#᛭ — [HEADCANON] bleak reality is never far away [SERPENT]

[deathfavor]

Serpent is someone who has a complicated history with trust. She was once easily lured into trusting — but only with certain things. The main way to snare her was always the promise of happiness. It was and is her critical flaw. She so desperately wants to experience true happiness herself. If someone was to say doing something would grant her happiness, she would often take their word for it. But it wasn't from blatant trust, but rather desperation that made her willing to trust their words and promises. . . And every time she was let down. People promised her happiness and yet it seemed to always evade her. It's why she pours her soul into making others happy. At least that way she can feel a little warmth.

But outside of a promise of happiness? Serpent isn't particularly trusting. She can play the part, act like the harmless little snake kept in a cage, but that's all it is. Playing a part. Serpent was a victim of human trafficking when she was a young child, stolen from the streets of Syndicate to be food to exotic snakes the elite wanted who had a taste for human flesh. Syndicate is already a place that fosters distrust and wariness. It's a place to fight to survive. It already taught her to be on guard, and that experience intensified it.

After awakening as a Sinner, she was introduced to a new form of wariness and distrust. The fancy life of Eastsiders was just as ruthless as in Syndicate, but it was disguised in fake sweet words and meaningless praise. At first, she took it for face value. She was still a very young child and hoped it would be different. After all, she was being given clothing and food she never had ever dreamed of before! And then the truth came out - because she made them money and fame. And quickly she was treated just like the snakes she tended for. Sometimes even worse. What she had perceived as kindness was othing more than rich-people greed, and she was constantly told "Some people are meant to be the downtrodden; that's their fate. Outside of the lure of happiness, Serpent is a very distrustful sort of person. But she still wants to bring everyone happiness despite that.

She doesn't trust easy. But she is good at getting close to people ( albeit through manipulative means ). Yet her intentions are RARELY malicious in her mind - it's all to bring happiness. But for HERSELF to get close? It's complicated. Much like Kazutora, Serpent needs to see the effort or connection is genuine in some way. When it comes to her attachment to chief, it comes because the shackles showed the pure emotion Chief felt AND from seeing the lengths Chief would go to. In truth? Serpent wants to trust people, but the world has taught her not to. ( But, again, the promise of happiness still is something that can override her distrust out of sheer desperation. ) When she DOES trust someone though, she pours her all into it. She wants their attention just as much as she wants to GIVE them attention. She wants their warmth and their smiles, she wants their happiness. She's clingy and latches on to them closely. She can function fine without them, but she wants them around.

Serpent doesn't possess any fear of trusting. She's not afraid to get hurt. If it turns out she was WRONG to trust someone, she'll just be disappointed in herself more than anything else. ( And likely lead to her mania spiking as well as her drive to force people into a realm of happiness ). She's reserved to trust when it comes to matters of her life, but not because she doesn't WANT to be close to people. She does. She just...wants to find happiness, but life has not been especially kind to her. And that only fuels her motives more.

tagging you to make sure you can see this inspired post <3 @ashrifts

[deathfavor]

I've talked before about Serpent's scales sO i finally made a visual to explain vaguely how her scales are scattered across on her body. Like i've mentioned before, most of them are lightly scattered sections like we see around her shoulders, but there are heavier patches of scales around her ribcage and back.

[deathfavor]

I'm just thinking about another song in connection to Serpent, Made by Misery. The title alone is very fitting considering Serpent's extremist mindset really was shaped and formed by her own misery.

I was forged in a fire of the traumas untold Reborn as somebody stronger than I ever have known

This is, crucially, exactly how Serpent as we know her came around to be. But it was less from the horrific backstory of becoming a sinner and more from the result of it. After all, the first people who took her in had her out with the animals. She was a marionette for them, to put on a show with pretty outfits and traveling, but she wasn't happy. Her happiness didn't matter, the man essentially said she was MADE to be downtrodden and just make him money. There was the obvious trauma of Syndicate life and then being trafficked, becoming a sinner, etc. But that wasn't the fire that reforged her. It was the more hidden trauma of that 'family' that made her yearn for happiness so intently and led to her finally snapping and becoming hellbent on giving happiness to everyone whether they asked for it or not. It's well intended, but obviously taken to as extreme as you can go.

