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#AND ALSO??? RUIN ITSELF WAS SO GOOD I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT
batpersik-art · 9 months
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how are we feeling fronnie nation
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jytan2018 · 10 months
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I read the comic in one sitting less than an hour after finishing the movie, and wow I have many Thoughts™.
- It's very obvious the two versions were meant to cater to different audiences AND tell different messages. I don't get why people are going "But the comic was better! It had more nuance!" just because Nimona was easier to root for in the movie.
- The comic was written back when ND Stevenson was still trying to process a lot of stuff, so all the characters are morally grey/straight up evil and the climactic battle is between a Ballister who regrets turning against Nimona, even if it was to save others vs. a Nimona who's too hurt to care if her lashing out was going to hurt innocent people.
- By the time Nimona got a movie adaptation, ND was a lot more secure in his sexuality, so the climactic battle was Nimona vs. the Director, the symbol of religious oppression and bigotry. It's not just about your friends turning on you because you're "too much" for them anymore, it's also about a society that would rather bring itself to the brink of ruin than coexist with you.
- (I totally get why people were upset about Ballister's surname change, though. Like come on, the media dubbing him Blackheart just to be mean was RIGHT THERE).
- Nimona's metaphor for not shifting is such a neurodivergent thing. Even in the comic, Nimona's parents insisting she's a monster who replaced their daughter is reminiscent of the changeling myth, which is what many parents thought their neurodivergent kids were—changelings who replaced their "real" children.
- Ambrosius being trained to cut off HIS BOYFRIEND'S WHOLE FUCKING ARM instead of merely disarming him is a very cop thing to do. As much as cops claim they're trained to de-escalate situations, their training still teaches them to treat everyone as a potential threat, and that level of constant vigilance can turn anyone into a trigger-happy/arm-choppy bastard. Even the Director, who can use a sword but probably hasn't actually fought someone in ages, STILL can't see Ballister reaching for the squire's phone without assuming he has a weapon.
- And on that note, the Queen getting killed simply because she was trying to reform the Institution and allow commoners to become knights? That's the best "no such thing as a good cop" metaphor I've seen. Because even if there ARE good cops and they ARE in leadership positions, the system will crush them before they make any meaningful change. It's not a good institution that turned rotten, it's an institution that only exists to spread its rot and refuses to be good.
- That's why Ballister's characterisation is so different in the movie vs. the comic. Comic Ballister had 15 years to come to terms with his trauma and the Institution's evildoing, while Movie Ballister is still freshly traumatised and hasn't found a way to define himself beyond the role he was assigned by the Institution.
- Not to mention Comic Ambrosius was not very noble to begin with and genuinely believed Ballister was better suited to villainy than heroism, while Movie Ambrosius never wanted the glory that came with his lineage in the first place and only antagonised Ballister because of indoctrination he needed to unlearn (which he did, all by himself, after witnessing the lengths the Director will go to just to kill Nimona).
- It really shows how important it is to surround yourself with loved ones who are open to change. Comic Ambrosius can love Ballister all he wants, but he'll still blast his arm off because he thinks Ballister deserved it anyway. Movie Ambrosius will stop to question what "the right thing" even means, even if he didn't love Ballister enough to defend him unconditionally.
I have so many more thoughts bubbling beneath the surface, but I'll probably address them some other day. In conclusion:
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[ID: A pink-haired Nimona grinning evilly while holding up a knife.]
Watch Nimona. This is not a request.
Edit: Added more thoughts!
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silkscream · 4 months
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blessing
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ੈ✩ yuuta okkotsu x reader
ੈ✩ cw: smut (minors dni, ageless + blank blogs will be blocked), unprotected sex, soft dom!yuuta, dacryphilia, oral sex, overstimulation, delayed orgasms, he's a little mean, slight yandere vibes because. it's yuuta.
ੈ✩ wc: 1.1k
ੈ✩ a/n: i'm on my soft dom!yuuta agenda. i also can't write him without feeling fucking insane
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yuuta okkotsu is a gentleman. he holds the door open for you, gives you his jacket when you’re cold, has your ramen order memorized. everything about him is gossamer-soft, too. the cadence of his speech, the lithe way he moves, even though his lankiness has been replaced with lean muscle since you first met him.
yuuta okkotsu is gentle. just not when he fucks you.
it’s ironic, though, because his tone is still gentle. the rasp of his voice is low, quietly masculine, haunting, but still full of adoration. it’s alluring more than anything. he reminds you of the vampires you used to lust over from your childhood fantasy books. dark hair, dark eyes.
the essence of him is unfathomable to you — you can’t find the word for it, but it’s something akin to eve’s apple. how tempting he is, how much you’d let him ruin you, bruise the fruit of your flesh with his teeth.
he tells you to open your mouth. at the moment, he’s in between your legs, mouth slick with your cum, and he reaches to set his fingers onto your tongue. a small push and you choke on the taste of yourself.
it’s dirty. but when it’s yuuta, it purifies you. makes you his angel. you believe him like a god when he tells you as such.
“so sweet, don’t you think?” he murmurs. “my sweet girl. the best girl, yeah?”
“yes,” you cry.
he’s coaxed at least three orgasms from you in the past hour with his mouth and fingers alone. with bliss also comes pain, and the way he coos your name and calls you his good fucking girl feels like a divine reward in itself. he licks your tears, pride swelling in his chest.
“how about another for me, huh, baby?” he bites into the meat of your thigh as he circles your clit with his fingertip again, chuckling at the way you shake.
“i—i can’t."
“can’t?” yuuta raises a brow. he looks beautiful in between your legs. there’s something oddly terrifying about it despite how beautiful. “i know you can. i know you will.”
“yuuta, please—”
“you’ve done it before, haven’t you? usually take whatever i give you, every fucking time, right?”
“s’too much,” you sob.
he tuts. rounds his full lips into a taunting pout.
“want my cock, then, don’t you? poor girl, you should’ve just asked.”
(you couldn’t have. you know better.)
“please, please—”
you don’t even get to finish begging before he’s buried inside you. pushed to the hilt, his tip kissing your cervix with bruising force. he wipes away your tears as if he isn’t the cause of them.
“too rough?”
“n-no.”
but it hurts. it hurts in the way it feels too good, too sensitive after the amount he’s made you cum. he hasn’t even been inside you for a full minute and you already feel the ache in your abdomen ready to burst into flames.
the sweet nothings he whispers into your temple are loving and affectionate, but the way he rolls his hips into you is mean. he has his hand snake up to squeeze your breast, nicking your nipple with the grit of his teeth just so he can hear you mewl like a wounded kitten. it’s one of his favorite sounds.
his palm settles on your neck after, gentle still despite his other hand nearly bruising the fat above your hip.
he knows you’re close from the way your eyes blank out, glazed over in bliss as he tightens his hand around your throat.
“close, baby, i’m—”
and then the bastard stops. chuckles against your jaw at the way you cry as he thrusts into you so agonizingly slow. unsteady. taunting.
“yuuta!”
“’m sorry baby, did you wanna cum? i just thought you wanted me to hold out for longer. it’s nice like this, see?”
“fuck, yuu—”
“that’s not very nice,” he grins. he ruts into you extra hard, just once.
“that’s not what i meant,” you whine.
“wanna cum? just ask.”
you know you can’t just ask. you know he means he wants you to beg.
“pleasemakemecum, please, please!”
“yeah, why should i?”
“’cause ‘m your girl,” you slur. he loves you like this. wet mouth all slack, cheeks flushed like a nymph in a baroque painting.
he pulls out, then, drawing out another moan from you, just to flip you over onto your stomach. your hair is bunched up into his fist while his teeth are on your shoulder. when you feel him again, your walls full of him, you feel even dizzier than before.
“yeah, my good fucking girl,” he groans against your skin. “so good. so sweet to me.”
yuuta has never been an apostle of hedonism. he’s always reserved himself, the parts of him that wanted, thinking that his love and devotion would only curse other people.
when you came along and loved him so irrevocably, he felt reborn. drunk on pleasure. being with you makes him realize that it’s okay to take. he deserves it, doesn’t he, after everything?
you have him on a leash and you don’t even know. it’s why he likes to play with you so cruelly like this — to have his cake and eat it, too. because the way he controls you in the oasis of your bedroom, the way he marks you up and swallows you down like honey — it’s what you want as much as him. and he’d rather die than not give you everything you want. even if he’s a little mean.
if he was a curse of a boy, you were his blessing.
“yuuta, i’m gonna cum,” you gasp. as you clutch the bedsheets, he covers your hand with his, engulfing it, entangling your fingers together. “cum with me, please—”
he wants to open his mouth to speak, anything to push you over the edge, but he’s as breathless as you are. consumed in your skin, in your cunt. he pulls your face toward his, instead, swallowing down your moans as he spills inside of you. you convulse, your orgasm like a lightning strike.
yuuta laughs softly against your mouth and soothes the bruised parts of you with his palms gently.
“you were so mean today,” you sigh.
