Gargoyles: One Chance
Added 2023-05-31 19:10:17 +0000 UTC"--Don't you understand? The humans took everything from me, and they have only grown worse. One so-called 'good' human can't undo that. They are never good."
"But they can be if you just let them!" Angela growls, flailing her talons out to her sides in a wide gesture around the city. "Mother, haven't you ever thought that maybe not all humans are bad? That they and gargoyle are more alike than you believe? You've been around for years. You can't honestly tell me you haven't met a gargoyle you couldn't trust in your lifetime."
"I trust no one," Demona sneers, turning her back on her daughter and hunching in on herself, arms crossed close to her chest. "It's what kept me alive this long."
"But at what cost? Mother... you are clanless." Demona doesn't turn around at the mournful tone, and Angela pushes on. "Y-you have no one. But you don't have to be--"
"Angela--" Demona's voice is loud, unwavering, but her tone is so, so tired. It's almost wrung out of her in a sigh that only hints at centuries of gliding solo.
"That is enough."
For several moments, there is heavy silence. Demona doesn't turn around, but the scent of salt in the air is tell enough. She heaves another sigh and begins to step toward the edge of the rooftop they've chosen for this meeting, fully intent on putting an end to such a miserable conversation.
"...Everyone believes you are nothing more than a monster." Demona keeps going, crouches down and begins to unfurl her wings.
"But I don't believe that."
That stops her. She freezes as if the sun has touched her skin, still as the stone sleep she no longer experiences. She still doesn't turn, but her head tilts to the side. Listening.
"I saw how desperately you want clan when you were with Thailog," Angela whispers hoarsely. "I saw how you looked at me, w-when you realized I was your daughter. You... you turned on Thailog to save me. Save us. But now I--" She whipes furiously at her eyes in frustration. "--you speak as if you want nothing to do with me--"
"You know that isn't true," Demona says, finally, finally whirling to face her daughter. Instinct drives her to open her arms, to reach out, but years of solitude stops her in her tracks. Her hesitation goes mostly unnoticed.
"Then prove it!" Angela barks. She lashes her tail and unfurls her wings. "I want you in my life! I want you to be clan. But I can't do that if you aren't willing to at least try." Angela closes the distance between them, grasping her mother's talons and --almost instantly-- feels like a child again. She gives her a gentle squeeze, and relief nearly floods her when she feels a small, hesitant one back.
"I can't ask for you to forget... or forgive. I won't. But I am asking you to... t-to at least try, and give me a chance? To give humans a chance, one more time."
Angela's eyes bore into her mother as she pleads: "Give me this one chance to prove you wrong."
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The completed version of that sketch I did a few days ago! Angela and Demona have a much needed talk. uwu
I've been harkin and hollerin about doing a Gargoyles AU and after I did this, I think I for sure will do so. I still have yet to find the time to sit down and watch the show, but I'm kiiiiinda invested even though my ideas are still pretty vague as of right now.
So, for context for where my thoughts are for those interested: In the show, Demona teams up with a rather cruel, bastardized and frankly creepy clone of Goliath named Thailog (arguably one of the scarier villains in the show if I remember right?). There's a point where he steals DNA from the main clan to make obedient slave clones and Demona calls them her "new clan", but that doesn't last long at all. Not after she finds out Angela is her kid, and Thailog promptly dumps her for another clone who'd be far more obedient and proceeds to attempt to kill Angela alongside Goliath and Elisa. Demona decides "nah son" and attacks the bastard, and the last we see of her in that episode is her fighting Thailog in a roaring fire.
This AU will take place sometime after that. The focus of it is exploring the "what if" scenario of that event being the catalyst to Demona's potential redemption. She's a fantastic villain IMO, and part of that is because she's so tragic and prideful and so obviously lonely. It's pretty strongly hinted that she could be redeemed IF she were willing to put her pride aside and see a good portion of her misery was a product of her own making. So, what if she actually does?
I imagine Angela would play a role in her being willing to try to turn a new leaf, hence this event here. I'm thinkin' after the whole debacle goes down, Angela wants to see her mother (let's assume they confirm her alive) but Goliath doubles down and is 200% against it (and honestly, fair). Elisa, however, has her own lil talk with Angela and encourages to choose for herself. So Angela does.
