There’s a lot of Paper hate in the II community, and when I say a lot I mean A LOT. Paper is one of the most polarizing characters in the show, and it’s not hard to see why. He’s part of the first canon ship, he’s a complex character with a lot of nuance, and these two things tend to get people hating a character.
Think about the amount of hate Pencil (BFDI) gets for being morally ambiguous. Or the hate and mischaracterization given to Taco and Cabby. He’s in a similar boat, having done some not-so-great things I will get to later. Paper also gets hate for being in the first relationship within II, only because of a few fanservice moments.
I don’t believe the Paper hate is justified. He’s more than just “gay and racist”, he’s more than an inconsistently written character, and he’s more than OJ’s boyfriend.
Paper tends to get hate for being “mischaracterized”, despite never going too far from his character in season one. Paper has always been paranoid. He’s always been afraid of others, and he’s always been the first to panic at the thought of danger. Paper was the one to fret about going back to Idiotic Island in s1 ep16, Paper was the one to fear Taco in s2 ep17, and most recently, the one to point out Poppy in s4 ep2. He’s nervous, and he always has been.
Paper’s actions in s4 towards Poppy and MeTag are not unexpected for him. OF COURSE Paper would feel nervous and uncomfortable around two people connected to Steve Cobs, who indirectly killed OJ and threatened the lives of everyone on the island. Does he take it too far, especially in ep4? Yes. But are his fears unfounded? Absolutely not.
Think about it from this perspective. If you and everyone you know and love were to nearly die because of someone, would you feel comfortable being around people who were connected to them? Forced to work, cooperate, while pretending you’re not threatened by their presence? Even without his paranoia, Paper still has every right to be uncomfortable by MeTag, and to some extent, Poppy.
Paper did take it a bit too far in ep4, but his motives weren’t out of malice. To his knowledge, MeTag and Poppy are a threat to the sanctity of the island, and he doesn’t know how to handle this level of stress in a healthy way. That’s why OJ talking to Paper at the end of the episode was so important. Paper shows he does want to make things right with Poppy, and realizes antagonizing them isn’t a productive way to cope with his feelings.
I’ve also seen points about how Paper shouldn’t have antagonized Poppy in the first place, as they didn’t do anything wrong. While yes, Paper’s line of thinking is flawed, he’s not a bad person because of it. Hell, he’s not a bad person even for harassing Poppy.
Paper is extremely paranoid. As someone who struggles with severe paranoia, it’s incredibly difficult to see rational and reason while stuck in a spiral. I do believe Paper is trying his best to grow past his anxiety surrounding Cobs, and OJ certainly helps him out with it. It’s concerning to me, seeing a large part of the II community openly admitting they have no patience for people with severe anxiety.
Paper’s story, of hurting others out of the fear of being hurt himself, is one many people who struggle with paranoia, severe anxiety, and other mental issues can relate to. OJ’s reaction—pointing out the issues in Paper’s rationale and not responding with aggression—is how people with these mental issues should be treated with. Not as villains who antagonize and hurt others, but as people deserving of respect. I could go on about how this ties into mental health being seen as an issue only when it doesn’t fit what society sees as a neurodivergent person, but that’s outside the scope of this discussion.
Paper tends to get a lot of hate for being in a relationship with OJ. People see a couple doing couple things, and suddenly a part of the community believes the writers have made Paper into “OJ’s boyfriend”.
Honestly, going in from the start, I was worried about Paper being turned into a tool for fanservice. However, after ep3, my worries on that end were alleviated. While yes, payjay will still live on and have fanservice moments, Paper is still his own independent character. His relationship with OJ is just a piece of a very complex character.
I’ve seen a number of posts on “payjay made Paper into OJ’s ‘bottom’”, and that’s just not the case. There’s been, what, five tiny scenes with Paper and OJ being together? Paper has so much more than just OJ, considering how much of the screen time he’s taken up recently. Paper has always been his own character, and payjay will never change that.
But why make this post now? Because I am afraid of what’s gonna go down when Evil Paper/Looseleaf comes out in the remaster.
Looseleaf is another facet of Paper’s character, and she hasn’t been explored in fifteen years. And, with how many references to Looseleaf there are in the II finale, along with Lightbulb mentioning her, it’s likely Looseleaf could return in s4.
No matter what AE does, Looseleaf will cause some drama when remaster ep10 comes out. If they keep her the same? Stigmatizing towards people with CDDs. Make her not an alter? Erasing CDD representation. Honestly, Looseleaf in her entirety is the biggest issue the remaster has to tackle, and no matter what, her mere existence will be controversial. I’d really like to talk about everything wrong with Looseleaf, but again, out of scope.
