#I think he is a nice boss

[lucas-grey]

Lucas Grey: All Dialogues; Part 1

I guess this is one of the biggest projects I have ever done 😁 I wasn't in a good mood recently because my mental health is kinda low at the moment due to some difficulties in my private life. So I needed a distraction and I thought it might be fun to find every dialogue in all Hitman WOA games done by Grey or about Grey- no matter if directly or indirectly.

So I collected everything I could find for the first game, which was not that hard, since in Sapienza, Marrakesh and Bangkok no one talks about Grey (at least I couldn't find any dialogue referring to him). Colorado was more, of course, since the mercenaries talk a lot about him.

It was a lot of fun collecting all these dialogues 🥹 Some of them I have actually never heard before and they give a nice insight of his personality (and how he behaves as a leader).

If you have any more dialogues in mind, feel free to DM me! I already collected some for part 2 and 3, but I am open for help finding more!

And now, have fun with part 1 🫶

Please note: I wrote down the dialogues from the scenes myself using the subtitles, but it was often hard to follow, so please excuse any mistakes.

Prologue

Cutscene: Call me 47

Grey: You were always the best. Nobody ever came close. You defined the art, and it defines you. Your actions have changed the world. Powerful men have fallen by your hand but by the same token, others have risen. Do you realise what kind of world you've been shaping? Does the ICA? Does your handler? I live in that world. I have seen the consequences. I have felt the cost. That's what defines me.

Paris

Novikov to Philip von Zell

Von Zell: Well it’s confirmed, Sir. The FSB charges against you have all been dropped. No one is mentioning Kamarov’s unfortunate death or his alleged ties to the CIA of course.

Novikov: Good, good. That’s the end of that then. I knew our nameless friend would come through. Very good.

Bodyguard: No, I still don’t like it. This… this worries me. I mean, who is this guy? What kind of man enters a heavily guarded government building, kills an FSB section chief and sets him up as a US spy without even breaking a sweat? Where’d you find this guy anyway?

Novikov: See that’s the thing. He found me. He knew the FSB were investigating my past and he knew about IAGO using models as trojan horses. Everything. Guy like that. Let’s just say you let him do most of the talking.

Von Zell: Still… the whole dossier? Some price for a day’s work.

Novikov: Well I’ll be damned Philip. You and Dalia actually agree on something.

Novikov to his bodyguard

Novikov: I’m going to ask you something, Kurt. Then I want you to answer me honestly, completely honestly.

Kurt: Uh, yes Sir, of course.

Novikov: Do you believe Dalia plans to double cross me? She’s furious that I gave the assassin access to our secrets.

(…)

Novikov to Dalia Margolis

Dalia: Well, this is cozy.

Novikov: Save it, Dalia. It’s simple procedure. We’ll be out of here as soon as the threat is neutralized.

Dalia: Well, let’s just cross our fingers that the half dozen power players, billionaires and borderline supervillains upstairs are still in a spending mood by then.

Novikov:  Can we do this at home?

Dalia: Fine. So, what’s this about anyway?

Novikov: You guess is as good as mine.

Dalia: It wouldn’t have anything to do with the dead-eyed mercenary you hired to murder an FSB section chief now would it?

Novikov: Are you going to bring this up in every fight from now on?

Dalia: Until you do something dumber.

(…)

Novikov to Decker

Novikov: Mr. Decker. How are things at the office?

Decker: That’s ´91 all over again. Kamarov is found dead, gun in hand, office locked from the inside. In his safe, evidence that he was leaking state secrets to Langley. An FSB section chief, Kremlin’s golden boy, a CIA spy. Like I don’t know who you hired to pull this off, but I want his number.

Novikov: Trust me. You don’t.

(…)

Dalia to Sophus Fatalé

Fatalé: So, uh, are you going to tell me about what Viktor did?

Dahlia: Viktor… had a lot of skeletons in his mahagony walk-in closet and sometimes the lock won’t hold. A young ambitious FSB section chief was mounting a case against Viktor for past crimes. He got close. Too close. So Viktor, failing for once to bribe or threaten his way out of trouble made a deal with an assassin. Someone with impossible skills. The price? A copy of the IAGO dossier. Everything we have ever collected. No questions asked. And did Viktor bother to tell me about it? No. He did not.

Fatalé: The clients are in there. Are you saying they’re bidding on used goods?

Dahlia: Viktor is certain this mystery man was looking for something very specific. He won’t be bribing people left and right. Still, it’s the principle.

(…)

Cutscene: The secrets of the global elite

Novikov: How was Moskow?

Grey: Kamarov is gone. I set him up as a Langley spy. It's quite the scandal at the FSB. His death will not be investigated. Your turn.

Novikov: Very well. The secrets of the global elite. Five years of work. Everything we've collected. This thing makes WikiLeaks look like a gossip rag. The pen beats the sword, huh?

Grey: I have found that whoever wields the swords decides who holds the pen. Types: File secure. No loose ends. Leak the names. Smile Viktor. Your reputation is safe. Now, run along. I'm sure you have pretty dresses to attend to. Viktor? Good luck with the show. I have a feeling, it's going the one you'll be remembered for.

Cutscene: The key

Hajun: Ether security is in the dark about the incident, and a few at the company knew about the virus, not even the board. Must have been someone at the lab. I understand. I'll get to the bottom of this.

