Crossroads Story Discussion

[The Zinc Lich]

I'm really surprised that there are people out there who enjoyed the Leveticus story... To me, it was a very large, very creepy step back in characterization. I mean, I understand that Levy is supposed to be a morally grey character, but does he really have to be such a creep? We finally get an explanation of why his hollow waifs are all girls- its because he wants lifeless slave-puppets he finds attractive.

 

Really, though, it is his treatment of Alyce that has soured me on his character. He patronizes her, he lusts after her, he lets her think he is dead (by manipulating her into thinking he sacrificed his life for her, no less), and he lets her wander into a life-threatening situation for no reason other than killing a bunch of rival researchers. It's pretty obvious that the amalgamation cult wasn't a clear and present danger to him, what with his layers and layers of plans to escape death. So why the theatrics? Why risk Alyce's well being? What, was he just too lazy to do the footwork himself? Did he think that the risk was worth the savings in waifs?

 

This story also really underpins why I am so against Leveticus/Alyce as a romantic pairing, and why the hints to it through the story made me wince. Leveticus is Alyce's teacher, her doctor, surrogate father figure, boss, and, apparently, her only friend. She's also young, naive, headstrong, and gullible. There is no way the power dynamics in a romantic relationship wouldn't be creepy. Even if they were closer to equals, watching Leveticus shamelessly gambling with Alyce's life didn't exactly make for a story I enjoyed reading.

 

The story does set up Alyce for being the one to finally push Leveticus all the way over the river Styx, and frankly, I say all the power to her :/

[Ausplosions]

I'm really surprised that there are people out there who enjoyed the Leveticus story...

TLDR ; "I have moral objections to not only the content of the story, but the fact other people enjoy it when my own morals stop me from doing so"

Just because you find a work of fiction about a lecherous evil wizard objectionable, doesn't really mean you can make the blanket statement that because of this, he is a badly imagined character, or that people shouldn't like his story...

Some characters are evil, some are good. Not all characters can shoot rainbows. That's a different franchise.

[CreepingDeath]

Just finished reading crossroads last night. Levi, ironsides, Hoffman and for some weird reason ma tuckets stories I thoroughly enjoyed. The rest were kinda so so. Look forward to more though

[The Zinc Lich]

Just because you find a work of fiction about a lecherous evil wizard objectionable, doesn't really mean you can make the blanket statement that because of this, he is a badly imagined character, or that people shouldn't like his story...

Some characters are evil, some are good. Not all characters can shoot rainbows. That's a different franchise.

 

Eh, fair enough. I suppose, if the point of the story is for us to dislike Leveticus, it succeeds well enough. It's just not what I was expecting; Leveticus and Alyce have always been shown, so far, as fairly close compatriots. I was surprised that the new background for them would foster so much animosity between the two of them. Aside from maybe Seamus, we haven't seen a master treating their henchmen so poorly before in the fluff.

 

The story ends with Leveticus realizing that Rusty Alyce, if given the opportunity, will kill him. For good. Not exactly the sentiment we saw in M2E book one, or even M1E book one. Where else has he appeared, aside from alone in the Avatars book?

[Justin]

Eh, fair enough. I suppose, if the point of the story is for us to dislike Leveticus, it succeeds well enough. It's just not what I was expecting; Leveticus and Alyce have always been shown, so far, as fairly close compatriots. I was surprised that the new background for them would foster so much animosity between the two of them. Aside from maybe Seamus, we haven't seen a master treating their henchmen so poorly before in the fluff.

 

The story ends with Leveticus realizing that Rusty Alyce, if given the opportunity, will kill him. For good. Not exactly the sentiment we saw in M2E book one, or even M1E book one. Where else has he appeared, aside from alone in the Avatars book?

 

I see it as a different way of looking at things.

 

In Western culture, we tend to value life, particularly human life, above everything else. But that doesn't necessarily need to be the case.

 

I see Alyce and Leveticus both as rather existentialist characters who border on what we might call psychopathy. Life to them is fleeting, cruel, and brutal and its end is inevitable, despite what magic Leveticus may be working to stall an already foregone conclusion. Therefore the continuation of life is not the ultimate value; merely the quality. They each set their own rules and play by them, and survival is not requisite to playing well. 

[Linus Mcmold]

I see it as a different way of looking at things.

 

In Western culture, we tend to value life, particularly human life, above everything else. But that doesn't necessarily need to be the case.

