret, despite now being professional rivals and there being no apparent personal attachment Directly between them, or even like, communication.

so the theory here is that their connection to have this secret in the first place And to still be keeping it is an emotional alignment which they mutually understand/recognize. which, it would seemingly follow, is about atlas. even if you take the [hmm did mordecai originally land in trouble by embezzling; was he doing it again?] idea into account, and, say, wonder if they arranged to kill atlas before he could figure that out, or because he had, why would mordecai then leave lackadaisy. while it's also true that he wasn't So loyal to lackadaisy overall to refuse to leave it, so that doesn't really make sense as a motivation, but he also clearly didn't join marigold with "time to be peak loyal to Them" ambitions alone (which came from Where, since he'd been with lackadaisy for so long / could've left prior. and if he killed atlas so that he could get a totally different type of job: well he didn't do that. and if he killed him so that he could do that same job somewhere else: why, and also, he doesn't seem that enthused, and also mitzi doesn't seem to act like that's her understanding of his motivations)....all to say that mordecai's motivations then and now don't make sense if trying to look at it through the realm of All Business Logistics, and it's further unlikely b/c that would be more boring lol

and that, again, with mordecai being a business rival and not obviously her bestie or something, what kind of Just Business incentive would allow them to not only agree to work together in some fashion at the time, secretly, but both feel secure enough re: their Both keeping the secret. apparently mitzi has cause to think mordecai Could tell asa/marigold anything about it, but she doesn't suspect hard enough to seem to worry about it after he says "of course not," even though she thinks that mordecai might want to destroy lackadaisy because of whatever he considers her Culpable for surrounding atlas's death, which isn't the same as everyone else just suspecting mitzi killed atlas outright, so it's not like she thinks it's any loyalty to or interest in lackadaisy itself that guarantees he'll refrain from telling marigold anything about whatever happened re: atlas's death. which could be a matter of like, well, maybe it's something he wants secret for his own sake then, but we also have mitzi refraining from telling anyone anything about the secret, even wick. they have to have some reasons for not throwing the other under the bus, and for expecting the other to not do the same to them, and i guess a perfect alignment of [well, it'd have negative consequences for both of us] is possible, but still doesn't seem likely with how they both seem this assured that, even though either of them Could share something, they won't

then there's also More Clues to consider

sure seems like Something to give mordecai's little portrait a defining quality of Grief. which i feel secure in presuming is about atlas. but which isn't the word used for anyone else out here, even like, atlas's widow, so seems significant b/c of that as well. and it Would make sense if mordecai left lackadaisy if because of Grief Over Atlas, when he Doesn't seem so antilackadaisy that he's actually interested in / intending to destroy it, while, at least passively, he Does seem to at least prefer that everyone just exit the stage as painlessly as possible, though that doesn't preclude kneecapping viktor or raiding the armory to try to push that along....but he's also not sharing anything about how mitzi's Actually involved in atlas's death even though he blames her for something in that area, nor even willing to stoke the general assumption / rumors that she killed him, despite this apparent defining grief over it, even

Much To Consider here

first of all, don't think gracie's right that mordecai went over to marigold to spy on them, since he seemed to only be set on this path after that brunch with asa saying he warned atlas of Something. and with his saying right here that there wasn't reason to suspect anything, and also wanting actual answers rather than to let gracie pin the murder on marigold (which theoretically means mordecai isn't Most Motivated by even covering up this murder. when also like, this one might be higher profile, but he's doing a lot of those. and is only Not doing another one right now b/c of the possibility of more answers). there's also the fact that technically neither mitzi or mordecai have unequivocally acknowledged that they even indirectly killed atlas, but the "she wasn't there" remark sure does seem to mean that mordecai Was there when atlas died, and in tandem with "it was a private affair" (though, Trail Offs & Rephrasings Alert with him saying "it was all... it was a private affair" like what were you going to have initially said) seems to mean that mordecai Knows who Was there, and he must be so confident that there are no other loose end attendees / witnesses running around that it "should be impossible" for marigold to know anything about it. and there's some wiggle room for Possibility i suppose, but seems to add up to Only mordecai being there. and there was a gun (and its handoff) involved in mitzi & mordecai's murder mystery secret, so it sure seems like that also adds in mordecai shooting atlas. but still, the key points seeming to be that he Was there, and is sure of What happened himself