“i’m sorry, baby,” he says, nuzzling your neck. “had a bad day, but i feel much better now. let me run you a bath, okay?”
you hum dreamily as your lover leaves you. the fuzz in your head satiates you. empty-minded except for him. and when he has you in warm water, hands washing your wet hair, yuuta feels blessed. baptized in tenderness.
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a-hazbin-reader · 3 months
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Oooo Vox! How about Vox with a unnaturally unlucky SO? And it's always been like that and how they died as well!
(Also calling Vox their lucky charm and how he's the most luck they ever had and needed)
Man Y/N really is unlucky landing Vox as a S/O-
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I'M JOKING I LOVE THIS
Vox X Reader Headcanons
✅️Romantic
❌️Platonic
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TW: Second hand embarrassment for Y/N, Valentino being harmed
Description: ☝️⬆️
Not Y/N accidentally getting placed in Hell because of some unlucky mix up-
When you first told Vox you were unlucky, he didn't really believe you and just thought you were being dramatic
And sure you've had a few bad luck incidents that he's seen but nothing that really stands out to him
It's not until he's in a relationship with you that he realizes you weren't fucking joking around when you said it
You really are unlucky
In just a day you've somehow managed to trip and ruin one of Velvette's outfits and completely disfigure her model
You caught Valentino's wings on fire while trying to make a sandwich and when you went to put it out you made it worse by throwing oil on him
Good
You broke four of Vox's cameras, five of his stage lights and broke his chair all while he was live
And all that doesn't even begin to cover the mayhem you caused just last week
Somehow you keep running into Alastor and that's a whole headache in itself
You stress him out so much that if he had hair it would be white and falling out of his head
But Vox will be damned if you aren't just the most precious thing in his life, you're too adorable to get rid of
No matter how much trouble you are to keep
You're so fucking adorable Vox isn't letting you go
Whenever he starts to feel himself getting irritated with you, he just looks at your apologetic face and melts
"Sorry Vox...I guess I just need to stick closer to my lucky charm next time, huh?"
Fuck he loves you
"Just-get over here and hold still!"
Keeps you in his lap because it's the only way to keep you from causing trouble with your horrible bad luck
Not at all because he loves having you close and because his heart skips a few beats when you lean into him or because you smell so perfect-
"Vox? Your screen is all hot and glitchy...are you alright?"
He's fine, babe
Honestly can't get enough of you and genuinely believes he can keep your unlucky nature at bay if he keeps you with him at all times
You managed to trip and toss a dozen fragile, expensive things into the air???
Don't worry, Vox is scrambling to catch them all in a hilariously cartoonish manner
You got lost and now Alastor is contacting him and telling Vox to come get his curse out of Alastor's hotel??
Vox will be there and won't even start a fight, the hotel has been beaten up enough by you and your bad luck as it is
He's kinda proud of you for that one tho
He can't even be mad, it's so obvious that some supernatural force is out to get you
There's no way you're just naturally this unlucky
And he can't just dump you, no matter what Valentino says, fuck him
If he dumps you then you'll be at the mercy of your unluck and nobody will be around to save you
And Vox wants to be the one who saves you, he wants you to depend on him more than anything else
Whenever he sees the grateful look on your face after he bails you out of trouble he's reminded of how much he loves you all over again
Can't resist the urge to take you into his arms and rub his face screen on you, no he won't put you down
With him around to clean up your messes, maybe he really is your good luck charm
Vox really starts to believe it
But then your bad luck strikes again and his migraine is back
Good luck charm his ass
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I REALLY REALLY HOPE YOU LIKE THIS ONE 💗
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thekatebridgerton · 5 months
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More humorous takes about the Bridgerton brothers that make me laugh is that I cannot stress enough, how much I love their 'unhinged for wife' energy. Because it's just so funny
Anthony, like, you can see it, he's not even trying to hide it, he can and will be a meanie to his nemesis Kate who he also happens to love more than life itself, and to everyone if they don't fall in line. that's his whole mojo. People meet him and know at first glance that Anthony Bridgerton will not hesitate to use a gun if the occasion calls for it, because he outright intimidates people into submission. So good luck trying to mess with him or with his wife. He will end you. Have you seen him play against his wife in Pall Mall. He loves her, but he will not lose to this woman! She will one day respect him!. He's the boss of the house dammit (he's not, it's Kate, but she lets him think he is)
Colin is my favorite. because he looks nice and he looks friendly, and he would totally sink to the deepest of the low to have Penelope the moment he kissed her. This man is absolutely as unhinged as Anthony possibly more so, and he hides it so well, that everyone thinks he's the most charming brother. In fact the only person who knows how crazy Colin really is, has to be Penelope. Colin can talk his way out of anything (even a murder sentence. Do you ever wonder why nobody has ever sued Penelope for defamation? Because I sure don't), he's a people person. It's maddening, I want to convince people that Colin is the worst of the worst, and people are still like 'but he looks like such a harmless guy, just look at him eat that eclair' yeah! I know! that's how he got to Penelope! he was all cute, pretending to be nice and by the time she discovered he was the devil in disguise, he already had blackmail material on her!!. Men like Colin scare me, because I know he's bats*t but I just can't prove it.
Benedict and Gregory are just the same version of unhinged, just in a different font. Because they actually believed themselves to be the sane ones and then they met their true loves and you see that sanity? it went out the window.
Benedict used to think he was such a gentleman, who respected ladies and would never dishonor one, and guess what kind of obsessive idiot he turned into the moment Sophie said 'no' to his seduction tactics, be my mistress this, be my mistress that, Sophie ( and I) just knows Benedict's thought process alone should be landing him in jail instead of her, but he gets away with it, because apparently annoying her to death doesn't actually count as a crime. And the thing is, that she's the only one who triggers the crazy in Benedict, he's perfectly sane with everyone else, but it's her and only her who has him going all naked swimming in the lake, and obsessive paintings of her face plastered on all his sketchbooks (and his home, actually I'm pretty sure Benedict has a secret Lady in Silver shrine somewhere in My Cottage, that he took down before Sophie could find out about it) , not to mention his whole 'F society if I can't f Sophie' love at first sight excuse that somehow everyone swallows without questioning how crazy Benedict actually is.
And then he had to go teach that to Gregory! And Gregory was such a sweetheart, I actually thought he was going to make it to half of his book without going unhinged and then Lucy tells him the name of her fiancee and he goes ' wait, I know the guy, he's super gay, I can't let you marry him... ' my brother in the force what is your problem! Leave the girl alone. She's your friend, stop stalking her, she's got her own problems to deal with!! Lucy did nothing to deserve how Gregory randomly went from nice guy she was super supportive of in the courtship of her best friend, to kinda obsessive dude who won't leave her alone and wants to ruin her arranged marriage (let's ignore that said arranged marriage needed to be ruined and it might as well be by him). Guy was a green flag for Hermione but the moment he began fixating on Lucy, homegirl kinda saw the light and was like ' he's crazy, yup, totally mad.. about me sure, but this guy... He's never been told no in his life and it shows, it shows for miles'
And I just laugh so hard because people look at Anthony's fed up face and somehow think that he's the worst to fear in in the Bridgerton family. But nobody knows just how crazy his brothers are, except their wives. At this point Anthony's resting B face has to be some sort of defense mechanism because he had to grow up with Benedict and Colin while trying to raise Gregory. He may look intimidating but he's actually a reasonable man if you think about it. But his brothers, those three are just hiding their unhinged for wife energy a lot better. And you just don't want to know what kinda chaotic crazy thing they're capable of doing if they think it would impress Penelope, Sophie and Lucy
And that's the tea.
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shuttershocky · 1 month
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Consider, Barret.
I'm always considering Barret!
He's my favorite FF7 character and his design in Remake is outstanding.
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Parts of Barret didn't age too well (his original character concept is "big and scary man" and he's the only major black character so uhhhhh) but I love that he's an unapologetic revolutionary and a genuinely charismatic leader that cares for the people under him as much as for his cause, whether or not they're even his responsibility.
One of the more endearing parts of the Remake is all the ways that Barret still cares for Cloud despite Cloud only being a hired merc instead of being a true believer in Avalanche; he gets worried when Cloud doesn't make it back immediately after they bomb Mako Reactor 1, and when they bomb Mako Reactor 5 and Barret thinks Cloud is about to fall to his death, Barret immediately says "Listen merc, I was wrong about you!" because he won't let anyone under his command die without him doing everything he could, even if all he can do is tell them they made him proud. He even offers to to stay behind and help Cloud battle Rufus Shinra, expecting Rufus to cheat (he does) and not wanting Cloud to sacrifice himself just to buy the party time to escape when that should be his responsibility as Avalanche leader.
He's even a loving father that spoils his daughter Marlene, but instead of making that detail something that contrasts his hardass personality, it's because he has a child that he's a hardcore eco-terrorist—his child's future is on the line.
