#over analysis

Heyyy! I've seen people say that Evil Morty is horribly mischaracterized in his latest episode and...

You're exactly right! I agree with you!

Butttt if you overanalyze it justttt enough, it doesn't seem out of character at all! Let's do it together, shall we?

THAT'S RIGHT! My overanalysises are BACK! I am so FUCKING back!

First off! His smugness. I don't really have any images of season 8 so please forgive me for that. I'm making this post like a few hours after the episode (Queues are lovely, aren't they?) BUT during the episode one thing that struck me as odd when I first watched it was Evil Morty's smugness. YES, we know that he IS smug, but here it's VERY obvious. Evil Morty is more dry and cold when he's sarcastic. Think of Rick. He won't be puffing his chest and talking about how much better he is than Rick, but he'll make some snide comments that obviously shows how much better he thinks he is than everyone else.

But in THIS episode, he's smirking a LOT, making fun of Morty for being jealous, exerting his power over Rick, FORCING him to go on an adventure by weaponizing his trauma (Family getting deleted over infinity) against him. Like he is VICIOUS here. And that is weird to see that he's even going on adventures with Rick again. Especially this specific Rick when the last thing he told them in Unmortricken is "Seriously though, fuck you. Don't come after me, it won't go well."

BUT! We're forgetting a small thing, aren't we? Remember Evil Rick? How could you not? He was SO memorable. So smug too! Let's see some pictures of him now to prove my point, hm?

Wait a second...this Rick was being controlled BY Evil Morty the entire time...yet he's so smug. But not in the cold way Evil Morty usually is, but a very "puff up your chest" kind of way...maybe he's simply playing the part. Except he was using his position as a Morty, as a helpless victim, to get out of trouble. So why would people assume a helpless victim could do this to their abuser? Why even pretend? There's an infinite amount of Ricks anyway, so why put on a persona? He can act any way he wants.

Maybe, just MAYBE. There's another reason, one that could explain away the main problem with Evil Morty's mischaracterization. So, let's explain, shall we?

Many victims of abuse, usually sexual, but this can be true for mental and physical abuse, which Evil Morty seems to have gone through. Emotional is obvious, but physical seems more implied by the way he immediately got to the ground and shielded himself when his Rick yelled at him. His cold indifference to the rest of the family could also be because they knew of the abuse, but never stopped it, so he hates them as much almost as much as he hates Rick since they were complicit in his abuse by not doing anything. And in all abuse situations, the victim is robbed of their power, in one way or another. Their power in what happens to their body, of their confidence in themselves and assertiveness, their power of feeling like they have a right to say what they choose, their power to even more without it hurting in some cases.

But Evil Morty was able to reclaim his power in this episode. He was able to take it BACK by controlling his abuser, making said abuser his puppet.

Now...what's another episode where he had control over his abuser a was very smug?

OH WAIT!

Exactly! In this episode, he has complete control over Rick, a version of his abuser, but to him, all Ricks are the same, they all have his abuser's face. ESPECIALLY C-137 who can easily be mistaken for Evil Rick at first glance

And here he can make Rick do WHATEVER he wants by simply threatening his family, using his care of his family against him. Even Rick himself says Evil Morty has him on a leash. He clearly hates Evil Morty but is powerless against him.

Just like how Evil Morty was for so long.

Now! That could explain his smugness here! Seems like having control over his abusers, like how I feel like most people would if they had control over them, is VERY smug. Smirking a LOT, just like how Evil Rick did. He's not acting too differently from how he did when he was Evil Rick. Just in his usual calm, calculated, and cold form.

This could also be why he bothers going on adventures with this Rick. Non-sexual power play. Being able to relive traumatic memories, but in a way that HE'S in control. A lot of abusers do this. Try to rethink traumatic memories but in a way that THEY'RE in control. Why do you think people have revenge fantasies against their abusers? It's their own way of taking control of a situation that they had no control in. That's EXACTLY what Evil Morty is doing here.

