wife & kids & failed science experiments

Author commentary: Vriska recommends "cheating" to get the bomb out of the core, and this is how John interprets that idea. It's quite possible he's right, that there was another way to do this that qualified as the "right" way. Like finding some caves, wandering a treacherous path all the way through the planet, and answering riddles from chess guys along the way, only to discover that the bomb is so big, you can't even get it out of there (unless you have a wallet). John's huge wind drill is a much more sensible approach, which is just another indication that the lifehack way of doing things in Sburb often is secretly the correct solution. This is further supported by the fact that in Act 7, we see the magic tadpole flying through the tunnel John made here, to "impregnate" the Battlefield. Which makes it seem like that tunnel was necessary all along. Time to revisit this idea: Sburb can be seen as a frustrating, antagonistic analogue for life and the challenges it imposes on young people. Often it feels like you have to hack your way through life just to get through it. But there's a strange contradiction here. If lifehacks are "hacks," what exactly are they hacking if not the traditional prescribed methods of dealing with life's challenges? And if it turns out a certain amount of lifehacks are actually essential just to get through it, do they still qualify as hacks...or are they secretly the only correct solutions you could have chosen? In other words, falling for the regimentations and "correct solutions" of life, and in Sburb, is sort of a big trap. It will lead to your destruction.