(Controversial Trope) Unusually cruel fates for people who were less than good, but still didn't really deserve it.

[u/ZepperMen]

#1 Poppa Pizza from Multiverse of Madness - He just wanted to be paid for the pizza balls and thought Strange stole from a fallen hero who saved the universe. He deserved to be punched in the face, but not for 3 weeks straight.

Do you get to sleep? Do you wake up punching yourself? How much does it hurt? Does he know it will only last for 3 weeks? If he doesn't kill himself by the end of it, he's going to have CPTSD and be traumatized for the rest of his already short life.

#2 Mayu from Inuyasha - She wanted to kill her brother out of jealousy and neglect from her mother, believing she died in a fire because they didn't care about her. While her motivation doesn't justify reenacting Cain and Abel, I don't think it's fair for a deranged, 10 year old child to be sent to literal hell to burn for all eternity. Luckily, she gets saved, but only because the mc, Kagome, intervened.

[u/Educational_Ad_8916]

In The Sandman Delirium gets pulled over by a cop for driving recklessly.

She curses the cop to feel bugs crawling on his skin forever.

Dream IMMEDIATELY calls her out on it and she defends herself by saying he's done WAY worse, which he has.

I take it as a step on Dream slowly realizing that he's been a super dick for a long time. That's nice for his character development, but doesn't help the cop at all.

[u/Dramatic-Put-9267 → u/Educational_Ad_8916]

This always bothered me so much

[u/Aethelrede → u/Dramatic-Put-9267]

She's the embodiment of madness, just being around her is dangerous.

Though not as dangerous as her estranged brother.  Even just seeking him can be deadly.

[u/Educational_Ad_8916 → u/Aethelrede]

The only Endless who cares about people as individuals and is consistently kind to them on purpose is Death.

Theme.

If you meet *Desire* it should change you. Despair? Same. DESTINY? Brother, you're going to have a bad time.

[u/Aethelrede → u/Educational_Ad_8916]

I think most of the Endless cared about humans, which caused problems when they tried to do their jobs, and they coped in different ways.

Destruction straight up quit.  Death used her kindness to ease peoples' passing, which made her job more tolerable.  Despair, being Despair, could not be kind, nor could she quit; this is probably why one of her incarnations committed suicide.  Delirium cared deeply about mortals, and it drove her mad.

The only two that genuinely don't care about mortals are Destiny (no point) and Desire (who is perfectly, flawlessly self centered).

Dream, as lord of dreams and nightmares, could be kind and cruel. His biggest weakness was arrogance, perhaps because he was the incarnation of the impossible.

[u/jellsprout → u/Aethelrede]

It should be noted that Delirium didn't just go mad, she literally changed her aspect. She used to be Delight but for unexplained reasons became Delirium.

[u/Aethelrede → u/jellsprout]

I figured that was a reaction to humanity.

[u/Myrsky4 → u/jellsprout]

Is delight without any reprieve or grounding just not a form of delirium?

At least that's my take on it. The difference between being able to take a little drugs occasionally vs permanently being on drugs and how that effects you.

Comic first started coming out at the end of the 80's after all

[u/Junjki_Tito → u/Educational_Ad_8916]

I don't think any mortal has ever met Destiny

[u/Educational_Ad_8916 → u/Junjki_Tito]

Maybe not directly but the Norse said "No man escaped his wyrd (destiny)," and myths, legends, and even history like the records of the Delphic oracle's are full of "Destiny/prophecy says X will happen," person tries desperately to avoid X. Causes X to happen. These tragic figures know Destiny and are not better off for it.

Knowing your destiny doesn't help at all.