Balloon SMP is like a baby alligator clamped onto my brain stem, and the more I watch of it the more heartwrenching it gets. This shit is Rashomon from thirty six different angles and I'm sick with grief over these characters, man.
I've gotten to the part of Kuu's perspective of the SMP that's just completely smashed my heart. Having seen Sophie and Robby's VODs already, I wasn't expecting this angle to hurt Even More, but "This is not happening" (the first day of the final week) is so frustrating and sad.
Robby's angle of this day annoyed me, because they left Bee and Char at the citadel and went to fetch Kuu, who explicitly had been shut out of the meeting, then fucked off to work on milk automation. I kept muttering "come on, bro, this shit is important."
Seeing Kuu's perspective wasn't irritating; it just crushed me emotionally. Bailey talking about the dubious power of mob spawners until Kuu walks into the citadel. Swindy, Katy, Claire and Marc gently and repeatedly saying that everyone should treat the blue balloon with respect and compassion. Bee trying to bolster their message of compassion and respect, getting repeatedly interrupted, her face growing sadder and sadder until she can't find words anymore. Gandalf hinting, not so subtly, that he's an avatar of the blue balloon. Jame harping on weapons and armor and preparedness. Gibson scolding people for trying to be diplomatic and humane. Beepers and Buggle giggling and sniping and arguing with everyone. Through all this, the desperate recognition between Kuu and Gandalf builds and tapers off - They're brothers in this struggle, and they're fighting for Love World, but nobody trusts either of them.
Someone in Kuu's chat wrote "Heal-ium" at one point. I mentioned that in a previous post; Sophie was wrong. The red stuff isn't death, it's rejuvenation, recuperation, respite. When players die, they return with fewer hearts - not because they're being punished, but because they're being asked to rest. "You're fragile, mortal creatures. protect one another, avoid violence, feed each other." All of Gandalf's mini quests involved telling people to bring him food, and he would often give people food in return if they indulged him. If everyone had gathered in the same place, and let Kuu place the healium above a high traffic, comfortable area - the roof of the citadel, Socks' poker den / tv hole, Normie's kitchen, Frog Village - the red balloons could feed the blue balloon and nurse it back to health while everyone enjoys each other's company.
Bee kept returning from death with ten hearts partially because their first few deaths were glitches, but I imagine it was also a message - Bee was never the aggressor in conflicts, and trusted the people around them to be gentle and humane. I imagine Headless!Bee was a hint to protect the vulnerable and confused, and Miku!Bee with four hearts was a huge neon sign - You humanoida creatures like this Miku, don't you? We've made your RenoBee into Miku. Listen to them, love them, protect them, let them lead you.
Wherever the most players were gathered, a huge influx of balloons showed up. When people had spawner parties, and didn't crouch in fear, nothing bad happened - everyone got stronger. Sophie being strong didn't give her an advantage. She could solo dungeons without a problem, but her solitude made her suspicious. She hated Gandalf, and hated the balloons, but the doppelgangers were peaceful. Not!Bailey was kind until Sophie expressed fear and agression. Her own doppelganger warned her that she didn't have much time, but she needed to learn to trust. Sophie doubled down on fear and agression, so balloons stopped showing up at Team E.
We could've had love world.
It pisses me off how deeply moved I am by the archives of a damn rtvs adjacent hardcore minecraft server. I was expecting shenanigans and bits and silly improv decisions, and I got those, but I wasn't expecting anger, fear, despair, hope, tenderness, and Real Tears.
Sophie cried. Robby cried. Kuu cried. Ausk and Bee and Socks and I can only imagine how many others. This shit is Sad, and it didn't need to be, and it's a frustrating mirror of how the world works, how it could work if humanity understood how interconnected we are.
