SAIN'T

symbolism is stupid and overrated

Episode 14 of TSV hurt more than I expected - Faulkner's phone call with his brother legit made me cry. I think that what's powerful about TSV is that even though I kinda know how it ends (I mean, I follow you. I have seen spoilers like thousand of times) I still find myself hoping for a better end. Like I find myself going "Perhaps I have simply misunderstood those spoilers and in context everything is better <3." even though I am 100% sure that that is absolutely untrue. I mean, for starters, this is a pretty clear tragedy. Even if I misunderstood the specific nature of the spoilers, there's no way anything ends well for anyone in this story. Like when I went into this, I went with the assumption that it is a tragedy and that nothing will be well. I went into this, thinking "Oh yeah, I know how those characters die." and still I'm like "I just want her to have a good life."

And I think the funniest thing about a good tragedy is that, on some level, it is actually the exact opposite of what you want. Because a good tragedy wouldn't be good if whatever character you are crying about managed to get out of it alive or unharmed. A good tragedy makes you wish for something you actually don't wish for at all, and on some level you know this, because if your wish came true, then the story would not interest you at all.

But anyway. What is wrong with Hayward.

When I'm at it I find it kinda absurd that he managed to classify "death by crab" as first class religious homicide. Like...yeah ok sure the crab iirc was an angel of the Trawler Man and Faulkner did sorta lead it there but afaik first class homicide, at least in our world, has to be planned, and I don't think leading a crab to a group of arguing people because one of them decided to start blasting counts as planned. But I am not a lawyer so I may be wrong. I recognise that it speaks volumes of the corruption of the police force and their biases, but it's still really funny to me that, if Hayward didn't just straight up lie and pull some bs out of his ass, he really went "Yeah so he got split in two by a giant crab after trying to shoot it dead. Uh yeah the crab was an angel. It was sicked at us. Nevermind that it was trying to kill everyone." and everyone went "Hmm yes, classic first degree murder." Like...sorry but I don't think Faulkner controls the speed at which crabs kill. Also wait does killing a cop automatically count as blasphemy????? I mean it probably does and if so it's fucked up as all hell, but ngl it's funny to consider the other option for a moment. Like the other option would require Hayward to go out of his way to decide that something that happened to Daggler was blasphemy against the Cloak specifically and that he wants it on record even though he hated Daggler severely and for a second it looked like they might just kill each other. Like I know that any kind of harm to any cop probably counts as blasphemy against the Cloak (being mean to a cop probably counts too) (even defending your rights probably counts too) but idk there's something absurd about imagining Hayward like "Hmmm should I write this down as blasphemy? Daggler was a lunatic and I'm glad I don't have to deal with him anymore...but damn maybe I should write it down as blasphemy as a post mortem reward to him for dying and finally getting off my back."

Also I really loved the exchange between Carpenter and Hayward, the exchange where he claims that even if she personally didn’t do those crimes and didn’t kill those people, she has to answer for it because all those things were done in the name of her god. Because he says all that, collective guilt and what-not, but as soon as she fires back with the flesh-opening torture the police used to do (allegedly “used to”), he goes all “Oh, we don’t do that anymore.” He wants her to answer for something she might have not done at all simply because it was done for the Trawler Man but he? Well he shouldn’t be judged right here right now for something that the force he works for used to do, should he? They’ve moved on, after all. So everyone who was affected should move on too. Yet he feels it’s right to prosecute her for something he is logically aware she most likely didn’t commit. To him, she may have as well committed it, simply by association. This does not apply to him though, no. Appalling. 10/10.

Sid Wright mindfulness exercises and relaxation sessions king lmao. I mean. eternal relaxation sessions I guess but honestly at this point he could destroy the world and I'd be like "No no he deserves to do it as a treat. As self-care."

Sorry I actually had something normal and insightful to say but somehow I managed to devote several paragraphs to nonsense. So uh I think I'll leave it at this and share something more normal next time. Also as a P.S. I'd like to go on record saying that while a lot of the characters can be pinned down somewhat decently (they ARE complex, but I feel like they are also more or less easy to understand), I feel like I'd need to vivisect Hayward to understand what the hell his goddamn deal is. I mean he's a cop but I mean aside from that. Because I am starting to feel like being a cop is his smallest problem. Like I think his whole everything is a problem.

Ok quick break from anything even remotely insightful but nothing could have prepared me for the way Shrue talks. They sound like a discount Wheatley from Portal 2. 10/10

awhat inspired you to write tsv? **insert evil smile**