I hope you're satisfied with what you've done, Paul. You've proved to me that you really don't care about the well-being of Pokémon. I always thought to myself that way deep down, you cared about Pokémon, and you really did want to be friends with them, but now I see. I see that you really do only see them as tools, and I've never met any trainer that was as cruel to Pokémon as you. ... I was there when Brandon swept you, using only Regirock, Regice, and Registeel to do it… you wanna know how I beat him, Paul? I beat him because my Pokémon didn't know the meaning of the word quit, they refused to let me lose because they cared about me, and they knew that I cared about them. And until you learn that, you'll never be a true winner like Brandon, no matter how strong you get.
— Ash Ketchum to Paul, AAML: Diamond and Pearl Version
Spamton: CHOICES, CHOICES! ENJOY HAVING SUCH OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO YOU! IT DOESN’T TAKE A CRYSTAL BALL TO SEE YOU AREN’T GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF THOSE IN THE FUTURE! UNLESS OF COURSE YOU COUNT CHOICES LIKE, ‘WHICH DUMPSTER AM I GOING TO SLEEP IN TODAY?’ OR ‘WHICH MINIMUM-WAGE JOB AM I GOING TO LOSE THIS WEEK?’ A BRIGHT FUTURE AWAITS YOU, SUSIE! BRIGHT, BRIGHT, BRIGHT!
Susie: What the hell do you know?!
Spamton: WELL, LET'S REFLECT, SHALL WE? KRIS, ASRIEL, NOELLE, BERDLY… SURELY THEY ALL HAVE COLLEGE ON THE HORIZON, DON’T THEY? BUT YOU…WHAT PROSPECTS DO YOU HAVE, SUSIE? YOU DON’T EXACTLY SEEM THE STUDIOUS TYPE [...] SEE WHAT I MEAN? ALL BRAWN, NO BRAINS. AND WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN THEY ALL GO OFF TO THEIR UNIVERSITIES? DO YOU THINK YOU’LL STAY BOSOM BUDDIES? DO YOU THINK WHEN THEY COME TO VISIT THINGS ARE GOING TO BE THE SAME AS THEY’VE ALWAYS BEEN? NOPE! THEY’LL ALL HAVE MOVED ON WITH THEIR LIVES. THEY’LL TALK OF CLASSES, OF NEW, EXCITING EXPERIENCES, OF PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE. AND POOR SUSIE WILL STILL BE WHERE SHE ALWAYS HAS BEEN. WHERE SHE ALWAYS WILL BE. AT THE BOTTOM. A HOPELESS, FUTURELESS OAF.
Susie: Shut the hell up! Like I care what you have to say! You think you’re so damn great, but you don’t even have the guts to come out and say that crap to my face. Know why? Because you’re a coward! A freak! So either come out here and fight me or leave me alone, because what you’re saying doesn’t mean shit!
Susie: What the hell do you know?!
Spamton: WELL, LET'S REFLECT, SHALL WE? KRIS, ASRIEL, NOELLE, BERDLY… SURELY THEY ALL HAVE COLLEGE ON THE HORIZON, DON’T THEY? BUT YOU…WHAT PROSPECTS DO YOU HAVE, SUSIE? YOU DON’T EXACTLY SEEM THE STUDIOUS TYPE [...] SEE WHAT I MEAN? ALL BRAWN, NO BRAINS. AND WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN THEY ALL GO OFF TO THEIR UNIVERSITIES? DO YOU THINK YOU’LL STAY BOSOM BUDDIES? DO YOU THINK WHEN THEY COME TO VISIT THINGS ARE GOING TO BE THE SAME AS THEY’VE ALWAYS BEEN? NOPE! THEY’LL ALL HAVE MOVED ON WITH THEIR LIVES. THEY’LL TALK OF CLASSES, OF NEW, EXCITING EXPERIENCES, OF PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE. AND POOR SUSIE WILL STILL BE WHERE SHE ALWAYS HAS BEEN. WHERE SHE ALWAYS WILL BE. AT THE BOTTOM. A HOPELESS, FUTURELESS OAF.
Susie: Shut the hell up! Like I care what you have to say! You think you’re so damn great, but you don’t even have the guts to come out and say that crap to my face. Know why? Because you’re a coward! A freak! So either come out here and fight me or leave me alone, because what you’re saying doesn’t mean shit!
GATHER ’ROUND, BOYS AND GIRLS! THIS RARE, SPECIAL ITEM WILL MAKE YOU THE ENVY OF ALL YOUR FRIENDS! YES, BE THE FIRST KID ON THE BLOCK TO KNOW A REAL, GENUINE HUMAN! SUCH A FASCINATING CREATURE AND WITH SO MANY USES! WANT SOMEONE TO PICK ON? LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THE HUMAN! WANT SOMEONE TO MAKE YOU FEEL INCLUSIVE? WE’VE GOT YOUR TOKEN HUMAN RIGHT HERE! ACT NOW AND LEAVE THEM CONSTANTLY SECOND-GUESSING WHETHER YOU LIKE THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE OR FOR WHAT THEY ARE, WHILE FEELING GREAT, GREAT, GREAT ABOUT YOURSELF! (Striped shirt sold separately.) AND IT'S NOT JUST FOR THE KIDS, EITHER! PARENTS: ADOPT A HUMAN TODAY, WITH NO DOWN PAYMENT, NO MONTHLY PAYMENT, AND NO INTEREST IN ANYTHING THEY’RE THINKING OR FEELING. FOLLOW THESE EASY STEPS AND SOON YOU’LL BE BRAGGING TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT HOW YOUR SELFLESS DEED MADE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE! Kind of makes you wonder if your mom really even loves you, huh? BUT, UH-OH! BUYER BEWARE! I THINK THIS ONE MAY BE DEFECTIVE! WHY ELSE WOULD IT BE ALONE AMONG THE MONSTERS? DID IT RUN AWAY WHEN THE OTHER HUMAN CHILDREN DIDN’T ACCEPT IT? DID ITS REAL PARENTS GIVE IT UP AS SOON AS THEY REALIZED IT CAME OUT WRONG? [...] WELL, GOLLY GEE, SEEMS I STRUCK A NERVE WITH IT! SORRY, SORRY! DIDN’T MEAN TO OFFEND, KIDDO! Just saying what everyone else was already thinking. [...] YOU KNOW, KRIS, I’VE HAD A LOT OF FUN TODAY MESSING WITH YOUR FRIENDS! PLAYING OFF THEIR INSECURITIES. WATERING THE SEEDS TO BETRAYAL. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THERE WAS REALLY ONLY ONE PERSON IN YOUR LITTLE GROUP OF FRIENDS WHO DIDN’T BELONG! And that? THAT WAS YOU, KRIS! IT’S ALWAYS BEEN YOU, YOU, YOU! YOU’RE OUR GRAND PRIZE WINNER! TELL ’EM WHAT THEY’VE WON, SPAMTON! WHY, IT’S A LIFETIME SUPPLY OF SELF-DOUBT, SPONSORED IN PART BY THIS CRUEL, UNFAIR WORLD! You see, I know you, Kris. We’ve just met, but I’ve known you my whole life. There’s always been something, hasn’t there, Kris? And you know I’m not talking about being a human. It’s something in here, something that made everyone around you know – always know, YOU WERE BORN TO BE AN OUTCAST! A FREAK! AND THEY’RE NICE TO YOU BECAUSE THEY FEEL SORRY FOR YOU! BUT, KRIS! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SHOW THEM YOU’RE SOMETHING MORE? YOU KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN THE SECOND YOU STEP OUT OF YOUR ROLE? They’ll hate you, Kris. They’ll turn on you. They'll murder you.
— Spamton to Kris, The Abandoned Carnival
Dwarf in the Flask: Tell me, why did you refuse to join me? Why, God? How did I disappoint you?
The Truth: Do you really need to ask that question? Surely you can at least guess. Rather than being content with yourself, you tried to reject your human origins and coveted the power of what you call God. You never grew beyond your days in the flask. You said that you wanted to attain perfection, but never really understood what a perfect being is. A perfect being is someone who is in perfect harmony with themselves, with others, with the world, and with God. And you have abysmally failed in each of these areas. Rather than learning about and accepting yourself, you tried to artificially extract your seven desires, and ironically still retained your greatest character flaws. Rather than working with others through cooperation and compassion, you sought to use them as nothing more than tools. Rather than observing and enjoying the world as it was, you sought to reshape it to suit your own selfish needs. And rather than trying to cultivate the proper relationship between you and the power that made you, you instead tried to surpass it by having others pay the price. Equivalent exchange is the basis of all alchemy, and yet it is a concept that you don't seem to have truly understood. In order to obtain anything of actual value, you have to make sacrifices. But you have never sacrificed anything, and instead you have forced the sacrifices on others. [pause] There was something you said not too long ago. "Humans who would dare to play God must pay a steep price for their arrogance. That is Truth." Tell me, did you honestly think you were an exception to that rule? And now, I will bestow upon you the despair that you deserve.
Dwarf in the Flask: Don't do this to me. I can't...I can't go back. Please stop! I can't bear to be bound any longer!
The Truth: It's not so pleasant, when you're the one who must pay the toll, is it?
The Truth: Do you really need to ask that question? Surely you can at least guess. Rather than being content with yourself, you tried to reject your human origins and coveted the power of what you call God. You never grew beyond your days in the flask. You said that you wanted to attain perfection, but never really understood what a perfect being is. A perfect being is someone who is in perfect harmony with themselves, with others, with the world, and with God. And you have abysmally failed in each of these areas. Rather than learning about and accepting yourself, you tried to artificially extract your seven desires, and ironically still retained your greatest character flaws. Rather than working with others through cooperation and compassion, you sought to use them as nothing more than tools. Rather than observing and enjoying the world as it was, you sought to reshape it to suit your own selfish needs. And rather than trying to cultivate the proper relationship between you and the power that made you, you instead tried to surpass it by having others pay the price. Equivalent exchange is the basis of all alchemy, and yet it is a concept that you don't seem to have truly understood. In order to obtain anything of actual value, you have to make sacrifices. But you have never sacrificed anything, and instead you have forced the sacrifices on others. [pause] There was something you said not too long ago. "Humans who would dare to play God must pay a steep price for their arrogance. That is Truth." Tell me, did you honestly think you were an exception to that rule? And now, I will bestow upon you the despair that you deserve.
Dwarf in the Flask: Don't do this to me. I can't...I can't go back. Please stop! I can't bear to be bound any longer!
The Truth: It's not so pleasant, when you're the one who must pay the toll, is it?
—Another Journey, "Ch. 59: The Other Side of the Gateway"
"He is real by the way... Adolf Hitler. You're both very similar, you know? You did so many things, changed and shaped the worlds you both resided in all in my father and I’s name! So many things like murder, war, genocide, all in my name... My name! Men, women, children, fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters all died for my father and I’s sake... because why? They had different beliefs? They were a different race? They committed the 'great sin' of just living somewhere you weren't? Because you felt rejected? I know what it's like to feel rejected... yet I never sought to harm those that rejected me... And I never killed my siblings... and yet so many humans think that committing genocide, starting wars, and any number of atrocities in my name will win my favor. They never truly realize how wrong they are until it's too late."
— Jesus Christ to Philip Wittebane, Archivist Angels
Dr. Death: Zese other so-called super villains, the ones who came after me, vat are zey? The Joker, a stupid clown! Stupid clown with stupid jokes! How can he be called Batman's nemesis? He's ridiculous! Is ein insult to me und ze Fledermaus! Und The Riddler, vat ein dummkopf! Reveals his crimes beforehand, most incompetent idiot I've ever seen! Und vat about zat Two-Face? Can't even make up his own mind! Have you seen him play vith zat coin, Herr Doktor? Like ein kinder! I tell you, Doktor, zese foes, zey aren't-
Jeremiah Arkham: Oh, SHUT UP!
Dr. Death: Was?
Jeremiah Arkham: I said shut up! I'm so tired of your infernal babbling!
Dr. Death: Was?
Jeremiah Arkham: You always do this! You always go on about the old days, how you terrorized the entire city, and how you're a much better criminal than all the other lunatics in this place! Well, I've got news for you, Karl: no one cares! No one cares about you! No one even remembers you! The Joker, The Riddler, Two-Face... everyone knows of them, but Dr. Death? More like Doctor Who! Get over yourself, Karl! You're a loser, a has-been! Sure, you terrorized the entire city... eight years ago! I doubt even Batman remembers you now!
Dr. Death: Now, wait a minute...
Jeremiah Arkham: I mean, look at you! What are you compared to them? They have longevity. They're all unique, each with their own iconic gimmicks and personalities. And you... You're a generic mad scientist! You're dime-a-dozen! You even have the stereotypical German accent! What a joke!
Dr. Death: I thought you were here to help me, not insult me!
Jeremiah Arkham: You say you want out of here? Well, why won't you just escape like everyone else does?
Dr. Death: I tried many times, but...
Jeremiah Arkham: Oh, please. You haven't really tried. If you did, you'd be out of here by now. You know what I think, Karl? I think you're afraid to escape.
Dr. Death: That is ridiculous! Vhy vould I be afraid?
Jeremiah Arkham: I think you're afraid that everything I just said will turn out to be true! You'll turn out to be a generic mad scientist has-been, not enough to cut it in today's Gotham! I think you're afraid that, once on the outside, you'll finally realize once and for all that you really are nothing compared to the other super villains! You're afraid that you'll be no match at all for the Batman! You're afraid he'll just laugh in your face!
Jeremiah Arkham: Oh, SHUT UP!
Dr. Death: Was?
Jeremiah Arkham: I said shut up! I'm so tired of your infernal babbling!
Dr. Death: Was?
Jeremiah Arkham: You always do this! You always go on about the old days, how you terrorized the entire city, and how you're a much better criminal than all the other lunatics in this place! Well, I've got news for you, Karl: no one cares! No one cares about you! No one even remembers you! The Joker, The Riddler, Two-Face... everyone knows of them, but Dr. Death? More like Doctor Who! Get over yourself, Karl! You're a loser, a has-been! Sure, you terrorized the entire city... eight years ago! I doubt even Batman remembers you now!
Dr. Death: Now, wait a minute...
Jeremiah Arkham: I mean, look at you! What are you compared to them? They have longevity. They're all unique, each with their own iconic gimmicks and personalities. And you... You're a generic mad scientist! You're dime-a-dozen! You even have the stereotypical German accent! What a joke!
Dr. Death: I thought you were here to help me, not insult me!
Jeremiah Arkham: You say you want out of here? Well, why won't you just escape like everyone else does?
Dr. Death: I tried many times, but...
Jeremiah Arkham: Oh, please. You haven't really tried. If you did, you'd be out of here by now. You know what I think, Karl? I think you're afraid to escape.
Dr. Death: That is ridiculous! Vhy vould I be afraid?
Jeremiah Arkham: I think you're afraid that everything I just said will turn out to be true! You'll turn out to be a generic mad scientist has-been, not enough to cut it in today's Gotham! I think you're afraid that, once on the outside, you'll finally realize once and for all that you really are nothing compared to the other super villains! You're afraid that you'll be no match at all for the Batman! You're afraid he'll just laugh in your face!
Philemon: [to the Velvet siblings] You have performed your duties admirably and without falter. But to treat your guests as family, to participate in things such as this... You are not human. It was never intended for any of you to live as if you were.
Minato: What right do you have to say that? You've done nothing for us. All you did was give us powers and expect us to figure things out. We did everything on our own, and you're showing up now to tell us that our bonds and our choices were wrong? Look at what happened. The Velvet Room is meant to be your proxy, but you didn't even step in when it was compromised. They had to live with us for three years, while the Phantom Thieves got even less help than we did! This is the same reason that Kurusu-kun was angry with us; showing up in the aftermath and judging us when we had to make do with the help we had.
Minato: What right do you have to say that? You've done nothing for us. All you did was give us powers and expect us to figure things out. We did everything on our own, and you're showing up now to tell us that our bonds and our choices were wrong? Look at what happened. The Velvet Room is meant to be your proxy, but you didn't even step in when it was compromised. They had to live with us for three years, while the Phantom Thieves got even less help than we did! This is the same reason that Kurusu-kun was angry with us; showing up in the aftermath and judging us when we had to make do with the help we had.
Ann: Any last words, you monster?
Shadow Sae: Monster? You might be right – if that's what I have to become to provide for my family, I'll do it. Still… only one of us has their hands stained in blood, and it's not me. You think you're some special arbiter of justice, but all you are is a murderer. Does it keep you up at night, thinking about your victim's families? Mothers who've lost their sons? Children that have now been orphaned? The foster care system is a terrible place, you know. No? I didn't think so. You care about true justice just as much as I do. You don't kill people because it's right - you do it because you enjoy watching the light leave their eyes. It makes you feel powerful, it makes you feel strong.
Ann: Shut up. Shut up shut up SHUT UP!
Shadow Sae: Monster? You might be right – if that's what I have to become to provide for my family, I'll do it. Still… only one of us has their hands stained in blood, and it's not me. You think you're some special arbiter of justice, but all you are is a murderer. Does it keep you up at night, thinking about your victim's families? Mothers who've lost their sons? Children that have now been orphaned? The foster care system is a terrible place, you know. No? I didn't think so. You care about true justice just as much as I do. You don't kill people because it's right - you do it because you enjoy watching the light leave their eyes. It makes you feel powerful, it makes you feel strong.
Ann: Shut up. Shut up shut up SHUT UP!
All you seek is power, Veran. You steal raw power to use as your own and then reap the harvest of the destruction you sow with it. You say that you sought to avenge your fallen people, but in reality all you want is to satisfy your own bloodlust! You claim to be the queen of shadows, but you're really just a monster that crawled forth from them!
— Princess Zelda, Bound Destinies Trilogy: Wisdom and Courage
Hugo Strange: Mister Butcher, I have been looking forward to this session the most.
Billy Butcher: [glares at Strange] Let me guess you want me to talk about my childhood and what Homelander did?