also again establishes that mordecai blames mitzi for something, but won't say she was the one who killed atlas. meanwhile, some kind of emotion beyond "that's factually inaccurate" to Emphasize the "no" about the concept that mitzi left atlas for mordecai, which, otherwise some [kill your husband b/c of our romantic entanglement] sure would be an explanation for their sharing this secret involvement surrounding atlas's death. but, again, if the emotion is "[mitzi hater voice] NO" he's never been [mitzi hater voice] trying to throw her under the bus re: atlas's death, actually go after lackadaisy, etc....could be the asexuality, &/or could be the this bitch gay....up next is another Trail Offs & Rephrasings Alert with "i worked for him. atlas. i worked closely with him." which could suggest like, his concern being because he just feels he Should Know, maybe also b/c his proximity to atlas endangers him as well. but, in all this discussion, the Closeness and changing of "for" to "with" is, i'm supposing, about the emotional factor here, with the Grief and everything. as well as the emotional drive of bothering to take off a glove to pose pensively and disheveledly about it all. oh, and also kind of having a half literal bloody heart situation atm, and not just the sense that one's heart is ideally always literally bloody

what's the situation, fellows....could be like, yeah what's special to me is someone who doesn't care if they find me personable or not if i can & will kill people good enough on their behalf. taking on mortal peril too for someone tolerating your professional association? that'd go for any lackadaisy associates, and he's not staying there for any of them, despite the Grief over another. just some loyalty, but he wasn't loyal enough by extension to commit to staying at lackadaisy no matter what. does seem to be most compelling either that possibly he's like, nice, a substitute father vs my presumably deceased, to even reduce that [cool. just like a dad] concept to being a source of financial support (if you kill people really good on his behalf) which sure is relevant when atlas was the one out here restoring mordecai to life when being as good as dead over efforts to procure money for his family. or else, there's the option of mordecai having an Emotional Alignment with mitzi here and cause to be driven by Grief of being somewhat in love with atlas, with the restoring to life and apparently Literal shirts off his back and all, and again intriguing to compare his & mitzi's being materially supported by atlas, naturally, though in her case through being his wife and all. in whatever case, including "or some third compelling thing" that's not so clearly defined, i think it's relevant that mordecai and mitzi were both proximate to atlas and privy to a lot, and that i'm definitely suspecting that the "why would mitzi have this entrusted secret with mordecai of all people" answer of "because of emotional alignment" also involves mordecai's alignment having enough of a similar depth to that emotion as in mitzi's case, such that their Understanding of this similarity is what let & continues to let them trust each other with this secret, and such that mordecai's motivation is Grief over atlas

of course, it's all very obfuscating that we see so little of atlas, including his interactions with anyone. i don't really get the impression of him as being a very warm person, which adds in turn to the mystery of mordecai grieving him. mitzi has this affection for / attachment to atlas still, but it's not exactly clear that atlas ever returned so much of it, like his Fancy Gift Giving may have been the primary medium of any courtship there, certainly apparently the intiation of it; with mitzi seeing that necklace as representative of the Possibility / improvement of circumstances she found through atlas, now potentially through lackadaisy. and there's the fact she still regards him this way despite mordecai saying that things had deteriorated between them before atlas died. and that, in turn, also raises a question of how mordecai would know that; entirely possible that it stemmed from like, possibly being something of a bodyguard, could've included picking atlas up / seeing him off wherever he lived, and things just being obvious from that vantage point. i am doubting it's because, other way around, atlas took up with mordecai instead, though now i'm wondering like, where'd mordecai live at first. could've been set on his feet so fast that atlas Immediately got him a room, from a hotel even, but. anyways, that's to say that any reciprocated, realized romance Between atlas and mordecai doesn't seem to fit here, but again it's like, mordecai being privy to a lot, mordecai and mitzi kind of similar in terms of [atlas's veritable shirts off his back], mordecai being so proximate and often around atlas; i don't imagine it was exactly an affectionate dynamic, but i'm not really counting on atlas's and mitzi's marriage being really that affectionate beyond the surface / performance of romantic gestures / material offerings, on atlas's end anyways, and so like, it's easy to imagine that if mitzi did love him, it was Somewhat unilateral, and they were even married and all; so unilateral feelings being just as motivating for mordecai, who was supported by atlas too, around the same age as mitzi (probably, within a decade almost surely, but i'm estimating more like half a decade at most. while the character sheets suggest, if humorously, that mitzi would claim to be actually at least a year younger than him) around him a lot and privy to a lot, and it would all sure point to a potential specific version of understanding of emotional alignment between the two of them.