Grey: Bosses unhappy? I followed you from italy. I guess when you're invisible, you stop looking over your shoulder.

Hajun: You did this?

Grey: IAGO exposed you, ICA did the heavy lifting. I just pulled some strings.

Hajun: You out of your mind? How do you expect...

Grey: I play dirty. That's how you defeat a stronger opponent. You strike from behind. Now give me the key.

Hajun: You have a family? Trust me. If there's a weakness, Providence will find it.

Grey: I'll take my chances. The key.

Hajun: Fine. Won't do you much good.

Grey: It's funny. Cobb said the same thing. Thank you, messenger.

Hajun: Don't. I just killed you.

Grey: Then we're even.

Cutscene: Providence is under attack

Fanin: Compromised? But... I don't understand. There is no sign of forced entry. No alarm. Nothing.

Edwards: One of my people has gone missing in Johannesburg. A key-bearer.

Fanin: I wish I had been informed. Still, the system demands two keys. And the rest are all accounted for.

Edwards: Except for your late predecessor's.

Fanin: Cobb? But... his plane went down over the Pacific. It was an accident.

Edwards: Such was the conclusion at the time, yes. People die, Mr. Fanin. It happens all the time, even to us. If it seems like a conspiracy, it probably isn't. And yet. The failed coup in Morocco. The Ether virus. Someone knows about us. There was a pattern and I failed to see it. Providence is under attack.

Fanin: How much was there?

Edwards: Money? Not money, Mr. Fanin. Information. On all of our assets and operatives. Like you. Dig a trench, director. And make it a deep one. Because none of you are safe anymore.

Colorado

Guards talking

Guard 1: I was providing Berg. He didn’t have a clue either. So who the hell is this guy?

Guard 2: Concerned citizen with a chip on his shoulder?

Guard 1: With skills like that? Come on man.

Guard 2: The boss keeps his past close to his chest. Apart from Olivia Hall, the head of the cyber unit, I don’t think anyone knows who he was before. Including Sean Rose.

Guard 1: Suppose we’re all thinking the same thing. He was one of them, right? How else could he know so much about the enemy?

Guard 2: Only thing that makes sense.

Guard 1: Wonder what they did to him. I mean, we’ve all felt the rage one time or another. The boss didn’t start this out of charity, the hate runs deep.

Guard 2: We all have our reasons mate. Don’t need to know his.

Guard 1: Yeah, what’s your reason?

Guard 2: I do what I’m paid to. Made my peace for that a long time ago. Sill. Pick the right side whenever I can afford to. Righteous money just wrestles out in your pocket.

Guard 1: I hear ya.

Guard 1: So, the boss hires this former Interpol agent to do strategic analysis for us? That’s pretty smooth. If she can be trusted of course.

Guard 2: Bit of a strange one. Not strange like Rose mind you but kind of uh… aloof. I heard from the technicians that she’s a Cambridge graduate, top of her class, thing like that you know. Joining interpol a few years after.

Guard 1: Did you know that her main focus was tracking Rose? I mean how poetic is that?

Guard 2: I don’t know about poetry but it sure is a twisted move by the boss.

Guard 1: Then again, she was supposed to be the best and the boss only hires the best. I guess we’ll see if she can handle things on this side of the fence.

Guard 2: If not, I’m sure Rose has some elaborate retirement plan ready for her.

Guard 1: So, you got your ex-military, your mercenaries, I saw a couple of CICADA guys arrived earlier. Then, there’s freedom fighters, intelligence specialists, cyber criminals, you name it. Half of these people probably fought each other at some point.

Guard 2: Oh man, that’s not even counting the really freaky ones. Left-wing terrorists like Sean Rose, corporate whatevers like Crest. It’s like the united nations of assholes.

Guard 1: And what the hell is an anarcho-primitivist?

Guard 2: You got me and I don’t want to know.

Guard 1: This is a powder keg. How does the boss even hope to unite these freaks?

Guard 2: By the way he always does. Take them all, point them on a common foe.  

Guard 1: That simple huh?

Guard 2: I mean armies are easy enough to deal with when the bullets are flying. It’s all the shit that comes after that you gotta worry about. Peace time when soldier get bored, start getting ideas. That’s when shit get’s dangerous.

Guard 1: Okay, Sun Tzu. Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.

Guard 1: Rose put you on the Mexico team?

Guard 2: Reykjavik. Security for Olivia Hall on the Hampson Oil operation.

Guard 1: She’s the boss´s protégé, right?

Guard 2: She leads the cyber division. She’s only 24, but apparently some kind of prodigy. She used to operate under the hacker name Delriego. Took down some major corporations while she was in college.

Guard 1: Where’s she from anyway?

Guard 2: Sierra Leone. She met the boss during the war. That’s about all anyone knows about his past. That he was in Sierra Leone around 2002.

Guard 1: Better than nothing.

Guard 2: Save it. Already tried. There’s no record of him anywhere.

Guard 1: I bet she knows. Someone should get her drunk. Maybe she gets chatty.

Guard 2: Bad idea mate. Hall could enter your bank accounts from her smartphone. Those millennials have scary powers. 