I love that he's obviously the most well-read party member, quoting books about planetology and social justice in between all of his other lines being a Mr. T caricature. When the likes of Tifa grow uncomfortable with Avalanche's mission because of the ordinary people whose lives they disrupt too, he's always there to steady her and remind them all that their fight is literally for the planet's life; most Shinra employees are ordinary people just trying to do their best for their families, but Shinra itself is slowly destroying the planet and will kill them all, this fight must be done for everyone's sakes. A good man that serves an evil master must recognize his complicity before he can redeem himself.
One of the coolest things the Yuffie DLC does is expand more on Avalanche as a resistance group with different factions, with the main faction receiving support from Wutai. Barret's group is called "the splinter cell" because the other Avalanche factions don't want to associate with them since they think bombing the Mako reactors goes too far. The rest of Avalanche don't want to destroy Shinra entirely and ruin the lives of many people in the process, they want to force it into reforms.
Sonon and Yuffie end up chatting about this and Sonon says "The problem is, Avalanche is made of good people. They're soft. They want things like better work conditions, fair elections, equality for the undercity members. They can't do what needs to be done, and will eventually be against us. If you ask me, those guys in the splinter cell are who we should be supporting." Sonon is speaking as a Wutai agent out to destabilize Midgar in vengeance for Midgar burning Wutai to the ground back in the war, but it also really highlights how Barret is the only real force for change inside Avalanche, if all the other Avalanche factions are getting support from other countries and doing nothing while Barret is waging a full on war and earning victories against Shinra with only a gun, a girl that can punch good, and a twink with a big sword.
Also gameplay-wise Barret carries this fucking team on his back. Steelskin and his huge healthpool make Barret a tank (very important when many enemies can decide to give you the finger and wipe the entire team), and Lifesaver allows Barret to take damage meant for his teammates, which is critical for surviving many tough fights, but also makes gimmick/joke builds like Nailbat Cloud viable where you want to keep him on 25% health to have that crit chance and damage boost, but can't let him get slapped once or he dies.
That's on top of Barret's skills being your best ranged options in Remake that isn't spending MP (Aerith can do way more damage with spells but also dies to a sneeze without spending materia slots on HP Up), which is also highly important as half the enemies are flying around and Cloud can barely air attack until Rebirth reworked him. There's also bossfight gimmicks like The Arsenal's guns being interrupted by Focus Shot (you normally need Thundaga to stop it and Hard mode doesn't let you use items, making MP conservation really important) Maximum Fury being amazing at building stagger on bosses from the sheer hitcount and being very satisfying to use, and Barret's incredible Deadly Dodge allowing you to cheese the super annoying Brainpod fight because he swings his gun and hits all the Brainpods at once.
Finally, it's really funny how the Remake added in a big cosmic fate force called the Whispers that have the ability to raise the dead and cause or prevent disasters as fate demands it only for them to be destroyed by Barret and Red XIII shooting it repeatedly. Capital D Destiny, a fundamental force of the multiverse, was slain by the power of a guy with a gun and a weird dog.
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cthulhusstepmom · 6 months
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It's all in the eyes.
When Kremy had first started working his way through casinos he'd been practically unstoppable. Starting with short trips, dipping his toes in so to speak; Staying just long enough to win a hand before cashing out and making a break for it(he'd learned the hard way about that special breed of thug that likes to beat up kids with a little cash). Slowly, one hand turned into two turned into three and four. Soon enough he would be playing tables for hours, bouncing between games with a smile and a wink.
Problem being there's only so many casinos around Agwé. Mobility wise he was also somewhat limited, unless he felt like swimming or ducking through the swamp, but he only had the one good shirt, can't afford to ruin it or they won't let him in. That and being too young and stupid to know better is what led him to that table in the Hungry Catfish.
He was about to cut it and cash out when he'd felt a clammy hand on his shoulder, looked up into the eyes of a bullywug with a smile too wide for his already froggy face. He hadn't bothered putting up a fuss about his winnings as he was steered from the table towards the bowels of the boat. What's money worth to a dead man anyway?
Mr.Guru's office is opulent, decorated with draperies in rich deep shades of blue. Kremy can feel the soles of the better of his two pairs of shoes sink deep into the carpet that he's too scared to lift his eyes from. Deep smoky incense and cigar smoke make the still air heavy and thick. It isn't helped at all by the almost physical weight of Mr.Guru's eyes focused solely on him.
"You hit a real lucky break there son. Do you know the odds of winning ten hands in a row?" His voice is gravelly, dark, with an edge of malice hanging over the words like a thunderhead.
"No sir." Of course he knew it was astro-fucking-nomical. He got greedy, Ma's birthday is coming up and he'd seen a beautiful pearl necklace in a shop window passing through the Magnolia Promenade, he'd wanted to grab the cash in one night so he'd be able to pull enough double shifts at the kitchen to make it believable when he showed up with it. If only he'd chosen any other casino.
"I don't appreciate being lied to boy."
"I'm sorry sir, I'm sure you don't sir."
"Why don't you go ahead and look me in the eyes when I'm talking to you?"
Suddenly his head moves on its own, he can't think of any better idea than looking Mr.Guru in the eyes, there's certainly no reason not to. Almost as soon as the conviction roots itself in his mind, it vanishes. But not before he's wrenched his face upward to lock eyes with the devil.
"You have the eyes of a sinner boy." He sounds pleased, smug. "You care to explain to me why I should let a whelp like you walk out of my casino with all that cash?"
Kremy stands his ground. He knows bullies, dealt with them all his life. And Mr.Guru isn't as such. He's a shark; Complete with the cold dead eyes, such a dark brown they're almost black. This is a man in power, power that Kremy can't even begin to understand. The moment he sees weakness, the moment he smells blood, Kremy is as good as chum in the water.
"Suppose I just have the luck of the cards with me Sir."
"That right? They speak to you do they?"
Kremy feels a small smile creep across his scaly lips.
"From a certain point of view."
To Kremy's utter shock, Mr.Guru lets out a bark of gravelly laughter.
"What do you do boy? Besides win improbable odds."
"Well sir I'm a fine chef and a quick learner."
Those black eyes narrow for a moment as Mr.Guru strokes a hand over his well trimmed beard.
"Could use a pair of hands like yours in my galley. What do you say son?"
The smile becomes a crocodile grin.
"Where do I sign Mr.Guru?"
It's not regret necessarily.
Kremy knows regret, intimately, and he can't quite say he regrets signing that contract. Perhaps guilt is a better fit. Deep down he knows he didn't really have much of a choice, if he hadn't accepted Mr.Guru's offer of employment he would have ended up like these poor souls.
Pushing the last of the heavy burlap sacks over the edge of the boat Kremy feels a sigh bubbling in his throat. It's an odd thing to be all introspective and shit when you're disposing of bodies, or so he’s been told. Personally, Kremy feels it's a very natural time to feel existential but he knows better than to try and make discussion over it now. He's just here because he's stronger than the bullywugs and it's been a busy night.
Now that he's been promoted to pit boss he's been spending more and more time with the Grinning Sinners, or the other Grinning Sinners(Mr.Guru has never been too clear on exactly what Kremy is in the organization, keeps everyone guessing that way, prevents anyone from getting too chummy with one another). Whether that be patrolling the pit, taking inventory, or dealing with some of the more unwanted patrons in whatever ways the Boss deemed necessary. He'd even been sent out to collect on bargains for Mr.Guru, a task that most of the Grinning Sinners are disallowed from.
Tonight there are whispers in the air though, one of the mid level Sinners(Jean-Claude he's pretty sure) is going to challenge the boss. It'll be his first time seeing it in person, he'd heard it a few times in his years in the kitchen, provided refreshments even. It's a privilege Mr.Guru provides all of his employees: the opportunity to challenge him to a poker game for your contract. If you win, you walk away with your soul in hand; no longer blemished by the contract you've signed. If you lose, another seven years are added to your time aboard the Hungry Catfish.
He's never heard of anyone winning.
And tonight is no exception.
As he leans against the bar, he attempts to subtly look over his boss's shoulder, get a glance of his cards; but it's almost like a veil of shadow sits over them and all he can see is darkness. Every time they hit the table though, it's clear as day how poorly Jean-Claude is making out. Word on deck is that he'd been seeing a gal and was looking to propose. Kremy had seen her a few times, she was alright he supposes though not to his tastes(between being rather toad-like and being of a womanly persuasion, there's not much to pique his interest). The information being passed down along the bar is that Jean-Claude had six years left in his contract; Hopefully his lady love would wait for him for thirteen.
The first time Kremy gambles his soul they're deep in the woods, returning from a meeting between Mr.Guru and a powerful business associate.
"Mr.Guru?" He asks, staring deep into the fire as he allows the bullywugs to clean up after dinner(an arrangement he can't say he dislikes too much, Kremy despises doing dishes almost as much as he loves cooking).
The man himself moves just a smidgen, tilting his head with an indulgent "Hmm?"
"Would you kindly play a game of poker with me?"
He loses. Badly.
It's the first time he's truly lost a game of cards in a long, long time.
Mr.Guru claps him on the back with a smile that shows too many teeth.
