Well, there's your problem. You're a thinker, in a world progressively populated by people who would rather do anything but.
But I understand. I spent years watching the various crap put out in media and largely found much of it unsatisfying. People talk about identifying with various characters, but I rarely could. And then I caught Blake's 7 from the BBC running on a local PBS station. The character of Kerr Avon (portrayed by the now-deceased Paul Darrow) was perfect. A very practical, pragmatic individual that was willing to do the bad things that 'good' people weren't willing to do, even though it was needed. He wasn't terribly fond of most other people, but his loyalty (if earned) was set in stone and inviolate. And he did not take betrayal well.
Suddenly, somebody I could relate to!
It's very rarely that I find a character like that in much of anything, be it books, games, or film/TV. I also appreciate a good story with an ending that isn't all Disney Princess, which despite how often I complain about certain aspects of it, is why I loved Acting Lessons. No matter how nicely the game wraps up, when you look at the overall situation, that's still not really a 'happy' ending.
One of the best story twists I encountered involved a trio of old friends working to avenge certain wrongs done to them by a large corporate entity. In the final chapter of the book, protagonists B & C go home together feeling relieved that justice has finally been done, and all is well. Meanwhile, protag A is in the back of a limo with a Corporate Agent, who is explaining to him exactly how misguided and wrong B&C are with their current understanding of the situation, and tells A all the dirty little details about how everything was set up and put into action. He (A) now has to either keep his mouth shut and live with this knowledge, or destroy the peace and what remains of the lives of B & C, his dearest friends. (he keeps his mouth shut)
I love that kind of a twist on things, because the sugar & spice 'happy ending' garbage that gets pumped out in almost every flavor of media sickens me. Not just because it's usually false (e.g. it doesn't play out that way in normal life), but because it seems to brainwash people into thinking that everything
should be that way, and if something doesn't go according to that Disneyesque plan then their world falls apart.
And I hate those people the most.
People would be much better off if they'd learn to expect the worst outcomes, so they can be pleasantly surprised when they're wrong. And if they aren't wrong, then it's not that big a deal, they had planned for it.
Do I want an axe in the back from Bella? I do not, but we've seen how various LIs behave. Sage is more likely to be an axe murderer than Bella, even if Bella has the axe on display already. Then again, who knows what way Bella's mental delusions will manifest when she snaps?
It might not be pretty, but it's probably going to be satisfying.
