#we love an accidental sympathetic villain

[ro-botany]

I never ended up finishing Shadows of Valentia (I know, I know, I’m getting to it), so it was... probably about a year or so after the game came out that I heard anything about the extra Grima backstory it introduced. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I didn’t know if the Big Bad Evil Guy in Awakening really needed that much backstory, given that at the time I felt their role in the story was as a force of nature more than an individual.

Now that it’s had time to stew though, and my interest in Awakening has been piqued again by that Risen King Chrom unit in FEH... I’ve been doing some thinking on that whole situation, and I might be changing my mind. It adds some interesting flavour to Grima and to Robin.

I’m a bit fuzzy on the timeline of Archanea’s history, but the important part for right now is, of course, Forneus. The man who created Grima. There’s a lot of Frankenstein DNA in Grima’s origins, enough that I feel like it HAS to be intentional.

We’ve got a scientist consumed by grief over the death of a loved one who starts experimenting with creating life, who manages to make a creature, only to near immediately find terrifying. The scientist eventually tries to kill their creation and dies in the process. Similar too is the stories’ insistence that the creations are inherently bad, were evil from the very start... in direct contradiction to the order of events begging you to sympathize with the creature.

A young Grima, barely a baby, smiled at their creator; and their creator thought that terrifying. They were only a few months old when their own father tried to kill them and they were forced to defend themself. They were sealed in a labyrinth for centuries, in total isolation save for the risen dead. When they finally lay eyes on another living human—Alm and Celica and allies, bearing weapons no less—of course they attack. The only contact they’ve had with living humans thus far is their dad who tried to kill them. Alm and Celica destroy Grima’s physical body, and... presumably, they find a way out after that, since the seal on the door is gone now.

(I know Forneus writes about the young Grima supposedly planting “violent thoughts” in his head. But that feels a bit like bullshit to me, honestly. One of Awakening’s themes is that you are not defined by your bloodline. Why would we backtrack on that and say this baby came out of the test tube already advocating for genocide? Hell, why are we trusting Forneus’ opinions on that to begin with? He’s a deeply unethical mad scientist who regularly murdered people for his experiments, I’m pretty sure he was having and acting on violent thoughts long before Grima grew a consciousness.)

Despite that fantastically rocky start to life, m!Grima’s 5* level 40 dialogue in Heroes suggests that Grima might have even tried to get along with humans for a time. I mean, just look at this.

[Humans] have no qualms asking for divine assistance when it meets their fickle needs... But how quick they are to shun their benefactors once they get what they desire. They become arrogant and make the same mistakes repeatedly, incapable of learning the folly of their ways. They claim their actions are for the good of others, but that's merely a show of self-indulgence. Humans are selfish.

That sounds like they’ve had time to observe humans. After they got out of the labyrinth they must’ve spent time just... around people. Either they witnessed what happened to other dragons-regarded-as-gods, or they themselves tried out being a god for a while (seems likely, given Plegia), and felt like their early experiences with humans were only getting proved on the large scale over and over again.

And if all of Forneus, Alm, Celica, and the allies of the latter two decided at a glance that Grima was evil and needed to be destroyed, how many more times did people try to destroy Grima after that? How many people took advantage of their powers, only to “shun their benefactor” later? What does that do to a person’s worldview and their view of themselves when they’re already predisposed to fear and hatred due to their early experiences?

Grima’s insistence that one’s destiny is rigid and immutable, their self image as an incarnation of despair—it all makes a lot more sense with this context. Grima is Frankenstein’s monster writ large, born of a man’s grief, named an abomination from birth, given the powers of a god and a thousand years of reasons to wield them for destruction. “The ugliness of mankind has turned me repulsive. It's the world that wants me to be evil.”

Whatever else you think of them, there’s a tragedy in a monster that is only so because they were never given the chance to be anything else.

[labyrynth]

look. as much as i support fic writers doing their thing and writing whatever they want. it’s important that there still be some resemblance to the original characters. like if you didn’t have the names, you should still generally be able to tell who’s who—characters’ personalities and histories should be enough to give us an idea

so like. as an example. consider a completely hypothetical mdzs modern AU.

it’s about a single father working multiple jobs to make ends meet…after struggling financially for quite some time…who is subjected to a fair amount of classism and abuse…and still works harder than all the others without a single complaint…despite having seemingly wealthy family…(including a brother who gives well meaning lip service about caring but ultimately doesn’t offer any kind of substantial help)…who initially rejects a wealthy prospective romantic partner out of pride, because he doesn’t want to be seen as a gold digger or a charity case…

…where a fair amount of narrative tension stems from a cheating, absentee father who had zero qualms abandoning his kid to near-poverty…who hid the true extent of his wealth because he never had any intention of sharing what wasn’t absolutely required…who accuses others of being gold diggers or trying to sleep their way to a better position…who also appears to regularly mistreat staff, among other classist habits…who goes out of his way to be cruel, and is generally an all around scumbag…

this is clearly describing two very specific mdzs characters, right?

based on canon, the context surrounding them and the interactions they have with others give us enough information to tell who these characters are—

—lan xichen and jin guangyao, of course. OBVIOUSLY.

[brightgoat]

How is Pucci both the most human of the main villains and a top tier personification of the crushing weight of inevitable destiny that binds us all? Is he hacking?

He's just peak jjba villain, that's all-

no but fr, what's not human about fearing fate, destiny and the future? His backstory is the most sympathetic and arguably most tragic, he's shown the most genuine humanity and hurt out of all the villains (to me anyway), and even though on the outside his goal and rise to heaven is insane, the core idea of 'wouldnt we be happier if we knew what bad things would happen to us' is quite relatable.

To me anyway, i hate uncertainty and unpredictability, so I get the core idea.

Not only that but also his goal stems from his fear of free will. He's afraid of making things go wrong or making mistakes like he once did so he's subscribed to the idea that everything is predestined and we can't change anything and its out of our control therefore not our fault. He's blinded himself with inevitable destiny while thinking he's actually the one seeing the truth of the world. And its crushing because 1) YEAH the future is crushing, the idea of fate is scary, religion is often about fearing a higher power for a reason and 2) in the universe of JJBA, he's fucking RIGHT- fate DOES exist, everyone follows a script, everyone falls in place, until he himself fucks it up accidentally, makes a mistake, and fucks himself over and destroys his own theory.

He really WAS hacking the story but he accidentally hacked against himself-

I veered way off script myself here but thats what happens when I start talking about the man the myth the legend Enrico Pucci god i love that bastard

[awesome-normal-heroes]

Why Dipper is so loved, while Mabel is a broken base...

I'm not the biggest Mabel fan, but even I believe that all the hate that Mabel sometimes gets is too much...

Why do almost half of the fans get angry at a little girl, while praising a little boy?

Well, we're gonna find out!

*You see during the beginning of Gravity Falls, we get the idea that Mabel is supposed to be the optimistic heart of the duo, while Dipper is the cynical brain of the team.

*And for a while it was like that, but then came the episode of Mabel teaming up with Grunkle Stan to laugh at Dipper's lack of manliness.

*Which was the first of a bunch of episodes where Mabel (sometimes with Stan) treating Dipper somewhat unfairly.

