Gotoh wrote: ↑Mon Mar 18, 2019 6:24 pm
Acting maliciously isn't the issue, he's still commited illegal (breaking and entering, attempted theft, using a fake ID, underaged stripping) and immoral acts (willfully taking advantage of girls whom he knows are under supernatural influence, and leading those jocks on without telling them what he was really setting them up for, and attempted murder).
Objectively speaking, he's become more of a villain than Cerise at this point, and that's saying something when someone can make her seem 'not-so-bad' by comparison. Ana and Hecate are the only ones who can top him, in terms of heinous acts commited.
You're right. When you put it that way, in real life that stuff would be hard to ever forgive. I'm sure many frat boys have excused bad behavior by saying they were "just kids" at the time. I was wrong to use Teddy's youth as an excuse, but it's easy to lose track of all the stuff they've done.
So I'll say that my willingness to keep a candle lit for Teddy isn't just because they're a teenager, but because this is a comic, a fantasy, where the characters' souls are laid bare. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and we know that Teddy and Chloe at least had those good intentions, however inconsiderate, thoughtless, or destructive they may have been when they lost their way. It seems clear that it was the goal of the authors to depict these protagonists as genuinely good people at heart, and if the writing failed in that regard it doesn't mean there isn't still hope for some kind of redemption.
This reminds me of a storyline in The Avengers way back in 1980 that had Carol Danvers, Ms. Marvel (now Captain Marvel) mysteriously impregnated. The baby grew rapidly and revealed itself to be an otherworldly being who had abducted Ms. Marvel and brainwashed her into making love to him so she could give birth to his reincarnated form. They declared their love for one another and traipsed into his home dimension hand in hand.
People were justifiably outraged. The whole affair was disgusting on a variety of levels. Chris Claremont later addressed the issue by having Carol return and scold the Avengers for just standing by and letting her go when she CLEARLY wasn't in her right mind at the time. The Avengers hung their heads in shame that day, and folks pretty much gave up on Marcus.
But like I said, it's not that I'm expecting Teddy to be redeemed, it's that I'm
hoping they'll be redeemed. I don't want for them to be another "Marcus". I want for the authors to turn things around in this case. You're right to remember all the wrong things that Teddy's done. But Teddy and Chloe have
both done bad things, it's something they have in common, and I want to believe that they can both rise above their misdeeds. They're both still not really bad people. At least, I don't think that the writers intend for them to be.
Again, you're right - Teddy should be held accountable for the liberties they've taken with people. They seem to have done those things without fully understanding the lines they were crossing. And I think that examining all that could be crucial to them now, leading to a revelation concerning their godly condition. Both Teddy and Chloe can see the impact that power has on people, how it hurts themselves as well as others. This could be what enables Teddy to come to grips, helping him to grow up and handle their power responsibly, and then make amends. And with their abilities they could shield Chloe from Hell's requirements, enabling her to be a better person as well without her demonic superiors constantly forcing her hands.
Teddy and Chloe have both been "villains", either through the corruption of power or from outside pressure. I want for them to be free, not just to fulfill their desires but to become the kinds of protagonists that I think the writers want for us to see them as.