 

I see Alyce and Leveticus both as rather existentialist characters who border on what we might call psychopathy. Life to them is fleeting, cruel, and brutal and its end is inevitable, despite what magic Leveticus may be working to stall an already foregone conclusion. Therefore the continuation of life is not the ultimate value; merely the quality. They each set their own rules and play by them, and survival is not requisite to playing well. 

Characters featured in naturalistic literature from 19th century usually exhibit some or even all of those characteristics you just mentioned. Pessimism and nihilism are usally used to portray realism, unlike previous literary movements that usually romanticized the human condition.

Beatniks as a stereotypical sub-culture from the 1960s' usually implemented some of those characteristic while portraying themselves, some of those characteristics veered their way later into punk and other subcultures.

Literary work is just a bit more extreme than real life, but it's no less cruel.

Personal caricatures are just more easily portrayed in fiction and much better hidden in reality, but it's there

(easily found around the internet for example).

Modern pop-culture heroes are usually a bit too perfect and make only little mistakes if any (probably because of recent superhero popularity).

Although Malifaux is usually very dark, most of the characters exhibit human values and have real human problems. There is even gentlness appearent here and there. There are just a lot of new characters lately and not all have been in the spotlight yet and some like Viktorias haven't been there for a long time now.

I think Leveticus and Alyce have a good solid deal and they are friends in their special way.

Leveticus is formost Alyces teacher and everything else is secondary.

Even if he is using her as a pawn they still share mutual trust in the end. It just isn't that obvious.

Seamus is a good example of an interesting villain and I would even dare to say an anti-hero character in the later stories.

He has a character ark (I just don't want to spoil it). His random violence, myisogyny and wackyness isn't the start and the end to what he is.

[EnternalVoid]

Eh, fair enough. I suppose, if the point of the story is for us to dislike Leveticus, it succeeds well enough. It's just not what I was expecting; Leveticus and Alyce have always been shown, so far, as fairly close compatriots. I was surprised that the new background for them would foster so much animosity between the two of them. Aside from maybe Seamus, we haven't seen a master treating their henchmen so poorly before in the fluff.

 

The story ends with Leveticus realizing that Rusty Alyce, if given the opportunity, will kill him. For good. Not exactly the sentiment we saw in M2E book one, or even M1E book one. Where else has he appeared, aside from alone in the Avatars book?

 

I can see how you got that impression from the story but personally I got a different feel from the story myself.  Levi said it himself on page 174, "They were playing for keeps".  The key to this is that Levi was playing the same game "for keeps".  Just cause you have back up plans and what not is no reason to let a group clearly out to get you keep trying.  Just cause you were able to out smart them today does not mean you will be able to tomorrow.  More so with how fearsome Levi can be I imagine they also had plans in place should they fail to kill him and he came after them.  With him appearing dead they felt they only had to deal with Alyce, not Levi lurking in the shadows.

 

Anyhow Alyce has always had anger issues, implusive might be a nice way to say it but trigger happy and bloodthirsty might sometimes be more accurate.  But I disagree with your accessment that "Leveticus realizing that Rusty Alyce, if given the opportunity, will kill him.  For Good."  At the end he even decides that he will wait a week or two to tell her, just that right that second she is still very mad with him and better not to antagonize her as she hates him acting Smug and explaining everything like she is a child.  Earlier it made note she liked bumping off Hollow Waifs, you tell her while she is mad about your secret back up trick and she might smash it just to get back at you.  Or she might be tempted to shoot him right there and then just to vent her frustration and let him have to crawl back through his tether again as she knows he will come back.

 

The two are partners with a very... complicated relationship but one that both are willing to give alot for each other.  Just that Levi by his nature has to play the game, he has to see the world like a playing field where it is you against your opponent.  Measured risks and rewards.  Know the limits.  Alyce has a much more strait and simple veiw.  Her favorate word "Headshot" explains it rather well.  She has a hard time seeing herself failing or ramifications of actions, thus why she is so easy to bait.

 

He exploited her, yes, but she also uses Levi and has gotten alot out of him in turn.

[Math Mathonwy]

I think that the author was trying to tell a far bigger story than the available word count allowed and the story suffered immensely from that. The rivals are painted as a grand force but there isn't enough room to show it and they just go down like chumps. And this makes the story seem sorta odd and non-sensical.

Levi as Woody Allen was a bit of a let-down, though.