“Maybe next time son.”
He loses the next time too. And the next. 
After the fourth he’d gone to find help in the only place he knew. 
Pierre has a comfy seat in the organization all things considered, he may as well be Mr.Guru’s right hand man. And he didn’t get there by luck(or misconception given how many bullywugs seem to have his same name). With a steel trap mind and the instincts of both a killer and a gambler, he makes an excellent pit boss; and a better confidant. 
“What the fuck is it Pierre? I’ve practiced my poker face till my muscles froze up. I know it’s not that. I don’t have tells, I know I don’t!” Seated at the bar, Pierre gives him an unimpressed look. “Right, I’ll listen.”
“You are young yet Kremy, and full of passion. And apparently all the knowledge in the universe if you are to be believed.” Kremy finds himself glad that he can’t flush under the gentle admonishment.
“Sounds like a you problem if you’re believing.”
Pierre grants him a croaky chuckle “Listen and Pierre will tell, your silvery barbs may amuse Mr.Guru but he is a man with much more patience than I.” 
Kremy nods eagerly. 
“There are many ways out of a contract, Kremy, you must learn to think outside of the box if you don’t want to be inside of it. You can iron out every muscle in your face, spend hours mastering the control of your expression, but you will never cull your true tell.”
He sits stone still as if that will make it easier to catalog all that Pierre is saying.
The old bullywug takes his hand. “Your eyes, Kremy. There is a fire inside of you that cannot be doused, it shows in your eyes. They will always betray you.” 
Eventually he’d realized that Pierre was right, after stubbornly extending his contract another fourteen years. So he thought outside of the box. It was easy enough to track down Mr.Guru’s generous benefactor, even easier to sign yet another contract(though he read through this one much more thoroughly). Taking a patron and taking another name for himself: Lecroux. And well, technically speaking Kremy Lecroux didn’t sign his soul away to Mr.Guru. It wasn’t an honorable way out but if there’s one thing Kremy is good at it’s cheating. Sort of poetic in the end, that cheating Mr.Guru got him into this mess and (from a certain point of view) it’ll get him out of it as well. 
From then it was history. He skipped town, swam through the swamp for a few days before pulling himself up out of the river and setting about getting a new set of clothes. Trading playing cards for a set of dice, though he still kept his aces close (tucked into the brim of his new hat to be exact). Altogether he was a new man. And one night as he sat down for a drink, his wandering eyes found another fire. 
His name was Gideon.
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koishua · 6 days
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queen of tears spoilers!!
identity is above all else, it seems like. ep 14 of queen of tears ruined me in all the good ways. when the question is "do you want to die as yourself?" vs "are you willing to live at the cost of who you are as a person?", the ultimate answer hae-in gives is no. she'd rather come to peace with the prospect of death with all of her memories of loving and, in turn, being loved coming with her. the death of memories is more painful than the death of her life itself. hyunwoo begging and sobbing in her arms does not deter her, however much she wants to keep on living. as herself. keep on living as the hong hae-in who loved dearly and who was loved, desperately so.
a loss of identity is death to everything that ever had a hand in helping her become who she is now. this brings me to the phrase "death is for the living". the dead do not mourn or face the aftermath of their last breath in the world of the living. the living, those who are left behind, are the ones who truly know what death is. so it is painful when hyunwoo, the man who isn't struck with the terminal illness bound to take her life any time soon, begs almost on his knees for hae-in, the woman who's counting the seconds left she has to live, to give up her sense of self. it's understandable how both of them stand strong in their desires. one fears becoming a stranger to all that she loves and one fears becoming familiar to life without the one he cannot live without. so he does everything in his power to have her take the surgery (all effort is in vain, she will not give up her identity).
i love this episode so much. im still only halfway through it but i had to give my two cents. such a beautifully tragic dilemma of two people who love. one loves by wanting to remember, one loves by giving everything to make her live. have a taste of love again for the first time. he says that he'll be the first person she'll meet and get to know again after the surgery. that he will still be there for her when she wakes up a completely different, empty, and lost person. he wants her to live, does not care if she'll ever even be able to reconnect with him ever again. he believes that she deserves to wake up another day and smile. to still be able to make new memories.
in the end they're both very selfish people who love selflessly.
edit: help me my stomach hurts from laughing so hard oml not him using his face and body card to annoy her into living. using jealousy as a mean to motivate her to take the freaking surgery and live ugh im in tears ahhahahah i love how if she doesn't become convinced the first few times when he's nice, he just intentionally pisses her off or annoys her into doing things to help herself 😭😭 thr only way to get hae-in motivated to live: make her mad at himself and have her do beneficial things out of sheer SPITE
edit 2: NO WHAT THE FOUK JUST HAPPENED POOR HYUNWOO OH MY GOD the way he lost all strength in his knees my god he crumbled in front of her feet he got a taste of what losing her felt like with that massive crash im still in shock i can't imagine having to witness that and trying to get through the car window to help save her and then not find her there?? and then she appears unscathed thankfully and he feels like a bucket of ice cold water drops over his head??? man they have to be so much more careful from now on bc the amount of yandereism the other guy is exhibiting ugh and the evil mother saying she'll help him out with "i can't stop till the moment i die" wtf??? OMG SHE'S GETTING THE SURGERY WHAT WHAT WHAT "i promised i would never make you cry after we get married" WOMAN HE'S BEEN SOBBING HIS SOUL OUT EVERY EPISODE SINCE!!!! 😭😭 ALSO NOOOOO NOT MY BOY SOOCHEOL GOING THROUGH IT AGAIN I CANT TAKE IT PLS MAKE HIM HAPPY WITH HIS LITTLE FAMILY I WILL CRYYYYYYYY he's gonna have MAJOR trust issues lmfao
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uroboros-if · 7 months
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seeing your rant about how difficult it is to be somewhat rude without ruining your relationships in ifs WAS SO RELATABLE! It doesn’t feel real to be always good or nice to characters to be liked
I’m not saying you should be able beat them up and still romance without consequences but romance/relationships aren’t always perfect and peaceful!!! Disagreements/arguments should be something that can happen without it being at the cost of the relationship itself ugh because that’s normal come on >:| as an angst enjoyer, its so hard to have fun without the character being like “you dont agree with me? perish then”
so I’m even more excited for the game now that I saw your take on it because LETS GO!!!!!! <3
You succinctly explained what I struggled to! 😭
I will confess it's half self-indulgent, because I really enjoy relationships where the two must confront their conflicting ideals! I understand most seek other like-minded people, but what of characters who like to be challenged? Characters who can't help but be attached to someone they shouldn't be?
Even setting that aside, you are completely correct! As long as that topic isn't sensitive to someone and neither party is inflexible, people won't automatically like you less.
So not only does such an approval system lose out on angst potential, sometimes it's also unrealistic. There is truth in it as our opinions of others do adjust based on their actions, and those things add up! However, it's a problem when it's applied to even arbitrary choices, or it unnecessarily severely impacts your approval.
Under the read more is my "theory" on why some ROs in IFs are defined by a dynamic trope (rivals to lovers, childhood friends to lovers, etc)!! 💕
It is difficult, if not impossible for a numerical approval system to qualitatively judge your relationship dynamics; it can only judge based on the weight of each choice. It can't, for example, see you've transitioned from being rude, to softening up to the character after realizing they're not so bad. The game only sees the sum of all your negative and positive points.
Without a way to label your actions by anything but a number, a system that purely relies on numerics is incapable of interpreting the dynamics of your relationship, and therefore customizing future interactions with the RO.
Of course, I think most IFs don't purely rely on numbers. Some do a hybrid in which important decisions are tracked qualitatively and lesser ones are tracked numerically. However, even then, some romance is limited by a baseline approval you must achieve in a certain timeframe, and that leads to pressure to meet that mystery number.
Furthermore, these qualitative "important decisions" often have more to do with the plot than how it defines your relationship specifically -- things like "did you kill their father?" rather than "What were their first impressions of the MC?"
So I believe that without a way to interpret the MC's actions meaningfully, there's only one way to play a romance route. There's only one dynamic with that character, one way the relationship can really be. You can be different genders, have your relationship contextualized differently as the story changes from your actions, but rarely does it dramatically differ solely on personality. Rarely does it examine how your relationship varies from the different ways you interact with that character.
I think it's fine that some characters are like that! In fact, it's realistic that some dynamics don't suit certain characters. For example, it's not possible to have rivals to lovers with Salvatore, because they have no reason to see you as a rival, even if you hate them or try to compete with them.
However, taking Sal as an example, your relationship can vary widely by your attitude towards them. It can be a case of friends who lost touch and regret having lost touch; it can be one-sided, as Sal may view MC as a friend, but the MC is bitterly jealous of them. Perhaps MC doesn't think much of them at all.
That's the kind of meaningful interpretation of relationships I aim for--different dynamics rather than boxing in Sal as the typical childhood friends to lovers. There is no one way to play their romance; it should change as the MC is different.
