let them know we're happy

I think what we see in this video is Battat at his lowest. To an extent. He's overworked, burnt-out, exhausted, Tenna's being a dick and would rather see Pluey over him. So Battat is at his limit, right? And if there's any time to call it off, it'd be now, here, in Castle Town, where they have something of a safety net from Tenna. So I could definitely see him being like okay, I'm done with this, there's no point to this anymore. (And I think maybe he'd feel bad about it later if he'd gone through with it, sue me I'm a sappy Battenna shipper and I still think he's madly in love with Tenna).

And then Tenna starts talking about Spamton, and the actual Mike, and suddenly he feels bad again. If not obvious from the sprite in my freaking pfp he feels pity, concern. Probably for the millionth time. This man is easily guilt-tripped (I do not believe Tenna is being manipulative on purpose in this cutscene but the results are the same). So fine, we can continue being Mike for a little while longer.

While I do think this is a unique event in their relationship, based on Tenna's reaction when Mike says "I'm done." I do have to wonder... how many times has this happened before? How many times will it happen again? How often has Battat found himself at a breaking point, storming down to Tenna's office to finally tell him off and end this miserable charade, and returned defeated, still in Mike's clothes, feeling guilty and finding Tenna pitiful and succombing to the idea of continuing for "just a little longer"?

How much of this committment is love and how much of it is fear? Fear of breaking Tenna's heart, creating the disaster that was Spamton all over again. Whether or not Tenna would actually be upset by the reveal (which, we've seen how volatile he is, c'mon. Even if he knows there's three of them, how can we ever know what the truth would do to him) would it ever be worth it to take such a terrifying risk. No matter how exhausting it is, how many mental breakdowns Battat goes through, it will never be worth the risk.

And yeah, okay, I'm admitting it, Tenna is kind of a bad person. He's incredibly selfish, and he seems to view his employees more as accessories than people. Even Spamton and Mike, to an extent, so obsessed with the thought of "making it big" with Spamton by his side that he refused to heed any warnings for either of them. (And I don't need to get into why I don't think it was any of the current Mikes who gave him that warning, but just know I think there was a Mike before these three, and that Mike was someone else.)

But deep down, Tenna is simple. Driven by the need for a purpose, desperate to be loved and attended to. But he becomes his own downfall, this insatiable need always pushing people away instead of drawing them in. At first maybe, it might even seem easy to satiate him ("As long as SOMEONE is Mike, he's happy!") but after a while, it becomes clear.

This selfish, bottomless desire to be something, to be given attention, to be cared for, to be loved- it's just that. Bottomless. Insatiable. Unending. And over and over again this inability to be happy ultimately results in people leaving. People can try, they can try over and over and again and again, but if nothing they do ever works, it's got to come to end eventually. One way or another. In Spamton's case, he was driven away. Pushed past a breaking point outside of his control.

And I'm not trying to say Tenna is evil or malicious or it was only his fault that all this happened. I still believe Spamton had a lot of reason to be dishonest with Tenna, and Spamton is also a selfish being driven by desire. But god Tenna needs HELP. A LOT of it. And not just someone to tend to his every whim and bend to his every desire. Nothing will change like this. He needs like, a therapist. And a really fucking good one. If he can't get over this idea that he NEEDS to be loved and cherished and perfect in order to exist, he will just keep pushing people past their limits and driving them away.

Everyone except Battat, of course. He's gotten close, incredibly close, but for whatever reason, this stupid little gay diceboy is stuck. I mean, I think I know the reason. He's obsessed. He likes being Mike and he loves Tenna and he's terrified of change. Which is something they have in common. Both Tenna and Battat are absolutely terrified of change. Battat can try. He can convince himself "this is it! This is the last time! I'm done!" But when it comes time to face it head on, he can't. He'll give in every. Single. Time. Because the thought of something changing is so, so much worse than everything that sucks about what's happening right now.