#(especially when he’s made a complex and interesting character)

[vamphorica]

How do you think Mello reconciled his faith with the existence of Shinigamis who kill people to extend their own lifespan? Do you think he took he took that as evidence other beings like angels might exist or did he take that as a challenge to his faith? How did he fit them within his own belief system?

oh this is the question of all time, i love nothing more than talking about Mello's religious identity in contrast to well, everything in canon (as you can tell, i'm very popular at parties). i think it's such a shame people don't interrogate his potential faith when it adds another very complex layer to his character and how he behaves in the manga and anime. i will mention that i briefly touched on it here, but i wrote that post a while ago, and i'm happy to talk about it in more detail now.

purely from personal circumstances, i have known a lot of people who have been able to still reconcile their religious beliefs with things that are if not contradictory, certainly still go against some core principles of that belief. this is to be expected; humans are inherently hypocritical, and convenience will always have a massive influence on our opinions. hell, politically, there are many things i agree with, but don't put into practice. same applies for religion. there's catholics in my family who want me to read their tarot because they ardently believe in it as much as they do the trinity.

now the reason i bring this up isn't to get unnecessarily philosophical, but more so to say that i do not think that the existence of Shinigami would be enough to necessarily disrupt one's faith. they are absolutely gods in their own right, purely looking at this from the canon perspective, but they undoubtedly possess very human attitudes. compare Ryuk and Light for a moment – if you swapped them so that Ryuk was the human who picked up the Death Note and Light was the Shinigami haunting him, i personally think it matches the archetypes for their characters more fluently (which is why I love Death Note – if fucks with general literary expectations in many different ways). i don't want to get into an entire debate about whether God made Shinigami, especially because Shinigami are important Japanese deities and it is certainly not my place to suggest otherwise, but what is important to note with the interpretation of them in the context of Death Note is that they are flawed characters. if you follow a religion which claims that your God is perfect (which i think all Christian denominations typically accept), Sidoh, Ryuk and Rem would not be the kind of Gods you'd probably accept as an alternate reality to your strongly held convictions of who God is to you.

i do like the idea that Mello had to contend with his beliefs in some capacity, however. he is strangely calm about Sidoh's arrival (his freak out is relatively brief compared to L's, for example), and i am certain much of the information regarding the Death Note and how it works is difficult to really align with a monotheistic belief. however, i do also think being religious (or spiritual, at the very least) does sometimes give people an ability to interpret the inconceivable better than those who might try and explore things through a rational viewpoint. Mello could very well have had a crisis of faith, but i also think it would have given him more of an acceptance towards the supernatural. whether he saw the Shinigami as legitimate Gods or a product of a world in which one God creates everything, i think judging by the way he actually ends up scaring Sidoh, we can tell he is not threatened by their existence in quite the same manner as almost every other character in the series.

i think it is interesting that you bring up angels because i think that is a very apt comparison you could make in considering how Mello interprets Shinigami in accordance with his beliefs. divine creatures that are spiritually significant but don't necessarily contradict the ultimate importance of God. i do wonder if Mello would treat an angel in the same way as he does with Sidoh, but i guess that would be slightly dependent on several factors, haha.

what i like about headcanoning Mello as Catholic (despite not currently identifying with the religion myself) is that Mello is undeniably an underdog, a child who grows up being continually told that he is lesser, and as a direct result becomes involved in crime to prove himself worthy of a title that realistically, he was never going to have a chance to adopt. there's something about having a character so disadvantaged and also so unapologetically immoral being religious that is fascinating, because it not only begs the question as to how they reconcile their actions with their faith, but also how they hold onto that faith in spite of the horrors that they no doubt have witnessed and been involved in. Mello matures drastically after the Mafia base explosion, and another reason his death is so upsetting is because there's the potential for redemption that remains unexplored. a character such as Mello having faith creates a certain degree of appreciation that, despite the contradictory lifestyle, it is still an important aspect of his character. of course, if you still think he wears a rosary because it makes him look cunty or whatever, that's still a valid interpretation, but i do think discussing it seriously and considering the implications is more interesting, honestly.

anyway, another long post – i'll stop before i start quoting Bible verses in the anime boy analysis post. thank you for the ask! ♡

[thethespacecoyote]

contemplating what exactly it was about ford that made bill feel important now

[insomniaruler]

I’m going crazy about BigB

(so now you must all be subjected to my lvl 10 autism)

Have some headcanons about the watchers favourite boy!