*Teaming up with Stan to make fun of Dipper for being slightly shorter than her, not trying to help Dipper create a plan that will allow her to keep Waddles and prevent Dipper from accidentally giving Wendy a black eye, taking a picture of Dipper giving reverse CPR to Mabel's mermaid boyfriend to use for blackmail later, laughing at Bill shooting a hole through her brother (I know it's a dream, but still...), getting angry at Dipper for refusing to help Stan (cause Dipper believed that Stan hates him; Mabel could've at least been more sympathetic before going to help Stan)... almost giving away Dipper's journal to Bill (to impress a guy with her play), choosing to trust Stan over her brother (even though the portal could destroy the universe), then afterwards refuses to play his board game and even makes fun of it with Stan (which results in Dipper spending time with Ford), getting jealous that Dipper is spending more time with Ford then with her (which she caused), proceeds to make fun of Dipper again when he calmly calls her out on her teasing, she feels guilty but doesn't give a proper apology (something that even Stan does), gets upset at Dipper for wanting to become Ford's apprentice and stay at Gravity Falls, willingly gives Bill the device that almost ends the world and nobody finds out about it (I know she was tricked but still), refuses to leave her giant bubble until Dipper finally agrees to come home with her and creates a radical brother that would have a 'more supportive attitude'.

*I personally think that Mabel did the right thing by trusting Stan in the end, so Ford could be rescued... the portal still could've destroyed the universe, if Stan had miscalculated something.

*I'm also angrier at Stan for the mocking Dipper times, cause Mabel was a child and children don't know better sometimes, but Stan is an adult and he knows what it's like to be made fun of and yet he still does it to Dipper... no wonder Dipper briefly believed that Stan hated him... and no wonder Ford quickly became Dipper's Favorite Grunkle.

*As for accidentally almost starting the apocalypse, I don't completely blame Mabel for what happened, but the other characters deserved to know the truth and I'm surprised that Bill didn't tell them to cause drama.

*When all these things are stacked together, it's not a pretty picture.

While in comparison to Dipper, the brother is actually already quite supportive:

*Saves Mabel from gnomes despite Mabel yelling at him, he was willing to break up with Gideon for Mabel, he gave up his chance to be with Wendy twice to make Mabel happy, he doesn't make fun of Mabel's flaws, he comforts Mabel when she's sad, he helps Mabel whenever she asks for it (even when he doesn't like the thing that they're doing), he's always forgiving with Mabel, he's viciously protective of Mabel and gave up being Ford's apprentice to make Mabel happy.

*So, yeah the twins do have a bit of an all take, no give relationship... the writers could've handled it a little bit better.

*It doesn't help that Mabel technically does get called out on how she treats Dipper in Season 2, but the people that call her out are the Main Villain and a jerky unicorn, who are seen as in the wrong (but even the villains can make decent points sometimes)... Mabel had a chance to get proper character development and become a better sister after saving Dipper from Bill's possession... but Mabel doesn't really grow much as a person, not even during the finale... she's almost the same as she was during Season 1.

*Meanwhile with Dipper, he slowly becomes less cynical and socially awkward as well as braver and more kind-hearted over the course of the show... he even handled the fact that Wendy wants to simply remain friends beautifully... he still has a crush, but he respects her wishes.

*In contrast to Mabel, who keeps falling in love with guys and trying to force a romance, instead of letting it happen naturally or realizing that she doesn't need a boy to be happy... she also uses a love potion on Robbie and another girl to basically force them to get together and this is later seen as an okay thing (when Robbie hypnotizing Wendy with romantic music was seen as wrong).

*Even Stan and Ford go through a bit more character development then Mabel does.

*I think that's what truly bothers the fans... Dipper goes through character development, learns some lessons and slowly becomes a better person... while Mabel remains the same.

*Mabel isn't a horrible person... she's a fun, creative and energetic girl... but she wouldn't exactly be winning any 'Sister of the Year' Awards either.

*It's disappointing, because Mabel's character had so much potential... and the writers make her repeat the same mistakes... if they did handle Mabel's character better, she'd probably be almost as loved as Dipper.

[drakaripykiros130ac]

Green stans complaining that the show is pro-Black never ceases to amuse me, considering how the writers are doing their best to make the Greens somewhat sympathetic. If anything, the Greens are the ones being “whitewashed” and it’s pretty evident.

In the book, the Greens are portrayed as cartoonishly evil. Alicent is literally the “evil stepmother” who purposely seduced Viserys so she would be Queen (speculated she was sleeping with him even before Aemma died). She is the ring leader of the Greens, knows exactly what she is doing and purposely let her husband’s body to rot while she made plans to stage a coup and crown her own son. Otto has no ulterior motive for doing what he does: he is a pure opportunist who schemes just like a villain from the time Jaehaerys I is King. Aegon is implied to be a r*pist. He is constantly sexually harassing servant girls and is just a despicable human being. As for Aemond…he is pure evil. He has no redeeming qualities. Period.

What the writers of the show try to portray: Alicent constantly acting the victim and preaching the Faith when she does despicable things (plotting, lying, stalking, gossiping), Aegon is a sad little boy who r*pes servant girls because he doesn’t get any attention/love from Mommy and Daddy, Aemond “accidentally” killed Lucerys, Crispin “accidentally” killed Lord Beesbury. I wouldn’t be surprised if everything the greens do starting season 2 will also be “accidents”. Oh, and they decided to make Helaena a “dreamer” just to give her character some purpose since she is completely useless in the book. And even her being a “dreamer” is pointless. She is repeating things that nobody in the show listens to and as most viewers have read the book, we already know what she says. It’s not some great mystery.

I mean, this is just ridiculous.

The show is pro-Black according to them although the writers did a lot of things that weren’t in the book which make the Blacks look bad: Viserys ripping Aemma open for the baby, Daemon killing Rhea Royce, Rhaenys clearly showing some resentment towards Rhaenyra because she is jealous that she never got to be the Queen and Rhaenyra is (I have to say that I really dislike how they are portraying Rhaenys in the show, compared to how she is in the book) and Rhaenyra’s first three sons being confirmed bastards (although it was left ambiguous in the book) not only through hair color but skin color as well.

If anything, I should be angry that the writers of the show are cutting the greens A LOT of slack.

GRRM is literally Team Black and very anti-green. If the Blacks still look better in the show despite everything, it’s because they are supposed to be the ones in the right. The anti-heroes. I mean, GRRM didn’t write the book to portray the “badness” of both sides in an equal manner (despite what many Green stans like to believe). You’re going to argue with the writer of the actual book?

[beevean]

"NFCV's portrayal of Dracula is a masterpiece, it finally gave depth to the character! His sorrow is sympathetic, he's not just an evil guy for evil guy's sake! He's deep, nuanced!"

Is he? Is he, though?

The more I think about Dracula (the games one obv), the more it angers me how the show treated him. In its best seasons, to boot.

Because yes, they certainly put a lot of focus on his grief, and took care to humanize him. And that's the issue.

The idea, on paper, is wonderful. Dracula is a monster moved by human emotions. He's a danger to the entirety of mankind, God's direct enemy, but at his core, he's a man bereft for the loss of his wives.

