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It seems that most of the 13 entering the Tower untold thousands of years ago were relatively young, happy-go-lucky teenagers. Not without your standard issues (such as crushes, unrequited love), but nothing near the group of sociopaths we have now as FHs. They were almost naive adventurers that ended up in a dog-eat-dog, Lord of the Flies island of a tower which turned them into monsters in their own ways. There's also the general brain-rot that Ha Jinsung refers to how rankers' bodies strengthen but their minds slowly lose it (not sure if a physical feature of mental deterioration or comment about their personalities becoming oddities, or both). It seems most have some level of disdain for tower residents, some run-ins with demons - literal and figurative, relationship drama they are STILL nursing (get the fuck over it already), contracts that ask much of them, generalized detachment to tower denizens, and lack of care of life not in their immediate circles. Then, there is the issue with egotism run wild, which they all seem to share as nigh gods in a practical sense.
It's almost as if the Tower has had a negative effect on them all (some is confirmed, some is presumed based on the trajectory of the others we do know about). Like a slow-motion horror movie of real and emotional trauma (one even being named after Trauma...). None seem to be living particularly happy, productive, or fulfilled lives. The stagnation of sticking to no higher than 134F might have a lot to do with that. Or maybe it's a feature of the tower, not a bug. Perhaps because they have not completed the climb (or some greater purpose) they are stagnating as entities. Or perhaps the tower itself has an aura of deterioration - from interpersonal relationships to your mind itself. Like a Twilight Zone of sorts (or a zone in any fantasy causing allies to turn on each other and experience trauma). Even Headon - the so-called 'god' of the tower as an admin has a creepy, demonic, devious look that seems to hint at a masochistic nature - for everyone entering. The 'games' on each floor always involve death. Hell, from 2F on it's a bloodbath on up the tower. It's like a giant, intricate deathtrap designed to play with people's lives, livelihoods, emotions, etc - and to gloat in their downfalls and trials (a big Saw movie). Even 'success' has a trade-off, seemingly, from immortality (living without death actually being a curse in of itself is a trope in horror/fantasy) to being a king wearing a heavy crown (Zahard with his own demons, literal and figurative). Shinsoo itself could have an evil nature, or at least how it is used. But the aura present seems to rot, not inspire growth or life or happiness.
Also, this thread will lightly address their powers as well. While some already entered with certain features (Arlen knowing spells for instance), others seemed to gain power from adventuring the tower (Rei learning to be a anima, Hana getting a primeval flame, etc). They all entered as irregulars with untold potential, and the natural ability to utilize shinsoo, but it's interesting how some seemed to develop their own latent powers brought in from outside the tower while others seemed to have to gain their leg up from something the discovered in the tower.
A case study of the known tragedies follows. Tower of Trauma.
===============================================
V: strong enough to fend off the dog-pile of his peers in battle (whether directly or indirectly) - and I suspect even Zahard himself, he ended up taking his own life, while ironically being the only one that COULD have been killed in battle at that point. A chad (at one point) and a warlord, but weak considering suicide was the direction he went (I understand suicide is a sticky topic, inherently weak to some) - if that's not misdirection and was faked. He had his own kid killed by a once-friend; that's pretty dark. Later, his love wants to die, tries to do it herself, but can't as her contract is a type of curse. Later even, his once-son becomes a "monster" and a conduit that will leave to yet another war, and countless more tower deaths, possibly/probably those of his once allies and friends. Little is known about his power-set but he had the best shinsoo tension so great potential to be one of the strongest of the 13. He seemed to side-step the curse of immortality, just to fall into another tragedy of his own. Yay.
Arlen: arguably suffering the most in the series. 'went insane' (probably accurate). Schizo. Suicidal. Son straight up murked before her. Carried around a dead baby-corpse like that's totally normal and sane. Stuck on vengeance mode. Lover killed himself. Outcast from society. Cursed with the inability to die (for her a curse for sure). You know the history, people. Interestingly, she brought her knowledge of spells which are incredibly powerful and can be a source of damage to other irregulars into the tower. Spells may threaten contracts even, IMO.
