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blade-liger-4ever · 25 days ago

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Paladins and Femme Fatales: A Tricky Romance

To be quite frank, I don't think there's anything wrong with a Paladin - such as Silverbolt in the middle right, or Captain America below him - romancing and even wedding a traditional Femme Fatale.

However, it is a very difficult relationship to pull off believably, never mind in a manner that could work. For one, in virtually all cases the Femme Fatale would have to actively work to redeem herself and turn over a new leaf, thus foregoing the vices and villainy she used in the past. The reason for this is because of the intrinsic evil in such acts, which the Paladin stands against at all times. His virtue and heroism is supposed to be an inspiration to her to realize she has fallen far in pursuit of short-sighted goals, or was manipulated into committing heinous act that aren't what she truly desires.

That's not to say the Femme Fatale changes her ways completely. She can retain her own independent attitude, but she must recognize she should change her tactics. If need be, she can still use her feminine wiles for a mission, but she should recognize the need to stop sleeping around with her targets before killing them. Things like this is what she needs to abandon, not her personality.

Allow me to delve into the Paladin/Femme Fatale relationships that could, did/did not, or may/may not work out to elaborate further.

Garen and Katarina, above, are a tedious example of the dynamic. I say tedious because both are so loyal to their respective countries that it's more than likely that those personal ties will prevent them from changing sides, and/or from changing for the other. Garen in particular is a Paladin to the hilt, exemplifying his homeland's espoused virtues of courage, honor, integrity, and justice perfectly. Thus he will not bend in any way, shape, or form to evil, least of all the kind that would require him to no longer practice any of the above.

Likewise, Katarina is both intensely loyal to her nation and is uncomfortably alright with indiscriminate killing as her line of work calls for it. That's not to say she's a psychopathic killer; rather, if her assassin duty calls for her to slay anywhere from one to a hundred targets in one night, Katarina will do it. She's called "the Sinister Blade" for a reason, something that contrasts starkly with Garen's title of "the Might of Demacia."

However, there is plenty of room for Katarina to change.

Although her lack of severe indoctrination is a writing oversight (especially when taking into account her sister Cassiopeia, who is a far worse and more unrepentant Femme Fatale than her elder sister), Katarina has enough self-awareness to recognize her flaws as compared to Garen's virtues and see that she's merely a tool for Noxus. Granted, she's far too happy in that position of being her homeland's lapdog killer, and too eager to flaunt her sex appeal, but Katarina's meeting(s) with Garen have led her to some self-reflection that allows room for growth. His devotion to his home and his people awakened her own sense of heroism, if only slightly, while his immovable stance on all that is right echoes with Katarina as she continues her assassin work.

Therefore, while it is highly unlikely that such a relationship could flower, the effect of Garen's heroism and virtues on Katarina is undeniable, and sets the stage for this Femme Fatale to change her ways in a believable manner down the road - should she choose to pursue that noble ideal.

Luke Skywalker exemplifies all that is good about both the Jedi as a whole and the Rebel Alliance. Mara Jade is the Emperor's Hand, a secret agent who went under the radar of all, yet somehow became the "symbol" of the Empire and, after some time, married Luke.

And yet, she never changed on account of her "love" for him.

Oh yes, Mara Jade abandoned the Empire. She became a solo agent for herself, and eventually joined Luke's Jedi Academy a whole year after she'd spent a trilogy trying to kill him.

But even after their meeting, after all their adventures, after their own wedding, Mara continues to witch at Luke, kill her/their enemies indiscriminately or if it suits her, and be a jerk in general. Not once does she apologize for her behavior, not once does she dial back her killing sprees, not once does she become less of a catsuit eye candy woman in order to cultivate the virtues her husband supposedly inspired in her.

And Luke, despite being a Paladin through and through, has no issue with this.

The reason they do not work at all is because Mara was this overpowered Mary Sue that everyone in the writing rooms of Lucasfilm (sans George Lucas himself, for which I am grateful) allowed to get away with scandal, abhorrent behavior towards friends/family, and outright murder simply because of her sex appeal to those in real life. Not even Timothy Zahn, for all the fans' screaming, did her well, because Mara should have been obsessed with nothing but killing Luke and taking over the Empire - which, additionally, was an actual dream of hers. Mara canonically (in Legends now, where she belongs outside of nonexistence) wanted to take Vader's place and rule the galaxy alongside the Emperor. The only reason she didn't was because it was no longer safe for her and she'd rather find a new outlet to kill and get away with immorality as she pleases.

Not once does Mara begin choosing virtue over vice. She repeatedly wears either tight-fitting or revealing clothing, verbally abuses her husband and in-laws, and then has the gall to be a hypocrite towards fellow Jedi who either fall to the Dark Side or end up having to kill with varying degrees of glee - and Luke just sips his drink and nods along like this is normal, while no one, not even spitfire Leia Organa Solo, takes her to task over this.

Luke and Mara are a childish/naive belief of what the Paladin/Femme Fatale romance is: all about the hotness of the pairing and no character development. Luke needs to steer clear of Mara and thus get her to realize change of herself is necessary for it to work. Or, if you go with her attitude as in Legends, then Mara should just bat his hand away and Luke should realize that she's happy in the darkness while he's content in the light, thereby closing a door on any possible relationship between them.

There are no other alternatives, and this is every bit the wrong way to handle a Paladin and Femme Fatale romance.