Why did I even bring up Looseleaf? Well, if AE wants to make her less stigmatizing and offensive, one way to do it would be to bring her back in s4. Then, give her some character development of her own, so she doesn’t fall into the “evil alter” trope.
My fear is, if this happens, Paper will get even more hate. One arc is pretty uncommon for most II characters, but two? For a character which nearly won his season? I can taste people calling out “Paper has so much favoritism from AE” in advance. Paper already has a massive spotlight, so giving another arc to him and Looseleaf is another way for people to hate him.
And if AE decides to not put Looseleaf in s4? Then we’re stuck with a stigmatizing part of a polarizing character, with no hope of fixing the issue completely.
When Adam said Paper was the most mischaracterized character in the cast, I can’t help but agree. It’s hard, so hard, to find a good representation of Paper anywhere online. Either people hate him or love him, and I rarely see people in between. Paper, along with Looseleaf, is a fantastic character, and I really can’t wait to see him in the remaster and s4.
The rejoin system for the game in season four is actually so bad.
To rejoin, you have to help teams complete challenges, and if the team you choose to help wins the challenge, you get a point. Eventually, you can get enough points to rejoin the game. Initially this sounds innocuous, but the way Jack is treated in this episode actually reveals a few flaws in this system.
Firstly, for you to get a point, the team you assist needs to win, but generally, the people in the game don’t need to win to stay in the game, they only need to not come in last. They therefore have power over you in this way; if they happen not to like you, they can intentionally avoid coming in 1st place to block you from gaining points to rejoin the game, without incurring any penalties themselves. For characters like Jack, Poppy, and MeTag, who the characters already see as inherently untrustworthy, this makes rejoining the game much more difficult and mentally taxing than it should be.
Fan says the purpose of the game is to help people improve and find their purpose. This being the case, it makes sense to want to rejoin, right? And yet, if you aren’t already liked by others, an observable desire to rejoin becomes something that is seen as not genuine, and then punished, both by the moderators and team you choose to help, when they use it as an excuse to keep you from gaining a point. This happens to Jack when he chooses to help the blue team, and points out to Fan, Suitcase, and Test Tube that they could use the extra help since they’re down a member. Yes, Jack is trying to appeal to the moderators with this. Why does he need to be called out for being aware of this and trying to use it to get on their good sides? Because it’s not “genuine enough” for them? They, as well as the audience, know that it takes time for people to change. How does them insulting him for his attempt to appeal to them help him improve in any way, when it doesn’t make a difference to them whether he’s honest with them or tries to tell them what they want to hear? And why should Jack want to change or participate when the people who are supposed to be helping him don’t even believe in him or treat him well? How is this system going to work out for MeTag, who has trouble even advocating for themself because they can’t communicate verbally or with facial expressions? Or Poppy, who no one wants to work with, and who has already been physically attacked twice and restrained once this season, simply for looking like someone?
yknow what kind of kills me gruesome style. the fact that bot seemingly finds more comfort and security in the person their entire life was built off of. imagine being bot; youre just thrown into this world with all the knowledge of the person you have to act as, and when you finally let it all go and become your own person, the kindness of aforementioned person makes you feel more heard than the people that made you. Dies
Fan and NPD: The ultimate masterpost. Or something.
Hello! First time posting something this long, so forgive me for any possible inconveniences. The purpose of this post is to explain the grounds of my headcanon and correlate this disorder to Fan, whom I believe showcases it spectacularly, as well as educating on NPD along the way. This does not mean that Fan having NPD is “canon” by any account, but he most certainly displays traits of it, and it’s something I personally believe he has!
Disclaimer that this post is being made by a questioning narcissist. If you associate NPD with abuse, demonize narcissists or so on, please block me. Disorders do not make anybody inherently evil!
..in the making of this, I forgot that tumblr had video limits. To overcome this, I’ve linked most of the scenes I’ve been using for reference when making this post! There’s plenty of times where I start to describe certain scenes, so make sure to click on the link to avoid confusion. Sorry for the inconvenience!
If this format is too cluttered and/or confusing; here’s also the Twitter version of this post.
Lastly, if any PWNPD have things they want to note or add, go ahead!
tags: @moonlightcanyon @box-of-lemon-nys
All of this information is taken straight from the DSM-5. I don’t support nor endorse the ableist view of NPD shown in the DSM, but for the sake of simplicity I’ll be referring to it, as it’s the official diagnostic criteria.