Strange: No, I want to talk about your experiences here. Why instead of laying low you decided to antagonize Gotham’s criminal underworld?
Butcher: Those lunatics are trying to pass off Compound V as some sort of designer drug. You really want that clown cunt with that shit?
Strange: Yet you didn’t let the police, Batman, or his allies deal with this narcotic trafficking ring.
Butcher: You're from Gotham, right? Frenchie said you used to experiment on the inmates of Arkham Asylum. He’s been at this whole vigilante shit for how long and the city still looks like a fucking cesspool.
Strange: [smirking] I won’t deny Mister Serge’s accusations. Yet you were arrested by Batman. Not The Seven or any other member of the Justice League, just Batman. What does that tell you?
Butcher: He got lucky.
Strange: Luck, I assume that would qualify for you, not him. Prior to your arrest, you were captured by some of the most dangerous crime lords in Gotham City, you were nearly experimented on by the Scarecrow, and you were nearly killed by Deathstroke. Yet you managed to escape thanks to outside forces beyond their control.
Butcher: Is there a point to this?
Strange: Your biases towards the ‘heroes’ of your world have carried over to those of our world. You expected Batman to be nothing more than a corrupt, incompetent, drug-addicted celebrity. Instead of a highly intelligent, extraordinarily skilled vigilante. One who overshadows you in every category.
Butcher: You always suck him off or is it just occasional?
Strange: [unamused] Batman did not underestimate you, but you did, which led to you being here. If Amanda Waller had no interest in you, you would have been stuck in Arkham. In fact, he likely knew you would assume his secret identity.
Butcher: You know who he is?
Strange: Yes, I was the one who gave it to Miss Waller years ago.
Butcher: Why are you confirming this to me?
Strange: Simple, no one would believe you. In both worlds, you are viewed as an unhinged madman. Who would believe you?
Butcher: [glowering] Anything else you’d like to bring up?
Strange: Hardly, I already brought up your younger brother with Mister Campbell. Lenny is likely the root cause of your psychological issues. Your anger and desire to protect those you care for regardless of the costs. When you were children you were unable to protect him from your father. So you decided to join the military as an escape, only for your brother to commit suicide because you left him alone with your father. From what I’ve read you have become the very man your father wanted. Cold, violent, and hard as stone. Tell me if your father was in your place, how do you think he would have acted compared to you?
[Butcher tries to strangle Strange only for the guards to club him to the floor and pin him down. Strange bends down to whisper into Butcher's ear.]
Strange: Not at all different from you. [proceeds to stomp on Butcher with his boot]
Billy Butcher: [glares at Strange] Let me guess you want me to talk about my childhood and what Homelander did?
Strange: No, I want to talk about your experiences here. Why instead of laying low you decided to antagonize Gotham’s criminal underworld?
Butcher: Those lunatics are trying to pass off Compound V as some sort of designer drug. You really want that clown cunt with that shit?
Strange: Yet you didn’t let the police, Batman, or his allies deal with this narcotic trafficking ring.
Butcher: You're from Gotham, right? Frenchie said you used to experiment on the inmates of Arkham Asylum. He’s been at this whole vigilante shit for how long and the city still looks like a fucking cesspool.
Strange: [smirking] I won’t deny Mister Serge’s accusations. Yet you were arrested by Batman. Not The Seven or any other member of the Justice League, just Batman. What does that tell you?
Butcher: He got lucky.
Strange: Luck, I assume that would qualify for you, not him. Prior to your arrest, you were captured by some of the most dangerous crime lords in Gotham City, you were nearly experimented on by the Scarecrow, and you were nearly killed by Deathstroke. Yet you managed to escape thanks to outside forces beyond their control.
Butcher: Is there a point to this?
Strange: Your biases towards the ‘heroes’ of your world have carried over to those of our world. You expected Batman to be nothing more than a corrupt, incompetent, drug-addicted celebrity. Instead of a highly intelligent, extraordinarily skilled vigilante. One who overshadows you in every category.
Butcher: You always suck him off or is it just occasional?
Strange: [unamused] Batman did not underestimate you, but you did, which led to you being here. If Amanda Waller had no interest in you, you would have been stuck in Arkham. In fact, he likely knew you would assume his secret identity.
Butcher: You know who he is?
Strange: Yes, I was the one who gave it to Miss Waller years ago.
Butcher: Why are you confirming this to me?
Strange: Simple, no one would believe you. In both worlds, you are viewed as an unhinged madman. Who would believe you?
Butcher: [glowering] Anything else you’d like to bring up?
Strange: Hardly, I already brought up your younger brother with Mister Campbell. Lenny is likely the root cause of your psychological issues. Your anger and desire to protect those you care for regardless of the costs. When you were children you were unable to protect him from your father. So you decided to join the military as an escape, only for your brother to commit suicide because you left him alone with your father. From what I’ve read you have become the very man your father wanted. Cold, violent, and hard as stone. Tell me if your father was in your place, how do you think he would have acted compared to you?
[Butcher tries to strangle Strange only for the guards to club him to the floor and pin him down. Strange bends down to whisper into Butcher's ear.]
Strange: Not at all different from you. [proceeds to stomp on Butcher with his boot]
Buffy: Thousands of people are dead because of what you've done, Jasmine.
Jasmine: And how many more will die now because of you and your friends? I could've stopped it. All of it. War, disease, poverty... every last wretched drop of suffering. Children would have grown up healthy and strong, with families full of love and harmony. Peace spreading around the world like a wondrous, precious sea wave. How many precious, beautiful lives would've been saved in only a handful of years? Yes, I murdered thousands... to save billions.
Angel: What about all the lives that you destroyed along the way to getting what you wanted? Are you saying their lives were less precious than the people you claimed you wanted to save? Who the hell gave you the right to decide who lives and dies?
Jasmine: I did! I'm not human, vampire — so don't try to treat me as one! I did what I did because someone had to! I was trying to save this world!
Buffy: No. You were trying to rule it. And you weren't going to let anything stop you. You think we don't get it? It didn't matter to you whose lives you wrecked, or who you killed. There's nothing selfless about that... it's just ruthless. And sick. And evil. You so-called gods and higher powers are all the same; you're a bunch of selfish dirt-bags who don't care about anything but yourselves!
Jasmine: I am nothing like Glorificus!
Buffy: No. You're worse. Glory was an insane maniac and an evil bitch, but you know what? At least she never pretended to be anything else. She was a hellgod, it woulda been crazy of us to expect her to act any other way. But you, Jasmine? A higher power? One of the Powers that freakin' Be? For you to fall so far and act so low, to betray everything you're supposed to stand for... that's what makes you a monster!
Jasmine: And how many more will die now because of you and your friends? I could've stopped it. All of it. War, disease, poverty... every last wretched drop of suffering. Children would have grown up healthy and strong, with families full of love and harmony. Peace spreading around the world like a wondrous, precious sea wave. How many precious, beautiful lives would've been saved in only a handful of years? Yes, I murdered thousands... to save billions.
Angel: What about all the lives that you destroyed along the way to getting what you wanted? Are you saying their lives were less precious than the people you claimed you wanted to save? Who the hell gave you the right to decide who lives and dies?
Jasmine: I did! I'm not human, vampire — so don't try to treat me as one! I did what I did because someone had to! I was trying to save this world!
Buffy: No. You were trying to rule it. And you weren't going to let anything stop you. You think we don't get it? It didn't matter to you whose lives you wrecked, or who you killed. There's nothing selfless about that... it's just ruthless. And sick. And evil. You so-called gods and higher powers are all the same; you're a bunch of selfish dirt-bags who don't care about anything but yourselves!
Jasmine: I am nothing like Glorificus!
Buffy: No. You're worse. Glory was an insane maniac and an evil bitch, but you know what? At least she never pretended to be anything else. She was a hellgod, it woulda been crazy of us to expect her to act any other way. But you, Jasmine? A higher power? One of the Powers that freakin' Be? For you to fall so far and act so low, to betray everything you're supposed to stand for... that's what makes you a monster!
Willow: You're insane.
Amy: No! No, no, no, you want to know what's insane? Insane is letting other people tell you your place in the world when you could be running it. I spent my whole life letting my bitch of a mother run my life, and most of high school being everyone's punching bag, and now that I have the power, I'm going to make damn sure that nobody is going to step on me ever again! Warren was right. I have been watching you. I saw that fight you had with your friends in the Magic Box last year. You took the Slayer, the baddest chick in the underworld, and you beat her ass. You wiped the floor with her. It wasn't even close. And then you nearly blew up the planet? For a second, I thought you were finally going to step up to the big time. To stop denying your real power, the real you.
Willow: That's not who I am. That's not the real-
Amy: Yes it is! You have all this power, more than you deserve. And now that you have it, you — you don't even want it. You're running from it. Hiding! Holding back, playing by other people's rules, letting others tell you what you should be. People like you and I, we aren't meant to be controlled, Willow. People like us, we're above everyone else! Rules don't apply to us, we should be making the rules.
Willow: You're wrong. We're not above the law, Amy. We — we can't just go around killing people whenever we want!
Amy: Oh? And how'd that work out for you. You tried it Buffy's way. You went to college like a good girl, did the Dudley Do-Right shtick, played by their rules, and what happened? You knew Warren was dangerous. You had the power to get rid of him when he was going after Buffy, hell, maybe part of you knew you should have gotten rid of him. But you didn't. All that power at your fingertips, and you did nothing. You just stood by, and your best friend ended up with a bullet in her chest. And what happened to Tara? The woman you loved died bleeding in your arms, drowning in her own blood. You could have saved her if you had acted sooner, but instead, your insistence on playing by these rules... cost Tara her life. Hell, you might as well have pulled the damn trigger yoursel-
Willow: SHUT UP!
Amy: [chuckles] Same old Willow. Trying to pretend that you can be a normal girl, but you're not. You haven't changed. All this power, and you're still just the sidekick to the Slayer. Still hiding behind Buffy's skirt, just like in high school.
Amy: No! No, no, no, you want to know what's insane? Insane is letting other people tell you your place in the world when you could be running it. I spent my whole life letting my bitch of a mother run my life, and most of high school being everyone's punching bag, and now that I have the power, I'm going to make damn sure that nobody is going to step on me ever again! Warren was right. I have been watching you. I saw that fight you had with your friends in the Magic Box last year. You took the Slayer, the baddest chick in the underworld, and you beat her ass. You wiped the floor with her. It wasn't even close. And then you nearly blew up the planet? For a second, I thought you were finally going to step up to the big time. To stop denying your real power, the real you.
Willow: That's not who I am. That's not the real-
Amy: Yes it is! You have all this power, more than you deserve. And now that you have it, you — you don't even want it. You're running from it. Hiding! Holding back, playing by other people's rules, letting others tell you what you should be. People like you and I, we aren't meant to be controlled, Willow. People like us, we're above everyone else! Rules don't apply to us, we should be making the rules.
Willow: You're wrong. We're not above the law, Amy. We — we can't just go around killing people whenever we want!
Amy: Oh? And how'd that work out for you. You tried it Buffy's way. You went to college like a good girl, did the Dudley Do-Right shtick, played by their rules, and what happened? You knew Warren was dangerous. You had the power to get rid of him when he was going after Buffy, hell, maybe part of you knew you should have gotten rid of him. But you didn't. All that power at your fingertips, and you did nothing. You just stood by, and your best friend ended up with a bullet in her chest. And what happened to Tara? The woman you loved died bleeding in your arms, drowning in her own blood. You could have saved her if you had acted sooner, but instead, your insistence on playing by these rules... cost Tara her life. Hell, you might as well have pulled the damn trigger yoursel-
Willow: SHUT UP!
Amy: [chuckles] Same old Willow. Trying to pretend that you can be a normal girl, but you're not. You haven't changed. All this power, and you're still just the sidekick to the Slayer. Still hiding behind Buffy's skirt, just like in high school.
Lucius Malfoy: Hello, Voldemort.
Voldemort: Lucius. Why did you not come when I called?
Lucius: Fifteen years ago, I joined you as a servant. You were a powerful Dark Lord, rising to power, supporting the cause I believed in, and I was barely a man. You were charismatic, persuasive, and near-peerless in ability. Two years ago, Harry Potter came to my attention. He was twelve at the time, and held me at sword-point. I did not even manage to touch my wand before he had my life in his hands. This, of course, piqued my interest, and I began looking both into his, and into your backgrounds. I discovered that he was raised amongst his muggle relatives, and that his uncle was serving a life sentence in prison for child abuse, and attempted murder. You, I already know had once carried the name Tom Marvolo Riddle, from the diary you entrusted to my care. I discovered that you, too had been raised by muggles, in far from ideal conditions. To my considerable surprise, when I looked further into your past, not an easy task by any means, I found that you were a half-blood. It is interesting, really, that of the three most powerful British wizards in the last century, only one is a Pureblood, and we are all well aware that Dumbledore is quite prominently in favor of muggle-born rights, and uses his positions of influence to champion such. So, when you called your followers to you tonight, I chose to watch, to see if you were still worthy of being called 'master.' You had thirty of your followers to aid you. My peers, many of them my friends, and they were slaughtered by a fourteen year old boy. Even with their aid, you would not have won save that they held a hostage for you, and even then, it took only a single muggle-born woman to turn the tide once more, in admittedly the single most dramatic event I have ever witnessed in my life. This is the end of whatever you have been doing in the thirteen years since you lost power. Whereas I, I, rule Magical Britain in all but name. Something you failed to accomplish at the height of your power. The answer to your question, Tom Riddle, is that I did not answer your call because you are no longer my master. If you regain your magic and body, I may treat with you as an equal, but now I have no master but myself.
Voldemort: Lucius. Why did you not come when I called?
Lucius: Fifteen years ago, I joined you as a servant. You were a powerful Dark Lord, rising to power, supporting the cause I believed in, and I was barely a man. You were charismatic, persuasive, and near-peerless in ability. Two years ago, Harry Potter came to my attention. He was twelve at the time, and held me at sword-point. I did not even manage to touch my wand before he had my life in his hands. This, of course, piqued my interest, and I began looking both into his, and into your backgrounds. I discovered that he was raised amongst his muggle relatives, and that his uncle was serving a life sentence in prison for child abuse, and attempted murder. You, I already know had once carried the name Tom Marvolo Riddle, from the diary you entrusted to my care. I discovered that you, too had been raised by muggles, in far from ideal conditions. To my considerable surprise, when I looked further into your past, not an easy task by any means, I found that you were a half-blood. It is interesting, really, that of the three most powerful British wizards in the last century, only one is a Pureblood, and we are all well aware that Dumbledore is quite prominently in favor of muggle-born rights, and uses his positions of influence to champion such. So, when you called your followers to you tonight, I chose to watch, to see if you were still worthy of being called 'master.' You had thirty of your followers to aid you. My peers, many of them my friends, and they were slaughtered by a fourteen year old boy. Even with their aid, you would not have won save that they held a hostage for you, and even then, it took only a single muggle-born woman to turn the tide once more, in admittedly the single most dramatic event I have ever witnessed in my life. This is the end of whatever you have been doing in the thirteen years since you lost power. Whereas I, I, rule Magical Britain in all but name. Something you failed to accomplish at the height of your power. The answer to your question, Tom Riddle, is that I did not answer your call because you are no longer my master. If you regain your magic and body, I may treat with you as an equal, but now I have no master but myself.
Barbara: Do you know what my son did on his fifth birthday?
Walter: No—
Barbara: Ate cake. And cried. Especially when his friends left. Because his father walked out the door on his fifth birthday, and never came back. Then, he took care of his mother. His first attempt to cook dinner set the kitchen on fire. But he got better. When I was working through med school, and then my internship, he cooked for me. He helped keep the house up. Because between work, medschool and trying to understand why my husband left me because I was 'getting too clingy', I was a shitty mother who could barely cook for myself. The fact that we still have this house, that I'm a doctor instead of an assistant pharmacist at Walmart—that's as much Jim as it is me. And it cost him, because believe me, when he was five, he had a lot more friends than just Toby.
Walter: I—
Barbara: Before this year, I would have sooner mistrusted myself than I would have Jim. And then he turns into a burgeoning juvenile delinquent. Someone I don't recognize, and then, when it's too late, and he might be dying somewhere I can't get to, I find out it's because he's become a chosen one… And You. Used. Me. Against. My. Son. When I should have been supporting him, I was yelling at him. When he needed me, I was looking at him like I was disappointed in him. And then, when he turned against you, you tied me to yourself with that damned ritual, while you were in my house, smiling at me, wooing me, so that you could use me as a human shield against my son. Tell me, Walter, if there had been a way to break the connection, to leave me dying in Trollmarket, and you free to flee, safe from Rot, from Jim, from Gunmar... What would you have done?
Walter: No—
Barbara: Ate cake. And cried. Especially when his friends left. Because his father walked out the door on his fifth birthday, and never came back. Then, he took care of his mother. His first attempt to cook dinner set the kitchen on fire. But he got better. When I was working through med school, and then my internship, he cooked for me. He helped keep the house up. Because between work, medschool and trying to understand why my husband left me because I was 'getting too clingy', I was a shitty mother who could barely cook for myself. The fact that we still have this house, that I'm a doctor instead of an assistant pharmacist at Walmart—that's as much Jim as it is me. And it cost him, because believe me, when he was five, he had a lot more friends than just Toby.
Walter: I—
Barbara: Before this year, I would have sooner mistrusted myself than I would have Jim. And then he turns into a burgeoning juvenile delinquent. Someone I don't recognize, and then, when it's too late, and he might be dying somewhere I can't get to, I find out it's because he's become a chosen one… And You. Used. Me. Against. My. Son. When I should have been supporting him, I was yelling at him. When he needed me, I was looking at him like I was disappointed in him. And then, when he turned against you, you tied me to yourself with that damned ritual, while you were in my house, smiling at me, wooing me, so that you could use me as a human shield against my son. Tell me, Walter, if there had been a way to break the connection, to leave me dying in Trollmarket, and you free to flee, safe from Rot, from Jim, from Gunmar... What would you have done?
