#yes i know he’s evil actually

[tolstoesky]

it’s very funny to me that when dostoevsky was coming up with verkhovensky’s character he was all like “i’m going to make a villain. a true demon. this man is pure evil. he represents everything that is wrong with russia. he isn’t capable of love or being loved.” and then created this gay little twink of a man with daddy issues and a toxic crush

[oceanwithouthermoon]

"i dont hate this female character, i just have a nuanced take on her" and the nuanced take is comically stereotypical misogyny

[cervinae-canine]

Me seeing people on twitter talking about morally grey characters like they're completely irredeemable and makes them abusive rapists as a result even though the bad actions they've done is only comparable to a Wile E. Coyote cartoon skit but gorier:

[miinteaa]

Sskk redraw of a panel from The Disabled Tyrants Beloved Pet Fish

[mismatchsocks]

“will was so mean to hannibal when he-“ he should’ve killed that man

[autumnslance]

In reference to this post I reblogged earlier, but don't want to muck up UC's activity:

#i think it's more important to see that redemption is in the eye of the beholder #not everybody (characters or real people) will accept the same type or amount of repentance for the same sins #some people might not care at all if the person who wronged them feels sorry; only if they materially repaid their crimes #others can feel the opposite #and either way that's their prerogative #you can disagree with the characters or the fans or the writers about who “deserves” OR has “achieved” redemption and that's okay #because it's ultimately a complex philosophical issue #like i agree with OP!!! but there's media literacy in accepting that not everyone will

I'm going to disagree with many of these tags, especially it being "in the eye of the beholder" and would argue it's more media literate to recognize when a character has a workable redemption arc even if one disagrees they "should" get one. It took me a long time to learn this cuz of how we're usually taught redemption = forgiveness in Western (especially very Christianized, and especially if explicitly raised Christian) culture:

It doesn't rely on anyone but the person seeking redemption.

Yeah, it's the wronged party's prerogative to never forgive, to think the perpetrator's atonement (and/or punishment) is not enough and never will be. Anyone (characters and actual people) who sympathize, and who are on their side, can agree it's not ever enough and that character/person's sins are unforgivable.

And that still doesn't matter to their redemption.

We have an example of a workable redemption arc that not all accept in Final Fantasy XIV with Fordola's situation, through the Endwalker healer role quests. She was raised a collaborator of Ala Mhigo's imperial occupiers, and thought the best way to help her people was to soldier for the empire, becoming their Butcher.

In the Stormblood patches, Raganfrid says he will never forgive her; he thanks her for the aid she gave in the throne room that day, but that's all. And even in the EW healer role quests, their interactions are complicated. He still can't forgive the collaborators, even as he works to reintegrate them into Ala Mhigan society. He recognizes many thought they had no choice. He can't, won't, forget the pain of losing his own loved ones to them. This is stated multiple times.

And others, like M'rahz, Sarisha, and M'naago also struggle, also say they won't forgive...but reluctantly agree they can understand how for the sake of their families, the collaborators felt pushed against a wall, and what lengths have they themselves gone to for their own families? M'naago even scolds Fordola: she doesn't get to give up, she has to keep working--or she dies as exactly what everyone said she was.

Fordola starts out as the one punished for her sins. Through the story, she makes her choices to change and fight and work for her people as a free woman. There are still those who despise the Butcher, and always will. Redemption comes from Fordola's actions, Fordola's choices. Who forgives her and who doesn't can't change that she has changed, and continues to do so.

And in the interest of fairness, for the opposite of Fordola, we have Laurentius. In A Realm Reborn, he collaborated with the empire, selling out his nation. He came out of his punishment wanting a new chance, so joined the Crystal Braves...and immediately fell under Ilberd's sway. While others remained loyal and stuck to their morals (and paid for it with imprisonment or even death), Laurentius went along with all of Ilberd's plans. And in the end, the player gets an opinion in the punishment he and his comrade face, but it's clear from talking to Raubahn there isn't much hope. Laurentius had his chances, but he didn't make any effort to actually change--so faced the consequences.

For Reference for the Healer Role Quests: Garland Tools Healer quest text starting with "Far From Free", and my own saved text in Gdocs (raw, not very organized compared to my later saved/updated docs).