- Possessed for most of Secret Life, no one figured it out

- He and Pearl have weekly gossip nights

- he Remembers. No one interviewed him about the fall of Evo, or asked about the life games. He thinks he’s the only one who Remembers.

- Has come to peace that no one really remembers (even though they do)

- Beetle BigB!!!! (I will fight each of you for this)

- is scared of portals. He knows it’s completely irrational but his subconscious knows that where everything changed for the worse

- Listen to me He’s the Watchers favourite. Grian is too rebellious, Jimmy was saved by Lizzie, Martyn is hellbent on getting Nelly back enough that he is too easy to manipulate, and Pearl is downright feral, being the only one to ever kill a watcher. BigB is a challenge, and They like that

- Huge animal person

- Has intense, relentless and realistic nightmares about Evo. Usually immense death

- Once waking up in Secret Life he was teetering on the edge of the void in the End with no idea how he got there, a clear threat from the watchers

- see’s eyes in the void, he tries to stay inside at night because of this

- Paranoia is strong in this one

- defo see’s shrimp colours

- also definitely has tattoos

- Older sister friend, can and has keyed cars and egged houses.

-good hugs

- He and Pearl are a lethal duo

- he hides his lethality behind a gentle face and kind words

- Aziraphale Kinnie

- layered character, (so help me god, no more making him as bland as fucking cardboard)

[kaidanalenkosprmanager]

THE BEST OF PRIORITY: TUCHANKA (PART 2)

Featuring: Cmdr. Sophie Shepard, Lt. James Vega, EDI, Urdnot Wrex, and Dr. Mordin Solus With: Urdnot Bakara And a Special Guest Appearance by: Kalros, Mother of All Thresher Maws I MADE A MISTAKE! I made a mistake... big picture made of little pictures- too many variables. Can't hide behind statistics... can't ignore new data- my responsibility. Need to go- running out of time. Not your work, not your cure- not your decision. Had to be me- someone else might have gotten it wrong... Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition (2021)

[borkthemork]

Reading Danganronpa Zero, and people weren't kidding that these novels are a must-read. There is so much lore and worldbuilding, and even in the first few chapters, Kodaka already established an interesting dynamic between the first two new characters introduced to us. It's hard for me to get into characters off the bat, so I am honestly shocked at how I was able to get into it very quickly

[pluviatrix]

ive been reading garbage romantasy lately and it's truly truly awful but i've figured out a huge symptom of fantasy worlds that i know i won't like: i cannot imagine old women or children existing in them.

everyone is late teens-early thirties. these are worlds flattened in their demographics to the coveting of sexually available youth. there are no mothers with young children, no sons caring for older mothers, no elderly people who aren't evil and no children that aren't cardboard cutouts instead of developing people.

i knowww this is a symptom of me not being the target audience for this, and i understand that people don't come to these books for complex worlds but for erotica and romance, i know! so this is my caveat before i rant more that i'm not being super serious i'm just discussing something i've noticed i appreciate in more complex worlds

it especially stings in medieval fantasy (and by that i mean largely Western medieval fantasy) settings. it reeks of an inability or refusal to conceptualize a society and communities (or lack thereof) isolated from modern capitalist ideals, particularly the nuclear family. you don't know the kind of labor elderly women did to keep the world running in the premodern era.

who taught your nondescript background serfs to embroider the belts they're wearing? who made their 'roughspun tunics?' who weaved their blankets? who cares for the children while the parents are working in the fields? who brews their ale? who passes on their stories, medical knowledge, songs? why aren't there any older women in your clergy, helping manage your estates, present in your royal court? who are your midwives? who does your teenaged protagonist learn from and look up to?