"You lie. That is all you do, Peter. As much as you and every other Peter Parker talk about great responsibility, you NEVER take responsibility for your own actions. You'd rather let me take the fall. You could have gone to [Miles] and told him everything and gotten him to listen because you actually have a connection with him, but you didn't want to risk it. You LOVED that he looked up to you as someone that could help him and teach him. You wanted him to see you as the man that hung the stars in the sky and not the pathetic, flawed, broken down piece of trash you are."
— Miguel O'Hara to Peter B. Parker, Cracks In Canon
Actually, you're right. If anything, you're worse than Gothel. You have ruined many of the lives you once swore to protect. You bullied and threatened and coerced a boy barely older than a child into doing your bidding, like some black hearted villain from one of Rapunzel's books. Is this the destiny of greatness you've sought after all your life?? How long will it be until you lose your cool entirely and lash out? All it takes is one moment—one mistake, one lapse in judgment, one outburst—to end up killing someone. What if Varian attempted to stop you with one of his inventions? Would you be able to control yourself from ripping his father apart while he was helpless to do anything but watch? Or how about Eugene? He's going to make his move, sooner or later. What will you do if you catch him trying to take back Rapunzel? Let me guess—you'll either tear him to shreds with black rocks, or incinerate him with the Sundrop. Or maybe you'd kill him slowly, making him die just a little bit every day, until there's nothing left of who he used to be?
You've become so twisted over the past year, letting Zhan Tiri warp and manipulate you like putty. She's convinced you that anger is the only way to get what you want, and now the only thing you can feel anymore is anger and rage and hate. And now that you got what she told you you wanted, you're nothing more than a mindless beast trying to piece back together the fragments of what it is to be human. If you don't stop this madness soon, it will only lead to more suffering.
You can't deny it, nor deny me, forever. Rapunzel will suffer most of all, watching you spiral deeper into the pit you've dug yourself into. She'll cry and plead and beg on her hands and knees for you to stop, but you won't stop, will you? You'll take away everyone and everything from her until she has nothing left, in the hopes that one day she will look at you the same way she looks at Eugene. But you know that will never happen. She'll just become an empty husk, numb and mute, unable to cope with the fact that her best friend has ruined her life and has become a fucking monster. And by that time she won't even resist when you crawl over her limp body and use her for your own sick desires. She'll just lie there and take it, without so much as a 'no, please stop' or 'don't, you're hurting me'. Because who can stop you? One day you will walk into this very room and find her strung up with her own hair, used as a noose to end her miserable life and to get away from you. Her blood will be on your hands, and there won't be a damn thing you can do to save her!
You've become so twisted over the past year, letting Zhan Tiri warp and manipulate you like putty. She's convinced you that anger is the only way to get what you want, and now the only thing you can feel anymore is anger and rage and hate. And now that you got what she told you you wanted, you're nothing more than a mindless beast trying to piece back together the fragments of what it is to be human. If you don't stop this madness soon, it will only lead to more suffering.
You can't deny it, nor deny me, forever. Rapunzel will suffer most of all, watching you spiral deeper into the pit you've dug yourself into. She'll cry and plead and beg on her hands and knees for you to stop, but you won't stop, will you? You'll take away everyone and everything from her until she has nothing left, in the hopes that one day she will look at you the same way she looks at Eugene. But you know that will never happen. She'll just become an empty husk, numb and mute, unable to cope with the fact that her best friend has ruined her life and has become a fucking monster. And by that time she won't even resist when you crawl over her limp body and use her for your own sick desires. She'll just lie there and take it, without so much as a 'no, please stop' or 'don't, you're hurting me'. Because who can stop you? One day you will walk into this very room and find her strung up with her own hair, used as a noose to end her miserable life and to get away from you. Her blood will be on your hands, and there won't be a damn thing you can do to save her!
Dru-Zod: This is what our warriors have been reduced to? A bunch of pathetic squabbling children who don't know the meaning of the word discipline.
Aethyr-Zer: Sir we were…
Dru-Zod: Did I give you permission to speak?! You called Kara-El a freak and defective and yet you are the ones I see as defective and useless. If you cannot maintain discipline when you are off duty then you aren't worthy of standing in these halls. You three are dismissed. (to Kara) Who threw the first punch?
Kara Zor-El: I did.
Dru-Zod: Your father assured me that your genetic flaws would in no way impede you in maintaining military discipline. Perhaps he was wrong and perhaps you should reconsider your place here. You are dismissed.
Aethyr-Zer: Sir we were…
Dru-Zod: Did I give you permission to speak?! You called Kara-El a freak and defective and yet you are the ones I see as defective and useless. If you cannot maintain discipline when you are off duty then you aren't worthy of standing in these halls. You three are dismissed. (to Kara) Who threw the first punch?
Kara Zor-El: I did.
Dru-Zod: Your father assured me that your genetic flaws would in no way impede you in maintaining military discipline. Perhaps he was wrong and perhaps you should reconsider your place here. You are dismissed.
Peter: [to Francis and Thelma] I've dealt with you for forty-three years, and not once did I lose it on you. But now, I lost all of my patience on you! Not only have you proven your horrible parents and grandparents, but I've finally seen what you truly are.
Francis: Aw, look Thelma. He finally saw me as a righteous Man of God and have come for my forgiveness.
Peter: No! You're not that way at all! You're the most dishonest, disrespectful, selfish, self-absorbed, ungrateful pricks that I've ever had to experience! I don't even think we've ever had a moment where I can truly, proudly say that your my parents. You don't deserve forgiveness for what you've done to me and my family. As far as I can tell, YOU TWO the sinners, Francis!
[Lois and Thelma gasped in shock at what Peter called Francis]
Francis: You-did you call me "Francis"? How dare you!
Peter: Yeah, I did! Because I'm pissed off at you two and done trying to be nice! I would have done this sooner, but I still had the smallest hope that you would change and treat me and my family with a little bit of respect if we treated you two nicely. But clearly, I was wrong. I was wrong to care about you two. I was wrong to bail you out of jail, Francis. I was wrong to accept in my home twice. And now, I was wrong to even put you two in a retirement home. Because you don't deserve it!
Thelma: Petey, wha... what are you saying?
Peter: I'm saying, Thelma, you two being part of my family and my parents is over! You two can forget the damn retirement home, because I'm doing what I should have done, kicking you two out of the house to sleep in filth! Where you two belong.
Francis: You ungrateful bastard! Raised you for all our lives and that's how you treat us?! Throw us out like trash? You no good piece of-!
[Peter grabs Francis by his vest and slam him to a wall]
Peter: Listen you cantankerous horrible excuse for a father! I've accepted you into my house twice, dealt with your shenanigans, got fired from my job thanks to you, beaten up by you - again - for taking a fall for my dog, embarrassed in front of my friends, my co-workers and boss, keep up all night, assaulted in my bed, and nearly DROWNED TO DEATH, and I still gave you chances! Chances that looking back, I've should've stopped giving after your first visit!
Thelma: Petey, we didn't mean to...
Peter: Shut up!
Francis: P-P-Peter, we...
Peter: [coldly] Shut up. Stop trying to save your asses. It's over. If you have any respect for me left, you would leave. And never. come. back.
Francis: Aw, look Thelma. He finally saw me as a righteous Man of God and have come for my forgiveness.
Peter: No! You're not that way at all! You're the most dishonest, disrespectful, selfish, self-absorbed, ungrateful pricks that I've ever had to experience! I don't even think we've ever had a moment where I can truly, proudly say that your my parents. You don't deserve forgiveness for what you've done to me and my family. As far as I can tell, YOU TWO the sinners, Francis!
[Lois and Thelma gasped in shock at what Peter called Francis]
Francis: You-did you call me "Francis"? How dare you!
Peter: Yeah, I did! Because I'm pissed off at you two and done trying to be nice! I would have done this sooner, but I still had the smallest hope that you would change and treat me and my family with a little bit of respect if we treated you two nicely. But clearly, I was wrong. I was wrong to care about you two. I was wrong to bail you out of jail, Francis. I was wrong to accept in my home twice. And now, I was wrong to even put you two in a retirement home. Because you don't deserve it!
Thelma: Petey, wha... what are you saying?
Peter: I'm saying, Thelma, you two being part of my family and my parents is over! You two can forget the damn retirement home, because I'm doing what I should have done, kicking you two out of the house to sleep in filth! Where you two belong.
Francis: You ungrateful bastard! Raised you for all our lives and that's how you treat us?! Throw us out like trash? You no good piece of-!
[Peter grabs Francis by his vest and slam him to a wall]
Peter: Listen you cantankerous horrible excuse for a father! I've accepted you into my house twice, dealt with your shenanigans, got fired from my job thanks to you, beaten up by you - again - for taking a fall for my dog, embarrassed in front of my friends, my co-workers and boss, keep up all night, assaulted in my bed, and nearly DROWNED TO DEATH, and I still gave you chances! Chances that looking back, I've should've stopped giving after your first visit!
Thelma: Petey, we didn't mean to...
Peter: Shut up!
Francis: P-P-Peter, we...
Peter: [coldly] Shut up. Stop trying to save your asses. It's over. If you have any respect for me left, you would leave. And never. come. back.
— Peter, to Francis and Thelma, Family Guy Fanon (Season 2, Episode 17 "Between Sanity and Madness")
Jason: So disrespectful. My name should be called with awe and worship!
Rikku: "Awe and worship?!" I think you mean "contempt and derision!" God damn it, of all the useless, sub-human, selfish, greedy Greek "heroes," why the hell did our enemy have to be Jason?!
Jason: —Hah?
Rikku: What, are those slabs of cartilage on the sides of your head just for decoration?! Ah, wait, I forgot: Of course they are! You probably never listened to anything anyone tried to tell you if it wasn't exactly what you wanted to hear. You never worked a day in your f*cking life! In fact, you make Blackbeard look like an upstanding hardworking citizen! In order for you to be king, Hera first set things up so you'd be given a task from the uncle that usurped the throne, and then gathered the Argonauts. Throughout the whole voyage, all of the great feats that you took credit for were done by the Argonauts, not you! In Colchis, you couldn't even be bothered to try the tasks the king gave you! In fact, Hera arranged things with Aphrodite so that the king's daughter, Medea, would be compelled to love you. Because of that, she helped you steal the Fleece. She even killed her own brother for you! And how did you thank her?! When she was of no further use to you, you told Medea that she didn't deserve any thanks from you, because Medea's love for you was due to Aphrodite, and you threw her away! You're no hero. Hell, you're not even an anti-hero. You're just scum! You never should have left a mark on history, but the gods favored you! Honestly, I bet the reason they favored you was because they were bored, and decided they wanted to watch a comedic tragedy! (smirks) Death is too good for the likes of you! If I could, I'd rip you to pieces with my bare hands. Slowly. Starting with your toes and fingers, and make you watch the entire time.
Rikku: "Awe and worship?!" I think you mean "contempt and derision!" God damn it, of all the useless, sub-human, selfish, greedy Greek "heroes," why the hell did our enemy have to be Jason?!
Jason: —Hah?
Rikku: What, are those slabs of cartilage on the sides of your head just for decoration?! Ah, wait, I forgot: Of course they are! You probably never listened to anything anyone tried to tell you if it wasn't exactly what you wanted to hear. You never worked a day in your f*cking life! In fact, you make Blackbeard look like an upstanding hardworking citizen! In order for you to be king, Hera first set things up so you'd be given a task from the uncle that usurped the throne, and then gathered the Argonauts. Throughout the whole voyage, all of the great feats that you took credit for were done by the Argonauts, not you! In Colchis, you couldn't even be bothered to try the tasks the king gave you! In fact, Hera arranged things with Aphrodite so that the king's daughter, Medea, would be compelled to love you. Because of that, she helped you steal the Fleece. She even killed her own brother for you! And how did you thank her?! When she was of no further use to you, you told Medea that she didn't deserve any thanks from you, because Medea's love for you was due to Aphrodite, and you threw her away! You're no hero. Hell, you're not even an anti-hero. You're just scum! You never should have left a mark on history, but the gods favored you! Honestly, I bet the reason they favored you was because they were bored, and decided they wanted to watch a comedic tragedy! (smirks) Death is too good for the likes of you! If I could, I'd rip you to pieces with my bare hands. Slowly. Starting with your toes and fingers, and make you watch the entire time.
Rin: Archer, I can't let you do this. If you turn to her side, I'll use my last Command Seal to—
Archer: Then do it! Don't waste my time trying to intimidate me, girl. If you've got it in you to command me to kill myself, then shut your mouth and put me down! I'm not interested in watching you work up to another smart move, only to back down when the hardest part is in front of you. You can't tolerate me? Then fine! Do it!
Rin: But—
Archer: That's what I thought. Maybe one day you'll grow up to become a decisive, powerful mage, but right now, the difference between us is like night and day. I'm squashing this spider once and for all.
Archer: Then do it! Don't waste my time trying to intimidate me, girl. If you've got it in you to command me to kill myself, then shut your mouth and put me down! I'm not interested in watching you work up to another smart move, only to back down when the hardest part is in front of you. You can't tolerate me? Then fine! Do it!
Rin: But—
Archer: That's what I thought. Maybe one day you'll grow up to become a decisive, powerful mage, but right now, the difference between us is like night and day. I'm squashing this spider once and for all.
Sans: Why won't you tell me what's eating you?
Papyrus: Nothing is. I'm fine— I'm just tired. [Reaches for the door handle, but Sans slaps his hand away.] Sans!
Sans: No, listen. You're acting really off and it's weirding me out. We're family; we don't... We don't keep things from each other. So, I'll ask again. What's going on with you?
Papyrus: Oh, that's rich! So, I'm supposed to be peppy and cheerful all the time, am I? I'm not allowed to have a bad day?
Sans: Bro...?
Papyrus: You're the one who sleeps twelve hours a day! You're the one who stumbles around unwashed and half-dressed all the time! You don't do anything unless I physically shove you outside, and even then you put forth the absolute minimum effort you can get away with. Something's wrong with me? When's the last time you washed those clothes? When's the last time you showered? Do you even remember? You smell like wet dog hair and feet. I'm the one with the problem? You can't even- no, you refuse to take care of yourself. You refuse to take anything seriously. You think I want to drag you along by the wrist for the rest of our lives? You think I want to be the one keeping you going day in and day out? I should be asking what's wrong with… I should…
Papyrus: Nothing is. I'm fine— I'm just tired. [Reaches for the door handle, but Sans slaps his hand away.] Sans!
Sans: No, listen. You're acting really off and it's weirding me out. We're family; we don't... We don't keep things from each other. So, I'll ask again. What's going on with you?
Papyrus: Oh, that's rich! So, I'm supposed to be peppy and cheerful all the time, am I? I'm not allowed to have a bad day?
Sans: Bro...?
Papyrus: You're the one who sleeps twelve hours a day! You're the one who stumbles around unwashed and half-dressed all the time! You don't do anything unless I physically shove you outside, and even then you put forth the absolute minimum effort you can get away with. Something's wrong with me? When's the last time you washed those clothes? When's the last time you showered? Do you even remember? You smell like wet dog hair and feet. I'm the one with the problem? You can't even- no, you refuse to take care of yourself. You refuse to take anything seriously. You think I want to drag you along by the wrist for the rest of our lives? You think I want to be the one keeping you going day in and day out? I should be asking what's wrong with… I should…
I'm a liar, Madame?[...]And what about you, Madame? Have you been honest with your associates? I mean, you took Jasmine under your wing without much deliberation, didn't you? You've trained her, brought her into your trust and made her think you as a friend, a mentor...Does she know what waits at the end of the line? You've made cattle of her, Athena. You've fattened her up for slaughter and you're not even sorry about it. The difference between you and me is that I admit I'm a sociopathic liar. Do you?"
— Ovard Grim, Halloween Unspectacular: The Final Push
Excuse me, but when we first came through the portal, you were nowhere in evidence. We did not see a wizard or witch anywhere in sight. Nor did any wizard or witch approach us. That was not our fault, but yours. You should have come to investigate the magic immediately, when you first detected it. What we did see, however, were the people who lived around the portal — and none of them knew of people who could do magic. Magic users, as far as we could tell, did not exist. So, we started doing business with the people we had met. We started buying land and buildings with the intent to establish an embassy. And you were still nowhere in evidence. Perhaps someone was not doing their job at your Ministry. To us, this was a unique opportunity. A whole civilization to explore. One completely unlike our own. We rapidly discovered there were many things that were common here that we had never thought of. And there were many things we could do that they could not. It only seemed natural to trade. We developed an entire strategy on what we wanted to do, to trade for useful science, art, and technology. Hundreds of our best people were involved in that planning. And then we received a visitor. A woman arrived at the door of the home we had purchased, and claimed to be a witch. She said she was the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. She had letters for three children living in our home. She told us of this International Statute of Secrecy. And how we were expected to comply with it. We had already bought thousands of books about this new world, and had quickly read them. Nowhere, in any of them, had there been mention of a society of wizards and witches. Although we had looked for such. We couldn’t believe there was a magic world where people could not manipulate the magic. We did read, however, what the people here thought of magic in general, and of what happened to people who were accused of commanding it. We found those accounts deeply unsettling. So, we took great care to hide what magic we did. But we continued to pursue our trade goals. Magic did not need to be mentioned or used in that effort, so it wasn’t. Which, it so happened, was in accordance with your ...Statute... we later discovered. But the booklet Deputy Headmistress McGonagall left us, put us in a peculiar position. The booklet said we could not tell non-magicals — muggles, I believe you call them — about magic, because every wizarding nation in the world had signed onto this . . . Statute of Secrecy. But Equestria, has never signed that agreement. Nor is there anything like it in Equestria. The very idea of penalizing people for using magic in the open is incomprehensible to us, there. You might as well pass a law punishing people for breathing. But we could understand why it existed, in view of the books we had read. And while the Statute says that every country is responsible for the magic inside its borders, the portal is now on embassy grounds. And, as such, it is no longer considered a legal part of England. Which removes it from your jurisdiction. By your own laws. As to us including you in our negotiations with the non-magicals, your International Code of Wizarding Secrecy has nothing to say on that if the negotiations do not involve discussions of magic. In addition, in a contract negotiation between a magical and a non-magical where magic is not discussed, involving the Ministry is not required by English Ministry of Magic laws. Otherwise a Ministry official would have to be present every time a wizard, witch, squib, or Hogwarts student bought groceries, clothes, or anything else outside of Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. And you would have to fine or jail them if the official was absent. On the other hand, your laws specifically exempt non-magicals who have already been introduced to magic. Such as the non-magical parents of magical students. We have not displayed or used magic in front of any ...muggle... who did not already know about magic. Such as the Prime Minister, who mentioned wizards when he met with Princess Celestia. And then he told selected members of his Ministry about magic. And that does not break your Statute, either. As a non-magical, he is free to tell whomever he wants about magic, without penalty. Once he tells someone about it, your laws allow us to freely to discuss magic with them. The International Code of Wizarding Secrecy says so, too. The Statutes only concern with muggles is if, on meeting a wizard or witch, they attempt to reveal your hidden society. As long as they do not endanger the Statute, they are left alone. Penalties are imposed only if a magical person discusses magic with a non-magical person who did not already know about it. Except under special circumstances, of course. You might not appreciate us trading with the non-magicals, but we have done nothing to breach the International Code of Wizarding Secrecy, nor break any of your laws. And, for your information, since you seem to not know it, in the last six months, we have had two separate interactions with your Ministry of Magic. The first was to have a floo connection established in August. The second was with the Department of Magical Accidents, also in August, when they finally noticed all the magical activity at the house we owned. And they merely warned us to make sure no one unauthorized ever saw us do magic there, and said they would revise their records to say our home, and the land we had purchased, was a magical estate. The Ministry of Magic has clearly known about us, and our magic, for at least six months. And ignored us completely beyond those two incidents. We assumed you were not interested in us at all. So, we concentrated our efforts on the non-magicals for trade. They, at least, were eager to know about our world. To now suggest that we have somehow impugned your honour by ignoring you, or your laws, is beyond the pale.
