#is that i think jimmy's actions have already had consequences

[bludermaus]

I'm not as angry as some folks for Swansea not killing Jimmy early

Okay so hear me out:

We know that Anya told Swansea about the things that Jonah has done (the game doesn't specify, but let's presume it was everything) and, in turn, Swansea becomes more rude and antagonistic towards James, as well as being even more protective of the Utility Room.

We don't fully know the contents of the conversation between them. Jimbo interrupted both of them, they could've continued talking about it afterwards or maybe they were at the tail end of it. The matter is, they talked about the remaining cryo pod and - from my interpretation - collectively decided to give Daisuke the cryo pod if a time for it came. Anya crying could be either because she was opening up to Swansea about Jimminy's crimes, the fact that she was going to stay behind with Swansea for Daisuke's sake, or a combination of both.

So... who knows if Anya even asked Swansea to do something about Jerry. For all we know they decided she'd just lock herself in the med room every night away from Jonathan while Swansea kept guard of the Utility Room. Maybe she asked Swansea to do something and he - like Curly - failed her. Or maybe she even told him not do anything hasty... which sincerely I feel was the case.

Hear me out hear me out! I think there are two reasons why Anya would ask Swansea to just keep it between them for now and not do anything harsh/violent against Jeremiah:

1) People don't just think about murder as their first response, it's *hard* to decide to kill someone, even if they are deserving considering the circunstances and how they reject any and all accountability;

2) As a nurse, I think Anya is well aware of what could happen by killing Jambalaya. There are mental effects that could happen, morale would go down from the loss of human life, killing someone is not an easy thing to do and their minds have already been stretched thin from the whole crash situation. And also, imagine they killed Jamboree... what now? They can't just dispose of the body. What happens after some time when the body decomposes? What happens when the putrid air takes over the ship? What mental and physical consequences would that bring to the rest of the crew inside such a closed space with that smell? What if it's very hot inside and now you're stuck with that smell?

I just think that they decided it was better to just cope with Jizzy for the moment - handle him very carefully - because the moment they decided to kill him it'd signal the beginning of the end, their already stretched-thin mental states wouldn't hold much longer. I *GUESS* they could've killed him, put Daisuke in the cryo pod, mercy killed Curly, then Anya could've OD'ed on the pills and Swansea could have drunk so much Mouthwashing that he expired... but like, who goes for that as their first option?

Anyways this was long enough! I could be super wrong, this is just my interpretation of things, what matters is that we all hate Jimmy, fuck him. Also do not defend Curly, I feel bad for all the ordeal that he had to deal with post-crash but man you really fumbled the bag when taking responsibility was most necessary. Even if he hadn't done anything immediately, at least tell Anya that she had his full support and that Jinny would pay for his actions and that he needed some time to think of what exactly to do but that he WOULD actually do something, not just push away to the back of his mind

[bittersweetcatharsis]

Mr. Curly Mouthwashing is such an interesting and tragic character to me. Not tragic in the way that Anya is- good God, not in the way that Anya is. But tragic in the way that he is a victim of himself, of his own naivety, of his own limited perspective and blind trust. A victim of his own actions and arrogance, and a victim of the direct consequences that stemmed from his poor decisions.

I see a lot of people reading Curly’s character in a way that I just personally didn’t. I could very well be wrong, and I’m certainly open to the possibility, but I actually prefer to think that I’m right, because it’s these layers and dimensions to his character that make him so interesting and complex.

He wasn’t a “bad” guy. Not in the way that Jimmy is, who had every opportunity to do the right thing just ONCE, and yet failed to, because that selfishness and cowardice is ingrained in his very core. Unlike Jimmy, Curly was just an ignorant guy. Not malicious by intent, but ignorant nonetheless. That doesn’t justify anything he did, or anything he failed to do, but it explains more about him than a simple write-off of his character does.

Curly was operating under an illusion of grandeur. His belief of his power transcended his position and extended into every facet of his life. His approach to confronting Jimmy wasn’t because he didn’t believe Anya, but because he viewed Jimmy as misunderstood just as much as Jimmy himself did. He inappropriately sought nuance in a situation that didn’t need it. On top of Curly and Jimmy’s history and camaraderie- as well as Jimmy’s raging victim-complex that so obviously influenced Curly’s perception of him- the fact that he was disillusioned by the extent of his control ultimately led him in failing to protect his crew. Anya especially.

In the very beginning of the game, we see him talk about how he knows he should have raised more of a concern about adding a fifth member of his crew without enough cryo-pods to accommodate Daisuke. It is this blatant dismissal of safety protocol that reveals just how shortsighted and ignorant Curly can be. And when Anya revealed her abuse to Curly, it’s this same ignorance that led him to confronting Jimmy.

Curly wasn’t trying to dismiss Anya, and he certainly wasn’t trying to betray her. He simply lacked her perspective. As a man, he couldn’t begin to fathom the feminine experience with the intrinsic evils of masculinity and the patriarchy. He has this almost childlike sense of optimism, thinking Jimmy would reveal himself to be a deeply flawed and misguided- but ultimately good- person, only to be confronted with the reality of Jimmy’s narcissism, insecurity, and apathy. By then, it was too late. He was an enabler. He had protected Jimmy. He had given him all the resources to hurt the very people he was entrusted to protect. It was a wake up call that came too late, a raising of red flags after Jimmy’s evil had already been revealed.

Curly should be held accountable for his failures and shortcomings- “take responsibility”- but I also believe he should be viewed sympathetically. It’s too easy to brush past the little details that make him so damn human in pursuit of a simple explanation. There are some people, like Jimmy, who have a full understanding of their privilege, and weaponize it as a means to control, coerce and abuse the people around them. Then there are others, like Curly, whose privilege has been so second-nature to them that it becomes entirely invisible. Had Curly realized this earlier, he very well could have prevented the fate of himself, of Anya, of Daisuke, and of Swansea. Even as a victim of Jimmy’s derangement himself, Curly ultimately was a perpetrator in his own right.

I don’t think Curly is a “bad” guy. I think he’s just a wrong guy. A guy who was arrogant, but not malicious. Ignorant, but not evil. He’s just as easy to blame as he is to mourn. He’s a walking paradox. He’s an absolutely brilliant character.

[sp-ud]

Also I hate when people go: "if Swansea had known he would have-" but Anya did tell him. He references it later on.

"Well it's probably because they were stranded in space-" Swansea never liked Jimmy, and it would have been more convenient for him to not have to deal with Jimmy.

"He didn't want to traumatize Daisuke-" You're prioritizing a man's comfort over a woman's.

"He was worried about what would happen after they were rescued, like how he didn't want to be noted as being part of opening the cargo hold-" He already knew he'd be out of a job after this, and after a certain point he'd clearly given up hope of being rescued and didn't care about the consequences of what he was doing to himself with the mouthwash.

And maybe Swansea was thinking like any of the last 3 specifically, but newsflash guys, that's not a 'good' defense of Swansea 😭 that's actually just further proving the point the story is trying to make about rape culture.

Like you can discuss these things, why Swansea might not have done anything even after he was told, or why Curly did so little in the first place. I actually do think its important to discuss those aspects, but when you're saying it specifically in an attempt to justify their lack of action...

You're just continuing the exact cycle Mouthwashing is about of workplace silence and how corporations prioritize "not making a huge fuss" and downplaying sexual assault so they "don't have to deal with it" instead of doing anything other than maybe give the victim some polite empty reassurances and sending a half assed equally empty warning to the perpetrator.

