Cathedral Sticks

I've spent the last few days watching through Alan Becker's entire youtube channel. you know the experience, everybody knows the experience. the crude but entertaining videos get better and better, quality spikes in ava4, then again in vs minecraft, then oh my GOD ava8.

but the topic of this post is shorts #30, the king. which I was hyped for beyond belief. so it pains me to say that I. kinda hated it. and I can't find anybody talking about this.

spoiler discussion and why I hate fun or whatever under the break

so first thing, why the FUCK didn't I like shorts #30?? it's the best conclusion the story could've possibly had, right? it was cool as hell, the fights went hard, there was emotional depth, maybe you cried at the end (I saved my tears for the wild robot).

it's uh. it's the emotional depth. specifically the way they resolved king Orange and purple.

the backstory for King Orange is fine, sure. it fits him. minecraft ate your son, so you're gonna destroy minecraft. it's not super complex, but he's a villain and he's got aura (pigstep 🔥🔥🔥) so it's fine.

purples's backstory in shorts 29 is an absolutely beautiful setup. his constant seeking of approval, his desensitisation to abuse, how much he clearly enjoys being with the main crew. it's a fantastic inner conflict and his self hatred is really well written. green manages to drag him out of it, reminding him of the people that genuinely enjoy his company.

... so he doesn't need the approval of an abusive father figure anymore, right?

back to shorts 30. king nearly kills purple during the big final fight, sees the parallels between the childlike character he's abusing and the son he lost, and has a change of heart. far too little too late, but it's paying off the setups, so sure. let him have a moment before he gets sucked into the black hole.

it's the aftermath of the black hole that pisses me off. like makes me actually fucking angry. after the storm clears, king shows back up looking all sad, and apologises to the cast. and they (seemingly) forgive him. the child abuser, murderer, slaver, and actual fucking genocider.

this would be fine in earlier avm. it's not that serious, it's a fun animation with good fights where everyone makes friends at the end. hell, it's what happens with the character of Alan himself, and that didn't bother me.

but when you write a complex character arc about abuse, self hatred, inner conflict, you're doing big boy serious writing. you're asking me to engage with the work on a slightly higher level in order to appreciate what you're doing here.

AND THEN YOU HAVE PURPLE DRAMATICALLY HUG KING ORANGE???

whose fucking idea was it to resolve an abused child's arc by having them earn the respect of their second abuser and go off to live with him (assumedly)? purple deserves way better than this. king doesn't deserve this at all. even if we set aside his genocide and enslavement of the minecraft world as being wacky cartoon shit- maybe he didn't realise the mobs were sapient, etc etc etc- even then, he still physically beat purple several times and left him for dead.

why does this character deserve a scrap of sympathy? you wrote your villain too evil and then you tried to shoehorn in a redemption because you were on a friendship is magic kick, I guess.

if you want to write a serious story where emotions have weight, don't forgive and redeem a genocider just because ONE of his sins happened to remind him of something bad that happened to him in the past. and if you want to write a fun light story, maybe have a little less child abuse in there???

I loved these videos up until this point and it breaks my heart to be so angry. but Alan Becker fucking fumbled his most interesting character and had him regress from independence back to parental approval, all in the name of giving the worst fucking guy ever the happy ending he definitely doesn't deserve.

DID VICTIM AND DID TSC

Hear me out, no, fucking listen to me.

Victim has DID. Each past death + clones are an alter, the last one who survived is the host that split into two: one being the one left with memories of Mitsi and the other being the one we see front in the box.

Soon after AvA10, Victim realises that TSC is in the early stages of the same disorder with most of the alters not being very conscious.

Therefore, instead of trying to help or leaving it be, Victim Rocket (the host) purposefully worsens the situation and makes Orange split a shit ton of alters by various ways of torture and manipulation. Their alters try to stop them, but they can't. They're too weak to front.

They tell Shady Smith that it's to benefit from the kid's powers easier or some shit. But in reality, they see their "weak selves" (the rest of the alters) in TSC (+Yellow and TCO). They're trying to be "the superior one in the power dynamic". They are trying to control their surroundings.

Cowboy manages everything in The Second Coming system and puts Orange (the host) through many puzzles and challenges to keep them distracted and away from the front... away from whatever horrifying thing Victim is doing to them...

Victim knows the host is hidden deep in the mindspace. They try to lure the host out bc they deem the rest of the system useless. Orange tries to get out of there after realising what's been happening. Cowboy can only keep them* safe for so long...

*Every sentient being you see in AvE and more... (Yes, the Math symbols and the multi-dimentional creatures are alters.)

Used AutodeskPro for this beauty...

HOLY SHIT BABES WAKE UP MY FAULT 15 DROPPED

My Fault (part15)

First part / Previous part / Next part

I'm a huge overdramatic overthinker and I really wanted to spill my interpretations and theories here—I had no idea it would do this well considering I have,, literal zero friends here. All the silly and kind tags in reblogs are making me encouraged to do more and interact JAJDJJWJWSJDJE I have a lot to say man, tell ur pebble plush I said hi

Purple being left completely untouched by the narrative, being raised by two confused parents who know nothing more than their artificial nurture. How to progress from being halted by the 2011 tragedy which affected them. The two can only do so much until some forbidden traits make their development, and in the worst way possible.

