Mad Scientist Bias

(before I continue - this post is not in reference to the CCs, it’s more talking about it from a storytelling or character perspective)

Imagine you are Last Life Tango. Things start off very well for you. You get the maximum amount of lives you can off rip. You quickly form an alliance with the human embodiment of friendship and then later with a very proficient redstoner and his Canadian husband. Your team’s goal is to be heroes and thwart evil via preventing monopolies (cough cough Mr. Goodtimes cough) and sharing the enchanter with everyone. Your names even make the acronym BEST! Good omens all around.

Then cracks start to form around you, because that’s what always happens. Bdubs, who had already bet one of his lives away (in the game YOU created), trades a life for the enchanter. And who does he make this deal with? Public Enemy Number One, of course. Then, you accidentally reveal where your brewing stand is causing Martyn “InTheLootingWood” to nab and hide it, which means you’ve got to go and get more blaze rods. One quick trip to the Nether later and the biggest whine on your team is now a red. Fantastic.

Luckily you miss a week and come back to find Bdubs is back up to yellow, but now Scar is red and hungry for vengeance on Etho (because apparently hero work sometimes involves a fishing rod and a dead Scar). You know Scar and how much of a nuisance and a danger he can be if he puts his mind to it, so you sacrifice one of your own lives to him in exchange for peace, and you also cut a pretty adequate (aqueduct) diamond deal with him. Crisis averted.

Then things really start to go poorly for you. Bdubs is back to red but on the bright side the boogeys are done early. Your remaining teammates try to coerce you into sacrificing yet another of your lives to bring Bdubs back. You’re not too sure when you became an infinite life dispenser but you can’t do much to fight the peer pressure.

And how does your good friend and teammate thank you for bestowing upon him the gift of a life?

By literally stabbing you in the back.

He acts, of course, like he did the best thing he possibly could in his situation. Like he made the most of the cards he was dealt, as if he didn’t have other options. Like a whole server full of other options. As if he couldn’t have at least tried to murder anyone but the guy who JUST saved him from being on the brink of death. As if you really are just a tool for your teammates to use over and over. Bdubs lets out a deep sigh of relief and all-but sings that he feels so much better and all you can do is seethe.

The worst part, though? Not even five minutes after it happens, Skizz wants you to forgive him. Actually, he’s demanding that you forgive him. Just like that. Like you are in the wrong for being mad about your teammate betraying you. As if your murder had no impact on any of your teammates, besides Bdubs being just thrilled to not be a boogeyman anymore. Skizz tries in spite of your obvious Fury to make the argument that neither Skizz nor you have been the boogey yet so you don’t know what it’s like. You still fail to see the logic. In fact, all you CAN see is red. You think about stabbing Skizz in the back so He can feel exactly how You feel right now, but you’re too angry to do anything but scream. And yet, somehow you are the most rational person in the room. Instead of expressing any sort of distaste for Bdubs’ actions towards you, your teammates have chosen a side by not choosing sides. And you know you can’t just leave because you’d be screwed on your own. So, for now you’re stuck with your traitorous liability of a brother-in-arms who is singing and enjoying himself and acting all carefree, and two people who have yet to consider that perhaps you might want to not die, especially by your teammate’s hand. You have half a mind to put yourself down to red just so you can get a little vindication.

But you don’t. You seethe, growl, scream. You make threats and get violent but you’re not really taken seriously. Etho is still ragebaiting like a motherfucker and Skizz is still talking in that “I’m not mad, just disappointed” tone that makes you want to Become Worse.

So you do. You make a little addendum to the deal you made with the devil and as soon Bdubs has a glistening scarlet name once more no one is going to make you give him anything. Not Etho. Not Skizz. No one.