Now, while I'm not that familiar with Beast Wars, I have seen, basically, the whole of Silverbolt and Blackarachnia's romance. And now that I've had some time to think it over, they actually do work.

Silverbolt was essentially brainwashed to be a Predacon, but his deeply heroic Maximal Spark was so strongly true and good, that it actually overrode the brainwashing and let him switch to the good guys' side pretty much before the episode was over. A Paladin bordering on parody in his speeches of heroics and virtues, Silverbolt stood strongly against the evil Predacons and never wavered in the fight against them.

Blackarachnia, meanwhile, had a Spark of goodness buried very deeply under vice, nasty behavior, and a backstabbing, self-serving penchant. For a long time, her redemption looked out of place and superficial - and, to an extent, remained appearing superficial for a while.

However, as she encountered Silverbolt more and more, and his attempts to reach out to the goodness he sensed in her, Blackarachnia steadily let go of using her sex appeal and backstabbing for her own ends. She stayed rather snappy and occasionally selfish for a bit once she joined the Maximals, and while her attitude remained a toned down version of her original behavior, Blackarachnia successfully managed to become a heroine who loved Silverbolt back and began to treat him with genuine love and respect.

Unlike the other two examples, Blackarachnia and Silverbolt are done well because of the change he inspires in her. Blackarachnia recognizes the genuineness of his love for her, and though it takes a lot of struggling, she realizes the error of her ways and changes because he inspired her to become the woman he saw in her, and she fights every instinct, every temptation, to go back to her old self because she loves him that much.

This is why they work, and are an actually healthy/intelligent writing of a Paladin/Femme Fatale romance.

Captain America/Steve Rogers is a Paladin who will never do the wrong thing, always does what is right, and will not flinch for evil. Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff is, essentially, a recovering Femme Fatale, who recognizes that she was brainwashed and used for evil, and even before they met went so far as running from her homeland and renouncing even her association with the place in order to make amends. Widow has spent her life since then atoning by fighting the good fight, killing only when no other option presents itself, and abandoning the vices she once employed, though she does use her prettiness to her advantage numerous times.

Now, there are still some things that would make the romance between Cap and Widow awkward. He's still chaste, steadfast, and regrets any killing he has to do. Widow, for all her newly cultivated virtues, is not very chaste, will question herself if she believes she traded one Red Room for another, and does not have as many qualms about being stuck killing as Cap does.

However, if you put in the work, let Cap and Widow put in the work, they could believably overcome these obstacles and Widow could become a better woman while Cap learns to both help her along that journey and trust that she will be able to make the hard choice(s) that he can't always do without him or her sacrificing either a part of their character or their virtues for a mission/each other.

That's my advice on the matter. I feel Paladins are generally in need of other Paladins for a romance to work, though there's something to be said about a Femme Fatale marrying a Paladin, if only because those last two examples are actually pretty workable. However, if you go that route, it must be done so that Love Redeems is in play; otherwise, you're just letting your hormones and sex drive take over and ruining what could be a beautiful romance and warping it into something disgusting or unrealistic.

I hope you enjoyed this, and have a new perspective on this particular romance trope!

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league-of-starlight · 1 year ago

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Jarvan IV Voice Update concept:

@lesbianjarvan

First Move:

“For Demacia, we ride!”

“A king must fight the battles his subjects cannot.”

“Raise the banners!”

Long move:

“I was almost lost to my rage and grief. Even now, I feel tempted.”

“My citizens suffered from my lack of judgement. For them, I must be better.”

First encounter:

“You face Demacia’s King!”

“Stand firm, let us begin.”

“You can leave with no dishonour.”

Joke response:

“This is no time for jokes, onward!”

Taunt response:

“Bravado is a hollow shield.”

Killing:

(General):

“Demacia never retreats!”

“For my father!”

“Another casualty of war.”

Recall:

“I must recover, stay strong!”

“Continue the fight!”

Death:

“…Father?”

*Groans.*

Respawn:

“So long as Demacia stands, so shall I!”

“A poor decision.”

Character specific dialogue:

First encounter:

Garen: “Shall we spar like old times?”

Demacian Vice Garen: *Stifling laughter* “Garen, what are you wearing?”

Katarina: “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“What does he see in you?”

Kayle: “Are you here to judge me?”

Ally Leblanc: “Do not assume any measure of trust, witch.”

Lux: “Demacia will always have a place for you, whenever you are ready.”

Noxians: “Your people claim strength, yet fail to achieve victory.”

Pool Party skins:

“I don’t take a lot of breaks these days. A shame.”

Shyvana: “No transformation is forever, isn’t that right?”

“Fools only see the beast. I see the Demacian Heart.”

Swain: “Making a pact with a demon to have a new arm? How Noxian.”

Sylas: “Sylas. Do you have something to say?”

Xin Zhao: “My skills have not slipped, old friend. Shall I prove it?”

Taunt:

Darius: “As brutish as I expected.”

Garen: “I know about that Noxian woman. …Please explain.”

Sion: “I will be the last Jarvan you face.”

Swain: “Tell me, will those ravens eat your corpse?”

Tryndamere: “I know a man with a much better sword.”

Taunt Response:

Swain: “Instead of your arm, perhaps I’ll sever your head.”

Kill:

Sion: “May my ancestor rest in peace.”

Sylas: “I will keep my promise.”

Talon: “A skilled assassin doesn’t mean a skilled warrior as well.”

#league of legends #lol voice update concepts #jarvan iv

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