#tma 147

MAG 147 - Weaver

doodle 147/200; days left - 11/110 7/128

Completely agree with you. I love your point regarding how Annabelle deals with her lack of choice and the power that bestows on her as opposed to Jon who seems to have to make a decision about everything and because of it is always unsure and scared. There is a genius to that statement on so many levels I enjoyed it alot on the relisten I did during hiatus. I made a post about it and the idea of ignorance as the key to free will. The more you know the more you understand the connection between cause and effect and realise nothing is ever up to choice. Just a series of events bound to happen by the intricacies of each specific condition and object within the web of possibilities.

If you don't know, the decisions you make will feel more free and that still matters, regardless of what is true in reality.

Knowledge vs free will is such an interesting take im seriously always thinking about it.

Also! Jon's decision to record this statement. Yes, When he started he was compelled to continue but before that? There is an argument to be made (Anabelle even wonders about it) that he could have chosen not to read, or to read quietly, or not to record. It is unclear how much actually starting to read is out of his control or if it's just a compulsion he can choose to ignore like with live statements (again, of course once he starts reading we know he absolutely can't stop). It seems that on some level, Jon decides in many crossroads along the way whether to continue or stop. And he seems to always choose to continue even when he is in the dark, doesn't know what the real consequences of his decisions would be. There is a real question whether all of these decisions are his and his alone, even when they're done out of ignorance.

Is Jonah being fair saying Jon chose this? Is he correct in that notion? Because of course he's very wrong in what he claims! Can you really say Jon chose for himself if it wasn't an informed decision? How was he supposed to know all of this was going to happen, this whole hellish world he was about to sink into?? If his choices are his, they are done unwittingly, out of ignorance and non of anything that happened is his fault. At all. But then Anabelle conflates ignorance with free will which begs the question of Jon's free will when he wasn't in the know. Had he known, would he have had more freedom or less? In which way would the choice have been more up to Jon?

What is the Web's part in all of this? How much are they really pulling the strings and how much is just, people being people and choosing according to their nature? I wonder what the reveal would be and if it'll showcase the Web as blatantly in control of it all, or more in the subtle edges of the story, not outright leading to an outcome but nudging in its direction (3 guesses which one I'd like to see).

Elias, MAG 120: I didn’t believe you [Martin] specifically would have the capacity for boldness that you displayed...It took me quite by surprise...I presumed that I knew you thoroughly, but by the time you demonstrated otherwise – well.

Side note that I am SO happy for Melanie! “Trying to be more open about these things” is 100% therapy talk and it’s so good. Her therapist is obviously telling her that instead of bottling up her frustrations, even minor ones like occasionally being called a nickname she doesn’t like, she should give voice to them to see if they can be resolved instead of letting them stoke the fire. And it works! Daisy respects that easily and we get one more wrinkle smoothed over.