Zahard: I mean, this dude killed a baby. With his own hands. That's the most egregious but it doesn't stop there. Whatever he did on the RLD might involve prostitutes getting experimented on like guinea pigs. He sets princesses to kill each other with glee. He rules his empire with an iron fist. He's even more detached than the other FH's from the lives of those in the tower. He gloats over his enemies (Khel). He's fine with entire genocide (native ones, the Po Bidau, etc). Many think he raped Arlen as well (Rachel as the byproduct), which sadly would be the least of his crimes. Eduan said he once wasn't like this. Oh, and he seems to have a red-tentacled demon living in him, which might not be unrelated to his current mindset and skills even. He tried to kill a young Baam AGAIN, looking in his eyes while the life left him (probably getting off on the idea of killing the same child twice, previously unheard of in the serial killer community). All all-round baddie that can't get over an ex, like all the others here.
Hon: mysterious, but still ALSO involved with literal demons. He sets his progeny on dangerous paths resulting in their deaths or the deaths of countless others - for reasons unknown, maybe even just for the hell of it and to fuck with their feelings. Why does it seem all the FH's have literal demons inside (Zahard, Hon, Rei... maybe all?). Can they not gain power without selling their souls? Souls, and the manipulation and gathering of them, seem to be a theme with his family, so you know that's about as evil as it gets. Tells his kids to enjoy murder. Cool guy.
Eduan: while most of the females became frigid in the tower, he seems to have swung the pendulum (phallic) in the other direction, and now swings it all over the tower, if you know what I mean. He's a sex-crazed maniac that delights in having his own children fight him to their deaths (knowing they can't win), seemingly just for the hell of it. He also seems to be a drunk. What else needs to be said about this hedonist? Ah, incest might or might not be on his menu. Oh, he's tight with the murderous, demoniac Hon so birds of a feather... He seemed to gain a lot from the tower in shinsoo abilities, which is his inherent strength.
Yurin: she's a recluse, totally healthy, that. Probably a hoarder as well (I bet she has a lot of cats). She has yet to maintain another relationship after the one that spawned her twins, totally healthy. Imagine never getting over someone like these people... in her heyday she was also a hot-head, always wanting to fight. She seems stable /s. Probably bi-polar. Relative to some of the others that are more heinous, she seems more OK than the rest, but still a broken person with no trajectory in life.
Gustang: like Rei at this point he's the one we get the best feel of how FH's feel about non-irregulars. He calls them 'bugs' - totally beneath him. A supremacist of sorts (like all the other FH's it seems), also a bit of a racist if you think about it. Like all the others a complete egoist only out for his own hide, manipulating others (Rachel for instance, Baam as a puppet as well) for his own personal gain. Trademark psychopathic traits. And he's one of the better ones! The fact that he doesn't like V, the heroic MC father and thus type of protagonist, is probably a further sign he's not a swell chap. Although, he does seem to have a soft spot for Arlen and 'care' for his little playground and their livelihoods on the FoD - though some of them feel they are caught in an inescapable hell, so that's nice. He kind of keeps them on the floor more so his secrets don't leak, and less for their own benefit. He has a traumatic event with a daughter he shares with Blossom. He's a scientist, so who knows what he's gained power-wise once entering.
Blossom: Along with Gustang, her daughter was forcibly used experimentally as a princess (ofc against her will), went mad (or that's the coverup), and was later thrown in prison for life without parole. That's gotta suck for a mother. Lazy and unproductive (and that's *before* shit went down with Enne), she neglects her duties/floors/family. She's particularly despondent now. None of these guys/gals are well-rounded it seems as they all have glaring flaws. A possible Baam ally if there ever was one though, so maybe not lost in the end. In the upper half of power-potential, but that power is completely wasted at this point for her to do anything positive with it.
