afbourque
2009-06-06, 08:53 PM
So V's been on a bit of a roller coaster lately. S/he's been messed up with guilt and lack of rest, manipulated by demons, devils, and a daemon, and from an audience POV, rapidly approaching or perhaps even passing the moral event horizon. No one can doubt that "Familicide" was an impressive moment of ass-kickery, good for a bit of goodwill on the audience's part, allowance to see where V would go from there.
But one moment of awesome isn't always enough to turn a character back into the audience's good graces.
V's arrogance continued him/her towards a spiral of insanity (attacking Xycon ALONE has no other classification, even powered up as V was). And then Xycon causually strips V of that power. V seems to be back in almost the same position as the mater draconis left him/her, save without the threat to the family. Now it was a more direct threat to V's own self. If not for the timely actions of one lone paladin (the baddest assed paladin EVER), V would have been dead dead deadski several strips back. Even O-Chul's arrival really had more of the appearance of a "Hope Spot," where victory may be achievable by the heroes, but something could easily come to snatch that victory away and give the villain(s) more cachet. The elf and the paladin had little choice but fight to the death in the (possibly) vain hope that Blackwing will destroy Xycon's phylactery. And it becomes an even more vain hope when Xycon jets out to stop the familiar.
But Vaarsuvius had one more trick up his/her sleeves.
One moment of awesome may not be enough to turn a character back into the audience's good graces, but a moment this epic? This long awaited? This anticipated?
I now really hope V survives this, but the "Explosive Runes" gag should probably be retired. I just don't see how it could be topped.
But one moment of awesome isn't always enough to turn a character back into the audience's good graces.
V's arrogance continued him/her towards a spiral of insanity (attacking Xycon ALONE has no other classification, even powered up as V was). And then Xycon causually strips V of that power. V seems to be back in almost the same position as the mater draconis left him/her, save without the threat to the family. Now it was a more direct threat to V's own self. If not for the timely actions of one lone paladin (the baddest assed paladin EVER), V would have been dead dead deadski several strips back. Even O-Chul's arrival really had more of the appearance of a "Hope Spot," where victory may be achievable by the heroes, but something could easily come to snatch that victory away and give the villain(s) more cachet. The elf and the paladin had little choice but fight to the death in the (possibly) vain hope that Blackwing will destroy Xycon's phylactery. And it becomes an even more vain hope when Xycon jets out to stop the familiar.
But Vaarsuvius had one more trick up his/her sleeves.
One moment of awesome may not be enough to turn a character back into the audience's good graces, but a moment this epic? This long awaited? This anticipated?
I now really hope V survives this, but the "Explosive Runes" gag should probably be retired. I just don't see how it could be topped.