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
Reluctant ![[tup]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_up_emoticon_3268.png "[thumb up]"){kind=small}
to Piniet, even if I really don't like how he's a Karma Houdini and he's from my least favorite episode of the show.
Unofficial co-Wiki Curator for Magnificent Bastard
Does the length of a work matter when determining an MB or not? (As in, a game can be completed with 5 minutes on average)
MB Pending | MB Drafts | MB Dates
The wifi here sucks
I got 2 keepers from a 6 page side story in Girl Genius so I'd say if the character and plot are given enough depth, length doesn't matter.
Hope your prepared for an unforgettable luncheon
Joker from The Batman (2022) got approved and aside from The Stinger, he was only in a 5 minute deleted scene.
Snide
Edited by Snowy66 on Oct 6th 2022 at 3:22:07 AM
Piniet and Snide
![[tdown]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_down_emoticon_3571.png "[thumb down]"){kind=small}
Lance
Unsure on Karma
The Dark Priest himself
Btw, about Genshin Impact, I feel that now it has at least six potential MB candidates, three of them are in the ongoing archon quest though
Edited by TadiTadTa on Oct 6th 2022 at 8:53:19 PM
I think Iike Gundam and Dragon Quest too much
Who are these candidates of whom you speak?
Would I be correct in assuming it's Enjou, Zhongli, Zhiyi, Alhaitham, Scaramouche and Dottore?
Edited by Iceaura39 on Oct 6th 2022 at 1:15:50 PM
It is I, the narrator, categorising addict and writer of books you haven't read.
The Dark Priest himself
Enjou, Zhiyi, Zhongli, Dori, Cyno and Nahida, feel free to DM me about why I think the latter three are bastard enough
Edited by TadiTadTa on Oct 6th 2022 at 9:26:08 PM
I think Iike Gundam and Dragon Quest too much
The Dark Priest himself
Anyway, would anyone mind if I make a MB proposal for Zhiyi from Genshin Impact, this character’s story is also likely to have ended btw
I think Iike Gundam and Dragon Quest too much
"Cool. Coolcoolcool."
Yes to Piniet and Snide.
Has anyone called the 2022 adaptation of Darna? If not can I?
Fan-Preferred Couple cleanup thread
Watching more of Metal Fight Beyblade, I have two more candidates I feel could qualify, which is a surprising amount for a show like this one. Without further ado, let's get started.
First Proposal
What is the work?
Metal Fight Beyblade is a Merchandise-Driven anime about Beyblades. It features a boy named Gingka Hagane, who drifts the world in hopes of becoming the number one beyblader in the world, while also aiming to defeat the evil Dark Nebula, who wants to sow darkness across the world.
Who is the candidate? What has he done?
Tsubasa Otori is a blader of mysterious origins, who is first introduced halfway through Metal Fusion. Initially appearing before Gingka, he acts as an ally, defeating a bunch of thugs who wanted to gang up on the hero to take his points. He then teaches Gingka an important lesson about using not just sight, but all your other senses, to win a bey battle, which Gingka then puts into practice when the two of them battle. Tsubasa did let him win, yes, but only after giving him a hard time and putting him in a situation where his advice would be helpful.
Tsubasa later appears in a different tournament, where he identifies his opponent as a Dark Nebula blader and defeats him. He then sneaks into the Dark Nebula building to meet Doji and requests to join. Though Doji is initially doubtful, he accepts after Tsubasa proves his skills and fights Yu to a draw.
Throughout the series, he helps the Dark Nebula gather information on the bladers likely to enter Battle Bladers, battling the heroes many times. However, the one blader he pays most attention to is Ryuga. He sneaks past Merci's cameras to look through L-Drago's data, only to be caught by Doji and Yu. He is ambushed by the Dark Nebula bladers, but is saved by the second proposal below, to whom he reveals that he is actually a spy sent by the WBBA to investigate the Dark Nebula and L-Drago. He then goes on to befriend Gingka and his friends, for real this time, and has been a hero ever since.
Is he Magnificent?
Yes. He's cool and collected, he has a snarky sense of humour, and shows respect even to his enemies, while acting as a calm foil to the bratty Yu. It's quite clear he fits the personality aspect of this trope.
