Fathoms Below Progress Log

⚠️Vil Schoenheit

While I don't have a problem with Vil's backstory and his flashback to it, this is a personal rewrite I did out of personal preference that showcases why he truly overblotted: the fact that he was forced into trying to be number one by the same people who knocked him down to number two, that Vil got treated as less than human by those same people, the pressure he was under, the added pressure of the VDC, and the remorse Vil felt over attempting to kill Neige in a desperate attempt to be the best (the fact that he overblotted from guilt from trying to murder Neige is canon, but people seem to forget that). I also decided to throw in the homophobic and transphobic sentiments as well as the corruption and greed of the entertainment industry because that's a very real thing and Vil is androgynous in canon. The trauma he endured from being typecast his whole career is valid regardless of the reason, but I wanted to make it related to his gender identity as a way of calling the homophobes and transphobes in the entertainment industry and the corrupt people in the entertainment industry out. We're pro-LGBTQIA+ in this household, so if you don't like that, I'll respect your opinions as long as you respect mine in return. If you can't be respectful, then pack your shit and get out. The door is right over there.

⚠️TW: homophobia, transphobia, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts

The wailing of a baby crying was heard before an image with cameras flashing as the paparazzi photographed a man with his newborn son as a deceased woman lay in a nearby hospital bed before hospital security dragged them out and the doctors took the woman's body away and looked at the man and the baby with pitiful, almost condescending expressions. That baby was Vil. An older Vil sadly watched the scene before him after his overblot was stopped in the nick of time.

"From the moment I was born... cameras flashed in my face. I looked up to my father, a famous actor, and wanted to be just like him. My mother passed away when I was born. It's the one story he could not bring himself to tell, but he spoke of her fondly, comparing her to the fairest queen." Vil murmured, unaware if anyone was listening but unable to hold back anymore. He watched as his younger self eagerly talked to his Dad.

"Papa! Papa!" little Vil bounced up and down eagerly as he ran to his Dad. "I passed the audition! I'm going to be in a musical school drama!" He cheered as his blond curls bounced with him. Vil's father picked Vil up and spun him around, making Vil giggle. "Congratulations, Vil! Who are you playing?" "Oh, the star!" little Vil said cutely before his face fell, "Well, the star's bully. It's another mean villain." Vil's father noticed Vil looked sad, so he did his best to cheer him up, "The director has good taste, picking the world's cutest little boy as the villain," This didn't seem to work, and Vil's face fell further. "I was a villain bullying the hero in the last play I was in, too. Why do I keep getting picked to play the bad guy? Do I look that mean?" "Oh, far from it. I think it's because you're a beautiful boy. Stories wouldn't have any dramatic flair without villains. They're an essential, special part of any production. Sometimes productions are more selective about casting their villains over their heroes," Vil's father reassured Vil. "Mm. I get it, Dad." But while Vil got it, it still hurt.

"But...villains never stay on stage for the whole play. Once their role is over, they watch from the shadows as the happy ending plays. I was seen as less than human for all of my career and treated as such. They all say I'm nothing without it, and if I can't stay on the stage longer than anyone else, I'll lose my job." Vil choked up as he watched his younger self run to his father crying, bloodied up, and in a cute purple dress. Vil knew he was bisexual and non-binary from a young age, but he got bullied for it by everyone around him, children and adults alike.

"Papa! Papa!" little Vil wept, "Another boy pushed me!" Vil's father scooped Vil up and held him close. "Oh-no. Vil. I'm so sorry. What happened?" Vil's father soothed his only son. "I was wearing a dress to school, and they made fun of me. They called me names and pushed me. I tried to fight them off and tell the teachers, but they didn't do anything. They said it was my fault for dressing like a girl!" Vil's father's face contorted in rage before his expression returned to normal. "I'm pulling you out of that school, and we're moving somewhere new. I can't tolerate that kind of behavior from children or adults. There's nothing wrong with boys wearing dresses or girls wearing pants." "Why do people think that...?" Vil asked his father brokenly. "I'm not sure. I think it's because it's not easy for them to understand, and people hate and fear the things they can't understand, but not everyone bothers to either. Don't fret, Vil. I know a woman who was once like you. People mocked her until she proved them wrong, and they started copying her." Vil instantly knew he was talking about his mother. "Tell me one more thing about my mother. Please, Papa?" Vil asked eagerly, his tears stopping as his father patched him up. "Your mother...?" Vil's father asked before he revealed something new about her, "She was just like you in looks and personality. You're a spitting image of her."