Aster's Thoughts

## Delight and Sheriff and Forgiveness

I think, to the reader, the only way Delight could be redeemed would be by either defecting to Bermuda to assist the Vanguard, or convincing Brightside that helping them is the right thing to do. Now, considering this, there is a lot to break down. Initially, the concept of Delight defecting to Bermuda. In my opinion, there is no way that this would go over well for them. Being as Sher is already there, it’s highly unlikely that they’d ever get that far. Nobody would trust them, due to their past actions. They wouldn’t be able to create effective change in that way, and I’m sure they know that. Especially if Sher is their only interest, it’s not worth it to do that. Then, we could consider the alternative. Delight convincing Brightside to assist Bermuda and the Vanguard is also highly unlikely. Honestly, they’d probably think Delight is crazy if that ever happened. There’s a strong chance they’d lose their following, and an even stronger chance that Bermuda wouldn’t accept help from them regardless.

Now, let’s shift to look at things in Sher’s perspective. Could Delight ever be redeemed? In short; no. Even if Delight was redeemed in the eyes of the plot, or in the eyes of the reader, no matter how hard they tried, Sher would not forgive them because of what they did. There’s a common trope in writing that’s ‘redemption by death’, and I personally think that’s the only way Sher would start to see them differently. Don’t get me wrong; Delight might put themselves directly in harm's way if it meant that they could be seen differently in the eyes of Sher. But as a living individual, the things that Delight did to Sher created a huge gap in trust that can’t be repaired. Sher remembers what Delight did to them, and understands that Delight’s behaviour wouldn’t change if they went back. It might seem different for a little bit, it’s like feeding an addiction. But eventually, it would get worse or go back to the way it was before. Sher’s perspective of Delight, over time, may warp from one of anger to one of pity, but it wouldn’t ever be enough for them to reconnect. In a way, it’s more of a perspective on what redemption means.

During Delight's time with Sheriff they clearly did a lot to hurt them. One of the things that stood out to me was things being blamed on Sheriff/Sheriff being expected to apologize for *making* Delight act that way, because if they didn't do that then Delight wouldn't have responded like that. Why’s that? Because she gets to have more control over the situation in that way. Let’s look at something that Sher said in “some things never change” about the way Delight behaves. Sher says that they were expecting the last big argument they had to turn out like all of the others- Delight would give some half assed apology and then go back to normal. They would add this to the list of things that they never talk about. However, this time, Delight pretends like it never happened. Delight never changes her behaviour because it’s a mannerism of control over Sher, and Sher is aware of that. The way that ‘M’ treats Sher in some things never change is a completely different dynamic and contrasts the way that Sher is treated by Delight in every way. They are given freedom for the first time. Assuming two things: that M is Orca, and that Orca is a healthy relationship, Sher has no reason to turn back to Delight. Orca saved Sher from the fire that Delight caused, both in a metaphorical and a literal way.

I’d like to think about what happened to Delight after Sher left. At the present moment, I’d like to believe that they’re going to be a kind of anti-hero. They have their own agenda. I’ll be interested to see if that agenda still revolves around Sher and bringing Sher back into their life, and if it doesn’t, what their interactions are going to look like when they finally see each other again. It’ll be a tense scene, if they haven't seen each other since. In a completely separate ballpark, I’m thinking about the emotions on Delight’s and Sher’s faces. We know that Delight is most definitely mentally ill and has issues, but it isn’t really clarified what it is. I personally don’t think Delight even realizes what they feel in some of these moments. I feel as though Delight was taught to cope with their emotions in a very specific way and that has lead to their treatment of others. It’s quite possible that  Delight sees themselves as above ‘normal human emotion’ such as expressing sadness or anger in a more… neurotypical fashion. Of course, I could totally be off base with that. But, from Delight’s actions, it’s quite evident that the very thought that they are the root of their problems is too much for them to comprehend. They cannot believe that they have brought harm to their favourite person and instead believe that Sher’s mind is being poisoned by others because they didn’t used to act like this, when they were younger, when they were easier to control. Delight is a dangerous person. Delight hurts people, and doesn’t understand why, because to them they are acting perfectly. No matter how many times they hear ‘you are the problem, and this is what you need to do to change’, they will not believe it, because on some level they recognize that with some kinds of people the behaviour they display will get them where they want to be. It’s shown in the comic series how Delight destroys the relationships around them, which makes me wonder why they haven’t done anything about it. It’s a facet of Delight’s toxicity, I feel as though they just truly believe that they are doing is best for Sher. Because what other reason would they have for hurting Sher? They don’t mean to.

## My Take on Sheriff's Feelings

How does the separation make them feel? Most likely, angry. Sher’s character trope as the outlaw has them as a confident, driver, and resourceful person. They know their worth. They are angry at Delight for being a role model to them at a young age and taking the bond that they had and hurting them with it. In the end, Delight’s biggest mistake when holding onto Sher was that they pushed too hard. This is touched on in the comic, by the phrase “Delight always goes too far.” They went too far again, and ended up pushing Sher away once and for all. Visually, this is shown in a number of ways. When Sher was younger, their character was stained with purple as a way of visualizing Delight’ influence over them. Over time, this fades, and is replaced by red and blue.

