SDB 15-01-19 My best self

[brasca]

Kiley maybe? If she lost her job at the magazine shop. Or if she wants second job to get a leg up on paying off her college student loans.

Or Didi? Woof!

I don't think student loan debt in Canada is as exorbitant as it is in the US.

[Spidrift]

Perhaps "blaming" wasn't the best choice of words, though can you understand the point I was getting at? That is, Angel is avoiding responsibility for their "worst selves" because of X, Y, and Z. So, not exactly trying to make themselves entirely innocent, but neither are they owning up to their own BS (which, perhaps and arguably, helps make Angel seem more human, as it is a fairly human thing that they just did).

Angel is owning up to some faults just fine — explicitly admitting that Dillon and Jerzy bring them out, even, and not wanting Richie to see that. But anyhow, I see — you’re assuming perfect free will, and expecting that Angel, having admitted to those flaws, should set out to get rid of them, and behave perfectly around Dillon and Jerzy thereafter.

But that’s not how people work. Sometimes, our faults are part of what we are. Angel can’t become an even-tempered saint, because that’s just not Angel. (And it would make her a less interesting character for any future stories she might appear in, because the crazy temper is The Joke with Angel.) So her choice, entirely sensibly, is to avoid the things that bring out her bad side, at least when Richie is around. An alcoholic can’t become a social drinker, but has to swear off the booze entirely; Angel can’t become a friend to Dillon, but can just walk away. Sometimes, anyway.

[OllieOrOlly]

Perhaps "blaming" wasn't the best choice of words, though can you understand the point I was getting at? That is, Angel is avoiding responsibility for their "worst selves" because of X, Y, and Z. So, not exactly trying to make themselves entirely innocent, but neither are they owning up to their own BS (which, perhaps and arguably, helps make Angel seem more human, as it is a fairly human thing that they just did).

Angel is owning up to some faults just fine — explicitly admitting that Dillon and Jerzy bring them out, even, and not wanting Richie to see that. But anyhow, I see — you’re assuming perfect free will, and expecting that Angel, having admitted to those flaws, should set out to get rid of them, and behave perfectly around Dillon and Jerzy thereafter.

But that’s not how people work. Sometimes, our faults are part of what we are. Angel can’t become an even-tempered saint, because that’s just not Angel. (And it would make her a less interesting character for any future stories she might appear in, because the crazy temper is The Joke with Angel.) So her choice, entirely sensibly, is to avoid the things that bring out her bad side, at least when Richie is around. An alcoholic can’t become a social drinker, but has to swear off the booze entirely; Angel can’t become a friend to Dillon, but can just walk away. Sometimes, anyway.

Thanks for ignoring my final remark to give a lecture about human identity...

I know it is futile to debate against a pedant, but I'm only human, ha. Ha. Ha. I wasn't assuming "perfect free will," nor expecting Angel to suddenly excise their flaws, but rather was making the simple, perhaps foolish and naive, observation that Angel may be trying to disown their own actions because they are afraid of losing or simply upsetting Richie. I'm not expecting Angel to prostrate themselves before God or beg for forgiveness from people who are equally at fault for previous scuffles.
The observation was perhaps to note that Angel is claiming a "best self," yet are being a bit dishonest about at the start of this personal growth - in this case, doesn't make them bad or attempting to *escape perdition*; so, shows a perspective about them that may indicate some mild paradoxical behaviour, ergo human nature.

[worldshaking00]

But please feel free to do a brief refresher on the car accident thing, because I'm curious.

I had made a few posts (search my post history if you want to read the exact phraseology) that included 'car accidents' or 'getting run over' in them as ways that the creative team could force an exit for a character should time be a factor (or lack of imagination) in writing them out. It isn't a 'happy place' per se, unless the ill-fated one goes to Heaven. I honestly did not want any character to suffer that fate, as I made the comment in sarcasm. Some posters were stating that the 'end is nigh' or something to that effect and that the story wouldn't wrap up in a manner that organically and methodically addressed each and every character's denouement. Car accidents, zombie apocalypses, and alien invasions tend to be quick ends to most characters & their stories. Hope that piques your curiosity further.

I can also see your point, @OOO, in that Didi is a trophy. I think I made a similar comment early into their pairing. Zii's competitive streak would do well with having such a trophy. But so far Zii hasn't paraded Didi around, chanting 'look at who I nailed and am now going steady with' or something akin to it. Zii seemed pretty ecstatic/celebratory about being able to give Didi an orgasm compared to Gary failing. Zii needed the validation that she could do something Gary couldn't. How much of that was her true skill and how much of that was Didi being able to be comfortable with Zii's lovemaking in order to have an orgasm. Anyone's guess.

Granted too, that the band falling apart train wreck occurred nearly simultaneously to Didi & Zii's pairing. Maybe she did not have time or the energy to flaunt? Or maybe she sees Didi as a person and/or a treasure, either to be cherished or to be hoarded so that no one else can wrest Didi away from her? Zii's funk definitely made Didi ave to look for orgasms elsewhere.

I'm just happy to see Ma3 proper coming back to the foreground. And I do enjoy the forum discourse.

[samtheman]

Kiley maybe? If she lost her job at the magazine shop. Or if she wants second job to get a leg up on paying off her college student loans.

Or Didi? Woof!

I would rather see Kiley in a cute/sexy cosplay outfit in the comic shop and that would be another way they could bring her back into the story but I'm not going to hold my breath. I could see Zii ask Izzy to fill in for her at the comic shop instead since Izzy still isn't a competent musician and wouldn't be much help for the band during their tour.

[worldshaking00]

Izzy is entirely possible. But bands need groupies, and she is their first.

[Spidrift]

Izzy’s little bit of closure was that she finally got a clue and became her own woman, instead if just being a pathetic and deluded Zii-wannabe. She could still do a lot of things, but having her stick with the band as a “groupie” would reverse out her end game.