As per the DSM, NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) is defined as “a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts.”
Fan displays all of these traits outstandingly overtly, yet in such a way most people wouldn’t recognize as narcissism. Starting with the first;
“Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements).”
This has been pertinent since his appearance in S2. In fact, the first line he even speaks in the season is a proclamation of his believed superiority. Fan has based his identity on being the BEST, the #1 fan of Inanimate Insanity.
Though there’s way too many examples of his grandiosity to compile completely, one of my favorites is this theory shown in EP 7, which perfectly displays these behaviors.
He’s confident that his theory is right, that each team will always win twice in a row. Though he provides proof, he notes “Not like you need it, right?”, showing that he believes his word is more than enough to prove something correct. Last but not least, his favorite episode (at the time) was Episode 3, the one where HE won the challenge for his team.
Again, just for the sake of simplicity, i’m picking and choosing scenes so I don’t have to note down every single time he displays this symptom.. but please keep in mind that this is a VERY obvious trait he shows almost constantly.
Though this side note isn’t really intended to be “evidence”, it feels relevant to mention that later in the series, Episode 14 becomes his favorite Episode, yet again another episode focused on his growth and accomplishments.
Another thing important to mention here is that narcissists are SEVERELY sensitive to criticism, which we see multiple times with Fan. Episode 2 of Invitational illustrates this very well with Fan’s reactions to both Cabby’s files and her own spoken criticism of him, even refuting it by blatantly denying his negative behaviors and defending his knowledge. (Timestamp 3:39-3:58)
2. “Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.”
I’d say that this is perhaps the least evidenced of all the traits, but nonetheless, there are a few instances of this. Most relevant to me is Fan’s enjoyment of fanfic, especially the RPF he posted of him and MePhone.
Fan has a VERY, VERY complicated relationship with MePhone. But considering the idolization he has for him, this very much reads as a narcissistic fantasy in my mind. Becoming closer to a person with such power and influence, a person you personally admire and hold great respect for their accomplishments and believe would reach out to you due to your own assumed superiority absolutely falls into the criteria of narcissistic fantasies, something Fan shows very clearly here.
3. “Believes that they are “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions).”
This symptom is heavily varied on presentation, and isn’t as cut-and-dry as “wants influential acquaintances.” In my personal experience, this is more akin to your own personal hierarchy, only caring to bond and make an effort to associate with those whom are higher in the hierarchy.
Fan is no stranger to this. He has a clear disdain for many of the contestants and subtly belittles them, such as Lightbulb, Paintbrush, Dough, or Paper. This is not that Fan necessarily dislikes any of his teammates or acquaintances, but he sees them as worse than him, which leads to a proneness of conflict due to his indifference towards their emotions. This also leads into the low-empathy in Section 7.
Meanwhile, someone Fan DOES view as “special” is Test Tube, what one would call a CHP/FP (Chosen Person / Favorite Person). He values her input and greatly idolizes her, and of course, is HEAVILY dependent on her. I can’t even begin to explain the intricacies of their relationship in such a small paragraph.
And in a rare case of Fan refusing to associate with institutions rather people, Episode 5 he remarks that he doesn’t want his egg to hatch into a “sub-par, bowless season”, an obvious projection on his end. (Timestamp 1:32-1:38)
I don’t think he would’ve legitimately made any actions to leave the game given that Bow didn’t appear (despite him assuming that his first interaction with Bow was nothing but a trick of MePhone’s), but his indirect threat of not wanting to be in the game without Bow, finding it too inadequate for him, still stuck with me.
4. “Requires Excessive Admiration.”
Alongside #2, this is probably the other most difficult trait to explain on the list. Fan’s no stranger to subtly fishing for compliments, but that’s the exact problem with him. He’s so subtle that many of the contestants in fact MISS his social cues, and Fan ends up being ignored or degraded instead.
Despite this, it’s clear that he expects praise and admiration from all, even if others don’t outwardly show it often. In the rare not-so subtle cases of Fan looking for acclamation, he outwardly asks for it to boost his ego, motivation, and most of all- excitement, as shown in Nickel’s FFF. (Timestamp 0:16-0:23)
Most of the time however, Fan places himself in positions that could give him commendation, one of my favorites being this short exchange from the Purgatory Stream. Fan has a lot of admiration for Marshmallow, and he tries to impress her with his offer, hoping for approval and kudos. (Timestamp 1:20:12-1:20:20)
(Short break here. Just wanted to mention how much Fan truly adores Marshmallow. Highly encourage anybody reading this to look into it if you haven’t already.)
