OOC: Leif likes to ramble
Why is Rhode so receptive to allies?
I've wondered for a while why Rhode, both the first time she was in AD and now, would get to know people, sometimes close to genuinely! The first time a little less so, because for ten months or more she was pretending to be just a harmless little girl so any of the heroes around would have been willing to protect and play with her at any time. Life was pretty good, she didn't get to kill things (except Anko that one time on the sly), but she could always manipulate a well-meaning goon into doing what she wanted.
Even after the Big Reveal where she killed Riza and Negi and generally sky-rocketed her position to Public Enemy Number One, she still had allies she trusted to foolishly stick with her no matter what (Merlin and Allen mainly) and then Tyki showed up and in general life was pretty cool, even with everyone getting their Rhode hate on.
Then I idled out and brought her back--being a re-app and canon update, she entered AD with no memories and still has no recollection of her time in AD before. She's pulled in from around Chapter 203/early 204, and so she's not only paranoid of this being a trick of the Innocence, but also MOST EVERYONE WHO GREETS HER knows her and she doesn't know them. It really wigs her out. And it's scary because they clearly know what she's capable of but she knows jack about what they're capable of.
And then there's Tyki. Who she learns fast is early canon, and this freaks her out internally because that's before a lot of important shit goes down and she doesn't know what she's supposed to do with that, for one because apparently she left Tyki alone and that's something she never would have done! Screw all powerful beings, she wouldn't just leave Tyki. Nothing should have the power to make her do that, let alone forget.
So basically nothing is right or stable about the situation she's in. There are no certainties, even Allen doesn't remember as far as she does. So in a way she feels a little alone and that pings bad memories of when she and the Earl were the only Noah. But she has Tyki and Allen and she's willing to try to deal with this place.
She doesn't really trust anyone who says they knew her before at first, mainly because of reactions from people like Zuko, Negi and Asuna. Because she's clearly rather despised and she doesn't remember why and no one will tell her the details exactly. They leave stuff out and she's suspicious.
And then we factor in the population. Adstringendum is made up of lots of super powered, very strong people. Rhode is used to being alpha wolf, the Big Bag right under the Earl. She's used to having security in minions and the fact that she's untouchable and other people are vermin. But her powers are limited in AD, she has no minions, Tyki is not as strong as he is by the point she's taken from, but Allen is, and in general, she feels like she's a bit on her own and she has to protect Tyki, too. She has her back against the wall and she doesn't know who holds a grudge against her or not.
So she needs allies. This is something she's never really needed. I do headcanon she uses being an adorable little girl to gain protection and favors from people in canon, but she doesn't have that option on AD. People know better. So she needs to gain people she can rely on, or at least use, and this is kind of new to her. The Earl usually makes deals with Brokers, not her! But she can't do it by lying and being cute, she has to gain allies who will be useful to Rhode as a Noah not the innocent little girl she plays at being.
So this means reaching out to people, and thus stuff like her discussions with Horst or Tom Riddle. She doesn't know who will end up being worth her time and carefully regulated trust, but she has to take the risks or she won't get anything done at all. And then there's old allies who she had before that she doesn't remember--Merlin, Yuca, Madara for example--that she wants to use but at the same time there's the paranoia that they're trying to trick her. Because of course, she doesn't remember them!
And then we add Lucifer to the scene--she trusts him, but he's tearing apart her and Tyki, and she's joining him on some risky endeavors. It's not going to end well, but she'll take any stupid chance there might be to connect the worlds so she can get her family with her, because at least after her first month back in AD she feels almost as alone as when Neah kicked her family's asses.
In a funny way the people who greeted her without expectations, like Ciel, were the ones she trusted most. And maybe the cake helped. But neutrality meant a lot more to her than random expectations she didn't even know the origins of.
Why does she love Satan so much?