And he'd never admit it, but deep down, he did just want his Rick's love. He snapped when he realized how little his Rick, his abuser, truly cared for him. It broke him mentality. All of his fire was gone. He got Rick drunk, then was able to take control. Make Rick do whatever he wants, but he knew it wasn't real.

Then he found out another Rick. In Unmortricken we see how well they got along, Rick respected him and his opinions, when their portal guns failed, the first thing he did was ask Evil Morty how he felt. They seemlessly worked together. And his reaction after their adventure here. He was forced yes, but he seemed impressed and liked the adventure, giving Evil Morty a genuine smile. This really is just the barest minimum for anyone else...but Evil Morty? Someone lonely as hell and never really knew how genuine care felt? This is like heaven. His abuser, a verison of him, but as we said before, it makes no difference to Evil Morty, cared about him. But he doesn't want to admit to needing anyone. So he threatens Rick. If Rick agrees, he can feel genuine care from his abuser, no matter how small. If he denies? He can kill his neglectful family who allowed his abuser to happen. Win-win!

But ok, that leaves two big problems. Why even bother making Morty Prime jealous? Why would he care if this is purely power play and some kind of weird wish fulfillment from a traumatized abused kid?

Wellll! We get kinda assumey here, hope that's ok. BUT! A LOT of abuse victims either believe with their whole heart that their abusers can change. OR they go the complete other way and believe they CAN'T change. Because the reality that they CAN change would be too hard to accept. Because if they COULD change, then why didn't they change for them? Their child? Their sibling? Their partner? Giving random examples, but you get the gist of why some victims believe this. It's safe to say Evil Morty is the latter, fully believing all Ricks are the same, that NO Ricks care about their Mortys. Because if they DO, then how come he was never cared for? What did he do wrong? Why wasn't he WORTH improving for? You see where I'm going with this.

Then he sees OUR Rick. How differently he treated a Morty he already saw that he cried for. He genuinely CARED. He was protective. Worried about his safety. A Rick who CHANGED. Who genuinely cared about his Morty. A Rick who not only changed, but did so for his Morty. Why??? Why did THIS Rick change?? How come he never got THIS Rick? A Rick where, if push came to shove, would ENCOURAGE his Morty to his life over himself?

A usual reaction abuse victims have when seeing how better their abusers treat new people if they HAVE changed is jealousy. What's so different about this person? Imagine if you were LITERALLY the same person as the one your abuser changed from. What did you do wrong??? Why didn't YOU get this version of your abuser??

Because of the jealousy Morty unintentionally made HIM feel, he's doing the same. Payback. He ALREADY hates Mortys, seeing them as lesser than him, as helpless victims with no agency of their own, worshipping their Ricks, poor, pathetic beings, bred for forgiveness. But THIS Morty, a worse version of HIMSELF, gets the care he always CARVED? Of course he'd be jealous! Of course he'd want to pay back the favor!

Nowww the very LAST problem. His EXPLOSIVE anger. He literally TOLD Rick he'd forced him to watch him kill his Morty.

Well, let's look at this context. He had all he wanted. A Rick that he felt as if he cared about him, a Rick who occasionally enjoyed their time together, a Rick who respected him. He even had plans to get back at a Morty who, deep down, he was jealous of. But then that Rick, the one he genuinely cared for in his own power play, wish-fulfillment way, NEVER cared. Just like his own Rick did. As soon as he had his chance, he betrayed him. He NEVER cared. And now he had no way to get the wish fulfillment he yearned for. The way he was able to get payback. The way he was able to feel respect from his abuser. The way he was able to reclaim his power. It's gone. And all because of that Morty. As soon as he joined you on the adventures, as soon as you let him, he changed. He betrayed you. Again.

Of course, he snapped. Of course, he'd want to kill the better version of him, according to Rick. The pathetic, willingly helpless version of himself that he hated. The one he could FINALLY get some payback on. The one who he could FINALLY give a taste on his own medicine. He snapped.

Again.