(Nero's the war criminal who...didn't even get a slap on the wrist, he just waltzed into a leadership meeting 15 mins late with Starbucks and has been helping us save the world since. Gaius is the war criminal that went through traumas, saw his privileged preconceptions torn apart, and is starting down that road in the wake of Werlyt to clean up his mistakes and not let his children's sacrifices be in vain. None of these characters "need" punishment to decide to change; some of it simply happens as part of their stories, but they make their own choices and actions toward atonement.)

(Also redemption is usually an ongoing process, which is why "Death Equals Redemption", like how Yotusyu's situation is framed, is so dicey and often unsatisfying; are they actually changed, or they just getting out of putting in that effort to? Nothing indicated Yotsuyu actually cared to change, as sympathetic as she was in the end! But she has her redemptive moment for her fans, and the people who hate/won't forgive her also "win"--the trope is a "have your cake and eat it too" writing cop-out IMO at this point.)

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

something to be said about how kristoph's only known mentee is a loud young man who dresses flashily, is particular about music and so passionate about the truth that he forgets to take people's feelings into account sometimes and follows the thread of logic even when it's disadvantageous to his case or people he cares about/admires. and who also does vocal training. like. just admit you miss your brother and go visit him. freak.

[triglycercule]

dust and horror angel and demon themes,,,, they could totally parallel each other...... :3

dust=angel of death described in the delta rune prophecy (self declared) (i DEFINITELY elaborated on this one waayyyy before but anyways dust with a fucked up savior complex SAVE ME SAVE ME.... death is a blessing ass guy. life is torment and he will be the one to liberate monsters from their bodies and with the strength they provide to him be able to take down evil evil creation of pure misery that is the human ✨✨✨ dont worry his evil cackles are to HIDE HIS PAIN of saving everyone....... trust)

horror=demon that dragged everyone in horrortale into hell (as perceived by everyone else) (i think it would be a cool hc if everyone outside of snowdin viewed horror as literally a demon. maybe undyne preaches that. anyone outside of snowdin might be WAYYY worse because they starve for longer and literally take part in cannibalism so they might not have the same sort of mild sanity that snowdin residents do,,,, besides he DID kinda bring them all eternal suffering. kinda. nobody but undyne knows what happened at the core so she could totally just paint the story to blame horror fully)

ANYWAYS i like the possible dynamics this could have :333

dust to horror (please let me kill you PLEASE let me kill you i can end it all so peacefully wouldn't it be nice??? i promise ill make it quick just for you),,, horror to dust (i want you to live and suffer with what youve done i want you to watch all of your choices hit you one day and i'll be there and laugh at you. i'll keep you alive just to keep you suffering ok?)

OR dust to horror (you dont deserve to die you dont deserve to even be hurt by me. not because youre the exception but youre the Exception i absolutely loathe you so youll never get the sweet release of death :3) and horror to dust (just let me die already i dont wanna be here. youre supposed to be a savior right??? an angel?? then why don't you save me already when i need it more than anyone else)

[quamaii]

Max when the contraption he built specifically for Jimmy to throw knives at Duncan is used by Jimmy to throw knives at Duncan:

[cruelplatonic]

ruminating on 'the vees died despondent nobodies' thoughts

velvette interrogates vox after she hears him give various conflicting and bombastic accounts on air. a selection of these include: blew his brains out on live television, administered the death penalty for killing his "bitch wife," a tragic accident involving two shetland ponies, dubiously legal iranian yogurts, and a whole lot of cocaine. the actual cause was shockingly ordinary- a heart attack in front of the television, alone, his corpse only recovered after two weeks passed. he was watching a game show and his last mortal regret was never even learning who won, because he died during the commercials.

