i am definitely of the mind that the interview given by larian discussing the epilogues and character outcomes reflects a lot of bias and favoritism towards some arcs rather than others.
however, i think an overlooked part of this analysis is how they view some characters as independent characters with agency (let's say astarion, for example) and other characters as parts of the plot (i think gale and lae'zel fall into this quite strongly). Shadowheart is an interesting example of both--her narrative plays heavily into the plot of Act 2, but in Act 3 she moves into the more independent category.
this intertwining of character stories with the main story arc is i think what results in writer comments like "a good ending for gale is him blowing himself up." it's NOT a good ending for GALE the character, but with this detached (and dehumanizing) view of him, i see exactly why they would say something like that about the STORY. it's viewing him as a plot device, not a fully written person with ideas, goals and motives. it's a complete failure to understand characters because they're not conceptualizing of them that way.
another person mentioned that "it feels like the character who wrote gale put a lot of thought and care into him, and the other writers didn't really care." and i think that's spot on. it truly does feel like there's a strong disconnect between "gale the plot device" and "gale the beloved character" that you broadly don't see with characters who have more independent storylines. this is likely also why he gets noticeably inconsistent treatment in narrative quality throughout the game.
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Bad has so many reasons to be cautious, even paranoid, as anyone else on the island. From Federation nonsense to Dapper being kidnapped to the whole purgatory nonsense to whatever fuckass suit of armor “old friend” was setting up cameras in his house. But it compounds on his regular overly aware paranoid self to this state of hyper-paranoia. And as a demon who can and usually will lie, cheat, steal, and use sneaky underhanded tactics, he expects the craziest extent because he thinks of it, realizes it’s possible, and would use it himself. We saw this very obviously in purgatory - when he thought greens desperate last ditch effort to balance the scale was a super planned out tactic to tip the scale, so he did it first, all the hardcore base hunting, the spawn killing, there’s a reason every other tactic he used usually followed a main channel qsmp post with updated rules - all usually things he was surprised no one else thought of. But then this also piles onto the fact that he has to have things go his way, all the time, and that he’s argumentative as all get out, which led to the debate between him and Bagi yknow. Especially because he’s not just doing it for the sake of being right, he doesn’t think he’s paranoid, but that he’s exercising the right amount of caution.
So like. Listen dude. Yeah he’s got reasons to be paranoid. But his thought process around building vaults for separate cookie caches like they locked up the risus pills, only to scrap it because it’s not perfectly impenetrable, is extreme. His character has hardly been a leading example in someone who has reasonable reactions to things. And even when there isn’t his own children’s livelihoods potentially on the line, he has a need for control, and the most control he has is if he keeps the cookies in his inventory at all times. If he makes himself the sole point in which the others can get ones in a case of emergency, then he can control the variables. The problem is he’s unreliable about himself when he’s at his most rational and healthiest, and he’s far worse with the current memory and health issues he’s been mostly unaware of.
I dunno it’s like. There is never going to be a purely impenetrable base. And it’s not just a case of “Bagi just hasn’t lived through __ yet!”. Bad’s own logic about keeping the cookies on him at all times is flawed under his own logic, because Bagi is right - if someone has enough drive to break into separate secured cookie caches purely for the downfall of eggs, they more than certainly have enough drive to find a way to kill Bad and just take them from his inventory, or to just kill the eggs themselves. All it truly does is give Bad a sense of control, and soothe his paranoia.
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Okay so I've been eating your art for a few days? Weeks? Months? Ever since I found you through my Welcome Home hyperfixation help it has me in it's death grips and just, admiring all the details you put into your pieces?
Like, I can't tag every little detail I come across and like from what you post, because I would be too distracting from the contents of the post and my gushing and speculating derived from that alone, but I see and like them even if I don't say too much about it.
For instance, don't think I didn't see the grime at the edges of Frank's frown and mouth in your Lights Out AU post! It is such a small detail to notice, but it really sells the idea of the puppets becoming grimy, scruffy, and dirtier as time goes on and they are stuck in the dark with little to nothing to clean themselves. I feel like it is most noticeable with their hair, as my gosh do they all need a hair brush by the time we see the group interactions of the unlikely four, but I enjoy seeing their disheveled selves as they try to go through life in the dark. While I won't pick up on every little detail, the stuff I do see is really interesting a think about, that you didn't need to add it but you did because you enjoyed making it l, and it's pretty heartwarming in a way for me you know?