beyond that, how do you treat your old women? are they all evil witches, all tradition-obsessed backward fossils, all smothering female relatives, all background extras? are they and their bodies cheap punchlines and jumpscares? where do your women go when they're too old for you to imagine them with sexual appetites and complex personalities beyond grandmothers and jealous evil hags?

children exist as infants or late teens only, ironing out the uncomfortable ugly years of a person becoming a person, teens without acne and without social awkwardness and fully developed in their competencies and personalities without the difficult part of growing up and learning included. babies are allowed because they're cute, they're basically props, a goalpost for the main romance of the book to satisfy heteropatriarchal expectations of couples instead of the main characters subverting any expectations. not to mention that most of these protagonists i can't imagine being 12, 13 years old. they sprung up fully formed at 19 before being whisked away by a love interest so overtly sexual he circles around to being sexless and utterly unappealing.

don't get me STARTED on how i hate seeing characters propping up relationships of main characters instead of being complex on their own.

this post is about ACOTAR.

[unicornpopcorn14]

Chuuya's reaction to Dazai getting hurt during the Lovecraft fight has always been so interesting to me...

Because it's the kind of worry you'd never expect from a character as gruff as Chuuya, who had displayed nothing but hostility towards Dazai so far. Usually, characters that are labelled as "angry" or "anger issues" (which Chuuya is much more complex than that but you get my point) act more as a tsundere type of way when the one they "don't care about" gets hurt. And show their care in very, very subtle ways (ex. their eyes widen, their mouth parts and closes again, etc) before putting up their front once more.

Chuuya, however, is open, and vocal about it. His worry is clear not only to us, but to Dazai himself, the one he shouldn't be displaying the concern to (as per the cliche). Shouldn't it be some sort of secret that Chuuya does care? Isn't that what skk's dynamic has been shaping up to be until now?

I'm telling you- the way my mind blanked when Chuuya just casually.... showed concern not once, but twice, was a sight to see.

Besides, the context makes it much more confusing, because Dazai isn't some rookie, and Chuuya knows that more than anybody. He was the youngest executive in Port Mafia's history, of course he can handle a hit or two. Of course he'd seen him handle a hit or two, sometimes without batting an eye.

Heck, Chuuya himself was hurling Dazai like a ragdoll in their reunion, which was their last meeting. And you could argue that he was going easy on him, but Dazai has mostly withstood the same damage (as far as I could see), and Chuuya was as bitter as ever.

So that kind of contradicts both what we knew of Chuuya so far, and how their dynamic was shaped to be. I mean, that just makes Chuuya a hypocrite, yeah? What makes him care now, all of a sudden? What makes him care at all?

Well, to me, this backasswards reaction implies one (or more) of the following:

- Dazai rarely got physically hurt during their partnership and thus this is an unexpected thing for him to see (during a mission).

- The four years of separation made Chuuya unsure of how much Dazai can withstand physically now. Also the fact that he isn't in the mafia anymore, aka fighting enemy organizations on the weekly, would naturally make Dazai lose his touch in a way, what prompts Chuuya's reaction.

- Dazai getting taken off guard took him off guard which led to panic. Especially since the situation was (momentarily) out of their depth. Seriously wtf even was Lovecraft?

- During the dungeon scene Dazai was an enemy, while in the Lovecraft fight he was as an ally. The difference might be significant to Chuuya.

- This has always been Chuuya's reaction to Dazai getting hurt regardless of the situation.

- "Only I can hurt him like that" ahh logic

- Asagiri was still experimenting with their dynamic and thus there are some inconsistencies.

This scenario didn't play out again (after their reunion) for me to exactly determine which one is more plausible, but it is 100% canon for Chuuya to shamelessly show his concern and run to Dazai to check on him before properly dealing with their opponent, which I find to be such an appealing layer to their dynamic, and a good spin on the type of character he gets stereotyped as.

Bonus: Dazai also becomes a softy when Chuuya's hurt, especially post corruption. Dead Apple alone displays that multiple times.

All in all, Skk are doing a terrible job at maintaining their 'hostile' and 'antagonistic' relationship post their reunion. Freaks.