And I'm not saying the people who do talk like that are morally reprehensible people for that way of thinking being their first line of thought. It's what a lot of us were taught as we grew up, that's why it's called rape 'culture'. It's a reality we've been told that we just have to accept and deal with.

But at least to me, a significant part of Mouthwashing's message is about the harm all this inaction has in the long run. Whether the inaction comes from more a more personal place or due to fear of punishment from a higher authority, it's still inaction and it's a cycle that needs to be broken.

[transhitman]

Anyway sorry to keep riding Swansea's dick but I wanna make one more argument as to why I still think things would have been different if Anya had spoken to him pre-crash instead of Curly, and my main reasoning here is that everyone's mindset took a sharp left turn after the crash. Swansea broke his sobriety because he knew he wasn't ever going to get home and there would be no consequences for it. By the time Anya tells him about Jimmy he's already balls deep in a relapse and probably passively suicidal. And I'm sure he doesn't think Anya is getting out of this situation either. Not to say he was in the right for this, but I think his actions definitely came from a place of hopelessness rather than just. Not caring about Anya. In the big extended metaphor of the game Swansea is positioned opposite of Jimmy (patriarchy) and is also in inversion of Curly (passive enabler) (and I'll probably get deeper into that in another post), so based on the overarching themes of the game I do stand by the headcanon that Swansea would have done more for Anya pre-crash if he had known. And you can disagree with that but I dislike the reasoning of "he didn't immediately kill or threaten Jimmy after he had already resigned to dying on that ship so he also wouldn't have done anything helpful under better circumstances." I think that's a very reductive take.

[wszczebrzyszynie]

why did scar burn down the ranch in the space mining au? did he think jimmy had something to do with grian's disappearance?

In short: it was for revenge. He knew well Jimmy had nothing to do with anything that happened to Cub or Grian, but Tango did, and at that point in time Tango fully moved in with Jim. Scar just treated him like collateral damage. Cubs corruption (which was a consequence of both his and Tangos actions) happened at that time, and Grian disappeared (caught by Martyn) leaving Scar alone. And Scar doesnt really... handle being alone well

A very... long version is under the cut. And i do mean it, its long, but explains exactly why Scar burned down the ranch, with all the events leading up to it and with some Cub characterisation in it

Best way to start all of this is to say a bit about Cub in this au. Even though he and Scar arent related, theyre very... brotherly-like, as theyre both second generation vexes raised together. Except while Scar went into the very bootlicking job of official bounty hunting, Cub was always against everything govnerment related. Never an outright criminal, but always hanging out in these circles. He supported Scar to an extent while making sure Scar knows what he thinks about all of this. And also that, ultimately, he knows he can count on him if something goes wrong. Even if Cubs going to be annoying about it

Cub is smart. Cub has insane amounts of knowledge about an insane amounts of topics. So much so that he was able to (with help of Mumbo, i suppose) design a complete new type of mobility aid specifically made for Scars new crime job. He is also, to a fault, interested in space mining. Hes a bit younger than Tango, but was already an adult when sculk was discovered to be a dead, alien lifeform. And the thing about sculk is that its the most important discovery in modern human history that everyone wanted to know more about, Cub included. Its what truly started his... adventure, with space mining. Its what got him close to Tango in the first place

Cubs sculk corruption happened almost acidentially. Ive mentioned before that Jims ranch is on a planet in the middle of nowhere, which also happens to be a living sculk planet; sculk planets and moons arent common, but they exist (one of them being callisto) and are pretty well known, plus its possible to find sculk in smaller amounts on planets and asteroids that wouldnt be considered "sculk planets" (as in, sculk isnt the main thing to be found there). Living sculk planets on the other hand are so rare that theyre more of a theory than a real thing, at least at first*. While sculk found in most places is long dead, Jimmy, with correct tools, could have access to its living form. And this is how Tango gets a sculk sample as a gift for Cub; so small it fit in his pocket. So that Cub could continue his research on his own, without having to spend ungodly amounts of money. And Cub does so, and experiments with it, and reanimates it, leading to his infection. And, unlike what Tango experienced at callisto before it got blown up and Tango became a wanted terrorist, it actually felt good for him. Being a vex comes with so many health complications that having a parasite (especially one Cubs been fascinated about for so long) that completly dulls it is something he was okay with. Neither Scar or Tango agreed with him here, Tango knowing everything sculk does first hand, and both of them made the decision to save Cubs life, whether he likes it or not (Cub didnt exactly... believe that sculk could kill him). Sculk is sensitive to sound and light, thriving in dark, wet and quiet environments, and its extreme sensitivity to sound is what Tango learned while helping Zed. The exact logistics of it and timeline of events are not set yet (rip) but what matters is that Tango and Scar succeed, saving Cub, who goes unconcious for a while

Now that the backstory is over, the reason Scar burned the ranch down is because not only Tango got Cub infected in the first place, but also because he... broke Cub, in Scars eyes. Cub cannot forgive Tango for saving him because he doesnt believe he needed to he saved. He thinks that Tango acted out of self righteousness, setting back his research (needless to say Cub didnt exactly think straight while corrupted and after the coma, kind of like with his original sculk corruption durning the crossover). He holds similar feelings towards Scar; more complicated, sure, because he loves Scar, but he also believes that Scar hurt him and tore out something he needed to really feel alive. Scar cannot forgive him specifically because the corruption changed Cub and his relationship with him, and the fact that Grian, a vital part of Scars already small close support system, wasnt around, it made Scar act rasher and with more hate than he would normally. He didnt go there to burn it, exactly, as probably simple murder was on his mind, but he activated one of Tangos paranoia-filled security measures (...traps), one thing led to another, an explosion happened, and scar decided to burn it all to the ground. Like a normal person

For more info as to why Tango was living with Jimmy at that time, im sure i mentioned it somewhere here? Ill just add that to protect both of them and their home Tango trapped it. And like most of his traps, they backfired.

Put some old art here to better demonstrate what im talking about

* the funny thing about Jimmy here is that he tends to find sculk... a lot. The reason he had to move from one place to another time and time again is that all the mining sites he used to work on got either closed down or fired people en masse because of sculk; while mining sculk is extremely profitable, its also hard and requires a lot of special machinery, including mechs, which wouldnt be used for things like coal. And when he got divorced and stopped being a miner, he moves to a planet, breaks his helmet in an accident believing he would die, only to realise that the planet had breathable air all along because of sculk under the surface. This is the closest space mining gets to the canary curse because i dont really like the curse as it is now, but its so heavily mining related i had to tie it somehow in a way that would satisfy me. Very offtopic but i think i should mention it

[notnaudiz]

this might get some people mad at me but here goes

i haaaaaaaaate the take I've seen before of "Curly was just as bad as Jimmy" or "Curly deserved what happened to him." like holy shit i despise it.

Curly fucked up majorly. Like reeeeal bad. Like, ultimately his fuck-up cost the lives of his whole crew. But he is nowhere near Jimmy levels of bad and, frankly, I don't think he's a bad person at all. qualifying as a "good person" or a "bad person" is pretty difficult to achieve, most of us are just people. flawed people who do really good things sometimes and really messed up things other times.

