>>5769836It's pretty good analysis, but you're missing some key elements. If you recall the dream sequence when you deny the sword, and your father kills your mother, he does so to teach you your first lesson. A resting blade will awaken, this is out of your control, the only choice you get to make is who holds it when it does. If you held the sword instead of casting it aside, you could have decided what it did. It could not be used against your mother. Since you have chosen to abstain from the conflict, you don't have the right to complain how things turn out. The other side of that coin is of course, as you described, the more you get involved the less free you become. That's basically the internal problem the swordsman character deals with throughout the story as he (you) tries to unravel his father's final riddle. He knows that as he picks up the sword, he gets closer and closer to becoming his father (returning to the house in the rain). But on the other hand, the conflicts of the world keep putting him in a position where picking up the sword seems like the only option. Whether it's to save the shrine maiden, to fight to save your own skin, or to take up the literal mandate from heaven to stop the mini apocalypse.
Now there is three major conflicts that push the story forward and converge at the climax. Man vs man, man vs god, and man vs self. MvS, which we are discussing here, is at the bottom. Despite it being what the story is "really" about, I never really expected anyone to read too deeply into it. I mean I'm not writing a best seller over here, and I'm not a real author. But the fact that everyone picked to leave the sword means I FUCKED UP BIG TIME. The problem was ME, and my writing. I put out the information incorrectly. My wish to put out quality content exceeded my ability, and it ultimately pulled the story down. I knew I was fucking up when I was writing it and now to see my failure blow up in my face is exhausting. Finishing this stupid quest just reminds me how dumb and bad I am. God, anyone looking at that "empty handed man" +DC bullshit is going to read it as "leave sword = good ending". I threw that shit in last second because I was burned out writing that update. I fucked up all my work in 2 seconds, what was I thinking holy shit. I keep fucking up my own quests and I just can't deal.
I keep sequestering myself at my sister's house so I can write this stupid ending and just roll with the punches. It's just so hard when the only person you can blame is yourself.