As for intelligence, he manages to successfully fool everyone, from Gingka, to Yu, to even Doji himself, that he is genuinely loyal to the Dark Nebula. He is a Stealth Expert, managing to get past the security of the Dark Nebula's building twice - first to approach Doji and offer his services, and next to look at L-Drago's data. He is also an incredibly skilled blader, giving Gingka a tough battle before letting him win, and presenting an array of unique special moves, such as gliding above the arena to counter Yu's turning it into sand and nullifying his shockwave-produced Inferno Blast by creating shockwaves of his own with his Counter Stance. It is apparent that Tsubasa is a very cerebral character who understands Beyblading very well, giving Gingka good advice and acting as a calm observer while keeping everyone none the wiser about his mission.
He doesn't lose his magnificence, either. Despite struggling with the dark power inside him in Metal Masters, he overcomes it, managing to defeat Sophie and Wales in one go. He manages to overall keep up with his teammates in regards to strength, earning impressive wins against the likes of Argo and Jack.
Is he a Bastard? Too much?
He isn't supremely heinous, having been Good All Along, but even if it was to gather information, he did join and assist the Dark Nebula. He was quite helpful to them, too, as his and Yu's exploits helped Doji gather a lot of information on their opponents. He also revealed his membership of the Dark Nebula to Gingka, leaving him feeling betrayed.
Final verdict?
My vote is yes, but let's see.
Second Proposal
What is the work?
Metal Fight Beyblade is still Metal Fight Beyblade. It didn't change between proposals, so I'm pretty sure I don't have to rewrite this.
Who is the candidate? What has he done?
Ryo Hagane is the leader of the WBBA and the father of the protagonist, Gingka Hagane. Masquerading as the masked blader, Phoenix, he does battle against the Dark Nebula, wanting to put a stop to their nefarious plans.
In the show's backstory, he is seen using the Pegasus bey before Gingka did, telling Gingka all about it, and then attempting to stop Doji and Ryuga from taking the L-Drago bey. Though he defeats Doji, Ryuga takes the bey and defeats him with it, and as he seemingly dies from the mountain collapsing around him, his last act is to pass Pegasus down to Gingka. Of course, he didn't actually die, but he had to lay low after that.
He makes his first appearance in the present silently watching the battle royale in Episode 32 of Metal Fusion, and then appears in the next episode where he confronts Tetsuya Watarigani, who has stolen Gingka's Beypointer. He snatches the Beypointer off him, but then challenges Gingka for it, crushing it once Gingka loses. This act, though seemingly cruel, is done for the sake of strengthening Gingka's willpower and resolve, since Ryo needs him to defeat Ryuga at Battle Bladers, something he only gets one chance at.
They rematch six episodes later, and Gingka wins, causing Ryo to give him back his points. Though Gingka suspects that he is secretly his father, it is only revealed in Episode 47, when he, in his attempt to save Hyoma and Kenta from a falling chandelier, gets his mask broken by the shards. He battles against Doji, using his belief in the blader spirit to triumph and sending the villain into a Villainous Breakdown.
Is he Magnificent?
A cool, calm, masked Stealth Mentor with a Mythical Motif and a bey with pyrotechnic capabilities? Most certainly. He shows tactical brilliance in using his Burn Fireblaze's ability to create fire to melt the steel beams in the arena he fought Gingka in, and used his bey to knock Gingka's beypointer out of Tetsuya's hand without harming him at all. He is also fighting for the noble cause of defeating the Dark Nebula, and as the holder of Pegasus, he needs to mould Gingka into a worthy opponent of Ryuga, which he does by making him learn that he needs to have a stronger blader spirit and willpower, as well as rely more on his friends.
The main thing that gives me pause is that come Metal Masters, he mostly plays a comic relief role, but said humour is more him being eccentric (such as insisting he be called "the Immortal Phoenix") than anything truly undignifying, so he's more of a lovable goofball than an actual idiot. He still hasn't lost his edge either, competently running the WBBA and being skilled enough in battle to defeat Gingka, Masamune, Kenta and Team Wang Hu Zhong at once.
Is he a Bastard? Too much?
I had initially written him off as not being Bastardly enough, not knowing much about him and thinking he was just another insurmountable wall for Gingka to overcome. Then I watched his first official episode and saw one thing that made me decide he was enough of one. When Gingka was a mere 2000 points away from gaining the required 50000 points needed to enter Battle Bladers, Ryo showed up, took his Beypointer back from Tetsuya, but then refused to give it back to Gingka unless the hero defeated him in a battle. When Gingka lost, he crushed said Beypointer, sending Gingka into a brief Heroic BSoD all but guaranteeing that he would have to work from the ground up to regain each and every single one of said points.
That said, his motive in doing this was to motivate Gingka into remembering what Beyblading is all about. Once Gingka defeats him in a rematch, he, convinced that Gingka's blader spirit has returned, and he gives him his points back, allowing him to enter Battle Bladers.