Hana: known to actually be 'nice' (said to be rare for a FH per SIU), but she still has her emotional baggage. She has emotional outbursts (surpassing even the hot-head Yurin) so another with BPD, and has cut herself off from men, literally making a contract to make her a frigid ice-queen. Seemingly a shut-in now as well (another old cat lady, cut off from men). Her interesting power actually comes from the tower itself - the ancient, primeval fire from the Native One - and isn't even her own. What made her distinct power-wise other than something she gained exogenous to herself is unknown.
Traumerei: something happened to this manlet - show me on the doll where she touched you (or didn't/won't - if that's also a problem). He can't get over the thought of being abandoned or betrayed, seemingly by a once-lover. He once cared for the welfare of his children, but now seems ambivalent about their condition. He manipulates lives/animals/people with terrible experiments, often forcing them to fight in death-matches. He breeds tower citizens as rubbish ("trifles"), forcing their copulation (i.e., rape). He created his own monster (Leviathan) from mere angst and hatred, and 'fed' emotions to it (whatever that means) making it go out of even his own control. He's emo as hell, detached, a supremacist/racist, pathological in every way. It's hard to believe he was ever a 'good boy' same as any other serial killer once being a child before shit went terribly wrong. Powerwise, he seemed to learn the ability to control others/animals once entering the tower. He obviously had the best skillset for this, OR he was a psychopath from the start of the climb, being a control freak of sorts wanting to control others. What could he have been without this skill he learned?
Bloodmadder: he ended up in a situation that involves sacrificing the longevity and lifeblood of his own children, and is seemingly OK with that. In his desperation to live forever/as long as his kin, he causes the untimely death of unknown numbers of souls, which he has to create for the this sole purpose. He seems to have been strong defensively from the get-go.
Tperie: unknown at this time, but he's kind of a creeper, no? Voted most likely to be a peeping-tom, and he should probably be on some watch list of his own. FBI, open up, and check the hard-drive on his pockets while you're at it. Obviously, shinsoo-based lighthouses didn't exist outside, but he learned to use them in the tower the best, whatever this means about his potential. For some reason, I can see him having a substance abuse problem (to rival Eduan's alcoholism) to boot.
Han: a boring pacifist, who knows. He's a good fencer, cool, I guess. Plays with his needle all day one assumes. I bet he was the same on the outside power-wise and temperament as well. Probably the least to change, but if the other FH's are any indication he's probably evil-lite, and we'll find out more about his crimes in time. He might be the type of evil that's OK with murder to keep the status quo, like Bleach's Tosen. I bet he's on the autistic spectrum for some reason.
Can there be any positive outcome from the tower's influence?
It's almost as if the Tower has had a negative effect on them all (some is confirmed, some is presumed based on the trajectory of the others we do know about). Like a slow-motion horror movie of real and emotional trauma (one even being named after Trauma...). None seem to be living particularly happy, productive, or fulfilled lives. The stagnation of sticking to no higher than 134F might have a lot to do with that. Or maybe it's a feature of the tower, not a bug. Perhaps because they have not completed the climb (or some greater purpose) they are stagnating as entities. Or perhaps the tower itself has an aura of deterioration - from interpersonal relationships to your mind itself. Like a Twilight Zone of sorts (or a zone in any fantasy causing allies to turn on each other and experience trauma). Even Headon - the so-called 'god' of the tower as an admin has a creepy, demonic, devious look that seems to hint at a masochistic nature - for everyone entering. The 'games' on each floor always involve death. Hell, from 2F on it's a bloodbath on up the tower. It's like a giant, intricate deathtrap designed to play with people's lives, livelihoods, emotions, etc - and to gloat in their downfalls and trials (a big Saw movie). Even 'success' has a trade-off, seemingly, from immortality (living without death actually being a curse in of itself is a trope in horror/fantasy) to being a king wearing a heavy crown (Zahard with his own demons, literal and figurative). Shinsoo itself could have an evil nature, or at least how it is used. But the aura present seems to rot, not inspire growth or life or happiness.