The very first episode nailed it! He makes an utterly terrifying entrance in Targoviste, as a pillar of fire threatening the people to move out in a year lest they face his wrath. They don't believe him. He keeps his word. He does not hold back.

And he caps it off with this chilling, yet tragic speech:

Kill everything you see. Kill them all. And once Targoviste has been made into a graveyard for my love, go forth into the country. Go now. Go to all the cities of Wallachia: Arges! Severin! Gresit! Chilia! Enisara! Go now and kill. Kill for my love! Kill for the only true love I ever knew. Kill for the endless lifetime of hate before me.

This is Dracula. This is the Devil himself who is absolutely destroyed by the loss of his love, knows that he will never be able to move on, and by all the forces of Hell, he will make everyone feel his misery.

Season 2, by all means, should have capitalized on this. Imagine the great contrast it would be: one scene shows Dracula, in his firey form, sending his forces, the Night Creatures that he forced Hector and Isaac to make all night, to raze an entire village to ashes... and the next, he retreats to his quarters to slump in his chair, speaking in a soft and broken voice, and suddenly, he is a man again. It would show his duality so well.

But the show simply forgot the first part.

The entirety of the plot in S2 is that Dracula has stopped being a villain. This is the crux of the conflict! Dracula spends his entire time moping in his chair, and he's so Depressed™ that he literally loses control of his forces... which allows Carmilla to more or less replace him.

There you have it: Dracula's entire arc in S2.

Dracula gets nothing but "humanizing" moments. He speaks civilly to Carmilla after she makes a fool out of him. He commiserates to Isaac about how no one is his friend anymore, taking care to sit by his side like they're buddies. He doesn't care about anything anymore, thus allowing Carmilla to run amok and play Hector and Isaac like recorders (I would say "like a fiddle" but that would imply talent). His plan gets described, multiple times, including by his own son, as nothing more than a suicide mission that will accidentally take down everyone with him. Most importantly, Dracula is painted as being simply a shortsighted fool, who lied to Hector to hire him and then he's surprised that he's distancing himself, who never thought ahead when it cames to blood perserves, who really, why didn't he just turn Lisa into a vampire, is he stupid?

(he's literally doing a :( face. i cannot make this shit up)

Once again: his death scene, which is at its core him being taken down by his own emotions, is brilliant in a vacuum. But in context, it breaks down spectacularly: Dracula has done nothing but feel sorry for himself for 7 episodes now. Where is the guy who made guts and man-eating demons fall from the sky? This is such a blatant attempt to defang (hehe) an iconic antagonist for the sake of 1) propping up an OC, and 2) because we are such good writers and we will fix the shallow games by giving Humanity to our antagonists, to the point where they're not even So Bad After All! (also 3) because woobiefying the dilf will make our horny fans happy)

But like. You can show Dracula's humanity without painting him as such a sad meow meow.

It is said that there was a deplorable incident. Those who did it, those who saw it, those who didn't stop it, the one who created the world, all are equally guilty.

The pain of loss  Distorted overflowing resentment Unquenchable sorrow  The claws of a trembling fist pierce the palm  Becoming a bloody hammer of violence

Gaining what was lost A power as big as sadness A person who rebels against the creator of an existence that will never be lost

One page has the narration describing Dracula's "unquenchable sorrow" that turns his fist into a "bloody hammer of violence"...

"Please, I beg of you, I’m human too!"

"My nourishment is human life and mistakes. I will disappear when humans perish…"

And the next one will have Dracula severely punish his General for daring to question him in his cruel plan for revenge.

And he'll still show some vulnerability to Isaac, but apparently he was okay with him killing Hector and bringing his head back.

And then there's the ending of SoTN, where Dracula finally asks Lisa forgiveness, but not after nearly killing his son and even swearing to wipe away his "vulgar blood" in Japanese. And then there are the implications, most obvious in Grimoire of Souls, that even Dracula has grown tired of being forced to come back over and over, but shows no sign of remorse.

[...]

It may not be shown in depth as NFCV does, but even if more is left to imagination, the games do a much better job at walking the line between "Dracula is the Devil incarnate, a spiteful monster who only desires death and destruction" and "Dracula is the former shell of a man who was broken by grief and cannot let go of his pain".

So yeah. I'm not impressed by the show trying too hard to make me cry for its ineffective, pathetic, pitiful version of Dracula.

[blindmagdalena]

I hope you are taking care good care of yourself! I was just thinking about taking care of a sick Homelander, maybe another supe that can make other supers fall ill accidentally used their powers on Homelander, the supe gave him the equivalent of the flu, but Homelander being Homelander is needy and dramatic as fuck, forcing you to take care of him.

It's been two days since Homelander had a nasty run-in with a supe terrorist—sorry, super villain—who calls themselves Contagion. As the name implies, their power is the spread of disease through contact. At the time, Homelander had been dismissive of it, certain he would be immune. As it turns out, he absolutely is not. Luckily, it isn't lethal for him in the way it would be for just about anyone else. However, it has left him suffering side-effects the likes of which he has never experienced. On the bright side, it isn't contagious beyond initial infection, and you've been allowed to care for him while the malady wears off. In fact, he insisted upon it. He thoroughly refused to stay in Vought's medical ward.

"Babe," Homelander groans weakly. He's sprawled out on the couch, too stubborn to be resting by himself in the bedroom while you cook dinner, but too sick to be self-sufficient. You know it's serious because he's wearing pajamas. "My ice pack melted." Never have you heard him sound so full of self-pity. He's been relentlessly mopey through this experience. While you can't blame him, the flu is wretched, the theatrics are a little funny. You give a quiet laugh under your breath. Not quiet enough. "You're laughing," Homelander says flatly, still holding up that melted little ice pack. "I'm dying a slow, miserable death, and you're laughing." "You're not dying," you assure him, biting back a smile. You turn off the heat, cover the pot of soup, and retrieve a new ice pack from the freezer. You walk it to him, taking the lukewarm one from his extended hand. "The doctor said your system is fighting it exceptionally well. You're going to be alright." Homelander is quiet. He's pouting at you, you realize. His lips are pursed, brows deeply furrowed. His fever has improved, but his cheeks still have a pronounced flush to them.

He doesn't want facts. He wants comfort. "...But I know that it feels like you're dying," you continue, softening your tone. "Here, up," you say, gesturing for him to lift his head. He does so without hesitation, giving you just enough space to sit before he's crowding back down against you, nuzzling grumpily into your stomach. He slips his arm under your legs, wrapping it around to grip your thighs like a pillow. You press the cold gel pack to his forehead with one hand, and stroke through his hair with the other. He makes a soft, sad little noise, but it fades off into a sigh of relief. "There we go. I've got you, darling," you coo, brushing your thumb over his temple in soothing circles. He glances up sidelong at you, ill and with a deeply wounded ego. You smile sympathetically. "This will pass. I promise." "Don't laugh at me," he says, quiet and morose. "Okay," you relent, sincere. "I didn't mean it. Honest." Satisfied, he closes his eyes, turning his head into your touch. After a few moments, he opens his eyes, staring up at you, though his gaze seems distant. "I used to have dreams like this. Of being sick. Being taken care of. Eating chicken noodle soup. Just like in the movies." You hum, caressing his cheek with your knuckles. It makes your heart ache to think of him yearning for something like this. Dreaming of a taste of the normalcy he saw in fiction. "How does the reality compare?" "Awful," he says, pitch dropping. "But there's one part of it that's better." "Oh?" You prompt, intrigued. "What's that?" "You." It makes your heart skip a beat. Warmly, you smile down at him. "I love you." He smiles back weakly, but earnest nonetheless. "Love you, too." It makes all the more sense now why he was so adamant about being home with you, and not tended to by a dozen faceless professionals in a sterile hospital. For as miserable as this is, a small part of you is glad that he's been allowed this one deeply human experience, and that you have been the one to see him through it.