Final verdict?
I'll admit, he's probably a weaker keep than Tsubasa. But let's see.
Edited by Iceaura39 on Oct 6th 2022 at 3:55:34 PM
It is I, the narrator, categorising addict and writer of books you haven't read.
Lizzid people!
No to von Karma.
Leaning yes to the Beyblade duo.
I'm, uh, gonna reserve the Super Mario Bros movie for discussion here. After the trailer, the novelty of a possible Jack Black Bowser MB is way too tempting not to take up.
![[down]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_down.png "[down]"){kind=icon}
I'm not seeing anything on the discussion dates page.
EDIT: NVM, it was slotted under...live-action movies, for some reason!
Edited by Scraggle on Oct 6th 2022 at 2:52:35 AM
No to von Karma, yes to the Beyblade two and didn't jackie nab that? Could have sworn someone did so maybe a split?
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Ah, yes, Snoke wanted it. I'll let you two work that out!
Edited by 43110 on Oct 6th 2022 at 4:55:20 AM
Also...let's dust this one off. My final League of Legends keeper. Every good ruler needs a strong right-hand, and for the usurper Swain, that hand happens to be Darius.
What has Darius, Hand of Noxus, done?
Once a young, battle-tested child living on the streets of Noxus with his bloodthirsty brother Draven, a failed assassination attempt on a Noxian general resulted in Darius and Draven becoming part of the Noxian legion. Darius clawed his way up the ranks and became a commander, leading battle after battle in service of the corrupt Emperor Boram Darkwill—and victory after victory, for such was Darius' martial cunning, that he was essentially undefeated. As honorable as he is ruthless, Darius detests cowardice, values loyalty and recognizes that the greatest force in Noxus is strength and willpower.
When Darius returned home after a long siege in the north, he found Darkwill had been ousted by the usurper Swain. And since Darius' loyalty lies to the throne, not the person actually sitting in it, he never lifted a finger to stop him. Seeing Swain as the true embodiment of what a Noxian ruler should be, Darius pledged his loyalty to Swain and quickly became commander of the entire legion.
The supplementary stuff shows off lots of Darius' awesomeness:
- Blood of Noxus shows his martial cunning in action: at war with a city ruled by his former lover, Quill, Darius arranges for Quill's senator ally and her entire army to betray her from within, turning what was supposed to be her turning point into a gigantic Cavalry Betrayal
- "After Victory" shows him having conquered another city, seemingly effortlessly, cornering its corrupt king who would sooner have his kingdom turn into a graveyard than pledge himself to Noxus. Darius kills the evil fucker and gives his abused slave a second chance at life as a soldier of Noxus
- "The Winterspike Road" shows him fighting alongside the frontlines in the north alongside his soldiers, giving them a Heroic Second Wind with his own (even when they're terrified he'll execute them on the spot for their cowardice)
- "Fear" shows he radiates such badassness not even a gigantic pack of ravenous wolves is foolish enough to try and take him on
- Blood of Noxus
Is he magnificent?
Hell yeah. Darius is the badass Blood Knight to Swain's chessmaster. He crawled up from the gutter to become the most powerful soldier in all of Noxus, and besides that he's shrewd, honorable and—well, a total badass. But the dude's smart, too, and an accomplished military technician. His actions in Blood of Noxus—as utterly tragic as the circumstance is—prove his near-undefeated military record is absolutely earned.
Is he a bastard?
So for all the leather-pantsing Darius gets from the fans—even the creators, occasionally—Darius still commits some objectively fucked-up actions. As honorable and rounded as the Noxian philosophy is, Darius is still the biggest warmonger in an entire nation of warmongers. He's never racist or xenophobic but he's absolutely merciless in dominating enemy territory, to the point that he shrugs off the chemical bombing of innocent civilian villages (thank you, Singed) as a necessary casualty of war. Darius has plenty of redeeming qualities, but his body count is in the thousands and he's truly an example of The Unfettered.
Conclusion?
I think a keeper.
Edited by Scraggle on Oct 6th 2022 at 3:12:14 AM
Barb / Temporary Kylo
Totes fine with splitting the Mario stuff
to Darius
Not the Eye
to Snide, Tsubasa, the Immortal Phoenix and Darius
to Manfred von Karma, as funny as song is
Cheers boys and yes there Gabe.
Goku Black
beyblade duo and Darius.
to Darius
Goku Black
Anyway let's start with an Anthology
Whats the work?