Suffered to save Who I'm meant to be

She's suffered. If you've interacted with her in length, the suffering shows in ways that even Serpent herself is not entirely aware of. She plays a role, a performance, almost all the time. We all remember her suffering when she tried to break into the Carnival and faced rejection, when the circus people despised her becoming so popular, when people latched onto her because of her fame on the Dark Web and underground criminal network. But as awful as it was, those ordeals are what forced her to become what and who she is now. That's where she found scrapes of herself, where she found her anger, her yearning, the warmth in spreading joy to others. Is it a bit selfish? Yes. But Serpent really is an extremist who holds good intentions and doesn't see the problem.

I've learned that lonely roads Can lead to hearts of gold Yeah, I was made Made by misery

She does think she's in the right. She DOESN'T see a problem with her views and goals, and in truth, I don't know if anyone will ever be able to change that. If someone can change that, it's probably Chief due to Serpent seeing herself in Chief in a sense. Neither of them are effect by Ambrosia, but Serpent intensely wants to be able to give Chief the happiness that neither of them seem able to truly taste. It's a very LONELY feeling. Everyone else can enjoy the happiness Serpent brings, but she herself cannot. The closest she can feel is looking at their portraits in the Realm of Dreams, where she feels a faint glow of warmth from others happiness.

It's a very lonely road, but Serpent is willing to endure it. The misery and suffering and trauma she's experienced has all made her more than willing to endure lonely roads and the difficult path. It's made her heart into gold, filled with genuine intentions but no ability to see why it is wrong at the lengths that she goes to to ensure it occurs. What does her loneliness matter in the grand scheme of allowing everyone else to escape the ruthless and cruel sufferings of reality? She'll make sure everyone has eternal happiness.

[deathfavor]

Serpent doesn't respond well to perceived threats, sarcasm, or insults. She never particularly has, and was something that worsened with age and experiences in the world. In some ways, the MBCC made it worse for her because she put herself in that 'cage' so to speak and thus freedom was limited, especially as an S-class sinner. Having to correct her often means very careful phrasing and patience, as well as alertness. Although Serpent is generally one of the more cheerful sinners, she's still extremely dangerous and cunning when it comes down to it, and lacks the remorse for the consequences of her actions in many cases. Not because she's incapable of feeling remorse. Far from it. But in Serpent's eyes, she did nothing wrong that she should be punished or scolded for. Outright negativity ends badly, and has led to her having fights with other sinners and guards.

Chief is obviously the easiest person to be able to reach out to Serpent and reign her back in, allowed more room because Serpent can identify herself with them ( both of them being unaffected by the Ambrosia ) as well as an intense desire to make Chief happy in some form. There are likely a couple other guards that Serpent may grow to respond well too - but there's plenty of those who also refuse to have anything to do with her due to past incidents ( be it with her, her snake, or both ) or a fear in general of snakes.

[deathfavor]

WHAT COLOUR DOES YOUR LOVE FEEL LIKE?

deep, staining red

Ripped out confessions, warm velvety whispers and a heart like an open wound. Your love flows out like dripping blood, beautiful, flawed and twisted. It's gut wrenching, the type of painfully dramatic feeling that makes you clutch your chest, picturing dramatic monologues about love and loving and big screen over the top scenes of sobbing into your pillow until you fall asleep. It rips out of you, clawing it's way up your throat more so than tumbling out. Sticky words that just need to be let out, feelings so big they don't fit inside you. Your love isn't easy, it's a true bloody mess, dripping and staining everything it touches in a desperate attempt to be seen, to be felt, to be loved back. And you, you love so hard, so deeply, so much for someone who carries all that pain. Atlas holding up the world, how are you? Is your love still flowing? Is your heart still open? Still pumping and bleeding and dripping with blood and tears? Still painting your beautiful pictures and writing your love letters in deeply personal red ink? Because I see them, I read them, I love them and you, you, you, you. Clench your chest, scream your love, cry it out. Spill your words of loving, keep your heart beating, keep your love coming and paint the entire world red with it. Make it in your image, keep going, it's okay. Maybe one day the whole world can be red and loved and beautiful just like you.