Voldemort: Now, boy, we duel. Bow to me — bow to death.
Terry McGinnis: Death? You? Don’t make me laugh; the loss of blood has me light-headed enough already. Voldemort. Fly from death. That’s you in a nutshell. Look at you — all this talk about your power and glory, and you’re skulking around graveyards challenging kids to duels! You needed another one just to rebuild your body! And these are your mighty army? All thirty of them? That’s not even a challenge for the off-duty faculty at Hogwarts during classes! You’re a joke, and not even a funny one. Oh, you call yourself the master of death, but the truth is you’re afraid of it. You really live up to your name, running from death so fast it looks like you’re flying, and bragging about how brave you are so that maybe someday you might actually convince yourself. Well, guess what, sunshine — it won’t work. You can sucker these idiots, because they want to believe that you’re some all-powerful Dark Wizard so that they have an excuse to be a bunch of petty, vindictive shits, but you will always know the truth. That when it comes right down to it, you’re just a cowardly brat trying to punish the world for not being what you want. For not letting you be the Greatest Wizard of Them All, but making you be the nobody you are.
Terry McGinnis: Death? You? Don’t make me laugh; the loss of blood has me light-headed enough already. Voldemort. Fly from death. That’s you in a nutshell. Look at you — all this talk about your power and glory, and you’re skulking around graveyards challenging kids to duels! You needed another one just to rebuild your body! And these are your mighty army? All thirty of them? That’s not even a challenge for the off-duty faculty at Hogwarts during classes! You’re a joke, and not even a funny one. Oh, you call yourself the master of death, but the truth is you’re afraid of it. You really live up to your name, running from death so fast it looks like you’re flying, and bragging about how brave you are so that maybe someday you might actually convince yourself. Well, guess what, sunshine — it won’t work. You can sucker these idiots, because they want to believe that you’re some all-powerful Dark Wizard so that they have an excuse to be a bunch of petty, vindictive shits, but you will always know the truth. That when it comes right down to it, you’re just a cowardly brat trying to punish the world for not being what you want. For not letting you be the Greatest Wizard of Them All, but making you be the nobody you are.
"You let Dio live." Jotaro said, calmly, but his words dug deep into Jonathan. "On that ship, you hugged his head as the flames burned around you, you embraced him instead of crushing his skull or burning him alive."
Joseph was getting close now, yelling, and Josuke instinctively took a hold of his arms, keeping him back. Jolyne was pulling Jotaro's arm, asking what he was doing, and old Joseph was telling Jotaro to, basically, shut up. Giorno was gripping Jonathan's wrist, saying over and over that they should move, all the while Speedwagon, alternate universe Josuke, Joshu and Johnny just watched on, confusion rolling off them in waves.
But Jonathan just stared at Jotaro, hurt deep in his oceanic eyes as Jotaro's stayed icy cold.
"It's your fault we're in this mess."
His breath hitched.
"It's your fault for not finishing Dio off all those years ago. He killed most of my friends, slaughtered them. He nearly drained your grandson of all his blood, killed hundreds of innocent people, almost killed my mother. Almost killed me."
His heart ached.
"I was just a normal highschool student, living my life peacefully until Dio awakened our Stands, and my world was flipped to shit and back. Why the fuck did I need to finish what you started? It wasn't my fault Dio made your life a living hell and turned into a vampire using your mom's mask."
...Was he crying?
Jotaro looked at him, directly in the eyes. He spat the next words with venom:
"It's all your fucking fault."
Joseph was getting close now, yelling, and Josuke instinctively took a hold of his arms, keeping him back. Jolyne was pulling Jotaro's arm, asking what he was doing, and old Joseph was telling Jotaro to, basically, shut up. Giorno was gripping Jonathan's wrist, saying over and over that they should move, all the while Speedwagon, alternate universe Josuke, Joshu and Johnny just watched on, confusion rolling off them in waves.
But Jonathan just stared at Jotaro, hurt deep in his oceanic eyes as Jotaro's stayed icy cold.
"It's your fault we're in this mess."
His breath hitched.
"It's your fault for not finishing Dio off all those years ago. He killed most of my friends, slaughtered them. He nearly drained your grandson of all his blood, killed hundreds of innocent people, almost killed my mother. Almost killed me."
His heart ached.
"I was just a normal highschool student, living my life peacefully until Dio awakened our Stands, and my world was flipped to shit and back. Why the fuck did I need to finish what you started? It wasn't my fault Dio made your life a living hell and turned into a vampire using your mom's mask."
...Was he crying?
Jotaro looked at him, directly in the eyes. He spat the next words with venom:
"It's all your fucking fault."
I can't believe I actually trusted you! I thought we could have been friends and help make amends with our heroes. But you never cared! You were nothing but a liar and an evil bitch! You do nothing but manipulate people to get everything to go your way and act like a Spoiled Brat when you don't get what you want! (Removes the ring Malty gave her.) And if you want this damn ring so badly, then you can choke on it!
— Neia Varon to Malty in regards to her rotten behavior which leads to the princess crushing the ring in anger; King Explosion Murder The Shield Hero, Chapter 5
And you! You call yourself a hero, but then you do all this, blindly following that bitch's word, nearly enslaving an innocent victim and justifying it, going along with the will of an old tyrant who will blindly look the other way from his daughter cheating. You(')r(e) nothing more than an arrogant, self-centered, lustful, spineless, idiot! And you know what? Ponytail Slut is a perfect name for you!
— After telling this to Motoyasu, Neia Varon gives him a Groin Attack; King Explosion Murder The Shield Hero, Chapter 5
And you! If that's really your daughter! Not only are you a bigoted, lying, nepotist, and awful king! But yo(')r(e) also an awful father too!
— Neia Varon to King Aultcray for not just being so selfish and stubborn, but also allowing Malty' to break the law on a whim; King Explosion Murder The Shield Hero, Chapter 5
So, your answer to that is to murder this nation's king and assume everything will be hunky-dory afterward? How did you know that this group you were working with wasn't going to just abuse their power as well? If they are willing to do so many underhanded tactic to get the(i)r way, do you think they would give any damns about the people?
— King Kardrum who was scolding a deluded Itsuki during his trial for his crimes in the kingdom of Tervein, King Explosion Murder The Shield Hero, Chapter 7
I think that's about enough. This trial is officially over. You are found guilty Sir Itsuki the cardinal bow hero. Under normal circumstances, you and your team will be sentenced to public execution just like the rest of these traitors and assassins. But due to the fact that you're a cardinal hero, you're too valuable for our world for me to kill you even if you deserve it. So your lives will be spared. However, this will not mean you will go unpunished. Firstly you are to pay a tremendous bail in coin or valuables for your crimes. You shall be imprisoned without your bow for the time being, you will also be forced to pay another bail for your companions or they will be imprisoned forever for their crimes. I will also spread the word of what you have done here to every kingdom from Silvelt, to Faubrey, to Zeltoble, and even all the minor kingdoms will be informed of your exploits here. They will know you as the hero who assassinates anyone he doesn't like and will forever permanently ruin your reputation along with the guild you associate with. I also want to discuss the religious policy that will matter to you. As of now, my kingdom follows the three heroes church where the sword, spear, and bow are worshipped equally while the shield is demonized. But as of now that changes. We will still be a three heroes church; however, the shield hero will no longer be seen as a demon to the people of Tervein, but as a lord and saint he deserves to be labeled as. The bow hero for now on will be referred to as the bow demon to be feared and never be trusted throughout the land.
— King Kardrum placing his sentence for Itsuki, King Explosion Murder The Shield Hero, Chapter 7
Motoyasu Kitamura: (After his attempt to prove Malty/Myne was innocent rightfully fails) No! There has to be something wrong with this slave crest stuff! This is nothing more than you (Queen Mirellia) and Bakugou trying to force out your bias on an innocent girl! This is not a fair trial and you continue to put words into Myne's mouth! This trial is nothing but a joke and I will not accept this as the truth!
Neia Varon (Stomping her way to him to throw back his words when everyone in attendance to the trial he and Malty were brought to were just sighing.): Motoyasu, where the hell was my say in the matter when you('ve) accused me of stealing Myne's ring!? Why the hell didn't you let me have a fair trial when you attempted to enslave me!? Why were you putting words into my mouth when you thought Bakugou was being a bad influence on me!? Why didn't you accept my truth and allowed you bias over Myne to take over my accusation!?
Motoyasu: (Nervously responding) I... Uh... Well, you see I... I...
Neia: Again I'm asking you, where was my defense when you helped accuse me of theft!? (Deals the spear hero an Armor Piercing Slap and Groin Attack before Neia walks back to her team as the delighted Queen Mirelia's guards bring him back to his defense podium as he sobs in pain from Neia's attack dealt to him in response to his hypocrisy she wanted to make a point to everyone in court to.)
Neia Varon (Stomping her way to him to throw back his words when everyone in attendance to the trial he and Malty were brought to were just sighing.): Motoyasu, where the hell was my say in the matter when you('ve) accused me of stealing Myne's ring!? Why the hell didn't you let me have a fair trial when you attempted to enslave me!? Why were you putting words into my mouth when you thought Bakugou was being a bad influence on me!? Why didn't you accept my truth and allowed you bias over Myne to take over my accusation!?
Motoyasu: (Nervously responding) I... Uh... Well, you see I... I...
Neia: Again I'm asking you, where was my defense when you helped accuse me of theft!? (Deals the spear hero an Armor Piercing Slap and Groin Attack before Neia walks back to her team as the delighted Queen Mirelia's guards bring him back to his defense podium as he sobs in pain from Neia's attack dealt to him in response to his hypocrisy she wanted to make a point to everyone in court to.)
Go ahead, Trixie. Do your worst. Tell everyone that I’m homeless, I don’t care. I won’t be intimidated by you. Do whatever it is you want to make my life miserable. Just remember: I’ve been where you are now. Stealing and blackmailing? That makes you no better than what I was. So take a good, hard look in the mirror before you do what you’re going to do. If you can live with being compared to me, then by all means, rat me out. I’m sure Artemis would be proud.
— Sunset Shimmer, Long Road to Friendship
"Do you have any idea what happened in the days between your departure and the Naturals Election? Do you have any guess as to what happened afterward? What I went through, what every one of us went through while you were opting out because you were too afraid to face me?" Satsuki kept her voice at a flat hush, refusing to expend any of her energy on the fury she felt right now. "Why don't you allow me to make a long story short, as you put it?"
He shook his head, wiping the blood off with his wrist. "Satsuki, whatever this is-"
"Gamagoori's dead."
His expression dropped. "Wh… What?"
"Gamagoori is dead. He attempted to kill Ragyo at the Grand Festival this morning, as had always been my plan. It didn't work, and Ragyo decapitated him for it." Satsuki lined her eye up with where his eyes would have been, even though she knew it was pointless. "There are so many things I could list off, so much I ought to tell you, but I thought you would like to know that first. Perhaps it would have gone differently if another Elite, someone almost equal to my power, was there to back him up."
Now it was Sanageyama's turn to be struck silent.
"What else? While you were still crying over being knocked out, I was being held prisoner by Ragyo because she somehow put together that I was plotting against her, and during that time, I was physically, psychologically, and sexually tortured in far worse ways than I already have been throughout my entire life. I lost an eye to that torture, funnily enough. So far, I haven't gained any enhanced senses from being partially blind; in fact, all it has done is ruin my depth perception."
"Satsuki, I'm-"
"Speaking of my eye, you cannot tell, but I'm wearing a patch over it. I retrieved this patch from the corpse of my father, former Nudist Beach leader Isshin Matoi, whom Ryuko murdered after what you casually overheard on the intercom caused her to go into a berserk rage. And since you heard it, you must know that she is my sister, right? She's still out there somewhere, suffering and unable to control her actions, and I am preparing to take charge on a mission that may or may not successfully bring her back to us."
He tried to sputter something out, but fell silent again.
"So yes, Uzu, you have missed quite a lot, and that isn't even all of what has happened."
"Satsuki…" Sanageyama whispered, his voice flat and muted from shock. "I… I, uh… I just wanted to-"
"Don't. The time you had to come back to me, to repent for your actions and beg for us to be on good terms again, has long passed. It passed because you rejected what I was generous enough to give you, reneged on your supposedly lifelong promise to hold me in your highest regard, and immediately joined up with an organization that – for all you knew – would have eventually tried to kill me along with Ragyo and Nui. And when I defeated you again, rather than take my words to heart, you retreated into your own self-pity and refused even the highest-priority mission Nudist Beach has ever undertaken. People are dead whom you might have saved. You actively refused to be there for me in my time of need.
"Compare and contrast yourself with Nonon, who has done more to help my mind heal than an army of therapists could. With Inumuta, who has steadfastly and unquestioningly put all of his mind and body into everything I've ever needed from him. With Ryuko, your replacement, who plunged into one of the most dangerous places ever to exist on the planet just to save my life, and who then pushed us to help her cut apart a god because she was so furious over my imprisonment and how her own mistakes had helped lead to it.
"Or… with Gamagoori, who, if I somehow brought him back from the dead and told him that staying devoted to me got him killed, would continue to charge at Ragyo over and over because he could not stand to have the woman who made my life so hellish exist on the same plane of reality as him. He was an Elite to his core, and he… he was my friend."
He shook his head, wiping the blood off with his wrist. "Satsuki, whatever this is-"
"Gamagoori's dead."
His expression dropped. "Wh… What?"
"Gamagoori is dead. He attempted to kill Ragyo at the Grand Festival this morning, as had always been my plan. It didn't work, and Ragyo decapitated him for it." Satsuki lined her eye up with where his eyes would have been, even though she knew it was pointless. "There are so many things I could list off, so much I ought to tell you, but I thought you would like to know that first. Perhaps it would have gone differently if another Elite, someone almost equal to my power, was there to back him up."
Now it was Sanageyama's turn to be struck silent.
"What else? While you were still crying over being knocked out, I was being held prisoner by Ragyo because she somehow put together that I was plotting against her, and during that time, I was physically, psychologically, and sexually tortured in far worse ways than I already have been throughout my entire life. I lost an eye to that torture, funnily enough. So far, I haven't gained any enhanced senses from being partially blind; in fact, all it has done is ruin my depth perception."
"Satsuki, I'm-"
"Speaking of my eye, you cannot tell, but I'm wearing a patch over it. I retrieved this patch from the corpse of my father, former Nudist Beach leader Isshin Matoi, whom Ryuko murdered after what you casually overheard on the intercom caused her to go into a berserk rage. And since you heard it, you must know that she is my sister, right? She's still out there somewhere, suffering and unable to control her actions, and I am preparing to take charge on a mission that may or may not successfully bring her back to us."
He tried to sputter something out, but fell silent again.
"So yes, Uzu, you have missed quite a lot, and that isn't even all of what has happened."
"Satsuki…" Sanageyama whispered, his voice flat and muted from shock. "I… I, uh… I just wanted to-"
"Don't. The time you had to come back to me, to repent for your actions and beg for us to be on good terms again, has long passed. It passed because you rejected what I was generous enough to give you, reneged on your supposedly lifelong promise to hold me in your highest regard, and immediately joined up with an organization that – for all you knew – would have eventually tried to kill me along with Ragyo and Nui. And when I defeated you again, rather than take my words to heart, you retreated into your own self-pity and refused even the highest-priority mission Nudist Beach has ever undertaken. People are dead whom you might have saved. You actively refused to be there for me in my time of need.
"Compare and contrast yourself with Nonon, who has done more to help my mind heal than an army of therapists could. With Inumuta, who has steadfastly and unquestioningly put all of his mind and body into everything I've ever needed from him. With Ryuko, your replacement, who plunged into one of the most dangerous places ever to exist on the planet just to save my life, and who then pushed us to help her cut apart a god because she was so furious over my imprisonment and how her own mistakes had helped lead to it.
"Or… with Gamagoori, who, if I somehow brought him back from the dead and told him that staying devoted to me got him killed, would continue to charge at Ragyo over and over because he could not stand to have the woman who made my life so hellish exist on the same plane of reality as him. He was an Elite to his core, and he… he was my friend."
