Poisonous Friend: Difference between revisions

Line 87:

== Fan Fiction ==

* Takashi in [[Deva Series|the Deva Series]] is one to [[~~Magical Girl~~ Lyrical Nanoha|Hayate]], using underhanded means to protect her interests, including {{spoiler|killing the leaders of the Circles after finding out about their plan to nuke her school}}.

* Takashi in [[Deva Series|the Deva Series]] is one to [[Lyrical Nanoha|Hayate]], using underhanded means to protect her interests, including {{spoiler|killing the leaders of the Circles after finding out about their plan to nuke her school}}.

Line 130:

* Lord Montfallcon does this for a living in ''Gloriana'' by [[Michael Moorcock]], working behind the scenes to maintain order because he fears his queen's idealistic policies aren't enough to secure the realm's new golden age.

* Valentinian in [[Belisarius Series]] has some aspects of this; not only is he Belisarius' bodyguard, he is his personal executioner and hatchet man. When Belisarius wants some shocking bit of violence done he simply says "Valentinian..." which is shorthand for [[Off with His Head]].

** Subverted in that Belisarius is not only entirely aware of who Valentinian is killing, but is specifically asking him to kill ~~them -- and~~ isn't doing it himself only because its not the most effective use of his time, or because Valentinian is a superior swordsman. Indeed, in the ''one'' instance where Belisarius orders Valentinian to perform a killing that he is unwilling to do himself Belisarius admits with ruthless self-honesty that his reluctance is purely based in personal squeamishness (the intended target is at that moment possessing the body of a seven-year-old girl) and not ethical restraint (the girl was already dead, her body was just in use by something else).

** Subverted in that Belisarius is not only entirely aware of who Valentinian is killing, but is specifically asking him to kill them—and isn't doing it himself only because its not the most effective use of his time, or because Valentinian is a superior swordsman. Indeed, in the ''one'' instance where Belisarius orders Valentinian to perform a killing that he is unwilling to do himself Belisarius admits with ruthless self-honesty that his reluctance is purely based in personal squeamishness (the intended target is at that moment possessing the body of a seven-year-old girl) and not ethical restraint (the girl was already dead, her body was just in use by something else).

* Monk Mayfair is just short of this to [[Doc Savage]]. [[Philip Jose Farmer]] theorizes that in addition to Savage needing someone who can kill (not to mention lie, steal and seduce), Mayfair's obvious enjoyment of these gives Savage vicarious pleasure.

* The ''[[Knight and Rogue Series]]'' has a mild example in Fisk. While Michael is so righteous that he won't even tell a white lie, and encourages Fisk to follow this example, Fisk is willing to lie like hell or con his way out of a situation when need be-usually when Michael isn't looking. He becomes less of one by the third book, though.