During the investigation of recent hollers in the Complete Monster thread, it's become apparent to the staff that an insular, unfriendly culture has evolved in the Complete Monster and Magnificent Bastard threads that is causing problems.
Specific issues include:
- Overzealous hollers on tropers who come into the threads without being familiar with all the rules and traditions of the tropes. And when they are familiar with said rules and traditions, they get accused (with little evidence) of being ban evaders.
- A few tropers in the thread habitually engage in snotty, impolite mini-modding. There are also regular complaints about excessive, offtopic "socializing" posts.
- Many many thread regulars barely post/edit anywhere else, making the threads look like they are divorced from the rest of TV Tropes.
- Following that, there are often complaints about the threads and their regulars violating wiki rules, such as on indexing, crosswicking, example context and example categorization. Some folks are working on resolving the issues, but...
- Often moderator action against thread regulars leads to a lot of participants suddenly showing up in the moderation threads to protest and speak on their behalf, like a clique.
It is not a super high level problem, but it has been going on for years and we cannot ignore it any longer. There will be a thread in Wiki Talk
to discuss the problem; in the meantime there is a moratorium on further Complete Monster and Magnificent Bastard example discussion until we have gotten this sorted out.
Update: The new threads have been made and can be found here:
for the earliest date a work can be discussed, (usually two weeks from the US release), as well as who's reserved discussion.
- Why do a cleanup?: This trope definitely exists and has a well documented history of use. That being said, it frequently gets misused to a character who meets one of the components, namely that they are smart, charming while not necessarily even being a villain, or create good plans. While these are components, there is also a certain personality required, not to mention that all of the above are required to be present for a character to be a true Magnificent Bastard. As the trope attracts interest, it unfortunately brings in a lot of misuse and I thought the best way to rectify this would be a Perpetual Cleanup Thread, as is being done and has seen success with Complete Monster.
- What makes a Magnificent Bastard: Below is a list of the individual components to make this character. Note that they must all be present, not just some, which has lead to frequent misuse:
- Must be intelligent: Goes without saying, to be a Magnificent Bastard, the character has to be smart in the first place and use their brain to work towards whatever their end goal may be;
- Must be a Bastard: While going overboard in how vile the character is can be detrimental, a key aspect is the Bastard part of the trope, whether the character is an out-and-out antagonist in the work, some manner of Villain Protagonist, or something in between, they at least have some unscrupulous qualities to qualify for this trope;
- Must not be too detestable: Again, there is a ceiling on how bad the character can be before they just become too nefarious, blocking out the Magnificent part of the trope. A genocidal racist or child-raping Sadist aren't going to make the cut;
- Think on their feet: In addition to being a Chessmaster, a Magnificent Bastard, if the character deals with situations in which their initial plan is ruined, has to be able to pull a Xanatos Speed Chess and at least come up with a competent strategy to make up for lost time, otherwise they fail for being unable to think in tough spots;
- Have charm: Even if they don't necessarily make every character they meet fall in love with them and can even be detested by others, the audience has to find an amicable social relation to the character, or they are failing to make the impact required for this trope.
- What to do if a character is listed on a page but has not been approved?: They need to be removed, all candidates need to come through the cleanup thread first. The character could well count but they need to be analyzed properly and voted on first.
- Do we list Playing With this trope?: No; as a YMMV trope, this cannot be Played With, so we only want examples that are Played Straight.
- What do I do if I want a character to be listed as a Magnificent Bastard?: The greatest success Complete Monster saw for its cleanup effort was from the invention of the effort post format, so, borrowing from that, a troper wishing to propose a Magnificent Bastard will create such a post in the following format:
- Begin by describing The work, this will help establish the setting the character is in and for the reader to understand what kind of a scenario they are in;
- Summarize The character's actions, this will provide a listing for readers to understand what they do and how it applies to this trope because charm and lack of smugness are so crucial, this is a good time to be incorporating exactly the flavor of how they operate to explain this;
- List circumstances in which the character must Think on their feet, these are times where a wrench might be thrown in their initial plan and they have to adapt on the spot or even come up with a new scheme all together, this is also a good time to explain how the villain reacts to defeat when they have to face it, a true Magnificent Bastard won't break down into tears at the thought of death, they should have known such a possibility could occur and be able to handle it with more dignity;
- The competition, similar to the Heinous Standard dealt with for a Complete Monster, this section is to deal with how successful the character is in carrying out their plans compared to other characters. While, as a villain, they probably are going to lose in the end, it is good to explain how other characters handle the same situation. There is no exceptionalism case to be made for this trope but explaining the variety helps the reader have a better understanding of the proposal.