but we sure can't exactly know at this juncture, and the theory here just hinges on "mitzi and mordecai had equivalent / aligned Enough emotional attachments to atlas, and their Knowing It led them to have this secret involvement in atlas's death, and to continue keeping the secret, despite their not seeming to keep that secret b/c of a direct emotional attachment to each other, nor necessarily an It's Just Business or It's Just Murder practical, nonemotional shared motivation" like so let's simply phrase it as, tl;dr they both loved him, and knew that....they had to have talked enough to coordinate whatever they did in the first place, to know whyever they both were willing to coordinate it, and feasibly could've shared whatever info before that.

obviously a mystery that remains in this [mordecai and mitzi were both involved b/c they both knew they loved atlas, or at least have enough of this Loyalty to him specifically and precisely] theory is like....their alignment thusly then leads to their being so involved in atlas's death that mordecai knows it was a private affair, mitzi wasn't even there, it should be impossible marigold knows what happened, and yknow, had a gun. why kill him, when mordecai then apparently leaves lackadaisy over Grief about it, and when clearly the way they both talk about implies that this is a sore topic, mordecai considers mitzi culpable / her phrasing it as "reassurance that it's still my fault," they both seem to still regard atlas positively Enough....why have been so proximate to his death and not stopped it, much less possibly, maybe probably, been the ones to cause it

puzzling about this and it's like, of course we have any number of completely missing pieces, but things like "uhhh to preserve some concept of him by completely precluding him doing something or other to conflict with it??" seems like a stretch....and so far all i can think of that'd fit is that Atlas was also in on atlas's death. it's possible for one that he didn't even really die, see: that it's definitely true that none of what mitzi or mordecai has said has decisively, exclusively meant either of them killed atlas, or even that Anyone did, even that he died; i.e. it could be some coverup, Staging atlas's death so that atlas could evade [xyz]....trusted people, already close to him and already privy to a lot, who Would do something like that for him, might be people he'd turn to like hey mind if you help orchestrate what seems to be my demise and then i maybe disappear from your lives forever? but there's still the question of What Was Mitzi's Fault that mordecai maybe thinks led to the circumstance of atlas's death, seemingly or for real, which so aggrieved him that it's his main motivation as we know him, but he also doesn't actually completely hate her....could still be something that atlas just wanted to Disappear over. it's Thematically Apt if, for whatever reason, atlas was like "well i want out of This Life" before either dying for real, or else successfully Pretending to die, to instead facilitate enough of an actual escape: that he was either like reaping what he sowed, when what he sowed was people being stuck on this one path because it benefitted him and they didn't have a world of options, certainly not ones they could see, like that ultimately he'd be stuck in this literal dead end too...or just be killed by others, to be less stuck on his path, specifically. see serafine talking about being obliged to [atlas]; extricating oneself from that Obligation by killing him....or else atlas being also stuck on this one path, But that because he's the one with the money and the one chasing more plentiful opportunities vs clinging to the only one they see and he's the one with collected strays obliged to him, he's the one able to escape, with their help, but perhaps wherein also they just know it's not really up to them to be able to refuse to provide that help, rather than that atlas successfully heartstrings tugged anyone along either (or knowingly, in mordecai's theoretical case anyways)