Multiple times on Fan’s FFF’s, he’s attempted to do quips with his interviewees. In Nickel’s interview, he refers to these as his “fan instincts.” As I was saying earlier about these cues for praise being missed, both Nickel and Balloon react to his references with annoyance, in which Fan responds with aggression and disappointment respectively. In Balloon’s interview especially, it’s clear to see that he thought him referencing Balloon’s catchphrase would earn him a laugh and praise. (Timestamp 10:30-10:38)
5. “Has a sense of entitlement (i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with their expectations).”
Perhaps one of Fan’s least hidden symptoms. Again, a trait so glaring that it’s impossible to pinpoint every example.. but of course, my favorite display of this comes from one of the oldest pieces of Fan media, where he VERY clearly shows this. (Timestamp 0:14-0:38)
Though this short is dubiously canon, seeing it within the context of NPD makes a lot of sense to me. Of COURSE Fan’s personality would be far less nuanced when first created, hence his entitlement manifesting very overtly and negatively. Though it does mellow out over time, it never truly disappears, just seeps into different faucets of his personality and actions. (Timestamp 1:37-1:43)
Take here, for example. Fan tries to justify stealing from Cabby, but the truth is simply that he felt he deserved to see what she said about him, not asking her permission first. As Test Tube said, an invasion of privacy, a serious one at that when considering the later reveal of Cabby’s files being her memory aids. Alongside that, the grandiosity he highlights in this scene (think back to Section 1) is amazing. (Timestamp 0:42-1:01)
Just a bonus clip of Fan’s entitlement in relation to this specific conflict. (Timestamp 8:44-9:02)
In another more evident demonstration, Fan simply admitted to filming FFF without OJ’s permission, not even considering the possibility of needing to ask for acceptance to film and host a show inside of the Hotel. In his view, it’s something he wants, and with nobody encouraging against it, therefore it’s his right.
Another thing I really like about this post is how “innocent” Fan comes across here. In my personal experience, entitlement has never been something I intend to be harmful to others, just something I feel I deserve because I am special, not even noticing my egotism with it. I don’t think Fan intended anything wrong with hosting the show, just assumed that OJ would be fine with it, and that he would have no need to ask for permission.
6. “Is interpersonally exploitative (i.e, takes advantage of others to achieve their own ends).”
Very much so! This is one you’d never note down when taking a first glance at Fan, but it happens to be severely true. The way the DSM words it makes it sound inherently malicious, but trust me that this is not commonly how this trait manifests. Everybody tends to be manipulative once in a while, and that doesn’t make it a necessarily negative symptom if utilized in ways that don’t harm others.
For Fan, one of the big signs of this is his tendency of sitting back and letting his team do the work. According to his patterns he’s guaranteed a win, therefore he finds he has no reason to contribute, leaving his teammates to put in the effort to achieve it. (Timestamp 6:44-6:49)
Another thing I find I should add here is that Narcissists don’t usually intend for this manipulation to be.. legitimately evil manipulative. In our minds, we’re not doing anything wrong at all. So what if we use somebody as a means to an ends once in a while? There’s nothing wrong with it, especially if you deserve it. Fan is the same within this regard.
Funnily enough, this pattern of exploitation is a key factor of Fan’s character. Fan is THE #1 Fan of II, and as thus, must know as much about the show and its inhabitants as possible. He frequently uses the information and trivia he has collected about his fellows to steer them into giving him what he wants, no matter if it’s more information on themselves or a reaction, both things Fan finds severe intrigue and entertainment within.
Again, mentioning Nickel’s FFF (there is SO much to deconstruct there), Fan asks Nickel personal and invasive questions for his own entertainment, using Dime’s presence to utilize Nickel’s own self-confidence against him, prompting more honesty. (Timestamp 1:37-2:20)
Last but not least for this section, exploitation can be both conscious and subconscious. Though in my opinion it always seems Fan has some degree of lucidity, it’s clear from this blog post that it’s not all COMPLETELY conscious, some of his manipulative tendencies even flying over his own head.
In this post he mocks a version of himself he believes is far from his own image, failing to notice how often he does take advantage of the others around him. In the end, it all boils down to intentions. This faux version of Fan is comically evil, and Fan believes his own personal intentions are nothing short of moral and understandable.. thus his manipulation not coming across as remotely manipulative to himself, just something he deserves.