Guard 1: The boss? Nah, he fades in and out of here. Never spends long in one place.

Guard 2: Yeah I think I saw him earlier, heading into the tornado shelter. Wonder what goes on in that place.

Guard 1: It’s where the inner circle does their planning. The boss, Sean Rose, Olivia Hall and that accountant. Probably where they keep the files from the New York vault.

Guard 2: No one else been down there?

Guard 1: There’s a biometric lock. Facial recognition thingamajig. Only the boss, Hall and Rose have access.

Guard 2: Getting pretty hierarchical however the fuck you say that for a brotherhood.

Guard 1: A standard precaution. If anyone in the field gets caught, the less they know the better. Don’t get entitled. We all have a part to play.

Guard 2: I know, I just have a thing with closed doors. 

Guard 1: Sean Rose, in charge of operations. I don’t get it. Why’d the boss pick him? Why not Reynard?

Guard 2: The way I see it, Reynard’s a lone wolf. Berg’s too specialized; I mean he’s no strategist. Parvati is, well, Parvati’s Parvati. I think Rose wants to lead, fiercely dedicated, completely ruthless. Did you ever hear his plan to take out Simon Deveraux? The CEO of Biosphere.

Guard 1: I know he’s building a bomb.

Guard 2: Right, right. So Deveraux is, he’s like exactly like Thomas Cross. Totally impossible to get near. But, also a tech geek, and he just ordered this new Link 4 smartwatch. So Rose, crazy bastard, gets the idea to turn the battery unit for a Link 4 into, get this, a bomb, and then swap the watches in delivery. One push of the button. Bye-bye, Deveraux.

Guard 2: That’s pretty extreme. Enemy operative I know, but it just seems so unsportsmanlike.

Guard 1: Yes, and there you have it. Right on the nose. And again, that’s why Rose is the head of operations. To him, the end justifies the means. And I mean there is nothing that dead-eyed psychopath would not do.

Guard 1: Rose? Nasty little prick, if you ask me. Sure, it’s not his fault that he grew up in that crazy collective farm out in the outback. What were they called? Sons of Solidarity? No, they are a bunch of left-wing cultists. But still, some of that stuff he’s done makes my skin crawl. The oil rig I get, but that government office in Auckland? Man, kids died.

Guard 2: Boss seems to trust him.

Guard 1: Yeah of course he does. Rose is the perfect acolyte. He’s smart, he’s ruthless, but like all fanatics, he’s impressionable.

Guard 2: Yeah, he’s an idealist, that’s for sure.

Guard 1: Nah, nah. I’ve met his kind before. Rose yearns for a cause, sure. But any cause will do. Because deep down, the only thing he’s really looking for is justification to blow people up.

Guard 2: Yeah well, guess this time he found one.

Guard 1: Don’t get me wrong. Sean Rose was born for this. The enemy doesn’t expect him. Their cruelty, it’s too, uh… it’s too remote. You know, you sign a document; thousands of people die half a world away. It’s unreal, like drone operators. But Rose and the boss? The enemy doesn’t know how to react. The savagery. That’s how we will win.

Guard 2: Bring a gun to a knife fight, huh?

Guard 1: More like bring an axe to a chess game.  

Sean Rose to Penelope Graves, first conversation

Rose: Ah, Penelope Graves. My very own nemesis. Welcome to HQ.

Graves: Sean Rose. You’re a tough man to find.

Rose: Please. You are Interpol’s best counter-terrorist analyst. You should have tracked me down months ago. No. You didn’t want to catch me. But what happened, Graves? Sympathy for the devil?

Graves: Something like that. Is that why the boss chose me, I wonder? Because of our conflicting past.

Rose: You’re the analyst. But this whole enemy’s united thing? I think he finds poetic. He’s funny like that. Great man though. Not what the world wants, perhaps. But sure as hell what it needs. Anyway. Get yourself up to speed.

(…)

Sean Rose to Penelope Graves, second conversation

Rose: I see you’re studying the boss’s accomplishments.

Graves: Impressive to say the least. Kamarovs suicide was like a work of art.

Rose: Funny to hear you talk like that. You, a straight shooter. A woman of the law. Tell me, Gaves, when did you decide to switch sides?

Graves: I used to think you were a monster. That building in Auckland. And then I met the boss and he… well, you know his ways. He lets you peek behind the curtain and once you know the truth, it changes your perception.

(…)

Sean Rose to Penelope Graves, third conversation

Rose: I know that look. Somethings rubbing you the wrong way.

Graves: Doesn’t add up. So the boss raids the archive in New York. He now has a list of all the enemies operatives. He goes after Thomas Cross first. He needs funding for all of this and Cross is filthy rich. It all makes perfect sense.

Rose: Except?

Graves: Except, he must have known the ICA would figure out the truth once Thomas Cross was grabbed at his sons funeral. It’s almost as if…

Rose: As if the boss wanted them to. Yeah, I know.

Graves: Maybe he made a mistake.

Rose: You really believe that?

Graves: If I did, I wouldn’t be here.

Rose: The boss doesn’t make mistakes, Graves. I have to believe that. This is the most important thing you and I will ever do. The enemy had no mandate, they have no claim. They have no vision. Their only agenda is to maintain the status quo. Our only agenda is to destroy it. So quit worrying and get up to speed on the upcoming operations. Mexico, London, Shanghai.