I see how it's not for everyone, and I acknowledge that it is a Herculean task that may, in time, reveal the full extent of its complexity. But I strive for it because such a complicated relationship is central to the conflict of Uroboros. There is nothing more important an undertaking than character relationships in the IF.
Extremely long theory and rambling, but I am so happy someone shares my thoughts, at least as far as disagreements with the ROs!! ❤️❤️ Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share even more of my opinion, Anon! I'm thrilled you are so excited for the story!
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alicentsgf · 1 year
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could you please elaborate more on the daemon loving/being interested in rhaenyra because she was the closest thing to viserys?
Yes I can 😌
Daemon suffers from the same debilitating disease as every other man in HOTD - an inability to see (high-born) women as anything other than extensions of their fathers or husbands. The way Viserys relates to Rhaenyra is all about his own selfish feelings, and he so easily accepts Alicent into an advisory role when shes only 15 probably because at least in part he's seeing Otto. Otto basically sees Alicent as an extra limb of his own body, and he likely sees Rhaenyra as an extension of Viserys - he probably ensured Alicent was made her companion for that reason. Daemon also sees Alicent as an extension of Otto and thats why he uses her to taunt Otto at the tourney - asking Alicent for her favour was Daemon all but mockingly asking for Otto's. And in every move Daemon made with Rhaenyra, not just the neck-grabbing scene, you could feel Viserys presence.
This man is obsessed with his brother. He spends pretty much Viserys' whole life desperately trying to get his brother's attention/force himself into a position of trust. He wants Viserys love and admiration so badly he will tear other people apart for it. His violent nature itself is his love for Viserys made manifest, as well as an outlet through which to vent his frustrations over Viserys dismissal. As a second son he stood to inherit nothing, but if he could be the finest warrior... perhaps he could convince Viserys he was worthy of a place at his side. He was the one rallying an army to fight for Viserys throne before the great council /for his brother/. If he kills and maims all the criminals in Kings Landing then (not only does it feel good) but to his mind he's doing a service /for his brother/. Then, when spurned, he fights a war to prove to himself he doesn't need Viserys... only to run right back when he wins in the hope of a pat on the head.
Where he respects Viserys, his relationship with Rhaenyra stinks of grooming and flippant disregard; She's a game. She's a distraction. She's a means to an end. He plays with her because, in her youth especially, she makes him feel powerful and desired, all the while reminding him of Viserys. But she's still not Viserys, and he happily leaves her vulnerable and alone in a dangerous situation on a whim. He gambles with her future for his own gain, and lets Viserys believe he took her virginity just for the chance of being Rhaenyra's consort… because if he's Rhaenyra's consort then Viserys can't send him away from court anymore, not without sending Rhaenyra away too. His place would be at Viserys' heir's side. Who cares if he ruins Rhaenyra's life, if it gets him one step closer to Viserys. And Viserys understood it wasn't (just) lust for Rhaenyra that drove Daemon to do such a thing, but it wasn't the throne he was after either - he only ever wanted to be Viserys' Hand. It's what he's always wanted. He tells Viserys this. He wants to be the person his brother relies on. But Viserys keeps removing him from the council and sending him away… so how is he supposed to prove himself worthy? 
I wonder… why did Daemon run from the brothel? I certainly believe he meant to go through with it, he'd let it go far enough, and there's no doubt he wanted Rhaenyra. It looked like guilt to me. Maybe a hint of confusion? (Maybe he'd just never experienced guilt before lmao). (Edit: Going off what someone just told me in the notes I had an ephiphany: In that moment hes only too aware of Rhaenyra's desire and the fact that she actually wants him. Here is this representation of Viserys in front of him Wanting him which he's never truly experienced and the lack of control over the situation and the guilt and desire and conflict is all just fucking with his mind to the point where he has to run away and drink himself into a stupor.)
Daemon is as Targaryen as they come. His parents and grandparents were siblings. He's grown up in this environment where friendships between siblings of the opposite gender are immediately sexualised. If Daemon had been born a girl, he would have no doubt been married off to Viserys. What does that knowledge do to a person? Especially when Daemon is (according to the cut scenes anway) canonically bisexual.
Whether he "desires" Viserys, or ever did, in any normal sense is kind of irrelevant, because this situation is not normal; we're literally talking about a man pursuing his niece because of a psychosexual fixation on his own brother. It's about the Targaryen sexualisation of sibling bonds. It's about the deeply rooted misogyny present in Daemon Targaryen. He can't fully invest in any partner he has; he's too misogynistic to see any woman as an entire person, and too Targaryen to emotionally invest in someone outside his own family. Not to mention the fact he finds power and having control too sexually alluring to consider what his own brother represents as King anything less than erotically enthralling.
Daemon has this sense that he was always meant for Viserys and he just can't shake it. On some level he knows that in another life he would have been Viserys' Queen, but in this life he can't have that. He tries to get as close to that reality as he can, but Viserys denies him. So he focuses on Rhaenyra; if his brother won't take him on as Hand or keep him as his heir then he can be Rhaenyra's consort, he can be Rhaenyra's Hand, he can give Rhaenyra heirs. He spends so much of his existence using Rhaenyra to desperately grasp at all the pieces of that other life with Viserys he might still be able to reach. Is it any wonder that when Rhaenyra reveals Viserys thought even less of Daemon than he believed, he lashes out at her - the person he's always seen as a substitute for the man he really wanted.
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crimeronan · 3 months
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Hello, got a TOH question for you! I'm trying to write a scene from only-slightly-canon-divergent!Luz's POV, and to dismay finding I'm struggling with it. Any pro tips for writing her you can pass on to someone who didn't study at Luz University? 😅
aw, this is a sweet ask. i'm flattered to be considered a resident luz expert! and i LOVE an excuse to infodump. this got long i'm sorry i just love thinking about. my girl.
luz is usually pretty whimsical and optimistic (which is why her later self-destruction hits so hard), she believes in people and she believes in The Triumph Of Good Over Evil. she's weird and doesn't understand social norms but she cares So Much, About Everything, Ever. she believes that things will work themselves out like they do in stories, she sometimes steps on people's toes when she's trying to fix a situation, she loves an underdog story and it's constantly getting her into trouble.
i think the biggest three things for me when writing luz POV are these:
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she is UNRELENTINGLY kind and trusting.
this is her biggest strength - she's constantly befriending her enemies through the sheer power of earnestness. and this is how she makes and keeps friends like willow, gus, and eda.
this is also one of her biggest weaknesses - she gave hunter back his staff in hunting palismen when she Really Should Not Have, she didn't pick up on philip's Bad Vibes, etc.
she truly honest-to-god believes the best in everyone and is surprised and hurt whenever they disappoint her.
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2. she has NO impulse control and CRIPPLINGLY hyperactive ADHD.
luz is all over the place, constantly. her thoughts and hyperfixations go a mile a minute. she can devour a book in a day and learn a conlang in a week, but she can't sit still and she has the type of ADHD that makes traditional classroom learning borderline-impossible.
outside of school, you see this constantly in the decisions she makes, or rather the decisions she Doesn't make. luz always blurts out exactly what she's thinking, when she's thinking it. she always thinks that her first solution to a problem is the best one & rarely plans beyond that. she's not an analytical strategist. in fact she's frequently fucking up everybody else's plans by..... just. being luz.
the fact that luz always says and does whatever she's thinking is, again, one of her greatest strengths: she is SO earnest and genuine, and it makes it easy for people to believe in her. she loves SO openly and is so lovable in turn.
it's also one of her greatest weaknesses because. oh my god, girl. challenging boscha to a witch's duel on willow's behalf. angrily shouting straight-up heresy about belos in public in hollow mind. all the shit that got her into trouble in the human realm before she ran away. u know
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3. she is Desperately Afraid of hurting people.
i'd say she's afraid of being a Bad Person (TM), but i do think her fear is more specific. in WAD, her nightmare isn't exactly about having committed atrocities herself -- she doesn't even believe she could have! she knows she didn't create the statue graveyard, she immediately tells amity "i don't know what's going on, but i wouldn't have done this."
all of her fears are related to things her friends & family went through after meeting her.... she's terrified that she's going to hurt the people she loves, no matter how much she tries not to. she's terrified that her presence in the world is harmful by itself.
same with her rant in the classroom in TTT. when she says "it would be better if he [i] never existed," she even says (paraphrasing) "who cares about the broader impacts or the greater good. who cares if he was a hero or wanted to do the right thing. it doesn't matter!!! what matters is that he ruined everything anyway!!!!"
her anxiety with papa titan reflects this, too. "doesn't that make us just like belos??" she's figuring out how to navigate the world and complex morality and she's terrified of getting it Wrong. she already feels like she's done everything wrong & it's completely shaken her sense of self. she doesn't trust herself not to hurt people or to work for evil because she doesn't have a clear understanding of what separates her ideology from belos's.
this third point often isn't relevant in fluffy/lighthearted fic because luz's optimism, joy, and simple zest for life are Definitely dominant in her character. but it is VERY relevant when doing character studies or angstier writing exploring her headspace in situations where she feels guilty or afraid.