Stop right there, Chloe Bourgeois. For years I put up with your behavior because I was convinced that you would eventually change your ways. But sadly, I now see that is not the case. Do you know what I see when I look at you? I see a stuck-up, self-absorbed, conceited prick who cares about nobody but herself. You’re not really my friend. You’re just using me to make yourself look good. A true friend is honest, generous, loyal, kind, and always happy to put a smile on someone’s face when they are feeling down. Sadly, you fulfill none of those requirements. And you think you can excuse yourself by saying that your father is the mayor of Paris? Well, get a load of this: your father can’t stay in office forever, so sooner or later, you will have to learn what life is like at the bottom of the food chain. I really had high hopes for you, but you’ve let me down, so consider. Our. Friendship. OVER!!
Raiden: Why are you here, Fujin?
Fujin: It is not too late to put an end to this madness, Raiden. Please, I do not wish for us to be enemies.
Raiden: Madness? Why can you not understand, Fujin? I am merely trying to protect Earthrealm!
Fujin: By maiming and murdering innocents? Sub-Zero lies in a coma while Frost and her fellow survivors were fortunate to be alive. Some of them were children no more than thirteen or fourteen years of age! Cassandra Cage is a hero! She defeated Shinnok, yet you reward her valor by taking her hostage? You are not protecting Earthrealm, Raiden, you are further endangering it! You are no better than Shinnok and Shao Kahn!
Raiden: [Suddenly Shouting] Do not compare me to those madmen! They cared only for themselves whereas I have always had Earthrealm's best interests at heart!
Fujin: Terrorism is not the answer, Raiden! Neither is kidnapping or murder! Do you not understand the atrocities you have committed? You swore to keep Earthrealm safe at all costs, only to become a threat to its safety!
Raiden: You are all against me, then? So be it. I will keep Earthrealm safe, even if I must kill every single one of you to do so.
Fujin: Then the Raiden I knew is truly dead!
Fujin: It is not too late to put an end to this madness, Raiden. Please, I do not wish for us to be enemies.
Raiden: Madness? Why can you not understand, Fujin? I am merely trying to protect Earthrealm!
Fujin: By maiming and murdering innocents? Sub-Zero lies in a coma while Frost and her fellow survivors were fortunate to be alive. Some of them were children no more than thirteen or fourteen years of age! Cassandra Cage is a hero! She defeated Shinnok, yet you reward her valor by taking her hostage? You are not protecting Earthrealm, Raiden, you are further endangering it! You are no better than Shinnok and Shao Kahn!
Raiden: [Suddenly Shouting] Do not compare me to those madmen! They cared only for themselves whereas I have always had Earthrealm's best interests at heart!
Fujin: Terrorism is not the answer, Raiden! Neither is kidnapping or murder! Do you not understand the atrocities you have committed? You swore to keep Earthrealm safe at all costs, only to become a threat to its safety!
Raiden: You are all against me, then? So be it. I will keep Earthrealm safe, even if I must kill every single one of you to do so.
Fujin: Then the Raiden I knew is truly dead!
No, Cardin. It's not about my friends; neither about you insulting them or calling them pets... though, admittedly, that does have me a smidge irritated with you. [grits his teeth] Yang doesn't need me to protect her from you, Cardin. Neither does Tsu, or my team, or anyone! They don't need me to stand here and protect them from you... they could kick you to the curb on their own. They choose not to because they're better than that.. It's not even because you tried to target me Cardin... I've had worse things said about me and if I can still try to help Kacchan despite everything that's happened between us, I could let something like this slide off my back... It's not about any of that; that's not why I'm going to kick your ass to the curb, Cardin! It's because of your lack of respect! Not for me, not even for my friends... but for this school and for the Hunter's profession itself!
I've worked so hard my entire life to be here, Cardin. I've put everything I had into making it here to Beacon... even when I thought it was impossible, when I thought it'd never happen. I made it though... in spite of everything I made it. [fights back the tears building in his eyes] I couldn't have been luckier... I couldn't have given it anymore than I could've. However, that was enough. By the skin of my teeth, I made it.
[narrows his eyes at Cardin] You though? You were born to be a Huntsman, Cardin. You're strong and powerful, a naturally gifted fighter... you were made to be here. Beacon was probably happy to have you! A great potential Hunter to add to their ranks... and... and you waste it. Here you are messing around, dragging your teammates into some stupid scheme that could cut your careers short just because you want to try and beat me up for some slight to your pride? You'd face expulsion not just for that, but so that you'd be free to try and mess with the hopes and dreams of other people who want to be here, who want to be Hunters, by bullying and berating them! Worse than that... you've actively tried to sabotage Kacchan's chances of becoming a Huntsman, something he's wanted for as long as I've known him...
[Izuku's gaze turns into a Death Glare] So yeah, Cardin... we're going to fight man-to-man. We're going to fight in front of Port... and then when I'm done with you, I expect you to stop. You won't hurt or harass my friends or anyone else ever again. You understand?
I've worked so hard my entire life to be here, Cardin. I've put everything I had into making it here to Beacon... even when I thought it was impossible, when I thought it'd never happen. I made it though... in spite of everything I made it. [fights back the tears building in his eyes] I couldn't have been luckier... I couldn't have given it anymore than I could've. However, that was enough. By the skin of my teeth, I made it.
[narrows his eyes at Cardin] You though? You were born to be a Huntsman, Cardin. You're strong and powerful, a naturally gifted fighter... you were made to be here. Beacon was probably happy to have you! A great potential Hunter to add to their ranks... and... and you waste it. Here you are messing around, dragging your teammates into some stupid scheme that could cut your careers short just because you want to try and beat me up for some slight to your pride? You'd face expulsion not just for that, but so that you'd be free to try and mess with the hopes and dreams of other people who want to be here, who want to be Hunters, by bullying and berating them! Worse than that... you've actively tried to sabotage Kacchan's chances of becoming a Huntsman, something he's wanted for as long as I've known him...
[Izuku's gaze turns into a Death Glare] So yeah, Cardin... we're going to fight man-to-man. We're going to fight in front of Port... and then when I'm done with you, I expect you to stop. You won't hurt or harass my friends or anyone else ever again. You understand?
Sasuke: I don't need your pity. [begins to walk away]
Kakashi: So you want to go back to the Academy, Uchiha? Konohagakure does not need weak shinobi who get themselves and their teammates killed, Sasuke-kun, and that is exactly as you would become if you walk away now. You will go back to the Academy with a note in your files, 'Does not work well with others.' You will certainly get no training from me. And you will keep returning, with the same message to each teacher, from every jonin I know who is competent enough to train you well, because we'll all see the same thing. Until you finally get someone who has no idea what you have suffered and decides to keep you in their team even if your team suffers for it, out of pity. And then, you will know more suffering, more regret, more pity, because you will become a magnet for death. Your own callous, uncaring nature will make you and those around you suffer. Allies will die because they believe they cannot ask you for help, and the survivors will pity you for your loss. Potential friendships will die, because after being rebuffed too many times, people tend to give up and find other friends, and those lost friends and allies will look on you with pity when you walk by. Right now, you go home to silence, but you are not alone yet, because you have been surrounded by others and forced to interact with them in the Academy setting. You will not know loss until you realize you have not spoken for a week and nobody cares because they think of you as an object of their environment instead of a human. And then, you'll die. Maybe you'll refuse help as you take on a foe stronger than you. Maybe you'll snap and chase after your brother before you are ready, and get slaughtered by someone powerful enough to slay your entire clan. Maybe you'll live a long and dull life of failure before having a heart attack at home and dropping dead, unnoticed and unlamented until someone happens to sense the smell of your rotting body and contacts the authorities out of pity for the poor old man who had no one to care for him. In none of these cases do you get your revenge. In all of these cases, you fail to revive your clan. Those schoolgirls who crush on you now in that annoying way eventually grow into women who know better than to waste their time. No children, no future, and the Uchiha clan dies with you. On the path that you are currently on... you will fail at everything you claim you want.
Kakashi: So you want to go back to the Academy, Uchiha? Konohagakure does not need weak shinobi who get themselves and their teammates killed, Sasuke-kun, and that is exactly as you would become if you walk away now. You will go back to the Academy with a note in your files, 'Does not work well with others.' You will certainly get no training from me. And you will keep returning, with the same message to each teacher, from every jonin I know who is competent enough to train you well, because we'll all see the same thing. Until you finally get someone who has no idea what you have suffered and decides to keep you in their team even if your team suffers for it, out of pity. And then, you will know more suffering, more regret, more pity, because you will become a magnet for death. Your own callous, uncaring nature will make you and those around you suffer. Allies will die because they believe they cannot ask you for help, and the survivors will pity you for your loss. Potential friendships will die, because after being rebuffed too many times, people tend to give up and find other friends, and those lost friends and allies will look on you with pity when you walk by. Right now, you go home to silence, but you are not alone yet, because you have been surrounded by others and forced to interact with them in the Academy setting. You will not know loss until you realize you have not spoken for a week and nobody cares because they think of you as an object of their environment instead of a human. And then, you'll die. Maybe you'll refuse help as you take on a foe stronger than you. Maybe you'll snap and chase after your brother before you are ready, and get slaughtered by someone powerful enough to slay your entire clan. Maybe you'll live a long and dull life of failure before having a heart attack at home and dropping dead, unnoticed and unlamented until someone happens to sense the smell of your rotting body and contacts the authorities out of pity for the poor old man who had no one to care for him. In none of these cases do you get your revenge. In all of these cases, you fail to revive your clan. Those schoolgirls who crush on you now in that annoying way eventually grow into women who know better than to waste their time. No children, no future, and the Uchiha clan dies with you. On the path that you are currently on... you will fail at everything you claim you want.
Isamu: You idiot. You absolute buffoon. You wanted free use of Meta Abilities? Well, now there's no chance anyone will let that happen. Fuck, even other Metas want the laws to restrict their own abilities! You practically signed the restriction laws yourself! All because you got more of a kick out of killing baselines than actually doing something productive.
Destro: They deserve it! The damned throwbacks are our enemy! You know this! We fought against the death squads together! They're the bastards who slew my mother!
Isamu: Yeah, you don't get to pull that card. We all lost people we love. But you decided you wanted to be the one leading the mob stoning people to death. My late husband's sister was a baseline, and she loved her daughter, who has a Meta ability to make grease. She cared for her Meta daughter, and you fucking killed her. And she's not the only one. Now there's hundreds of Metas out there who're orphans, because their families didn't have any powers. You'd have killed your own mother. You already have.
Destro: They deserve it! The damned throwbacks are our enemy! You know this! We fought against the death squads together! They're the bastards who slew my mother!
Isamu: Yeah, you don't get to pull that card. We all lost people we love. But you decided you wanted to be the one leading the mob stoning people to death. My late husband's sister was a baseline, and she loved her daughter, who has a Meta ability to make grease. She cared for her Meta daughter, and you fucking killed her. And she's not the only one. Now there's hundreds of Metas out there who're orphans, because their families didn't have any powers. You'd have killed your own mother. You already have.
Hitomi: Brother, Sean was right! You can't lead! Every time you try to lead, you panic and things just get worse! Not only that, you're a selfish jerk!
Daisuke: Hitomi! What has gotten into you?
Hitomi: I've seen what Sean was talking about! I wish I had never followed you!
Daisuke: Hitomi, this is crazy talk! What's going on? Listen to me. You're coming with me!
Hitomi: No, you listen to me! I'm tired of you always telling me what to do! I don't care about family loyalty anymore, I want to be like Maria and be my own, independent woman! For once, I am not going to do what you tell me! We should never have split with the others! We need them!
Daisuke: We don't need them! If we need them, then our dignity as Japanese citizens is gone!
Hitomi: DON'T BRING NATIONALISM INTO THIS! Nationalism has no place here! The Zordonians are a bigger threat than Japanese dignity or whatever you're talking about!
Daisuke: Hitomi, what are you—
Hitomi: I don't want to be part of something if I can't be with my friends! Sean, Kevin, and Maria were my friends! And you took that away! I know this is going to sound wrong but... I HATE YOU! YOU'RE A SELFISH, SPOILED JERK! Your selfishness nearly got us killed, could have killed Sean, Kevin, and Maria, and possibly doomed the planet!
Daisuke: Hitomi! What has gotten into you?
Hitomi: I've seen what Sean was talking about! I wish I had never followed you!
Daisuke: Hitomi, this is crazy talk! What's going on? Listen to me. You're coming with me!
Hitomi: No, you listen to me! I'm tired of you always telling me what to do! I don't care about family loyalty anymore, I want to be like Maria and be my own, independent woman! For once, I am not going to do what you tell me! We should never have split with the others! We need them!
Daisuke: We don't need them! If we need them, then our dignity as Japanese citizens is gone!
Hitomi: DON'T BRING NATIONALISM INTO THIS! Nationalism has no place here! The Zordonians are a bigger threat than Japanese dignity or whatever you're talking about!
Daisuke: Hitomi, what are you—
Hitomi: I don't want to be part of something if I can't be with my friends! Sean, Kevin, and Maria were my friends! And you took that away! I know this is going to sound wrong but... I HATE YOU! YOU'RE A SELFISH, SPOILED JERK! Your selfishness nearly got us killed, could have killed Sean, Kevin, and Maria, and possibly doomed the planet!
"When I was a young child, my uncle made me learn the beorc language. In the beginning, I had much trouble with it, but in the end, I learned to speak it well. Some of the words were particularly hard to understand... words that don't exist in nature. Words for things that can't be touched, like 'kingdom' and 'fealty' and 'law'... words that are called 'abstract'. Those were the words I struggled with. Among those abstract words, there was one that I've never understood for many years. Its meaning eluded me, and after a while, I suspected that the word had no meaning at all. But eventually, I was proven wrong. The word was 'evil'. There are many words to describe a beorc or a laguz of whose actions you don't approve. Prideful. Greedy. Ignorant. Reckless. Vengeful. Power-hungry. Murderous. For each of these words, I have met people who could be described by them. Several of them have been used to describe me.
Three years ago, when Ranulf returned from the war against King Ashnard, I asked him everything about it — because I had wanted to be there and prove my strength! He told me many stories, about the war and the fighting. About Ike and Ashnard and even about you, Queen of Crimea. But there was one story that stood out the most: The story about the Feral Ones. He told me of laguz who had been twisted completely, driven insane by torture and poison. Laguz who had forgotten who they were, and were being used by Daein to fight their former friends. I didn't believe him at first, not until Giffca and others confirmed his story. That's how I learned about evil. There are many reasons to destroy a man's body... honor, anger, vengeance, war. But destroying a man's mind and soul, turning them against the ones he loved... that is true evil. And that is what you have done. You destroyed Ike's mind. You made him kill his friends and family. That cannot be forgiven."
Three years ago, when Ranulf returned from the war against King Ashnard, I asked him everything about it — because I had wanted to be there and prove my strength! He told me many stories, about the war and the fighting. About Ike and Ashnard and even about you, Queen of Crimea. But there was one story that stood out the most: The story about the Feral Ones. He told me of laguz who had been twisted completely, driven insane by torture and poison. Laguz who had forgotten who they were, and were being used by Daein to fight their former friends. I didn't believe him at first, not until Giffca and others confirmed his story. That's how I learned about evil. There are many reasons to destroy a man's body... honor, anger, vengeance, war. But destroying a man's mind and soul, turning them against the ones he loved... that is true evil. And that is what you have done. You destroyed Ike's mind. You made him kill his friends and family. That cannot be forgiven."
— Skrimir, Queen of Sorrow
Artana/Nilani: You cannot bring about true freedom by destroying governments from the outside, Zaheer. Only by winning the hearts and minds of the people, willingly, can the world return to its natural state. But you know what? That's not the worst of it. No, no, you sealed your fate just before assassinating the queen.
Zaheer: [rolls his eyes] Really.
Artana/Nilani: You gave us [The Red Lotus] a name, Zaheer. You named us. For fifty years, no one knew we even existed, but after you chose to show off to the Avatar, people started asking questions. The right questions. We could have issued in a new era of balance if you'd kept your fucking mouth shut!
Zaheer: [rolls his eyes] Really.
Artana/Nilani: You gave us [The Red Lotus] a name, Zaheer. You named us. For fifty years, no one knew we even existed, but after you chose to show off to the Avatar, people started asking questions. The right questions. We could have issued in a new era of balance if you'd kept your fucking mouth shut!
You have some nerve to call yourself a teacher. All I see is a demented woman, one with no artistic talent of her own. So she has to take all the artists around her as her own pawns. Simply pathetic.
— Inner Moka to Hitomi Ishigami, Rosario Vampire: Brightest Darkness Act IV
Moka: You arrested us. You took us away and scheduled us for execution just because we were monsters. We didn't want to cause any trouble. We didn't want anyone to get hurt. We only came to try to help, but you wouldn't listen to us. We didn't want to hurt you yesterday, but you gave us no choice. We had to free ourselves from being wrongfully imprisoned and accused of being enemies of mankind. Yes, we did harm and even kill some of the HDA when we broke out of your jail. We didn't want to, but we had to. You wouldn't listen to us. You wouldn't even try to understand. You just blamed us for everything because we were monsters and you were scared! We wanted peace with your race, and still do. But tell me honestly, did you want peace with us? Did you? Were you even willing to give us a chance, or does us being monsters automatically mean we're the devils? We told you that we would deal with monsters that were out of line, just as you deal with your own kind who cause trouble in your world, but the moment a monster acts out, you all jump to the notion of war! We risked out lives to help save you, to save all of you, and you still think we're nothing but horrible monsters! We exposed ourselves to you, told you everything you wanted to know about us. We wanted to live in peace with you! But the second a rogue monster causes a scene, you blame all of us! You're unbelievable! We put an end to Fairy Tale! We stopped Alucard! We killed those that destroyed your school and city! My friend here even just shot that massive demon out of the sky by means that I can't even begin to fathom! What do we have to do to prove to you that we aren't evil?!