Anyways, as a fellow artist, it's both cool and concerning because I get the gist of how much time and energy it can take to make stuff! I enjoy and adore your art and thoughts a ton, just remember to take care of yourself and not to push too hard on yourself to make stuff! Stretch and drink water, etc etc etc, and remember there are always people who will like what you make, be it dragons, welcome home stuff, and oc thingies!
AH IM
WHY ARE ALL OF YOU SO NICE!!! MY STUNTED EMOTIONS CANT HANDLE IT!!!! no but seriously i had to take a break reading this to walk through my house and Simmer Down bc man... the reaction pic is accurate.... i made Several dying animal noises!
i'm beyond happy that the details are being Noticed and are Enjoyable! i like to include as many as i can (when i Think of them, which happens less often than i'd like). i rarely have it in me to scribble Full Things, so i try to make up for it with the little things! it seems to be working, yippee! and it Is fun to include them, yeah <3
you take care of yourself as well! actually, get some water as soon as you read this. All Of Ya's. im takin a hefty sip rn so you all better get hydrated with me. no diedrating on this blog no sirree!! but yes um thank you so much for the very kind ask! mentally i am printing it out and pinning it to my wall! i will be thinking about it every time i Add Little Details!
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mustang theory (ch09)
guys im being so serious rn. im so scared to post this. but bee is being wonderfully supportive (as usual <3) and i am going to be. so very Brave. this may not be coherent, but...i hope it makes some sort of sense ok. anyways here is the theory for ch09:
mike and will leave the camp dance early bc of Bad Memories and/or they would rather just be making out (which is. fair)
(fearless lore is referenced throughout but also will be theorized/posted about separately)
this would be proven by the references to wish you were sober by conan gray (yes ik it’s not in relation to ch09 but. this part Could Happen at the end of ch08…just saying).
this specific theory is fueled by the weird eureka moment i had regarding this post. is this a reach? yes. do i fucking care? no.
they take mike’s car, despite will’s grumblings abt his stupid fucking mustang.
ch01 im staring. Directly at you. shut up. shut up. i hear what you’re saying and i just can’t listen right now okay. ch01 we’ll get back to you i prommy
“Also, God forbid I have to leave the grounds in Mike Wheeler’s stupid fucking Mustang more than once this summer," he adds, nearly spitting. (ch01)
need i say more.
also this would totally be building more on their trust....plus probably some references from follow the sparks that i don't know off the top of my head
also could have been foreshadowed by ch02…when will refused to get into mike’s stupid. fucking. mustang. just saying….
ch02 is also biggest fearless lore references we have that i can think of but that is for another time
“Don’t tell me you’re driving that thing,” Will scoffs, eyeing Mike’s car in trepidation, eyes sweeping along the length of the racing stripes. (ch02)
...forcing Will to declare a lesser of two evils: throwing dignity to the wind and accepting a ride in the Mustang — the undeserving bane of Will’s existence...(ch02)
CAR EMOJI !!!!
this chapter is “thea’s baby”. well thea is also the resident car expert.
im literally so funny for this sorry not sorry im cracking myself up ->
either something happens between them and they end up pulled over OR something happens to the stupid fucking mustang
THIS could be that one post thea made…which could have been totally innocent OR it could have been COMPLETELY SINISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OUT TO GET US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! putting on my tinfoil hat
smth happens between them...backseat driver will (mentioned in ch02) as well as the stupid. FUCKING how to drive manual that's been driving me INSANE the past couple of days (found here.)
side note: thea i love you but you are driving me Bonkers (mwah <3)
alternative to the above point is that mike pulls over to 1) make out with will (again. which is again. fair.) 2) chat with will about what they Are
option 2) would require some sort of shift in their relationship/situationship beforehand…im thinking this could mean you know that i caught it could take place BEFORE or DURING ch9… this could be the They Know motif coming to a head (meaning everybody. they Know for real this time. and now mike’s confused about it. “what are we?” talk from ch05 but times a million)
“save me ‘till the party’s over/kiss me in the seat of your rover”
^^ regarding this. i wrote all of this before i rediscovered that wish u were sober has nothing to do with ch09 (supposedly). im just too lazy to change it bear with me please.
will gets mad at mike for some reason?