So he was going to do what he did. He tried. But Rick stopped him. Rendered him powerless, then eventually got him into prison. It was all gone.

This may be a stretch; hell, it probably was. I doubt the writers thought this deeply, they probably thought it'd be funny to see Evil Morty act like this (And they were right, it WAS), but hey, MAYBE they did. Or maybe I'm gaslighting myself. YOU decide, and thank you!

So, each character has design symbolism, that much is obvious, but I just wanted to get my thoughts down before I get too deep into this fandom. Also note I’m writing just after episode 6. 1) the big man himself, Caine

The most obvious part is that uncanny valley of something entirely inhuman using human parts, and the fact that he’s the only character who feels obviously impossible even within this digital world. This hammers home how he’s the only non-human of the main cast, being a sentient AI. It also shows his power, as he’s not bounded by reality the way even the other toon characters are. However I think there’s a layer deeper here, and it’s that every part of him is human. He has the hands, the two eyes, the mouth. It’s all in roughly the right places, give or take, and the body especially is very human. This demonstrates both his disconnect from humanity, and that he’s actively trying to understand and cater to the humans under his care. He may not understand them, and may be too… completely insane to start listening, but he does want to. This reflects his character arc over the episodes so far, of him trying to understand them and help them be happy, but slowly giving up as he sees just how vast the difference between them and him truly is. Also a note for bubble as they’re kinda the same character: As Caine’s most chaotic traits personified, he’s the least human looking of any character, save for the npcs and abstracted ofc.

2) The modular mope, Zooble

Their most obvious trait is their modular nature, fitting a theme of body dysmorphia and the desire to change their physical appearance at will. The second, and more striking trait, is their asymmetry. They have by far the most asymmetrical design, with the only other one in the entire series being Kinger. This isn’t just due to the different parts, their head is fundamentally asymmetrical. This not only shows how uncomfortable they are in their own body, but also how they seem to not “fit in” with the others, always doing their own thing rather than going on the adventures. It also matches with her self-contrasting colour scheme and her initially off-putting, sour demeanour

3) The broken crown, Kinger

As mentioned before, Kinger is the second of two asymmetrical designs, not just in his eyes, but in his constantly leaning posture. The eye thing is fairly obvious, it shows his insanity, but when they’re not being used (i.e. when it’s dark or his eyes are closed), he becomes lucid again. However his leaning is interesting, as it seems to be a constant response to his condition, as when he’s lucid his posture becomes much more natural, showing his condition visually. In terms of him being royalty, it’s likely this is partially from him being by far the oldest of the cast, both in terms of age and time in the circus, as his wife had already abstracted before the next player even came on. However the more likely answer is that he’s the creator of The Amazing Digital Circus game in the first place, as he is said to have 7 years of training in computer science, and is once again by far the oldest. He also seems to have a deeper understanding of the game than the others, as he’s able to just “make up” things like the healing butterfly. Note: Side theory, but if Kinger and Queenie were the first, and Queenie was one of the first to abstract, that could explain why the basement is pure black, as an attempt from Caine to calm the abstracted as much as he can, as learnt from Queenie.

4) The ribbon of tears, Gangle

Gangle’s design is likely the second simplest in terms of metaphor, only really having two components. The ribbon is pretty obvious, she is incredibly emotionally fragile and tears easily, without much structure. I’ve heard the masks be a showcase of bipolar disorder, but I don’t think that’s accurate. I think it’s actually a symbolism of masking, where her happy face is something she wears over the top of her normal sad one. That mask usually breaks very quickly here, letting her show her misery on full display, but the one time the mask held up better, she had a full mental breakdown and ran into traffic, so not a very healthy system.

5) Ragatha, the untitleable

Ragatha is maybe the simplest, being a ragdoll, and so someone who can be thrown around without showing much damage at all. Her button eye shows she is hurt, but she never shows it emotionally, always pretending she’s perfectly fine and unhurt by the world around her. She also has many patches where she’s been repaired, showing her past traumas from her mother and people like her.