7. “Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings or needs of others.”
A DEFINING characteristic of him. There’s so much to delve into with this specific aspect of his character, it’s practically infinite. For starters, Fan holds zero to none respect for everybody around him, viewing most of the people in his life as nothing more than simple characters.
There’s certain people who break this mold such as Test Tube or Suitcase, but most are confined to it. Even with people that Fan admires, MePhone or OJ for example, he still views as playthings. At that, Fan’s general emotional and mental disconnect from the world feeding into his low empathy leads him into the practice of stalking, in which both MePhone and OJ happen to be targets.
My favorite moments of Fan exhibiting his low empathy always tend to be when he’s alongside Paintbrush. This scene in Episode 7 really puts this into perspective.. despite Paintbrush’s outburst and clear distress, Fan sees their frustration as nothing more than laughable, even predicting the time it would take to happen. (Timestamp 12:50-13:03)
Even Paintbrush momentarily pauses in their outburst, shocked by his insensitive reaction. Later, they threaten Fan with the idea of smashing Baby Shimmer, an impulsive action in the blindness of rage. It really speaks to me how even though Paintbrush was too highstrung to adequately try to analyze Fan’s reaction, they still subconsciously realized that trying to get Fan to empathize with them was near impossible, choosing to instead threaten him in efforts of arising understanding.
Same kind of situation here. Fan only cares about Paintbrush’s emotions when Paintbrush punches him to the ground. This concern is completely unrelated to empathy of Paintbrush’s anger, merely just a self-preserving meekness in fear of being attacked again. And after Fan notices Paintbrush’s “cliche”, his attention is entirely diverted and he instead only focuses on this new discovery, again finding no meaning in Paintbrush’s emotions as his priorities are higher. (Timestamp 9:04-9:20)
Though this quote is more about Fan’s disconnect and escapism, it does highlight his apathy to others as well. I think there’s bits and pieces to be said here about Fan’s low empathy, even if not directly related to it’s portrayal in this context.
8. “Is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of them.”
This symptom, just like majority of the others, is a key trait Fan exhibits. Time and time again, Fan flaunts spiteful and petty behaviors. Especially when provoked, Fan quickly finds himself vindictive and jealous. Though I do believe Fan’s grandiosity makes him believe that he has enviable characteristics, he tends to more outwardly show his jealousy toward others rather than vocalizing the assumed envy others have for him.
As I’ve referenced multiple times over, Episode 2 of Invitational is prime grounds for Fan analysis. This scene in particular shows such an evince of jealousy. Cabby first insults Fan’s formation of his identity, with an implied superiority of intelligence on her side. Watching his reaction is fascinating- first frustration, doubtful vulnerability, anger, then lastly disbelief.
Now, of course, this doesn’t exactly SEEM like jealousy, more-so defensive rage. Yet, it’s both! Fan has a lot of respect for how Cabby plays the game and her general self-image, admiring how professional and knowledgeable she comes across. Considering Test Tube’s proclamation of adoration for Cabby upon their first meeting, Fan instantly marked Cabby as somewhat of competition.
Though he initially pursued a friendship with Cabby, he was quicker to turn on her than Test Tube, due to what I believe to be jealousy. Yes, Cabby is smart, but part of the reason Fan felt entitled to steal from her to prove that he is vasty more intelligent.. making a point that Cabby's notes on him are surface-level and nothing as good as Fan himself could create. When Cabby's file showed criticism of him, he took it even more personally than anticipated, because not only did her notes happen to belittle him, but also were severely impressive.
And as I said, during their confrontation with Cabby, Test Tube’s reaction seemed more disappointed and shocked with Cabby’s assessment of her, far more calm than Fan’s obvious anger. Again, Cabby is deprecating Fan in a way that makes her come across as far more impressive than him, far more mature and intelligent to the both of them. Not only is Cabby damaging Fan’s pride, but he sees her own self-presentation as a threat to how Test Tube perceives HIM.
This little interaction is quite a parade of envy. Vexation and jealousy tend to happen at the same time, something that’s very obviously shown here. (Timestamp 13:08-13:13)
At the end of the Episode during Fan’s elimination, Fan takes the news FAR more calmly than one would expect. Yet, this is mostly a facade, one to make himself seem far more composed and impressive than he actually is; by being so envious of Cabby, he holds himself to coming across just as dignified as she does. In matter of fact, Fan and Cabby share many of the same traits despite how differently they may manifest between them, and Fan sees part of himself in her. And for Fan.. my, is it terribly demeaning to meet somebody who’s like you but BETTER. The envy he holds is gnawing at his core.