Render: You know what? I was going to say sorry about having to kill some of your comrades the other day. I mean, hey, I didn't want to dice them into pieces. They were just trying to kill me and my smoking hot girlfriend, so of course I wasn't going to take that lying down. But it's obvious that none of you are sorry about the way you've been treating us or are even willing to listen to us. Our friend here just obliterated that demon above for you and you're aiming your guns at her again. The hell kind of manners is that?
Mizore: You people are more of monsters than we are. You won't even give us a chance just because we're different; you think we're all the same. I could have used lethal force earlier while trying to help my friends escape the real evil monsters that were here when your police tried to shoot us. They didn't even ask questions or try to detain us; they tried to kill us on sight. But I didn't kill them. They're alive, and aside from having a few bruises, they'll be just fine.
Leon: We stopped the monsters who were running around here causing havoc, but I guess that means nothing to you, does it?
Akasha: I put an end to several large demons in your city, and this is the thanks I get? I see mankind's manners haven't changed in all these years.
Moka: The HDA has been nothing but a barrier in any efforts to forming peace with you people; they treat all monsters as absolute evils regardless of their nature. I've laid my life on the line for your kind, and this is what I get for it, a gun to my face and accusations of being a plague in your world. I value life, no matter what it may be. Do you? We put a stop to the monster attack in your home. We tried to save as many lives as we could. We've begged you to listen and allow us the chance to explain what happened, yet you still point that thing at me. You want to kill me just because I'm a monster? Can there really be no peace between our worlds? If so, then go ahead and shoot. You won't get an easier shot than this. Just remember that we're willing to give peace a chance, but this monster in the darkness, the one that has attacked both our worlds in his quest for total domination... he will not be so merciful as to give you a similar chance.
Render: You know what? I was going to say sorry about having to kill some of your comrades the other day. I mean, hey, I didn't want to dice them into pieces. They were just trying to kill me and my smoking hot girlfriend, so of course I wasn't going to take that lying down. But it's obvious that none of you are sorry about the way you've been treating us or are even willing to listen to us. Our friend here just obliterated that demon above for you and you're aiming your guns at her again. The hell kind of manners is that?
Mizore: You people are more of monsters than we are. You won't even give us a chance just because we're different; you think we're all the same. I could have used lethal force earlier while trying to help my friends escape the real evil monsters that were here when your police tried to shoot us. They didn't even ask questions or try to detain us; they tried to kill us on sight. But I didn't kill them. They're alive, and aside from having a few bruises, they'll be just fine.
Leon: We stopped the monsters who were running around here causing havoc, but I guess that means nothing to you, does it?
Akasha: I put an end to several large demons in your city, and this is the thanks I get? I see mankind's manners haven't changed in all these years.
Moka: The HDA has been nothing but a barrier in any efforts to forming peace with you people; they treat all monsters as absolute evils regardless of their nature. I've laid my life on the line for your kind, and this is what I get for it, a gun to my face and accusations of being a plague in your world. I value life, no matter what it may be. Do you? We put a stop to the monster attack in your home. We tried to save as many lives as we could. We've begged you to listen and allow us the chance to explain what happened, yet you still point that thing at me. You want to kill me just because I'm a monster? Can there really be no peace between our worlds? If so, then go ahead and shoot. You won't get an easier shot than this. Just remember that we're willing to give peace a chance, but this monster in the darkness, the one that has attacked both our worlds in his quest for total domination... he will not be so merciful as to give you a similar chance.
— Rosario Vampire: Brightest Darkness Act VI
Cloaked Figure: That pathetic little Faunus… she should have known better than to bring a child into this war of hers.
Darrel: Don't call me a child. What I've done-
Cloaked Figure: What you've done… is nothing. Your accomplishments are minimal, your skills are lacking. You blunder along, believing that you further your wretched cause… but you're just a boy swinging tiny knives taped to your wrists. You think yourself a warrior… you call yourself a hero… you dub yourself a champion… you are nothing. Nothing, but a child. Nothing, but a coward. Nothing, but a waste. Nothing, but… a failure.
Darrel: Don't call me a child. What I've done-
Cloaked Figure: What you've done… is nothing. Your accomplishments are minimal, your skills are lacking. You blunder along, believing that you further your wretched cause… but you're just a boy swinging tiny knives taped to your wrists. You think yourself a warrior… you call yourself a hero… you dub yourself a champion… you are nothing. Nothing, but a child. Nothing, but a coward. Nothing, but a waste. Nothing, but… a failure.
Stella: Listen to me, young lady! I won't have you ruining your reputation and our family's name just because some filthy, diseased kennel cunt has filled your head up with moonlight, do you hear me!?
Octavia: (Slaps Stella) I hear you. Maybe now you'll listen to me for once in your life. You talk all the time about how Dad never listens to you and always takes my side. He's not perfect, but at least he took the time to get to know Loona a little. At least he cared enough to find out why I like her. I've tried to tell you, but every time I bring her up, all you hear is how she's going to ruin my life, my future, our family. And you won't even say her name. It's always the dog or the mutt or the bitch. Well I've got news for you; she's not a fucking piece of meat, Mum. Loona is my friend, but just because she's a hellhound, you won't give her a chance, or even let her in our house. No, she has to stay outside, like a good Dog. And she puts up with it! For me! And I chicken out because it makes YOU happy! And you stand there and say I'm never sacrificing anything for this House? Hell's Teeth, Mum, where do I even start? I've put up with you and Dad screaming every other week all year until you chase me out of the goddamn house because I can't fucking sleep. I've gone to every party, and training course, and political playdate you've ever asked me to since I was ten. I put up with Slaanesh and all her idiots even when they treated me like I was a wall decoration. I aced all my classes. I took ballet and foreign languages and piano! But nothing is ever good enough for you, is it? All that, and you couldn't give me one demon for one day. So I snubbed my best friend on one of the most important days of my entire life. For the Family. For all those fucking reporters you hired to fix our "soiled reputation"! I did it for you! Loona's not perfect, but she's my friend, my first REAL friend in this whole, shitty town, and I am so fucking tired of trying to make you understand! Just once, can't that be enough for you? Can't I have anything for myself that's about being your daughter instead of some Bullshit Fairy Tale Princess!?
Octavia: (Slaps Stella) I hear you. Maybe now you'll listen to me for once in your life. You talk all the time about how Dad never listens to you and always takes my side. He's not perfect, but at least he took the time to get to know Loona a little. At least he cared enough to find out why I like her. I've tried to tell you, but every time I bring her up, all you hear is how she's going to ruin my life, my future, our family. And you won't even say her name. It's always the dog or the mutt or the bitch. Well I've got news for you; she's not a fucking piece of meat, Mum. Loona is my friend, but just because she's a hellhound, you won't give her a chance, or even let her in our house. No, she has to stay outside, like a good Dog. And she puts up with it! For me! And I chicken out because it makes YOU happy! And you stand there and say I'm never sacrificing anything for this House? Hell's Teeth, Mum, where do I even start? I've put up with you and Dad screaming every other week all year until you chase me out of the goddamn house because I can't fucking sleep. I've gone to every party, and training course, and political playdate you've ever asked me to since I was ten. I put up with Slaanesh and all her idiots even when they treated me like I was a wall decoration. I aced all my classes. I took ballet and foreign languages and piano! But nothing is ever good enough for you, is it? All that, and you couldn't give me one demon for one day. So I snubbed my best friend on one of the most important days of my entire life. For the Family. For all those fucking reporters you hired to fix our "soiled reputation"! I did it for you! Loona's not perfect, but she's my friend, my first REAL friend in this whole, shitty town, and I am so fucking tired of trying to make you understand! Just once, can't that be enough for you? Can't I have anything for myself that's about being your daughter instead of some Bullshit Fairy Tale Princess!?
The Nome King: It was all an illusion; the trilobites, the collapse of the palace, your escape and transformation- all just a dream. And I must say, I never imagined you'd remain as foolish and egotistical as you were as the Wizard, but some things never change, do they.
Oscar Diggs: You… you did all that just to torture me?
The Nome King: Not entirely; I was a little bit curious to see what would happen if you had the chance to set things right, to see how you would react in seeing a version of yourself who'd lived a more worthwhile life- by your standards, anyway. I wanted to see what would happen if you were to bump into a man who'd had the family you'd always wanted, who'd been a father to Elphaba when she dearly needed it. In fact, I was actually going to let you take his place if all went well, and let you spend the rest of your life in a dream while your body withered and died. Yes," he added gleefully, "You were within seconds of my mercy. And you failed: you killed your other self and your daughter- again, and not long after you tried to stalk them home, no less. So the study did have some very interesting results.
Oscar Diggs: And what are those?
The Nome King: Quite simply, you want to be punished; in that illusion, you had every opportunity to keep Elphaba safe without having to barge into her personal life. You could have been her invisible bodyguard, protecting her against the lions and tigers and bears and so forth; and from there, you could have actually been her father! You could have had a chance to erase your mistakes, even if the chance was only an illusion. But, to put it lightly, you blew it. You killed your other self without even bothering to find out who he was, and you murdered your daughter for the second time in almost as many years. Congratulations. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that, at heart, you're a masochist. So, if it's any comfort, allow me to assure you that, barring the remote possibility of me finally regaining an atom of mercy, you are now the single inhabitant of a Hell without end.
Oscar Diggs: You… you did all that just to torture me?
The Nome King: Not entirely; I was a little bit curious to see what would happen if you had the chance to set things right, to see how you would react in seeing a version of yourself who'd lived a more worthwhile life- by your standards, anyway. I wanted to see what would happen if you were to bump into a man who'd had the family you'd always wanted, who'd been a father to Elphaba when she dearly needed it. In fact, I was actually going to let you take his place if all went well, and let you spend the rest of your life in a dream while your body withered and died. Yes," he added gleefully, "You were within seconds of my mercy. And you failed: you killed your other self and your daughter- again, and not long after you tried to stalk them home, no less. So the study did have some very interesting results.
Oscar Diggs: And what are those?
The Nome King: Quite simply, you want to be punished; in that illusion, you had every opportunity to keep Elphaba safe without having to barge into her personal life. You could have been her invisible bodyguard, protecting her against the lions and tigers and bears and so forth; and from there, you could have actually been her father! You could have had a chance to erase your mistakes, even if the chance was only an illusion. But, to put it lightly, you blew it. You killed your other self without even bothering to find out who he was, and you murdered your daughter for the second time in almost as many years. Congratulations. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that, at heart, you're a masochist. So, if it's any comfort, allow me to assure you that, barring the remote possibility of me finally regaining an atom of mercy, you are now the single inhabitant of a Hell without end.
Azulon: Sit back down! Tell me that you were not actually going to go and do it! Kill your own son?
Ozai: ...No.
Azulon: Just—what—gah—what the—AAAGGH!
Ozai: What did you want, Father?
Azulon: I wanted you to beg and grovel for your son's life, to ask me to take yours instead if I was so pissed, to challenge me to an Agni Kai, to panic, to try to kill me before word could leave this room — something a human being would have done when his children were threatened! I have no idea what happened to turn you into a monster, and that's probably my fault for never being around, but you are no longer my son. You will leave my house, leave your family, just... leave. I'll give you a week before I tell anyone you've been banished; that ought to give you enough time to get clear of the Fire Nation before people start looking at you and whispering. Perhaps when Iroh gets back, he can fix whatever the hell it is you've been doing to Azula. Get out of my sight; you sicken me.
Ozai: ...No.
Azulon: Just—what—gah—what the—AAAGGH!
Ozai: What did you want, Father?
Azulon: I wanted you to beg and grovel for your son's life, to ask me to take yours instead if I was so pissed, to challenge me to an Agni Kai, to panic, to try to kill me before word could leave this room — something a human being would have done when his children were threatened! I have no idea what happened to turn you into a monster, and that's probably my fault for never being around, but you are no longer my son. You will leave my house, leave your family, just... leave. I'll give you a week before I tell anyone you've been banished; that ought to give you enough time to get clear of the Fire Nation before people start looking at you and whispering. Perhaps when Iroh gets back, he can fix whatever the hell it is you've been doing to Azula. Get out of my sight; you sicken me.
Jasper: (punching the nearest wall) GET OUT.
Carnelian: Hey, careful 7XE! It's so nice in here, it looks just like... like home, yknow?
Jasper: Home?! That place is no home. It is as worthless, useless and misshapen as ALL OF YOU. If you won't listen to me... I will have to show you! Do you understand!? Do NOT try to drag me into the past, for it deserves to be forgotten. Do not imply I'm like you, for I exist for a higher cause! I... I'm not worthless! I exist for a reason! I... I got out because I was better, and you were defective, and so, I don't have to think about you anymore! I deserved to get out alive! I deserved to be separated from all of you! I deserved... I...
Carnelian: I... I thought we were all friends.
Jasper: Friends?! Jaspers aren't supposed to have friends. We're supposed to be soldiers - obedient, expendable tools of the Diamonds! And you're... not. You're defective, useless, pointless... clinging to each other because you have nothing else. A disgrace to Homeworld. And the only reason I was given a chance to be anything else is because I was better than you. It's good you came. You still miss me, is that it? Ha, that really proves it! I thought I missed you too, at first. But I can't. I have something else now! I've learned so much... First thanks to Yellow Diamond and her Agates, I was able to rid myself of such unneeded attachments. And now, thanks to my Diamond... I'm finally becoming who I'm supposed to be. Being unlike you is the only reason I have a purpose. I'm not worthless. A real Jasper wouldn’t care about you, or she would have to be punished. I was not supposed to care about you. And now, I... I don't.
7XD: Stars... What did they do to you?
Jasper: Only what I deserved. And it worked - I am completely focused on my mission. I don't need anything else. I just need [Steven]...
— Something Better (Chapter 12)
(Chapter 12)You are no king, Maegor Targaryen. A king never seeks out conflict or conquest. He protects, nurtures, and cares for all his subjects, no matter their station or belief. A king does not terrorize his people on a whim or slaughter innocents. Nor does he force himself upon unwilling women in a vain attempt for an heir that he is not capable of ever hoping to sire. With such a stain upon you, I suppose that in the eyes of your kind, you are not even a real man.
— Fingolfin, A Song of Rings, Tears and Wrath
Stop. Just stop right there, Celestia. You've embarrassed yourself enough. I let you speak because I was willing to give you a chance to prove me wrong about your relationship with Twilight, but you've done nothing but disappoint me! You haven't told me anything I don't already know, and you clearly can't take a bone when it's thrown at you! Why do you hardly ever see her on your own time anymore? Why does your faith in her seem to be off and on? Why can't you just be open with her? Because your image is more important than anything you care about?! If you do care about her, Celestia, you have a funny way of showing it. You still think that, despite everything, you and Twilight share something special? I believe you had some good words of wisdom for this kind of situation. How did they go again? Oh yes, I remember: "You have a lot to think about."
I made a promise to to a human I loved named Maria. I forgot that promise and I nearly wiped out an entire race because of it. You despise humans... and yet a human taught me the most valuable lesson of all; there are still things worth fighting for. Demon or Angel, it doesn't matter. I'm nobody's slave, Maledict, especially not yours.
— Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic X: Dark Chaos
We're not the one's hurting your daughter. We're the ones she flees to when you hurt her and then you shift all the blame onto us because you can't handle the idea that you're not even close to being a perfect mother for your less-than perfect daughter due to your fragile ego having been desecrated by a less-than amicable divorce leaving you with no alimony or child support to be a single mother caring for a daughter who is incredibly ungrateful for everything you claim to do despite the fact that you're so unsupportive of her happiness that she fled all the way to New Jersey to escape from you breathing down her neck every waking second because she fears the idea that you'll always be there to shoot down her goals and eventually leave her as as much of a train wreck of a mother and person that you have become!
[...]
To say that we are the ones responsible for your daughter hurting is the exact same thing as saying that the hospital is the reason your daughter is sick! The ones who tell you about a development are not always the ones to blame for the development in question! You have the single largest hand in your daughter's debilitating self-esteem issues, as you are her mother, and are subsequently responsible for the character she has become! And what you have worked on for over eighteen years of your eternally meaningless - nay - detrimental life, is a train wreck of a Butterfree whose only solace is everything she has worked towards behind her mother's back. You are an embarrassment to everyone who has ever considered themselves a parent, or wants to be a parent. Bloody hell, I bet you only had her out of wedlock.
[...]
To say that we are the ones responsible for your daughter hurting is the exact same thing as saying that the hospital is the reason your daughter is sick! The ones who tell you about a development are not always the ones to blame for the development in question! You have the single largest hand in your daughter's debilitating self-esteem issues, as you are her mother, and are subsequently responsible for the character she has become! And what you have worked on for over eighteen years of your eternally meaningless - nay - detrimental life, is a train wreck of a Butterfree whose only solace is everything she has worked towards behind her mother's back. You are an embarrassment to everyone who has ever considered themselves a parent, or wants to be a parent. Bloody hell, I bet you only had her out of wedlock.
— The Absent Coder, to HP's Education Mama, SOSchip
Hajime: What you’re promising me, the ability to gain talent if I participate, is more than anything I could’ve imagined. It was, for the longest time, my greatest dream. To finally have a talent I could call my own. But now, after taking some time to think it over, I’ve changed my mind.
Steering Committee Member: Changed your mind?
Hajime: I’m afraid I won’t be participating in your program.
Steering Committee Member: I see…well, that is rather disappointing. Are you certain this is what you want?
Hajime: Yes. It is. The reason I’m not participating isn’t just because I’m scared or ungrateful, or whatever word you wanna slap on me after I walk out of here. I’m not participating because I don’t need you. I don’t need your empty promises, your talent project, or anything you could possibly offer me. I finally understand now that this entire thing was just a ploy to get me to agree to something I knew nothing about. Just like how you old farts have no idea what talent is.
Steering Committee Member: Wh- how dare you! This school was founded on the principles of scouting, researching, and nurturing talent!