[bi4bisamjess]

Travis Martinez: Masculinity and Control in Yellowjackets

sorry for the pretentious title. i need to talk about travis for a second. i have a consistent mythos in my head about who he is as a character that i forget people don't have. yes i am embarrassed. incredibly long meta under the cut.

First and foremost, I think it is so important to remember that this guy is a LOSER. He's never been to a school dance. He got made fun of and given a cruel nickname in the 7th grade that has stuck with him all throughout high school. He hates his dad, or at least has complex feelings about him. He's never had sex. He is so insecure that it is laughable.

We can only assume that Travis's dad shaped some of his perceptions of what it means to be a man. In the pilot, we have Coach Martinez honestly, if not cruelly, tell Jackie her worth is in her influence and that she is not particularly skilled at soccer. Coach Martinez's office has several pictures of his family, yet seems distant from his wife and Travis when they leave for nationals. We can see Travis's complex relationship with masculinity (misogyny with Nat's perceived sexual history, stoicism, and aggression to mask emotional distress), and can only assume that a stoic, critical, and distant father is one of the reasons for this. But we could also discuss 90s masculinity and cultural influence as well.

Travis was not (obviously written to be) athletically skilled as a kid, and is not mentioned to be on a sports team. He had a spinal fusion at 13, presumably due to some chronic health issue like scoliosis. His father invests time into the Yellowjackets team, and we see Ben describe them in flashbacks as monsters, so clearly there is some sort of reverence Coach Martinez has for ruthlessness and success. In the original script of episode 4 (I think), we see Travis described as a "sensitive kid trying hard not to be" (or something along those lines), and I can certainly see resentment building between Travis and the Yellowjackets as they represent everything his dad wanted him to be-- athletically skilled, successful, and cut throat. He is resistant to receiving help, outright lashes out in order to maintain this fragile identity as masculine and independent.

He has an interesting sibling relationship with Javi where he is simultaneously trying to force his own thoughts of their father onto him ("Dad was a dick") and protect him from the reality/brutality of their situation (does not tell Javi he dug up the body for the ring). Coach Martinez gives Javi gum for the flight, a gesture of care, and seemingly does not extend the same to Travis. We see Javi as innocent, naive, and artistic. He is presumably unaware of the marital problems in their family, while Travis is. Where Travis resents the Yellowjackets for the attention they receive from his father, he resents Javi because he is supported emotionally and allowed to be soft.

He values honesty, and the audience can see this in seasons one and two– Nat obscuring her relationship with Bobby Farleigh is the initial reason why they break up in 1x7, Nat planting Javi’s shorts is similarly a big point of contention. He is quick to project his own insecurities onto other people, namely Nat-- any skill or sexual experience she has is an attack on his worth as a man. He consistently sabotages his relationship with her by lashing out, not because Nat is doing anything wrong, but because he is afraid of being perceived as not good enough.

Travis’s arc throughout the show is interesting, especially because the audience sees Travis in season one obsessed with control of his own image, honesty, and power. By season two, he is willing to give in to spirituality-- in winter, he opens up to Lottie's "Wiccan bullshit", seeing ritual and belief as rejecting his own ego in a productive way. I have seen a good amount of people talk about how Travis's passivity in the second and third season is his way of protecting himself from the rest of the team, especially following his assault and almost murder in 1x9, but I think there is a little more nuance than just this. There is still an element of Travis seeking control within the routine of Lottie's spirituality. He cannot find Javi following the events of doomcoming, cannot find food in the winter months, cannot protect Shauna from the risk of childbirth, so he submits himself to drinking the tea Lottie prepares, praying, and ritual self harm.

Following Javi's death, we see Travis completely submit. He consumes his brother’s body not only to survive, but also to spiritually keep Javi with him. He eats Javi’s heart as a display of devotion, reverence, and attachment. His acceptance of Nat’s leadership comes from similar motivations, and this marks his almost complete relinquishment of autonomy within the group.