(…)

Sean Rose on the phone with Grey, first conversation

Rose: Boss. You’re still at the shelter I presume? Quick update. There was a minor setback at the barn. Burgess was hit by the simulated ram. No worries. If he’s not up to par, I’ll find a replacement. This is my operation, my strike team and they will be ready. You can count on that. I won’t let you down. Okay. Means a lot, boss.

Sean Rose on the phone with Grey, second conversation

Rose: Boss. Yeah, so Berg’s at work on our friend. Some kind of interrogation drug. Sodium Pentathol, I think. He won’t. Berg knows his trade. Even if the heralds don’t know jack about upper levels, this one is secretary Torres’ liaison and he might know about the motorcade route. I figured it’d be worth a shot. Sure. As soon as.

Penelope Graves

Graves: It’s actually quite brilliant in all it’s improvised glory. Cobb, the bank director whose plane crashed. The boss killed him for the vault key. How did he knew Cobb was even an enemy operative? Question for later. So, the spy ring. Infamous IAGO. The boss somehow gets access to their dossier of secrets and this is how he learns about the enemies projects in Italy and Morocco. But why kill the IAGO leaders? Novikov and Margolis were unaffiliated. The Russian must have seen the boss´s face. And the enemy has to have known about IAGO.  I probably even used their services from time to time. It was a precaution. Nothing more.

Penelope Graves, Part 2

Graves: Eugene Cobbs plane crash. Spectacular. Flawless in its execution. Clearly the boss is more than capable. But it makes me wonder why involve the ICA at all? Think Graves. This is the age of global surveillance. Anonymity is key, you know this. Why stick your neck out when you can get assassins to do your dirty work? And even have some rich asshole pick up the tab. So the boss orders the hits in Sapienza and Marrakesh. The enemy loses two operatives and he never lifts a finger. But wait, that’s not even the main objective. So what is? Of course, the enemies messengers. The ones we call heralds. The boss knows they will show up at the crime scenes, now all he’s got to do is watch and wait for the second vault key to fall into his lap.  

Penelope Graves, Part 3

Graves: Hm, possible weakness there. Rose won’t listen. I need to take this straight to the boss.

Penelope Graves talks to Ezra Berg

Berg: Penelope it’s Berg.

Graves: Dr. Berg. I didn’t recognise you in your... work clothes.

Berg: No that’s the idea. So, I take it you finally met Rose. Way I hear it you were on the Interpols task force to hunt him down. So what’s the verdict?

Graves: Sean is dedicated, creative, driven.

Berg: You don’t have to sugarcoat it. The man’s an extremist. You’ve seen the Shanghai plan. Kidnapping children, forcing an innocent man to commit murder. It’s distasteful. Rose has no honour, no sense of fair play. The boss asked me here because he wanted to avoid unnecessary cruelty. So why does he tolerate Sean Rose?

Graves: Because the boss is not a monster and right now, well, he needs one.

(...)

Cutscene: The hidden hand

Diana: The plot thickens.

47: Someone left in a hurry.

Diana: Sean Rose was not the Shadow Client. That much is clear. Whoever commands the milita, they got out just in time. Look around 47. We're getting closer.

(...)

47: Someone's done their homework.

Diana: Look how far it dates back. Hayamoto. Beldingford. D'Alvade. The shadow client has been tracking you for decades.

47: Now how is that possible?

Diana: It isn't. Every one of those missions were branded as unsolved or accidents. He must have been looking for a pattern. A certain MO. Which would mean...

47: He knows me.

Diana: Well. At least this shortens the list.

(...)

Cutscene: Old friends

Grey: Rose is gone.

Olivia: It was me, wasn't it? They tracked me. I don't believe it. I took every precaution.

Grey: Rose knew the risks. They all do. You did well Olivia, I am proud of you. Now listen. The ICA knows about you. They kept you alive because they needed you and now they don't. We won't talk again. Not until the storm is over.

Olivia: I don't like it. This man, you know what he's capable of. You need to end this now!

Grey: I ran away as a boy. My friend and I. Away from that... place. We came upon a small farming community, the people were dirtpoor but this woman, she took us in. We were awakened the next morning by the shots. A dozen people lay face down in the snow. Our warden... didn't like to leave witnesses. They shot the woman and her family last and made sure that we watched the whole thing. "This is your gift" the warden told us. "Your gift and your curse. Touching lives only by ending them".

Olivia: You know him

Grey: Better than anyone.

Hokkaido

Yuki Yamazaki to the Director

Director: Miss Yamazaki. I trust your people are satisfied?

Yamazaki: Our people, Director. Don’t forget who put you here.

Director: Of course.

Yamazaki: We appreciate you clearing your operating schedule. It is paramount to our interest that Soders survives. Still, this cannot have been easy.

(…)

Director: If you don’t mind me asking. Who is Eric Soders? His resume says retired big game hunter.

Yamazaki: Amusing. In a way I suppose he was in his day. Mr Soders belonged to an organization involved in the recent attacks against us and we needed a man on the inside.

Director: So it’s true. Someone is targeting Providence.

Yamazaki: Not for much longer.