9. “Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.”
As expected, a Fan special. I honestly wish I had more commentary on this symptom, but it’s so blatant and pertinent throughout his entire runtime on the show that I can’t offer up much variation that isn’t already obvious enough.
Citing this scene for example, this is clearly arrogance mixed with jealousy. Not only does he believe he’s far better than what Cabby has said about him, but he’s also jealous that Cabby comes across as more intimidating than him. (Timestamp 5:00-5:11)
Another really good presentation. His haughtiness causes him to act defensively, attempting to reassure to both himself and the Shimmers that he is in fact a threat bigger than them. When met with even more denial of his self-assumed daunting, he merely pushes it out of mind, believing that yes, he has fearful qualities about him and that his “lower score is preferable.” (Timestamp 12:05-12:30)
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As per the DSM, NPD is diagnosed when patients meet 5 out of the 9 traits. In the case of this essay.. I managed to correlate Fan to all 9 symptoms. Though some are certainly more pervasive than others, I do believe Fan meets the full criteria… Which brings me to the end of my essay!
I have SO many thoughts about this that I couldn’t all squish into this already lengthy post. Please feel free to ask me anything about this at all, as somebody with a special interest in Fan, I could go on for HOURS.
And last but not least, if you have any questions on the topic of NPD (related to Fan or not) I’d also absolutely love to answer!
And with that.. Fan is absolutely a narcissist. Thanks for listening <3
yes i am doing the in depth analysis on the newcomers psychology from ii and no one can stop me
oh ye ii s4 ep5 spoilers ig
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it's crazy how jack compares eliminating another contestant to the attempted murder of one saying that tapey should receive the same jurisdiction as him
as well as the fact that tapey seems to agree with him as she is indeed scared for her life
even if she somehow got lightbulb out intentionally and made a sneaky play, the other contestants would at most look at her with distrust, not lock her up
because to the others eliminating someone ≠ an actual threat
but to jack and tapey, who never got a real chance at the game, death and getting eliminated are the same thing, because the game is their life
which is honestly very parallel to a lot of the newcomers in the game (everyone in s1 and the newbies from s2) except they either had a chance to live outside the game (like in hotel OJ), been in multiple seasons and therefore saw through the game past the high and what destruction it was causing (like marsh) or have witnessed the canon event of the ii movie
except in this case jack and tapey witnessed none of that
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though this does make me wonder why jack and tapey act this way and not the other newcomers who haven't had a chance to compete in a season (besides cammy, metag, etc. because they presumably had lives outside of the game)
like why doesn't box or teddy act like this? well it could be because they got to touch grass and jack and tapey didn't ever get to leave me phone's head
though wouldn't this make them more inclined not to JUMP OFF A HAUNTED MANSION TOO TOP AND RISK DYING *ahem* so that they won't return to that 'blue wasteland'?
i mean they must've seen everyone pop up in the events of the ii movie and then do the escape thing and then pop up irl again and put two and two together to figure out that the digital wasteland was the afterlife
so either 1. tapey and jack are stupid and have not come to this conclusion 2. they were somehow created after the events of the ii movie (which might be possible because mephone's oc's popped up long after he came up with the idea, but it was assumed that they all came at one general period so this wouldn't make much sense, plus the shimmer energy which allows mephone to make new characters was removed so this is unlikely) or 3. they are so messed up mentally that they would rather die than get eliminated and treat elimination not only equal to death, but WORSE than death
and ig technically teddy and spikey had a chance at the game so they don't feel as ROBBED as tapey or jack, and box and bonesaw have the whole delusional 'we were the original final two' going on so they feel like they won in some way ig
point is tapey and jack are messed up but the fault falls mostly on circumstance
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i dont know if i was just stating the obvious here but what eva
The main reason Nickloon had so much drama/toxicity isn't really because of their prior history, as they were able to get over much of that pretty quick into season 3 (except for the whole alliance thing with Suitcase)
Instead, it's (probably) also due to these factors.
Nickel can't/doesn't listen to others.
• Most of the time it's not an intentional thing(usually), but Nickel tends to assume his teammates/allies can't think for themselves, so he does it for them (which honestly does kinda makes a bit of sense, given how everyone was a complete moron in s1, and even some in early s2)
• But he also ignores them when they try to prove they CAN think for themself (like Suitcase, it took him till around s3 i think to realise that it was his, and not Balloon's fault, that she voted for him.)