By season three, he is no longer hunting. He is completely detached from the team, past Lottie, Akilah, and the wilderness itself. He spends his time tripping on shrooms to “listen” when Lottie no longer can. It makes a lot of sense why fan opinion has gotten more positive– Travis this season is so passive that he becomes pathetic, both to the audience and the characters. Van, Tai, and Lottie each try to protect him, Akilah provides him with comfort. The rest of the group does not punish Travis for his lack of contribution as they did Jackie– they largely ignore him. And once his two main acts of autonomy (escaping with Kodiak, killing Lottie) fail, there is nothing left. He does not participate in the final hunt of Mari, and the group allows him to get drunk or high with no consequence. It is only when Travis is in Shauna's way that she cares about his lack of participation. The writers have officially connected the proud, aggressive season one Travis to what we know of him in the adult timeline– an isolated addict. He dies doing exactly what he did in the woods: trying to submit himself to meaning, to something bigger than himself, and dying for it.

[ghostfacd]

WIRED AUTOCOMPLETE. | TOM BLYTH

PAIRING. tom blyth x fem!actress!reader

SUMMARY. in which you and tom make a special appearance on wired’s autocomplete interview

installment of this au | recommend reading for more context

“Hi — we’re Y/N Avocot and Tom Blyth — and this is the Wired Autocomplete Interview!”

You’re both handed a white board, bigger than your face, and there’s a list of questions with some of the words covered.

“Do you want to go first?” Tom asks, giving you a small smile.

“Yes! I’m pretty excited actually,” you begin to peel off the first question. “Okay, first question: what was Y/N Avocot’s first role?”

You think for a moment, “well in terms of roles in general, my first acting role was very small and I believe it was for this ice cream commercial as a kid. I’m not sure if it’s still up but my mom had signed me up for it and they thought I was a really cute kid so they casted me.”

Tom laughs, “really?” He then retrieves his board from the crew. “Okay my turn. Why does Coriolanus Snow turn evil?”

That question makes you slightly giggle, because it’s so broad that it’s nearly impossible for Tom to narrow down exactly what it is that made Coriolanus suddenly switch. “I believe you should be asking Suzanne Collins, shout-out to her for making the entire trilogy and prequel. But honestly? I think he was always power hungry, and even though Tigris tried her very best to bring out the humanity in him, it was just never enough. Especially after Sejanus’s death, I think Coriolanus realized there was no going back.”

“Oh wow,” you say, very impressed with how he decided to answer it. “That was a terrific answer Tom.”

“Thank you m’lady.” You giggle at his antics, rolling your eyes jokingly.

“What role does Y/N Avocot play in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?” You clear your throat, imitating one of your character’s iconic resting bitch face.

“I play Balleona Laurent, duh.” You joke. “Anyway, yes, I play Balleona, also known as Leona. She’s originally from the Capitol just like Coriolanus. They met at the academy and she automatically knew she had to have him. She comes from the Laurent family, which is a very very wealthy, well off, intimidating family that Coriolanus knows he just has to get into, which is why they start dating. I don’t wanna spoil too much of Leona and Corio in the movie, soooo you guys should definitely check it out!”

“Alright,” Tom adjusts himself in his seat, ripping off the paper for the next question. “Does Tom Blyth have a girlfriend?”

He pretends to think, which makes you bite your lip, suppressing a laugh. “Hmm, very complex question.”

“Oh give the people what they want!” You tease, “yes he does. He’s inlove with Jennifer Lawrence.”

“I am not inlove with Jennifer Lawrence!” He exclaims quickly, “although I greatly admire her work. My girlfriend is Y/N Avocot over here, sadly.”

“Sadly?!” You fake offense, “cut the cameras. I’m gonna beat Tom up.”

You peel away at your next question, the interview already being loads of fun for the both of you. “Is Y/N Avocot a good singer?”

Your head falls forward, and Tom’s automatic instinct is to catch you, not realizing you’re only joking. “Oh God, I hope so!” You say, laughing as you pick your head up. “I’m no Mariah Carey but I like to think I’m a pretty okay singer.”

“More than okay,” Tom chimes in, which makes you laugh.

