I'm The Grim Reaper

[PoeticallyPsyco]

So I just found this webcomic, and I'm already super fond of it. More than a little edgy, which I rather like, even though it contrasts with most of the other stuff I've been reading lately. The art is pretty dang good, barring occasional weirdness from mixing art styles.

Quick back-of-the-book summary/hook:
A girl finds herself in Hell, with no memories of who she was or what she did to end up there. Perhaps fortunately for her, perhaps not, Satan has taken a personal interest, and offers her a deal: become the Grim Reaper, return to the mortal world, and kill at least one sinner a day... or immediately start her sentence, all the way down in the 9th circle. Now she has to come to grips with her new job and try to figure out just who the Hell she was.

Spoiler: And now my theory

Show

I don't think Scarlet's a sinner. She has no memory, and only The Devil's word that she wouldn't have been acquitted in Judgment. That already screams "plot twist", but could just be a set up for gradually revealing what she did, building tension and letting us develop sympathy for her before pulling the rug out from under her.

But what really has me convinced it's the first one and not the second?

She doesn't have an X. Seriously. It's just a design on her shirt, and when she takes it off, the X doesn't stay floating in front of her chest like every other sinner.

[Kantaki]

Well, I like it.
Nice black humour, just tongue-in-cheek enough in it's edgyness it stays fun.
Reminds me of the Disgaea games in a way.

Spoiler: And now my theory

Show

I don't think Scarlet's a sinner. She has no memory, and only The Devil's word that she wouldn't have been acquitted in Judgment. That already screams "plot twist", but could just be a set up for gradually revealing what she did, building tension and letting us develop sympathy for her before pulling the rug out from under her.

But what really has me convinced it's the first one and not the second?

She doesn't have an X. Seriously. It's just a design on her shirt, and when she takes it off, the X doesn't stay floating in front of her chest like every other sinner.

Spoiler

Show

The missing X might be because she's technically speaking not alive.
At least with the serial killer guy she reaped first the icon was gone when he was in hell.
As Scarlet is just a soul puppeteering a fake body she wouldn't have it either.

Mind you, I don't think she's super-duper ultra guilty either, but I doubt she's innocent.

I think she did commit whatever sin damned her to the ninth circle (my theory is she's a traitor) but for a good reason.
Maybe whoever she betrayed were criminals, or would've done something stupid otherwise.

And of course she doesn't remember, her original punishment was oblivion after all.

But I agree that the devil is manipulating her to whatever ends he has.
Just that he didn't lie about her alternative.
Maybe about the no redemption part, but for all we know he gets a say in that.

Edit: It probably says more about me than the comic, but the look of Scarlet's demon and her weapon of choice made think "Why is Ruby Rose a Jinchuriki now?"

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Spoiler

Show

The missing X might be because she's technically speaking not alive.
At least with the serial killer guy she reaped first the icon was gone when he was in hell.
As Scarlet is just a soul puppeteering a fake body she wouldn't have it either.

Spoiler: Spoilers for episode 17+

Show

Possibly, but Satan implies she would have been able to tell the third reaper was a sinner. So either the X is visible, or he's playing some next level mind games.

It's still possible she just can't see her own X, and another reaper could. Bunny-face has to ask her if she's a bad person, but he could just disagree with the rules for labeling sinners and want to check that her sin was actually significant.

Edit: It probably says more about me than the comic, but the look of Scarlet's demon and her weapon of choice made think "Why is Ruby Rose a Jinchuriki now?"

Oh yeah, the red motif and scythe definitely made me think of RWBY.

EDIT: Though the red eyes also remind me of Jahad from Tower of God.

[Kantaki]

Spoiler: Spoilers for episode 17+

Show

Possibly, but Satan implies she would have been able to tell the third reaper was a sinner. So either the X is visible, or he's playing some next level mind games.

It's still possible she just can't see her own X, and another reaper could. Bunny-face has to ask her if she's a bad person, but he could just disagree with the rules for labeling sinners and want to check that her sin was actually significant.

Spoiler

Show

I mean we are talking about the devil here. if that guy told me the sky's blue I would check. On a second thought I wouldn't. He probably did it to make me look up. But I would take it with a heap of salt.

Also, Scarlet was involved with those Red Spades somehow. Regularly enough that the goon at the door recognised her.
So it was probably more than loaning some ludicrous sum from them. Or waiting long enough it turned into that sum.

I think we would learn a lot regarding Scarlet and why the devil claims she'd go straight to the Ninth Circle* if we knew more about how she died.

Also, it might be important that the mother was the only soul that still had her mark in hell.
So either it's an error- which I doubt -or it's telling us something.

My theory is it's about guilt. The mother is the only one who expressed something approaching guilt or regret about her actions. So the mark might stay/reappear on those that "accept" their wrong doing. Maybe it's about who's got a shot at redemption.

In that case Scarlet can't have the mark because she doesn't even remember what she did.
Which is either part of the punishment or Satan being tricksy (or death related). And the third reaper still has their mark because they know what they did.

