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Can I have some candy meds?

Make sure to take the right dosage.

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You wouldn't *dare* to post handholding pictures here, I know it

Here, I think you forgot to take your meds.

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Dunno if to archive this blog

Or use it to post degeneracy.

Decisions, decisions...

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Reblog this if you roleplay or are willing to roleplay on Discord

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That got his attention. Umbra couldn't help but give a little devious smile at his question. But, of course, she wasn't going to just slap a file on his hands, she risked her life one too many times for that information.

"I do, and still workin' on it. The more ye dig, the more rot ye find" this time she grinned as she fished a cigarette out of her jacket but didn't light it "fair, fair... here's a lil' spoiler then... what if I toldja they have heroes that carry on assassinations? Growin' criminal groups, cults that go against their rules, politicians they deem a danger, "untouchable" villains, the list goes on. Hell, they've even killed their own durin' their internal political games. And this ain't even the half of it."

She eyed him discreetly, curious to see his reaction.

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“Hmm…” she didn’t like to talk about it but if she needed Shigaraki to start trusting her, a little background information was needed “my dad worked on a project with them and in the process found out a lot of rot about the Commission. So they killed him. And when they found out I was continuin’ his research, they tried tae do the same tae me.”

She tried to keep up with him, eyes scanning the area as well. Umbra hoped the information would do, it still hurt to talk.

“I hate daytime…”

Now that was definitely interesting, information not even Sensei had. Obviously Tomura was listening closely, not only to what she said but also to how she said it. “ Do you still have this research? It could prove pretty useful to our cause. “ If the Commission went through such lengths to stop it from being revealed, it must be pretty damning. Even if its just used to lower the morale of society further.

          “ I’m getting more and more interested in a partnership. I just want to make sure you mean what you’re saying… “ 

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Time to dabble about morally grey characters? I think it's time to dabble about morally grey characters. This has been something that has bothered me since last night, and I have tried to let it go, but it doesn't seem that I am able to. So below I'll give my understanding of morally grey characters with the hopes that it can be a generally agreed/tolerated definition, since morality and values are very tricky things, and not everyone is gonna have the same definition when it comes to what is right and what is wrong. That is why I will attempt to keep it as objective as possible. This is supposed to be an opening to an actual discussion.

Also, please note that this was not structured at all. I have some bullet points I want to go through, but I am writing this as I go.

I feel as if morally grey characters can be confused with anti-heroes or anti-villains at times because people can either dilute or amplify certain aspects beyond the values they hold.

I have my own problems; I cannot enjoy villains at all due to my PTSD, but I can appreciate a writer for doing something right when they make a good villain. The urge to skip as much of that villain's screentime is always present and if it gets too much I will just drop a series entirely, don't get me wrong, but I don't ever think 'this character shouldn't exist'... Well, aside from one example, but I will mention that towards the end.

So why was I subjective when in the first paragraph I said I am going to try and be objective? Because All of That™ was an explanation as to why morally grey characters being well defined is important to me.

First, anti-heroes.

What's an anti-hero?

That is hard to define. The Wiki doesn't do a good job at explaining it, and the definition constantly changes depending on the surrounding culture and time within that culture. This video does a better job of explaining it than I could ever do. But for the sake of it, I will define heroism as the quality of being selfless, with the levels of selflessness varying wildly. The video I referenced says that heroism is not a constant and the way I have just defined it might seem an attempt to make it a constant, but that selflessness is simply a common aspect I have seen in a lot of media.

This does not mean selfishness doesn't exist in hero characters, but rather that their selflessness outweighs in the end.

For the sake of this discussion, an anti-hero is a character that takes that quality to such an extreme that goes back around and becomes a flaw.

And for a hard example to justify this sort of definition, I am going to take Deadpool. Deadpool has fun killing people. He murders bad people, but murder is murder nonetheless. If it is justified or not, that's up to you. How is someone like Deadpool an anti-hero with the definition from before? His selflessness comes from his enjoyment of helping/keeping others safe.

Deadpool fits well in the Actions VS Attitude debate about anti-heroes through this, as no matter the context, Deadpool is heroic in his motives and methods.

Another one, also referenced in the same video, is The Punisher. His place is a bit iffier on the anti-hero, morally grey, and anti-villain character since he kills people not to keep others safe, but because he's fueled by vengeance, a selfish reasoning. However, his selflessness comes from him taking this role as the Punisher and throwing away any chance at recovering from what happened. His status as an anti-hero is gained by proxy since he technically makes the world a safer place.

The Punisher is a good contestant on the argument about Methods VS Motives because no matter which you decide is heroic, the other category cannot be specified as heroic without getting rid of this constant selflessness.