Navy and Orchid nuzzling up against each other and Purple. Navy seemingly resting the weight of his chin up top Purple's head, like a peck. Orchid burying her head into the crook of Navy's neck, nuzzling Purple's face. They were really, really in love.

and then the 2011 tragedy happens somewhat somewhere

Purple visibly grows, and Navy presents a material pose of combat, implying Purple to follow. Purple seems confused here, and then he looks towards his mom.

He wants to know Orchid's opinion of this—as a confused, stranded child would typically do in a situation as his.

Children, when foreign to these scenarios, will look for the approval of their other present parent before proceeding with a following action. In here, Orchid stands still, and her pose seems neutral, but she doesn't say no. And Purple proceeds. I thought this was a nice detail.

I feel like this adds a bit to Purple's relationship with his mom. Purple is comfortable enough towards her and he looks for reassurance in her when he is uncertain. That vulnerability is important. He really trusts her. And Orchid trusts him back.

I also feel like I can add onto Orchid from here. When she does not have a clear answer, she stays neutral/unresponsive instead of a shrug or such. This allows Purple to make his own decision on what he believes is okay. Instead of being dismissive.

When attacking, Purple throws valueless punches and kicks. Navy seemed to be allowing these rational, seemless blows, not budging. Redundantly shielding before attacking back with a somewhat rough punch to the gut, pushing him back.

In contrast to doing absolutely nothing. His ideal for "tutoring" isn't exactly clear, nor the best.

I can add onto Navy from here. Navy revolves around common sense. He is prone to adapt and rather quickly on his ideals. Once he has a clear goal, he will do whatever to achieve it. He is implied to be in a position of authority/control, and he seems to be short tempered. He wants the same for Purple. His method of this however, is far from coherent when targeted towards someone who is unfamiliar.

I believe this is Navy's flaw. Wanting the best for Purple materially-wise, but his approaches are not appropriate nor comprehensible like a strict parental role grounding should be. Appearing much more as a mentor; leader role. But not a father. Strictly leading more towards that uncompleted writing.

Purple would have nearly trampled to the ground if it weren't for Orchid catching him before he does.

I would like to mention Orchid's language here. She seems to be neutral while silently watching the banter. There wasn't anything to be concerned or worried of, until she stepped foward to catch her son. Her presence and relationship here is important, as mentioned.

When she catches Purple, she (very swiftly) glances towards Navy then back to Purple. She reads the room, implying she is quite observant, and immediately offered a comforting embrace, just as Purple came clinging to her for that comfort. She definitely knows her baby, that's for sure.

But this ends up dramatically changing.

I feel like this adds a layer onto Purple and Orchid's relationship. Orchid is quick to provide that care. She knows when to provide it. Purple has a secure attachment towards her and trusts her to respond towards his needs.

Navy idles a light pester for Purple to stand his ground and continue. This prompts a glance of judgement? Disgust? Concern? from Orchid, targeted towards—attempting to incriminate him. To reflect on those actions.

This got dismissed by a stomp of Navy's foot. The moment he's not in control he resorts to shouting and raising his manner. Keep in note that Orchid is absent throughout the entire second sequence.

Navy, once again, does a gesture to continue. This time it was much more swift. Not coherent on the first watch. Purple significantly grows here again, and for whatever reason, this halts the grounding for a mere second as both acknowledge this. For what reason was the growth such a great significance?

I interpret that the growth somewhat stunned the two as they acknowledge that they are equally stranded. The two shares a common trait; abandonment by the narrative and lost in their assigned role. No further action can be developed, but the difference is Navy being willing to push those bounds if it means something for himself. He needs to feel worth, he wants to do his role justice, he wants to compliment that purpose he was coded with.

Both pushes this aside, and they proceed with the sparring. The intentions of Purple's kicks and punches aren't laced with confusion and uncertainty, but with a clear goal now that Purple is aware of the context; his dad wishes for him to be a profession in combat.

Now that this is established, Navy doesn't hold back, and he throws a harsh gesture of demand towards Purple to continue.

And as mentioned, Orchid isn't present throughout all of this.

I take this all as a direct contrast to the previous banter. Navy's near audibility, and Orchid's occupancy. It's all apparent when recalling the sequence. Directly, I like to interpret this as a mere rough visual on the substantial (and noticeable) change and gap.

Navy's gesture was linked with a harsh eagerness instead of a lighthearted pester.

Orchid could not catch Purple before he could be roughly pushed to the ground this time.

Despite her attendance being postponed, she supported Purple to sit up, placing a protective hand on Purple's head. Purple desperately covers his ears/clings and compresses his head here. Orchid then motions for Navy to suspend the training.

Now, I find this reaction from Purple a bit weird, and different. Purple would cling towards Orchid in search of comfort, but now he results to clinging/soothing towards himself.

I feel as though his mom's recent (and recurring) lack of interference, protection, presence, and comfort serves a great purpose towards this reaction.