When Sher looses their arm in the fire, it is the arm that had a purple bandana on it. Then, two years later, when Sher returns to Brightside, they have their final fight with Delight. A couple of key things can be noted in the fight. Delight, in the start, is never actually aiming to hurt Sher. All of their moves are to keep Sher from hurting them, pulling them closer, etc. More of like a dance, which is visualized in some of the scenes. This is done on purpose, it kind of plays on the phrase ‘the same old song and dance’. When Sher and Delight are arguing, Sher blames the fire on Delight, stating that it was his plan and she let it get out of control. This is when Delight snaps- shouting that it can’t all be blamed on them, that it’s not their fault. This is likely a result of the fact that Delight cares about Sher so much that they can’t bear to think that they were truly the reason why Sher was forced away from them, the only way they can conceptualize it is by creating a villain in their mind, a scapegoat. This would likely be M, or Orca, who literally carried them out of a burning building, which in some ways represents Delight and Sher’s relationship. This is further illustrated by the fact that when Sher claims that Delight doesn’t understand because they’ve never loved anyone except for themselves in their life, and Delight states that if they truly believe that, then they truly don’t know anything. This alludes to the way that Delight feels about Sher, but also could be providing hints as to what Delight’s life was like before them, possibly a relationship with a parental figure. Then, going back to their argument. As Delight truly aims to hurt Sher, they kick Sher back, creating a hole in the wall. Sher, in retaliation, fires back a small red ball that creates flames when it comes into contact with the ground. Ironically, this is the last time that Sher ever used that weapon, which is wrapped with purple ribbons. This is the last time that Sher is seen with purple on their character. When the fire makes contact with the ground, Delight screams- this shows some scrap of humanity that is still left in them, as they flash back to the sight of Sher on the ground in a pool of their own blood, arm laying far away at an angle that looks so wrong. In this scene, you can also see Delight’s face, which wasn’t shown in the original description of the factory fire. You can see the eye that they are missing, as well as the expression that is on their face. Now I am not very good at describing emotions, but I would say that it is somewhere between confused, blank, and sad. As they continue to scream, Delight’s dialogue turns to repeating ‘it’s over, it’s over, it’s over’. Which pans to Sher looking down on them. This highlights the shifted power dynamics in the situation. Sher is now standing over Delight, on one hand making them look small and meek despite their stature, and showing Sher as in control and in charge of the situation. Sher casts the slingshot aside, and tells Delight that they were right to leave, and they prove it every time they come back. I’m unsure if this implies that Sher has returned to see Delight on an occasion that we aren’t shown, or if this just alludes to the way that Sher was feeling in the days/weeks leading up to the factory fire that pushed them away from each other for good. Sher walks away through the hole that Delight created by kicking Sher’s body, and they don’t see each other again, as far as we know. I would imagine that Sher thinks back on this moment a lot. Not only is this a moment of incredible confidence and one that shifts the course of Sher’s life forever, but it also shows Sher the kind of person Delight really is. They may talk big, and crave control, but they are weak, and those very traits that make them a good leader of Brightside are also their downfall.

## Overthrowing the Government

Taking into account the overarching goal of Trinity and what needs to be done to get there, the Vanguard would benefit a lot from help from the Fringe, especially if all of the factions in the Fringe came together to work against the capital. This is seen a lot in modern-day capitalism. The poor are divided into factions and pitted against each other, and that keeps them weak. Coming together as one would have a huge impact on the capital because they outnumber the people who live there, even if they don’t have the resources that they do. Additionally, the people in the capital are used to a lavish lifestyle and they don’t really know how to fight dirty. Delight, as the leader of Brightside, has pretty much been playing dirty for her entire life.

## Francesca, Naivety, Innocence, and Love

   I'll be honest this entire tangent is based solely on the picture on the side there. It made me think a lot of thoughts that I wanted to write. Like always, none of this is organized, it's just rambling.

A lot of what we know about Fran revolves around the fact that she is rich. Her father owns a very large company that seems to be large enough to have ties to the government and employ its own mercenaries for her protection. Her protection is taken seriously. In the panel I've included, Fran is surrounded by the roses of those trying to win over her affections. It isn't really clear how old she is here, but it's still old enough to be weird in my opinion? Like, I don't think she's any older than 13 and all of the guys depicted seemed much older. I think it was intended to be a little bit weird though. It's very clear from everything else in the story that Fran looks up to Shaika and the concept of the Vanguard as a whole. Like Faye, she watched illegal broadcasts of Shaika and listened to her words, and found herself moved by them. From her position as a rich young girl in Varium, unlike Faye, it seems like she was never punished for these sorts of actions. As a result, her adult disposition towards the Vangaurd manifests itself as enthusiasm and almost blind optimism. Fran seems to care about Faye a lot and is also very invested in her progress as a function of the Vanguard, as evidence by her assisting Faye into and out of the Fringe. But beyond that, Shaika represents honestly for Fran. Surrounded by the roses of those who only want to use her for something (money, but also I'm drawing ties to people fetishizing trans people here) Shaika represents a person who wants a better future for everyone, not just for herself and those close to her. I think Fran probably grew up in a place where, if it's anything like capitalism in our world, that kind of thinking isn't rewarded in the slightest. And as the lover, that's appealing because it makes her, and everyone, feel included.