Actions VS Attitude and Methods VS Motives should always be taken into account when defining a character as an anti-hero because heroism needs to be checked in at least 2/4 boxes, with the third one being debatable from person to person.

Deadpool is heroic in his methods and motives, and either his actions OR his attitude are left up for debate when it comes to his stature as an antihero. He's an example of a more standardized debate.

The Punisher is heroic in his actions and motives, aka devoting himself to a cause that can be seen as righteous, but his attitude and methods are left up to interpretation. He's a lot more subjective, and a lot harder to define on this scale as all his elements intertwine in a way that will pull on each other when steered in a certain direction.

Second, anti-villains.

What is an anti-villain?

An easy way to define an anti-villain is to make it the opposite of an anti-hero and call it a day. But I don't see anti-villains as characters so selfish it turns into a virtue, that is some jump in logic. From the sources that I have gathered along my years on the internet, but also the ones that I have studied recently, both of which seem to make the anti-villain a synonym with the sympathetic villain, which I disagree with. Rather, I feel as anti-villains are equally split on the actions vs attitude and methods vs motives spectrums.

Yet all villains must be selfish and have that selfishness outweigh their selflessness no matter what.

The important part of anti-villains is that, while not don't necessarily need to sympathize with them, you can understand how they got there and see the selflessness in their character but disagree with everything else.

For example, by the definition set before, Mr. Freeze is an anti-villain, and I am referring to his version after the revamp, where his main goal is to find a cure for his wife's illness. His motives and actions are heroic/selfless, but his attitude and methods are not. And that can't be left up for debate, not in the same way anti-heroes can because anti-villains are inherently selfish.

As I said, I cannot enjoy villains, so I am unable to give a definition as accentuated as before for anti-villains due to my lack of knowledge in them, the only other anti-villain I can think of being Jetstream Sam with the same setup of heroic motives and actions as Mr. Freeze, even though said set-up was for his DLC only as he kills police officers to be able to get to the actual villain of the game.

Sam acts much like The Punisher for the definition of an anti-villain, as he is also fueled by vengeance and kills bad guys, but he does so by going through anyone he has to, yet holds a code of respect/honor.

Finally, Morally Grey Characters.

What is a morally grey character?

A morally grey character, or MGC for short, threads a fine line between these two definitions. A line that can't be fully defined by a group big enough to be called a majority, and I believe that is a good definition of an MGC.

In an MGC, their actions should be put on the scale of the viewer in the debate of actions vs attitude and methods vs motives, and the scale should never tip too much on one side or another. But that doesn't mean that MGCs have to stay neutral, as they can have both villainous or heroic goals, but the definition should stay either fuzzy or intentionally tug at the other side of the 'hero vs villain' spectrum.

The only character that fits this definition that I know of is one of my own, so feel free to take this next paragraph with a grain of salt.

An MGC that I have teased, that probably only one of the whole two people that keep up with my lore remember, is the Jailer. Right now he is entrapped, but after he escapes he is looking to take over one of the many worlds out there with the intent of being a dictator, but not a tyrant. He makes a big deal about making a difference between the terms and being fair in his actions.

Disregarding everything outside of that, as I don't have time to go into too much detail, he is written to not be able to let the reader fully decide if his actions, attitude, motives, and methods fit in either the villainous or heroic categories as specified before.

And that is what an MGC is supposed to do: keep the reader unsure of their status as a villain or hero, and (almost) never have one side outweigh the other.

The AH, AV, and MGC definitions are not static during a story.

Over the course of a story, a character will of course develop (unless written badly or written specifically so they don't need more development), and that is the case with their status as an AH, AV, and MGC. Anti-Heroes can become more selfish without being ridden of their AH status, Anti-Villains can become more selfless and still keep their status as an AV.

But letting the reader lean towards either side of the spectrum with an MGC rids them of their status of Morally Grey. There should be a constant balance that either never stops swinging yet never lean too much in one direction, or is set in stone for good. Else the status of MGC is lost, and it transforms in either an AH or AV retroactively.

Thank you for coming to this post where I try to sound professional, and like I know what I am saying and probably fail.-Silver.

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Umbra nodded and walked away, not towards the door but straight at a dark corner of the room. Not a minute had passed and she was back, carrying the handcuffed man over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Dropping him on the floor, the man groaned and started to spew vulgarities at the Sun. Umbra was quick to step on his head.

"Mind yer manners, filth."

Looking for "infiltrations" wasn't exactly part of her job description but it was hard to repress the instincts honeyed during all those years as a bodyguard, besides assassin. That and she grew restless, not enough to do, not enough targets. A true workaholic.

That... and she hated spies.