dark stormy blue

Sinking ships, raging seas and tumultuous hearts, love isn't easy for you. It's a struggle, a constant inner fight of should I? Can I? Do I? Feelings are hard and they rumble inside you in a dissatisfied mess that begs to be let out. Your heart screams and cries inside you and you... You can't, you won't. You're scared. And love is scary, it's hard and sometimes it just doesn't work out. People leave, people hurt, people change their minds. And you and your cold stormy heart yearn for the calmness, for the distance, to be allowed and able to simply not feel. And yet, you do. It rages, it fights and storms inside you and you try to keep it down, keep it quiet, to feel pretending not to. It's the burn of childhood friends growing apart, of parents that aren't quite there, of relationships that burn out. So you snuff it down with water, cold and calming and blue, blue, blue. But being loved by you is blue too, just not in that way. It's the soothing, embracing feeling of floating, the moment when you sink down bellow the waves and become one with the water, with everything. It's the balance, the dramatic yet calming sound of waves that crash against a rocky shore. You're the good and the bad, the violence of the storm and the watery peace right after. You're the blue, blue feeling and loving you is watery tears, yelled confessions that no one will hear and burying your feelings in a deep watery grave never to be found out about. Your love is dark stormy blue, it's vast and deep and all encompassing, it's safety in the surface of danger, it's trusting the unruly abyss and yet I'd gladly risk drowning just to feel what it's like being loved by you.

i stole this from my old blog when i did chrollo’s, so feel free to take it! 

Chrollo’s under the cut bc, well i did his before.

cold stark gold

Fireworks, borrowed lighters and sparklers against a dark backdrop, yours is a love that burns stark and bright. It's scary though, like things that burn always tend to be, but for you it isn't the thrill of the open flames that gives pause and a slight stomach drop of terror, but rather the time when the flames go out, the sparkler ends and the night is cold and dark once again. Fireworks, borrowed lighters, a striken match, your love burns bright and fast and then maybe it passes, maybe the feeling dies out and you're left in the cold once again. And that's the feeling isn't it? Of being bored and waiting for someone to light you up again? To be fair, you do know you don't need it, but then again we don't often crave the things we need. And you crave and yearn and burn in the wait, restless in the knowledge that at some point someone will pass and rub you the right way, that some day you'll light up the night sky bright yet again. There's comfort in the darkness and solace in the predictable loneliness of the in between, but your heart still squirms inside you, waiting and willing and begging to burn up again. Your love might not be comfort, it's not one for the sick days, but then again, there's a reason why everyone waits for the shining lights in the sky during holidays.

[deathfavor]

WHAT SOFT ROMANCE CLICHÉ ARE YOU?

because i love you!

passionate; you are the heated moment of an argument. when the person you care for has done something outrageously stupid or dangerous. all of your pent up emotions that you've kept inside of you come bursting out: "beCAUSE I LOVE YOU!" how could they be so dense. how could YOU be so dense. you've loved each other this whole time. your love tends to be strong, and loud. sometimes it might be hard for you to express your feelings but you let people know that they are cared for. you're also hot. good for you.