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everything else is set dressing. she's quirky and weird, she's bouncy and stimmy, she loves bats and rats and snakes and bugs and creepy crawlies, she loves gross shit, she loves shipping and romance and sweeping high fantasy, she gets Deeply invested in every random plan she ever conceives, and she is Astonishingly easy to love because of how easily she loves.
you don't have to keep every single detail of this in mind when writing her!! this was just a nice excuse to gush about my girl who i love so so so so so fucking much. luz love of my life daughter of my heart FOREVER.
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strawberry-cowmilk · 2 years
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Hey can you maybe do an obey me scenario.
Mc has a little brother that always annoyed her.
Then one day at a dinner party Mc's brother was.being really annoying towards her.
But before anyone could do anything, Mc just slapped her brother over the head and looked at him with the most scariest glare you could imagine (like when Lucifer glares at mammon lol) and said in a low voice, "shut up. Your embarrassing me and yourself."
Then Mcs brother immediately shuts up and mc acts like it never happen( I can imagine me just saying this is good steak barbs)
Hello! As somebody with a younger sibling who's basically all of Belphegor's worst qualities and the average 12-year-old on tiktok in one, I can relate to having somebody in your house who can really annoy you. (I still love said sibling though) So, here you go! I hope you like it.
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the obey me cast react to mc slapping her brother
-> brothers and side characters x mc (Luke platonic)
mc is female, this is not proof read
DISCLAIMER: I do not endorse slapping your siblings, or any kind of violence. And please do not slap anyone. This scenario is just for fun.
content warnings: hitting, vague-ish lesson 16 spoiler
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Today, Mc had a nice fancy dinner party planned with everyone she met in the Devildom. She was looking forward to it, yes. But, there was only one problem: she had to bring her younger brother. The very brother with the ability to annoy his sister to no end. She hoped her sibling wouldn't pull any brainless antics at the party. Sadly, she'd be lying to herself if she would believe in such a miracle.
Once the time for the party arrived, and it was time to sit down and feast, Mc's brother's annoying potential peaked. You know it's bad when Mammon would stare wide-eyed at the younger human. It was terribly embarrasing. Mc decided she must take matters into her own hands, or else this torture would continue the whole night. She stared her brother down, with a glare capable of scaring even the demon king himself, before smacking him across the face.
'Shut up. You're embarrasing me and yourself.'
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Lucifer
he feels mc's pain, and totally gets why she slapped her younger brother
lucifer basically does the same thing on a daily basis.
afterwards, mc held out the teapot to him, offering him more of the beverage
lucifer accepted, he too was acting like nothing happened
once alone, the avatar of pride will tell mc he understands why she did what she did
Mammon
he's fighting the urge to burst out laughing
especially after seeing the little brother actually quiet down
honestly, if he laughs, lucifer will do to him what mc did to her little brother
mammon admires how calm mc appears after what had happened, and thinks it's funny too
Leviathan
coming to the party was a hard task for him
but what just happened made it worth it
the sight itself wasn't really shocking to him though, as his brothers punch each other around almost every day
like mammon, he's fighting back laughter
mc's brother made levi lowkey uncomfortable with his remarks, so he's glad he is quiet now
Satan
he would have slapped your brother if mc had not already done so
satan sits at the table with a wide smile after the slap, finally peace an quiet for as far as goes
he will also act like nothing happened, and will act out conversations with the exchange student
'mc, can you pass me the salt?'
'of course! how's the fish, by the way?'
Asmodeus
asmo was about to give him an earful on how to shut up and not ruin a party
but then he got slapped
he will try to annoy mc's brother back a bit
every brother hates seeing their sister with a man, right? even the annoying ones
so, asmo will be very touchy with mc for the rest of the night, to piss the brother off
Beelzebub
he isn't happy with what mc did, but he sure understands why she did it
the brother was getting on his nerves too, while he was trying to eat in peace, beel can't forgive that
he won't speak or look at mc's brother after the slap though
beel is amazed how mc can act so casual after hitting her brother
Belphegor
he was prepared to leave if mc's brother dared breathe another word again
belphie could feel his human hatred coming back, not towards mc though
he actually let out a little chuckle after the slap
completely ignores the brother now that he's shut up
Diavolo
as an only child, he wonders how many younger brothers are like mc's
he also think the slap was funny, but he was the higher authority at this dinner, lucifer won't be happy if he slips put a laugh
also barbatos is staring at him, as if he knows just how funny the prince finds the matter
diavolo feels bad for mc, poor human having to deal with a demon brother
Barbatos
doesn't react too much
he was acting like everything was fine this whole time
as a butler, he is good at keeping his head clear
barbatos offers mc more steak after she told him it tasted good during her act of acting normal
Simeon
he is an angel, he must dislike violence, but this slap was too funny and deserved to him
simeon did a good job at hiding those feelings though
he will ask mc's brother if he's okay, but only out of politeness
notices mc is acting like nothing happened, and will act with her a bit
Luke
luke hates mc's brother and all
but slapping was a bit much for him
unlike simeon, luke wom't ask the brother if he's okay, because he called him a chihuahua
he's used to others in the devildom callinghim that, but some pest he just met? no
'mc, are you okay? you're acting strange'
Solomon
he had a silence spell ready
but now he doesn't have to use it anymore
solomon thinks this is the funniest moment ever, and actually does laugh a bit
but everyone ended up staring at him
he will also act 'normal' with mc
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tamiisnthere · 3 months
Text
Crossover Universe Maps and some Lore
I finally got around to writing some Lore about my Crossover Universe. I have to say that it will change over time, because I have constantly changed it over the years.
I admit that there won't be much, such as the whole history and culture, because I probably can't do good worldbuilding, I mostly do it for fun. Still I'm still ashamed of it...
I also have to mention that most of the islands have some parts of the lore of my favourite video games (since it's called Crossover Universe of course :P).
So anyways... Enjoy? ╮( ̄~ ̄)╭
The Crossover Universe is actually a multiverse that connects several alternate universes in order not to damage their main timelines.
Planet Thansuokria:
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The new residents named the planet Thansuokria, which was said to be larger than Earth. This water planet has several islands separated by stormy oceans. No one knows why individuals from any universes and timelines end up here. For some it's a great change, for others it's a disaster and they wish to return. Some think that Thansuokria may be an afterlife, as most of the residents have arrived shortly before dying or falling asleep, but this is largely denied.
Here is a smaller part of Thansuokria where the story takes:
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Islands:
Azerwias (Warcraft) - The largest diverse island, the main residents of which are from Azeroth, Outland and Draenor. Relations between the Alliance and the Horde are usually very tense and they try to gain as much territory as possible. Nevertheless, both sides were able to make a peace agreement, but it is not known how long it will last.
Cross Island (Assassin's Creed) - An island owned by the Templars and Abstergo as the main base and ruled by a dictatorship. The Templars manipulate the Alliance so that they can eliminate their enemies easier and gradually expand their Order to other islands. Either way the Assassins try to stop them…
Fouria (Left 4 Dead) - Originally it was a holiday island, until one day an epidemic broke out there causing a zombie apocalypse. Today it is a strictly forbidden place where experiments are carried out to eliminate the virus. Fortunately, the virus did not spread further and a vaccine was even invented, which created immunity in the vaccinated. But the vaccine could no longer help the infected and new mutants were created from them, which managed to leave the island and reach other areas.
Mann Islands (Team Fortress) - Islands with an endless war between two companies RED (Reliable Excavation Demolition) and BLU (Builders League United). The arms company Mann Co located in it's city makes money from their war, but is even interested in doing business with the Alliance and the Templars, the Horde considers them as dishonest cowards. RED and BLU have mercenary teams that attack each other to get the rarest resources to make their products. Most mercenaries enjoy their jobs for the money and/or even the enjoyment of the combat, though there are exceptions who are there involuntarily.
Whirlsand Ruins (Warcraft, little bit) - A desert island that is impossible to live. This place is the main home of the bronze dragons guarding the center of the island. Some believe they guard timetraveling portals, as the bronze dragons of Azeroth are known for traveling and protecting time. It's still a mystery…
Pure Kingdom (OFF) - A mysterious island inhabited by humanoid beings called Purifiers who may have a probable connection to The Batter. Their kingdom isolates itself from other factions and refuses to form alliances or create wars because they consider them as impure. Rarely, red-eyed individuals have a curse that allows them to turn into a monster and threaten their surroundings. They are often exiled for this, as the Purifiers believe that the curse can spread among others and hope that the exiles will perish beyond the borders of their kingdom. But it's not always like that, and the cursed Purifiers can find a new home in an unknown world…
Island of Eagle (Assassin's Creed) - The hidden island of the Assassin's Brotherhood, where they only live in the secret small town Accipiteria and the rest of the island is wilderness, so that their archenemies the Templars will never find them. It had been going like this for a many years since they entered that world, unfortunately one day they were attacked by the Templars, destroyed their town and captured or killed several Assassins. The survivors managed to escape in the south to safety.
