the crastle never left my mind

"You're saying me turning Sausage on accident is unforgivable? When you turned Pearl on purpose?" Apo snaps.

"Don't turn this on me!" Cleo hisses. "She asked me to turn her!"

Another transcript-er has hit the vsmp fandom

This was largely done for @vampostingtime, but I've also been wanting to try some transcription myself anyways and may or may not have more to come... but for now I give my shot at this scene! This is the argument between Cleo and Apo at the castle in the finale, roughly 20 minutes into both of their POVs. I took a quick look at Pearl's POV of this, too, since she was there for most of it and contributes a little, but she cuts out most of it and adds a random bit in the middle where Abolish is talking strategy, so her POV didn't actually add anything to the argument.

You are pure. I am rotten. Don’t make me do it.

Image ID + Alternatives under the cut

I don’t think Avid and Pyro have to be much older than her, but I think it just Fits if Apo is youngest.

I think she’s like. Freshly 21.

(Actually because I’m evil I kinda like the idea that at one point Apo lied about her age to get her architecture job, and then got picked up by the military while still being underage, likely because of how good at it she was. (And maybe because the only person who’d miss her was Cherri…) Also I think the Fernsfield massacre happened on her birthday. Either her 21st and the massacre is Super Duper Recent, or on her 20th/19th and has haunted her ever since. But anyway)

Apo’s age is very important to the horror and tragedy of their story. It’s the fact that the people who treated them to worst were all significantly older than them—Scott, Cleo, even Sausage.

It’s the fact that Apo tries to take on positions of protection and responsibility usually afforded to people much much older than they are out of care for the people of the townsfolk, and tries their best (and succeeds! Apo actually did not an admirable amount considering their circumstances) and yet it’s never enough.

Not to mention, Apo being so young again adds depth to their dynamic with Scott. It’s the detached abusive patronizing paternalism of it all. As if Apo were a misbehaving child.

Honestly this is only just now occurring to me but. Despite Apo being A Whole Adult, if a very young one who’s still understandably figuring shit out, she very much gets The Bad Kid™️ treatment. Nobody believes her. Nobody hears her out. They’ve all decided she’s Ontologically Evil, even when she doesn’t have the power to do like at least half of the Horrible Evils people think her guilty of.

Also, it also adds further depth to her parallels with Legs—despite being so much younger, Apo has seen the same horrors. Legs caused a massacre. Apo lived one.

And though I never thought that it would end like this Just know I'll be here Waiting, waiting - The Challenge, Jorge Rivera-Herrans, Anna Lea & Cast of EPIC: The Musical

had this in my head for a while, glad to finally finish it! split the image in two for better viewing of details + a timelapse below!

and yet

(apo giving pearl food when she offhandedly mentions starving)

and yet

(apo complimenting doc when he looks like he needs it)

and yet

(apo asking if cleo is alright when they're audibly crying)