Hajime: No, let me tell you what this school is really all about. It runs on an elitist agenda where people who have no talent are apparently just ticks that try to feed off of the elite. Because the only reason people ever complain are because they’re dissatisfied with their position life. But you wanna know who the real ticks are? It’s the ones who look down on the poor and siphon away their money for stupid vanity projects. The ones who only see people as a resource to be exploited. The ones who manipulate kids who aren’t sure where they’re going in life with false promises. The ones who use their position to lie, cheat, steal, extort, coerce, and bully to hide their crimes and get whatever they want. The people who wouldn’t know actual talent if it hit them in the face and treat what they do have like property. Who act like they’re above the law because they’re aspiring to something greater. Am I hitting close to home? Because I hope I am.
Steering Committee Member: Boy, you-
Steering Committee Member: No, no, there’s no need for that. Hinata-san, I see the point you’ve tried to make. And if that’s how you feel, then you should happy to know you won’t have to stay at this school you hate so much any longer.
Steering Committee Member: Yes, by turning down this project, we’ve also been forced to cancel your scholarship.
Hajime: Oh, I’m not worried about that. I have another source for my tuition.
Steering Committee Member: Another source?
Hajime: Yep. You guys like money, right? I’m sure you do. That’s why the Reserve Course exists in the first. I plan on staying at this school, not because I support it or your agenda, but because I like the people here. That also means I’ll still be receiving the official Hope’s Peak commendation for any careers I pursue in the future. And I plan on pursuing them based on my own merit. So it’s a win for everyone!
Steering Committee Member: Or we can expel you. Not only are you disrespecting your betters, you trespassed on school grounds you had no business being on.
Hajime: And when you do, I’ll be sure to let the world know this school’s desperately trying to cover up a crime and kicked out a student for saving lives, along with his friends. I know the right people to talk to and the story would go public fast.
Steering Committee Member: They’d never believe your word over the school’s.
Hajime: You really believe that? Even if you’re right, the taint by association would still be there. That means loss of revenue. You’d either have to come clean or keep expelling anyone who tries to get the truth out. And you think some outside party wouldn’t get suspicious and come take a closer look? Imagine what they might find.
(The committee members all look around nervously at one another)
Steering Committee Member: …Very well. You’ll…you’ll be allowed to continue attending Hope’s Peak Academy.
Hajime: Good. And with that, I’ll be heading home. Still got a lot of recovering to do. Good day, gentlemen.
Steering Committee Member: Changed your mind?
Hajime: I’m afraid I won’t be participating in your program.
Steering Committee Member: I see…well, that is rather disappointing. Are you certain this is what you want?
Hajime: Yes. It is. The reason I’m not participating isn’t just because I’m scared or ungrateful, or whatever word you wanna slap on me after I walk out of here. I’m not participating because I don’t need you. I don’t need your empty promises, your talent project, or anything you could possibly offer me. I finally understand now that this entire thing was just a ploy to get me to agree to something I knew nothing about. Just like how you old farts have no idea what talent is.
Steering Committee Member: Wh- how dare you! This school was founded on the principles of scouting, researching, and nurturing talent!
Hajime: No, let me tell you what this school is really all about. It runs on an elitist agenda where people who have no talent are apparently just ticks that try to feed off of the elite. Because the only reason people ever complain are because they’re dissatisfied with their position life. But you wanna know who the real ticks are? It’s the ones who look down on the poor and siphon away their money for stupid vanity projects. The ones who only see people as a resource to be exploited. The ones who manipulate kids who aren’t sure where they’re going in life with false promises. The ones who use their position to lie, cheat, steal, extort, coerce, and bully to hide their crimes and get whatever they want. The people who wouldn’t know actual talent if it hit them in the face and treat what they do have like property. Who act like they’re above the law because they’re aspiring to something greater. Am I hitting close to home? Because I hope I am.
Steering Committee Member: Boy, you-
Steering Committee Member: No, no, there’s no need for that. Hinata-san, I see the point you’ve tried to make. And if that’s how you feel, then you should happy to know you won’t have to stay at this school you hate so much any longer.
Steering Committee Member: Yes, by turning down this project, we’ve also been forced to cancel your scholarship.
Hajime: Oh, I’m not worried about that. I have another source for my tuition.
Steering Committee Member: Another source?
Hajime: Yep. You guys like money, right? I’m sure you do. That’s why the Reserve Course exists in the first. I plan on staying at this school, not because I support it or your agenda, but because I like the people here. That also means I’ll still be receiving the official Hope’s Peak commendation for any careers I pursue in the future. And I plan on pursuing them based on my own merit. So it’s a win for everyone!
Steering Committee Member: Or we can expel you. Not only are you disrespecting your betters, you trespassed on school grounds you had no business being on.
Hajime: And when you do, I’ll be sure to let the world know this school’s desperately trying to cover up a crime and kicked out a student for saving lives, along with his friends. I know the right people to talk to and the story would go public fast.
Steering Committee Member: They’d never believe your word over the school’s.
Hajime: You really believe that? Even if you’re right, the taint by association would still be there. That means loss of revenue. You’d either have to come clean or keep expelling anyone who tries to get the truth out. And you think some outside party wouldn’t get suspicious and come take a closer look? Imagine what they might find.
(The committee members all look around nervously at one another)
Steering Committee Member: …Very well. You’ll…you’ll be allowed to continue attending Hope’s Peak Academy.
Hajime: Good. And with that, I’ll be heading home. Still got a lot of recovering to do. Good day, gentlemen.
Catra: You ruined my fucking life, Adora! You're the reason I did this. You kept on choosing everyone but me, and now they're all going to die. Do you feel proud of your choices, hero? ARE YOU FUCKING PROUD?!
Adora: I'm not the only one who makes choices, Catra! Why don't you start taking some responsibiltiy for yours?!
Catra: What the hell, Adora?
Adora: I fucking defended you! I held out hope that you would see sense and start making better decisions. I wanted to believe in you. I wanted to believe that you'd pull yourself out of the spiral.
Catra: BULLSHIT!
Adora: No it's not! But this? You try to kill yourself and everyone around you and then blame me? I'm not fucking taking it anymore, Catra. It hurts, thinking of what we were. I'm in love with the person you could be, and it breaks my heart that you'll never be her.
Catra: DON'T!
Adora: SO I'M DONE MAKING EXCUSES FOR YOU!
Adora: I'm not the only one who makes choices, Catra! Why don't you start taking some responsibiltiy for yours?!
Catra: What the hell, Adora?
Adora: I fucking defended you! I held out hope that you would see sense and start making better decisions. I wanted to believe in you. I wanted to believe that you'd pull yourself out of the spiral.
Catra: BULLSHIT!
Adora: No it's not! But this? You try to kill yourself and everyone around you and then blame me? I'm not fucking taking it anymore, Catra. It hurts, thinking of what we were. I'm in love with the person you could be, and it breaks my heart that you'll never be her.
Catra: DON'T!
Adora: SO I'M DONE MAKING EXCUSES FOR YOU!
What the buck is wrong with you? I’ve done my job, I’ve saved your precious sister and all of Equestria while you just went and… ran away. Doesn’t that give me the right not to fawn over you like every other pony on this planet? To have my own ideas? To be left alone from now on? Of course not! The great Princess Celestia isn’t worshiped by her student! But instead of accepting this and going on with her delusional little lie of life where everypony is happy, she just has to try and figure out why I don’t want to kiss her plot anymore! Instead of, I don’t know, taking the time to visit with her estranged sister and help Luna adjust to this new time period she‘s found herself in, she comes running to me because I don’t like her anymore! You turn away from the most important pony in your life to try and tend to your wounded ego, and you wonder why you disgust me? You’re pathetic.
— Twilight Sparkle to Princess Celestia, Take Two
Oh, will you shut up?! I’m so sick of this! All you ever talk about is your Saiyan pride! How you were meant to be the strongest, how you were meant to be better than me! That’s the craziest thing, Vegeta, you were stronger than me! I had to multiply my strength four times to be stronger than you, and I still needed Gohan, Krillin, and Suno’s help to beat you! But I didn’t let it bother me! You wanna know why? Because I never took anything for granted! I never just assumed that I was the best! I’m glad Freeza blew up our stupid planet! Because otherwise, I might have grown up to be a coward like you! ...What else would you call it? What would you call it when the second life goes any way other than exactly how you think it’s supposed to, you start to have a crisis? What do you call it when your life is validated by being strong enough to do whatever you want and falling apart when suddenly that changes? (points to the Majin tattoo on Vegeta) What do you call taking the easy way out when things got hard? … Do you want to know why I let you live? Not just because you were strong. Not just because I wanted to fight you again so that I could prove I could beat you on my own. But because somewhere, deep down, I knew that you could have been more than what you were. That there wasn’t that much separating what I could have been from what you were. I wanted to give you the chance to better yourself, to prove me right. But if this is all you are... I should’ve just let Krillin kill you.
— Goku to Vegeta after Vegeta lets Babidi Majinize him, Tales of the Monkey Queen
Mabel Pines: Oh, so you think just because I'm out of the picture for a couple of years and he gets all sweaty when you bat your eyelashes at him, you suddenly know Dipper better then his lifelong twin sister?
Pacifica Northwest: I know Dipper better then his twin sister because I actually listen to him! That's how I also know you so well, Mable Pines. Dipper is always talking about you, about the adventures you two shared together when you came to this town the very first time. He was so excited to have you finally coming back. He's so hard on himself in conversation, but once you actually get to know him it's obvious Dipper is such a strong person. He knows what his dreams are and refuses to compromise them, he's harshly intolerant of injustices, and he refuses to let anyone have power over him or those he loves. He's shown me an entirely new way of life, how to be able to live life without being controlled!
Mabel Pines: Geez, you make him sound like some kind of badass action hero. Pacifica, my brother is an adorable nerdy cinnamon roll who sneezes like a kitten.
Pacifica Northwest: That's because you're his blindspot. Unlike with everyone else, he lets you and you alone control and belittle him. I've heard all the stories: You pick at his insecurities, like his height or his voice. You offered him support over his crush on that lumberjack girl then insulted him over it! As a reward for helping save your mermaid boyfriend, you humiliated him over the internet! You always have to have things your way, and try to destroy Dipper's things when he wants a even a little bit for himself, from his disposable camera to his dreams here in Gravity Falls! But worst of all, you abandoned him when he was possessed by the devil purely to satisfy your own petty, selfish crushes.
Mabel Pines: You're wrong! I saved Dipper from Bill Cipher when he was possessed!
Pacifica Northwest: After he had begged you for help previously, and you left him behind to wander as helpless ghost while his body was relentlessly tortured. You didn't even take him to a hospital after! Do you have any idea how much that single incident hurt him? Did he ever bother to tell you, or did even he known on some subconscious level you wouldn't care? We had a scare here in town a year or so ago, when some lunatic was spraying Bill graffiti everywhere. Everyone in town was terrified he was coming back, and Dipper and Doctor Pines worked night and day to see if it was true, and if Bill could be stopped. Dipper stayed so strong for the entire thing, never taking a moment to panic or cry, just kept working no matter what. When they finally figured out it was just a lone lunatic and announced it, the whole town was ecstatic! I ran over to give Dipper a hug in relief, but then... he just, fell apart on me. It started with just some tears rolling down his face, but as soon as I asked him if he was okay, weeks of emotional exhaustion just hit him all at once. He was sobbing, shaking and smiling all at once. He was so scared the entire time that Bill had returned and would take revenge on him, but he kept going even when it was eating him alive because he knew if Bill was back he'd come after you next. He didn't care if he fell apart as long as YOU were safe.
Mabel Pines: Oh Dipper...
Pacifica Northwest: A week or so later, he confessed besides me, only Doctor Pines had ever seen him in that state, and he was hoping I didn't think less of him for it. I told him of course I didn't, and though he didn't say anything, it was obvious he'd been expecting me to mock him over it, like you and Stan do, and was surprised I wasn't. And that's the worst part. He's never come to realize how terrible you are. You have him wrapped so far around your finger that he blames himself for problems YOU create. I see things in you Mabel, things I was raised to be and want to get rid of. But where Dipper showed me why those things were wrong for me to hold, he still thinks the world of you.
Pacifica Northwest: I know Dipper better then his twin sister because I actually listen to him! That's how I also know you so well, Mable Pines. Dipper is always talking about you, about the adventures you two shared together when you came to this town the very first time. He was so excited to have you finally coming back. He's so hard on himself in conversation, but once you actually get to know him it's obvious Dipper is such a strong person. He knows what his dreams are and refuses to compromise them, he's harshly intolerant of injustices, and he refuses to let anyone have power over him or those he loves. He's shown me an entirely new way of life, how to be able to live life without being controlled!
Mabel Pines: Geez, you make him sound like some kind of badass action hero. Pacifica, my brother is an adorable nerdy cinnamon roll who sneezes like a kitten.
Pacifica Northwest: That's because you're his blindspot. Unlike with everyone else, he lets you and you alone control and belittle him. I've heard all the stories: You pick at his insecurities, like his height or his voice. You offered him support over his crush on that lumberjack girl then insulted him over it! As a reward for helping save your mermaid boyfriend, you humiliated him over the internet! You always have to have things your way, and try to destroy Dipper's things when he wants a even a little bit for himself, from his disposable camera to his dreams here in Gravity Falls! But worst of all, you abandoned him when he was possessed by the devil purely to satisfy your own petty, selfish crushes.
Mabel Pines: You're wrong! I saved Dipper from Bill Cipher when he was possessed!
Pacifica Northwest: After he had begged you for help previously, and you left him behind to wander as helpless ghost while his body was relentlessly tortured. You didn't even take him to a hospital after! Do you have any idea how much that single incident hurt him? Did he ever bother to tell you, or did even he known on some subconscious level you wouldn't care? We had a scare here in town a year or so ago, when some lunatic was spraying Bill graffiti everywhere. Everyone in town was terrified he was coming back, and Dipper and Doctor Pines worked night and day to see if it was true, and if Bill could be stopped. Dipper stayed so strong for the entire thing, never taking a moment to panic or cry, just kept working no matter what. When they finally figured out it was just a lone lunatic and announced it, the whole town was ecstatic! I ran over to give Dipper a hug in relief, but then... he just, fell apart on me. It started with just some tears rolling down his face, but as soon as I asked him if he was okay, weeks of emotional exhaustion just hit him all at once. He was sobbing, shaking and smiling all at once. He was so scared the entire time that Bill had returned and would take revenge on him, but he kept going even when it was eating him alive because he knew if Bill was back he'd come after you next. He didn't care if he fell apart as long as YOU were safe.
Mabel Pines: Oh Dipper...
Pacifica Northwest: A week or so later, he confessed besides me, only Doctor Pines had ever seen him in that state, and he was hoping I didn't think less of him for it. I told him of course I didn't, and though he didn't say anything, it was obvious he'd been expecting me to mock him over it, like you and Stan do, and was surprised I wasn't. And that's the worst part. He's never come to realize how terrible you are. You have him wrapped so far around your finger that he blames himself for problems YOU create. I see things in you Mabel, things I was raised to be and want to get rid of. But where Dipper showed me why those things were wrong for me to hold, he still thinks the world of you.
"You arrogant, selfish fool! Have you learned absolutely nothing?! Are you just completely dead set on ruining what remains of your tattered reputation as a knight?! Will you not rest until the name Lancelot is spoken with more derision and mockery than it already is?! You think that getting yourself executed at my hands will restore your dignity?! You don't get to do that! Not anymore! Not now that you're needed! The fact that you would even consider that option now reveals just how far you've truly fallen! Your disgrace has nothing to do with your infidelity, nor your murder of my knights, but you! You as a person, who would discard everything again just to chase after some false vision of your prior glory! But a knight, a true knight of my court would never put their own desires above those of the ones they seek to serve! How could you have forgotten even that much?!"
— Artoria Pendragon (Alter) to Lancelot du Lac (Berserker), Timeless Academia
Harold: You want me to talk?! I'll talk! I cherished every moment with you in my heart. From the first episode, I wanted you. I thought you wanted me too... not a lot of people want me. I'm just... me... and I hate Courtney, but when she revealed the real you, and she said you were a fraud... I trusted her word. I fell in love with a fraud.
Leshawna: Harold-
Harold: DON'T. HAROLD. ME. I can't stand up for you anymore! I tried, but I can't! You're not wooing me to help you out and carry you through the game! So I'm done! You can hate me if you want and fulfill your family name. That's what you want, right? And frankly, I don't want to be around a copy of a footprint! I have so many faults I have, but at least they're open... I don't know who you are.
Leshawna: Hold on-
Harold: You played me with your feelings! You told THE WHOLE WORLD about how you don't care about me! About how your kiss didn't matter! About how we all don't matter! You didn't even try to back out of it! You, at your own word, ruined our reputation!
Leshawna: I-
Harold: I don't want to hear, 'It was my sister who prompted it', or 'The game is making us do this!' You play your enemies and belittle them by any means necessary to make yourself look better! And yet you claim you're nice and fair! How people believe that, I don't know! I see your game. I see your scheme. I see how you dig the gold.
Leshawna: I don't-
Harold: STOP. I'm not naïve, Leshawna! I saw how everyone praised you and wanted you around! I saw how you charmed them into voting you off the show! Karma! Ever heard of it?! Apparently that wasn't enough of a message! So there's gonna be no alliance for you. You get NOTHING from me. From now on, it's gonna be me! Harold Doris on his own, fighting to the end, even if I get the boot next episode! And I will not be in the same screenshot of a woman who's only gonna rub it in that I only have one support! I'll go on with none if I have to! And when the time comes and we part ways, you can tell the world everything and fulfill your fame. It's the fame you want, right?! What is fame to you?! It certainly wasn't what I thought it was!
Leshawna: What was it-?
Harold: US! We LOVED you! And you didn't even win! I loved you! I WAS YOUR FAME!! WE WERE YOUR FAME!!! We're done. Good luck on your own.
Leshawna: Harold-
Harold: DON'T. HAROLD. ME. I can't stand up for you anymore! I tried, but I can't! You're not wooing me to help you out and carry you through the game! So I'm done! You can hate me if you want and fulfill your family name. That's what you want, right? And frankly, I don't want to be around a copy of a footprint! I have so many faults I have, but at least they're open... I don't know who you are.