- How do you know when the character's arc is done so they can be proposed? When their tenure as a villain or antagonist finishes. This could happen in a single Story Arc in an entire work, a single work of a franchise, or the whole series in general. We'll show lenience to Long-Runners with constantly recurring candidates or series with outstanding continuities (ex. comic books), and it's entirely possible to count in a work or two but not in general for a reason like Depending on the Writer.
- What about candidates evil because of external sources? Those Made of Evil can qualify if they show enough individuality and tactical acumen — in other words, they have the personality to fulfill the magnificence requirement. Conversely, those brainwashed, especially if they're a better person without it, may fail the individuality aspect and cannot count.
- What if they are under orders from a higher-up? Depends. If the boss created the plans down to the letter and the candidate is just following them, sounds like we should discuss the boss instead. However, if the candidate takes creative liberties with the orders, adds their own charm and flair to them, fills in holes in the orders, and/or actively deals with obstacles their boss did not talk about, the candidate shows enough individual thinking to qualify.
- What about Character Development? An MB is something a character can develop into... a nice person who plots well might become more morally gray as the work goes on and hits the "Bastard" criteria, thus making them viable. Likewise, a Smug Snake might shed their ego, become more understanding of the threat others pose and gain the personality or "Magnificent" criteria, likewise making them viable. Conversely, a character who looks like this trope might suffer from a Sanity Slippage or just get outed as not being as smart as they thought they were and become incompatible with MB.
- Can an MB be a good guy? Not in the conventional sense... it is required they have at least some dubious traits lest they fail the "Bastard" criteria. That being said, a character who pulls a Heel–Face Turn or eventually stops taking villainous actions is still fair game: as there was a point in time where they were both "Magnificent" and a "Bastard" at the same time and they've merely adapted as time goes on. Now... if such a character begins showing other issues (i.e.: becomes prone to freak outs or starts getting outwitted) then they're compromising their Magnificence and will probably be deemed a cut. What's important is stylishly operating while at least for some time being willing to take at best underhanded methods to see a job done. A Heel–Face Turn in itself isn't a disqualifier but they do have to have been "Magnificent" and a "Bastard" at the same time and afterwards can't start slipping on the former front.
- What about characters whose stories can take different routes?: When proposing a character in a form of media that has them in multiple story routes. Said character must be consistent with their characteristics in all routes. (ex.: Can't have an example who shows promise on one route yet fails in another.) The only exception is if a later installment of the series confirms the character's actions which made them worth proposing are the canon route.
- Is there a timeframe rule like with Complete Monster?: Yes, please wait two weeks until after the work has concluded before proposing a character (again, usually using the North American air date). As is the case with CM, we want to give a reasonable time frame so that everyone interested in seeing the work has done so and can participate in the discussion without having anything spoiled.
- What about groups like with Complete Monster?: This is a point of divergence between the two tropes. While CM does not allow for a single entry encompassing more than three characters lest their heinousness for crimes becomes too watered down, with MB as long as they are treated as one "unit" it is acceptable to lump all characters provided they share acts of charm and intelligence.
- Can I propose my own work's character as a Magnificent Bastard?: No, this is a YMMV subject and the creator of a content is way too biased to be able to evaluate the criteria we're looking for without a second opinion taking over. That being said, you are more than welcome to encourage someone to consume your creation and if they feel a character counts, are more than welcome to suggest them.