Curly needed to take responsibility for what happened and to make things right with Anya, and to help her and support her. (I also fully believe that, had he been in the condition to post-crash, he absolutely would have done so.) But saying that what he did--or rather, didn't do--makes him just as bad as Jimmy or deserving of being burnt alive and quadruple amputated is just nasty. Oh, and cannibalized, can't forget that.

also worth noting, Jimmy is a manipulator. We know this. He is a manipulative, horrible person (he's one of the rare people who does qualify for being called a outright bad person. congratulations dickwad! You did it!) Jimmy and Curly have also clearly known each for a long time. Jimmy hasn't just manipulated him, he's been doing it for as long as they've known each other. Curly already wants to see the good in everybody, but Jimmy especially he's desperate to believe is a good person.

Again, absolutely does not excuse him for not taking responsibility of Jimmy and not doing everything he could for Anya like he claimed he would, but I loathe that take more than i can describe. He deserved to see and feel the consequences of his lack of action and to put his whole pussy into making things right until the end of time, but he absolutely did not deserve that.

[sapphia]

we need to talk about grian. “alliances in the life series never last” no, your alliances in the life series never last because you don’t want them to. i’m so tired of this bitch making her own destiny and then pulling a surprised pikachu face when the natural consequences of her actions eventuate. grian really spent this season rushing jimmy and joel headlong to their deaths AND helping the only other person likely to beat them there survive, and then he’s surprised when he’s left without a team? the team he tried to kick jimmy out a few episodes ago for literally no reason? he couldn’t sabotage it easily so he just went the old fashioned way of general recklessness.

grian spent his entire first season chained to scar, complaining the whole time of course, humming and haa-ing about what his alliance would be after he died and went yellow. they were literally several episodes in with an entire life built together and he was like “remember this is just until i’m yellow. then i’m off to find a new alliance lol”. as they settle into their long-term stronghold in their sand-monopoly, totally threatening to leave scar alone and in a situation where he’d have to defend the entire desert on his red life. then when grian didn’t go to yellow until really late in the game and their closest allies had died so he couldn’t switch teams anyway, he ends up sticking with scar and actually winning together with him (though he takes the solo win and kills scar in pvp).

then in double life he like… decides he wants to be soulmates with bigb for some reason even though soulmates are chosen at random? like he literally sees bigb running around the mountainside while looking for his soulmate and is like “i wish he was my soulmate😍” and then decides he will be and is disappointed that they aren’t. and then is even more disappointed when he finds out his soulmate is scar, even though they’re good friends and work well together and literally won last time they played together and scar has improved massively at the game since then. (not that grian noticed that at all for the entire season they were paired together. literally he said in limited life “now that i’m not partnered with scar he’s actually dangerous.” BABE. YOU WON TOGETHER IN THE FIRST SEASON. LAST SEASON HE WATERBUCKET-CLUTCHED 100 BLOCKS DOWN FROM RIGHT NEXT TO YOU. HE’S BEEN DANGEROUS TO PEOPLE THIS ENTIRE TIME. YOU’VE JUST BEEN ON HIS SIDE SO HE’S NEVER BEEN THAT DANGEROUS TO YOU).

so yeah then he spends the whole series being “secret soulmates” with bigb for no reason other than he’s annoyed he’s paired with scar/not paired with bigb. in the game with randomly-generated partners. his game with randomly-generated partners.

and even now he had an alliance with scar’s team lined up perfectly. his closest allies on the server and his teammates all dying. note that they weren’t actually dead yet. grian had already given up on his team while they were still alive and kicking. but anyway, he decides he needs a new team and he has a set of very close allies right there. but no, he literally would rather go make an alliance with the singular mortal enemy of his just-dead teammate rather than put himself on the same team as scar again. because alliances and friendships mean nothing here, right? etho and bdubz are out there fighting to roleplay together season after season, scott is giving up lives to someone he partnered with back in season 1 and he and cleo have basically decided they vibe so well together they’ll be bffs through all of time, and ties are creating the same approximate polycule they form in literally every season. but heaven forbid grian has to acknowledge he and scar have spent more time together than apart in this series.

grian thinks alliances break up quickly because he has wildly unstable relationships with literally everyone on the server. he’s the undiagnosed nd girl being like “man, people suck :(”. no girl, you suck at people. you have a condition. get help.

[wren-kitchens]

i feel like more with you

1270 words

“it’s not just kind, my dear, it’s true.” pixl says deliberately, and scott is blushing even more and honestly, it’s kind of gorgeous. wow, he should have been doing this from the start.  scott frowns at him, and- really, it’s basically a pout, which, by all rights, shouldn’t be as endearing as it is. “you’re being unfair.” he says. “i’m being unfair?” pix grins, and scott huffs, laying back down. “how’s that?”

woe, fluffy weather husbands upon ye i blame juno for getting me into them (/silly)

reblogs do more than likes! if u enjoyed please reblog <3

“I don’t know how you do it.” scott says from where he’s laying on his llama—mia, pix thinks it was called.

they’ve been walking for a little while, and pix has to admit, he’s found it a little more difficult to focus on the landscape whilst scott is here than it probably should be. he’s not massively surprised, in all honesty. after all, most of their interactions seem to consist primarily of scott flirting with him relentlessly—and scott is definitely not lacking in that department.

“how I do what?” pix smiles, already knowing what’s coming. it’s flattering, okay? he’s allowed to indulge in the ‘what ifs’ if he so pleases.

scott gives a brief, vague gesture at pix, as if exasperated that he doesn’t already know. “you just walk around like that all the time, and then i’m expected to act as normal?” he scoffs. “it’s ridiculous.”

“you’re too kind.” pix says, mock-gracious even though he kind of means it. pix just had to go and tempt fate by pretending to ignore scott’s offhand flirting and now here he is. it’s fairly ironic, isn’t it?

“I still can’t believe you invited me on this walk,” scott smirks a little, but there’s a note of genuine honesty to it that makes pixl do a mental double take. “as if i’d be able to focus on the view.”

pix huffs a laugh. “I found myself thinking the same thing.” he admits, and all of a sudden, scott freezes.

in fact, scott doesn’t just freeze—he almost falls off his llama, and would have if he hadn’t been able to scramble upwards to grab the reins in time. pix watches with a dawning realisation as scott clears his throat, a pink blush beginning to dust his cheeks. no, does he- no way did pix just make scott blush.

“that- that is kind of you.” scott says, avoiding pix’s gaze.

“it’s not just kind, my dear, it’s true.” pixl says deliberately, and scott is blushing even more and honestly, it’s kind of gorgeous. wow, he should have been doing this from the start.

scott frowns at him, and- really, it’s basically a pout, which, by all rights, shouldn’t be as endearing as it is. “you’re being unfair.” he says.

“i’m being unfair?” pix grins, and scott huffs, laying back down. “how’s that?”

“because you have somehow managed to come away entirely unbothered when- oh, I don’t know, when jimmy would have been reduced to a pile of mush by now.” scott says grumpily, but there’s a ghost of a smile playing at his lips. “that is unfair.”

pix raises an eyebrow, watching as scott follows the action. “you know what I find unfair?” scott nods for him to continue, and pix can’t suppress his smile when he says, “whilst I thought I was foiling your plans, you instead have made me go and fall for you.”

it’s so interesting, how scott has stopped hiding his emotions when pix is around—and so wonderful right now, because pixl can see the exact moment the words process in scott’s mind. “you- no, you’re- you’re having me on.” scott is clearly scrutinising every part of pix’s expression for any sign of deception. “you don’t.” he says, but there’s less confidence and a lot more hope.

“I do.” pix says, grinning at scott’s dumbfounded expression. “you know, I thought you were smarter than this. there are consequences that come from flirting endlessly with someone.”