[hikaaa-bi]

one thing that i love about infinity train is how REAL the characters are, despite being in a fantasy setting, and the narrative of how experiences shape individuals. the way they speak and act are so realistic, their choices are understandable and their arcs are so well-written. all of the characters have glaring flaws they need to work on, but it's also clear that these flaws are the results of some kind of trauma or the way they were treated.

tulip was disillusioned with the world, angry and distant. and this is a direct reaction to her parents' divorce and her inability to cope with it. which is sympathetic, of course, it's a hard thing to go through as a child. the show also reveals that tulip blames herself for her parents' divorce, which can hit close to home for many people.

lake was similarly angry and defiant, even outright hostile in certain situations. again, this comes as a response to the way she was treated in the train, the way she was never granted her freedom and individuality, and how she was trapped in a role she didn't want to play. it's no wonder that many queer people identify so much with lake, because the rules of the train mirrors real life.

jesse has people-pleasing tendencies that reach the point where it actually hurts people. we've all seen protagonists who are people pleasers or eager to appear likeable to people, but usually it only hurts themselves. jesse's case is the prime example of "a friend to all is a friend to none". you can't please everyone, there are people you should oppose or ignore. otherwise, you end up hurting people who actually matters in your life.

simon and grace are straight-up villains, or anti-villains at the very best. grace is manipulative and cunning, playing on people's feelings and insecurities to serve herself. simon is controlling and somewhat egotistic, refusing to change his mindset, regardless of what happens. again, both these characters are shown to have reasons for why they became what they are, even if it doesn't justify their actions. grace grew up in an environment where she was neglected and felt lonely, and found out that her only sure way of making any sort of connection is to manipulate people. simon is implied to have dealt with someone's death before he got on the train, since he seems to have an idea of what funerals are like. that, paired with samantha the cat accidentally leaving him behind in a crucial and dangerous situation, he develops some very intense abandonment issues. again, both these issues can be very relatable to a lot of people, even if we aren't as bad as either of these characters.

min-gi was shown to be insecure and uncertain, but at the same time, arrogant and condescending. the pressure he recieved from his parents has fueled his gifted child syndrome while simultaneously making him depressed and burned out. ryan is probably the closest we have to a "conventional main character", hyperactive and quirky. but he is also not exactly perfect in all other aspects, as he wants to push things forward and refuses to give min-gi some time to think and make a decision. as a child who grew up with lots of other siblings, ryan struggles to prove himself to his family, since they don't seem to pay him much attention. both these scenarios are especially relatable to asians, but of course, anyone who may have trouble pleasing their parents and living up to expectations.

i just gave a character analysis of each protagonist, but my point is that while other cartoon protagonists tend to lean more on the heroic side, the characters in this show doesn't. in most other animated shows i've watched, the flaws a protagonist is allowed to have are either "heroic" flaws such as being too forgiving or being self-sacrificing, or shallow flaws such as clumsiness or being kind of an idiot.

but not in infinity train. the protagonists in this show aren't heroes, they are normal people. they don't have a magical destiny, they don't have to fight for the good of the world, they aren't the "chosen ones". their ultimate goal is to get out of the train (or in simon and grace's case, to be superior to everyone else, to "win").

so it really feels good when one of the characters does choose to do something nice. when tulip chooses to empathize with and help amelia, when lake bonds with alan dracula and jesse. when grace chooses to change for the better and face the consequences of her actions. when ryan chooses to stay with min-go despite getting a door, and when min-gi does the same later on.

i watched this show about a year ago, and it's still one of the best animated shows i've watched. it's so uncomfortably real sometimes, you stop and go "am i like that?" when a character does something wrong, you know that the show addresses it and their actions have consequences. the show doesn't hand out redemption arcs to everyone or sweep things under the rug like some shows *cough* steven universe and she-ra *cough*

there's a reason why a lot of people seem to relate more to villains than heroes, because villains are allowed to be flawed while also being sympathetic. infinity train managed to create a cast of protagonists who are exactly like that. they are more than heroes, they are people.

[the-monkey-ruler]

I'm always curious about Peng, why are his nephews said to be murdered like some people say? Do demons always get unfair treatment in some stories? Or is it more that humans can be forgiven more easily by the gods agaisnt harmless demons?

I’m afraid that you might have the demon confused because Peng does not have nephews... unless you mean the Buddha? Because that is his "god-nephew" so to speak. He has a sister but I’m not familiar with his sister having biological children. Do you mean the Immortal Ruyi? His nephew being Red Boy? Or the Seven Fox King, his nephews being Golden Horn and Silver Horn? Or even Ao Guang with his nephew being the rouge dragon Toulong? There are a lot of demons or dragons or even celestials with nephews but please send my the passage where it says the Golden Wing Peng has nephews because I cannot find that anywhere.

And I can’t say that Yaoguai always get mistreated as these stories were originally created as omens, demons being the symbolic nature of desires or temptations, that people have to mentally overcome. It is only in recent media, or even in recent years does the idea that Yaoguai being more than physical embodiments of evil and desire, actually comes into fruition. So I can say that with a lot of modern media, they make these demons a lot more sympathetic, and even relatable to the audience but originally, that was never meant to be the case, and thus any punishment put on the was never meant to cause harm to the audience because you relate to the demon, but rather being a sense of justification because the demon is meant to relate to the hardships of the world. Even in White Snake, it is only with the latest iteration that is it a love story of two people who cannot be together rather than cautious that even your wife isn’t who you think they are. Stories and meanings change over time depending on the audience, but the original intention should always be kept in mind.

Humans can be forgiven for sins because they have that nature in them that they can change and even be more and grow more. Humans by nature are able to reach that point in the wheel of reincarnation, where they can reach, enlightenment through their actions, unlike animals. Animals are meant to wait for their karma to balance out so that in the next life, they could be human to reach that enlightenment but otherwise, if they skip that step, it is considered going against the laws of nature. Even Yaoguai that are considered harmless are still defying their karma by skipping their human steps and waiting for the next life. Nowadays we see a lot of modern media play with Yaoguai struggles and it is great media but Yaoguai were created with the idea of being almost like cryptic or just beings that defy the laws of nature and thus bring chaos. Yaoguai where created with that conception, and I think when looking back on the stories, it wouldn’t be fair to try to put that modern perception of sympathetic villains onto villains that were very one-dimensional. Like nowadays, it can be fun to dissect villains and try to find relatable connections with the audience, but I never want to try to say that was the original creation's intention ever.

