#Anyway moral complexness wooo

[fantastic-mr-corvid]

After his waking conversation in the inn, Alaun turns to introspection. [A further look into the paladins head and his reasons for following the code]

-

Surrounded by unknowns in a city once filled with life, the inn was a place of rest and small comforts.

The latest paladin to walk through it's doors had finally woken, tension bleeding out of his body, not once it was confirmed he was safe, but when his hesitant offer to stay and protect was refused.

It's like Seelah and Wenduag said, paladins are crazy. Allthough they meant it very differently.

Alaun was a paladin, but first he was a soldier. He had an underlying practicality, and understanding of people. The so called 'naivete' of paladins was less ignorance on his part, and more shoving your hand into what you know is a deadly trap and praying to whatever god can hear you that you can defuse it before it takes the limb.

He probably wasn't the only paladin like that, calculated recklessness is par for the course and just because you believe and follow your oaths doesn't mean you don't know better.

Blind faith in people is hard to come by in the world wound, so hard it almost comes back around to trust. The place is so bleak and your chances alone are so slim, what does it matter if you die to a centerpede or a blade in the back. Dead is dead. Well mostly.

A long way of saying he knew wenduag was not entirely on their side. That the hope she would stick around was doomed to wither- or die to locusts and hellfire. It made him all the more a fool he supposed. But he had been a fool for a long time, and he would be for much longer, gods willing.

He did believe in helping people, in walking with an outstretched hand, in making what little good you can in this world.

But he had woken up entombed by the corpses of his comrades, woken up to flashes of traitors opening the gates to the demonic hordes that had been laying seige.

He woke up to a broken city drowning in corpses.

With him alone, shimmering with Iomedaes light, alive.

He would not let this city share the same fate.

[hellscupboards]

Hi! We're mutuals (but I am a supremely anxious person) and I want you to know that every time I see a new part of your series on my dash I immediately light up and click the link because I love your style and how you characterize The Boys, and it actually motivates me to write too! Actually, I'm going to go read both parts Again because I need to Eat It

My brain is glitching, spinning and doing a secret third thing (celebrating) at MY works inspiring YOU to write your own. what would be a higher form of flattery than my brain inspiring another brain to partake in the sacred act of creation? nothing ! even if you don't ever write and the fics just rotate in your imagination like a hot pocket in a microwave, that is still creation and being a source of inspiration for that is INCREDIBLE to me !! thank you for letting me know. if you do write it pls send me a link so I may consume !

Anyway, I'm gonna be completely honest with you beloved moot - I find stuff all the time (mostly critical character analysis essays bc I'm such a slut for people pinning my blorbos to a table and dissecting them like a 10th grade biology project) that make me question my characterization. It's especially prevalent with DD because all characters and I mean ALL characters are very multifaceted people. They're deeply flawed, traumatized, in some cases neurodivergent or disabled, have unique motivations and perspectives that do and do not intersect, have prejudices, different morals, different ways of coping, etc and yet still prevail through their conflicts to this amazing collective end goal of Helping People Who Need Help. It's delightful and terrifying writing for this universe because these characters, while fantastical, are very, very real.

Getting messages (or comments or w/e) praising my characterization just makes me want to do a whole lap around my apartment complex whilst waving a pom pom yelling "WOOO THEY LIKE THEM"

All of that to say THANK YOU for the message please take this meme and +100 appreciation points! thank you again. I hope you enjoy feasting on my words and I hope you have a very, very lovely new year ♡