“believe me, I know that much.” scott says, an almost disbelieving smile playing on his lips. he pulls on mia’s reins, and she comes to a slow stop as scott slips off her back with far more grace than pix thought anyone could manage. “can I ask you something?”

“fire away.” pixl says, a kind of warmth in his chest as he notes the fondness in scott’s eyes.

scott tilts his head ever so slightly to the side, and pix isn’t entirely sure the action was intentional. it’s cute, regardless. “may I kiss you?”

in an instant, it’s as if all the breath has been whisked from pixl’s lungs; all he can do is stare. oh- okay, he did not expect this at all. at best, he assumed scott would tease him about it, and at worst it’d be an uncomfortable walk back, but never this- never did pix think even for a moment that scott might feel the same.

scott is laughing in delight, and pixl registers dimly that he’s finally managed to fluster him. who knew? all scott had to do was mean it.

“are you alright, sweetheart?” scott grins, voice soft, and pix could get used to a lifetime of that pretty soon. “you seem a little surprised.”

“you-“ pix can’t seem to get his words in order. it’s kind of embarrassing actually—no wonder jimmy is so frustrated all the time. “i’m- you like me? like- really?”

“well, I don’t know if you noticed, but you are utterly gorgeous, and you have the most amazing personality.” scott smiles, and pix is blushing, and he might have to change his name and move to the ocean empire. yes, the sunken one. “and, oh, you should see the look on your face when you’re talking about a new artefact you found, or how you completely light up when I ask about the origins of mazelea.”

scott slips his hand into pixl’s, and- void, he looks so incredibly honest. “I will say, I didn’t expect the challenge I set for myself to end up with me falling for you so thoroughly.” he gives a huff of a laugh. “I should have expected it though. i mean, look at you.”

“oh void.” pix steps forward and buries his face in scott’s shoulder, trying to pretend he doesn’t love the way scott laughs at him. “go bother jimmy, why don’t you?”

“you’re prettier.” scott teases. “besides, I haven’t gotten an answer to my question yet.”

it takes pix a lot longer than it probably ought to for him to remember what the question even was in the first place. “what was- oh.” he faces a very pleased looking scott, and- void, pix can’t believe this is how today has turned out. “you- yes. you can.”

scott smiles, and pix feels his own mouth twitch into a shy grin as scott slides his free hand against pixl’s waist, leaning in. “good, because i’ve been imagining this for far too long now.”

pix doesn’t even have time to process that sentence before the gap between them is closed, and he is kissing scott. and- okay, you can’t really.. not hear about the rumours surrounding scott and his kissing abilities, but all of pix heard seemed at least partially exaggerated. after all, there’s no way he could be that good, right?

well- wrong, in fact. scott kisses him sweetly and softly, and pix finds himself melting into it entirely. scott cups his face, rubbing a gentle thumb against his cheek, and pix is leaning into him before he even registers the action. it’s as if scott has been somehow studying pix and calculated the exact way to kiss him in order to get him to cease functioning without even lifting a finger. it’s all pix can do to kiss back, rather than melt into a pile of very happy archaeologist mush.

when they part for breath, scott is smiling that ridiculously beautiful smile, and when they begin to kiss again, it’s pixl who leans in first.

you know what? pix thinks he’s gonna go on walks with scott a lot more often from now on.

[twobellsilence]

I know people have talked extensively about how Jimmy sees Anya versus how he sees her baby, and this has lead many to theorize that the subject of the last Polle scene is Anya. But I don't think this is the case. Hear me out.

Most of us probably agree it's pretty clear that, in general, Polle is a representation of Jimmy's thoughts on Anya's child. It makes baby noises, it divides and fuses like a zygote, the ultrasound scene is pretty self-explanatory, and it chases Jimmy every single time it appears. Basically, Jimmy sees the baby and the reckoning it represents as this looming, insidious, malevolent presence that follows him at every turn, and it is undeniably INHUMAN. That is not a human child. That is a monstrosity that multiplies and takes over his life until he's cornered and unable to escape it no matter what he does, even when he dooms the crew and causes everyone but Curly and himself to die in a futile attempt to leave it behind. An omnipotent entity following his every move.

It eventually catches up to him. Polle wins, and it looks down on him from this massive mountain of mouthwash bottles, even when Jimmy says it's supposed to be dead. But it doesn't matter that Polle, the Tulpar, the crew, is dead, because EVERYTHING Jimmy wanted and worked for is. Polle has complete power over him here. It even cuts him off when he tries to defend himself with the "our worst moments" quote. It's acting as a bit of a conscience here, but not in support, but as a judge of his actions, just like it had always judged him, stared at him, as he tried to escape in previous unreality sequences. And that's what he always saw the baby as, no? The ultimate consequences of his actions. The ones he ultimately failed to avoid even when the baby was already dead because that was not the only reprehensible thing he did.

I think interpreting this, Polle's last appearance, as a representation of Anya, is giving her too much power over him. It implies that Jimmy feels guilty about her, or at the very least that he thinks about what he did to her, that it gnaws at him. It's implying that She has been the demons chasing him all along, but that's not the case, is it? Earlier I said Jimmy saw the baby as something inhuman. Inhuman, but still something real and with a very tangible presence and consequences that directly contributed to his downwards spiral. Anya, however? Anya is nothing. She never was. She can do nothing to him. Only the baby can, because if the baby exists, it's proof, else it's only a timid woman saying words, and her reasons to speak up could be easily spun against her given her situation. Polle, on the other hand, could do things to Jimmy. It tortured him and chased him relentlessly and tormented him until he lost whatever grip he had left on reality. Hell, it even called him Old Man. Yes, there were other things like his jealousy and disdain towards Curly and his desire to acquire the power he felt like he deserved that drove him to do what he did, but it was the pregnancy that ultimately pushed Jimmy over the edge. Not what he did to Anya - never Anya, she was never even a factor - but the unavoidable result of it.

[emometalhead]

I finally finished Better Call Saul, and I need a place to house my overall thoughts.

• I hate Chuck. If Charles McGill has no haters, then I am dead.

• There are some characters in the BCS/BB universe who were in situations they didn't deserve. Chuck isn't one of them. He was horrible to Saul. He lived to spite him and keep him down. His last words to his BROTHER were "you never mattered all that much to me". Like WTF man!?!? Chuck deserved everything he got and worse. I don't feel bad in the slightest.

• Francesca quite literally got Saul in the divorce, and I kind of feel bad. She was so enthusiastic and sweet when she first started working at Wexler-McGill, and by the time she's solely Saul's employee her attitude has completely flipped. All of that being said, she's an icon.

• It was so nice seeing Mike on-screen again. He was one of my favorite characters in Breaking Bad, and his death feels the worst to me out of the main characters. It was interesting to learn a bit more about his background and to see him interact more with his family. I also enjoyed seeing his dynamic with Gus develop.

• Speaking of Gus, pretty much all of his actions in BCS seem on par with his character in BB. He took down Lalo in a pretty bad*** way, and that was awesome. I'm sad they only let him be gay for a fleeting moment though beyond other characters making fun of him for it.

• Nacho 😭. From the second Nacho first walked onto the screen, I knew there was only one way his story could end. His death still made me sad! Even though I anticipated it, the manner in which he died was really unexpected and more abrupt than I would've thought. He's a character whose consequences were the clear result of his own actions, but I still feel a bit bad.