“Aw, thanks Tom.”

Tom reaches to peel another question off. “Is Tom Blyth American?” This question makes you almost spit out the water you were currently taking a sip out of. “Well, a lot of people get shocked when I say I’m from the UK. I mean, is my American accent that good?”

“Guess so,” you shrug. “Okay next. Is Y/N Avocot in The Summer I Turned Pretty?”

You clasp your hands together excitedly, giving the camera a wide smile. “Yes! I play Maekella Fisher, also known as Ella Fisher, Steven Conklin’s love interest and sister to Conrad and Jeremiah. The first season airs out soon so please stay tune for that! I’m so excited to be apart of this amazing show with such amazing people.”

“I always come to watch her on set,” Tom says, “they’re all such funny and charismatic people. I swear I’ve became friends with everyone on Y/N’s cast.”

“Okay, my last question,” Tom peels off the paper, grinning. “Will Tom Blyth star in another movie soon?”

He smirks, eyes playfully looking into the camera. “Who knows? But I do know that something exciting will be coming out soon so prepare yourselves!”

“Way to tease the crowd Blyth,” you say, rolling your eyes. “Anyway! My last question, this was quick. What is Y/N Avocot’s skincare routine? Oh, I’ve been waiting for this one.”

You sit on the edge of your seat, and Tom finds it endearing that you’re so excited about something as small as this.

“First, I rinse my face with cold water and I dip my face in a bowl of ice and water for 3 minutes. Afterwards, I put on my dewy toner from Innisfree, it’s so smooth and nice. Sometimes I’m too lazy for this step but I also put on sunscreen, it’s important so I always remind myself to not forget— but I love to use Supergoop Unseen’s Sunscreen. I use drunk elephant’s bronze drops if I wanna go for a sunkissed look that day, but I usually don’t. And then I just shake my Tower facial spray and spray it all over my face. Usually, I touch up my eyebrows and do my eyeliner but that’s really about it!”

“It’s true,” Tom adds. “She asked me if I could go buy her the tower spray yesterday because she was almost out.”

“No need to expose me like that,” you say, clinging your arms onto his. “Well thank you guys for watching!”

“Thank you!” Tom and you wave at the camera, smiling brightly.

[asterdex]

i've seen people joke about it but... is there any kind of consensus within the community regarding the player and Gaster's relationship? is it something that everybody just naturally agrees on and doesn't talk about it because there's no point to it or am I just going crazy on my own??

like yeah sure, first and foremost, we have the tweets written by Gaster himself and addressing the player, either rejoicing in seeing us showing the same kind of interest and fascination in him that he does for us, or describing how wonderful and special that "connection" we have is, how it makes him feel to be connected with us and how specifically "beautiful" and "exciting" it is for him to enter in contact with us.

Or talking about HE and WE specifically feel about each other, and going on about creating something together, as partners- i mean as a team.

And then we have the Goner Maker sequence, during which he keeps going on and on about how "wonderful" our creation is, guiding us step by step towards the realization of the EMBODIMENT of a player's freedom in a video game : their own avatar. Gaster is the only one in this game who is actively giving the player that much freedom, who is trying so hard to accomodate the player, to fulfill their wants and needs.

(unsure if it still needs to be said nowaday but no, the person discarding our vessel isn't Gaster, they talk in a different typer (given the fact Gaster's typers are always 666 or 667, it seems important to note that this new person talk in typer 2), not using any upper-cases, and not remotely talking in the same way (in japanese even more obviously than in english : Gaster talks in broken katakana japanese with some kanji while the other voice talk in hiragana and complex kanji. they also don't use the same second person pronouns when talking to the player), so yes, Gaster is STILL the character who seems to (at least in appearance) want THE MOST the player to be the most confortable possible, out of every other character in this game)

This idea of Gaster giving the player AS MUCH freedom as he can, in a world that seemes to be DESIGNED for us not to have any freedom, is first obviously supported by the way he is takling about "CREATING A NEW FUTURE" with our help, suggesting that OUR power as a player should be able to change the future and that it is in his interests for us to find the freedom leading us to that "NEW FUTURE", but it is also implied with the fact it seems that it is Gaster who is giving us access to three different save files, as we can see him talk and comment each one of our actions in the menu of an incomplete Ch1.