(…)

Yamazaki on the phone with the constant

Yamazaki: Sir. No, the patient remained stable. I only wanted to… yes, the investigation. Nothing? How can there be nothing? Hajun was killed in a public parking garage in the middle of the afternoon. You are saying there are no witnesses, nothing on the CCTV cameras? What was he even doing in Johannesburg? And don’t tell me I don’t need to know sir, because I… I really need to know. Hajun was… important to me. I feared as much. It has to be the same person. Whoever hoodwinked ICA, whoever abducted Thomas Cross and fried Schaeffer-Moore’s servers- they killed Hajun. As a matter of fact, sir, I do feel better. I thank you for your trust.

Yamazaki on the phone with Mikhail

Yamazaki: Mikhail. Yes, I need another favour. The footage from the carpark in Johannesburg. Yes, the constant already told me they found no trace of Hajuns killer but I need to see for myself. No he doesn’t. I’m too involved to lead the investigation. And he is absolutely right from a purely strategic perspective, as always. Which is why I am talking to you. No you will do this for me, Mikhail. Because… you know what it’s like  to be in love.

Cutscene: Partners, then?

Edwards: Miss Burnwood.

Diana: That's not what my ticket says.

Edwards: We received your message. Loud and clear, I might add. Honestly, you could have just sacked the poor guy.

Diana: I didn't catch your name.

Edwards: No. You didn't. There'll be no retaliations. Not for Soders, nor any other recent fiascos. Someone's been meddling in our affairs, killing our operatives and making the ICA look like fools. I think you got close to that someone. Closer than we've ever been. That's why we're hiring you to take him down.

Diana: I don't think so.

Edwards: Don't rattle our cages Miss Burnwood. You really have no idea.

Diana: You spy on us. Bribe our people. And you have the gall to demand our help? No. You can't be trusted.

Edwards: Even so. We've been around for a long, long time. I think we could help each other. Some twenty years ago, your agency took in a young man with no past and... extraordinary skills. In his own special way he cares about you and vice versa. And ever since that time, you've never stopped wondering where he came from. And who made him what he is.

Diana: There was a doctor. Some depraved experiment. But he's gone now.

Edwards: Well if you believe the questions died with him, we have nothing further to discuss. If not? As I said, I think we could help each other. Partners, then? Cheer up, Miss Burnwood. We... we are the lesser evil. This terrorist? He wants nothing but chaos.

Diana: He is only a terrorist if you win.

Edwards: Miss Burnwood. We won a long time ago. This? This is maintenance.

[gaysealprobably]

Making monster bois scratches an itch deep in my brain. I might expand on my new OC's design later! :D

Zombie!Emmet was created by @nartothelar! I love their art, and their AUs are so fun and make my imagination go feral! I highly recommend their content, so please check them out!

[ashenberry]

[ID in ALT]

mgs doodle dump + 2 shitposts i shoould like. organize these somehow. i wont but i should

thank you @counterfeitubiquity for helping me ID and also letting me steal one of ur memes

[problemswithbooks]

On Stella (Helluva Boss)

The fandom fights a lot over Stella and how she's written. Fans who like the way she is presented say it's fine that she's a one-dimensional 'evil queen' trope. It's not bad writing that she's so shallow and one note--some villains are better that way.

That isn't an inherently wrong statement. Some of the most fun villains are shallow, evil, for evil's sake types. Unfortunately, I don't think Stella works as this type of villain for a multitude of reasons.

Reason 1: Stella's 'evil' trait is at odds with the themes of the show.

Stella's primary evil trait is that she's cruel to Stolas simply because she likes being cruel to him. She's abusive and hates him. That, by itself isn't the problem. The problem is that the story isn't about Stolas being in an abusive relationship--it's primarily about two people from two different classes, and how they have to become better people and change in order to have the loving relationship they both want.

Yes, Stolas being in a past abusive relationship could be a hurtle to his growth as a character and him being in a relationship with Blitz, but the show never goes there even when it could. Stolas is not shown as being triggered by Blitz's yelling at him. In Apology Tour he has no issues fighting back and telling Blitz off, ordering him to leave. Blitz's yelling and more aggressive attitude isn't what leads to their misunderstandings, where Blitz accidentally hurts Stolas by reminding him of Stella's abuse.

Instead, Stella's abuse isn't even touched on in any major way, and does nothing to move the plot forward or cause connected drama between the two leads. Yes, she hires Striker to kill Stolas and that does at times cause problems, but she didn't need to be abusive inorder to explain why she'd want Stolas dead. In a world where assassins and murder is around every corner, it'd make just as much sense for Stella to hire Striker because Stolas cheated, and it made her a laughingstock among her high class friends.

I'd even argue her abuse makes the story make less sense. We know, from Stolas's own admission, that once his daughter was born, their marriage wasn't necessary. He claims he stayed to give Octavia a normal life, but if Stella is as volatile as she's shown, why would he think Via being around her was a good idea? If Stella had been less outwardly antagonistic and instead more cold and standoffish, with the both of them having mostly separate lives, intersected by polite, if strained family interactions when around Via, then him staying would make sense.

