syndrome, hades, and dr. facilier(???) for aeneas and arthur >:3
[obligatory 'arthur isn't a villain actually-' rant here]
jokes aside yes thank you <3 arthur's answers are going to be complicated for reasons i don't know how to explain right now, but we'll figure it out!
SYNDROME: Was there ever a point they could have been a hero?
Aeneas: I definitely think so--I don't like to operate under the assumption that any character (or person but we are talking about fictional people here) is inherently evil, and I do very much believe in the idea that different circumstances can change a LOT. That being said, I also think people are responsible for their own choices, and Aeneas definitely made her own choices.
She's not super developed yet and I'm still figuring things out for her, but I do want to explore what made her the way she is and how things could've been different.
Arthur: Oh he absolutely could have and that's the whole point of Fragile Things honestly. The only reason I'd consider Arthur a villain on some level is because of a situation towards the end of the story that's more a result of circumstances than anything else. Not to say that Arthur is never responsible for any of his actions--he did very much make his own choices, but there's a lot that went into those choices and if things were different he could've been different. The same applies to Arthur as he appears in Bleeding Over Eden.
HADES: Are they using the hero to get back at someone else?
Aeneas: Oh, absolutely. Aeneas isn't super developed yet but that's pretty much her whole shtick. She hurts people and uses them and manipulates them and she has a great fucking time. Y'know, gaslight gatekeep girlboss! Okay wait I just realized I misread the question--she's not actively doing this I don't think, but she absolutely would if she had the opportunity.
Arthur: Oh, no, lmao! Arthur is genuinely well-meaning usually, and while he can be very mean and petty, I don't think he would ever use Noah/Ink to get back at someone else. Even after everything, Arthur does genuinely care about him, and I can't see him crossing the line of using him in some way.
DR. FACILIER: How far are they willing to go to get what they want?
Aeneas: Aeneas is a very ruthless character and I'm not actually sure what she wants overall, but when it came to her friendship with Juno, what she wanted was for them to stay by her side forever. Ultimately, well. Aeneas made Juno a void-walker so that they'd stay by her side forever and ever and she'd never have to lose them, meaning she did kill them and four other people they cared about, which says a lot about how far she's willing to go. Though Juno doesn't associate with her anymore, so that didn't work out.
Arthur: Arthur's willing to go pretty far, but he also does know when enough is enough. He's not the type to intentionally hurt someone--when he does hurt others, it's generally a result of him lashing out in frustration or stress, and he wouldn't intentionally hurt someone, especially someone he cares about, even if it means he could get what he wants. I don't wanna go into too many specifics but later in Fragile Things, Arthur is actually the first one to openly admit that something is wrong with his and Noah's relationship, and while he does what he can to Fix It, he also isn't going to like. Move heaven and earth for something that isn't working on a fundamental level.