Because You Love to Hate Me: 13 Tales of Villainy is an anthology created by a group of YA booktubers meant to be a villain focused take on fairy tails. They basically gave each other ideas and created a story based on it. The level of content varies with some comedic and others really dark, "Medusa" (or Mei Du is a chinese take on Medusa featuring rape culture and Victim Blaming culture).
It contains such challenges as " The Grandson of an Evil, Matriarchal Dictator Who Tried to Rule over the Universe Wants to Follow in Her Footsteps and Accidentally Loses His Temper, Killing His Sibling in a Game of Chess" or " A Modern-Day Mash-Up of the King Arthur Legend and Persephone-Hades Myth". Some of these are pretty interesting.
Alright let's start. I have a few from here. First up this one comes from "Shirley and Jim" by Susan Dennard. Famous for writing The Witchlands which also has a few ill do later. The premise is a "Young Moriarty". It's uh kinda corny compared to what Susan normally does but uh....
'Who is Jim Moriarty?
A remarkably charming, bad boy who looks like a Gothic hero or a vampire from the CW shows (Who I'm like 90 percent as a character she recycled this dude for the Raven King in Witchlands). He wants to follow in his anarchist uncle who unleashes secrets. He's come to the academy for a key to something. Anyway he asks Shirley Holmes for a Chess match and shows her a book about a woman blinded by her belief in fairy tales. She explains that her father is a prosecutor but he shrugs it off as
"Most people don’t steal or kill or sell drugs because they want to, Holmes, or because they love being ‘bad guys’ so much. They do it because they’re born to a life with no exits. No chances. Unlike you or me, they can’t just walk through walls.".
Anyway he gives her Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez’s. And how morality is not black and white to prove a point. He doesn't even ask that she read it just gently nudges it their. Anyway he than beats her in a chess match. (Checkmate).
Anyway as they talk after she reads it. He gives her his life philopshy.
- Shirley: And how is justice
- James: “None of it is. Not the rules. Not the game.Not the pruned trees or keeping up with the Joneses. Least of all that legal system you plan to get a degree’ studying. They’re just myths. Giant lies that we all agree to believe in. And the only reason they hold power over us is because we let them.”
- Shirley: “Huh?”.All those things, James. Those . . .myths. They give us order. A framework to Live in.”
- James: They also give us war, Holmes. And genocide and poverty and”—a wave around the library—“an upper class. Don’t you see it? Shared mythology is what creates us versus them.”
- Shirley: Soooo?” “Do you want chaos, then? No school or government or games? Are you an anarchist, James?”
- Jim: Hardly, Holmes.” A snort. “More like . . . Let’s just say that I want to find what’s real. I want to feel it—whatever it might be. And then, while the rest of the world sits cozy and oblivious inside their glass houses, I will be walking through walls.
Anyway he explains he requires a key. Anyway their matches become more interested as he encourages her to break the rules of chess itself. The two talk and romance and he asks her to run away with him as he has hacked into the school server and has been using ls planning to release it all. When she says no he just leaves and sends her a Grimm fairy tails book as a happy ending. But we'll of course that's not all. Jim used her laptop from the time they were together to back into her friends email address and than get into that friends Mother's account (a senator ). He than used to to get into the Senate account and release evidence of bribes by senators and other scandalous info into the wild. Well the senator and her daughter take the heat.
Not bad for the beginning of the Moriarty himself. Checkmate.
'Magnificent?'
Well I mean it is a short story. But he's charming, eloquent, and intelligent. And pulls off a pretty brilliant final plan. He also actually did care about Shirley but ultimately just leaves rather gracefully when she says no to him. He's a philosophical, brilliant anarchist.
'Bastard?
Uh sure. He does make a decent number of points but he has no issues with any collateral damage that occurs to people when he releases his emails or who gets blamed. Plus he breaks into the school to hack it. It's uh not much but this is a low key as hell story. And hey he has big plans later.
Conclusion?
I would think yes.
Edited by miraculous on Oct 6th 2022 at 3:40:39 AM
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Classy, Refined, Unstable
Snide, Moriaty, Beyblade duo, Darius
Any thoughts on my Silco quote?
Goku Black
I'm also really excited for Witchlands to do the Raven King here. So I'm putting in a full reserve for it.
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Woagh
to Darius, Moriarty and the Beyblade candidates.
I'm a "no" to this Von Karma. It's funny but he's still way too much of a smug prick who relishes mocking Edgeworth and even gloats about having tormented him all his life just for fun.