I did find a passage when looking more into any references to Peacock in the story and I do see that the Peacock had two disciples I don't think this is what you were thinking cause you said nephews and this is a boy and a girl bird. Also they were not murdered out of spite or anything that they did wrong but because they are... birds, just shot down by an unknowing king. It’s like accidentally fucking around and finding out when he was just going on a completely normal hunt of the day. In reality, there was no way of the king to know that these birds where different from any other he hunted, and while sad was never malicious in his actions. Hunting itself isn't a crime, just that he was unlucky enough to choose far too important targets. Heaven actually does punish the king for UNKNOWINGLY killing birds that just so happen to be under Heaven's protection because the Peacock demanded justice for her disciples. She is right to do so but this does show actual favoritism to the animals over the humans in this rare case because they have a celestial's backing. He was forced to be sick for three years and have his own wife taken from him like how this couple was ripped apart. That is why Guanyin's steed the Jupiter's Rival kidnaps his wife as karma. So if anything this was a human facing punishment for harming heavenly animals.

Again I have never read anything about the Golden Winged Peng having nephews, so if you could send me a link or passage from the book or anything that would be great.

Edit: a friend has told me they are her children so the offspring is correct! A boy and a girl!

[hay1ock]

Sure just rip my heart out and stomp all over it. Only Friends Episode 10.

It only took 10 episodes but they’ve finally done it and made me feel sympathetic to Top’s situation lol. I’ve clearly gone through my character arc 😝, that or they just made me more annoyed at other characters involved in their part of the story than I am at Top. Boeing, I am looking at you. Mew, you are pushing it. But in all seriousness, I had said I was trying to look at Top more positively, as I have seen him change from Mr Smugface Top Tier to a Mew simp.

I get why Mew would be annoyed to find Boeing at Top’s place and how it maybe set things back in his mind after deciding to give Top a second chance. Boeing was happy to stir the pot and I’m not really sure what he’s hoping to achieve other than annoy me and Top, and probably Ray and Sand too based on the preview. Is it just revenge at being dumped? Does he want Top? Mew? Sand? Is he Boston 2.0 so if he can’t be happy then no one can? Him pushing up his glasses at the end of the scene in Top’s apartment gave me full on anime villain vibes lol.

And then there’s Mew. Omg accidentally liking one of Boeing’s insta posts💀Like I said I get Boeing’s appearance probably upset him all over again. But I had thought revenge era was kind of over after everything that happened with Ray. The talk at the hostel and pushing Top in the pool felt like things were settled about Mew giving him that second chance. But then suddenly inviting Boeing to the wakeboarding… Now, maybe he’s got some trick up his sleeve and is somehow playing Boeing in some way, or maybe he is testing Top, because trust is a hard thing to win back and there’s no way he would want to be taken for a fool all over again (Though from a viewer POV we have seen how Top interacts with Boeing and there’s nothing between them). I don’t know what he’s up to. Also, I feel like he let Boeing’s lips touch his for way too long lol. I just feel it ignited my sympathy for Top in wanting Mew to make a choice. Either commit to the two of them and give Top that chance properly with no games or tests, or let it go, call time on him and Top and find a (healthy) way to move on.

And so onto Boston and Nick. Boston certainly had a tough time while Nick was exploring things with Daddy Dan. I knew Atom was a little scary but to straight up lie and imply Boston took advantage of him… Ugh. I’m not Cheum’s biggest fan but I can’t blame her for believing her brother over Boston, especially considering the whole pursuing and manipulating Top thing that just happened recently. I didn’t like everything she said, and Mew seemed to enjoy the moment a bit too much with his little pat on Boston’s shoulder, but as Ray brought up, and Cheum later focussed on, regardless of anything else, Atom is her little brother. And though it really isn’t anyone’s business if they’re both consenting adults, it isn’t really the done thing to shag your bestie’s siblings. I know Boston tried to dissuade Atom a bit, but considering how strained the friendships already were, he probably should have took a hard pass on sleeping with Atom. Kicking him out the project too was a bit rough. It seemed as if Ray wasn’t quite down with everything that was happening, and I certainly felt bad for Boston. He did something shitty to Mew, but he doesn’t deserve this bullshit scenario Atom has created. But we’ll have to see where things go, if the truth comes out, or if Boston is left abandoned and without a way to graduate, and so goes with his back up plan of moving to New York.

Boston had already seemed to be having ‘feelings’ about Nick. First, looking at his picture and then last episode after seeing him with Dan. Whether it’s love or just fondness/familiarity, missing his company, after all he does say he missed him, it’ll be interesting to see where, if anywhere, he and Nick goes. I do at least feel as if he’s being genuine this time rather than dangling hope-shaped relationship carrots in front of Nick. Their scenes in the store and on the roof were really good and I did feel like I could get on board with them again. I mean, it’ll come down to if they can be honest with each other about what they really want their relationship to be as to whether anything between them is going to work. I don’t know if Boston can, wants to or even should change his sex life. Obviously, there were a couple of people he should have definitely not had sex with, but in general having multiple partners and enjoying sex isn’t anything bad or wrong. I don’t know what he can actually offer Nick in the end. I mean, their sex scene certainly showed a hell of a lot more care than anything we’d seen before. Hopefully, Boston can figure out what he wants and what degree of a relationship he is able to commit to. I would prefer him to be honest about what he can offer Nick, be it an attempt at being boyfriends or just their old agreement of friends with benefits, and then it’ll be down to Nick to make an informed decision. And whether he needs to have a little chat with Dan as to where exactly everybody stands.

And finally, Ray and Sand. Argh, it hurts. First punch to the gut - I just don’t want to sing at your funeral. Second punch - how fucking cute Ray and his donut was lol. I’m glad Ray didn’t force Sand to reveal himself to his father and gave him an out even if it was at the last moment. Who knows how the guy might have taken the news. Sand had been going to the bar on a number of occasions so deep down he probably does want to tell him, but it was right of Ray to not pressure him by making it a condition of him going to rehab in the end. Rehab/therapy, I’m glad Ray went that first time, even if he was doing it purely because Sand asked him to. I can understand his reluctance to talk at that point. He’s kept everything buried beneath alcohol for years. There’s that fear of if you start talking, be vulnerable for even a moment then everything will come tumbling out and you’ll have to face what you’ve been forcing down. The same goes for stopping drinking. Ray has numbed himself to his trauma for a long time, without alcohol there’s going to be a hell of a lot of feelings coming to the surface as well as withdrawal and shifts in mood.