it's also possible that atlas being in on it also entails him having actually died, and him knowing that was going to happen and for some reason not preventing it, or even being the one to request it. this could line up with both mitzi and mordecai being involved over some shared emotional motivation over atlas, and their both being unhappy with the situation afterwards. of course still mysteries there like "what was mitzi's fault that could lead to atlas dying" and "why's mordecai blame her but will keep this secret and not accuse her to randos or marigold or actually try to destroy lackadaisy to get back at her (lattermost could be for others' sake, e.g. viktor, ivy, even atlas still)" but those were Already mysteries anyways....does seem to me like mordecai's involvement here is b/c of some emotional matter for him, that that's also how he's aligned with mitzi, and so then it does seem to be the most feasible that somehow atlas dying, or disappearing, was something atlas wanted to have happen. including that it could simply be an On My Terms thing even if he really died, like he thinks Someone's gonna kill him, he'd rather avoid suspense and possible suffering, ask his wife to do it, ask his bookkeeper bodyguard hitman to do it, ask his wife who knows she can ask the other guy to do it instead and that he'll agree....

there's also the Big Mystery of "what Did asa have to warn atlas about; and how Does it figure in"....can mordecai have been present at atlas's death, or at least been certain of who was & wasn't so as to think it was impossible marigold knew how it happened, and now have that confidence throw into question If asa had something he warned atlas about??? it confuses me. it'd seem that atlas would be warning atlas, and now theoretically mitzi in turn, about some threat external to lackadaisy, while seemingly mitzi and mordecai's secret suggests that his death came about internally re: lackadaisy. can mordecai think marigold a) was involved in atlas's death without mordecai knowing and b) without marigold knowing mordecai was involved??? what was the private affair mordecai thought he knew of, in that case, if we suppose it involved [not mitzi], [maybe even not mordecai], [not marigold, so he thought]....i suppose it's uhh possible atlas shot himself directly, not even w/the middleman of mordecai doing it With atlas's knowledge / at his behest. hadn't actually considered that before now. the benefits of writing it out! but even then, what's the mysterious gun handoff in the rain between mitzi and mordecai? possible simple evidence disposal one way or another, but how much difficulty would one have when it's like, throw it in a river....

and it's entirely mysterious too like, what New Thing does marigold have to warn anyone about, or mysteriously cull lucrative associates over, the thorn in its side, the undiscerned source of agitation....is it just so New to have an ambitious federal agent in town who'd refuse to be paid off? as ever, there's still the mystery of who runs marigold, since asa's the night manager who gets to keep secrets from mordecai, for one. would be funny if it's wick, with a quarrying front, but yknow....still, that hypothesis doesn't betray, or even suggest, any motivations lol. the secrecy could just be a matter of insulating the owner from any investigations; if someone doesn't know who they're working for, or at least what the overall gameplan is, they sure can't give it away to that federal agent, or anything. but was drago in town back then? he doesn't actually seem interested in lackadaisy now, so even if he would've been when atlas was alive, he's not here to investigate atlas's death, or you'd think he wouldn't just be like "oh you work there? lol. anyways bye"....i'm trying to work out how atlas being warned of Anything is a concept that could make mordecai think marigold might know how he died? since the warning would've come before atlas's death anyways?? i Suppose it could suggest that asa simply doesn't think mitzi killed him, which is supposed to be the rumor that everyone's assuming is true..........

it's also hardly clear that mordecai's worried that, instead, marigold thinks (or knows) mordecai killed atlas? he certainly seems Potentially concerned about that, but why is he interested in some guy's federal agent contact instead? why, more specifically, is he interested in this realm of "what's agigating marigold Now" since the answer is definitely not "him" and seems to uncoincidentally actually be "drago trying to meet up with some informants....who don't necessarily have anything useful to give him???" like, there's too many necessary coincidences for this to be some elaborate coordinated scheme around "we know mordecai killed atlas and we Hate that" like, in that case, just confront him, or kill him, and do that before hiring him? but if mordecai's not simply worried for his own sake "uh oh....am i Really wanted for murder???" style (considering also that marigold doesn't have much reason to be bothered atlas died, and isn't acting like it) then what Is he so motivated by rn? Grief Besot, what's that mean for him risking so much to perhaps Get on marigold's bad side, or become more proximate to a federal agent, when he does not now already seem to be on marigold's bad side nor in this federal agent's crosshairs (who for one, again, might be more interested in lackadaisy if that was the case)....all while, also, mitzi doesn't seem to be thusly so bothered. how Does it figure in? i suppose it's also possible that, concerning atlas's death, mordecai was privy to more / has information she doesn't....for one thing [she wasn't even there] versus how he presumably Was.

