Yes Justice For Arthur Please! He Is As Human As He Was In Episode 1

Yes justice for Arthur please! He is as human as he was in episode 1

Sorry to be a wet blanket but I still find it depressing that even after Malevolent episode 26, I’ll still people talk about Arthur “losing his humanity” in season 3 as if it’s some confirmed major theme of the show.

It was explicitly addressed—and accurately portrayed—as trauma, including a mental breakdown and the emotional numbness surrounding it. Arthur said he was less than human, and John pushed back in one of the most tender and powerful moments of the show. Arthur hasn’t become less human, he was deeply wounded and suffering and needs someone to hold his head above water to keep him from drowning or giving up.

The fallout is UGLY, but humanity is not a zero sum game. Arthur spiraling into despair and violence as a trauma response is not “John soaking up his humanity like a sponge” parasitical relationship, but John using the very kindness, mercy, and hope he learned from Arthur to reach out to him. And most importantly, not give up on him.

Anyway I’m confiscating the word “humanity” from the fandom until further notice.

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malevolent malevolent podcast

Horror RPG game challenge:

Take the lyrics to a random pop song and make it into something said by Sinister Whispering Voices In The Shadows.

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nsfw I said certified freak seven days a week

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lizard-gurl-tm

1 year ago

So much this. Arthur and John’s relationship is unique and cannot be summed up in standard terms. Canonically they’re friends, but the boundaries are blurred. I will never be able to live in my friends’ mind and literally see through their eyes, nor will I likely be the one to introduce them to jealousy or joy. I think that conversation said more about Arthur—namely the guilt he feels about Yellow and the conflicting emotions over John’s behavior.

Also if you’re a shipper (I am, with reservations) it was confirmed years ago by the author that John and Arthur will not be in that type of relationship. Feel your feelings, but don’t expect the series to go in that direction. Harlan has said it’s explicitly platonic.

There's a lot of 'is John really a child' discourse going on, so here's my two cents. John is an immortal eldrich being used to power and unused to emotion. He has been experiencing human emotion for... probably less han a year now. It's big and new, and he hasn't figured out yet how to manage it. In THAT sense - no other sense - John is comparable to a child.

Does that put Arthur in the position of a parent? In a way, but this isn't a normal relationship is it? Nothing about these two is remotely normal. You could just as well argue that Arthur is the child. He's dependent on John, and John is much, much older. You could argue lots of things, because the relationship is so unique.

Drawing a comparison does not mean 'right, this is now solidly a parent-child relationship, all shipping possibilities are off the table.' It's just a comparison. And making a statement about John's emotional experience needn't be taken as a swipe at shippers.

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malevolent malevolent podcast malevolent spoilers malevolent part 38

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lizard-gurl-tm

8 months ago