- My example/edit has been approved, but the example subpage is locked! How do I get it added?: The moderators do not add examples to locked example subpages in the MagnificentBastard/ namespace directly. Rather, you need to do the edit to a sandbox page that follows the format Sandbox.MagnificentBastard<Name of the example subpage> (e.g for MagnificentBastard.Fullmetal Alchemist it's Sandbox.Magnificent Bastard Fullmetal Alchemist) and on a Friday, ask in the locked pages edit requests thread for the content to be swapped in.
Thread rules
When voting a troper must specify the effort post they're voting on and cannot merely vote on "Everything I missed" as in the past it has indicated the poster didn't read the effort post and is guessing instead of analyzing.
Resolved items
In general, a character listed on this trope is considered "settled". This means they should not be challenged unless information used to list them was incorrect or information was missed in the initial discussion.
However, when re-litigating a candidate, the same rules apply for when they were originally proposed. If they do not have five or more upvotes than downvotes for approval upon a re-litigation, including votes from the initial discussion if they do not change, then they are a cut.
This especially applies to the characters listed below, who have been discussed excessively and repeated attempts to get them listed/cut may result in punitive action for bogging down the thread.
Definitely an MB
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers: Any sadism Darkrai displays is limited in effect thanks to the game's nature and any cowardice which can be inferred about him is Alternative Character Interpretation about his tactical retreats.
- Avatar: The Last Airbender: Azula's Villainous Breakdown is undone in the sequel comic Smoke & Shadow where she regains her composure and ends up stable and in control enough to count.
Definitely not an MB
- South Park: The show's frequent use of vulgar comedy and mean-spirited humor leaves any potential candidates devoid of the dignity or charm to qualify.
Edited by GastonRabbit on Aug 31st 2023 at 4:15:22 AM
Again, giving animatronics life is the closest he has to a plan, and that was already done by non-MB game-Puppet. And it doesn't say that he will kill you only after a few nights, he only taunts for thinking it would be easy to survive five nights.
Lizzid people!
And then saying the music has died, so now he'll end your life. I understand your arguments, but I feel that's pretty clear on what it intends.
The wifi here sucks
Yes to the Dark Lord.
So I mentioned that I may have a Futurama candidate today but April Fools on me. The Donbot is a massive moron who can't notice the blindingly obvious.
Edited by papyru30 on Apr 1st 2021 at 1:29:52 PM
Hope your prepared for an unforgettable luncheon
Yeah... I've proposed my fair share of candidates who were like that to an extent. Grubba for example. Don't let it get you down!
Imagine if someone wrote a fanfic Bender that made him competent removed the majority of his nasty qualities? It'd be pretty funny to see him go up.
Seriously, to those stumped on who or what to propose, search fanworks. There's countless out there with untapped potential.
Edited by Klavice on Apr 1st 2021 at 12:34:09 PM
The Moron
I'll freely admit that ever since I got the film and musical L Lawliet up, I've been hunting fan works for a fourth. I think I've got a potential one, but it updates sporadically and is at most halfway done.
Draft for Muffy. Will need help for potholes:
- April Fools' Day: Muffy St. John is a young entrepreneur with a penchant for pranks. Inheriting a mansion, Muffy decides to turn it into a country hotel where the guests would be involved in a simulated murder mystery, Ten Little Murder Victims-style. Needing a test run for the booby-trapped mansion, Muffy invites her cousin Skip and their college friends to the mansion, places items from each person's past in their rooms to unnerve them, cuts off contact to the mainland, and pretends to "murder" each of them one-by-one using the persona of a fake Evil Twin named Buffy. When the secret is found out, Muffy apologizes for the personal taunts and tricking the survivors into thinking their friends were dead, and appears all set to make her dream a reality.
Edited by k410ren on Apr 1st 2021 at 3:50:42 PM
"I'll show you the Dark Side." CM actors and kills
Goku Black
Curious. We have characters who Heel–Face Turn and chaRacters who Face–Heel Turn in the story?
How would we handle a character who was genuine good guy but later through uh a mix off issues become a villain for a season. Afterwards he reforms and goes back to being good after it. Could he just count in said season only.
