hi

Playing savior

The winner takes it all

The loser has to fall

It's simple, and it's plain

Why should I complain?

The Chained One and The Sacrifice

And a crown that cannot sit upon two brows

Lyrics from Utena Duel - No One Has Anything to Tell

I’m trying to capture how both of them had a flash of hope of escaping their roles in an oppressive system that was destined to be met with betrayal

because their oppressed roles were necessary to uphold those systems (Death has to be unconditionally feared by mortals and people must be sacrificed for the Old Faith Gods to hold onto power and immortality - by demanding sacrifice in exchange for protection from a deadly force. Interestingly they are just as much a slave to these systems because they do all this out of fear of losing immortality and experiencing death themselves.)

for both there is the risk of hope fading into despair and them clinging to the old system as oppressor out of fear of being powerless and falling victim again or out of belief that power granted by this system is the greatest achievement

rather than envisioning and striving for a life outside the system that limited and ultimately hurt them

they are character foils in terms of *trying to defy one’s perceived nature*