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AAAAAAAAAAAAND that's what I got so far. It's been a loooooooooooooong time since I've worddumped like that, so I hope ya'll enjoy! ;w; As for the piece itself, I was gonna color it but opted against it to see how it came out, and I like the look! It was a bit quicker to dish out without having to worry about colors as well, so if ya'll aren't too opposed, you might see more artwork in just clean lines, sketches, and/or grayscale alongside the colored stuff. :)
But ye! I've talked ya'lls ears off long enough. Thank you for taking a read and looksie! More to come soon! ^>^
Comments
Oh how I wish there had been something like that in the show. I always believed that her hatred towards humanity was a coping mechanism for her guilt and grief, if she admitted that she was the primary responsible for the destruction of her clan and all her tragedies, that would destroy her. I remember in one episode, this scene where they were trying to get her to give a code for something important/lethal, and some sorceresses with a spell started asking some interesting questions with the "who did this?" from the beginning of her bad decisions, similar to when therapists try to show you the whole picture. She responded by blaming others, until they came to the center, a self-reflection, her thirst for revenge only created more pain and loneliness, unfortunately at the end of the conversation she returned to the same "You put me under a spell! None of this is my fault, it was the humans! Always the humans!" She is very similar to other tragic villains/antagonists, their hatred and pain is understandable but the actions are not justifiable. It is basically the representation of "What have I-... What have THEY done?!" It's funny because their pride, denial, and their projection of their own mistakes makes them commit more pain and hurt innocent people because of it, even their own beloved people. Killmonger was right that the rulers of Wakanda were selfish and cruel when they did nothing to save the people of Africa when they were kidnapped to be forced to be slaves, when they did not get directly involved in the various armed conflicts on the continent, when they left him alone after killing his father even though he was an innocent child in an environment of poverty and violence, but it does not justify how he himself hurt his people, how he was willing to basically commit genocide, use a kingdom as a weapon to achieve their goal of revenge, hatred and death. He then meets his end. Namur had every right to distrust the world above when he watched the colonizers destroy entire civilizations and all the hatred and violence of the people on the surface, he loved and wanted to protect his people, but he was also willing to kill a innocent young girl for the simple fact that the Government of her country stole her invention that she only made out of her scientific curiosity, in his paranoia he saw her as a ultimate danger that had to be eradicated, and when he did not obtain the expected results, he took his army, attacked and killed innocent people, because it is "my way or no way" and it was not until Zuri spared her life even though she had thousands of reasons not to, she saw the big picture, breaking the cycle of destruction and uniting as leaders of peoples hit by slavery, colonization, and the greed of others. Yes, he could no but he put his pride behind and his beloved people first. I believe that people can change, everybody can, but only if they want too, and no one is obligated to accept this person again or their apology, as Charlie Spring once said: “I'm glad that you realise that what you did was wrong but you don’t get to ambush me into forgiving you. Sorry doesn't make up for everything you did to me. I really hope you become a better person so you don’t hurt anyone else. But I don’t want to be there to see that happen.” I think the reason why many people are so very critical with redemption arch, is because the writers don't know how to make it well. Redemption does not mean that everything is forgiven, it is a: We give you an opportunity to reflect, heal, become a better person but with admitting and repairing your mistakes, it is painful, slow and full of potholes, but it is your path to travel. And this takes time, but these usually these arcs are rushed and messy. Catra from Shera for example, she is very similar to Demona, but the ending left a bad taste in my mouth that despite everything just because there was a major and More dangerous "villain" everyone was suddenly okay with her around just because she made the "major sacrifice" and finally did "a good thing", but my God! They should have handled that arc better, I felt so much anger for my sweet former child soldier Adora, the poor thing has a very big heart "I know she has done horrible things and hurt many, but I can't just leave her there, abandon her." I know that Adora is a damaged person but also a noble heart, that her feelings were complicated and she never gave up on Catra and did not excuse her evil actions, because of their friendship since childhood and mutual love that they never spoke about but IT FELT AS INSULTING AS EVERYTHING , THE PAIN, THE DESTRUCTION OF HOMES AND LIVES, THE ABUSE, THE TOXICITY, EVERYTHING WAS PUT UNDER THE RUG. Why Catras pain is valid but Adora isn't? Can you imagine if after all the crap that Demona did, the show try to do something similar? Yeah that doesn't work. That's why I think this kind of conversation works, this is what is missing in so many redemptions, own mistakes and asking the important questions, what is more important? You need for validate you hate and pain when you were you own worse enemy? Or the opportunity to the end of your loneliness with a new beginning along someone that you hold dear and finally find peace? Sorry for the long text and english is not my first language so I apologize if anything sound weird.
MiyaTheGoldenFlower
2023-11-21 19:51:19 +0000 UTC