/oh./

the italicized oh. often seen in romance novels and fanfics. when a character looks at someone, wondering why their chest tightens when they're near, why their heart beats quicken at the slightest touches, why they lose their breathe at the sight of them and suddenly realization dawns on them— oh. they've been in love for a long time now. you are soft and quiet, probably the most overlooked. though when you love, you fall deeply. i'm sure you have a lot of anxieties when it comes to love, and you're more inclined to fall in love with a longtime friend than a stranger. though, your love is pure. and maybe if you have someone in mind, this is your sign to tell them.

because i love you!

passionate; you are the heated moment of an argument. when the person you care for has done something outrageously stupid or dangerous. all of your pent up emotions that you've kept inside of you come bursting out: "beCAUSE I LOVE YOU!" how could they be so dense. how could YOU be so dense. you've loved each other this whole time. your love tends to be strong, and loud. sometimes it might be hard for you to express your feelings but you let people know that they are cared for. you're also hot. good for you.

tagged by : @sortilegii​ & @kiingsroar​   thank you !! tagging: @ofsavior ; @anomieheld ; @tsckcyomi ; @parieha​ ; @s4crificial​

[deathfavor]

I'm not sure what dub most people here use. But I rely on her English VA ( Who by the way, is so so nice! ). For those who might not, this might be new information. For those who DO, well, you already know. And for those who don't know Serpent at all but are reading this anyways or are curious, some information for you !

Serpent has two very distinct voices. One is the 'performer' Serpent, the voice that people most often hear. ( Because Life is a stage and everything is an act ) and the other is her more serious voice. The true Serpent in a sense.

The most common voice to here is light, cheerful, and bubbly. It's the classic 'happy' voice, because that is what a performer does. It's sweet and energetic, sometimes playfully mischievous, but it's 'cute'. Because that's what people want and expect from it. It's the voice that Serpent frequently uses when interacting with people. She wants people to be happy and cheerful, so her voice tends to reflect that desire. It's also false. It hides the real cunning that Serpent possess beneath it by giving her a certain image. People don't expect the cheerful, smiling performer with a sweet voice to be up to anything.

The other voice is significantly lower but it's also much smoother. It more often comes out in the rare occasion when she's making an active warning or threat, but it also sometimes slips out when she's reflective and open about her pain ( mainly with chief, but occasionally others ). If her lower voice appears though, it's for something that is both genuine and serious in some form. She also uses it on occasion to strike someone. Not physically, but Serpent is quite good at seeing through people or at least recognizing someone else who is a good actor. ( Takes one to know one after all ). She'll typically still speak in her cheery voice, but will drop to her real voice for 1-4 words to point out that she knows before continuing with her usual tone. It's one of those 'so quick people might think they imagined it' situations if it wasn't for the look in her eyes.

For Serpent, the voice switches are masks. There's the Serpent the world sees, the Serpent that brings cheer and happiness to everyone. Despite her poor methods, her intentions ARE good, she DOES want to make people happy - so the light, cheery voice is that Serpent. Then there's the real Serpent, the Serpent that can never find happiness even as she brings it to others, the Serpent that sees herself as a monster among humans, It helps her divide it and it's why she leans so heavily towards the cheery side over her real voice. She only wants people to see the happy Serpent so they're happy, and part of her deeply longs for the day that maybe it will become real for her, even if she knows deep down it won't.

[deathfavor]

@furiaei​ said: knock knock, local menace here with a meta question for either serpent or earl: is there anything that genuinely makes them happy? anything that sparks joy? comfort food, music, books, poems, series, animal etc.? or do you think that they are rather immersed with everything else about and around them to the degree that they hardly make or find the time for these things anymore?

🥺🙏 thank you for the meta question. as a treat i shall answer not one but BOTH. I’ll follow this post up with Earl’s <3 

  True happiness is something that remains elusive to Serpent. Not to say she doesn’t enjoy things or find some happiness in them. She does. Not sustainably though, despite her years of trying to pursue it. But for smaller bursts of happiness, her snakes are a big source of joy. As much as they’re also tied to her past, she treasures her snakes. She also enjoys finding other snakes. Especially wild ones. If she sees one, there’s a high probability of her stopping to talk to them unless she’s doing something important or in a rush.

