as an aroace person who sees other aspec people get frustrated with the lack of nonromantic relationships being represented as anything other than sibling, I grant you: hermit relationships
Grian & Pearl: siblings, actually
Pearl & Scott: platonic
Cleo & Scott: queerplatonic
Jimmy & Tango: romantic
Grian & Scar: sexual but like they turned Complicated pretty fast lets be real
I don't think we talk enough about Cage Con as a concept bc holy shit?? The potential??
(this kinda got away from me so more under the cut)
Like, imagine CC after the Kombat movies. Cosplay, art, merch, panels, the whole shebang. Johnny begs Kenshi to go with him ("Just once, Ken, please") and Kenshi finally relents because what the hell, why not? He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious anyway. Johnny even manages to convince him to dress up (though is it really dressing up if they're your normal clothes?). They show up bright and early, and the beginning of the con is what you'd expect. Lots of setup, talking to panelists and journalists, etc etc, but then people start showing up. Lots of people. Half of them are dressed like Johnny’s characters (duh) some even as Johnny himself, but then comes the explosion of Kombat "characters" . There are a few Kung Laos with Raidens trailing behind them, a few Liu Kangs and even Barakas.
Then come the Kenshis. Kenshi can't see them, but Johnny excitedly points one out every time he sees one, nudging Kenshi's shoulder and describing their outfits.
"Ken look, that one's pretty accurate!"
"Oh, looks like they're going for the Wu Shi Academy vibe."
"Kenshi! There's an us who swapped outfits. They look pretty good. Wait, that's actually a great idea..."
As Johnny and Kenshi are walking around, taking pictures and stopping to talk to fans, one hesitantly comes up to Kenshi and asks for a picture. Kenshi is beyond confused, because this isn't really his thing and Johnny Cage is right there, but agrees. He asks them where to look and the whole thing goes by pretty fast. They thank him for the photo and rush off to what sounds like their friends, gushing about how they got a photo with their favorite character.
This happens a couple more times. People come up to Johnny and Kenshi, asking for photos. The day goes by and Kenshi has never taken so many photos in his life. Many a Johnny had come up to him, but there were also a few also dressed as Kenshi.
They leave the con with arms stuffed full with prints and plushes and other assorted merchandise, tired and ready to pass out the moment they get home. Despite that though, Kenshi leaves with a small smile on his face. Overall, not so bad an experience.
oh I just realized every single winner is an Evo player or their soulmate. Oh Man.
Grian & Scar, Pearl & Scott, Martyn (& Cleo). It's all. It's all Evo players and their soulmates. the Watchers wanted to punish the players with these games but the players already know how to bend the rules. they're not new to this and their soulbonds are winning because of that experience
sighs. sorry if any of this has been done before but im literally going to school for botany and im a literature analysis nerd so. here we go
I personally find it really fascinating Ivory is mistaken as "Ivy" and she has to redirect people away from that. Aside from being an interesting way to introduce a character, there's symbolism potential here. Take it with a grain of salt because obviously, it's a Jonathan Sims situation, it's the creator's name. However. Ivy is a plant, a living organism, and that automatically means a lot more considering this is The Plant Themed Horror Minecraft. Ivory, meanwhile, is . . . dead. It's dead biotic material from an animal. It's prized for its rarity, making it a symbol of wealth if you possess it. Interesting for a servant
Ivy on the other hand is common and well known, fairly easy to obtain. This basically just says that Ivory is far more than meets the eye to the other serving staff
(it's also the name for all those super fancy colleges. You know the ones. Minutes later Clownpierce is informed that Ivory might be "stunted"—she is not an ivy.)
Also I just think it's funny that the head butler assumes she has a plant name because he's so used to the Hemlockes lol
Speaking of hemlock I'm sure this has already been noticed but symptoms of hemlock poisoning include vomiting and restlessness. Pyro didn't seem unsettled by it at all, however. All he does is ask for coffee. A common "settle your stomach and wake up" remedy, but also really great at erasing scents. Wonder if they're being poisoned by someone else or doing it on purpose
White pines being a symbol of peace tho is insane because god it is not peaceful here
hemlock is the name of an evergreen tree as well, named after the poisonous plant. Notable other evergreens mentioned include ivy and white pines.
the symbolism of evergreens is kinda in the name but yeah, longevity and resilience are kinda the keystones here. a little ironic but hey
It's the "hi Cleo! :D" & the "hey Etho :)". It's the "no no no, you can't have her, you try to rip her out of my hands" & the "we're besties now!" It's the "Grian, give your heart to Cleo" and the "Scott, give your heart to Etho." It's the "can we go for Cleo last? She's having a rough day" & the internal monologue "theres no way I would kill Etho for hearts." It's the "I saw Cleo but I couldn't kill her" & the "I know *we* would never kill each other." It's the "I'm gonna fail this, I'm just going to protect you" & the "I knew he wouldn't hurt me."
The way he was the only one that remembered her hot & cold task without them prompting him, the way she joins in on his Bdubs shenanigans and builds a bedroom. How he's the devil on their shoulder but she's already committing arson before he asks. She doesn't tell anyone about his bed shrine and he joins them in trying to trick Mumbo.
It's the "I just want to die in my home" & the "right, they've killed Etho, they're dead now."
