#Because good intentions... PAVE THE ROAD TO HELL.

[fruit-sy]

My personal thoughts on the major themes of Penacony 2.2

I was gonna make an entire Penacony retrospective and try to really dig into the whole story, but 1. I'm not that smart and 2. It has hours of footage and I don't think I'm strong enough to parse through that and form my own conclusions

so, just the things that really jumped at me and made me pause to think. I may do surface level research to make sure if a character really said this or that, but other than that, these are my thoughts fresh after finishing the quest.

Ok, to start off: Sunday and the road to hell

He's... god, he's such a complicated and interesting little man.

He is what I would call the embodiment of the saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". On the surface, he is trying to make a universe which is authoritarian-like. If you peel it back a bit more, he intends to make the universe a better place. But at the heart of it, I think he's just someone who is scared of pain.

There are 3 sequences I want to break down:

The Robin-Sunday exchanges before they meet Gopher Wood

This exchange has a lot of Sunday misdirecting Robin's points, but she calls out most of it.

Robin starts off with observing the dreamscape and concludes that dreamchasers shouldn't use penacony as a means of escaping entirely from reality. Because they won't overcome their demons. She asks if this can really count as "living"

Sunday at first seems to agree that things are not the way it should be. But there's a bit of misdirection on his part. He responded to robin's question by connecting "people using penacony as an escape" with (his opinion on) the way people currently "live" (which is what he was agreeing to in "things are not the way it should be"). He will then frame the narrative to show that people completely escaping through dreams is a good thing, and then will swerve to say how the "strong" should determine the future of the "weak".

Robin understandably does not agree with Sunday's narrative, because she believes that by staying in the dream (or MAKING dreamchasers stay in the dream), it will lock dreamchasers in stasis forever, making them unable to choose how to go about their future and overcome their difficulties. She then criticizes that no one has the right to determine whether a human deserves to live for a future or not.

There's a clear difference in ideology here. Sunday's devotion to Order is so strong because the experiences in his life had led him to believe that forcing his will on other people is the way to go. His ideology is rigid, cold, impersonal and is applied to all uniformly.

Robin firmly believes in choice and refuses to let an authority govern the way people should live. She wishes to unite people through her singing, and to inspire people to live. Her ideology is more personal, uniquely applied, and is idealistic and romantic.

2. The quiz sequence

An interesting thing about this sequence is the first two questions have quite reasonable answers. At the start of it, at least.

The first question is about nurturing and letting go. I think why most of the girls agreed to put the bird in a cage is because to do something great, you must first be equipped to survive. Maslow's bottom hierarchy, if you will. i think Sunday realizes this too, and puts it into some of his points to justify making decisions on behalf of other people.

"We must teach the weak how to live a happy life"

Though, the problem is that he twists this point so much and wants to force this on everyone. This is seen when he puts everyone on Penacony in Ena's dream. This disregard for other people's input kinda reflects how he sees the bird, in a way. The bird is something below Sunday, it cannot object his actions because it is merely just a weak, injured little thing.

It is here that he experienced pain of futility. The pain of putting in effort into something but have it crash and burn in the end no matter what. Afraid of that pain, he wonders if birds are meant for the sky if some fall before they can reach it. He has a very black and white mindset about this.

Either all birds fly and deserve the sky, or if even one bird falls then no birds deserve the sky.

The second question is about a person who is being pursued by the bloodhounds. Sunday is in a position of power, and has the influence to pardon the man. As a result, the man got away, forgot about his children, and hurt the people working under him in penacony.

Though, it's worth to mention that I think it's also partly the fault of the Oak family, who didn't try to discourage dreamchasers trying to find answers or solve their personal problems in Penacony. But I believe that's intentional.

Anyways, the crux of the question, if Sunday had known the outcome of his decision from the start and he had the foresight to think that Penacony isn't a place to search for answers, I actually think upholding the law would be the best course of action here.

I think this is where he developped his fear of... consequence. Because humanity has free will, they may use his pardon from the law to do awful things. This might be why he values upholding the law so much.

Another thing to note, I think Sunday hasn't gone off too far into the deep end at this point of his life. In a previous sequence with the same scenario, he actually questions what devotion to the Order would be like, and his doubts on its way of life.

"Who can judge the strong when their power hides their crimes?"

"Who can vouch for the weak when they will pay any price to survive?"