[denkilightning]

imagine if they had taken a different route with 'evil jay.' imagine jay participating in training with ras and being beat so badly that ras kicks a wolf mask to him, and with a bloodied, beat hand he inches towards it, even though it's repulsive to him, disgusting even - but he has to if he wants to live. The mask shatters his soul and the power heals him. He needs to live, but he doesn't want to shatter his soul - but it's the only option presented to him, and he has to take it. eventually he forgets he never wanted to.

anon i love you this is Exactly What I Needed

and yes yes yes

(i kind of went off, all fic like so umm have this i guess??)

i imagine walker would avoid anything that directly tied him to the wolves. after everything that admin put him through he couldn't take another faction taking any more pieces of what little identity he had left - even if it did make him stronger. i imagine he stayed with ras not just because of his lies - the story of how great of a warrior hes been sounded just a tad too good to be true, more like an example from a manipulation textbook rather than anyones actual life, not in this century. but he did stay, because he wanted to destroy the administration - whether from revenge or to free everyone in there, he didnt know.

i imagine when ras found him he quite literally saved his life - after gods know how long walker had to survive on his own in the realm of madness and wylderness he found his way to where ras was. ras brought him in, patched his wounds, gave him food and shelter.

even weeks after being saved by ras walker was still in fight or flight response. he was scared. still somewhat of his power, but the pain was unbearable. remember post merge hes probably never actually been in a fight except when he struggled for survival after admin.

but his power remembered how to ease the pain. make it more bearable. take more of it. until walker cannot stand up back again, and everyone smells death coming.

for a moment no one moves. not jordana, not cinder who was meant to be next, even nokt who was his opponent steps back. no one expected walker to take that much damage. no one expected him to not get up. all these weeks, no matter the punches and the slashes, walker always got back up in the end. all the terrible scars, the eye patch too, proved this wasnt a new development. it was ingrained into walker as much as his lightning.

it takes ten ragged, difficult, wheezy breaths for anyone to move.

ras stands up slowly. no one speaks as the boss kicks the wolf mask towards walker.

at first, the only response is a twitch of fingers and brow.

until a strike of lightning runs across walkers arm and, struggling, he grabs the mask. he doesnt properly put it on just kind of throws his arm, trusting proportions of it to land it vaguely on his face.

whatever anyone says, ras did not run to strike the gong, almost forgetting his own hammer. to say so would be to assume he cared about the master of lightning. which would be ridiculous. he was just a simple tool for others to use. of course there was no fondness, and absolutely, not at all, walker never managed to make any of them smile. that never happened, of course.

and as no one cared for walkers wellbeing, there wasn't a collective sigh of relief and a chuckle of joy as the wounds on walkers body started closing, red energy of shattering weaving his organs back together. of course no one was relieved. not at all.

nokt smirked as ras helped walker to sit up, laying the wolf mask on his lap.

"not bad, brat."

walker gasped in a shaky breath, elemental energy trying to cope with the shattering.

he looked up at nokt.

"so, warm up's over, i take it?"

and at that there was chuckling, with nokt bursting with laughter.

[discjude]

Lady Lesso: Hey so I just think I should warn you now that you're like. back from being dead and all that but uh I know you want to appoint my son as one of the deans and I wanted you to know that he's probably not the best fit for the it given he keep trying to actually kill me and I'm not sure you want a violent sadist teaching students?? I'm not even sure he knows how to write Rafal, already wearing the I'm Not The Stepdad I'm The Dad That Stepped Up shirt: what

[knifefightandchill]

[adamfromsawreal]

ok need a genuine opinion on this. do you think drex would’ve specifically targeted henry in ‘hour of power’ if he’d gotten out of prison when henry was still 13? idk this has been taking up a lot of space in my brain and i do need an au yesterday.

[edwinisms]

I know how it sounds at first, but I really gotta feel bad for the boys that sacrificed edwin; I mean even the term “sacrificed edwin” paints them in a more sinister light than they really deserve– considering that wasn’t really, actually their intention.

they were bullies, they were homophobic (and/or were self loathing gay boys themselves taking it out on edwin, or were equally likely peer pressured into acting a certain way), they planned something stupid and mean to do to an innocent, anxious boy with the goal of scaring the shit out of him, all because he was effeminate and an easy target. but they didn’t know or expect any of the ritual stuff to be real. they were all laughing and joking during the ritual because it was just that to them– a joke. a cruel joke, but a joke.

teenagers can be mean and stupid and they usually regret it as adults and grow out of it / grow from it. they were stifled the chance to grow out of it, at least while alive. none of those boys deserved to be instakilled and sent to hell; they’re really not that much less deserving than edwin himself. they were all just kids, after all.

[hornyforashwilliams]

one of my favorite things is hearing bruce campbell call weed "reefer." he's such an old man.