Gaster is ON THE PLAYER'S SIDE. or at the very least, he's doing a very good job at pretending he is. And it makes sense for him to be the only character who seems to INCONDITIONALLY support the player : he's the only one who seems to truly understand WHAT is the player, at least more than every other characters in this game. (there's an argument to be made about Ralsei, who seems to also only want the player's happiness, but 1. he doesn't really have the power to accomodate the player like Gaster does, so each one of his attempt to please us either end in just giving us fake hope, or being cancelled out by Susie (who seems to naturally oppose the player whenever she does something), and 2. unlike Gaster, Ralsei is CLEARLY suffering from always trying to please everyone else, especially the player, for whom he believes he needs to play the role of a LITERAL background character who's only here to serve and make them happy. Ralsei suffers from trying to please the player, while it seems like Gaster only gets enjoyment out of it, repeatedly stating that being connected to us is as wonderful for him as it is for us)

And the way Gaster views the player has become a bit clearer with his Ch3 and 4 messages, that can be used on top of his usual Game Over dialogues to suggest that he is watching us play at all times, is rooting for us, knows things about how this world works that we don't and is willing to give hints when he feels like it is necessary, and can be genuinely impressed by "our power", supposedly our determination and/our our pure game skills.

His Game Over message could even be interpreted as him trying to emotionally manipulate us into trying again, even when we told him we've given up, telling us how our absence led the world to be "covered in darkness", before cueing a very sad rendition of his own theme before closing the game after 66 seconds. Bro is literally looking at us through the screen with the saddest look in his eyes trying to coax us into trying again by making us feel bad. Maybe he DOES really need us as much as he says he does.

And maybe the most interesting recent dialogues of them all, at the end of Ch4, he congratulates the player for making it this far, quickly mentions how long we will need to wait for the next chapter/connection... Before refering to Deltarune as "HIS" DELTARUNE??

Up until that very moment, Gaster has always talked about "the future", "this world" as a 'team effort', always including us in the realization of it all, making us feel like we WERE an important part of whatever scheme he has in mind... Hell, sometimes he even talks as if THE PLAYER'S actiosn were actually ALSO his ("SHALL WE HASTEN?" against the Knight, when in reality the player is doing all the hard work here), which didn't seem strange because as a TEAM, that kind of way to speak is pretty normal. but in this moment, it somewhat feels like Gaster is trying, or at least thinking about taking ownership over everything "we" have created together. Was it his intention since the beginning, or is he just stating to love this game/world so much he's subconsciously seeing it as "his" and having troubles sharing it with the other person who helped reaching its realization? or maybe are we not completely understanding our role in his plan yet?

And all of this, all of this weird undertone of codependant relationship between Gaster and the player, this mutual fascination and genuine feelings for one another, whatever those feelings can be, ALL OF THIS without even talking about the Demon/Angel parallels we could ALSO talk about regarding how the relationship between those two transdimensional entity could go.

Let's assume the player is the Angel. (The Angel is said to "light up the path" of believers, the player's soul's distinctive power is to produce light on its own. The Angel is said to be "watching over" the world and people, the player's pov seems to come from the sky, from "HEAVEN" some could say. The Angel is traditionally represented without facial features, as Noelle and Dess's doll's description at the hospital points out, and the we are unable to see how the Angel looks like in the prophecy, which would make a lot of sense if the Angel was supposed to be the player, someone who, inherently, has to be faceless to represent ALL of us. The player's soul gets trapped under an Angel doll at Noelle's house. The Titan we see in Ch4 uses a lot of the imagery typically associated with the Angel, and first appears with an image suggesting a "real human face". That is SOME of the reasons why it's easy to assume the player is the Angel, at least in SOME versions of DR's reality (for example it would be possible for Noelle to take the role of the Angel in a Weird Route or something, the same way the Angel was two people at the same time in UT ; one benevolent Angel, and one Angel of Death, depending on the run the player is doing)).