Also, this thread will lightly address their powers as well. While some already entered with certain features (Arlen knowing spells for instance), others seemed to gain power from adventuring the tower (Rei learning to be a anima, Hana getting a primeval flame, etc). They all entered as irregulars with untold potential, and the natural ability to utilize shinsoo, but it's interesting how some seemed to develop their own latent powers brought in from outside the tower while others seemed to have to gain their leg up from something the discovered in the tower.
A case study of the known tragedies follows. Tower of Trauma.
===============================================
V: strong enough to fend off the dog-pile of his peers in battle (whether directly or indirectly) - and I suspect even Zahard himself, he ended up taking his own life, while ironically being the only one that COULD have been killed in battle at that point. A chad (at one point) and a warlord, but weak considering suicide was the direction he went (I understand suicide is a sticky topic, inherently weak to some) - if that's not misdirection and was faked. He had his own kid killed by a once-friend; that's pretty dark. Later, his love wants to die, tries to do it herself, but can't as her contract is a type of curse. Later even, his once-son becomes a "monster" and a conduit that will leave to yet another war, and countless more tower deaths, possibly/probably those of his once allies and friends. Little is known about his power-set but he had the best shinsoo tension so great potential to be one of the strongest of the 13. He seemed to side-step the curse of immortality, just to fall into another tragedy of his own. Yay.
Arlen: arguably suffering the most in the series. 'went insane' (probably accurate). Schizo. Suicidal. Son straight up murked before her. Carried around a dead baby-corpse like that's totally normal and sane. Stuck on vengeance mode. Lover killed himself. Outcast from society. Cursed with the inability to die (for her a curse for sure). You know the history, people. Interestingly, she brought her knowledge of spells which are incredibly powerful and can be a source of damage to other irregulars into the tower. Spells may threaten contracts even, IMO.
Zahard: I mean, this dude killed a baby. With his own hands. That's the most egregious but it doesn't stop there. Whatever he did on the RLD might involve prostitutes getting experimented on like guinea pigs. He sets princesses to kill each other with glee. He rules his empire with an iron fist. He's even more detached than the other FH's from the lives of those in the tower. He gloats over his enemies (Khel). He's fine with entire genocide (native ones, the Po Bidau, etc). Many think he raped Arlen as well (Rachel as the byproduct), which sadly would be the least of his crimes. Eduan said he once wasn't like this. Oh, and he seems to have a red-tentacled demon living in him, which might not be unrelated to his current mindset and skills even. He tried to kill a young Baam AGAIN, looking in his eyes while the life left him (probably getting off on the idea of killing the same child twice, previously unheard of in the serial killer community). All all-round baddie that can't get over an ex, like all the others here.
Hon: mysterious, but still ALSO involved with literal demons. He sets his progeny on dangerous paths resulting in their deaths or the deaths of countless others - for reasons unknown, maybe even just for the hell of it and to fuck with their feelings. Why does it seem all the FH's have literal demons inside (Zahard, Hon, Rei... maybe all?). Can they not gain power without selling their souls? Souls, and the manipulation and gathering of them, seem to be a theme with his family, so you know that's about as evil as it gets. Tells his kids to enjoy murder. Cool guy.
Eduan: while most of the females became frigid in the tower, he seems to have swung the pendulum (phallic) in the other direction, and now swings it all over the tower, if you know what I mean. He's a sex-crazed maniac that delights in having his own children fight him to their deaths (knowing they can't win), seemingly just for the hell of it. He also seems to be a drunk. What else needs to be said about this hedonist? Ah, incest might or might not be on his menu. Oh, he's tight with the murderous, demoniac Hon so birds of a feather... He seemed to gain a lot from the tower in shinsoo abilities, which is his inherent strength.
Yurin: she's a recluse, totally healthy, that. Probably a hoarder as well (I bet she has a lot of cats). She has yet to maintain another relationship after the one that spawned her twins, totally healthy. Imagine never getting over someone like these people... in her heyday she was also a hot-head, always wanting to fight. She seems stable /s. Probably bi-polar. Relative to some of the others that are more heinous, she seems more OK than the rest, but still a broken person with no trajectory in life.