"Who can comfort the purest souls when even they get led astray?"

It's important to note that Sunday is in a position of power and emphasizes knowing the outcome of the first two questions.

The third question is the only question where he and the other party were of near equal standing. It's where he still hasn't made a decision, and which the outcome has not yet been decided.

Sunday cares about Robin's input and feelings. He cares so much he doesn't have it in him to force her to stay for the Order.

I think this is the crack in his belief of the Order. Because he cannot stop her from trying to fly. Because he cannot apply his law indiscriminately. Because it's Robin. His sister.

He has not made a choice, and Robin has not met her end yet like he's feared.

But he's so afraid of the pain of losing her. He's so afraid it haunts him in his nightmares.

After presenting the quiz, he essentially asks the main question of penacony: "Why does life slumber?"

He answers, "Because we are afraid to awaken from our dreams."

Interestingly, this is identical to Firefly's conclusion in 2.0. The difference is, Sunday thinks his answer is universal and will force his solution on everyone, while Firefly's is just her own personal answer.

Firefly asks what the price for Sunday's paradise is, and that made me stand up and point at the screen in agreement. Because what Sunday's aiming for is an authoritarian universe.

When an authority reigns supreme that it forces its will onto unwilling citizens, all in the name of the ideal society. That's a dystopia.

As Sunday said before, who will keep the authority in check? Who can ensure that the authority will not abuse their power?

That's what's so dangerous about an authoritarian government. You can't take the risk when it comes to this. You can't just give the power to one person, no matter how righteous or nice they seem. Because like the saying goes, give them an inch and they will take a mile. You cannot afford to cross the line, because when you do, who knows how far they'll take it.

Sunday clearly sees Firefly as someone weak, kind of akin to the bird in his childhood who needs his "saving". But Firefly does not appreciate someone deciding on her behalf whether she's weak or needs saving.

3. Ode to Order

I think it's important to note Sunday really frames Ode to Order in this angelic and holy way. Hell, the music even reflects this with a more bright and heavenly choir.

"Requiem aeternam" is a prayer for souls to reach heaven, eternal rest.

(A bit of a tangent, but when I saw this in the game I SHIVERED so hard. This is such creative story telling aughh- Like, using previously established game mechanics and twisting them to become something horrifying is SO COOL. What a delightfully terrifying way to illustrate what Sunday aims to achieve.)

This illustrates Sunday's paradise as a place where everyone is forcefully "tuned" to become a certain way forever. To be manipulated with Ena's strings without their consent like puppets into a picture perfect scene.

Though, I was confused why Sunday framed this ideal society as people abandoning the need for an authority, when it was something he was pushing so hard in previous sequences.

But my interpretation is that he will spread this message, of everyone being of equal standing, but leave himself as the true leader that will stay awake to ensure everyone else is blissfully asleep.

This really ties everything together for me. Sunday is someone so self righteous but self sacrificial that he's willing to put himself high in the sky, and be aware that he will be completely alone up there.

He is afraid of pain, and will do everything to avoid experiencing it ever again.

After experiencing pain, we shouldn't be scared of it. Sure, we can escape a bit to get some reprieve, but we must tend to our wounds so that we may not only survive, but live.

That brings me to the second major theme of Penacony : Nihility, and the feeling of futility

I will be breaking down Acheron's character first.

Self annihilators/Nihility emanators are so interesting, they are beings that slowly are losing themselves thanks to their own powers of Nihility. A predetermined end.

Living for so long + Nihility actively chipping away at her being is sure to make her memories blend in together. This is why Acheron values emotions so much, because it is one of the only anchors she can use to avoid succumbing to Nihility.

Her flashbacks with Tiernan are beautifully melancholic. Their exchange starts with Acheron pondering if the task Tiernan is doing is pointless, and if he should even bother? And if the end is expected, then should they change it? It's a bit muddy, but I interpret that here, Acheron is still searching for the meaning of Nihility, and Tiernan is the person who guides the souls to the other side of the river at that time.

In the next scene, Acheron states she's holding on to whatever she can to avoid succumbing to Nihility. She had journeyed with a Nameless girl once, who wanted to explore IX. But as expected, the girl ceased to be, but left with a smile. Acheron is scared of forgetting her memories with that girl.