Orchid does not interfere unless it seems as though her son is being overpowered/trampled upon. She has her priorities, but it isn't exactly the best per se, it just comes off as a bit neglectful.

As I mentioned previously, Purple's compressing here is a soothing gesture for him. You can see him repeat this action every time he is in one of his distressed meltdowns.

For comparison, the CG often resorts to this manner when in distress, but the difference between them and Purple comes into place when Purple rather hazardously hurts himself and spends a while self loathing.

Orchid and Purple got cut short upon Navy's motions towards them. Navy develops this stance to appear wider and threatening. Orchid ever so slightly stiffens, and Purple's desperate self clinging melts into a confused halt as his muscles relaxes.

Orchid and Purple experienced the same suspenseful fear, so they both react the same way. Orchid's protective hold loosens as Purple fixates his position into a bow.

Bowing is certainly a different/unusual reaction towards a potential act of domestic abuse. I read this as moreso of a plead, a way of trying to appear smaller; to shrink away from the scene. He doesn’t attempt to defend Orchid.

Orchid seemed to already have her arms slightly leveled in self defense. Navy raises an arm, and Orchid flinches and covers herself, suspecting and preparing for an unwanted pair of hands. But instead, she is met with a dismissing attire. Orchid hangs her head low.

Earlier I mentioned Orchid being observant. She was acutely aware of what was going on in the household, so she kept her avoidance. Afraid of the possibilities it can develop into with the given context that both herself and Navy are struggling to make ends meet in follow up to their role. Her absence speaks volumes on this.

But she would never interfere until she was sure it was a necessity and that her son was in danger. That is where I believe her fatal flaw becomes a bit more clearer. And this significantly affects Purple. And it shows. But that is for a whole other post.

Navy proceeds to exit the environment. Purple hazily gets up off his position and rushes to oppose his dad's decision. And for a mere beat, Navy looks back towards Purple, before turning away and continuing.

I would like to comment on Navy's language here. He appears visibly more slumped upon returning back to his motion of abandonment after being presented to his son's pleads.

Purple's interference and ability to live up to Navy's training was a huge significance in Navy himself. It's his role, it's what he was made to do. It's not that Navy didn't care, it's that he cared too much.

And when Purple was a lost cause, Navy was left disappointed. Purple's purpose was his purpose. In his eyes, he did nothing wrong. In his eyes, Orchid stepped in between their relationship and in between his designated purpose, wanting to halt it.

Until he came into the realization that perhaps his methods were out of his traits rather this his role. And this took a toll on him. He messed up, and he can't reverse it.

But Navy stopped himself before he could lay his hands on Orchid. Maybe this one time, he doesn't rely on his traits to motivate his actions, but as a role; a husband role. And left.

Purple in this sequence has yet another significant growth transition upon chasing Navy.

This could either be taken as metaphorically or literally.

You can argue that literally, this could read that the split was more of a legal process which explains Purple's odd transition growth in compliment of Navy's slow disappearance.

Metaphorically, you can argue that Purple's odd transition symbolizes time spent agonizing over his dad's abandonment. Navy's slow disappearance implying just the time spent over him.

The sequence is not very specific so run wild with whatever interpretations you have. It's not really like anything is. This sequence was much rather an explanation towards Purple's intentions and actions, not a fully fleshed out explanation towards his own homelife situation—since he believes it doesn't really add anything. (Which is true in the given context, it doesn't excuse his actions, and it wasn't the appropriate time to loathe over his abuse.)

Navy completely vanishes from the scene. Purple's position upon the absence is visibly slumped. And Orchid.. she does not look back towards Navy, really not once. And then her legs began to give out from underneath her.

Purple immediately fixated his attention towards her, dismissing any of his personal sorrow. Offering his aid and help.

Orchid doesn't provide an ounce of comfort towards Purple following Navy's abandonment. She is too detached herself.

If her illness was not enough, she's also actively grieving a split. Not just any split, but as though her other half diminished. And that's tough.

Now, the illness is unknown. But I can debate that the split (at the least) played a bit of a part. We do not have any references to how sickness exactly plays out in the avam universe besides this one example.

Orchid quickly succumbs to her illness, stumbling over herself, even with Purple's help. Her notes are visualized as shaky, grainy, and awfully saturated in reference to that weakness. Until she met her peace.

Purple laying the saturated, torn notes can possibly imply that he had to bury his mom, or took a position in aiding for her rest.

And Orchid's death greatly affected him. He stands unresponsive on Orchid's tomb. Created to be child of two and left to be a child of none. Without anyone, without a purpose.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. The only scenario that can pause and distract Purple's utter numbness from his mom's death was to cling and search for the only other present alive parent; his dad.

But Navy's love had to be earned.

And that was a scheme that Purple was willing to chase after, no matter what it took.

you can never guess where gold got his humor from

have any of ur mutual bracelets ever broken

fiinneeeee… it had to be revealed at some point

yea uhhh @sscardinal7 and @abscshshhd hhhhhh sorry to say your bracelets may or may not have gotten a little bit cooked hhhhhhhh im sorry

My author's art series, which will gradually be complemented by other characters ⭐

I like them <3