One of the reasons I think more people wanted Stella to be a caring mother to Octavia was because it explains why her and Stolas were still married despite her constant abuse towards him. If Stella cared about Via, and they were close, Stolas would be not only reluctant to leave but to let their false pretense of 'happy couple' slip in front of Via, since both would hurt her. It also would make Octavia's choice to stay with Stella and her anger at Stolas hold more weight, and give Via more complicated emotions. She'd really love her mom, but be confronted with the fact she hurt her father, who she also loves. As it is, it's pretty clear to see that as soon as Octavia finds out Stella is pure evil, she'll easily go back to Stolas with very little if any internal conflict.

Reason 2: Vivziepop claims she's not a one-dimensional character.

A really huge issue with Stella being presented as a one note bitch, is because the creator herself claims she's not. In an interview, Vivzie says Stella is like Beatrice Horseman from BoJack Horseman, saying that at some point we will see things from her perspective.

The problem with this is that Stella has already been portrayed too negatively and flat for this to work. Beatrice worked because, while yes she was awful to Bojkack, she also had Alzheimer's which gained her some sympathy points, as did the way Hollyhock cared for her. She also wasn't always over the top horrible to Bojack, being more passive-aggressive and neglectful.

On top of that, despite her abuse toward BoJack, particularly when he was growing up, she wasn't framed as the reason for all of BoJack's issues. He was still responsible for his own shitty actions as an adult, and when he retaliated toward her, like tossing the baby doll off the balcony, it was framed as shitty behavior. More than anything, their interactions said more about BoJack than Beatrice. Him trying to hurt her, by throwing away her baby doll or putting her in the shittiest nursing home he could find was to show how BoJack wishes he could retaliate against his mother for all the things she did to him, but it leaves him feeling hollow because he knows that due to her disease she's not aware of who he is. It's meaningless, doesn't help him get any closure.

Stella is not presented as anything other than over the top abusive in every scene she's in. Nothing in the show suggests she's anything besides violent, even going so far as having her choking dogs in a childhood picture. Nor is Stolas's treatment of her supposed to reflect on him or characterize him. The only time it might is when he ignores Via because he's too caught up fighting with on the phone, but again, it's not given much focus and he doesn't reflect on it. The same goes for the cheating--yes, Stella was abusive and he doesn't necessarily owe her anything, but Stolas refuses to acknowledge that what he did clearly upset Stella, both times he talks about it asserting that he knows he didn't hurt her. No, they weren't in love, but cheating is still degrading, and Stella is obviously upset. Frankly, I think it would have made more sense for Stolas to rub that fact in her face--he has no issue insulting her, as we see later in that conversation. Instead, his continued assurance that he didn't hurt her or do anything wrong feels like the writers talking through the character, afraid watchers will judge Stolas to harshly otherwise.

Stella getting the Beatrice treatment will likely fail because there is nothing to soften the audience toward her even a little. She has been presented as Stolas's tormentor and nothing else. There are flashes of possible sympathy for her when she interacts with her brother, but for the most part they're framed as Andre being right and Stella being stupid, rather than Stella possibly being manipulated and used by her brother.

It also will fall flat because unless her background is another showcase of how even the upper class are hurt by the system, and this leads to something either story or character wise for the main cast, then there is no point to bring it up. The point of Beatrice's story was to show how generational trauma seeps down into the next generation. BoJack doesn't even have to know about it for it to reflect on his character and explain why he is the way he is. He and his mother parallel each other, where they start out as innocent children but through their parents mistakes, they grow up into cynical, bitter adults who both feel as if they've wasted their lives.

Reason 3: To many villains.

Stella has taken a backseat in her own villain story to her brother, who, just like Stella, is simply evil (he's even characterized as a catty bitch, just like she is, except less of a yeller). It's true Andre wants power, whereas Stella wants...well nothing really, just Stolas dead I guess, but for the most part they are nearly the same. Andre is just a better written version of Stella since he actually gets to make plans and have an end goal.

Once Andre gets introduced, Stella is redundant because she offers nothing different and in fact offers less to the story overall. If Stella was going to be a flat, evil for evil’s sake villain, she and Andre should have been combined. It would have made far more sense to have Stella be a bit smarter and be the one plotting to get Stolas's power. It also would have made the court scenes more impactful because Stella would be a character that was established far earlier, and who we know is a major threat to Stolas, since she's the one that hired Striker to torture and kill him.

If Andre was going to be the main big bad for Stolas, then Stella needed to offer something different. Generally the underling under the main villain is more sympathetic, and less evil, as a way to showcase how much worse the main bad guy is. Or they're more charismatic and show up far more than the main bad guy, like Azula and Ozai. As it is, Stella is neither. She shows up just as little as her brother, and does far less.

And, while Vivzie is a woman herself, I do find the handling of Stella to have mysoginistic undertones, mainly that since her brother has shown up, she is constantly shown as stupid, and that her only good quality is her looks--things her brother constantly brings up, but are not framed as shitty on his part. Them being essentually the same charater make this look all the worse, since Andre, as I've said, didn't need to be a charater at all, and Stella could have been the main villain instead. To pretty much sideline a female charater in order to introduce a male charater that fills the same roll is not the best. Just like racisuim, sexisuim doesn't have to be done purposfly, and I don't blame anyone who finds this choice to be sexist.

Then there's Striker.