The only other anchor she knows is of her promise to bring more warmth to other people, to a more hopeful future where she will cut off Nihility. She associates that promise and hope with the color of red.

The next scene mirrors the first scene. I interpret it as Acheron having found the meaning of Nihility, sorta embracing it, and is now guiding others to advance towards and depart the Nihility, with Tiernan having forgotten himself.

When Tiernan asks if what Acheron does is pointless, she gave the same answer Tiernan gave her, because some things have to be done. And she's come this far without needing a point, so why should she search for one?

"May death be the end of your boundless dream... guiding you back to the waking world."

I still cannot decipher the meaning of this statement completely. As far as I know, it's said 2 times. The first is after Firefly "died", and the second is in the above exchange with Tiernan.

In Firefly's case, perhaps the "death" refers to waking up from Ena's dream at the beginning, "boundless dream" is Ena's dream, and "the waking world" is Dreamflux Reef/reality.

In Tiernan's case, I can assume the "boundless dream" is his eternal unrest, as he's still lingering in the dead sea, not yet ready to enter the abyss of Nihility. The "death" may be referring to him entering the abyss, while the "waking world" is existence, as he finds his way out of Nihility.

To bring this all together, I think Acheron in this case represents and goes against Nihility. She presents Nihility as something inevitable and predetermined (death), something that awaits everyone, and something that everyone will have to embrace at some point of their lifespan (boundless dream).

But she also believes that one shouldn't wholeheartedly embrace Nihility. in the face of Nihility, we must do everything to take in the world around us and remember what makes us exist. She believes there is a way out of Nihility, and that is existence. (waking world)

In the face of futility, if everything really did have a predetermined end, I believe we should still try to make choices. Despite it being "pointless", I think that's what gives meaning to our existence. Otherwise, we risk succumbing to Nihility.

That's why when the trailblazer finally uttered their own choices, I felt shivers. One, because this shows the development of TB's character, and two because TB will do what they have to, they will never be content living in a dream, and they choose to continue in the face of "futility", despite the ending of their journey being predetermined.

In the face of futility, Sunday chooses to eliminate pain and choice out of the equation, only choosing to create a universe that's stuck in a mindless, blissful stasis. Because he is anticipating pain.

But sometimes, the anticipation is worse than the actual pain itself. He is also eliminating the element of choice, with the assumption that people will not be able to survive when they are facing futility.

But, Acheron's words really struck me.

In the face of futility, pain, and pressure humans may freeze in fear. But that innate survival instinct in humans might push them to fight and claw themselves out to save themselves. By removing the choice to fight for their lives, they won't have the choice to fight off Nihility.

To end this, I would like to go back to main question of Penacony

"Why does life slumber?"

And I think TB answers this beautifully.

"Because we will wake from our dreams."

Life slumbers to find reprieve from the harsh reality. But slumbering does not give us the solution to our problems, only recharging us to prepare for the waking world once more. And in the waking world, even if what we do is futile, we still have a choice in how we want to reach for the end.

#Fruit talks #Holy shit this is probably tangent-y and disorganized as hell but here's my insane ramblings for the month #Idk if this made sense but these are the things that made me feel strongly in 2.2 #I may have missed some points but feel free to shout at me in the comments or reblogs

[storkmuffin]

Louis paving the road with good intentions, forgetting that's the best way to go directly to hell. Well, except he didn't forget because he can't. Hi, Hell.

#interview with the vampire #iwtv s2 e1 #louis de pointe du lac #claudia de pointe du lac #lestat de lioncourt

[bonefall]

as someone who has not read DOTC (and treasures my sanity too much to read it) i cannot fathom how people read clear sky as a hero, hes even written with the descriptions the erins love to give their villains! prowling, sneaking up behind people to say ominous lines, standing partially in darkness, having an utterly pathetic lackey kissing his ass at all times, even the territory expansion thing was like, explicitly bad when tigerstar did it in arc 1. i'm convinced these people havent actually read this arc??

It's because, I CANNOT make this up, he says sorry after he kills 3 people and causes the death of like a dozen at this big Murder Party he throws. A bunch of ghosts say he was just scared, Gray Wing swoons that he simply needs to learn how to delegate, and then Clear Sky says "haha woops :P"

After that, everyone who ever says, "Hey, I don't trust the physically abusive dictator or his intentions" is treated like an unreasonable idiot, a simple personality conflict, or an active villain. Thunder literally gets revictimized and undergoes emotional abuse a SECOND time and Gray Wing gets a scene screaming at him to get the fuck over it.