Balloon struggles to have his voice heard (both literally and metaphorically).
• He tends to stay quiet, but even when he tries to speak up, if hes interrupted he tends to just go back to silence, not speaking up until he's way past his limit and does something impulsive.
• He also tends to get treated like he cant do anything on his own (which is something he hates, but is never listened to when he to voices this)
Both of them are genuinely horrible at communicating💔
Without these factors, Nickloon would possibly be one of the healthiest ships for both characters
Extra note:
Also, it's honestly funny how after they reconcile for the final time, in s3ep16 he goes in the complete opposition direction with the whole "Balloon can think for himself and make his own choices!!" thing
Their prior history in s2 (for reference, also i just wanted to ramble):
• Nickel wasn't really cruel to Balloon till s2ep10, he mainly avoided him before that point.
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He only started getting aggressive towards him due to the fact Balloon and Suitcase were getting close, and could mess up their game (this is due to Balloon's bad reputation around alliances from s1).
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It's a move that makes sense from Nickel's point of view, he thinks he's protecting his alliance, but in reality, he was genuinely hurting Suitcase and Balloon.
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Balloon's side makes sense aswell, he just wanted to hang out with his friend, and help his team, but her alliance always pushed him away/antagonised him, it must've felt incredibly isolating.
Okay i dont have anything else to add except this image
Poppy’s such a cool way to not only show how Cobs affected everyone in the cast. But also to explore more of Cobs’s story due to the fact that, unlike the cast who want to distance themselves from it, they’re actively looking
AAAAA I love this episode✨, I know were very early into the season but this has to be my favourite so far.
Starting with the sneak peak we got, gotta love Jack for immediately realising he fucked up and backpedalling. Whether he is actually remorseful or playing it up to not get the shit beat outta him is debatable but either way he's not living this down for a while. At least Test Tube seems to be doing alright now and throughout the episode so still potential for the foggy brain theories but it seems unlikely now. The last part of this scene had me cracking up with Fan seeming like he's going to accept Jack before going absolutely not.
So while we did not get the Jack public execution we did get a trial and what seems to be a... semi functioning legal system. It could be worse. Fan giving up and Test Tube being the one to defend the show was not something I was expecting, but I loved Fan being willing to give up the show for her safety.
Also the fact that TT and Fan had no words to agree to not tell the OSC about the other acts of violence was pretty funny. They're setting up Teddy and Cammy are going to have SO much beef and I'm all here for it. They also have the stupidest face when Suitcase talks about crushing everyone's dreams like damn girl you okay?
Okay were doing teams after the first elimination, a little weird but I can roll with it.
First off we have the red team - Thematic Cats
Taco, Soap, Mic, Teddy ,TK, Cherries
Not Taco promising to quit if she's not on Mic's team, ranking pretty high in co-dependency there. The yuri throuple are probably going to have some tension, at least between Soap and Taco. They both care about Mic but Taco has major trust issues and could feel like Soap is taking away her safe person. The potential for so many misunderstandings. Teddy has the potential to be a little unstable without any other newbies by her side but this could be good for her to make some new friends. TK and Cherries could have some interesting interactions but a solid team overall.
Next up are the green team - Go Big Or Be Last
Box, Trophy, Bonesaw, Spikey, Lifering, Goo
Goo has already had a misunderstanding with BS and Spikey and I can see that continuing until they resolve and become best friends, nobody can not be Goo's friend forever. Box and Bonesaw have some cool potential as the 'og final two' and just seem to get along really well. I can see Spikey and Lifering becoming friends and Trophy adds a much needed loud personality. They seem pretty chill.
Yellow team - Heavy Metal Pop Stars
Paper, LB, Poppy, MeTag, Starfruit, Tapey
Having Poppy and MeTag on the same team was a good choice, they have a good dynamic plus Poppy seems to be the most attuned to MeTag's mutism being able to tell what they want even without many ques. Poor paper though, he is not going to get along well with them and I could see Poppy trying to show they're trustworthy to him. Starfruit and LB have the potential for something interesting and flow off each other pretty well already. Not entirely sure where Tapey would fit into the team dynamic but they seem alright with LB and would probably be more willing to talk to Poppy.