   But other than that, performing genuinely does make her happy. Whether it’s a magic show, performing with her snakes, acrobatic feats (specifically aerial hoops, but aerial silks too), she really really enjoys performing. She likes that it makes people happy and smile; it has become bound so tightly to that association that she enjoys doing it, even if its just herself in the recreation room or other area to practice. Especially for kids. Most of the time she doesn’t get to - that’s not how she was ever marketed to the public. But sometimes when she sees sad kids or kids crying, she’ll do a small trick for them to make them smile. Thanks to her stardom in Eastside and on social media, despite the fangs and scales and eyes, most people assume that’s just part of her ‘gig’, a signature style, rather than assuming she’s a Sinner. She hates seeing people sad and unhappy. Although sometimes it leads to a crowd of children, even her mere appearance can. Especially those that recognize her from social media OR the elite who’ve been to parties she’s been at. (Sorry chief..)

   There’s definitely no comfort food though. She went from scourging scraps before being sold and eating things she quite literally never dreamed of. At first it was all neat! But now it just rings hollow (although performative food she can find fun). Serpent isn’t big on reading, truth be told, but there are pieces of art that she likes to see. Especially mythical-themed pieces. (Although she’d also probably like looking at cute, silly, or fluffy art for characters in media she’s watched. Even though she knows its fictional and no ‘real’ happiness gained, she likes happy stories.) Other things that make her happy tend to be smaller, more day to day things too. Warm, fuzzy blankets, holidays (if only because people tend to be happy), movie nights, or listening to people talk about what makes them happy. Although admittedly she also has fun trying new types of fashion as well when given the chance.

   Some of these things are more easier said than done, especially being in the MBCC, like the guards trying to stop her from performing, or freely seeing people smile, but since a lot of hers are smaller in reality, they aren’t too hard for her to achieve. She tries to immerse herself, Serpent will give MOST things a chance unless it triggers a bad memory or association for her, so she does try to immerse herself in the world. But most commonly she’ll turn back towards snakes for her happiness, or spending time around those she likes. 

[deathfavor]

CLASS IS IN SESSION! Here is a post to talk more in detail about Serpent’s mutations!

SKIN I have already talked about her scales HERE in terms of the appearance & touch. But I also want to say that Serpent is not WARM to the touch most of the time. She runs colder than the average person due to being inside often, though she is not ENTIRELY cold-blooded like her snakes are. But she is drastically closer to that; her body struggles for any level of thermoregulation be it warm itself up or cool itself off. This means any EXTREME temperature change can be dangerous for her. If it drops down too cold, she’ll start to get very sluggish before slipping into a level of hibernation where it’s drastically harder to wake her up. She can be woken up and will respond but will suffer extreme confusion or disorientation and sluggishness. However, by giving her more layers, heated blankets, etc, she will be back to her cheery self in no time. On the other side of the spectrum, being too hot is by FAR more dangerous than being too cold. She CAN regulate to cool down in some ways in that she can sweat like a normal person (and unlike a snake), but that is all. When it is drastically too hot, she needs to get into shade or water for a period to cool off. Due to the lack of thermoregulation compared to a normal person, being in the shade can cool her down far quicker than a normal person and it helps her a lot. Even just an umbrella out on a hot day can do the trick. But left without shade to regulate, she can get an extremely dangerous fever that could be fatal or severely damaging without treatment.

EYES Serpent as elliptical pupils, aka the traditional ‘slit’ eyes that we associate with snakes & snake-like creatures (despite many snakes having round pupils.) But she can also see in ultraviolet (UV) vision much like some snakes themselves can (her snake that is always with her can as). When her mania reaches even higher levels, she can use infrared as well, but rarely will.

EARS Listen, idk why she has pointed ears given snakes don’t have ears, but I support her for it. However, in related to this, Serpent can ‘hear’ through vibrations in the ground just as snakes do, though she can also hear like a normal person. But things that cause an extreme amount of vibrations through the earth (like an earthquake for example) can be sensed. It isn’t defeaning in the way that we traditionally hear, but it can sometimes disorient her more than the average person.