Another reason I think Stella and Andre should have been combined. Striker worked really well as the side antagonist under the main villain. He's the one we see more of, he's more charismatic and has hints of a generally interesting backstory, one that we know would fit into the theme the show has of class issues. He's a mirror of what Blitz could have turned into, while Stella could be presented as Stolas's opposite. Even their work relationship could be a dark mirror of Blitz and Stolas's real love for one another.

As it is, Striker is under two other villains, one of which has become essentially unless to the story (Stella can't do anything Andre can't at this point, especially since her and Via aren't shown to have a close relationship). This reduces his threat level and reduced his screen time since he now has to share it with another character. We can see this in the newest episode, where we get a scene where Andre is talking to Stella and then Striker appears later at the trial with no explanation. If Andre and Stella were combined, that scene could have been Stella going over the plan with Striker instead. This would have helped Striker's character, since as it is, his appearance at the trial is confusing. Maybe he's just out for himself and his selfishness won out over his hate of Royals, maybe he was blackmailed, maybe he was so furious and his pride wounded so much by Blitz he'd do anything to bring him down, maybe it's a combination of all three. We don't know because we aren't given the set up. Is it cool that Striker was a suprise? Sure, but in this case it wasn't worth not showing the charater's reason for doing something that seems to go agasint his own charaterization.

Reson 4: Threat.

One of the main reasons to have a simply evil villain is so the can be incredibly menicing. The Aundence doesn't have to feel anything but fear for the protagonists and hate for the villain. They pose no deep moral question, and it feels great when they're beaten.

Despite being a major villain we never see her threat felt by the protagonists. Take her abuse of Stolas. We see her go to hit him and he catches her hand easily and tells her off without issue. Stolas has no problem standing up to Stella ever. In The entire show Stolas is never portayed as afraid of Stella.

Contrast this with how Moxxie and Crimson interact. Yes, sometimes Moxxie does stand up to his father, but we are shown how terrified he is of Crimson multiple times during the one episonde they interact. In comparison Stella's actions never make Stolas even worried. The most we see is him doging things when she throws things at him, but he doesn't seem genuinly afraid, and it's forgoten as soon as she leaves.

He insults her over the phine, insults her to her face. When he learns she hired Striker we arent shown him suddenly relize he underestimated her and become afraid. He instead he's more conserned with his reletionship with Blitz and getting him a crystal. Stolas never tells Blitz about Stella, so we don't even know how Blitz feels about how she treated him.

It's hard for a pure eveil villain to work when only one charater even seems to know they exist and they aren't even worried about offending them. The only way this could work is if Stella pretended to be nice most of the time, but was secretly ploting, like Scar in the Lion King. Instead she's framed as this force of nature, pure bitch, who torments Stolas, yet Stolas doesn't even show anxiaty when having to meet with her, something we know he's prone too because he shuts himself in the refrigerator when contemplating his confession to Blitz ending badly.

If the writers want Stella to be evil--make her evil. Let her be powerful and scary. Have Stolas fintch at her voice, show flashbacks of her hitting him, let her win arguments and verbally tear Stolas down. Make her smart enough to plan things on her own.

I think when alot of people say Stella is a badly written charater it's not nessesarily because they wanted her to be good, or complex. I don't see alot of people angry at how Mother Gothel was written (besides her deisgn being anti-semetic) or Maleficent. It's possible to write evil, one-dimensional female villains. The issue is that even as an evil bitch, Stella falls short in a mutitupe of ways. Her charater is a complete waste, even more so now that her brother has been introduced. She has no reason to exist and serves no narritive purpose. Even as a raod block to the Stolas/Blitz ship she isn't nessesaey because their main issue is the class systum. Stella could have been dead before the show started, leaving Stolas with Via for drama, and Andre could be the evil uncle trying to get Stolas's power.

Stella is pretty much a sexy lamp, execpt the sexy lamp is also a bitch. She's less affective then the random bitch charaters introduced in romatic webtoon comics that are only there to be mean to the main charater and try to steal her man. Stella's not badly written because she's pure evil and simple, she's badly written because she doesn't serve a purpose in the story and could be replaced with a sexy, evil lamp.

[deadinsideart]

This is just a silly idea I had to scribble really quickly, excuse my brainrot shenanigans

I have no explanation than my thought process being "Flora as a Pokémon Subway Boss while Ingo is missing? And Emmet trains with her and her pokemon? Yeah she'd probably have fun tbh" and ironic to work on a train considering Diabolical Box/Pandoras Box events

I mean it could just be an au where both universes exist in the same world so layton does his normal insane shit but with pokemon???

And my sadness about Flora not being in LMJ and want to think that she's just a busy lady. Working on a battle subway with a guy who lost his twin but is still kicking it

Alternative color palette below

It looks like she'd specialize in poison types but none of the pokemon I put down for her are--

I just got this idea-

In this au she probably battled the subway to take out her frustration with layton constantly ditching her frequently (pov unova is one hell of a fucking hybrid place ig idfk LMAOO) so maybe they're already familiar with each other before she's offered a job at the station or smth

[bonefall]

Feel free to ignore you've probably got a lot going on right now, but considering you know a lot about DOTC and Clear sky, I had a question...

We know that he's a terrible, misogynistic, woman beating and war mongering lunatic who was excused of all his actions because his equally misogynistic brother said " But-But he's nice! Deep down! This isn't the real him! "

But! In a world where the Hunters could write such a character, what do you think Clear Sky would look like as an actual sympathetic villain?