• Like Nacho kind of had the Walt thing going on (he was good at his job, and he liked it), but I can't help but think if he wasn't being used+threatened by both sides that he genuinely would've gotten himself out. It's clear how much he cared about his dad, and I do truly feel that he wanted to make his dad proud (even after losing his trust/respect after joining the cartel).

• Manuel Varga, man 😭. Bruh. He hurt me. I feel so awful for him. He knew his son was never going to make it out of the cartel. He knew. No one should ever have to brace themselves like that. My brain did not enjoy thinking about Mike, who was still very emotional about the loss of his own son, having to go tell another dad about his son's death. That was some well written and emotionally painful television.

• Lalo was an interesting character! He was intense and insane, but not entirely unhinged like Tuco. It was interesting to see how his rivalry with Gus fueled Gus' passion for his craft. His death scene was a good one. Damn about him being buried under the lab though! I was NOT expecting that at all. It's very crazy to know that Gus had Walt and Jesse cooking above his former rival's body.

• I know I've said a few things were unexpected already, but I really was not prepared to lowkey feel bad for Howard Hamlin by the end of the show. He was a jerk. He was not a good person. I still don't think he deserved to be buried with his murderer under a meth lab.

• It was awful that Howard would send Kim out of her office into doc review when he was mad at her. That is immature and unprofessional to a high degree. Kim was justified in feeling angry towards him. Saul was also justified in feeling angry about Howard blindly following Chuck's rule. I do believe that if it wasn't for Chuck, Howard would've hired Saul (sorry, Jimmy) as a lawyer for HHM once he passed the bar. I thought Saul's Howard copy billboard thing was funny, and to be completely honest I don't even mind that he threw the bowling balls on his car. The character assassination with the fabricated drug addiction went too far though, especially considering it lead to his death. Howard was a jerk, but he didn't deserve the ending he received.

• Kim Wexler kept surprising me. At the beginning of the show, I tried to predict where all of the non-Breaking Bad characters would end up. I could not have possibly predicted any of the decisions Kim would make. I love a girl boss, but she sabotaged her own career several times in order to execute revenge plots. I was honestly excited to just she her be a successful lawyer at the beginning, but alas that is not the type of show this is.

• Kim's "I was having too much fun" speech broke my heart. It was pretty easy to see how Kim and Saul's relationship was a "we can make each other worse" situation. I really had expected their relationship to end sooner though, and getting married was absolutely the wrong decision. It was crazy seeing how Saul just fully shifted into Saul Goodman mode after Kim left him.

• Last but not least, the man himself. I enjoyed Saul's character in BB. He's annoying and extravagant, but he's fun. He added a little whimsy to the show. I enjoyed that we got to see the "Kevin Costner" moment that he mentioned in BB. I appreciated getting more of his background and seeing how he interacted with non-criminal people for a time. Bob Odenkirk is a good actor, and I'm a little sad that I'm done seeing Saul on my screen. (Even if I made fun of all of his ridiculous suits and ties.)

• Overall, I really liked the show! I had heard good things, and I was looking forward to watching it after my recent rewatch of Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul did not disappoint! It was entertaining. It had a good blend of drama, action, and comedy. I'm sure I'll end up rewatching it down the line.

[ellieslittleburrow]

Drunk and disorderly, You, rookie SWAT member. How're the team's reactions to that?

warnings : Alcohol use, bad reacts to that.

A/n : hello my peeps, since i'm so fucking busy i can't even get myself to open my tumblr account, i will be squeezing in some time to write headcanons since they're much easier and less linked. Fuck linkers.

------

Hondo :

Hondo stands in front of you, a threatening stance that screams disappointment. "What were you thinking ?" His voice is low. You shrink. Your head is already pounding, you were even sure that it wasn't from a hunger, you were still a bit drunk. You didn't need a lecture from your boss, now.

"Come on, Hondo." you huffed, throwing your arms down in annoyance. "It was a mistake i wasn-"

"You weren't NOTHING."

You stagger back at the sudden rise in his tone, rolling your eyes in response.

"Don't roll your eyes at me." Hondo menaces again. "If you're not going to be taking this seriously, i don't want you on my team."

Your mouth moves to talk, but Hondo turns on his heels and leaves. "Hondo you can't do that, you know."

You internally wince at the confidence that resonated in your voice. What a risk taker. You knew that and Hondo did as well, because he turned around, a smirk creeping at the corner of his lips.

He didn't like being challenged. And both of you knew who the winner was already. "We'll see about that."

Chris :

Chris glares at you...She watches you from afar as she judges you, both in a hurtful and a disappointed manner.

"Are you going to keep doing that or are you gonna say it to my face ?" You spread your arms out, motioning for her to "come at you" "Just say it, I fucked up."

A scoff escapes her lips, quickly turning back to a glare. "You did more than that, stupid. You betrayed the whole team. Our whole reputation is on the line." Chris eyes you up and down, as if linguistically jabbing your heart wasn't enough.

great.

Deacon :

The sergeant is as nice as he's always been. Never has he acted different, never has he made you feel weird. His eyes, though, cannot lie.

Deacon smiles reassuringly, apprehensive of the massive headbanging you're going through. You're embarrassed and angry. He sees that.

"Here." He hands you a bottle of water. "Drink." He commands but it sounds more like a plea. You'd look him in the eyes and thank him but he's been avoiding yours. Deacon's eyes say it all. No matter how nice he might be to you. His eyes reflect his thoughts.

"Deacon-I'm-i-i'm sorry." You stutter the words out. He neither reacts nor responds. "I know i shouldn't hav-"

"Please..." The sergeant stops you and a tiny little gasp leaves your lips as your back straightens. "Please...You should've thought about that before doing it...I just hope god forgives you. And i hope you understand that actions have consequences."

You lower your gaze to the ground, knowing full well this was going to happen. Uhhh...Why did a little fun night have to turn into such a problem ?

Street :

The boy man's thick eyebrows furrow in confusion. Confusion with one's feelings. You needed a friend. He was a friend. He just...didn't know what to do.

"Street, i was there for you when you were in trouble." You protectively yelled, searching for the man's eyes while they avoided you. "Come on, ma-"

"It was nothing like this." He suddenly shouts and you startle in surprise. "It was nothing like this. Okay ? You fucked up, for no reason. We don't need this kind of publicity right now-we-"

"Street, fuck publicity. I need my friend." You cut him off. But he sighs.

"I'm sorry. I can't be that, right now. I need to be on Hondo's team. I have to play this right." Jim's voice sounds like it's about to break. "I told you not to go and not to joke around with that. I'm sorry." He mumbles before he starts walking away. But you swing your arm around to grip his wrist.

"Jimmy, pl-"

He yanks your hand away, his eyes glistening in regret. "No."

Luca :

Your chin shivers as you've just had your whole team eye you up and down before leaving you without a single word. The air hung heavy with their anger. And you just couldn't contain it anymore. You didn't mean to make such a mess of things. It was just supposed to be a fun ni-

You're interrupted by a set of boots entering the room. You recognize them.

"Luca." Hope laces your voice as your head quickly swings upwards. He came back for y-

Luca brushes past the bench you sat on, not granting you one little glance. "Luca, i'm sorry." You plead, standing up to follow him to his locker. But he ignores you, speeding up to get away from you.

"Luca, plea-"

"I'm so disappointed in you." the agent spins around, spitting the words right in your face.

Out of shock, you step back. And before you even have the time to react, Luca takes a step forward. "You betrayed the whole team. But you betrayed me."