I think Ray’s father having asked Sand for help in getting Ray into rehab had been the most likely end to that conversation from episode 7, and of course, Ray overheard them. I’d been so proud of him for putting the bottles of alcohol in the bin. If only he’d had a bigger bin he might not have gone downstairs maybe in search of garbage bags (also I’ll assume the maid would empty the bin and recycle those bottles lol). The scene at Sand’s place though. God damn, it was so good and hurt like a bitch. As soon as money was involved, Ray couldn’t believe Sand had ever cared for him. Threw back some of what Sand had said about ‘doing anything for money’, ‘liking jobs that pay big’. The way he broke down, feeling betrayed and used, and thinking all the times he’d been happy were nothing but lies. My heart. And of course Sand. He could have easily screamed and shouted right back and yet he did his best to treat Ray gently and calmly, despite being emotional. Ack, and the frustrated cry after he broke down once Ray left, the realisation that he was asking Ray to quit alcohol but could just as easily enable him by having alcohol in his home and him throwing that jar of plum wine. I wonder if we’ll see an on screen reconciliation or skip forward? There’s also Boeing to possibly cause more problems, though I want to say I have faith Sand wouldn’t go back there, though if it’s at a time when he and Ray aren’t back on good terms… I know Sand seems to have it out for Top, but I’d assume he wouldn’t be all that impressed with the ex that cheated either.

And then another impressive performance from Khaotung as Ray. I’m glad Ray’s father cleared things up, though the way he speaks to Ray at the start, honestly, I get why Ray wouldn’t want to listen and gets defensive. I wonder if he’s always spoken so harshly or if their communication broke down over time as Ray spiralled lower? Ray looked tired and done with everything after the situation with Sand was revealed and I’m kind of happy we see him going straight back to the therapist. If he wants a relationship with Sand, it’s in his best interests to start facing his demons. I’m sure Sand will do what he can to support him, but he needs to do it for himself not just because Sand told him to. This time he has attended rehab, yes still for Sand, but this time because he wants to, he chose to go, he chose to take the steps to stop hurting the person he loves. It’s a step on the road to recovery.

Being with me requires patience - as soon as he said that all I could think about were the comments from people who were so against Ray these last few episodes. His character indeed needs patience and understanding. Because of drink and drugs he’s not always in control of his actions, because of his past he doesn’t always behave appropriately or as you want him to. He’s emotional and he’s a mess. But he can also be adorable and kind and loving and make Sand smile. For those moments, Sand has put up with a lot. Like I said last episode, if Sand is strong enough and indeed has the patience, then I want for him to support Ray in getting better and continue to love him. Because yes, Ray deserves to be loved and happy.

Overall, this was a fantastic episode. I’m confused over Top and Mew, hopeful for Sand and Ray, and willing to support Boston and Nick in figuring out what they want to be to one another. I would like for the truth to come out about Atom, and for Boeing to get lost and just do one lol.

I’m really excited for the next episode. I can’t believe we’re so close to the end.

[cryingalexanders]

listen. bronze age lex luthor is different to the version we have now. he's kinda a villainous edition babygirl whose schemes always fail and rarely ever actually harm anyone, he killed a couple of people in cold blood in separate instances and did accidentally blow up a planet but was hardly the calculated mass murderer of post-crisis; he loves his sister and nephew and selflessly protects them; has such an intense personal obsession with superman that both other people berate him for it and he despairs over it himself; in general he's distant from and humiliated by other villains when he tries to dominate them (he's not the leader of a supervillain team, the LoD came from super friends); not to mention he doesn't really hanker for world domination, though this varies by writer; isn't really hated by other heroes like batman and supergirl; and he even has an eventual redemption curtesy of one long-running writer

also he and jimmy have a mutual disdain and he has no particular feelings about lois. there's this scene in an 80s comic where he turns up at her house to kill her to get revenge on superman yada yada and she tells him that she and superman broke up so lex just leaves. like that's so funny to me I'm sorry

he's a jerk and a murderer and has an ego and everything but honestly it's consistently entertaining and he has the chops to be a really beloved character if more people were aware of this version I feel. he's the blueprint for the inept, sympathetic but still dangerous villain!! and it makes me sad that people aren't aware because of how his character was handled in subsequent decades and adaptations

[tobiasdrake]

Alright. It's boss time.

I just want to say that I love the way the dais is constructed. A sun and moon overlapping each other, with a ring of shadow between.

Gotta say, I'm a little surprised by the direction Temenos is taking this confrontation. Kinda thought we had bigger fish to fry than "How dare you NON-BELIEVE!?"

"Stumbling". Madam, it was locked away in a secret library hidden behind a puzzle. He worked to find that book. You make it sound like you accidentally left it in the pooper and he was the next person to use it.

Kaldena's really not selling me here. It feels like she's cycling through Stock Villain Quotes for the sake of a confrontation. Especially with the whole "Join me, Temenos!" thing. In what possible universe would this character even think that was a possible way this encounter would end? Why would she even want it?

She's reminding me a lot of Trousseau. For all the attempts at depth and sympathetic traits they tried to give her in her backstory, she's little more than a card-carrying supervillain who wants to destroy the world just 'cause. The leap from "genocide victim" to "BURN THE HEAVENS AND EXTERMINATE ALL GODS AND MAN" is a pretty far jump to make.

I imagine she's also being possessed by the Shadow like he probably is. I'm sure we'll get to that in the endgame story. But this is still pretty underwhelming for the final answer to the big mystery plot. "Evil supervillain did it 'cause she's evil."

(Also, sorry about her face. She spent most of the fight Blinded which made all of her rants about "The Shadow will be mine!" contextually hilarious.)

Really? Why? What did they do? So far as we know, this was all orchestrated by Kaldena and Vados. Ort even confronted her like, "Ma'am, all due respect, what the fuck are you smoking and why did you kill my bruh?" They made it pretty clear that Kaldena herself was the problem here.

Like. The Sacred Guard has done some shit. The whole heretic witch-hunt in Snowhail and all that. But that's not what Temenos is on about.

[olderthannetfic]

The Anon talking about her experience being a gore-loving child really resonated with me.

Imagine if you will a curly headed girl around 6/7 years old playing with a tiny kitten. Antis would happily put her on the front of their “protect the children” pamphlets. And yet wrapping my hand around the kitten’s neck and realizing I could kill him and the jolt of adrenaline and power I felt is my first and most vivid memory. I was also aware enough to realize that I liked my kitten, and killing him would have meant giving up my favorite playmate so the kitten lived to be cuddled another day and I never hurt him or another animal. Still, when my mother accidentally killed my goldfish I happily suggested we should eat him since he was dead anyway. I’ve horrified a few children and parents (not my own luckily) before learning to keep some things to myself. It took me years to realize that expressing sympathy and feeling sympathy were not the same thing and a lot of people actually *felt* bad when other people suffered. It’s still such an alien notion to me, about the best I can manage is second hand embarrassment.

I keep wondering how many of these pure delicate children Antis claim to want to protect are like me and some of your other Anons, and how they would cope with a world that recoils in horror from their thoughts without dark media, anti-heroes, sympathetic villains and the freeing, reassuring feeling of not being alone. Without the connections with other like minded fans, kinksters and oddballs that find refuge and community on the internet. Hearing over and over that just having those thoughts is enough to make them terrible persons - from people who actually enjoy hurting others as long as they can tell themselves their the good guys. As someone who does not have knee-jerk disgust or horror reactions to any of the usual suspects from irl torture to pedophilia my morals are necessarily rooted in reason not emotions, and yet I never hurt anyone and I wager there’s plenty of people like me going around the world living their life peacefully. We’re doing a lot better than Antis in the being decent people department I’d say.

