Lucid

[lucidstarlet]

Time travel media where someone looks a best friend, a lover, their self's past dead the eye and knowingly dooms them to a world of suffering for the sake of who they will turn into. The bravery and cowardice of submission to fate, the selfishness yet selflessness, the peace and horror that they find within themselves as everything clicks together.

[lucidstarlet]

I’ve been having Thoughts on GSGW and its theme of the spectrum of kindness/goodness, and how kindness brings people together. I’m in love with how all the side characters seem to explore a different point of view---Goodness is doing everything you can to save the person in front of view. Its working to save the many, even if it means letting a few die. Its going slightly out of your way to help others when you can. Its preventing and discouraging acts of evil. Its trying to empathise and help others, even if they aren’t the picture of innocence. Rather than views being look at in regards to how good they are compared to one another, they are shown as just different perspectives. The characters are all rewarded for their acts of good, usually through how kindness draws others to them. 

Lee Jaheon despite his inability to understand the specifics of human interactions and niceties still manages to have people who appreciate and cherish him because of the way he cares for those under his leadership. D-squad as a whole is shown as close-knit through their kindness and care towards one another. The Disaster Bureau Management is held together through the idea of kindness and despite the agents risking their lives and helping others for significantly less than Daydream employees, they still manage to have large amounts of people drawn in because of the sense of family that’s there compared to daydream. The agents are all drawn together through the connecting selflessness of risking their lives for the sake of civilians. Compared to Daydream which is portrayed as cutthroat and bleak, the DBM is shown as significantly warmer and more comfortable place that a person can genuinely consider as a home. This contrast in atmosphere is shown directly through the group chats:

27.1

" I wondered if this might be a warm group chat where colleagues share tips, support each other, and enjoy hobbies together, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

‘It’s more like an intern group chat where only 10% will make it to full-time positions.’

In other words, everyone is subtly trying to gain any advantage they can.

‘Well, with people constantly dying and the wish ticket feeling so far out of reach, I guess it’s understandable.’

It left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth, but I could understand it. "

166.3

" 'The atmosphere’s more laid-back than I thought.’

It looked like a group chat where agents would ask each other for advice when they were stuck or in a bind at work.

Given the frequent solo and shift work, it made sense to have a place to share information.

Since it wasn’t like a certain company’s death-match, survival-style competitive structure, the atmosphere was better, and useful tips seemed to get shared more freely.

‘Come to think of it, I think I read about this in the <Dark Exploration Records> too.’

That made it feel a bit familiar. I nodded inwardly as I scrolled.

It might actually be fun to get invited here at least once… "

It’s interesting to note that despite the benefits of Daydream, its only the people who are desperate that seem to be working there. No one is there just for the usual work benefits or high pay (even Kang Yihak is working towards a wish potion); everyone is described to be there for something supernatural, something that they would be unable to find literally anywhere else. That the sense of community, warmth, and fulfillment that comes from working underpaid and understaffed in the DMB is implied to be more attractive than a prestigious company with luxurious benefits speaks a lot to GSGW’s themes, I feel.

Also more on Daydream, there seems to be this atmosphere all that matters is oneself and that because of this there is no reason to get attached to or help other people. And the survival rates reflect this. Despite Daydream facilities, pay, etc. being significantly better than the bureau the death rate is through the roof largely due to the fact that few people care or are willing to go out of their way to try help others, despite Daydream’s system not being very explicitly competitive focused (the best way to achieve point gain is just to be able to survive; the deaths or continued survival from others doesn’t impact much in the long run). This is really ironic because more people would likely survive if altruism was more common in Daydream, but the lack of trust or willingness to try be or return goodness ends up making it significantly harder for Daydream employees to achieve their goal. 

