Quote Originally Posted by Kantaki View Post
You know, John is really starting to annoy me with his attitude. Let's hope Sera is back soon to talk some sense into him. Or beat. At the rate he's going she'll probably have to start it with beating.

I mean, yeah, the system needs to change, but just kicking over the anthill and then attacking everyone trying to restore some semblance of stability or even just wanting to find some safe and peaceful spot to hide isn't what it needs.

So yes John, you need to change.
So need others, mind you, but they have at least started too. John might've been the push the school needed, but now he's a obstacle to the very changes he triggered- and wanted at some point.

Oh well, at least it seems Cecile isn't going to play minion anymore. The problem with the stick and bigger stick approach I guess.
John needs to be weaker than someone and have it not result in him being bullied. He cannot change his perspective on the world because he has no reason to trust what people are saying to him - everyone falls into one of three categories for him.

1. Weaker than him and against him.
2. Weaker than him and a lackey.
3. Stronger than him and a bully.

Right now people keep telling him that he should trust them - we've learned our lesson, bullying is bad, etc. - but he has no reason to believe that it's genuine. It's not that they've learned, it's that they're afraid. Or that they don't think bullying is bad - they just wish it was them with the strength to bully. John needs to encounter a fourth category - he needs to be weaker than people and have those people show him genuine kindness. He needs to lose but then get picked back up - or he needs to lose his powers and have Arlo and those he's been beating the **** out of defend him and protect him. He needs that experience to serve as evidence of what they are saying to him.

That's what makes Sera such an important character for him - she was that fourth category. She was the only person in that category. She was strong and she was his friend. He had to work for it but she was evidence that a strong person could accept a weak person. And then Sera became weak and John saw everyone turn on her - he saw people lash out at her - he saw the weak turn on the strong as soon as they were able to do so. People who were afraid of Sera and showed deference to her turned on her the moment they could.

John has every reason to believe that he is right - that Arlo and everyone is lying and against him. That fear is the sole motivator for people claiming to have changed. His strength makes the word of those around him unreliable. He can't trust Sera because she has aligned herself with those who he knows are wrong/bad. Until John experiences weakness and is shown kindness from these people he **cannot** change.