I DON'T KNOW. I literally tagged Lucifer just because it looked like it'd be interesting CR and Rhode had just gotten back and wanted to meet people. Like three tags in she's absolutely fascinated with him, and by the end of the log she's half convinced herself he's always been family, she just somehow forgot him. IDK MAN I just don't know.
I know part of it he reminds her of the Earl but she actually consciously resists the urge to equate the two. The Earl is the Earl and Lucifer is not. The Earl will always trump everyone, but Lucifer sure as hell has settled in her twisted little heart. All well and good. And then she brings Lucifer home and all Hell really does break lose.
Tyki reacts badly, Lucifer distances himself, and Rhode's in the middle wanting to yell at both of them. But she's dealing with her own issues of feeling isolated and insecure--not that she realizes at the time, she just thinks she doesn't want to play mediator, they'll work it out because she's already decided Lucifer is family, why shouldn't they work it out?--so she kind of lets it fester as it is.
And then she dreams with Tyki and Lucifer. And she gets how lonely and nihilistic Lucifer is. And with Tyki their emotions of abandonment and fear of one another drifting/disappearing echo each other. They basically both feel like the other's out of reach for various reasons and it scares and pisses them both off. And Rhode is prone to lashing out when she's scared, and she's angry that she even doesn't trust Tyki enough not to shut away and she's even more angry that he doesn't trust her. So basically she's upset, lonely, pissed off, and feeling insecure and in a bundle of hate and malice like Rhode this is such a bad combination.
So that's her first month back. Which is a hell of a lot more issues and emotion than I've seen from her, especially all at once. Seriously I don't even fucking know.
How various logs and threads turn out may or may not alleviate some of her problems, especially involving Tyki, but there's still stuff like Allen studiously avoiding her and the unsettling survival imperative of actually trying to make alliances with people that might have some meaning--Rhode doesn't do friends, but she's also really social.
SO IN SHORT, she's freaked out people know her and she doesn't know them back, she's freaked out about Tyki, everything about Tyki basically, and she has the wonderful judgment to decide the Father of Lies would make a cool addition to the family.
Good job, Rhode.
I've wondered for a while why Rhode, both the first time she was in AD and now, would get to know people, sometimes close to genuinely! The first time a little less so, because for ten months or more she was pretending to be just a harmless little girl so any of the heroes around would have been willing to protect and play with her at any time. Life was pretty good, she didn't get to kill things (except Anko that one time on the sly), but she could always manipulate a well-meaning goon into doing what she wanted.
Even after the Big Reveal where she killed Riza and Negi and generally sky-rocketed her position to Public Enemy Number One, she still had allies she trusted to foolishly stick with her no matter what (Merlin and Allen mainly) and then Tyki showed up and in general life was pretty cool, even with everyone getting their Rhode hate on.
Then I idled out and brought her back--being a re-app and canon update, she entered AD with no memories and still has no recollection of her time in AD before. She's pulled in from around Chapter 203/early 204, and so she's not only paranoid of this being a trick of the Innocence, but also MOST EVERYONE WHO GREETS HER knows her and she doesn't know them. It really wigs her out. And it's scary because they clearly know what she's capable of but she knows jack about what they're capable of.
And then there's Tyki. Who she learns fast is early canon, and this freaks her out internally because that's before a lot of important shit goes down and she doesn't know what she's supposed to do with that, for one because apparently she left Tyki alone and that's something she never would have done! Screw all powerful beings, she wouldn't just leave Tyki. Nothing should have the power to make her do that, let alone forget.
So basically nothing is right or stable about the situation she's in. There are no certainties, even Allen doesn't remember as far as she does. So in a way she feels a little alone and that pings bad memories of when she and the Earl were the only Noah. But she has Tyki and Allen and she's willing to try to deal with this place.
She doesn't really trust anyone who says they knew her before at first, mainly because of reactions from people like Zuko, Negi and Asuna. Because she's clearly rather despised and she doesn't remember why and no one will tell her the details exactly. They leave stuff out and she's suspicious.
