#category analysis

ok here i go again with category number BUTS episodes 9 and 13 share a category, category 3-B (3RB in complete scores).

Episode 9 "Rolling With It" - dice (bone) -/- fate [Magnus Statement]

CAT3RB3354-12101998-08032024

Episode 13 "Futures" - gambling (application) -/- self-destruction [voicemail]

CAT3RB4622-17092023-14032024

the common thread between these two seems to be sacrificing oneself for good fortune, whether that be luck or riches.

in Episode 9, the statement giver rolls the dice with the knowledge that it can either be a good roll or a bad roll, and the result will affect them. bad rolls result in bodily harm sometimes.

in Episode 13, Darrien Laurel bets against himself to make money, purposefully putting himself in harm's way for profit. though Darrien never technically loses a bet, this is STILL gambling, as with every bet, Darrien is still accepting that the unwanted outcome could occur. his knowledge of how the bet would turn out (i.e. him being in control of his own body) is why the app accused him of "insider trading."

both of these cases essentially share the theme of gambling with some third-part item (dice and app) to potentially make it big. both cases involve a swift rise to higher classes of society and a swift downfall/awakening when the item backfires. this is a VERY specific genre of category, but any time i see matching categories, little lights go off in my head!

as of now, this may mean nothing other than when we start to learn of the classification system in the TMAGP universe, this idea of gambling with your health may come back.

NOTE: for a moment i thought my idea was weakened by the fact that episode 4 (the episode involving what seems like an early Grifter's Bone) is not categorized in 3-B, but is instead in category 3-C. in the episode, players of the instrument harm themselves to attain this beautiful sound. it follows the theme of harming oneself for your own benefit (as does episode 2 "Making Adjustments"), but what I think sets it aside is that these people aren't gambling or betting; there is no possible outcome besides the desired one - in the cases of episodes 4 and 2: making good music or changing one's own body to fit an ideal.