i am not a martyr, i'm a problem

*shakes you through the screen*

The sheer amount of freaking thoughts running through my mind after Flames video is driving me up the wall. I have several analysis's planned bc I cannot express everything here, holy.

*deep inhale*

OKAY! So this episode was AMAZING for me because I adore details, and it was filled with them. FILLED! On top of details that have me shaking with excitement, so many moments that had me reeling.

Chronological ppl! We got a lot to cover! (By a lot, I mean a lot, this is 4 pages worth of yap)

TO BEGIN!

Flame holding double totems. We have seen this before, when he was with the Avengers Squad, and he was constantly paranoid someone was going to trap him or kill him because he was surrounded by ppl who were defiantly not allies. And now he's done it again, even in Cindercrest's ranks, outside of combat or combative zones, Flame holds a double totem.

What does this show? He does not trust Saps, Cindercrest, or anyone in the entire war a single bit. Double totems mean Flame's paranoid, he's not ready for combat, he's ready for survival, very different from his usual attitude towards fighting. Flame built his entire reputation around being the arrogant, self-confident, extremely skilled pvp that he is, holding double totems shows that he's not as confident, that he's on edge.

Next, his first convo with Lomedy, which was him drawing a line in the sand. This- oh my goodness- this is why I adore Torchflower. Unlike the other protags and their best friends, Flame and Lomedy are not two halves of a whole, rather two wholes that came together over a desire for friendship. They do complement each other, yes, but one is not lacking without the other. Lomedy doesn't need Flame's protection, he has a mace and is decent enough in combat to at least escape. Flame does not need a source of food from Lomedy who is a farmer. They both met when they were alone, and the only think they lacked was friendship and someone to show them a different side.

Flame setting boundaries, telling Lomedy he's not just going to follow along as he goes to war, really shows that they aren't codependent, rather two very independent, stubborn individuals who know what they want, but are still willing to sacrifice a bit of that in order to help the other fulfill their wishes and wants. But not their needs. Dare I say healthiest friendship on unstable? (KNOCK ON WOOD KNOCK ON WOOD)

Flame's goal is to become a combat master, it's his overall mission, but he's willing to give that up a bit to protect Lomedy in the Civil War. He's not ditching his goal, but setting it aside for a moment. And Flame telling Lomedy that moment is over shows that yeah, he's selfish, but he's not going to give up his own hopes and dreams. Boundaries are important ppl.

Now for Law, a moment I have been waiting for since FOREVER! Flame's shock that Parrot blew up Law, his confusion on why Parrot would do something so out of character, is part of an overarching theme I want to do a deep dive after Kingdoms is over, bc there is something about this arc, include in Null, of how characters act 'out of character'. For example, Lomedy, Jamato, Wemmbu, Flame, Parrot, I could go on- but how each of them has had moments where people frown and go 'huh, why did they do that?", from both watchers and other characters povs. To Flame, Parrot killing Law seemed out of character, it seemed weird he'd kill, however Parrot is known for his preemptive planning, for being one step ahead, and for really, really wanting to protect the server. Desperation and the feeling of powerlessness can push people to their limits, never underestimate the lenght one will go.

Slightly out of order- but also how Flame sees himself losing everything because of the war, friendships, a base, alliances. This Civil War, and Null, really show the cost that conflict brings, how nothing is clear cut or glorious. It's really, really freaking messy, and every side is justified to some degree, but the lengths they go always have people shaking their heads.

Anyways, next up is Highwater, and two main things I will be focusing on here. A) Flame's realization that Lomedy was involved in a death charge and B) His talk with Lomedy at the end of Highwater.

A) Flame hearing that Lomedy was involved in a death charge, surviving only by chance, showed Flame that Saps does not CARE about his people, only for victory. This contrasts Parrot, bc Flame knows Parrot deeply cares about the people on his side, and this sharp contrast no doubt helps Flame to switch sides later on.

B) FLAME HAS GROWN AS A CHARACTER AND ITS BEAUTIFUL TO SEE!!! ALSO LOMEDY'S FARMING FRIENDS DIED?!?! FROM STARVATION!??! I'm sick.

Flame realizing that he's not perfect and being okay with that is peak character development, because no longer is he desperately holding onto a position of power that demands perfection in the form of being unbeatable, but he's willing to make mistakes, learn what he did wrong, and correct that. He didn't leave Lomedy to go fight in a war, no, he came along to ensure his friend was safe, but made it known to Lomedy that he wasn't devoted to the cause and only wanted to fight to get better at combat, not be a weapon.