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Lies and Violence!
Heel–Face Revolving Door? I'd for the most part focus on their more villainous actions, but if they do anything particularly awesome after turning good again I'd still include it.
- Skulduggery Pleasant: The unnamed Deathless is the leader of the Apocalypse Kings, three gods who want revenge on the Faceless Ones for the destruction of their own races. Released from their prison by Adedayo, the Kings feed off of the souls of people at his school in order to regain their power, the Deathless stopping the Cythraul from outright devouring them. Intending to kill themselves in order to destroy the world and deny the Faceless Ones their homeland, the Deathless debates with Adedayo about their plan, acknowledging their hypocrisy and trying to reassure him with the knowledge the afterlife that awaits him. Convinced to be better than the Faceless Ones, the Deathless persuades the other Apocalypse Kings to abandon their plan and return to their prison until they decide what to do with themselves.
Since this worked out so well, I'm thinking about going back and re-evaluating a villain I had originally written off.
Yes. I don't see why not. As long as he's magnificent when he's a villain he should be able to count/
You can only write so much in your forum signature. It's not fair that I want to write a piece of writing yet it will cut me off in the mid
With a yes to Davoth...here we go...
Who is the Doom Slayer?
Known as the Doom Slayer by the demons...the Unchained Predator, the Beast, the Hellwalker...once a normal marine, discharged for attacking a superior officer (something about refusing to fire upon civilians)...the Doom Slayer was stationed on Mars when it was invaded by demonic forces. Fighting back, he returned to earth overrun. His family was slaughtered, even his pet rabbit Daisy....he battled ceaselessly against the demons and drove back the storm. The Doom Slayer then sealed the path to hell with himself inside...to take the fight to the demons. Eventually, he was perhaps not quite human anymore with those energies empowering him. But he fought, over and over again, becoming almost feral as a result until he was taken by the land of Argent D'Nur...Argent D'nur was ruled by priests known as the Order of Deag who worshiped the angelic beings called the Makyrs....it was a savage society built around martial feats of arms and the Doom Slayer won his freedom in the arenas, becoming one of the elite Night Sentinels, serving under the King of Argent D'Nur.
But...this also drew the attention of Argent D'nur to the Argent energy of hell....and the demons invaded, with the Doom Slayer fighting alongside his new brethren...he earned their utmost respect, the first ever outsider to do so. ...but the Makyrs betrayed the Night Sentinels. And the Order of Deag turned to demons. Argent D'Nur was overrun and one Night Sentinel turned traitor to save his son. Alas, the demons betrayed him and turned his son into the monstrous Icon of Sin...at last only the Doom Slayer was left, continuing his endless crusade until the demons trapped and sealed him in a sarcophagus for untold agees until Dr. Samuel Hayden freed him...his goal? Kick. Some. Demon. Ass.
And he did. Returning to, ahem, "Rip And Tear," the Doom Slayer was a bullet loosed into the heart of the demons, showing tactics, strategy, cutting off the demon invasion, killing the treacherous Olivia Pierce...oh, yes, did he destroy the demons until...Doom Eternal when earth was invaded. Bypassing the demonic forces, he arrived on earth and killed one of the treacherous Deags, fighting his way through the demons to stem off their invasion with Vega's help and gaining access to Argent D'Nur again...he did this, incidentally, by shooting a hole through Mars...killing the other Hell Priests in the process. In his quest to kill the demons, the Doom Slayer is everything you can expect, fighting his way to the world of Urdak, home of the Makyrs, and actively destroyed 'heaven," fighting through hell as well to get there and utterly annihilate Urdak and the Khan Makyr, figuring out his ways to destroy the demons and their control over Argent Energy...he destroyed the Icon of Sin as well, before unlocking the path to summon the Dark Lord to finally destroy him...
It works. The Slayer fights his way through to there, in an epic conflict that ends in a final confrontation with Davoth. The Doom Slayer of course wins and strikes Davoth down, who sneeringly asks if the Slayer has any final words before he ends his creator. The Doom Slayer?