"H-"

"Are you seriously going to ask me that?" He hisses and you take another step back, shrinking as his anger amplified. "I told you not to drink if you're going to act like an absolute freak. Now look at us, all over the news because one of our own decided to have more fun than she can handle."

Ouch. Your heart stings as tears pool at your eyes.

"I said to you yesterday not to drink too much. You promised me you wouldn't."

He's right...You fucked up. "I f-f-fucked up." You mumble in between sniffs. But that doesn't seem to help your case. Because Luca's face grew redder.

"Yeah, well." The officer pulls his shirt over the back of his hand, hiding them in the process. "You should've thought about that yesterday. It doesn't matter now." As low as one can speak, Luca mutters the last words before turning on his heels, leaving you once again, alone.

You shudder, bursting into uncontrollable sobs. You had it. The family. The protection that you so longed for. And you threw it away. You needed to gain their trust again. Fuck this headache and fuck fun. You needed your family again. And you're going to get it back, no matter what.

-----

First thing on here! yaaay! i hope somebody likes this. Please tell me what you think 🥀🥀🥀❤❤❤

[shinpikurage]

Okay I will break this down to be able to respond cause you make some points here that I don't think apply to the game or my original post

Curly could have simply not hired Jimmy - Yes, I agree 100%. The game frames it in a way that tells us Curly knew Jimmy isn't a good person, but he thought that working on the Tulpar would be good for him. But that's not what I asked, I asked what Curly could have done in the situation they were already in, not what he could have done in the past. They are already locked inside the ship with Jimmy... Now what? What can he do? That's how my entire post is framed

He shouldn't have announced they were getting terminated - He was trying to be a good friend, he didn't want his crew to end the mission and then be surprised by this huge thing that completely alters their lives. Announcing it was a good thing, it gave them time to think what they could do once they got back, to plan their new lives. It's not his fault that Jimmy is a selfish envious asshole that started getting angry about it and blaming Curly, he did a good thing, it's Jimmy that sucks

It's simply the consequence of his own actions - Yeah that's what I said... I didn't use punishment because I'm disabled myself, I used payment (as in, when you do a job, you get paid, because that's the consequence of doing said job?). I said that now all he can do is self-reflect. With the way he laughs (cry?) at Jimmy, I'm pretty sure he has thought enough about what happened and hates him too

I 100% believe [...] He would let him be - That's what *you* believe, *I* believe something different. If that's your interpretation that's fine, but don't judge others that have a different one. It's not like I agree with his actions, I do think he could have done more to protect Anya, like I said in my post (you got angry at the word punishment, that I didn't even use, but used cruel irony???)

Curly deserves no sympathy - Even Anya had sympathy for him, because what happened was tragic, and she didn't even know that it was Jimmy's doing. People are acting like he would "give" Anya to Jimmy, but what we saw was: Curly and Anya being friends, Curly interviewing Jimmy so Anya wouldn't be uncomfortable, them talking about what happened, him letting her hide in the medbay and pilot room, him getting worried that she was gonna hurt herself or others with the gun (he didn't even get angry that she hid it) and then trying to talk to Jimmy about the pregnancy, which Jimmy basically cut him down and started being manipulative and vague. Again, Curly could have done so much more for her, he could have given support to her, but I think people are forgetting how human emotions work (Didn't want to believe his best friend since idk, childhood, did something awful? Human emotion. Had a hard time figuring out what to do in the situation and how to treat said friend? Human emotion. Wanting to keep your captain alive after believing he did awful things, things that made your life worse? Human emotion.) and forgetting how the game is framed (Curly talked gently to Jimmy and the ship was crashed, even without the termination looming, Jimmy probably would have done something awful. I think the termination is more to show that Pony Express wouldn't help them, because they didn't need them anymore)

He could've shown some sympathy to Any instead of yelling at her - The game doesn't have voice acting

[paraphrased] Put your big boy boots and tell your friend to fuck off - Fuck off to where? They are in the middle of space, and like I said, Jimmy was still needed as co captain for the goodness of the crew. Causing bad blood could have put everyone in danger

Sent an email to the company about the incident - And then what?? Pony Express didn't care that they crashed, they wouldn't care that one guy was causing problems. The crew was getting terminated already so it's not like this would affect Jimmy's career that much. It could affect their salaries, but with the way any single minuscule thing is taken out of payment, how do we know this wouldn't affect everyone? Anya herself needed the money. It's not like Pony Express could fly there, take Jimmy out, put a new co-captain and fly back. So realistically, what would an email do? The game is about exploration and capitalism, it makes it clear that Pony Express is a horrible company, they would not have cared, because that's what Pony Express is

To be honest, I feel really gross making this post, I did throw some possibilities of Curly being manipulated because that was my first interpretation, but we can never know for sure. I like Curly, I like him because he's a realistic character, and because I love his design post crash, but I don't want to defend his actions, it's not my intention in the first post, and it's not my intention here. I don't know how many times I have to say that yes, I think he could have helped Anya in many other ways, he could have done so much more. But I'm not talking about what he did to Anya, I'm talking about what he did to Jimmy, that's what I wanted to have a conversation about because I genuinely think that any action taken would end up ten times worse, because Jimmy is fucked in the head. In this post, I'm not trying to protect Curly, just giving counterarguments based on the things we see in game

I'm not a Curly apologist, I will never be one, I'm just treating him like a person and trying to understand why he acted the way he acted, realistically? He's still awful, and irl I wouldn't even be thinking about this, but in this case I can do that because it's fiction, it's a game supposed to be analyzed. People should be allowed to hate Curly as much as they want, and make Aus where things go differently. I just wanted to express that Mouthwashing is a horror game, where Jimmy is the villain, he makes everyone his victim, so the actions anyone took after the fact would not have stopped him to become dangerous

Let's be honest, what do you guys think Curly could have done?

They are in the middle of space, months to go still, anything they do could be taken from their payment, there's only 4 cryogenic pods, and Jimmy is the co-pilot, meaning he's important to the crew

If Curly beats him up, ties him, puts him in the pod, or yell at him, that could ruin the whole mission. It would cause stress, fear, distrust between the whole crew, they still have months to go.

I think Curly could have done more to protect Anya, to make her feel safer in the ship, protected and maybe useful. But gosh imagine if he had a fight with Jimmy? He gave him a little pep talk and the dude crashed the whole ship

And I keep hearing people say that in a world where everyone lived, Curly would have a lot to do in self reflecting and to atone for his sins... What happened to him wasn't enough? That was his payment, now all he CAN do is self reflect (at least inside the ship)

But maybe I'm not looking at the bigger picture here, if anyone has any idea of what could be done without putting others in danger, I would love to hear you out

[sunkcost]

On Jimmy being willing to change himself to however Kim wants, it really hurts my feelings that those lines are almost the exact same as when he’s begging Chuck in “Nacho” (I’d also add to the pile Inflatable where he actually admits he tries to be what they want, and the Fall commentary where they said he steals costuming and lines from everyone else). Like I’m not trying to woobify, but fuck he deserves a little peace with himself, and not just hiding behind a loud and colourful mask.

no, i'm totally with you. there's something so sad about jimmy's desperation for acceptance. i think that's one of the major contributing factors in how he reaches this point. he's constantly chaffing against people's expectations but he also cares so much about what other people think of him. he wants to be wanted. i really never stop thinking about that peter gould quote saying walt turned out to be driven by a desire for power but jimmy's always been driven by a need for approval and acceptance and it's something he never quite gets. i think that one of jimmy's major problems is that he is so fixated on how people see him, even as he doesn't want to be. it's the same problem he has with morality, really, that he's too caught up in external justification.