Even Beak Saheon is rewarded for his helping Grapes escape through being able finally escape the recurring darkness in Jisan village. But what he takes away from his act isn’t what he gains, but the relationship/impact that Grapes had on him and the feeling of "fulfillment" from doing something good that was so powerful that it sticks with him throughout the 6 months, and leads him to go out of his way to treat agent Grapes, a Disaster Bureau Management agent who just keeping in contact with could get him into troublesome situations (whether through the DBM finding him or Daydream superiors finding out about his contact with the agent and being unhappy about it even if it isn’t explicitly against the rules), kindly in a manner that goes against his nature and instinct to act strong with the weak and weak with the strong. His relationship with agent Grapes (that he knows of) is one filled with his attempts to be kind and we see him actively attempting to keep that relationship alive, to keep this opportunity to be good to a person. 

[lucidstarlet]

I got oil paint digital brushes! To test them out I decided to sketch my design for the Mikes, but I have no idea how faces work and it shows.

[lucidstarlet]

Hearing Briony forget her catchphrase kind of broke me because, as Aubrey once mentioned, it was that one sliver of silly humanity that showed just how much she loved her job, her purpose, and her so casually making a mockery of it really drives in how much she's been broken.

[lucidstarlet]

Deeply intimate relationships that are inevitably doomed because of the characters natures' opposing one another on a fundamental level have me in a chokehold

[zoomclown]

something that I don't think gets talked about enough is how much Warren needs to be validated by the people who are harming him.

Like how hard he latches onto being important. He will let them treat him any way they want so long as they see him as valuable. I think that beyond the avoidance, there's a part of him that wants to stay at Red Valley just because he is told he is useful.

When he holds himself hostage, the first thing he mentions is that they need him. He believes they will do what he asks because he is valuable to them. When he finally stands up to Bryony and tells her he doesn't want to go back in the pod, he immediately follows it up by mentioning that he is valuable to Overhead. Trying to get her to affirm his worth. Even when they get back from the meeting with the board and he asks her if any of their relationship was real. After hearing her tell them that she's been deliberately triggering his PTSD, he is still trying to get her to say she ever valued him at all.

He could get validation from Gordon any day. Gordon, who somehow manages to convince him that he might actually have value beyond his usefulness as a test dummy. But his need to hear it from people who are actively causing him life-threatening harm just speaks to his experience of parental abuse. The experience of looking into the eyes of someone who is actively hurting you, and instead of fighting back, waiting for them to tell you you're good enough.

[lucidstarlet]

I love how Bryony is described as scary because she isn't described as scary because she's a mad scientist. It's the opposite. She's scary because she feels so human. She watches Friends and makes jokes and can speak so eloquently and convincingly. She treats her coworkers to Chinese where she advises them on how to leave, should push come to shove. She feels like someone to look up to, part of the group, so when she's willing to actively causing the deaths of likely hundreds, if not thousands to further her research, it's not only shocking, it makes you wonder if you're just like her. If you're also that immoral, that terrible, because you also signed up for this job knowing exactly what would happen.

[lucidstarlet]

What animal would your favorite podcast(s) protagonist be?

[lucidstarlet]

Probably stating the obvious here, but just wanted to put this into words for myself.

The Mikes' theory of iterable personhood is so unpopular because to be willing to have iterations of oneself (and work/communicate with them) is essentially being willing to make yourself disposable. The only ones fine with doing that are the ones who care more about their collective selves rather than their individual selves, thus those who are less inclined to believe in iterative personhood. Kinda makes me interested in the relatively recent revelation and implications of secret iterations and how they may impact the characters of base who have yet to truly submerge themselves entirely in time travel.

[lucidstarlet]

I saw this base and I had a vision.

Disclaimer, this isn't exactly my art. I traced the base that I posted above. I think that's allowed with bases so long as you credit? If not, just tell me and I'll take this down!

[lucidstarlet]

I just finished listening to Wolf 359 and am not okay.

[lucidstarlet]

If your favorite podcast(s) had a catchphrase, what would it be?

[lucidstarlet]

After five months worth of assessments to procrastinate on, I finished making a bookmark based on @janedoewrites book, Heart of the World!

[lucidstarlet]

Have a quick doodle of S1 Arthur and S2 Jon.

[lucidstarlet]

Guys at this point we should be ranking Jarthur divorces by how bad they are. I feel this one doesn't exactly top part 18 but it comes pretty darn close