"No." And impales him, killing him and unleashing a wave of energy that kills every demon out of hell, ending the threat of demonic invasion forever...but due to the powers that guided the Slayer through something called the Divinity Machine he went through earlier, the Slayer is cut off from the connection and collapses...ending as three Makyrs seal him away again...
Until the day comes when he may be needed once more.
How's he operate?
Silent, badass, and everything told to us through the rhythm of gameplay and story beats. The Slayer is a genius fighter. Everything is about him forming new plans, outfighting and out-maneuevering his opponents with tactics, finding new ways to destroy the demons, no matter what he's up against...finding different ways to destroy that which cannot be defeated. Yeah, the Doom Slayer has this stuff down pat. There's no debate on it. Fighting a demonic gladiator with a shield? He figured out how to get the shield off...he figures his way past anything with cleverness and brute force.
As for the rest...he's got charisma, big time, with the way he operates. The Doom Slayer is tragic and relentless but has moments of humanity conveyed through body language, like his honoring of the lost king of Argent D'Nur, among others...for a heroic mime? He's got this.
Is he a bastard? Too much?
The Doom Slayer is willing to put countless worlds at risk to destroy the demons and save earth. Destroying Urdak, the home of the Makyrs, voids their deal with hell so the demons are free to stretch through the cosmos. He considers this an acceptable risk for the chance to destroy them...that said, he has lots of standards. The Doom Slayer is revolted by the idea of using Argent Energy as the bad guys are, he wishes to protect earth, loved his family and Daisy, honors the Night Sentinels and King Novik and kills the final Hell Priest at Argent D'Nur where blood cannot be shed, forfeiting his status among the Sentinels as an acceptable price to pay. He's viciously zealous about what he does, but he is capable of mercy to Seraphim/Samur Makyr at the end.
Conclusion?
Oh, HELL yes.
The Draftsman of Doom
Yeah to Doom Slayer.
Feels good, don't it?
Yes to the Dark Lord and especially the goddamn Doomguy.
Edited by DocSharp on Apr 1st 2021 at 1:30:19 AM
Yes to the Dark Lord and an easy fucking yea to the Doom Slayer. RIP AND TEAR, UNTIL IT IS DONE.
Goku Black
![[tup]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_up_emoticon_3268.png "[thumb up]"){kind=small}
Doom Slayer
Rare case of the hero and Big Bad both counting ?
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
The wifi here sucks
Damn, I never thought that I would say this but HELL YES to the Doom Slayer.
Hope your prepared for an unforgettable luncheon
Gotta love Jaws!
to Doom Slayer. That's an interesting one for sure.
The Moron
to the Doom Slayer - another for the MB Vs. MB list
Edited by STARCRUSHER99 on Apr 1st 2021 at 4:41:55 AM
"Cool. Coolcoolcool."
Yes to the Doom Slayer.
Fan-Preferred Couple cleanup thread
Doom Slayer.
The Doom Slayer.
While I'm at it, how's this look ?
- Doom Eternal: The Ancient God's: Davoth, The Dark Lord, and the true Father, was once a benevolent deity who sought the best for all his people by giving them immortality. Creating and betrayed by the Makyr's, the Dark Lord sought destruction for all life for their betrayal. Davoth was reduced to a voice, and even then engineers Hell invasions across multiple dimensions, making numerous bargains and screwing over his victims. Notably, he used the Kahn Makyr's greed and the Doom Slayer's war on Hell to play all sides against eachother, resulting in the Slayer wiping out the Makyr's as revenge for their betrayal. He even duped Samur Makyr to empower the Doom Slayer with his essence, creating Hell's greatest threat and knowing they would face each other one day. Resurrected by the Doom Slayer, Davoth intends to lead the final battle for the fate of creation, and forces the Father to reveal the truth of his betrayal. When beaten, the Dark Lord accepts his death and asks the Slayer if he has anything to say to his creator.
Edit: I added some potholes.