--

There's many an art piece about what happens if you prematurely paint people as monsters. Thoroughbreds springs to mind.

[viceroywrites]

reunions and opportunities - chapter three

gary x fem!reader

both of you didn't get the ideal high school experience it would make sense that you both would be dreading the reunion.

little did you know how many doors would open after that.

ao3 version here - chapters on tumblr are slightly rewritten and restructured.

content warning: fic contains smut in later chapters. discussions of mental health including trauma and potential ptsd (aka gary is traumatized).

chapter 3

A few weeks had passed since your and Gary’s first meeting and the pace of life had changed drastically for the both of you since then. 

You had gotten comfortable in your position as Sheila’s right hand woman, joining her on meetings on Meteor Majeure, helping her with reconnaissance and compiling information about the Blue Morpho. Most of your days were spent with her while evenings were dedicated to meticulously going through surveillance tapes that Wide Wale handed off to you, noting every move each Venture family member made. 

Little did you know, your newly harbored crush was gallivanting around with the Blue Morpho, dressed up as Kano. Gary had been undergoing night after night of stressful encounters, accidentally taking out Harangeutan, barely avoiding being caught by Dr. Mrs the Monarch and almost losing his leader turned best friend to an explosion when they eliminated the Doom Factory. All the while, he’s been feeding you fake stories of what his days have been like, listing off mundane things like attending meetings, and working on projects with vague descriptions.

There was comfort in your late night talks and text exchanges - you quickly found out you had more in common than just a love of comics, geeking out with one another about the latest Game of Thrones episode or sending each other memes. Friendly banter had definitely morphed into playful flirting and you had even started sending each other selfies, both of you being extra careful to hide anything that would indicate your life in the Guild. 

Following the elimination of the Doom Factory, The Council of 13 was currently convening on Meteor Majeure to discuss narrowing their sights on Dr. Venture. Most of the time during these meetings, you stayed silent and took down notes for your husky voiced boss, still learning the ropes and getting used to working with other villains outside of Wide Wale. 

The task force chosen from the Council of 13 to tackle the Blue Morpho problem was officially dubbed the 5.5. Your eyebrows rose inquisitively at the name and Dr. Mrs. the Monarch simply sighed, “The point five account for Watch and Ward… they’re technically not Council members.” She gestured over to the two Guild Agents who were sitting at a kiddy table in the corner.

Quite confused since you normally sat next to Sheila during these meetings, you began heading over to the kiddy table, “I guess I’ll join them since I’m not either.” The dark haired villainess grabbed your hand, “You really don’t have to-“ You shook your head and offered a smile, “It’s alright, Councilwoman. It’s only fair to them.”

You took a seat next to Watch and Ward, quickly watching the scene turn from civility to chaos before you as the Council members argued back and forth with each other while Ward desperately tried to get their attention about having old Guild records. Nudging Watch who stayed silent throughout the debacle, you muttered, “Are they always like this?” Watch sighed, “More times than not… welcome to the Guild.”

Your expression changed from disbelief to disgust as Dr. Z began to detail his sexual acts he did with a disguised Blue Morpho. Your boss saw this and gave you a sympathetic look, pinching the bridge of her nose as she listened as well. As he wrapped up his spiel, you cleared your throat. All eyes snapped towards you.

“If I may… I’ve been doing some intelligence work with Dr. Mrs. the Monarch. Given the surveillance footage we received generously from Wide Wale, Venture’s reluctance to cooperate with the Guild, and now this new information about Blue Morpho’s linkage to Dr. Jonas Venture, Dr. Venture seems like the best candidate.” You opened up a folder you had, standing up and sliding the document over to Phantom Limb who perused it with an impressed look before passing it along to the other Council members.

“However, it still strikes me as strange how Dr. Venture can go from wimpy scientist by day to ruthless vigilante by night who can take out our rank 10 villains easily. I’ve ruled out any involvement of his bodyguard, Brock Samson, due to the fact that he has spent numerous nights with a tenant who lives in a property owned by Wide Wale during the nights the Blue Morpho has struck. Which proves the theory that Brock is disguised as Kano false.” You slid over another file, which contained surveillance tapes screenshots of Brock entering the condominium complex with time stamps.

“I’m not saying we rule out Dr. Venture… In fact, I want to keep even a closer eye on him, as the Blue Morpho seems to keep getting more and more dangerous every day. I mean for Christ’s sake, he took out an entire team of 10 super-villains in one big massive explosion. I just feel that we can’t completely ignore other suspects and only focus on Venture.” You looked around the room to see all of the Council members gaping at the evidence and back at you, aside from Dr. Mrs. the Monarch who had a proud look on her face, quite impressed.

She had only told you to focus on evidence that would point to Dr. Venture being the main culprit, but you did bring up some good points about not narrowing the search. 

“I must say, young woman… you’ve done an excellent job compiling all this information; Let’s adjourn the meeting for today. We shall meet again in the next couple of days to go over possible other suspects. [Your Name], I want you to tail Dr. Venture tomorrow. We must account for every single hour. Leave nothing untouched.” Dr. Z adjourned the meeting with his final remark and the rest of the council members dispersed. 

Phantom Limb lingered briefly before walking over to you. “I’m quite impressed, my dear. Maybe you could use that bright young mind under me once this whole mess is over with and the Guild is restored to its former glory.” You felt a protective hand on your shoulder, looking back to see your raven-haired boss. Her expression was less than pleased to see Phantom Limb trying to swoop in and take away her potential apprentice. “For now, she is under my training, Hamilton. Once she’s been shown the ropes, it is up to her to decide whom she wants to hench for... if she even wants to hench.” 

The purple clad villain smirked, “Now, now, Sheila, watch your temper.” His gaze turned to you, “Just keep in mind… you would be number two in my ranks. Under her and the Monarch, you’d be a measly… what… 22?” Dr. Mrs. the Monarch’s eyes narrowed and she grabbed your wrist, pulling you out with her.

“The nerve of that insufferable asshole…” The usually levelheaded woman cursed under her breath, removing her black gloves and twisting them in her hand. She had been a victim to Phantom Limb coaxing her and making empty promises of training her and claiming to make her his number two as Queen Etherea when he merely treated her like a prized object. It made her blood boil. He was trying to pull the same stunt on her own freaking apprentice. 

You gently touched her shoulder and grinned, “If you think you’re going lose me to that prick, you’re wrong, Councilwoman. I’ll take the rank of 22 over number two-ing with him any day.” You sighed a breath of relief as your boss chuckled softly and gave you a thankful smile. 

“I appreciate it, [Your Name]. You’ve been such a hard-worker but also a sweetheart. You’re probably the only one keeping me sane with this whole Blue Morpho mess.” She was suddenly cut off by her circular compact phone buzzing, “Hello? Oh, hi sweetie, how are you doing? The vestibule is completely finished? Oh that’s wonderful, I’ll be home soon. Love you too. Bye.” 

She closed the compact and looked towards you, “Duty calls. The life of being married to another villain, your work never stops even at home. Take the night off, we’ll discuss how we go about bugging the Venture building tomorrow.” Dr. Mrs. the Monarch gave you a quick hug, which surprised you, not used to receiving affection from her.