trying to refrain from getting too into the weeds on it, but if the show is in many ways about the non-existence of objective morality, the idea that there are things which can be existentially proven to be right or wrong, then there's something really perfect about how jimmy's need for external approval is so tied up in his struggle with identity. looking at morality from an existential perspective, the idea is really that if you cannot objectively prove things to be wrong or right then justifying your actions is fundamentally impossible. there's no logical foundation to base your argument on because the ideas of 'wrong' and 'right' themselves are ideological constructs. they only mean as much as you decide to allow them mean. therefore, the idea is more about acting in good vs. bad faith than being wrong or right, deciding what you personally believe to be correct or incorrect courses of action, knowing there's nothing objective to dictate that decision and that you cannot justify it to anyone else. all that to say, jimmy steps outside the law, the socially agreed upon idea of morality, but he isn't ever really able to give up the need to justify his actions to other people. he has left the social standard of moral acceptance but he doesn't have the internal conviction to stand by his decisions when they aren't understood by other people.

i think he has the same problem with identity. he doesn't want to live his life defined by societal norms but he also can't deal with the fact that people reject him when he steps outside of them. there's a constant tension between him not wanting to conform and him wanting to be wanted. he has an identity in there somewhere, i do believe that, but his identity is incompatible with his need for acceptance and so he gets stuck in this awful place in the middle where no one understands or accepts him and he doesn't understand or accept himself. that is my very longwinded way of saying that i completely agree. to me it feels like the only way he can really move forward is to start relying on internal conviction instead of external validation. he has to give up on being accepted, which for him i think is an extremely difficult thing to do. at the same time, there is something about him going from jimmy, a person torn between being who he is and being who people want him to be, to saul, who is neither who he is nor who people want him to be, to gene who is, like he says, a shadow or a ghost, not really a person at all.

i also think it kind of has to do with observation. saul is about controlling how people look at him, even if negatively. on the surface it seems to be about giving up on what people think of him, but i think it's the opposite. i think it's nothing but an awareness of how people think of him, and it's at once an attempt to control it (he can't make them love him but he can make them hate him), and to punish himself (he's existing in his own personal hell, a world where no one understands him and no one wants him). gene is also something like that, but different as well. saul is like a perversion of jimmy, all the things people dislike about him taken to the extreme, playing into their preexisting perceptions even as they don't actually reflect what he wants or who he is. gene is totally average, accepted by people, but not in a real way, because no one knows him well enough for the acceptance to mean anything. jimmy's real identity is still somewhere inside of him but it's not perceived by anyone and so he remains unknown and unwanted. that's a big part of the reason why i don't think further punishing jimmy is the best outcome for the series. it feels like the trajectory of his identity has pushed him to a point where he could either disappear entirely or realize his identity as something outside of other people's perceptions. to me that feels like the only way to stabilize his struggles with morality and identity.

[barbituratecongestion]

Better Call Saul 6.07 Plan and Execution.

René Magritte Not to Be Reproduced, 1937.

[weareallstardustfallen]

hello empiresblr i have watched pix's video and i am, once again, back with analysis, because this is just my life now. today's thesis:

pixl and fwhip are narrative foils.

there's a lot of similarities between them, both as characters in the narrative and their role with that and just in general. pixl even pointed out some of them today: they've got similar philosophies when it comes to making use of the corruption, and they're both the kind of extra that it takes to put elder guardians under sausage's base. they play off of each other really well, and it's very fun to see, but i'm getting off topic bc a good dynamic does not a narrative foil make.

their role in the narrative is really mirrored, especially in their character development. towards the beginning of the story, fwhip was one of the main antagonists, alongside sausage; that's obvious from all of their interactions during basically everything preceding the peace ravine. pixl, on the other hand, was quite firmly on the protagonist's (jimmy's) side, and that was also abundantly clear. it was fairly unambiguous that fwhip was an antagonist who was doing bad things, and pixl was a character who was unconditionally on the protagonist's side.

and then the story got complicated, and their dynamic got interesting; specifically, when it came to the dragon fight.

fwhip was, for what's basically the first time (iirc) acting as a heroic figure. he messed up by sending jimmy into the end, sure, but as soon as he realized that he started thinking about what he could do to make sure that the dragon didn't die, and immediately gave back the cod head and apologized, sincerely, to jimmy. it may have been somewhat caused by his own fear of xornoth, but regardless of his motives, he did everything right. if we look at who the protagonists seem to be for this arc; it's less clear than before, but i would say scott and shubble, and of course the anti-xornoth side of things more generally; he was aligned with the protagonists.

pixl, on the other hand, was working against the protagonists. he was trying to kill the dragon, and though he wasn't villainous in the way that Sausage and Joey were in that interaction, he was definitely acting in the interests of the main big bad. unintentionally, perhaps, but he was told that he was doing something that was wrong and he chose to ignore that. it's sort of similar to how fwhip was acting as an antagonist, except for their intent; pixl didn't know the consequences of what he was doing, and he was just trying to get home, but regardless the similarities are there.

like fwhip, pix had a moment of realization that killing the dragon was wrong, but his came after the dragon was already dead. he didn't have the chance to immediately backtrack and mitigate the mistakes he'd made, because it was a bit of a pandora's box situation; you can't shut that once it's open.

(also, unrelated to the thesis- i think it's very interesting how fwhip, of all people, is the one he called out for during his vision. mr riffs explain)

his reaction is different to fwhip's, though, in what i find to be a very interesting way! both of them share the fact that they are so protective of their citizens, and care a lot about keeping them safe- it's obvious with just about everything pixl's done since the dragon fight and how every action seems to somehow lead back to the good of pixandria, and fwhip is often worrying over and checking in on his villagers, like after he returns from the dragon fight, and after the test subject dream (thank you birch for the reminder on that one!) and both of their reactions lead back to that same protectiveness. but where fwhip's reaction is action- building up the empire to keep them safe- pixl's is overwhelming guilt. he acts, with the ghast farm and solidifying his alliances and working towards taking down sausage, but the core emotion that is driving him right now is guilt.

another point- their major mistakes in the dragon fight come down to what they know really well, and how in that moment, their knowledge fails them.

pixl is really, really good at knowing how the world works. in every interaction, he always seems to be the one who knows the specifics of the mechanics they need, and the one who is teaching the person he's talking to- he's very confident in his knowledge of what makes the world tick, and exactly how to utilize that. of course, this could come down to pixl as a player having a lot of knowledge of the game's mechanics, but i'd also point towards things like the vigil- pix is a very experienced character, as well as minecraft player.

and in the dragon fight? he knows he needs to get home, and get his allies home. he knows that to avoid dying in the void, the dragon needs to be killed. he knows how to kill the dragon. his logic leads him to a very clear conclusion, and one he's absolutely certain of- but he doesn't quite account for all the factors. he doesn't realize that xornoth is another concern, and he pays for it.

fwhip, on the other hand, seems to really get people. this is actually most clear in his first act interactions with jimmy- he's fantastic at knowing exactly what buttons to push, how to needle at him until he gets the reaction he wants. it carries over to his interactions with others, too, which is what makes him such a good manipulator. he knows what makes people tick, and how, if he so chooses, to exploit that.

and his fatal flaw in the dragon battle, just like pix's, is the fact that this knowledge isn't quite enough, or he's too certain of himself without knowing the consequences. he knew exactly what to do to send jimmy into the end- he was dead certain, and right, that jimmy would walk into a trap if he thought he could get the cod head back as a result. the problem was, well... he didn't think that jimmy would be dedicated enough to kill the dragon once he was there. he knew jimmy would take the bait; he didn't know he'd follow it that far.

a final note, which i think is probably less intentional (although you never know, they're very clever writers) but is a pretty bit of poetry- the vigil and the deepslate redstone sort of mimic each other. they're both something with a power that hasn't been or can't be quite explained, but is incredibly central to their empire and their character, and they both consider themselves sort of protectors or shepherds of it, in a sense. there is also a nice visual mirror there- a dark stone and a light stone, each full of lights.

conclusion: this story is so much fun to analyze and also gunpowder boys my beloved

[rpmemestorehouse]

2010′s Internet Memes Starters

Change wording as needed

“Are you frustrated?”