TEETH As noted in files, Serpent DOES have very prominent fangs, specifically proteroglyphous fangs. In less fancy terms, this means that her fangs are fixed and cannot fold up like some fangs can (vipers for example). They have a small hollow tube that runs though them that can inject venom into her victims with high velocity. Furthermore, the set of teeth right behind her fangs are ALSO sharp fangs, though smaller than the prominent ones and can also help inject more venom when she chooses to.

BLOOD Noted in her files, Serpent’s blood is toxic. To a great degree in fact. It MAINLY shouldn’t be ingested, nor should it get into the eyes or any open wounds. If this happens, it can lead to full body spasms, weakness, inverted temperature senses, excessive sweating, numbness, and paralysis - including to the heart which can obviously kill a person. A drop or two is fine should it happen other than feeling nauseous, but any greater means serious health dangers and potential death. Further more, her blood should be cleaned off of one’s self as soon as possible and not linger as it is dangerous to be exposed to or spread, or risk getting into a nick or small wound someone hasn’t noticed. Even a small cut is enough to potentially lead to death when exposed to her blood.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Serpent, again noted in her files, can sense heat. Meaning she can very easily hunt someone down or evade people by sensing their temperatures coming. It’s part of how she is so easily able to avoid people. But it also makes her EXTREMELY valuable to be bring along if you are searching for someone sense she can sense their body heat. It’s like an internal map for her.

[deathfavor]

 WHICH CORVID ARE YOU ?

Raven

As their color might suggest, ravens are symbolic of darkness, and along with it, everything that is negative and mysterious: death, wars, despair, loneliness, and so on. However, they also have a positive side to them and can represent protection, trustworthiness, intellect. dignity, confidentiality, and respect. The Common Raven is arguably the smartest bird of all! Ravens are extraordinarily intelligent, with brains larger than any other kind of bird. They are capable of solving complex problems and can even tell other ravens about events and objects that they can’t immediately see. They’ve even been known to notify wolves of carcasses so the wolves can open the carcass up for them. Ravens are also one of only a few wild animals who make their own toys. -Katelyn Wilde

Jackdaw

The jackdaw is a clever and mischievous bird, a capable scavenger, and a devoted partner. The symbolism of the jackdaw is often associated with shrewdness, intelligence, and mischievousness. Friendly and inquisitive, the jackdaw is the smallest member of the corvid family. It’s a highly intelligent and sociable bird that scavenges for food. This bird is attracted to shiny trinkets, such as jewelry, and as such it is often caricatured in stories as a thief. Jackdaws often ride on the backs of sheep and other mammals, seeking ticks as well as actively gathering wool or hair for nests, and will catch flying ants in flight. Western jackdaws are very skilled flyers and can maneuver tightly as well as tumble and glide. -AZ Animals, Animalia

tagged by : @furiaei​ &  @shackld​

tagging : whoever hasn’t yet? multi’s use the muses you wanna write more <3

[deathfavor]

SERPENT & SCALES

   As we can see, Serpent has various patches of blue scales that run from under her jawline and down along her throat and over her shoulders. But they’re flaked across her ENTIRE body, though some areas possess more than others. For example, her shoulders and throat being in all compared to the one or two promotional pieces that show some on her legs as well. Her throat and shoulders ones are the most visible, but she also has them along her forearms and around her wrists, around as down her spine (and up to the back of her neck), ribcage, waist, hips, and then near the top of her thighs as well as down around her shins and ankles. They’re not particularly HEAVY patches of scales (those around her ribs are probably the most amount of scales), most of it looks very similar to what is around her throat and shoulders, but they are there nonetheless. 

   They aren’t sensitive to the touch; at best she can feel PRESSURE rather than any particular sensation on them. But she isn’t particularly KEEN on them being touched by others. She’s not ashamed per se, so her outfit isn’t concealing them so much as it is a coincidence of fashion tastes and style, but she’d rather not have them touched other than by those she has a personal connection with or medical necessity. 

