Violet

For those of you who are not familiar with this story, I will give my interpretation. I only read it one time, so I didn't remember the names. But these are just details, right. So you know, it's not a fairy tale, it's a ballet. And… only yesterday I found out the story behind it. I watched it a couple of times and mostly enjoyed the music. It's very beautiful, magical even.

So… There is a prince who has reached marriageable age. His mother arranged a ball for him to choose a bride. But… He doesn't wanna get married, he's too young and free-spirited.

At night, he went for a walk in the forest (where else to go at night) and suddenly witnessed the transformation of a white swan into a beautiful woman. They talked for a while, and she explained that she had been cursed by an evil magician. She is a swan during the day and at night she's became a women (I have to say, it's very convenient, isn't it? No need to work, no need to take care of the house… Is it really a curse?). He promised to kill the magician to save her. But the curse requires the man to fall in love with her with all his heart (traditionally, but I don't think gender matters here). This only recently free-spirited prince swears eternal love to her.

An evil magician, in order to separate the lovers (no, really, they just met, where did such love come from?), brings his daughter to the ball, who looks exactly like a white swan. The prince introduced her to his mother as his future wife. The magician is happy, if the prince breaks his promise to the white swan, she will die (mister, what is your problem? You've already turned her into a bird, why do you wanna kill her? And if you wanna kill her, why didn't you do it in the first place? Again… a very odd villain's logic). But… The prince saw no one but the white swan, so he didn't break his promise. The wizard attacks the prince in pure rage and dies.

The curse is broken. Happy ending.

I feel sorry for the magician's daughter. She was nothing to the prince and, obviously, to her father as well. And in the end, she just disappeared into the background. It's so cruel. And who is the true victim here?

So in Villains our twins represent this poor thing. I can already feel the sad vibes of an unloved children coming from them…

And Darius is an evil magician. So maybe they at least explain why he hates this swan so much? What had she done to him to deserve this? There must be a good reason. At least, I hope there is...

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Just a few things I want to add here with the Swan Lake story. Like every story there are many versions of this story one with a happier ending and another with a darkish ending.

The ballet version typically goes like this

The prince, Siegfried, on his birthday is given a crossbow from his mother the Queen. He is also met with many women who are suitable to be married to him. However the prince denies them as he does not love any of them. He essentially only wishes to marry only who he loves. After being left alone in a depressed mood he decides to chase after a flock of swans to relieve his depressed state.

After running after the swans he enters an enchanted forest and encounters Rothbart. He realizes this is an evil sorcerer and prepares his crossbow to shoot. At this time the white swan, Odette, as a human steps in front of Rothbart and stops Siegfried from shooting. This is when she introduces herself as the Swan Queen and explains to Siegfried that she and her friends have been cursed. With the only time they are able to be human is between midnight and dawn. As well as telling him that the only way to break this curse is for him to marry her and give her his love and to never swear his love to another.

Siegfried having a “love at first sight” moment swears her his loyalty and love. However their love is interrupted by Rothbart and dawn comes. Returning to swans Siegfried is left alone and he returns to his palace. Now the time for his ball has arrived. The Queen once again introduces many lovely ladies to Siegfried. However he declines them proclaiming he loves only Odette and she would be the one he marries. Enters Rothbart with his daughter the black swan, Odile, who is disguised by a spell to look exactly like Odette.

However this is where it changes. (Just need to mention again there is no wrong story. I just want to give a bit more storyline incase you not anyone else is confused!) the endings changes depending on where you see it or where you hear it. This one I believe is what many places follow.

Rothbart’s plan being to trick Siegfried into proclaiming his love to Odile therefore breaking his promise to Odette. Which would keep Odette under his spell. Odile while dancing with Siegfried successfully seduces him into proclaiming his love to her and not Odette. Visions of Odette appear and it’s revealed that he proclaimed his love to another. Overcome with guilt he chases after Odette back to the lake they met at. However it is all too late.

Back at the lake Odette is in agony explaining to her friends the betrayal she’s experienced. Siegfried shows up and begs Odette for forgiveness. Odette forgives him but as mentioned it’s too late and their love is doomed. Rothbart appears once more and begins to take Odette away from Siegfried with his magic. In a one last goodbye Odette embraces Siegfried succumbs to the curse. In the end throws herself into the lake/off a cliff. Essentially ending her life and breaking the curse. There Siegfried is left alone in despair like her was in the beginning of the story when he received his crossbow.

As mentioned there are many different endings some darker. With the couple ending their lives together to break the curse. Others with a happier ending. Like the one you’ve mentioned above. (Your specific one being the one that I was introduced as a kid which started my love for Swan Lake) where they defeat Rothbart and his daughter and live happily ever after.

To respond to your questions at the end

It’s never revealed why she was cursed in the first place but many tales show Odette to be a princess who is this pure and graceful figure who is loved by many. The same goes for Odile, she’s never fully fleshed out. But it’s meant to be implied that she is also evil like her father. She’s represented with being evil with themes of seduction and malice.

- His childhood friend he kissed once when he was 16 who he hasn't seen in ten years (Thoma)

- His ex-wife who he has complicated feelings towards (Jean)

- The girl from that flower shop who is obsessed with him (Donna)

- An old chinese man who keeps quoting ancient texts at him and saying he knew the guy who wrote it (probably a god) (Zhongli)

- The first one's boss who keeps flirting with him and suggesting they enter a polyamorous marriage in really unsubtle ways (Ayato)

- A gambler lady who thinks he's really good at killing people and keeps sexually (???) choking/strangling enemies they fight (Yelan)

- Some gang leader from Japan with big tits who keeps trying to beetle fight him and is endearingly stupid (Itto)

- An architect from Persia who is knee deep in debt and cares very heavily about everything (Kaveh)

- The architect's roommate, also a well-known Arabian scholar who never takes his headphones off and somehow still hears everything Diluc says (Alhaitham)

- A French prison warden who keeps reminding him to take care of himself while he struggles to reign in his own daughter (?? Child who is always with him??? Coworker?? Diluc can't tell) (Wriothesley)

- his doctor (Baizhu)