- Doom Eternal: The Ancient God's: Davoth, The Dark Lord, and the true Father, was once a benevolent deity who sought the best for all his people by giving them immortality. Creating and betrayed by the Makyr's, the Dark Lord sought destruction for all life for their betrayal. Davoth was reduced to a voice, and even then engineers Hell invasions across multiple dimensions, making numerous bargains and screwing over his victims. Notably, he used the Kahn Makyr's greed and the Doom Slayer's war on Hell to play all sides against eachother, resulting in the Slayer wiping out the Makyr's as revenge for their betrayal. He even duped Samur Makyr to empower the Doom Slayer with his essence, creating Hell's greatest threat and knowing they would face each other one day. Resurrected by the Doom Slayer, Davoth intends to lead the final battle for the fate of creation, and forces the Father to reveal the truth of his betrayal. When beaten, the Dark Lord accepts his death and asks the Slayer if he has anything to say to his creator.
Edited by Beast on Apr 1st 2021 at 2:39:16 AM
"It's like...a cliff, and if I do it, I'm just gonna...fall." "I think we're already falling."
Woagh
Yes, Yes, Yes and (Pardon my Pringles) Fucking Yes to The Doom Slayer!
NOISE IS CALLING, PICK UP PHONE
Ultimate Moral Compass
Fuck. Yes. To the Doom Guy himself.
"No running in the halls!"
Lies and Violence!
Doom Slayer.
As mentioned, Skulduggery Pleasant again. I decided to take a look at one of the main antagonists in the fifth book of the series, who I had originally put out of consideration for some reason or another.
So, background. In the last book, this shitstain named Davina was hired to blow up the headquarters of the Irish Sanctuary (magic government) by Roarhaven, a town of sorcerers with a complicated plan to enact sorcerer supremacy. Davina is now on the run, and Roarhaven decides she needs to be silenced.
No, I'm not doing an actual person from Roarhaven. I'm not repeating the Mevolent mistake, that was a hopefully one-time lapse in judgement.
The candidate
Tesseract is an infamous and mysterious Russian mercenary hired to do this job, with the power to break every bone in a person's body simply by touching them. Pleasant and Cain first learn of him when, tracking down associates of the guy Davina got a false ID from, they find them all dead - with the exception of one, who told him where ID guy was. The immediate next chapter has Davina running for her life from Tesseract, having already caught up to her. The dude is terrifying, and clearly knows what he's doing - he already disabled all of her alarms and explosives in her hideout before making himself known. Cain and Pleasant manage to just barely save her.
Skulduggery: For Tesseract? Good God, no.
Valkyrie: But he's in shackles, right? You beat him?
Skulduggery: I like to think I beat him in a moral sense, in that he's an assassin and I'm not, but apart from that, no, not really.
He pops up later at an "auction" arranged by resident Harmless Villain Vaurien Scapegrace, who has found out where Pleasant lives. Unfortunately, Scapegrace is an idiot and the auction attendees are just going to beat the information out of him. Tesseract... doesn't quite reach that far, but still threatens him to give him the info or else. He's relatively polite about it though, and specifically mentions that he's giving Scapegrace a chance to "avoid bloodshed." The other auction attendees, wanting Skulduggery for themselves, start a bar fight as they try to kill him. He systematically kills the five of them.
When going out on jobs he lives in a van, self-sufficient to the point where he doesn't need to resupply for weeks on end. He has this weird disease where his face is basically melting, he wears a metal mask that provides medicine for this (with different masks he can accessorize with).
He pops up attacking Skulduggery's house (where Davina is being kept), spending three hours at the least disabling his defenses. This chapter is from his point of view, and he's very... quirky? He's impressed with the level of detail in the security, regarding Skulduggery as a Worthy Opponent. He likes being on a first-name basis with people he'll probably kill, and has no scruples about killing someone while their back is turned. He isn't looking forward to the blood he has to spill, nor is he dreading it. He's a professional who has meticulously studied his opponents, has no intention of underestimating Valkyrie (like so many other morons), and feels confidant he can get the job done despite the disadvantages.