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“I do. We’ve caught a spy” she opened a file filled with papers “found him with this, guard schedules, the Tower’s weak points, looks like prep work to try and get tae ye. Should I beat him up until he gives the name of his employer, sir?”

When the file was spread out in front of him, Toshinori drug it closer to him before opening it. He flicked through the pages, lips downturned in a pensive manner. Slowly, piercing blue eyes looked back up towards her before he slapped the file back down on the table and leaned backwards into his chair. 

“Hm. I always knew that, inevitably, a spy would be able to worm their way into my system. I have enough opposition and the laws of things work out that someone, eventually, would be able to slip through the cracks of my infrastructure.” He rubbed his forefinger underneath his lower lip as he thought of a response. When she mentioned violence, his gaze leveled back to her and the Sun snorted. 

“No. You know how I am, my dear. When it comes to sensitive matters, I like the more personal touch.”

“Bring him to me. I want a word with him.” 

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"I do. We've caught a spy" she opened a file filled with papers "found him with this, guard schedules, the Tower's weak points, looks like prep work to try and get tae ye. Should I beat him up until he gives the name of his employer, sir?"

@house-of-void liked for a starter

"I didn't call you here. Do you have news for me?"

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"Hmm..." she didn't like to talk about it but if she needed Shigaraki to start trusting her, a little background information was needed "my dad worked on a project with them and in the process found out a lot of rot about the Commission. So they killed him. And when they found out I was continuin' his research, they tried tae do the same tae me."

She tried to keep up with him, eyes scanning the area as well. Umbra hoped the information would do, it still hurt to talk.

"I hate daytime..."

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She nodded, satisfied with the result. Yes, enough of headbutting a wall that wouldn’t go down. Not if she was the only one doing it. This was one hell of a leap, in all her years, she never worked in a group.

“Myself?”

That stumped her, what was she going to say? That she liked cats, the colour black and her zodiac was Pisces? Umbra followed close behind.

“I’ve been doin’ this since the Commission ruined my life, so I’m payin’ them back” she shrugged “unless ye wanna know somethin’ more specific, this is all.”

“Hero killer” wasn’t much of a personality trait and a title she absolutely loaded. Stain could keep that crown and wear it in Tartarus.

The Commission ruining people’s lives was not something new, most simply didn’t retaliate. Of course the way they were impacted by their decisions varied, so he could only assume that she was heavily involved with the Commission at some point. “ So I can assume you worked for them at some point. Normal people don’t get a glimpse of the Commission other than TV appearances. “ 

His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his coat, gaze ahead and senses sharp as he made sure to keep an eye out for any patrolling heroes.

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Thread Check

Like/reblog this post if you have a thread with me and would like to continue it.

If you're not sure we have one, check this link, please.

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She nodded, satisfied with the result. Yes, enough of headbutting a wall that wouldn't go down. Not if she was the only one doing it. This was one hell of a leap, in all her years, she never worked in a group.

"Myself?"

That stumped her, what was she going to say? That she liked cats, the colour black and her zodiac was Pisces? Umbra followed close behind.

"I've been doin' this since the Commission ruined my life, so I'm payin' them back" she shrugged "unless ye wanna know somethin' more specific, this is all."

"Hero killer" wasn't much of a personality trait and a title she absolutely loaded. Stain could keep that crown and wear it in Tartarus.

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Oh, he got impatient fast. But after what they went through, it was no surprise.

“Yer team” she pointed to the general direction of the city “I’m determined tae destroy this infectious rot, watch it all burn. Give those coddled morons a wake up call. I just ask tae see the others first and make sure we’re all on the same page.”

These people had lost their leader and from where she was standing, they were like headless chickens. But they had potential. And she knew that by herself, there was only so much difference she could do.

He was annoyed by her audacity to think this was anything but her proving she was even worth the time he spend on her. On the other hand, she had made a name for herself and after what had happened to the league, she probably had every right to doubt them. After the wrong decisions he had made … 

        “ Fine. You can meet the others. “ 

Perhaps it was the way she phrased it that made him somewhat sympathize with her view. She had hit the nail on the head when it came to society and that kind of mindset was exactly what he was looking for. No idiots looking for fame and riches or to just get a kick out of being able.. People who saw the society for what it was. A rotting carcass barely held together by fake heroes. 

   “ But first you tell me more about yourself. “ He motioned for her to follow as he shuffled deeper into the dark alleyway, further and further away from the bustling city sounds. 

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Mortem holds her own tits and looks at Umbra, "It's never over. You should join me~"

She's not saying a thing.

She's just staring.

Judging.

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"....is it over?.... are the degenerates gone?"

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#FUCK HIM YOU COWARD

@myloyalty don't give me ideas.

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I think I'm really going through with this 100th hairdo change for Umbra.

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