Idk if that makes sense, but what I've thought of doing is taking purely cannon Clear Sky and attempting to change him enough that he's still an antagonist, but not too far where only Reddit defends him.

I don't think he works as a sympathetic villain, on any level, ever. I think you're making a huge mistake to even try, and I have never seen an AU where it was done well nor am I interested in entertaining the thought.

Characters. Are. Tools. They exist to tell a story. The story that people tell me, by obsessing over some alternate universe where he was "ACTUALLY sympathetic and had a REAL redemption arc," is that they're not fucking interested in his dozens of victims. Nor do they actually care about the abusive impact he had on the minds and feelings of his family. They're JUST interested in Clear Sky himself.

Just like the Erins. Everything that happens in DOTC revolves around him. Everything. All his wives die so he can be sad about it. His brother defends all of his actions and BEGS you to sympathize with his pain so he can be 'redeemable.' One Eye comes out of nowhere so that there can be an example of "real" evil to contrast Clear Sky so he's less bad in hindsight.

The first three books of DOTC are bad, but the last three are fucking insufferable because SUDDENLY all that Gray Wing apologia pays off, and they take their main villain and throw him out a window. You CAN'T have "redeemable" Clear Sky and the plot of DOTC without dragging in someone else to drive the conflict, to BE the bigger threat to "unite" against. Slash and One Eye have to be conjured up out of thin air so Clear Sky can WHINE about how people only suck his toes instead of deepthroat them after he killed all their friends.

And yet, in spite of this absolute failure of an attempt, we continue to see this bullshit "redemption" be a mistake because Clear Sky is a fantastic villain, with major antagonist roles in nearly EVERY bit of follow-up material for DOTC that came after.

He's the most consistent monster in all of Warriors.

He's a fragile, egotistical, self-absorbed megalomaniac who ALWAYS sees himself as the victim, REFUSING to self-reflect and blaming everything else for all of his terrible choices. He will USE your love of him against you like it's a chain through your nose, step out of line and he will yank you into place with guilt trips, manipulation, public shaming, and violence.

He's a child abuser. He's a tyrant. He abandons the sick and disabled as soon as they're of no use to him, with grand speeches about "illness" and "weakness." He's a murderer who stands above the shredded corpse of his victim and bellows, "I'M NOT GREEDY! I'M JUST STRONG!"

And you'd write a "good" redemption arc for this, why?

Why are people so chronically unable to accept that there are LOTS of people like him, and you can't save your abuser? Why don't you ask yourselves why you're not interested in exploring Thunder, or Petal, or Gray Wing, and how his toxic influence impacts them? Why does the sympathy fall on Clear Sky? What about the DOZENS of victims who are dead by Book 3, and how THEY could have been saved?

Why ruin a perfectly good villain?

What's behind this trend where a billion people say to me, "Yes Clear Sky is a walking cavalcade of fucked up abuse apologia, and an incredibly realistic depiction of an abuser, but how would you change this while keeping it all the same?"

I wouldn't. You can't. It wouldn't be the same story, or it wouldn't be the same character. Never seen it done well, and I have seen it a lot. So I don't entertain this deeply frustrating "Well What If Clear Sky But Nice" impulse.

[moeblob]

Scorpio

The most toxic man alive but also a very well trusted and respectable boss and leader of the Zodiac.

[chevs-and-spiders]

no siren like the sea

[jez-bez]

'How do you feel when you see a different future?'

cross my heart and hope to die welcome to Cir's dark side 🎶

[papanowo]

is crosshair not in the bad batch meets scorch post bc sev was his favourite /j

its also cus hes not in prison in that scenario but yes ^_^ anyways i just HAD to draw them together but since thats never gonna happen have this au where sevs like this rex figure helping clones desert

[clownery-and-fuckery]

Possibly my favourite idea for a silly Disco Elysium fic so far is Harry bullshitting a story about Kim and some (made up) infamous Mob Boss being an "item" to get out of trouble with local mafia members, and then finding out a week later said (made up) Mob Boss is actually Very Real and totally believes Harry's bullshit, too.

[carlyraejepsans]

saw your most recent post about really good fics that contain uncomfortable kinks and i immediately thought "ah, biscia must be reading the mpreg soriel fic" and almost left a reply talking about it but i stopped myself because i realized that would be an insane assumption to make. needless to say i felt so vindicated when i saw you link it in an earlier post.

like. HELLO?

HELLO???????

[sleepymrshmllow]

idk why people are getting mad at this incubus guy for interrupting blitz and stolas' conversation when stolas still looked to blitz for permission first and blitz let stolas go. like stolas would've stayed if blitz asked him to probably

[lost-romantique]

I can understand why Viv mentions that she never reads Youtube comments. Aside from the Youtube comments being filled to the brim with bots, it's also a cesspool of people who have a lack of media literacy.

[theophagie]

Since this hasn't been explained yet one has to wonder...

[vincentpriceofficial]

I can’t get over that loumand scene from episode 5. I remember being like “aw how nice Louis sees when he has an important boundary and doesn’t push it” meanwhile that was exactly the thing that sent Armand into a murder spiral