Okay, back to this because it’s now been a second so I’ll share. Also some spoilers.
One of the biggest themes in IM is that it’s a black and white world that at first seems to justify white and black thinking. That on the surface there are good guys and there are bad guys and that the good guys should always win and the bad guys should always be punished.
And we show over and over again that that kind of thinking is only damaging to everyone. Those it is implied about and those implying it. That every character has their own motivations and reasonings. Still done in a way that there ARE bad guys but it’s harder to know who really is a villain here. The heroes have their failings. None of them are perfect. They are all horribly flawed and can make mistakes. Ones with big consequences. And villains that if you sit and think, are they really so villainous? They’re doing bad things sure, but so have the heroes.
IM is full of shades of gray. It’s meant to make you think. It also causations against generalizing a whole group as bad. Demons, angels, dishes, micco, witches, wolves, rabbits, unicorns, and so on.
Cup and Mugs should be in the position of heroes but due to poor choices are forced to be antagonists and when they are trying to turn around, it’s not that easy.
Boris is a kid thrown into very real dangers and expected to keep it together like an adult. He had an easy way to ‘fix’ everything offered to him. To make it perfect and make all the bad and the pain and uncertain fear go away. What kid wouldn’t reach for that?
Holly is tempted and she didn’t even realize she was. It’s an easy small mistake that leads to a whole city wide ordeal so very quickly.
Bendy is constantly expected the worst of because of what he is. He has to prove who he really is again and again and again. And under the worst stress, maybe he just wants to give into what people have told him. Just a little. See what kind of monster they’re all so afraid of. But that also threatens everything he wants to be and what is he supposed to do when his own magic and body are out of his hands like going Beastly? Others fear of you is one thing but being afraid of yourself is another.
And that leaves Felix and Alice. You’re right, they don’t have an evil phase. Angels are the guardians of the world. The goodest good guys you could ask for. Except this isn’t a black and white world of thinking and the harder you look the more cracks you see. The angels are infallible and Alice has learned this. The angels and herself are prone to make mistakes just as terrible as anyone else. We have yet to see what she does with this knowledge.
Then there’s Felix. I’ll be honest, he doesn’t really need an evil phase. That’s not where his story is headed. His demons are different (ha. Sorry Bendy). The difference between the person the public thinks he is and who he thinks he is. The person his friends and family claim him to be and who he claims to be. The pressure to be the oh so wonderful, wonderful cat! He already walked from fame once and now he has a new fame. The lime light love him. But does it allow him to be a person with his own faults? Can he be forgiven if he wants to live his life his way? It sounds simple when it’s about anybody but a star? A public figure? Don’t they OWE the masses that gave them their fame and wealth? Shouldn’t they be held to a higher standard? And if not, doesn’t that make him a bad selfish person? These are a couple of themes that will be coming up.
We haven’t really gotten far into Felix’s story yet but look out for these and other twists and turns we have planned. I’m excited for Felix and Alice’s stories taking center stage. And thanks for talking about the evils of the other questers. It was fun to ramble!