These WOULD be interesting characters if this was intentional, if the writers had gotten their heads out of Gray Wing's brother-loving ass to realize that Clear Sky is not redeemable. Gray is denying reality and letting people get hurt so he can cling to a beloved memory, and it doesn't matter if it was accurate then, because he's KILLING PEOPLE NOW.

But the arc is bullheaded in its simplicity: Clear Sky was not born bad, so he is not fundamentally bad. Unlike Slash and One Eye, evil through and through.

It's painful. Incredibly painful arc.

#Thunder's story hits me the most personally though #You can't save your abuser. You shouldn't be expected to defend them or go back to prove that you loved them #Im strongly against the message the arc lays out that good intentions make actions meaningfully different. #Clear has a higher body count than his contrasts COMBINED #If anything it makes him worse imo #So many phrases get shortened over time to obscure their meaning #Because good intentions... PAVE THE ROAD TO HELL.

[mayhaps-a-blog]

I’ve seen a few people asking why Thrawn would attack the New Republic – shouldn’t he join them and fix the system from the inside, or just go back to the Ascendancy? Why would he destabilize the galaxy further?

But if you think about it

Really, the only reason Thrawn needs is to believe that the New Republic is a threat to the galaxy. Which, well...

Thrawn joined the Empire to oppose the Grysk, because Thrawn believes in a strong military. Thrawn’s not good at politics, and deals with everything in military terms – remember the Lioaoin's economic issues? That’s why he got along with the Empire, and why he put up with all their crap. In Thrawn’s head, big military = big victory = stop bad guys = good.

Enter the New Republic.

What are they doing? Disarming. While there are still pirates, the Hutts, Imperial Remnants, and, of course, the Grysk nipping at their heels. In the midst of a tumultuous time, they are deliberately weakening their ability to meet the challenges ahead, and opening the galaxy to invasion. Says Thrawn.

It doesn’t even matter if they’re Grysk influenced or just stupid – it’s the same result. The galaxy loses. His people lose. Says Thrawn.

What do you expect him to do? Join them? Of course not – he at least knows he’s terrible at politics. And the New Republic is all politics – it would put him at a disadvantage, in a fight he cannot afford to lose. And it would open him to attacks on fronts where he has no power: trials for war crimes, possibly leading to execution – or worse. The Mind Flayer.

You think Thrawn would risk his mind?

Besides, better to ask forgiveness than permission, as they say.

And if you want something done right, do it yourself.

Conquering the New Republic would be better for everyone, Thrawn says. It would save the galaxy from annihilation, allow him to turn the resources of the Empire against evil, bring peace and order to the galaxy and beyond. He would keep all the good of the Empire, Thrawn says, while getting rid of all of the bad, Thrawn says – whatever that means to him.

For the greater good, Thrawn says.

Everything he’s done has always been for the greater good, Thrawn says.

The tragedy is that he believes it.

#as they say #the road to hell is paved with good intentions #long post #star wars #thrawn #mitth'raw'nuruodo #the new republic #just some thoughts #things bouncing around my head #as i watch the new show #and hear people talking about it #good intentions don't excuse his actions #he means well #but he's caused harm #and will cause harm #because the harm he's causing #is a lower priority for him #than his own goals #“acceptable losses” #acceptable for who? #greater good for who? #well #that's the sticky part #morally grey characters everyone #grand admiral thrawn #my thoughts #ahsoka show #star wars: rebels #grysk #chiss ascendancy

[kaltacore]

i know many people are afraid of being rude and roleplaying as someone besides people pleaser (which is not not-understandable tho. especially for the first time players) but i think bg3 is the game that tries to motivate you not to be agreeable and obedient all the time. usually in rpg games with approval systems there are one or two characters who will approve of you being an asshole mostly for the sake of it but that's it. also actively challenging character's beliefs in most cases will just gain you a whole lot of disapproval and no actual change. meanwhile in bg3 there are many characters who will approve of you losing it in some situations and disapprove if you act too gullible and let everyone use you.