And then we factor in the population. Adstringendum is made up of lots of super powered, very strong people. Rhode is used to being alpha wolf, the Big Bag right under the Earl. She's used to having security in minions and the fact that she's untouchable and other people are vermin. But her powers are limited in AD, she has no minions, Tyki is not as strong as he is by the point she's taken from, but Allen is, and in general, she feels like she's a bit on her own and she has to protect Tyki, too. She has her back against the wall and she doesn't know who holds a grudge against her or not.
So she needs allies. This is something she's never really needed. I do headcanon she uses being an adorable little girl to gain protection and favors from people in canon, but she doesn't have that option on AD. People know better. So she needs to gain people she can rely on, or at least use, and this is kind of new to her. The Earl usually makes deals with Brokers, not her! But she can't do it by lying and being cute, she has to gain allies who will be useful to Rhode as a Noah not the innocent little girl she plays at being.
So this means reaching out to people, and thus stuff like her discussions with Horst or Tom Riddle. She doesn't know who will end up being worth her time and carefully regulated trust, but she has to take the risks or she won't get anything done at all. And then there's old allies who she had before that she doesn't remember--Merlin, Yuca, Madara for example--that she wants to use but at the same time there's the paranoia that they're trying to trick her. Because of course, she doesn't remember them!
And then we add Lucifer to the scene--she trusts him, but he's tearing apart her and Tyki, and she's joining him on some risky endeavors. It's not going to end well, but she'll take any stupid chance there might be to connect the worlds so she can get her family with her, because at least after her first month back in AD she feels almost as alone as when Neah kicked her family's asses.
In a funny way the people who greeted her without expectations, like Ciel, were the ones she trusted most. And maybe the cake helped. But neutrality meant a lot more to her than random expectations she didn't even know the origins of.
Why does she love Satan so much?
I DON'T KNOW. I literally tagged Lucifer just because it looked like it'd be interesting CR and Rhode had just gotten back and wanted to meet people. Like three tags in she's absolutely fascinated with him, and by the end of the log she's half convinced herself he's always been family, she just somehow forgot him. IDK MAN I just don't know.
I know part of it he reminds her of the Earl but she actually consciously resists the urge to equate the two. The Earl is the Earl and Lucifer is not. The Earl will always trump everyone, but Lucifer sure as hell has settled in her twisted little heart. All well and good. And then she brings Lucifer home and all Hell really does break lose.
Tyki reacts badly, Lucifer distances himself, and Rhode's in the middle wanting to yell at both of them. But she's dealing with her own issues of feeling isolated and insecure--not that she realizes at the time, she just thinks she doesn't want to play mediator, they'll work it out because she's already decided Lucifer is family, why shouldn't they work it out?--so she kind of lets it fester as it is.
And then she dreams with Tyki and Lucifer. And she gets how lonely and nihilistic Lucifer is. And with Tyki their emotions of abandonment and fear of one another drifting/disappearing echo each other. They basically both feel like the other's out of reach for various reasons and it scares and pisses them both off. And Rhode is prone to lashing out when she's scared, and she's angry that she even doesn't trust Tyki enough not to shut away and she's even more angry that he doesn't trust her. So basically she's upset, lonely, pissed off, and feeling insecure and in a bundle of hate and malice like Rhode this is such a bad combination.
So that's her first month back. Which is a hell of a lot more issues and emotion than I've seen from her, especially all at once. Seriously I don't even fucking know.
How various logs and threads turn out may or may not alleviate some of her problems, especially involving Tyki, but there's still stuff like Allen studiously avoiding her and the unsettling survival imperative of actually trying to make alliances with people that might have some meaning--Rhode doesn't do friends, but she's also really social.
SO IN SHORT, she's freaked out people know her and she doesn't know them back, she's freaked out about Tyki, everything about Tyki basically, and she has the wonderful judgment to decide the Father of Lies would make a cool addition to the family.
Good job, Rhode.