She chuckled at your expression, “Get used to it, sweetie. If you’re joining me and the Monarch, you’re basically a part of our family. Also call me Sheila from now, Dr. Mrs. the Monarch and Councilwoman is way too formal.” 

--

Gary sat alone in the Blue Morpho headquarters, reclining in the chair in front of the obsolete control panel. He covered his eyes, trying to take deep breaths to slow down his heartbeat.

In the realm of arching and villainy, henchmen were second-class citizens, disposable and replaceable. There was no such thing as therapy or mental health care; you were expected to wake up, execute orders from your leader, go through grueling combat, kill and not bat an eyelash, and sleep. Rinse and repeat, day after day.

However, this constant killing had been taking a toll on the henchman. Just when he had finally stopped having hallucinations of his only friend who had been dead for two years now, he was having nightmares and thoughts about killing Haranguetan and countless other villains.

Arching was essentially all one elaborate act; sharpening claws, making threats, reconnaissance work, and infiltration. Yeah, he knew he was a henchman and it was basically his job to take out enemies. But these weren’t just mindless henchmen or drones – these were top ranking villains. Gary knew how taboo it was to even kill your archenemy for heaven’s sake but to kill off those under the Guild was basically a one-way ticket to hell.

His face contorted in pain, his thoughts replaying how easily he snapped Haranguetan’s neck and watched him fall into that whale-sized pit. No matter how he tried to detach himself from those thoughts or distract himself, every single time the Monarch made him put on that Kano costume, it all came flooding back to him.

His phone rang loudly, causing Gary to flinch back and fall to the ground, scrambling backwards. He cursed to himself, breaking a sweat over a damn phone call. Ever since this whole Blue Morpho situation started, he felt like he had a walking target on his back, paranoid and hyper vigilant almost every single day. 

“Hello?” His groggy voice choked out over the phone, his heart still racing. 

“Hey, did I just wake you up from a nap, sleepy head?” You teased over the phone, back at your apartment, changing out of your Guild uniform.

Gary’s tense shoulders relaxed as he heard your soothing voice. The only thing that managed to keep him stable was talking to you and hearing your voice. You two had been so busy lately; when you had work, he was free but once you got off, he had to play dress-up with the Monarch and kill off some other villain. But you still made time for each other, calling and sending each other voice messages.

You two weren’t even together, he had to remind himself. But you two constantly checked up on each other, made each other laugh, nerded out about your shared interests. He was okay with not putting a label on it at this point; you made each other happy and he wanted to avoid the ‘hey-I’m-a-henchman’ conversation as long as he could.

“No, no… just caught me off guard. Don’t you still have a few hours left at work?” He chuckled softly, checking the time. “Boss let me go early surprisingly… Are you doing anything tonight?” You asked, slipping into an oversized t-shirt for now as you lay in bed. 

Gary contemplated for a bit. The Monarch was still plotting his next move and gave him the night off. He had to take advantage of this opportunity while he could, “No, want to explore the city together, m’lady?” He teased, using the nickname he gave you the night you met. You giggled and grinned, “I would love to. Should I pick you up?” 

He froze a bit, knowing the Monarch and Dr. Mrs. the Monarch would be home tonight. “Ummm, no, I can just take the train and meet you at Central Park. Sounds good?”

You blinked, wondering why he paused and sounded so tense, “Yeah, definitely. See you in an hour!” You hung up, grinning to yourself. 

You both needed a break from all this Blue Morpho nonsense and being in each other’s company was the best thing to distract you two.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Honestly given just how many episodes are focusing on Chloe I'm guessing it's just ta not realizing that he's making other characters look bad while trying to make Chloe look worse

Yeah it's.

Honestly even if you take him at his word that Chloé was never supposed to get a redemption arc just a damnation arc it's.

"Hey. We accidentally made our asshole character sympathetic by showing her abusive family origins and making her try to be a Hero and stand up to the villain. Uh.... let's. Let's just make our main character say she's an evil bitch who doesn't deserve any love."

[beevean]

This comes from a place of Drac being my fave character, lol. The fun thing is the player is not supposed to agree with Mathias, it's framed as he being selfish and frankly, full of shit. Leon calls him on his bluff. He's not convincing anyone and Mathias is transparently aware of it, the voice acting does a good job of communicating it. Leon is obviously portrayed to be on the right. It's not ambiguous at all.

Mathias is only convincing if you're Ellis and write edgy atheist reddit ass shit, I guess.

NFCV wants to be deep and nuanced and morally grey, but in reality it's only cynical and mean and accidentally justifies heinous crimes by ironically flattening cruel villains into sad 🥺 beans.

I resent how the show is praised for "turning Dracula into a tridimensional antagonist". My dude and my pal, Dracula waging war on mankind out of deep-seated grief for Lisa was not something Adi Shankar came up with: it was taken from SoTN, in 1997. It ain't new. What the show did was giving more moments of vulnerability with Dracula - which again, on paper, it's awesome! But it went too far in the opposite direction. Dracula in S2 is a broken man unworthy of respect, who lets Carmilla walk over him, who is all :( that Hector won't be friends with him, who only wants to kill himself awww don't you feel bad for him already.

NFCV has this very funny trick. For example, it's very noticeable that Lenore stops showing sexual attraction to Hector in S4, because she's meant to be cute and sympathetic and good deep down, and having her hitting on the guy who is constrained by the cursed ring she put on him would make her look bad (and incidentally, now she looks like she only has sexual interest in people who are 100% weak, vulnerable and depending on her. mhh 🤔). Isaac talks a lot, and I mean a lot, in S4 about himself and his growth and his agency and how huge his meat is, but he never mentions his unjustified killing spree done because he was on a power trip, because that would make his lack of remorse look bad. And in a similar vein, S2 doesn't show one single time the results of Hector and Isaac sending Night Creatures on towns like S1 did. Because that would make Dracula look bad :) that would remind us that he's killing innocents :) that the issue is not just that his plan will eventually lead to the starvation of vampires and an empty world: he is, right now, decimating people who do not deserve his wrath.

Because then we would be less sad when he cries that he's killing his boy, you know?

And, of course, we're still debating whether Lisa knew what her hubby was up to during her death. He sure doesn't mention it :) because their reunion would be less cute if we remembered that my man went against her wishes and nearly killed their son :) convenient :)

The games are not cowards. They give you villains with sympathetic motives and go "cool motive, still murder". I feel bad for Dracula who has to live centuries with the grief of losing his beloved ones, but he's still a dangerous monster to be stopped. I feel bad for Isaac who lost everything he held dear and got his brain scrambled by the Curse of his own master (and I honestly love how PtR frames Hector as Isaac's villain), but he's still a bastard who killed an innocent woman out of petty revenge and delighted in Hector's pain and humiliation. I feel bad for Brauner who lost his mind because he lost his daughters in the world, but that didn't give him the right to steal two other girls and vampirize them to play pretend.

You are allowed to recognize their understandable motives without the narrative going all "aren't they so traaaaaaagic 🥺🥺🥺 ignore their war crimes pls 🥺"