Jax is probably the reason I started thinking about the designs at all, bc at first it seems so simple, just a cartoon rabbit in overalls, but that’s the point. Outwardly, he’s the simplest design, save maybe Gangle, and that’s exactly what he wants you to think. He constantly projects being this simple, one note bully because he doesn’t want people to look any deeper. His design is smooth, with large sections of the same block colours. His grin is constantly wide, and when he speaks his teeth never seem to part, making it clear he’s literally lying through his teeth. His eyes are constantly wide and unserious (possibly bc his pupils dilate when he holds his breath), save for the few time’s the joke’s on him, or he feels he’s not in control of a given situation. He’s a jack rabbit, constantly bouncing from one situation to another without seeming to care, but he’s just the best at hiding his own emotions. It just oozes his character in a way that only gets deeper as you look into him.

Today I will be over analyzing each of their respective battle fields! Keep in mind tho some of these mightttt be a bit of a stretch.

There is nothing right about this skin. They want Cassidy to look like a delinquent I guess but they did so much he comes off as a try hard with way too much going on.

The pants are the simplest thing and that's it. He's got two belts on tied under a letterman jacket. And we see so much of the jacket. The sleeves in a knot, the collars and the inside of the jacket which also have a different color to the outside. Hell now that I mention it I don't know if that is actually part of the jacket, what is that?

He needs his holster for the skin, but they left it as is so it makes it stand out more cause now we have a leg strap with bullets for his holster.

He's got the uniform shirt, but they decided to drop that vest on top of it which just sort of clashes with what I think they're trying to do. Especially with that damn tie on top of the vest instead of beneath. and they gave him a pen in the pocket...because.

Then we have the hate which idk if it fits the school theme? Like I don't recall seeing the Overwatch emblem on the other school skins, but no my issue is that it's so much in a edition to the giant golden frame of it and the bullets. Maybe should have been simplifies so that the hat matches the theme, like it's more complicated than the hats of his other skins.

Lastly there are the little details like Cassidy having bandages on his face, ok, but did he also need scares on his arms. His ears are pierced as extra details and then...that goatee...is awful. Not the concept of a goatee, just that goatee in particular. Add that with everything thing else going on with his head-face and it's a lot.

Put it together with rest of the skin then it's an utter wreck and such a great example of less is more.

and another thing

His gloves has that giant as gold on it it's wrist that just seems a tad too big

And then for reasons he has a water bottle with the water bottle holder being dark red opposed to the regular red on his jacket.

If I had to recommend changes I would say (from top to bottom):

Simplify his hat. No bullets and not such a large gold frame for the emblem. Which also upon looking at the trailer all of them look like that, unfortunately it stands out more on Cassidy. Also change the hat's color making it match the pants or the color of the vest (*)

Get rid of 1 1/2 of the features. I say get rid of the goatee and and one of the bandages. The on of his cheek. It doesn't distract from the earrings and a bandage on the nose is classic.

(*) Get rid of the vest (pen included). The tie can stay and for more personality and for his (what I'm still assuming is a delinquent look) loosen the tie so that it hangs down further.

I also would prefer that he not have the scars on his arm, but if all of what I mentioned above is removed they can stay.

Get rid of one of the belts and move the letterman's jacket up. We get hints of the belt but the main focus is the jacket to keep with the school theme of the skin.

The red on the jacket is fine, but get rid of the water bottle

He doesn't actually hate the Ignis.

He hates that his dad cared more about them than him.

Think about it, he has valid reasons to think that, like when his dad says this shit in response to Ryoken asking him if killing all the Ignis hurts:

To his face, he's told that his death would hurt his father just as much as the Ignis's deaths would yet later, or perhaps before this scene, his father also told him that if all else fails, he should start up the Tower of Hanoi and kill himself and everyone he cares about to destroy the Ignis. So in an indrect way, what he actually says, to his own fucking son, is that Ryoken's death means even less to him than the Ignis's deaths.