if the original point made (something happens to the stupid fucking mustang) ends up happening, this could be will’s breaking point bc he’s overwhelmed and panicked and stuff is happening too fast for him
ch09 is a will pov chapter.
also frustrated crier (some ask about ch04 that i need to find to link before this gets posted)…just saying.
will gets mad at mike continued and reverts back to his I Need to Hurt You phase bc it’s safe and he doesn’t know how to handle the UNDOUBTEDLY romantic feelings n thoughts he’s having about mike…
he’s scared of getting hurt again like he was with derek and he’s scared of the unfamiliar territory that comes with being nice to mike/having mike be nice in return
This type of gentleness is certainly a facet of Will that Mike has known, having seen it more than a handful of times over the years, but it’s not quite one he’s accustomed to. (ch06)
this ^^ goes both ways i assume...there's gotta be evidence abt it in a will pov chapter but i am. exhausted.
he lashes out at mike that they aren’t anything, they’re just a casual fwb situationship, etc.
wow would you look at that…this is paralleling the fearless lore theory…
cue "straight up" by paula abdul for mike pov (i've been a fool before/wouldn't like to get my love caught in the slammin' door/how about some information, please? // straight up now tell me/do you really want to love me forever oh, oh, oh/or am I caught in a hit-and-run?/straight up now tell me/is it gonna be you and me together oh, oh, oh/or are you just having fun?)
“Hit-and-run” CAR IMAGERY ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME
"straight up" by paula abdul is on mike's driving playlist and i've been going insane about it since i saw it. btw. i love this song.
mike's unsure abt what they Are/what will is thinking so he reverts to the childish fighting thing too...pushing will's buttons is second nature for him by this point...evidence for this in a mike pov i will find later prommy
this is also wish you were sober coded “trip down the road, walking you home/you kiss me at your door/pullin’ me close, beg me ‘stay over’/but im over this roller coaster/imma crawl out of the window now/gotten good at saying ‘gotta bounce’/honestly you always let me down/and i know we’re not just hanging out”
first half here. could be about how mike is begging will for a relationship. but will is “over the rollercoaster” and the push and pull of their friendship to rivalry to fwb situation.
second half here. will’s metaphorically leaving mike (crawling out the window). he’s “gotten good at saying ‘gotta bounce’” bc he’s done this to mike Before when they kissed when they were thirteen…i Think (fearless lore theory). “honestly you always let me down” could be a reference to. will being angry with mike for not just being happy with their fwb, even though he wants more too? “i know we’re not just hanging out” come ON this is will saying he KNOWS THEY CANT JUST BE CASUAL. HE LITERALLY SAYS THIS IN CH05 I BELIEVE. OR MIKE DOES IN CH06. THEY CAN’T BE ANYTHING BUT EACH OTHERS EVERYTHING.
^^ literally kill me now i can't believe none of this is related. curling up into a little ball and sobbing.
this would be the beginning of the Angst that’s a 3-4 on a scale of 10 bc we know they're both idiots just miscommunicating But. hey.
so that's uh. that's the outline of the Theory we currently have...it's our most fleshed out one rn fs but there are a few Others that were referenced here that we need some more information on...
anyways. thanks for being insane with us. <3
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so I keep learning about The Horrors™️ of American healthcare and I keep hearing Americans talk abt this shit like it’s totally fine and let me tell y’all. It’s not. Apparently and ADHD or Autism test costs like 500$ for you guys? And then when you do get diagnosed you gotta think abt shit like “okay but do I actually need meds?” Bc apparently that’s a financial decision? But it,,, it shouldn’t be right? Right okay bc
I live in Europe, specifically Austria, and this is how healthcare works here: if you have a job you have healthcare. Your employer pays for it. They have to. It’s absolutely illegal and unheard of not to. They do take about 20% out of your pay-check every month to pay for that and other legal things that I don’t quite understand (my dad explained it to me once but I’m 20 so I still don’t get it bc I don’t really have to but every cent they take out benefits me I think so it’s fine).
Now irl this is a lot more complicated but basically, you have public healthcare and private healthcare and then just stuff that’s up to the government (like ambulance rides, I think. Even if you don’t have insurance u don’t pay for that. I know this bc an American friend of mine didn’t and had to go to the hospital and called a cab and when they told me I was like “??? BRO WHY NO AMBULANCE” this is also how I found out that Americans have to pay for ambulance rides. wtf.)