Havaykia (Crossover, made this island since childhood) - An isolated island that rebuilds a sanctuary for those who have fled their homelands and can live here in peace. It is mainly known for the diversity of inhabitants from other islands living in harmony and the exotic colorful wildlife. Since Havaykia does not support wars and colonization, several factions are still interested in getting this territory for themselves, but the inhabitants of the island defend their rights to freedom.
Oceans and Seas:
Waves of Silence - It got its name from the waves, which for a mysterious reason cannot heard any sounds.
The Proud Waters - Ships of important personalities and politicians who enjoy sailing expeditions often sail along these waters.
The Whispering Depths - Legends say that in this sea at night there are whispers of sailors who died in storms during their voyages.
Sea of Lost Souls - It is infamous for the high number of lost ships. At first, no one understood why, until eventually they discovered that this sea has the largest number of marine reptiles like mosasaurs, which attack smaller ships and hunt sailors. They believe that mosasaurs hunt on ships because they often mistake them for their usual prey (whales in this case). Fortunately, they managed to find a safer way to cross to the other side of the sea.
Ocean of Unknown - The most dangerous ocean on the planet. Nobody knows what lies behind the aggressive waves and storms. If anyone tried to find out, they never returned. Some people think that Thansuokria is flat, but in fact the part of the ocean where they live is just the tip of the planet's iceberg.
The Heart Sea - Named after the shape of the heart. There is a diverse ecosystem and a rich coral reef with both modern and prehistoric animals.
Island Havaykia:
An island with a very varied nature and a diverse population. Several mountains and waters are named after the area's most common animal or shape, such as the Dragon's River or Cheetah's Valley. Havaykia is mainly known for the occurrence of modern and prehistoric animals and plants and rare creatures such as hypogryphons and griffons. Around the island there are several smaller islands that are strictly protected by law due to the occurrence of endemic species of fauna and flora, such as Moho's Island located close to the Small Coral Reef. Even though the population is diverse and coexisting, discrimination still exists unfortunately.
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Cities, Towns and Villages:
Ashte'quel - the capital and largest city of Havaykia, where all races and factions coexist peacefully.
Falahnaar - the city of Kaldorei, which is quite similar to the now destroyed city of Darnassus from Azeroth. The Night Elves tend the wilderness and a gigantic tree called Kaldrassil.
Oakheart City - the city of former Alliance's fighters. It is the oldest city of Havaykia, where the first inhabitants settled. It is named after the occurrence of oak forests with heart-shaped leaves.
Greentree - the harbor city, where the best fishermen of the island live.
Mardual - the city of former Horde's warriors who see war as a dishonest and pointless fight for territories that do not belong to them.
Warpeace - the oldest city from the Horde's side. The city got its name from a small civil war due to food shortages, which luckily ended without fatal consequences.
Raptoria - the village of trolls, which is known for important breeding of several genuses and species of raptors.
Peatgor - the city covered with peat. It is known to archive the historical writings of Havaykia.
Red and Blue Forts - the both cities of former mercenaries from both teams. Even though they are no longer fighting each other, there is still tension and discrimination between them.
Sahrasaeida - the village near an oasis and a popular resting place for travelers.
Faenanor - the school village of druids, where newcomers learn new skills of druidism.
Strix - the Kaldorei's village, known for its important breeding of birds of prey and owls.
Gepardia - the village later becoming a town. Residents do projects to protect the cheetahs, but other endangered species and the environment on the island.
Cheetah's Valley:
Cheetah's Valley is mainly a savanna area known for the highest population of cheetahs. This is the most peaceful and safest place on the island, but it's not always like that. The climate is mostly mild and the savannah part of the valley experiences high temperatures in summer and snow in winter at higher elevations.
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Points of Interest:
Entrance into the Valley - The only land entrance to the valley, as Pecker's Hills and Falcon's Highlands are often dangerous to pass through. Herds of animals often pass through it.
TaE Family's Ranch - Home of the TaE Family, which is not just like a family, but also like a small community that is outsided by society. They raise domesticated hadrosaurs and small feathered theropods, but also help injured and abandoned animals. Since there is nothing there that would attract the other factions, the Templars still plan to take over their ranch and could use it to create a new position for Abstergo. Of course the TaE Family fights back and for this they later form an alliance with the Assassins to save their home.
Assassin's Hideout - The new home of the Assassin's Brotherhood since the destruction of the Accipiteria. They settled in Falcon's Highlands to keep the Templars from getting to them and started training new novices. Assassins travel all over the island on missions to make the island a better place with more freedom.
Palins Farm - A farm owned by the Palins Family, who are family friends of the TaE Family and trade supplies with each other. The Palins Family work honestly and as a result they usually have the best vegetables and fruits grown in the valley.
Survivor's Saferoom - A shelter located not far from Gepardia where the survivors live. They keep their distance from others as they have had interactions with the Infected and can be carriers until they find out the vaccine exists. Still, they decided to hunt down the Infected so as not to endanger the innocent.
Cheetah Sanctuary - Rescue center for cheetahs and other animals and educate the public about fauna, ecosystem and environment.
RED & BLU Camps - The camps of both teams, where the mercenaries came to find available materials for production, which is illegal in Havaykia.
Infected's Refuge - A hidden place within the borders of Pecker's Hills, where the Infected and mutants hide from the civilization that wants to eliminate them.
TaE Family's Ranch:
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Ranch Entrance - A stone arch welcomes visitors.
TaE Family's House - A large house where 25 people can live there.
Workshop - There they are created and repaired as fences, furniture and wooden decorations.
Warehouse - Food grown there is supplied.
Food Garden - Fruits and vegetables are grown, which are in charge of Elphina, Tarion and Relante.
Hadrosaur's Barn - A stable where hadrosaurs such as Parasaurolophus, Lambeosaurus, Olorotitan, Corythosaurus and Tsintaosaurus are housed, but also smaller dinosaurs such as Dryosaurus and Leaellynasaura. There are incubators for eggs dropped by females and stall boxes for babies.
Hadrosaur's Enclosure - Herbivorous dinosaurs graze and live like in the wild. On the left side of the enclosure, there are three lookouts through which you can safely observe the dinosaurs.
Lily Lake - Water source for enclosure residents and fun fishing.
Mini Raptor's Enclosures - Two aviaries where Microraptors and Archeopteryxes are kept.
Cerato's Enclosure - The enclosure of TaE Family's tamed Ceratosaurus named Cerato (I'll probably change the name later because it's a bland name for Ceratosaurus), which was raised by Clara.
Veterinary Building - Injured and sick animals are treated here.
Recovering Enclosure - An enclosure for treated animals to recover, so that they can later return to nature.
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mercuriart · 10 months
Text
Oh God I'm having Dazai - Mori parallels thoughts again
I... Don't think this idea of "they're both afraid of each other" is a hard truth. Not in the way it's presented in the series at least.
I mean, yes, Dazai is 100% terrified of Mori, but not because of what he's done or what he's capable of (I mean, yeah that too - specially young Dazai but I don't think it's limited to him, I think he's lucky he was the first of the ADA to be arrested, I think if he had to deal with the whole "one member of the ADA will be sent to the PM" thing he'd have an immediate breakdown out of fear of what will happen to them). I think Dazai is afraid of Mori in the way that a child with abusive parents is terrified of turning out like that. I think he's afraid of looking in the mirror one day and find Mori staring right back at him - I think he's afraid of finding out that no matter how hard he tries to run from him, he will always be there.
And I also think that Mori isn't afraid of Dazai's potential, or of Dazai being able to hurt him, or take his place as the boss. I mean, he is worried about all that, but I don't think it comes from a place of fear - I think it's more like... Mori has expectations for Dazai, and for whoever takes his place as the boss, and for the mafia and the city itself, and Dazai is still an independent person (specially now, but even back then, Mori couldn't fully control him), and people don't meet expectations as often as tools do - and he can't turn Dazai into a tool no matter how hard he's tried to. So, he's worried of Dazai's personhood ruining everything he's worked for. But I don't think he's afraid of that possibility - he wouldn't have just let Dazai go if that was the entire deal. (Yes I'm a firm believer he actually let Dazai go vs. him trying and failing to keep Dazai in the mafia - I'm not getting into that right now though)
So the thing he's actually afraid of is... I think it's something revolving around Dazai being so, so much like him - at least in his eyes -, and also being so far away from everything he is. Dazai and Mori are both the darker part of the city, and yet Dazai is striving to be a good person, and has always been better than Mori ever was, even when he was a hurt, lonely kid. And he keeps being better, keeps trying so hard to walk the path of a good person.
Dazai and Mori both run from what they've done and from the guilt they should feel, but Dazai does it as to not lose hope on the person he's meant to be (and is slowly getting better at not running), while Mori does it because feeling guilt as the PM's boss -feeling guilt as the man he is- would just... Stop him. He cannot allow himself to stop, because he is convinced all that he's doing is for a greater good, so he cannot allow himself to feel guilt, ever. So he's chosen the narrative that, as the PM's boss, as someone who chose the darkness, what he's doing is objectively the best path - and more importantly, the only one that someone like him could choose.