also following someone else's orders and desires every time won't get you far. if you'll blindly support your companions' initial goals (and they're very insistent and defensive about it and questioning their ideas may also naturally result in disapproval) it won't automatically get you their best ending and in the most cases it is literally the opposite. shadowheart wants to become dark justiciar real bad but if you support her on that path she'll be claimed by the evil goddess she unconsciously resisted her whole life. astarion wants to get ascended but helping him do it won't drive away his fears and just will lock him in the same cycle his master was trapped in. lae'zel worships vlaakith and is really hesitant to give up her faith and everything she was taught no matter what she's witnessed and not challenging her beliefs will make her just another sacrifice for a tyrant. if you play durge and decide to accept their father (which is also actively encouraged by durge's sidekick and, well, the other present option is an inevitable death) they'll forever lose their freedom and will become their father's dreadful instrument with no will of its own. if you decide to give gortash the netherstones as a goody two shoes you are when he asks he'll fuck you over on principle. this game lacks a truly unique completely evil run for sure. but it does reward your character for questioning other people and standing up for themself and does punish them for being too lenient when they shouldn't be

#also this gave an idea for a totally disastrous goody two shoes playthrough which would be. absolutely disastrous and FUN because of it #the road to hell is paved with hood intentions or so they say #anyway. i think it's really encouraging in terms of roleplay. it's more fun when you play more evil-leaning character #and it doesn't automatically make the whole main cast hate them #and also if you want a good ending for you faves you have to actually listen to them but not only that #you have to analyze them! draw conclusions! decide whether they really need that thing or if they make themselves believe they want it! #that's really cool thing to do i think. knowing how easy it is to get approval in rpgs simply by being agreeable but now it has layers yk #anyway i love characterisation in this game and how it manages to deliver a cool rp experience. yeah #bg3

[boxdstars]

i love playing the game of how long can the narrative excuse amara’s actions before she passes the point of no return and the whole place goes up in flames

spoiler: not long.

#i need yall to hop on the ‘i can accept her as she is’ train because this shit is getting WILD #i’m drafting her adult lore and hooo boy #the road to hell is paved with good intentions or smth like that #boxd chitchat #amara ambrose #commissioner ambrose

[yuelaos-codex]

decided to go with the spawn/cuddly astarion route first to get the good ending, but will also play the ascended route because. gods. the tragedy of it all *clenches fist*

#in other words i cant choose because I WANT ALL THE SCENES 😭 #i would like to think my tav ascended him bc she really thought it was best for him. the road to hell is paved with good intentions #the difference between the spawn/ascended routes are like night and day my god

[akuzeisms]

@pessimistics

#music. ❖﹙ they say the road to hell's paved with good intentions ⋄ why did they never mention what's real and in between? ﹚ #okay this is 100% intended for when she yknow DIES because it fits BUT #you might also like it for some of rust’s history 💖 #( for once it’s one of their. not. heavy. rock. songs. LMAO ) #Spotify #grownpale ❖ rustin cohle﹙ do your thing but you ought to know ⋄ we just make it up as we go. ﹚

[age-of-moonknight]

“Age of Khonshu: Part 1 - Moon Knight vs. The Avengers,” The Avengers (Vol. 8/2018), #33.

Writer: Jason Aaron; Penciler and Inker: Javier Garrón; Colorist: Jason Keith; Letterer: Cory Petit

#Marvel #Marvel comics #Marvel 616 #The Avengers #Avengers vol. 8 #Avengers 2018 #Moon Knight comics #Moon Knight #Marc Spector #Steven Grant #Jake Lockley #Mr. Knight #Khonshu #ouch oof my bones #“the road to hell is paved with good intentions” and what not #which is ironic seeing as they go to what is essentially the deepest circle of Hell next #but yeah I’ll probably be wrestling with this endlessly #with how much I can blame Khonshu for this #because I do believe that /Marc/ believes that he’s trying to avoid a horrible fate even if he hates the means he stoops to #but Khonshu’s noxious influence is undeniable too…so yeah

[nozomijoestar]

Can't sleep thinking about Transhumanism in Serial Experiments Lain

#I should rewatch #the virgin 'The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions' extremist trans human Eri #vs the chad 'Technology should aid humanity not replace it because life is ultimately of the flesh and mortality' Lain #great fucking show Eri had points but beneath it all he was scared and selfish

[mstopportunity]

Very frustrating: An otherwise good fic grossly misunderstands the canon motivation of the character it's trying to fix.