something that seems to be left is perhaps Motivation for atlas's death? if, as i'm pondering, mitzi and mordecai teamed up b/c of an mutual understanding of sufficient emotional alignment regarding atlas, and they'd be involved in his death despite this and despite being so unhappy about it afterwards if they did it For atlas, and that they'd only do it For atlas if atlas actually was in on it too / this was what atlas wanted/chose, rather than what mitzi and/or mordecai wanted/chose....could mordecai care so much about simply "the important things i thought i knew are also more emotional than 'i hope nobody tries to kill me :(' logistical, and specifically are: why did atlas want to die? or pretend to die and peace out?" wherein only now is he getting the idea that atlas was warned about something by marigold and that's why he wanted to die or pretend to die and peace out....which would mean, according to this theory, atlas either didn't tell him why, or made up something else. And that mordecai simply wants The Truth? it's not like everyone else in this cast roster isn't necessarily making choices that aren't great for them / are high risk b/c of limited options and emotional minefields, but mordecai is Really highly motivated and taking action about this. would "Why did atlas die, Really" be sufficient motivation? is [what he considers mitzi culpable for] what he Thought was the reason atlas died before, and can he think that idea is inaccurate if mitzi could hear the same thing from asa and not apparently be in the same turmoil of uncertainty?

i suppose it's, as mentioned, possible that mordecai knows how atlas died and who was involved / who even knew about it, but didn't kill him himself, And now is questioning if he Really knows who was involved. like, can he have been wrong? how much room for error was there, here. what third parties can there have been; why would they have been involved. i'm kind of working around like "Does mordecai now wonder if marigold got atlas killed?" with the same eternal questions of [how was mordecai involved such that he had a gun. and knows what happened, yet Now thinks he had this room for error] and [what was mitzi's established culpability, exactly]

like, i am wondering if mordecai could be wondering if A Culling Of Lucrative Associates could have been extended to killing lucrative associate atlas may. seems like a possibility. pawsibility (cats)

could he just be doing this if he only wonders for what purrpose atlas died. i.e., he Knows he Knows how atlas died (which he sure seems to consider more in question, what do you mean you Thought it was a private affair, it Should be impossible, etc) and this is just that hypothetical question of "maybe i was wrong about why atlas chose to die, & i Need To Figure Out the actual reason." and like, why. for closure. for finding out something Wasn't mitzi's fault, and getting to keep your hitman job with more familiar faces? for one, rooting for mordecai and the savoys. more about that later

either way, it's also like. is mordecai really doing all this Just To Know / to put his mind at ease. he's risking a lot for information he's theoretically not going to do anything with, and putting a lot of effort into it anyways. but if he Is going to do something, what? it's not like he's never been Wanted For Murders that some people know he was behind, if that's the hypothetical issue re: atlas. would he want to Avenge atlas or something here? at any cost? aligning with drago like look i wanna kill whoever runs marigold, but my problem is i don't know who that is. not like mordecai Fully going rogue from marigold here seems that far-fetched just inherently, and even less so since that's like, already partly underway. and with the savoys anticipating that they may not always be on the same professional side, whether b/c mordecai's about to break away or b/c they know They're close enough to it at any time, and might just join him b/c, idk. they want to keep shaking him up like a jar of glitter; they also want to know more about what's going on with marigold; maybe even some third thing

it's still a question like, how could mitzi and mordecai have enough of a cohesive idea of how atlas died (or is presumed to have died) that they think there's nothing left to figure / they know enough of how it came about to think that mitzi's at fault for something or other....And for there to be room for mordecai to be questioning so much about it, when, if anything, he might have even more information about it than mitzi does? what role does he think mitzi played and maybe still thinks she played But now he can also be like "but also was marigold involved" like, wha. what's understood between them, what's been questioned between them? tldr let's consider it intently again:

i'm also considering those flowers. Important in general, daisies and marigolds, but those are decidedly Not daisies when there's even thee daisy depicted in the frame there. anyone an expert on five-petaled flowers....forget-me-nots don't have pointed petals like that....it might not be meant to be any particular flower, or meaningful. but there it is. and, again, like....so there's enough of Something between mitzi and mordecai such that mitzi can be like "maybe you'd tell someone something" and mordecai can be like "of course i didn't," but they don't seem to be exactly close or even like, in contact, and mordecai certainly resents mitzi / blames her for something (if not actually being motivated to try to destroy everything she has left) but they still both expect each other to keep the secret....like, it's definitely true that even if they both know they both have whatever similar enough emotional motivation re: atlas, they could have too begrudging an alliance to feel like they'll both definitely Keep it a secret. unless it's somehow adequately separately in their own interests. i doubt mitzi's only declining to publish a personal ad like "i definitely didn't kill atlas. btw." b/c it's still too fresh a topic, while people already think she maybe did kill him, so what's she gaining by not talking about it....what's mordecai gaining by not talking about it, or blaming mitzi to the point of telling people oh yeah she did shoot anyone, even if he knows she didn't. if mitzi knows mordecai shot atlas, what's she keeping that secret for....if mordecai has enough of [some kind of emotional motivation] re: atlas to now be driven by grief over him, and mitzi feels anything about this was her fault, why expect mordecai to work with her? if she didn't know mordecai had that motivation, why turn to him at all? like what are our motivations....a) covering up crime, probably not, unless it's about atlas not finding out about one, which transitions into b) money, did mordecai embezzle once? he could do it again. or for the first time, then c) love, decidedly not between mordecai and mitzi, could be For atlas somehow....even some third or fourth thing, but what other kind of connection could these two have. what could mitzi even have been up to to be Culpable in some way surrounding atlas's death, but not so directly responsible that mordecai isn't still protecting the secret? how was mordecai there with a gun and thinking he knows how it happened / who was privy to it, and now be like, i have to solve his murder mystery. i'm puzzling....

said i'd get back to the savoys. mostly i had the brilliant insight that like, i was noting that mordecai Is in the dark, at crossroads, between places, etc. but it then occurred to me like, yknow look for the connection that is: they gifted mordecai w/their diable, who for them provided some Light, literal even. and then i'm like, hmm, mordecai sure put up a literal light. kinda like a ghostlight, even though it's also not that so nvm....then it was like let's just check page "illumination" while dramatically smacking foreheads

tell us more, bestie!!!

it's also funny how mordecai's autistic swag gives him that inscrutability / stealth factor to others just whether he likes it or not. he wants to go talk to mitzi about secrets so he just up and excuses himself from the table and his boss is like "lmfao what a weirdo, classic that guy. anyways." but not only do i doubt the savoys would think, based on their experiences with him, that mordecai's actually Having Fun At Work rn, but i also think they may actually have some more Accurate ideas re: mordecai, including already being like "well, we're the same," rather than taking a more dismissive, othering perspective towards him. and i certainly think their diable is not Not going to have helped mordecai out here, so somehow he must be on the right path for his purposes, even when i'm in the dark between places about it lol. i don't have a diable. unbelievable pondering the hotel room scene we just chasséd past there btw.........i am rotating it in my mind. anyways. i'm not so sure that if the savoys find out mordecai's solving some murder mystery they won't be like "'hahaha amazing right on. well, now we're helping" ft. more specific affectionate nicknames and despite his not offering to let them in on it. take up the path together, stay friends no matter what, nobody get eaten from the inside out in a bad hot temper way, please. also i think nicodeme and mordecai should date

i have no stronger point to leave off on, and i Think i covered all the pondering updates, and this has been going on a minute, so. continuing to ponder

#is this longer than the last one? maybe #long post www #eh maybe not #either way. let's muse out here. there's a mystery in town #the possibility mordecai shot atlas And is also the one out here peak in grief about it? get that angst gayboy #but maybe he didn't even do that much. see: this whole damn post #lackadaisy #mitzi and mordecai murder mystery

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