Lomedy being pushed to join Cindercrest bc his friends starved to death!? He wasn't there for them, and they DIED, and he was with Flame, having fun, and they DIED! I think Lomedy was looking for someone to blame. He couldn't blame himself without self-destructing, he couldn't blame Flame after just forgiving him, and then Cindercrest hands him an excuse on a silver platter and Lomedy RUNS with it. He's such a fun character omg, and he's a million times more complex after this. I love it.

AND SPONGS IS HERE NOW!?! AND THERE WAS A MOLE?!? CONQUINCIDENCE?! I THINK NOT! Spongs is the mole. I'm running with that. Silly little theory lol.

The scene at the Northern Council was freaking amazing. Flame being so willing to skip all the theatrics of politics and just kill everyone? AND THEN PARROTS FREAKING VOICE ACTING!?! I'll defiantly go more in depth on this when Parrots vid comes out, but holy cow, such an amazing scene. Parrot has tried to do his best, but nobody is letting him actually fix the problems because they keep making more!! He solved the starvation problem at spawn so easily, give him another 100 days and a good portion of his kingdom would be feed and bandit free!

Parrot is not beating the martyr complex allegations man, what do you mean he was willing to let Flame and Lomedy kill him?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN!? PARROT!! Theo stepping between Parrot and torchflower had me shaking with joy. Defend your king Theo, protect this wet cat of a bird.

GUESS WHAT DUO'S NOT DEAD IN A DITCH!!

PHOENIX DUO HAS RISEN FROM THE ASHES BABY LETZ GO!!

Imperial fire and justice duo are very much dead tho....yeahhhhh Power Arc Wemmbu is back. But he's got a better excuse for bombing everyone this time! STILL NO EXCUSE FOR NOT COMMUNICATING WHATS GOING ON THO! Seriously, if he just told anyone Egg was in danger, no doubt they could piece it together. Flame should be able to put two and two together, but he's not the puzzle solver okay? And he's been busy with a war and protecting Lomedy, man has other priorities.

Oh and one thing about LettuceK! The extra scene of him talking to the players while Saps held him at the minecraft equivalent of gun point?! That tells me that Lettuce is either not a trusted advisor in Saps ranks, but rather a hostage or Saps realized that Lettuce doesn't support his idea as much as he thought he would. Either way, very interesting Lettuce had to be FORCED to give that speech. And his speech? Never referenced Saps or Parrot, he told the crowd to fight for who they believed in, and we see that with Parrots army, the fight against Wemmbu and Cindercrest is chaotic, with some of Parrots soldiers fighting against Phoenix duo.

Theo and Flame bonding over annoying elytra macers had me giggling, we need a duo name for them, maybe Pyromaniacs or sm. I loved this moment.

Speaking of annlying elytra macers, Flames POV really showed how weird Wemmbu has been through the entire war. They didn't speak in Highwater, they were bantering in Steam Punk, then Wemmbu attacked ShoeBilly later on and they fought outside the Cave Kingdom, and then Wemmbu nukes Capital City and calls the fight boring. I TO WOULD BE VERY CONFUSED ON WHERE I STAND WITH SOMEONE AFTER THAT!

And his voice! Wemmbu's voice is so stupidly similar to what it was when he forfeited the title of Strongest. It's dejected, accepting- there is no fight behind his voice, none of his stubborn fighting will. HES SO FREAKING DETACHED FROM ALL THIS IM GOING INSANE!! There will be an analysis on Kingdoms Arc Wemmbu, you can count on that.

Villain Parrot? Villain Saps? Villain Flame? Who cares, War Criminal Wemmbu is back in full action /silly

Final thing, final thing trust.

Torchflower duo's splitting up.

It's actually probably the best thing for them to do, and once again, the healthiest option that a duo has made in a LONG time. They have acknowledged that they have different goals, different objectives, and being together only hinders their wants rather than helping. They are still going to remain friends, but they won't be together every waking moment. Once again, they are two independent wholes who came together, two wholes that can seperate anytime they want and still feel fulfilled. I'll miss them and their shenanigans, but Flame finally being able to go back to being solo, not having to worry about protecting someone, and being able to trust his gut without outside opinion will help him become a combat grandmaster.

It's not a goodbye, it's a see you later.

HOLY YAP I TALK TOO MUCH