Basically your insurance covers all medical expenses from doctors who are in your network (public practice). This is your GP, hospitals, and pretty much all specialised docs (dentist, internists, cardiologists, etc.). However, the public offices are much busier than the private ones (obvi) so if you’re in a rush, want special treatment, or just be a little fancy you can CHOOSE to pay for private doctors. And even then you can hand in those bills to your insurance and you get part of the money back (abt 30% which you receive abt 4 months after handing the bill in).
If you keep your bills for private care doctors you can hand them in to,,, someone somewhere somehow (idk man) and get a bigger tax return. (bc we don’t calculate our taxes ourselves. it just gets taken out of your pay-check by your employer every month and then at the end of the,,, fiscal year??? I guess?? Idk man idk how shit works — you get any money that was like,,, extra (????) back)
Now you might ask yourself: “phi, why would I pay for doc if I can go to free doc?” Which is an excellent question. Again, for most people it’s about waiting times but there is one field where it just really makes more sense: mental health services. Private practitioners have less clients and more high quality care than public ones because they choose their own funding, which, surprise surprise, is better than public funding.
I will now take you through my own personal journey so you can have a practical example of how good healthcare CAN AND SHOULD BE (keep in mind here I have parents who after messing me up and being terrible but learning their lessen once I became an adult and told them how horrible they were are very supportive of me pursing my mental health)
When I was about to turn 20 I went to my GP and had a conversation with her about how I think I might have ADHD. She asked me about my complaints and agreed there definitely are symptoms indicating it. She wrote me a referral to a Psychiatrist. When I got to my Psychiatrist she tested me and because of the referral she could tell the insurance company that this test was necessary and not elective, meaning insurance payed for it in full and I never even saw that bill.
Now I had a diagnosis all but a week later. I spoke to my parents who agreed to support me in finding private care. My Psychiatrist charges 160€ (insurance returns 48€) per appointment which my mum graciously pays for. I see him once every couple of months to check in on my use of medication and how I’m responding and to see if my dosis needs adjustment. If and when I need a refill, I only have to write him an email. Before he could put me on medication I needed a blood draw and cardiac test, to ensure that I qualified for a stimulant, since they can be harmful in some cases. He wrote me referrals and I went to my GP and a public cardiologist for those tests, which were all free of ANY charge.
I was then cleared to take my meds within a few weeks (cardiologist had a bit of a waiting list). I was prescribed Ritalin and some sleeping pills by my psychiatrist. He gives me the prescriptions and a letter to the insurance company asking them to cover the cost, as I have a diagnosis which he confirmed again in his initial assessment of me. Now that I’ve gotten approved, all I pay for is the prescription, not the actual medication. Which is about 6-7€ for the Ritalin and 4-5€ for the sleeping pills (monthly supply each).
My Therapist is also a private doctor. She charges 120€ per session and I go twice a month, which is 240€ per month. My dad contributes 100€ and my mum contributes 30€, which means I’m down to 110€ per month. Insurance pays 30€ per session (so 60€ per month) so I pay a grand total of 50€ or 25€ per session.
So my medical treatment each month costs me just about 62€ AT MOST (since I don’t always need my sleeping pills refilled).
Now, just for fun, let’s assume my parents don’t support me and I see both my therapist and my psychiatrist in the same month and need both my meds refilled. This would come to just about 304€ (because of insurance deductions).
But you have to consider that I DON’T see my psychiatrist every month, so the more realistic monthly cost would be 187€. And should I decide I can’t pay for that I can still get on a waiting list for public mental health practitioners, in which case the only thing I’d ever need to pay for are the prescription costs for my medication which would still be up to 7€ for the Ritalin and up to 5€ for the sleeping pills putting the grand total at 12€ PER MONTH.
My family and I simply chose the quicker, more efficient option, but no one twisted our arm into paying this amount of money FOR BASIC CARE.
And yes, it’s a lot of bureaucracy (it took me WAY too long to spell that) and paperwork, but I’d much rather that than have to decide between mental well-being or being broke.
So, my conclusion: Cancel America, move to Europe, OR just tell the American People In Charge Men that it is that easy and they really should try a little harder and you citizens shouldn’t settle for the shit you have to put up with right now because wtf
if you wanna cry a little it’s okay lemme know I’ll come sit with you and offer a hug but you can say no if that’s not your thing
anyways love ya
phi
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