The real reason John was rushing to leave parlay is because the Hunger is So Dark and parlay is So Bright.

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The real reason John was rushing to leave parlay is because the Hunger is So Dark and parlay is So Bright.
text assignment
the man who became the hunger.
oooooo it’s John hungry man here he is
commissions open here
What I say: I'm fine
What I mean: do you ever just think about how john had like 30+ years between parleys with Merle to just think about the impact of what he was doing as the hunger? Like, beforehand john must've thought he was doing the whole uni/multiverse a favor by adding each world to his mass. He must've thought that, because of how his plane reacted to his ideals and beliefs, everyone would deep down want to be a part of the Hunger due to their shared fury of the limits of life and existence. But then Merle goddamn Highchurch listens to 1 (one) of his nihilistic-ass rants (of which he previously used to sway people in his homeworld, in an incredibly effective way mind you) and basically flatout says "hey, screw you pal, life is beautiful as it is" and john is clearly shocked by this. He legitimately says "you're the first person who I've sort of...talked about this to who hasn't listened."
It can be assumed that having an outsider's perspective on the Hunger is something that John values in some way, considering how he asked merle a few times about what the ipre called him/thinks of him, saying something along the lines of "it would just be nice to know what you all see me as". (Forgive me for that butchered line, it's been awhile since I've listened to that scene but you get the idea)
I feel like that whole exchange towards the end of stolen century would've fucked with him a bit and is probably one of the main reasons why he tried to help merle in ep 68. He realized that other people did see life as valuable and important and worth living, and at that point he probably did too. All thanks to Merle. No wonder he wanted to spend his last living moments with that dwarf; in all his time spent as the greedy, world-destroying hivemind, he had never once dealt with someone whose values were so opposite to his own, yet in the end, were also so much better. The whole time, John was looking for something that countered the laws of reality to make him satisfied; he never really considered that what he really needed was instead someone to counter his greed.
John Hadar shares his point of view. Merle Highchurch disagrees with this take away fully, but lacks the words to convince him in a way that he would understand. He knows this well enough to not really try. John dissociates noticeably from noticing this in his confusion. He lacks the ability to properly respond, too.
30 Days of Johnchurch Day 2: Soft Touches
They...
Yknow the feeling when you are plagued by so much thoughts and emotions and stress that sometimes you forget major stuff. You forget your crush, or the fact that half of your family is in another state and you cant see them for 10 months and thats how it is and always will be, or vice versa midway through summer I remembered my grandma died and that I have a brother. The dawning realization that
You forgot
And then the emotions.
So currently its 10:30 pm. Im sitting alone with my thoughts. And trying to come to terms with the unbearable struggles of existence and the constant inner dialogue of my John and merle sides. Goodnight dear readers