On the other gripping limb the chat during the Online Game seems to imply they're letting their demon run wild. Which in itself would be telling regarding their sinnerness, but in a different way.
Or that chat was just about the game. The other player's still the third reaper though.


*Which I always thought was about the kind of sin, not necessarily about severity.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Spoiler

Show

Ooh, I like the theory that the mark changes meaning/purpose once you're dead.

[Kantaki]

Huh. That's an interesting discussion.
Lawful Neutral/Good-ish Vs. Chaotic(?) Evil law enforcement.

Also, a desperate soul making a deal with the devil.
But who's desperate and who's the devil?

[sihnfahl]

Lawful Evil.

He has his own code; he doesn't randomly shoot suspects he knows are guilty, otherwise he'd not have made it to where he did. They'd have never let him have a gun after the first one...

He doesn't adhere to the Law of the Land, but he does adhere to a code of retribution. He wants a crime-free, orderly society, but his methods ...

Murderizing folks his code says deserve to die (the woman who killed her son, the father who killed his wife and threatened his children with death), against the Law of the Land...

[Kantaki]

Lawful Evil.

He has his own code; he doesn't randomly shoot suspects he knows are guilty, otherwise he'd not have made it to where he did. They'd have never let him have a gun after the first one...

He doesn't adhere to the Law of the Land, but he does adhere to a code of retribution. He wants a crime-free, orderly society, but his methods ...

Murderizing folks his code says deserve to die (the woman who killed her son, the father who killed his wife and threatened his children with death), against the Law of the Land...

I mean chaotic folks can have their codes too and I always felt LE was more about using/making the rules to enforce your will than just going Punisher on everyone.
It's about where your rules come from and how you apply them to me. External and internal.

Looking at his word choice and methodology in working with Scarlet- and that he wants his job back -seems to indicate a certain lawfulness, but it could go either way.
Also, D&D alignment isn't really that useful for non-D&D characters.
All I wanted to say is that their ideas of justice are pretty much diametrically opposed.

That conman though...
Definitely more used to paying his way out of trouble than talking.
I mean even without knowing the case files that was not very believable.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

It doesn't look like the two have any plans for staying under the police radar. Typically Scarlet would be at a huge advantage, since there's no connecting factor between her victims, but it doesn't look like our duo is being at all cautious about witnesses, and on top of that it should only take the police so long to realize all the targets are from their own unresolved cases, giving them clues both for who the next target could be and who could have access to that information in the first place.

Potentially a non-issue for Scarlet, who has super powers that make her extremely hard to capture, kill, or even pin down since she can teleport to an alternate dimension for up to 24 hours (Earth time) and fully heal-up as a side effect. Not such a non-issue for Chase, as there's only so much she can do to protect him.


And I'd peg Chase as Chaotic Neutral. He may have started as Lawful, but currently he's working entirely out side of and contrary to the law. That alone wouldn't be definitive, but his goal isn't a more orderly society, it's death to those he deems deserving; that is, a personal code. You could argue his ultimate goal is collectivist rather than individualist, which would push him more towards Neutral, but I think his drive to prove he's the best and the fact that he actively rejects authority cement him as Chaotic.

As for the moral axis, I don't think we've seen enough of him to be completely sure, but Neutral seems like the best fit for now. He's working to eliminate evil, but is using some questionable means to do so.

[Shalmon]

Spoiler

Show

The oldest and predictable reaper might be death itself.

[Kantaki]

Okay, so Satan's trying to tick off all his reapers, not just Scarlet.
Also, outside troll mode he's a lot scarier.*
But now I wonder what he's planning with Scarlet.
You know, beyond the usual "tearing down the heavens and bringing the reign of hell on earth".
And her sin is unique?
Now I'm really curious. Assuming he didn't just lie to Brook.

"Bacteria mean more to me than you."
"Now Scarlet, this is not the time to be complimenting me." is a great exchange though.

*Huh. I guess (some of) the punishments, or their presentation at least, might just be to annoy Scarlet too.

[-D-]

Also, outside troll mode he's a lot scarier.*
But now I wonder what he's planning with Scarlet.

Well of course, he is Satan.

Probably to prove she is the same kind of person that comitted her crime. And just torture her.

Did anyone notice that Scarlett contacted the third reaper already? The blue text guy (Ashenvale? Ashcraft?).

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Did anyone notice that Scarlett contacted the third reaper already? The blue text guy (Ashenvale? Ashcraft?).

Yeah, that was either Reaper III or a damn near prophetic coincidence. It looks like Scarlett isn't the only one inspired to recreate herself in video games.

[-D-]

Yeah, that was either Reaper III or a damn near prophetic coincidence. It looks like Scarlett isn't the only one inspired to recreate herself in video games.

If the cyan text guy isn't a cyan colored reaper. I'm going to eat a hat. Made of bacon.

[Kantaki]

If the cyan text guy isn't a cyan colored reaper. I'm going to eat a hat. Made of bacon.

Yeah, not taking that bet.
For a mere discussion of game mechanics it fits the whole reaper thing too well.
So they're most likely the third and probably a berserker type letting their tailed beast demon run wild.