f my stupid chungus life promise duo has me in such a CHOKEHOLD it is almost SICKENING how there's not a lot of fics for it (i have plans to make one and the more i dont have promise duo fics im abt to mcFREAKIN LOSE IT)
hi okay so the concept of the purge is incredibly FASCINATING to me.
based on the etymology, it could mean a multitude of things. it means washing or cleaning, or to refine or purify. it means to refute, justify, or vindicate. at some point, it means to cleanse someone from sin or moral defilement, to make ideal or pure, to be rid of objectionable members.
based on the movie, it served as a social experiment to solve the problems following an economic collapse. in doing so, the stock market skyrocketed due to weapons and security. it has evolved into a mindset that invites people to air out their grievances and act out on their impulses for a few hours without consequence. this actually led to a decrease in crime and unemployment — however at every point in the franchise, the ones who are the most affected by the purge are the marginalized, thus an undeniable display of a power imbalance.
the two purge events that happened in unstable display the two sides to this concept: the purge as a political game, and the purge as a culling game.
it was a political game the moment uu!lettuce introduced the purge to allow crime for a few hours. on the one hand, it allowed the candidates to steal votes from others. on the other hand, it allowed the players who had their grievances to act not only on these injustices, but on their impulses.
uu!parrot proved that, despite their destructive nature and despite any justification to fight, trust and kindness can exist. in fact, it can win. choosing to be good can matter even if the world tries to kill it and make killers of you. if you can survive, you can win.
it was a culling game the moment uu!arachnid put everyone, including his most powerful members, into a struggle for power. it allowed the members to scrap for weapons and target those who would become their stepping stones into strength. it means belonging to a powerful nation whose destructive power is not only proven, but also cultivated and made stronger.
uu!wemmbu had to adapt to that, to that destructive nature he moved on from and sharpen it. he had to make use of what he has around him, including his allies and those weaker than him, to climb out. from what he was before and what he is now, he has no choice but to move forward. if you can win, you can survive.
both perspectives always look at what power does to you when you're at the bottom. it turns to vulnerabilities and weaknesses. it sharpens your fangs and hardens your heart. it served as a test to your character, if you can die with your morals or if you can adapt to the cruelty and win. how you win does not matter, so long as you have changed — and that is what those in power want.
uu!lettuce may have lost, but at some point, uu!parrot has brushed with the unimaginable, has done the unimaginable, has to live with the unimaginable of what corrupts.
uu!arachnid may have not killed uu!wemmbu, but he has molded him into his kingdom's weapon. mastered his loyalty like a double-edged sword and made sure to control his potential.
at the end of the day, the purge becomes synonymous to change. the only thing that hasn't changed is the powerlessness found at the bottom. you may have climbed out, but the purge still dooms the next person. you may have won, but you are small and insignificant to the massive loss that you climbed out of.
looking back to when it all began, it's fascinating to see the transformation of things: ideals we fought and died for, people who came and went, the narratives that intertwine with each other and keep in the dark. yet the only thing constant is the aftermath, the effects of our actions, and the end of the path that this cycle led to. because that is to be expected: consequences.
and when you look at where you are now, all of that becomes part of you, it changes you. being subject to the nature of the server and therefore its cycles, you have been changed.
looking at two individuals who run their morals parallel to each other, sharing history and experiencing loss that could never be compared or measured, defying the destructive nature of the server and being the change the server needs, choosing goodness and kindness despite the world denying a place for morality, they must look at each other and ask what change looks like.
because the most difficult conversation you can have with someone who is stuck in the cycle with you, and the system they created with you, is convincing yourself that you did change, and the other person reminds you that you didn't — that the civilizations and people you lost had no part to the change you went through, that what you've done trying to achieve your goals and doing what's right while believing you were right didn't matter, that your journey and your epiphanies along the way meant nothing.
in uu!parrot's pov, having such a heavy shadow of what people are truly capable of, change is not only a big thing, but it's also scary. it challenges everything you've known, everything you're familiar with. it means that before, you were truly powerless and naive.
and because you're weak, you find other ways to survive. you find your way out of the false dichotomy. you tug at the loose thread in between the lies and watch everything unfold. you keep yourself safe from the gray area that bothers you, that you can't control. and so you move on anyway. you must change, or you're dead.
you think you've changed.
in uu!lettuce's pov, the destruction that the nature of the server promises followed you home, and the fact that nothing you can do to change it angers you. it means that injustice is what they call collateral. it means that you were always capable of change, you were just afraid of what that means for you.
and because you can take the first step, your anger is finally satisfied. the part that loves you, that recognizes that this server is insane and filled with madmen who, at a whim can drop an orbital strike canon or take over civilizations, is celebrating their punishment. and you feel guilty that you don't feel any remorse for it. at least, that's what you believe you're doing.
you think you're a better person now.
but look at yourself. look at your own hypocrisy and don't turn away from it. you killed as much as your enemy. you manipulated as much as the people you hate. you forget to love the people you're supposed to protect. you tried it your way, and you failed — that is the cost of your change. your change is not enough.
your view of justice is not what it once was. your view of second chances is no longer recognizable to you. what you once thought was wrong makes you question every single action you've done in your ignorance. your own morals and friends have become strangers to you. worse, they became your stepping stools, your obstacles.
but you keep moving, because the cycle demands it. you keep changing, because the destructive nature of your universe expects it. you delude yourself into thinking you are better now, in front of yourself and others, because you made a promise to yourself that you will no longer be weak.
uu!parrot may have acknowledged the gray area in between the black and white, but even his tolerance must be perfect. this tolerance masked by the dichotomy he set between acceptance and rejection in its entirety. by making himself the third path he subjects himself to the dichotomy.
uu!lettuce may have kept his anger and destruction at bay and closer to his heart to serve the justice he promoted, but his own weakness seeps through the cracks. every hesitation, every time he couldn't bring himself to the edge, he could no longer deny the fear he has of change.
either one of them could say: i changed.
but the other will look at what they've done, the aftermath of them, and say: no, you compromised.
dude i need to organize my thoughts lowkey :// watch me have like 5 posts on uu!parrot and uu!wemmbu and like maybe 2 or 3 uu!flame and uu!spoke ones LSKDJFKASJDFA
this is genuinely like 2 scenes away from completion. i have read and reread and reread all my other scenes just to find my motivstion again. like i have the vision in mind but like writing the build up to it hhhh i am not meant for writing slowburns im crine. projecting isnt enough i need to be put on a late night talk show and overexplain everything incoherently. like wdym i need to coherently write the plot. cant i abduct people into my mind and just watch that shit play out. unghhh the things i do for u state smp
when i tell yall theres something to say about uu!protags and the love that ties them all together is the day i ASCEND watch me put REFERENCES TO THAT SHIT im gonna quote bell hooks im gonna quote caritas in veritate im gonna quote movies and opm istg theres something to be said here im not crazy
Wait I just clocked how Wemmbu and Flame’s common language is violence. So when Flame is trying to 1v1 Wemmbu and Wemmbu just kept on trying to avoid him is basically just Flame wanting to know what the hell happened to him while Wemmbu just kept dodging the question as he refused to talk to him. Fu@k. Fu@k. Why. I hate everything
im terrible with chapter fics but if i made a promise duo / jadenbu fic would yall read it despite my HORRIBLE upload sched paired with my inconsistent motivation
im terrible with chapter fics but if i made a promise duo / jadenbu fic would yall read it despite my HORRIBLE upload sched paired with my inconsistent motivation
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