I never trusted characters in stories -- and reality, as a result -- that claim to be totally righteous and demand you never listen to or "get corrupted by" some other force.

Was just reading a story recently where someone says this creature someone talked to looked pretty and sounded like she cared, but that just made her more dangerous a demon convincing people away.

If it's so easy to convince people away from "the faith", sometimes makes me question "the faith".

Like, when I talk about fascists, I kinda know their language. I avoid talking when I have no reason to assume good faith. I can at least listen first.

Like with "demons".

If the demons are very intelligent, they might have a reason to be the way they are.

If they can't help being evil, I'd consider them someone with a natural disorder; they can't help being the way they are. Maybe we can't be on friendly terms, but I can at least try to draw some boundaries, and only when those boundaries are continually crossed would I totally distance myself from such a being.

I have some experience with finding demons aren't all they seem, really -- or at least en entity that identifies as a demon. Also many that used to, and then found their true forms outside of their self-hate.

@Ulfra_Wolfe this is much of what I dislike with nu-Star Wars; The whole Light Side / Dark Side manichean divide is even more stark and has even less room for shades of grey than the EU did (the sheer breadth of authors meant there was a lot of room for perspectives).

[This post sponsored by the fact I get a chance to use the word 'manichean' in conversation]

@GlitchyDragon What I find interesting about the latest Star Wars was attempts to keep away the "seduction of the light side". That... was an intriguing angle. As if the "light side" was something wrong, something weak, and something that meant more harm than good.