He gets into a fight with Tanith (not killing her because unconscious she isn't a threat, and he tries not to do freebies). He beats up everyone in the room, trying to stealthily take everyone out but devolving into a full on brawl after Valkyrie barely manages to escape. When Tanith wakes back up, realizing she may have called their teleporter to get reinforcements he goes straight for the kill.
Tesseract: He would have liked to grant her wish, but the Teleporter would have gone to either Ghastly Bespoke or China Sorrows - most likely the former. The question then became, if Fletcher had been alerted, how long would it take him to find Ghastly? Thirty seconds? A minute? Tesseract just didn't have the time to waste. He placed his hand on Davina's chest and her breastbone shook and the ribs splintered inwards, piercing her heart. She died with her eyes open.
He made the right call, as Ghastly immediately punches him in the face. The four others he was fighting are teleported away, and Tesseract goes to collect his money - finding himself hoping he'll be hired to finish this.
Unfortunately, Roarhaven already has plans for them. Tesseract is disappointed but doesn't press the point. Also unfortunately, Roarhaven is mad at him for killing their citizens (the auction attendees), paralyze him, and bury him alive. Fortunately, the medicine that deals with his face-melting is able to counteract the poison, and he digs himself out. He then goes for revenge.
He gets into a big fight with one of Roarhaven's leaders, the Torment and the Children of the Spider, who can turn into... well, spiders. He actually puts up a pretty good fight, but unfortunately it's interrupted by Remnants and they all get possessed. Due to Early-Installment Weirdness and the fact that these Remnants aren't yet permanently bonded to people like Tanith, the Remnant is in control for most of the rest of the story, so I'll skip that.
Unpossessed!Tesseract pops up in the last chapter, still wanting revenge - partially for trying to kill him, mostly for not paying him. He gets into a fight with Skulduggery, beats him up, then kills the Torment.
Unfortunately, due to shenanigans the uber-powerful and next Big Bad Lord Vile pops up and fatally wounds him. As Vile leaves Tesseract and Skulduggery have a chat, Tesseract asking him about his connection to Vile and, well, mostly just hyping up the next book. He asks to be taken outside, so he can take off his mask and let the sun touch his face. Skulduggery complies.
Tesseract: I regret being mortally wounded just a few minutes ago.
Skulduggery: Understandable.
Tesseract: Apart from that, no. I lived. I killed. My life is my own.
Magnificence and Bastardness
Tesseract is an unapologetic hired assassin, second part covered.
The chapters from his point of view are quite... well, as said, quirky. He's very matter of fact about his job and very professional. He studies his opponents and prepares meticulously for their confrontations, spending hours staking out a place. He's not as smart as Skulduggery and Valkyrie think he is, he spends a lot of time chiding himself for mistakes he's made when fighting like letting Taith live, but he's still incredibly competent and can fight his way out of any problems he gets himself into. And he spends his last moments having a friendly conversation with his enemy as they sit on a bench facing a lake at sunrise. Thoughts?
Edited by EmeraldEmperor on Apr 1st 2021 at 2:56:59 AM
Got an EP today. Might have another from this game.
What's the work? Shovel Knight is my favorite game ever made. It's a platformer focusing on the eponymous Shovel Knight, a knight who wields a shovel, hunting for treasure and trying to save his beloved Shield Knight from the Enchantress and her dangerous "Order of no Quarter," composed of evil knights. Among this Order of no Quarter is a great many characters, but we have one in particular...
Who is Propeller Knight? What does he do? Propeller Knight is the captain of the Flying Machine and is among the knights serving the Enchantress. Confident and brilliant, he is able to use his propeller helm to great effect and is a superb duelist. Serving the Enchantress and terrorizing the skies, he is a foe for every one of the three protagonists that crosses his path.
