#el thoughts

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realization that the Dolly Dimpley series is the unintentional companion piece to Protagonist Object Show

spoilers for both!

One of the central themes of ProtOS that becomes gradually apparent: how popular narrative content and the fanbase around it tends to favor focusing on characters with certain characteristics and how that is unfair to those that may not fit that mold. This divide is in some fashion diagetically illustrated within the story. We experience this from the perspective of Lampy, the sort that stands to benefit from this inequity, the one character who recieves the lion's share of focus. Notice Metro Card's belief stated late in the story that they shouldn't be the protagonist because they lack the certain traits they believe a 'perfect fit' would. "He's the kind of person everyone can relate too! He's a boy! He's just the right shape! [...] I'm none of that."

One of the central themes of Critter clipz 2002 / Dolly Dimpley that becomes gradually apparent: how popular narrative content and the fanbase around it tends to favor focusing on characters with certain characteristics and how that is unfair to those that may not fit that mold. This divide is in some fashion diagetically illustrated within the story. We experience this from the perspective of Dolly, the sort that is vastly shortchanged by this inequity, one that is desperate for any sort of proper acknowledgement from her peers and the narrative at large, as both the only woman within the 'boy's club' culture of the Smiling Friends company and, implicitly, as an Autistic person in an environment in which neurotypicality is favored. Notice Dolly's anguished rant after her growing desperation to just be included in the conversation ultimately explodes: "What's wrong with me that you guys won't tell me?!" followed by her feeling she must apologize for how she acts, how she looks, how different she is from all the guys...

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ProtOS is a spectacular piece of story writing because it starts with just a guy who's made a game out of pretending to dislike games and gradually snowballs into one of THE most horrifying and jaw dropping lines of dialog in object show history

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lampy doesn't even appear onscreen at all after hammer destroys the protagon. i like how much that says both thematically and about how thoroughly he's burned his bridges with everyone he knows. he went from just being one of the gang in the beginning, to at the end of the finale, public enemy status brought on by his own hand

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I hope Bamboo is somehow involved in the final ProtOS chapter because you could trace Lampy's horrible actions to that day Lampy decided he'd make a ridiculous lie and spend the rest of his life pretending he wasn't lying than just be honest with her that it wasn't working out

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the protagon itself is a pentagon and when hammer destroys it, it becomes a quadrilateral and a triangle. since BFB 1 was afaik Satomi's first big object show project, that feels like an intentional full circle moment. something beautifully poetic about it. i love full circle moments

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I always felt that Black Hat, from CN's Villainous, was the most endearing and likably unlikable in the very first batch of shorts, and the later stuff like the pilot and orientation videos, took him in a less interesting direction imo. While I can get behind the idea of a near infallible threat who plays the role of a mysterious antagonist even for his employees, I originally read him in the first batch of shorts as still an incredibly competent villain and businessman with immense power and the walk to back his talk, but still prone to error, bad luck, and a good helping of humble pie whenever he gets too in over his head. I honestly prefer that for him

Black Hat: So, those are our latest amazingly antagonistic products! Remember, this can go one of two ways: you don't buy from me while your peers in the villain market capitalize on this offer and they- and I - get all the benefits, or you order now and get the goods! Either way, of course, I get rewarded, so at least you would too if-- what, what IS it, Flug, can't you see that I'm giving a spiel- ANOTHER ELECTRIC BILL?!?! [slams head on desk] Ouuuuughhhh, I, hate, my life.

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Is Crashbox an Object Show?

Yes

Maybe

No

Voting ended onOct 6, 2025

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i like though the fact that Heart says "MY Protagon!" instead of "THE Protagon!". it feels like an implication that at the end of the day Heart was not too unlike Lampy in that they wanted to keep the power of importance to themself. Heart comes off as being this Protector of the Protagon in the last few chapters but this thought kinda recontectualizes that; were they just keeping the Protagon safe from those that would use it, or were they keeping it TO use it?