Gustang: like Rei at this point he's the one we get the best feel of how FH's feel about non-irregulars. He calls them 'bugs' - totally beneath him. A supremacist of sorts (like all the other FH's it seems), also a bit of a racist if you think about it. Like all the others a complete egoist only out for his own hide, manipulating others (Rachel for instance, Baam as a puppet as well) for his own personal gain. Trademark psychopathic traits. And he's one of the better ones! The fact that he doesn't like V, the heroic MC father and thus type of protagonist, is probably a further sign he's not a swell chap. Although, he does seem to have a soft spot for Arlen and 'care' for his little playground and their livelihoods on the FoD - though some of them feel they are caught in an inescapable hell, so that's nice. He kind of keeps them on the floor more so his secrets don't leak, and less for their own benefit. He has a traumatic event with a daughter he shares with Blossom. He's a scientist, so who knows what he's gained power-wise once entering.
Blossom: Along with Gustang, her daughter was forcibly used experimentally as a princess (ofc against her will), went mad (or that's the coverup), and was later thrown in prison for life without parole. That's gotta suck for a mother. Lazy and unproductive (and that's *before* shit went down with Enne), she neglects her duties/floors/family. She's particularly despondent now. None of these guys/gals are well-rounded it seems as they all have glaring flaws. A possible Baam ally if there ever was one though, so maybe not lost in the end. In the upper half of power-potential, but that power is completely wasted at this point for her to do anything positive with it.
Hana: known to actually be 'nice' (said to be rare for a FH per SIU), but she still has her emotional baggage. She has emotional outbursts (surpassing even the hot-head Yurin) so another with BPD, and has cut herself off from men, literally making a contract to make her a frigid ice-queen. Seemingly a shut-in now as well (another old cat lady, cut off from men). Her interesting power actually comes from the tower itself - the ancient, primeval fire from the Native One - and isn't even her own. What made her distinct power-wise other than something she gained exogenous to herself is unknown.
Traumerei: something happened to this manlet - show me on the doll where she touched you (or didn't/won't - if that's also a problem). He can't get over the thought of being abandoned or betrayed, seemingly by a once-lover. He once cared for the welfare of his children, but now seems ambivalent about their condition. He manipulates lives/animals/people with terrible experiments, often forcing them to fight in death-matches. He breeds tower citizens as rubbish ("trifles"), forcing their copulation (i.e., rape). He created his own monster (Leviathan) from mere angst and hatred, and 'fed' emotions to it (whatever that means) making it go out of even his own control. He's emo as hell, detached, a supremacist/racist, pathological in every way. It's hard to believe he was ever a 'good boy' same as any other serial killer once being a child before shit went terribly wrong. Powerwise, he seemed to learn the ability to control others/animals once entering the tower. He obviously had the best skillset for this, OR he was a psychopath from the start of the climb, being a control freak of sorts wanting to control others. What could he have been without this skill he learned?
Bloodmadder: he ended up in a situation that involves sacrificing the longevity and lifeblood of his own children, and is seemingly OK with that. In his desperation to live forever/as long as his kin, he causes the untimely death of unknown numbers of souls, which he has to create for the this sole purpose. He seems to have been strong defensively from the get-go.
Tperie: unknown at this time, but he's kind of a creeper, no? Voted most likely to be a peeping-tom, and he should probably be on some watch list of his own. FBI, open up, and check the hard-drive on his pockets while you're at it. Obviously, shinsoo-based lighthouses didn't exist outside, but he learned to use them in the tower the best, whatever this means about his potential. For some reason, I can see him having a substance abuse problem (to rival Eduan's alcoholism) to boot.
Han: a boring pacifist, who knows. He's a good fencer, cool, I guess. Plays with his needle all day one assumes. I bet he was the same on the outside power-wise and temperament as well. Probably the least to change, but if the other FH's are any indication he's probably evil-lite, and we'll find out more about his crimes in time. He might be the type of evil that's OK with murder to keep the status quo, like Bleach's Tosen. I bet he's on the autistic spectrum for some reason.
Can there be any positive outcome from the tower's influence?
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