Leshawna: Hold on-
Harold: You played me with your feelings! You told THE WHOLE WORLD about how you don't care about me! About how your kiss didn't matter! About how we all don't matter! You didn't even try to back out of it! You, at your own word, ruined our reputation!
Leshawna: I-
Harold: I don't want to hear, 'It was my sister who prompted it', or 'The game is making us do this!' You play your enemies and belittle them by any means necessary to make yourself look better! And yet you claim you're nice and fair! How people believe that, I don't know! I see your game. I see your scheme. I see how you dig the gold.
Leshawna: I don't-
Harold: STOP. I'm not naïve, Leshawna! I saw how everyone praised you and wanted you around! I saw how you charmed them into voting you off the show! Karma! Ever heard of it?! Apparently that wasn't enough of a message! So there's gonna be no alliance for you. You get NOTHING from me. From now on, it's gonna be me! Harold Doris on his own, fighting to the end, even if I get the boot next episode! And I will not be in the same screenshot of a woman who's only gonna rub it in that I only have one support! I'll go on with none if I have to! And when the time comes and we part ways, you can tell the world everything and fulfill your fame. It's the fame you want, right?! What is fame to you?! It certainly wasn't what I thought it was!
Leshawna: What was it-?
Harold: US! We LOVED you! And you didn't even win! I loved you! I WAS YOUR FAME!! WE WERE YOUR FAME!!! We're done. Good luck on your own.
Vulkan: You did not ask for [to be called father]? No, of course you did not. Do you not remember how you persuaded me to join in your war? I did not ask to be your general. I did not ask to be your tool. I did not ask for an army, or a legacy, or even the position of a father to a legion. I did not ask to leave my planet. I did not want it! But you - you told me I was needed. There was a need for a general, for a primarch. A need for me, specifically, the eighteenth primarch, the hammer and the sword. I left Nocturne because there was a need for me, out here in the stars. I learned to be a general because it was what humanity needed. I learned to be a father because it was what my sons needed of me. You are the greatest human that has ever been produced by mankind - are you telling me you could not do the same?
The Emperor: I could have. Had the Crusade not been more urgent. We did not have time-
Vulkan: Why not? Can you truthfully say that we would not be better off if you had tried? If you had been the father that Angron needed, that Curze needed, that Perturabo and Horus needed, perhaps the galaxy would not now be burning! That was your duty, to us and to mankind, and you failed in it.
The Emperor: No, you are wrong - and this has nothing to do with the matter at hand. You have no knowledge of what the warp has in store for you. Death would be a mercy, compared to that corruption.
Vulkan: Do you think I do not know that? I have seen what the warp does to those that cannot resist it. I saw Horus' soul, ripped to pieces by the deal he made. But I will not let fear blind me to what is right. This power is a reflection of my legion. I have faith that they will not lead me astray. I will not betray them.
The Emperor: What will happen to them when it consumes you? When you are nothing more than the fire and the pain of knowing your mistake?
Vulkan: You do not understand, do you? You really do not understand. What you asked of me, what you ask of every mortal that abandons their home and joins the crusade. The barest fraction of what it means, truly, to sacrifice. Allow me to enlighten you. If that is what it takes to save my legion, to preserve Nocturne, to protect the people that I swore to defend - then let me burn.
The Emperor: I could have. Had the Crusade not been more urgent. We did not have time-
Vulkan: Why not? Can you truthfully say that we would not be better off if you had tried? If you had been the father that Angron needed, that Curze needed, that Perturabo and Horus needed, perhaps the galaxy would not now be burning! That was your duty, to us and to mankind, and you failed in it.
The Emperor: No, you are wrong - and this has nothing to do with the matter at hand. You have no knowledge of what the warp has in store for you. Death would be a mercy, compared to that corruption.
Vulkan: Do you think I do not know that? I have seen what the warp does to those that cannot resist it. I saw Horus' soul, ripped to pieces by the deal he made. But I will not let fear blind me to what is right. This power is a reflection of my legion. I have faith that they will not lead me astray. I will not betray them.
The Emperor: What will happen to them when it consumes you? When you are nothing more than the fire and the pain of knowing your mistake?
Vulkan: You do not understand, do you? You really do not understand. What you asked of me, what you ask of every mortal that abandons their home and joins the crusade. The barest fraction of what it means, truly, to sacrifice. Allow me to enlighten you. If that is what it takes to save my legion, to preserve Nocturne, to protect the people that I swore to defend - then let me burn.
Weiss Schnee: [condescendingly, as Ruby enters] Oh, it's-
Ruby Rose: Shut. Up.
Weiss: Excuse me?!
Ruby: Shut up! [slams the door shut] Listen to me, Schnee! Blake, Yang, and I have been dealing with your garbage for days, and I can't stand it anymore! You keep accusing me of being a child, a child Ozpin foolishly chose over the oh-so-great and intelligent Schnee heiress, and a part me feels you're right, that Ozpin did make a mistake and that I'm in way over my head, but you know what? That didn't stop me from accepting his decision, and I intend on being the best leader I can be! What have you done, Weiss? You've trashed anyone unlucky enough to speak to you, and have disrespected me every chance you got! Look where that brought you. I don't want to be mean, but Adrian listened better than you did. You might be smarter than him by a country mile, but on the maturity scale you make him look like Ozpin himself! All this spite, whining, and vitriol. Why?
Weiss: I-It’s b-because-
Ruby: Don't answer, I know why. It's because you got glossed over, Princess! It's because someone finally told you no, and it's driving you up the wall! I'm leader, whether either of us like it or not. So why don't you act as graceful as you claim to be and deal with it!
Ruby Rose: Shut. Up.
Weiss: Excuse me?!
Ruby: Shut up! [slams the door shut] Listen to me, Schnee! Blake, Yang, and I have been dealing with your garbage for days, and I can't stand it anymore! You keep accusing me of being a child, a child Ozpin foolishly chose over the oh-so-great and intelligent Schnee heiress, and a part me feels you're right, that Ozpin did make a mistake and that I'm in way over my head, but you know what? That didn't stop me from accepting his decision, and I intend on being the best leader I can be! What have you done, Weiss? You've trashed anyone unlucky enough to speak to you, and have disrespected me every chance you got! Look where that brought you. I don't want to be mean, but Adrian listened better than you did. You might be smarter than him by a country mile, but on the maturity scale you make him look like Ozpin himself! All this spite, whining, and vitriol. Why?
Weiss: I-It’s b-because-
Ruby: Don't answer, I know why. It's because you got glossed over, Princess! It's because someone finally told you no, and it's driving you up the wall! I'm leader, whether either of us like it or not. So why don't you act as graceful as you claim to be and deal with it!
— The first of three that Weiss will receive, War of Remnant: A RWBY Anthology, "Leadership" Arc: Part 4
Owlson: (takes breath) You are the worst person i've ever met. You're inconsiderate, selfish, sexist, stupid, homicidal, suicidal, sociopathic. I spent MONTHS trying to rescue this company from you, MONTHS, and you tore it apart in less than a year and ignored me. Constantly!
Glomgold: Because I'm better than you!
Owlson: At what?! Hatching half brained schemes?
Glomgold: You finally got it good for...
Owlson: Oh will you just shut up? I swear the ONLY thing you listen to is the sound of your own voice! You tanked this company AGAIN, treated me like less than a person, and BET THE ENTIRE COMPANY I MADE PROFITABLE AGAIN ON A STUPID BET YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY WIN.
Glomgold: Well maybe if you let me scheme more..
Owlson: My stopping you from spending every PENNY we have on your stupid vendetta with scrooge is the only REASON we have money left! It's the only reason your close to his range! I tried to help you win the legal way and you just ignored me! You got our company accused of stock fraud! You blew a surefire deal! You set fire to my apartment!
Glomgold: Now I cannae explain that one.
Owlson: I'm being so cooperative because tommorow I'm FREE OF YOU. I can finally have the company back and bar you from the premises.
Glomgold: Oh and what makes you think Scrooge would..
Owlson: Because he told me. He told me if he wins, i.e. WHEN he wins I get the company. He actually TRUSTS me and doesn't treat me like white noise!
Glomgold: You're more like a car horn.
Owlson: I .. I can't take any more of this. You're going to lose, I'm going to laugh about it and then EVERYONE is going to forget this. You could never do this, you're too far behind and you can't top Scrooge, his family or his sense of decency. Good day Flintheart. (walks out)
Glomgold: Because I'm better than you!
Owlson: At what?! Hatching half brained schemes?
Glomgold: You finally got it good for...
Owlson: Oh will you just shut up? I swear the ONLY thing you listen to is the sound of your own voice! You tanked this company AGAIN, treated me like less than a person, and BET THE ENTIRE COMPANY I MADE PROFITABLE AGAIN ON A STUPID BET YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY WIN.
Glomgold: Well maybe if you let me scheme more..
Owlson: My stopping you from spending every PENNY we have on your stupid vendetta with scrooge is the only REASON we have money left! It's the only reason your close to his range! I tried to help you win the legal way and you just ignored me! You got our company accused of stock fraud! You blew a surefire deal! You set fire to my apartment!
Glomgold: Now I cannae explain that one.
Owlson: I'm being so cooperative because tommorow I'm FREE OF YOU. I can finally have the company back and bar you from the premises.
Glomgold: Oh and what makes you think Scrooge would..
Owlson: Because he told me. He told me if he wins, i.e. WHEN he wins I get the company. He actually TRUSTS me and doesn't treat me like white noise!
Glomgold: You're more like a car horn.
Owlson: I .. I can't take any more of this. You're going to lose, I'm going to laugh about it and then EVERYONE is going to forget this. You could never do this, you're too far behind and you can't top Scrooge, his family or his sense of decency. Good day Flintheart. (walks out)
Pearl: I'm sorry.
Ruby: Sorry?! You're sorry?! You tricked us into fusing and you think sorry is going to fix all of it?!
Sapphire: Ruby!
Ruby: You always do stuff like this! You mess up, you cause problems, you act like your feelings are the only ones that matter, and we're all just supposed to deal with it!
Sapphire: Ruby, stop it–
Ruby: Rose always told us to just be nice to you, no matter how horrible you were, and why? Because you're still messed up from the war? We all are! Or no, wait, is it because you're a Pearl and you just don't know any better? How long is that excuse going to last? You've been free for five thousand years - get over it! Rose let you get away with everything, like, like… like some spoiled kid! There's nothing wrong with you, you're just selfish!
Sapphire: Ruby!
Ruby: What?! Am I wrong? How long have we been putting up with her tantrums and her mood swings and "I'm special Rose is the only one who will ever get me"? I know you never understood why Rose put up with her either!
Sapphire: That doesn't mean you can–
Ruby: What, tell her the truth?
Sapphire: This isn't about Rose, it's about Sardonyx and–
Ruby: It's about everything, Sapphire! She always does this! She gets mad at Amethyst for no reason, she yells at Steven for not knowing his own mother, she abuses fusion, and we all just deal with it. I'm sick of it! It's not our fault she's broken!
It wasn't until much, much later that Steven realized Pearl had never tried to defend herself against Ruby's tirade.
Ruby: Sorry?! You're sorry?! You tricked us into fusing and you think sorry is going to fix all of it?!
Sapphire: Ruby!
Ruby: You always do stuff like this! You mess up, you cause problems, you act like your feelings are the only ones that matter, and we're all just supposed to deal with it!
Sapphire: Ruby, stop it–
Ruby: Rose always told us to just be nice to you, no matter how horrible you were, and why? Because you're still messed up from the war? We all are! Or no, wait, is it because you're a Pearl and you just don't know any better? How long is that excuse going to last? You've been free for five thousand years - get over it! Rose let you get away with everything, like, like… like some spoiled kid! There's nothing wrong with you, you're just selfish!
Sapphire: Ruby!
Ruby: What?! Am I wrong? How long have we been putting up with her tantrums and her mood swings and "I'm special Rose is the only one who will ever get me"? I know you never understood why Rose put up with her either!
Sapphire: That doesn't mean you can–
Ruby: What, tell her the truth?
Sapphire: This isn't about Rose, it's about Sardonyx and–
Ruby: It's about everything, Sapphire! She always does this! She gets mad at Amethyst for no reason, she yells at Steven for not knowing his own mother, she abuses fusion, and we all just deal with it. I'm sick of it! It's not our fault she's broken!
It wasn't until much, much later that Steven realized Pearl had never tried to defend herself against Ruby's tirade.
Nanoha: Let Me Get This Straight.... You're telling me that your sole heir was in the habit of walking away from her duties and sneaking not just out of your palace, but your entire country, and making her way down to Earth, because she didn't like the weather?
Queen Serenity: She longed to feel real wind upon her skin and stand under the light of the actual sun, rather than the artificial environment of the moon. She...
Nanoha: And you let her? Serenity was your only heir. You had a responsibility to ensure that she would be ready to take over the throne upon your death. And instead you stood aside and let her neglect her responsibilities and run off to another country on a whim – which she then did frequently enough to pick up a steady boyfriend there. Didn't you ever think about what kind of ruler a girl who routinely skipped out on her responsibilities would make? Didn't any of your advisors mention that to you? Or were they all hoping they would be the real rulers while an incompetent queen sat on the throne? Did you ever consider that a man who would court a princess who frequently neglected her duties on a whim might be someone intending to use her? Regardless of whether or not Endymion was that kind of man, it would have been all too easy for the husband of a queen who was unprepared for that role due to her own neglect to take over the responsibilities of the throne, and the power with it. And that doesn't even go into the fact that you allowed your heir to leave the country without a security detail – several times. And the potential diplomatic consequences that could have erupted if anything happened to her while she was taking an impromptu vacation in another country. I'm not sure which is worse – your daughter's irresponsible actions, or the fact that you allowed them to happen.
Queen Serenity: I was very busy with important matters of state at the time.
Nanoha: When I was born, my father was in critical condition in the hospital. My mother was usually either with him or at work, and my siblings were either in school or working themselves. I spent most of my early childhood alone. Despite that, my parents still managed to teach me to take my responsibilities seriously. Something you failed to teach Serenity.
Queen Serenity: My child...
Nanoha: My mother's name is Momoko Takamachi. Good-bye, Your Majesty.
Queen Serenity: She longed to feel real wind upon her skin and stand under the light of the actual sun, rather than the artificial environment of the moon. She...
Nanoha: And you let her? Serenity was your only heir. You had a responsibility to ensure that she would be ready to take over the throne upon your death. And instead you stood aside and let her neglect her responsibilities and run off to another country on a whim – which she then did frequently enough to pick up a steady boyfriend there. Didn't you ever think about what kind of ruler a girl who routinely skipped out on her responsibilities would make? Didn't any of your advisors mention that to you? Or were they all hoping they would be the real rulers while an incompetent queen sat on the throne? Did you ever consider that a man who would court a princess who frequently neglected her duties on a whim might be someone intending to use her? Regardless of whether or not Endymion was that kind of man, it would have been all too easy for the husband of a queen who was unprepared for that role due to her own neglect to take over the responsibilities of the throne, and the power with it. And that doesn't even go into the fact that you allowed your heir to leave the country without a security detail – several times. And the potential diplomatic consequences that could have erupted if anything happened to her while she was taking an impromptu vacation in another country. I'm not sure which is worse – your daughter's irresponsible actions, or the fact that you allowed them to happen.
Queen Serenity: I was very busy with important matters of state at the time.
Nanoha: When I was born, my father was in critical condition in the hospital. My mother was usually either with him or at work, and my siblings were either in school or working themselves. I spent most of my early childhood alone. Despite that, my parents still managed to teach me to take my responsibilities seriously. Something you failed to teach Serenity.
Queen Serenity: My child...
Nanoha: My mother's name is Momoko Takamachi. Good-bye, Your Majesty.
Hal Jordan: You are what you are today because you embraced the persona you once expelled from your body, the Predator. Do you know why you expelled him, Carol?
Carol Ferris: Because of my emotional conflict over you, Hal Jordan. Acting upon the powers of my sapphire gem.
Hal: Not entirely. I think you expelled him because he was unfit.
Carol: Unfit!
Hal: That's right, Star. Not just because he was the part of you that had to be hard. God knows, Carol Ferris had that. She couldn't have run Ferris Aircraft all those years and not have had that. The Predator was more than that. He was the part of you that was—dark. Evil. More than an aggressor, Carol. He was the being who hated everything Carol Ferris loved.
Carol: I warn you, Jordan—
Hal: No, Carol. I'm warning you. Without the check of compassion, without the ability to love, or give a damn about the people you're supposed to rule, you'll be anything but a queen. You'll simply be a tyrant. That's what the Predator wants you to be, and that's what you're handing him. I could create a mirror here, and show you. As a matter of fact, that's what I'll do.
Carol Ferris: Because of my emotional conflict over you, Hal Jordan. Acting upon the powers of my sapphire gem.
Hal: Not entirely. I think you expelled him because he was unfit.
Carol: Unfit!
Hal: That's right, Star. Not just because he was the part of you that had to be hard. God knows, Carol Ferris had that. She couldn't have run Ferris Aircraft all those years and not have had that. The Predator was more than that. He was the part of you that was—dark. Evil. More than an aggressor, Carol. He was the being who hated everything Carol Ferris loved.
Carol: I warn you, Jordan—
Hal: No, Carol. I'm warning you. Without the check of compassion, without the ability to love, or give a damn about the people you're supposed to rule, you'll be anything but a queen. You'll simply be a tyrant. That's what the Predator wants you to be, and that's what you're handing him. I could create a mirror here, and show you. As a matter of fact, that's what I'll do.
"Shut up! You don't even like Asuka! You wouldn't tell me anything about what was happening or how she was doing! You don't care about anything I ever told you about her. You just wanted me there for yourself. You never cared about her and you never cared about me. So just leave me the Hell alone!"
— Shinji, When She Smiles (Fresh C)