#Say what you will about Endeavor #(there's a lot to say and a lot that *should* be said) #but his whole thing was NEVER about the glory of being number 1 #It was about the very precarious situation that treating All Might as exceptional put the Japanese hero society in #Japanese society collapsed after All Might faded - Endeavor saw that coming and fought tooth and nail to bridge the gap #and when he saw that he could not be the second pillar to take weight off of AM #he started preparing for the next generation #He was abusive yes and he was largely unsuccessful #but he had correctly identified the problem of “Not even AM can do this alone - it's too much” #and “When AM falls - who will catch society?” #and concluded “No-one is even TRYING to build up support” #Making him out to be glory hungry is a gross misunderstanding of his character #It looks at a man who's road to hell was paved with good intentions #and decides he was always bad #because people who abuse children are evil - so people who are not evil could not abuse children #aka Endeavor could not have had good intentions if the outcome is child abuse #Lay off my boy he did do those things but fanon is stripping away his intent #(The fic focusses on early-dad Endeavor) #(By the time we get to canon Endeavor has a lot more issues and though fundamentally the same motivations) #(his experience with Touya have made his ability to dad/mentor/plan/etc much worse)

[resentful-reads]

Carry on By Rainbow Rowell

#resentful reads #carry on #rainbow rowell #simon snow trilogy #book 1 #bookblr #book quotes #book excerpt #book photography #baz pitch #tyrannus basilton grimm pitch #baz perspective #i know this character is inspired by the antagonist of the series that must not be named #‘my road to hell isn’t paved with good intentions-or bad-it’s just my road’ #but… #maybe good omens is too fresh in my mind #because he’s giving hige crowley vibes too #crowley vibes

[fourthapprentice]

“this person did these horrible, illegal things and hurt multiple people you know”

“mm yeah but they were nice to me and they said they were sorry”

#go away fern #your bond with someone is not more important than the pain they caused other people for years #people actively hanging out with someone’s abusers is why so many people don’t feel safe coming out about when stuff happens #because this shows them what they went through at the hands of someone else isn’t more important than the entertainment they provide #doesn’t matter if that’s not what the sympathizers meant but they’re actions #the road to hell is paved with good intentions

[transingthoseformers]

Ohh, so we're going through the whole process of how Getaway planned and started it all

#mtmte getaway #comic reading #i can fully see why people hate him #he's an interesting character who's mind works in a twisty way #he wants Megatron dead and the '' entourage '' gone and he's willing to do anything to make sure of that #I'm also fairly sure he wanted roddie gone since the beginning #and the whole thing about him being in the autobot diplomatic corps rubs me the wrong way because #to me? that feels like an entire division dedicated to manipulation (just look at the whole thought bullet thing with tyrest) #the road to hell is paved with good intentions #we see that time and time again in this

[jasmancer]

at the end of the day riot grrrl wouldn't exist without bell hooks and Poly Styrene. their work was foundational not only in terms of feminist philosophy from the both of them, but in the case of Poly Styrene, her performance style as a feminist punk artist.

it just kills me that a movement that has been so thoroughly (and justly) associated with White Feminism was built off the work of these brilliant black feminists with every intent to be intersectional in theory. but in practice it only created space for white women and actively alienated nonwhite women ESPECIALLY if they spoke up about it. the fact that the sistah grrrl riots even had to be created by and for black women because they were so alienated both from the general white male population of hardcore/punk spaces AND the riot grrrl spaces made in response makes me crazy!!!

riot grrrl did a lot in terms of making feminist education and art more accessible to young women and teaching young women how to organize for their rights but in terms of intersectionality riot grrrl failed big time. went the way of 2nd wave white feminism with little resistance. the road to hell is paved with good intentions and all that.

I just. it had good bones. yknow?

#it speaks #happy bhm i made myself mad ! #riot grrrl

[ricottacheeze]

a lot of well intentioned people are hyper performative and dont even know it, and thus put others in harms way or danger.  At some point we need to look inside and admit to the performative actions that make we do to feel good, validate ourselves exclusively instead of the help, joy, and care that others require and need

#thinking #self #been thinking about ppl in my life who i know are very well intention but cause shitty harm regardless #the road to hell is paved in good intentions #or kind of a fear of rejection/rejecting others #communication and all that #but im taking this advice myself because its good to be introspective