But Dazai didn't, and Dazai is just like him. So he buries the implications of that in a layer of fear that he knows better how to ignore - because if he addresses that, if he begins to unpack the idea that someone just like him chose to be good, chose to not hurt but to save... Then what does that mean, about his best choices? About his greater good?
I think they're not afraid of each other. They're afraid of the reflection they see when they look at each other.
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tyrannuspitch · 11 days
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How do you HC the conversation where Thor finds out Loki is a Jotun foundling went?
Oh this is a VERY interesting question, and not one I have a full answer to yet.
First of all, since some people have very understandably suggested otherwise - I do think Thor knows. No, he never acknowledges Loki's species specifically, he just talks about "adoption"... but A) I don't think Odin would send Thor out in The Avengers without telling him everything he told Loki, because otherwise he'd be handing Loki a way to manipulate Thor; and B) Thor looks *decidedly* anguished (actually close to tears!) when Loki is talking about ~mindless beasts pretending to be people~ in The Avengers, which would make no sense if Loki were really only talking about Bruce, a mortal Thor's only just met.
So I think it's clear that Thor knows that Loki is Jotun and understands that internalised space-racism is a huge part of what's "wrong with" Loki. He just doesn't know how to help, so, in classic Odin fashion, he's avoiding it for fear of making it worse. (And probably also wrestling with his own lingering space-racism, guilt, denial, etc.)
As for the conversation itself... I'm not sure. I do think it happened very promptly, because Odin was right there and Thor was devastated and confused and would demand Answers. What the hell just happened to my brother?!
I think realising that he's been lied to his entire life by both his parents would be a major blow to Thor, after his trust has already been shattered by his father apparently leaving him on Earth to die and by, uh, pretty much everything Loki did. On its own, the lie wouldn't be as powerful to Thor as it was to Loki, but in context... Thor's entire world has been turned upside-down repeatedly in a few days. He lost his home and identity, he thought his father was dead, he thought his brother was going to kill him, now his brother IS dead and perhaps he never even knew him... He just has no stability left at all.
And I think that's why he expresses such faith in Odin in their final conversation: "There will never be a wiser king than you, nor a better father." It seems like a really odd thing to say after everything that's just happened, and a lot of people get outraged on Loki's behalf, but... I think it makes sense, psychologically speaking. From Thor's perspective, questioning Odin's will was what nearly ruined his life and ended his brother's. The lies plus the exile make it suddenly really clear just how far Odin is willing to go to enforce his power over his children, and Thor is the only child he has left. What further disasters could further resistance bring? So Thor gives in, and chooses to believe what he's giving into must be good and wise and necessary, because he just can't go on otherwise.
(Thor often reminds me of a quote I once read about how abused children hating themselves is really a survival strategy, because their parents have such power over them that they're effectively their entire world. So, from the child's perspective: if the child is "bad" but the parents are "good", then it is at least within the child's power to try to be better; but if the parents are "bad" while the child is "good", then the world itself is broken, and the situation is hopeless.)
So... I don't think Thor would be angry. I think he's too shocked and shaken to express anger, or to really blame anyone but himself. But I think Thor might still have a hard time accepting that this is the truth, as in... believing, understanding, and coming to terms with it.
Like... Thor has definitely not unlearnt all his prejudice against Jotuns in a handful of days on a completely different subject realm. He's probably not far off from where he started at all - sure, he's seen a few Jotuns face-to-face, so they're probably realer to him now, and he wouldn't accept Loki's plan for total annihilation... But in his mind, they're still enemies, still a grotesque, frightening Other, almost certainly still monsters.
So hearing that Loki is and always has been a Jotun will be really, really hard for Thor. He's going to be in utter turmoil over this, and there isn't any comfortable answer to settle on.
So... maybe Loki's not really Jotun. Okay, he can't see any reason why his parents would lie again, but maybe it's only true on a technical level, maybe Loki's really more like "one of us" than "one of them", on the inside. (But what actually makes a Jotun a monster? Is it behaviour? Culture? Biology? Is it some inherent property of their souls?)
Or maybe Jotuns aren't monsters, not all of them, not inherently. But everyone on Asgard has always acted like they are. If this is true, Thor has blood on his hands, and so do his parents, and his friends, and their entire society, the society Thor is responsible for and beholden to.
Or maybe Loki is a monster. (Was a monster.) He always seemed like a person, and Thor loved him, but apparently Thor barely knew Loki at all. In the end, Loki violently rejected Thor's love and did monstrous things, and it seems like he was lying very well for a very long time before that. Maybe Thor has been played for a fool, and he never had a brother at all.
Or maybe Loki was a monster, but he didn't want to be one. Maybe it wasn't entirely his choice; he was delicate, and their parents were trying to protect him, but Thor was careless and he broke him (by revealing his heritage; by leaving him alone in a crisis; by whatever long-standing failure he still doesn't understand that made Loki hate him so much and so personally in the end.)
Out of these, I think Thor ultimately settles on a mixture of #1 and #4. But there's so much going on here (grief for Loki; anger at him; fear of him; guilt in completely contradictory directions) and no way to really work through it or understand what's true that I think it takes a very long time. And there's probably a great deal of rain in Asgard in the meantime.
--
Anyway. This is... a very long reply that manages to avoid ever really being an answer. But here are some musings on Thor's state of mind in the wake of this revelation.
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hypermascbishounen · 30 days
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Interesting that you point out how babied Lenore was in S4, because
yes, she was. She was written like such an immature brat, making stupid jokes and constantly whining that she was so boooored and no one needed her anymore and oh no she's so scawed of mean cawmiwwa 🥺 and it feels disingenuous, no I'm sorry I get that the context is different but the Lenore who cries that Carmilla lied to her is not the Lenore who was able to gaslight Hector into believing that actually he was lucky that he was beaten and imprisoned.
this is yet another way her character got disrespected, if you care about her. Remember, the other council vampires clearly had a poor opinion of Lenore. Carmilla made fun of her for her tendency to take care of animals, Striga implied that she saw her as a hopeless romantic, Morana talked about her like a silly little girl living in her fantasies. And the most charitable explanation as to why Lenore snapped and beat Hector to an inch of his life when he threatened her is precisely that he, too, saw her as a young defenseless girl: to be fair, would he have thought to attack any of the other three? Probably not. And Lenore clearly resents this situation so much, which is why he beat him way past self defense, which is why she had fun dominating him, which is why she was eager to humiliating him in front of her sisters, who both admired her for her genius and were disgusted by her sexual comments (a way to keep the control of the conversation)
I like this idea. Both Hector and Lenore are the "weak link" of their group, looked down on for their apparent "softness", but while Hector apparently didn't know, didn't realize or didn't care (if the writing was good, I could say that it's because he lived a life of abuse so he doesn't realize his own worth), Lenore very much did, and she rebounded too far in the opposite direction. Her kindness can almost be seen as a subtle way to feel powerful, more subtle than simply beating people into submission: sure, taking care of someone is a nice act... but also, they depend on you, and they're more malleable to your wishes.
So yeah, from this perspective, her constant 🥺 face in S4 is infantilizing an abuser. Lenore did nothing wrong. She always wanted to protect Hector, really. He was having fun when she manipulated him into sex, so what's the big deal. They are such good friends who understand each other. Of course Hector would love her and protect her with barely a second thought. Who wouldn't? An evil person? But they're so cute together 🥺
(btw, I'm interested to know who is the other Beatrice you mentioned lol! As for the Sugarman one, she is such a fascinating character who is so, so pitiable for what happened to her, but still not woobiefied for the horrible way she took her misery on her innocent son)
(also sorry for the ask lol, I didn't want to make a long post longer than it already is)
(no worries, feel free to send asks or messages! I always have more to say than I know what yo do with lol)
The other Beatrice is from Umineko, a series of murder mystery visual novels in the wider When They Cry series. She's hard to describe without spoilers tbh, but relevant atm: she can be a real smug sadist while still containing genuine tragedy, and her relationships get to actually mean something. Here she is expressing true opinions about nfcv:
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I feel like a Lenore whose loss of humanity was allowed to be explored as a legit Dracula parrelel, could have almost been interesting. Oh well.
The biggest issue imo, is that she can't really exist as a character without Hector, but the story itself feels threatened by Hector being a character compared to her. This means that no matter how much they try to build her up by contrast, she gets dragged down anyways. So now all they have is two ruined characters for the price of one.
Personally, I think maybe the catharsis granted from a character who does bad things, is only as good as the work lets you engage with them on that premise. If you keep dragging it back to how they're basically in the right anyways, it can lose the emotional opportunity for the audience to explore dark feelings. This doesn't mean you can't write them to be sympathetic ever, but it does mean they risk falling into a weakened power fantasy or cheap fanservice, if you effectively just preach to the audience about how cool they are, esp at the expense of other characters.
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