“What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I-”

“Let me tell you why that’s bullshit.”

“Oh stop it, you.”

“Aww yiss.”

“France is bacon.”

“That’s cute.”

“Lie down. Try not to cry. Cry a lot.”

“Has science gone too far?”

“...said no-one ever.”

“We need to go deeper.”

“Do you think this is a motherfucking game?”

“NOPE.”

“Oh baby, a triple!”

“Brushie brushie brushie~”

“Spooky scary skeletons!”

“FUCK YEA.”

“You could stop at five or six stores, or, just ONE.”

“You hear about video games?”

“Release the kraken!”

“Will you fight? Or will you perish like a dog?”

“ ‘It will be FUN’, they said!”

“You’ve been GNOMED!”

“Deal with it.”

“And not a single fuck was given that day.”

“It’s a double rainbow!”

“The rent is too damn high!”

“You jelly?”

“Challenge accepted.”

“Come at me bro!”

“Pootis!”

“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout?”

“Are you a wizard?”

“Bitch please!”

“I know that feel bro.”

“Shut up and take my money!”

“I don’t want to live on this planet anymore.”

“NO.”

“I hope you step on a LEGO.”

“That really rustled my jimmies.”

“And then a skeleton popped out!”

“I’ve seen some shit.”

“gEnIuS!”

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

“This isn’t even my final form!”

“You had one job.”

“Kill me.”

“Majestic as FUCK.”

“Excuse me sir, do you have a moment to talk about [insert]?”

“I swear on me mum...”

“You have no power here!”

“REKT!”

“What a time to be alive.”

“If I pull that off, will you die?”

“It will be extremely painful...for you.”

“FUCK THIS GAY EARTH!”

“Hide the pain Harold.”

“Local man ruins everything.”

“Mom, get the camera!”

“I cri evrytiem.”

“The struggle is real.”

“I am the one who knocks!”

“Perfection.”

“This is the darkest timeline.”

“I’m about to end this man’s whole career.”

“I regret nothing!!!”

“I lied.”

“I’ve seen enough [insert] to know where THIS is going.”

“Oh god why-”

“Everyday I’m shufflin’-”

“You wot mate?”

“Everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked...”

“Man door hand hook car door-”

“Palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, vomit on my sweater already, Mom's spaghetti-”

“Oppa Gangnam style!”

“When [place] is ashes, you have my permission to die.”

“I only cried for 20 minutes.”

“Pepperidge Farm remembers.”

“Go home, [Name], you’re drunk.”

“Fuck me, right?”

“I should buy a boat.”

“2deep4you”

“Apply cold water to that burn.”

“420 blaze it!”

“That’s a nice new [insert]. It would be a shame if something happened to it...”

“I too, like to live dangerously.”

“You know nothing, [Name].”

“I’m getting too old for this shit.”

“Does this look like the face of mercy?”

“It was me, [OWN NAME]!”

“Stop trying to make [insert] happen! It’s not going to happen!”

“You merely adopted the darkness.”

“See? Nobody cares.”

“I will find you, and I will kill you.”

“I understood that reference!”

“Listen here, you little shit-”

“It’s an older meme, sir, but it checks out.”

“Ravioli, ravioli, give me the formuoli.”

“How do you do, fellow kids?”

“Ow, the edge!”

“*teleports behind you* Nothing personal, kid.”

“Pee is stored in the balls.”

“We have food at home.”

“You must be new here.”

“Goats are like mushrooms, if you shoot a duck, I'm scared of toasters.”

“ERMAHGERD BERKS-”

“That’s the evilest thing I can imagine!”

“Dammit Moon Moon!”

“When u mom com home and make hte spagheti-“

“When will you learn? When will you learn?! THAT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES?!”

“helo would u like some of this hot choclety milk?”

“Be strong, [Name]. Be strong for Mother.”

“Ayy LMAO.”

“Surprise, bitch. I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.”

“Shrek is love, Shrek is life.”

“Heard you were talking shit!”

“The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.”

“Look at me. I’m the captain now.”

“This could be us, but you playing.”

“They played us like a damn fiddle!”

“I came out to have a good time and I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now.”

“I’m in me mum’s car, broom broom!”

“Hand me the aux cord.”

“Press F to pay respects.”

“Trust nobody, not even yourself.”

“Anime was a mistake.”

“It’s just a prank, bro!”

“Don’t talk to me or my son ever again.”

“Are ya winning, son?”

“Had it not been for the laws of this land, I would have slaughtered you.”

“I lived bitch!”

“You just have to say that you're fine, when you're not really fine, but you just can't get into it because they would never understand.”

“*chuckles* I’m in danger.”

“That wasn’t very cash money of you.”

“They had us in the first half, not gonna lie.”

“DEEZ NUTS-”

“Alone on a Friday night? God, you’re pathetic.”

“Why the fuck you lyin’? Why you always lyin’? Mmmm oh my GOD, stop fuckin’ lyin’~”

“You’re gonna have a bad time.”

“I’m at soup!”

“IT’S TIME TO STOP!”

“Congratulations, you played yourself.”

“I’m you, but stronger.”

“This is fine.”

“Hello darkness my old friend~”

“Sosig.”

“Jesus Christ, it’s Jason Bourne!”

“I have crippling depression!”

“WE ARE NUMBER ONE!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, kiddo.”

“Take a fucking sip, babes.”

“Brother, may I have some oats?”

“God I wish that were me.”

“Ah, I see you’re a man of culture as well.”

“Oh, worm?”

“Hewwo!”

“Why would you say something so controversial yet so brave?”

“Am I a joke to you?”

“Let me in. LET ME IIIIIINNNNN!!!!!”

“You know I had to do it to ‘em.”

“Why is the FBI here?”

“Oh no baby what is you doin’???”

“Hey man, you see that guy over there?”

“Buenos días, [Name]!”

“Hey there demons, it’s me, ya boy.”

“Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.”

“Then perish.”

“Somebody toucha my spaghet!”

“My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined.”

“Weird flex, but okay.”

“I’m baby.”

“STONKS!”

“OK, boomer.”

“Yep, this one’s going in my cringe compilation.”

“This is so sad. Alexa, play Despacito.”

“Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.”

“All right then, keep your secrets.”

“They did surgery on a grape.”

“It ain’t much, but it’s honest work.”

“Look how they massacred my boy!”

“Bro! You just posted cringe! You are going to lose subscriber.”

“Wait, that’s illegal.”

“Bro, I’m straight-up not having a good time.”

“Gonna cry? Gonna piss your pants maybe?”

“I’m gonna do what’s called a pro gamer move.”

“Say sike right now.”