[deathfavor]

✦✦ character outline

flaws

moody | short-tempered | emotionally unstable | whiny | controlling | conceited | possessive | paranoid | liar | impatient | cowardly | bitter | selfish | power-hungry | greedy | lazy | judgmental | forgetful | impulsive | spiteful | stubborn | sadistic | petty | unlucky | absent-minded | abusive | addict | aggressive | childish | callous | clingy | delusional | cocky | competitive | corrupt | cynical | cruel | depressed | deranged | egotistical | envious | insecure | insensitive | lustful | delinquent | overthinker | guilt complex | reclusive | reckless | nervous | oversensitive | perfectionist | pessimistic | naive

strengths

honest | trustworthy | thoughtful | caring | brave | patient | selfless | ambitious | tolerant | lucky | intelligent | confident | humble | generous | merciful | observant | wise | clever | charming | cheerful | optimistic | decisive | adaptive | calm | protective | proud | diligent | considerate | compassionate | good sportsmanship | friendly | empathetic | passionate | reliable | resourceful | sensible | sincere | witty | funny

skills & hobbies

art | acting | astronomy | animals | archery | sports | belly dancing | bird watching | blacksmithing | boating | calligraphy | camping | candle making | casino gambling | ceramics | racing | chess | music | cooking | crochet | weaving | exercise | swordplay | fishing | gardening | ghost hunting | ice skating | magic | engineering | building | inventing | leather-working | martial arts | meditation | origami | parkour | people watching | swimming | puppetry | pyrotechnics | quilting / sewing | reading | collecting | shopping | socializing | storytelling | writing | traveling | exotic dancing | singing | yoga | gaming | surfing

tagged by : @furiaei (thank you so much!! ) tagging : @anomieheld ; @empulse ; @yeonban ; @ofpathways ; @ofsavior​ ; @aghasts​ ; @burntprose​

[deathfavor]

Serpent's morality and lack thereof is a rather slippery slope that is rather difficult to quite pin down, but heavily leans closer towards amorality. Specifically the branch of amorality that does not understand rather than the branch that doesn't care.

Serpent is aware of the fact that the concept of 'right and wrong' exist...but she doesn't understand WHAT is right and what is wrong, and WHY that is considered right or wrong. She mentions it in the main event that she has an awareness that some parts of her are right and wrong according to others. For her, granting happiness takes precedence over all else.

When Serpent helps the old woman kill the potbellied man that was tormenting both her and the younger man doing his job, Serpent genuinely thought it would bring happiness. This man is the cause of suffering, so if he is eliminated, then surely these people would be happy? She doesn't mind his death because as far as she sees it, he is a cause for misery. He is one of the black voids of despair in this world. Serpent WILL give happiness even to those who she dislikes, but that is only when it's personal (as she takes a sadistic sort of delight in their fall). But in this case, Serpent couldn't understand it. She immediately thinks that when the old woman is horrified, it is because the happiness from killing the source of her pain wasn't enough to offset the decades of suffering. Hence giving her a taste of Ambrosia so the old woman could have the perfect world and happiness. Serpent doesn't grasp the fact that murder like that would horrify most people. It's not taking a life, its crushing suffering and despair.

It doesn't have anything to do with Serpent seeing herself as a monster ; it's just that she doesn't get it. Happiness always takes precedent. She will lie, manipulate, charm, and use people for the greater good of granting people's happiness and taking away their misery. That's how SHE sees it. There's nothing write or wrong, just a path to granting someone happiness ( and hoping she can get a taste of it ). If it means robbing or killing or arson or these other matters, then so be it. She sees no problem with it.

The alienation she has faced through her life has also cause a sort of disconnect. Animals and monsters don't see right or wrong, and she was never taught it. It isn't a conscious rejection or belief morals don't apply to her. Serpent just genuinely doesn't comprehend the problem or how & why these things are labeled the way they are.

[deathfavor]

changing this post for the sake of TAGS