And finally team blue - Circumspect
Pepper, Magnet, Candle, Cheesy, Cammy, Jack
Already a member down with Jack's elimination this team I can see being a bit of a mess down the line. Magnet continues making Pepper very uncomfortable unintentionally but that is going to become a problem, how soon just depends on how long it takes of Pepper to finally have enough and snap at her. I think Pepper is seeing both herself and Salt in Magnet, girl does not want to confront that about herself. Candle and Cheesy have already had a few interactions and I can see that continuing as Cheesy tries to break out of his programming and punning. Cammy has been growing on me as a character but I can see them trying to help out in conflicts but just making this 10 times worse. And well we've seen what Jack's temper can do.
Cammy with the spirit and whimsy of a child asking for cartoons, they know what they want. This news segment is very interesting though, not only do people on the outside somehow know of season 4 despite no broadcasts of it but the death of Cobs has seem to become a whole thing which makes sense considering he was a CEO of a successful tech company. Not Magnet inserting herself into this, Fan's mental health is not doing any better aswell YOU CAN'T DEFLECT YOUR FEELING FOREVER.
ONTO THE CHALLANGE!!
When first hearing the rules I was pretty excited, definitely a trust exercise but I'm debating the safety of people with the blindfolds. I can see a lot of ways this could go wrong. The challenge delivered though and I'm overall happy with how things turned out.
1st Part - Running.
A good start. Box and Lifering were alright and Starfruit is having another existential crisis. Teddy just dragging Soap along seems in character for her, cannot get over the squeak when they both fell tho. Pepper my girl get some therapy.
2nd Part - Maze
Some diverse strategies here which is nice.
Trophy and Box were fairly entertaining, though Box definitely has some trauma for being in the void for so long. Mic confessing to Soap about the maze strategy was alright, girl cannot take multiple directions at once though. Wonder if Soap had to go back or if Mic managed to fumble her way out. We don't see what the others are up too here but it seems that Pep/Can seemed to have an easy time while LB/Pap struggled for a while which isn't surprising with how easily distracted LB is.
3rd Part - Rope swing
One of the funniest sections of the challenge. Trophy having an abysmal time trying to direct a well meaning but directionally challenged Goo. Candle getting Cheesy to make a pun a trigger a knee slap and get him across was clever of her. And Taco. Poor sopping wet cat coded Taco. She just knew it was Mic picking her up and allowed it, girl just went limp and forgot about her anger you saw that face change. But damn Taco went on about their peak communication before just jumping straight into the water.
4th Part - Rock Climbing
A rare moment of cartoon logic with Cherries just... lifting themselves all the way up the wall? No idea how they did that but alright. MORE GOO MISUNDERTANDINGS. The both of them will be tearing themselves apart for these incidents.
5th Part - Driving
The best section of the challenge by far for me. Goddam yuri fans are being fed so well "no one talks to me that way except Pepper", also Magnet's and Jack's general beef was at least a little entertaining. Spikey and Bonesaw were a great dynamic here, co-dependency issues aside. BE THE WHEEL! No idea how they're moving though. MeTag being put here as well as Spikey was certainly an oversite by Fan and TT as I presume they were the ones to decide where everyone was placed in the race. Poor guy trying to sign into Poppy's hand to turn left. These two are so adorable I do hope nothing bad happens to either of them *cough cough* foreshadowing *cough cough*.
ELIMINATION TIME!
Bot is having some self blame after last time, hopefully people are able to intervene before their mental health gets too bad cause I can see that guilt lasting a while. Also no seeing people vote like last time, I guess it makes sense it's pretty easy to tell who voted for who.
NOOOO METAG I WAS ROOTING FOR THEM SO HARD! But geez both eliminations so far being people introduced this season? At least we'll still get to see them helping out in challenges so it's not the end of their screentime. Poppy being the best friend they are and immediately jumping to MeTag's defence. Tapey does bring up a good point with the brake tho as MeTag could've hit their brake to prevent the crash instead of continuing to try and sign into Poppy's hand.
And this final scene. That look Poppy gave MeTag, the dramatic background and DUN when the camara switches to them before just grabbing Poppy's hand and yanking them off to god knows where. Just Peak✨. The hell is Starfruit doing this ain't about you man.
I was screaming at this cliff hanger, where is MeTag dragging Poppy off to? The main theory I've seen is Cabby which makes sense as they were at a disadvantage not being able to speak and Cabby controls co-operation and seemingly disability accommodation. She was typing for Spikey during the first challenge so it would make sense. Also seen someone suggest MePad's body which is possible but doesn't make nearly as much sense to me.
Overall a peak episode I am already so hyped for the next one!