Just to cover his level, the Flying Machine is a technical wonder of an airship. It's got cannons galore, plenty of traps and pits, the entire thing is led by Propeller Knight, it's got loads of enemies, and it's in general extremely difficult to climb to the top and take on Propeller Knight. It's undeniably a magnificent creation, and it gives everyone who attacks it a different challenge, between fans that blow winds that'll propel others away, air jellyfish, and dozens of cannons. It is a well-defended, well-insulated force of nature in essence. Anyways, here's the three fights:
Specter Knight challenges Propeller Knight to a duel on his ship, where Propeller Knight valiantly refuses to join the Enchantress. Roasting Specter Knight and his lackluster fashion sense, he duels. Quickly, however, Propeller Knight interrupts the duel. His own ship fires on the platform they duel upon, forcing them into a more climactic duel across multiple other platforms headed by his crew. Ultimately, Specter Knight wins, albeit not without Propeller Knight showing serious creativity and elaborate use of his powers. After this, he is forced into service under the Enchantress, yet still rules the skies and keeps up an affable demeanor.
In King of Cards, Propeller Knight attacks King Knight's own airship with the Flying Machine. After his rose, one of his favorite items, is inadvertently stolen by King Knight, Propeller Knight uses similar tactics to challenge King Knight. After being beaten despite his use of the elaborate platform techniques, Propeller Knight continues to rule the skies via the Flying Machine. This is easily his most humiliating chapter, and isn't even close to bad enough to disqualify him. Propeller Knight can also win this duel, however, and if he does so will let his rivals go with grace after a spot of gloating.
In Shovel of Hope, Shovel Knight, after finally climbing the Flying Machine and reaching him, is challenged by Propeller Knight, who initially duels him with honor, using his propeller to fly and blow Shovel Knight away, alongside his own swordsmanship. Midway through the fight, Propeller Knight improvises, having cannons fired at the platform, blowing holes through it and flying around them. Upon defeat, Propeller Knight joins the feast the Order has and again duels Shovel Knight, proving to be a Graceful Loser when he compliments Shovel Knight and proposes they adventure together.
In Showdown, Propeller Knight proves affable once more when trapped in another world. Allying with Tinker Knight on his own path, he ends up just cruising around having misadventures before Tinker Knight eventually turns on him for not having a plan. On Treasure Knight's path, the two bet some treasure, and Propeller Knight once more proves graceful, honoring his agreement.
In the endings, Propeller Knight always proves polite, reassuming command of the Flying Machine, being Plague Knight's waiter, and just generally being a delightfully affable fellow.
Is Propeller Knight charming? Intelligent? Thinks on his feet? He's probably the most charming of the Knights, being an Affably Evil fellow who, while a bit snooty and arrogant, tends to be polite upon loss, is always fun to watch and extravagant in nature. He's affable to the fullest, almost always willing to trade fun banter with his opponents and perpetually clever. He also fights with fucking style, between his fencing posture and his willingness to use the awesomely creative propeller on his head. He's also universally considered a charmer in-universe, with multiple extras being attracted to him and people serving him loyally.
In terms of intelligence, he's good. He's reigned over the skies for a while, the Flying Machine, his level, is again just a beauty of deathtraps and awesome design which can easily kill an opponent, and he's delightfully clever in battle. He also improvises tactics on the fly in his duels, which fits the "thinks on his feet" category, never afraid to switch up his fighting style and duel in a different manner. He's very stylish and has a great emphasis on being a showman, but he's far from dumb and I'd say his performative nature just makes him more fun.
Is he a bastard? Too much? He's a lighthearted one, but yeah. He's got an airship in the skies, he's willing to attack people for absurd reasons such as accidentally stealing from him, and when forced into it he serves the Enchantress with no scruples. "Too much" ain't even a question, guy's a Graceful Loser, perpetually affable and stylish, and much more fun than threatening. He's a silly fellow but absolutely delightful and smart.
Other mitigating factors? He makes an offhanded comment at the banquet, saying that with the poor juice selection, they may as well be commoners... but considering he follows it up by offering to share his private reserve with his fellow Knights and it's entirely Played for Laughs, I'm not gonna say he's a sneering classist or that he's super prejudiced. Again, he's just rich and extravagant, and the comment is entirely played humorously.
Conclusion? A yea to the Gyroscopic Jester.
Yes to the Dark Lord