Gaster has always been associated with demonic symbolism, the most obvious of which being the repeated connection he has with the number "6" : the typer associated with him is 666, in both UT and DR, his hidden stats in UT are filled with 6s, each one of the funvalues directly calling him by name are all happening between 61 and 65 (which is also why it is so commonly accepted to say that the mystery man from the funvalue 66 is supposed to represent Gaster himself in some way), the theme DARKNESS FALLS, as previously mentionned, is 66s seconds long, etc...

Interestingly enough, supporting the interpretation of these "666" as being the Devil's number, Gaster also made an appearance in the "demon text" of UT during a very short period of time : alongside a text CLEARLY written by Chara, "the demon who comes when people call its name", another line appeared in PRECISELY the version 1.05A of the game, saying "HE IS". (for more information on the demon texts if you are interested here is a post by Underlore talking about it)

It makes sense for Chara to be present in the DEMON text, because they call themself a demon, and it makes sense for Gaster to be there as well, as he's so often associated with the number 6. and ironically enough, while Chara is the demon who comes when people call its name, when we first name them at the beginning of the game, we are UNABLE to write or hear the name of Gaster in most playthrough. In a way, it's as if he's specifically a foil to Chara, the demon who comes when people DOESN'T call its name, haha.

And this makes sense with WHAT Chara is supposed to be : Chara is the player's completionist will, what pushes them to conquer and consume every last bit of a game, leaving nothing left behind them, metaphorically "destroying" worlds for their own entertainment. But, because of his very special status in the game, Gaster just cannot be "consumed" like every other content can ; he is often the very last thing keeping people interested in UT, when everything else has been read and analyzed, only him stays "unsolved", everything one can know and believe to understand about him feeling like a bottomless pit of endless possibilities. Literally the one thing the player needs to satiate Chara. Endless content, because incomplete.

Gaster has always given the player what they wanted, ever since UT. He is in a way the opposite force opposing the player's will to SEE and DO everything, because he is the content they will never be able to SEE and TRULY interact with, but this is this exact force that makes the player feels so connected to the world ; if the content is seemingly endless because unreachable, then the illusion of a fictional world being infinite is achieved. and as a result, the player becomes obsessed with that world that seems oh so real.

Because of this duality between these two, it could be easy to suggest the possibility that Gaster isn't "just" a demon, but The Devil, acting as a counterpart to The Angel, the player. After all, it is Gaster with whom we made a suspicious deal at the very beginning of DR, giving him our SOUL regardless of what the consequences would be.

Who else would offer a deal with such absolute conditions than the Devil itself, the one who is represented by the number 666, the one who we are told to "beware" from the very first time we hear about him.

All of this to say i do not think it would be so wild to assume that, with everything that we know about how the player's and Gaster's goals, wants and ENTIRE EXISTENCES allign but also complete one another, it wouldn't be so out there to believe that maybe, similarly to how Flowey in UT became obsessed with the player because they were the only person existing at a similar plane of existence as him, the player and Gaster would develop very strong feelings for one another, because they are the only ones in this fictional world who see it as a fictional world, the only ones who understand one another, and who can help each other effortlessly, simply by following their own instincts.

TL;DR i ship the player and Gaster and i made it everybody else's problem

[autisticrosewilson]

It's not that I hate fanon or that I think fanon is inherently less intelligent or morally wrong, but a LOT of fanon is based in racism, misogyny, and classism that I feel like a lot of you accept without question.

WHY is Duke (Daredevil, son of a god, has never once allowed himself to be defined by anyone's actions but his own) relegated to a background role, only characterized by reacting to the whims of other bats?

Why is Babs - Birds of Prey leader and backbone of the hero society, tells Bruce to fuck off and die 4 times a day and is constantly ruining her relationships by being biased and unhinged - Gotham bound, the mature responsible mom of the group who never argues with Bruce and never gets in trouble?

Why is Dick, both a tactical genius and master manipulator, a himbo only appreciated for his sex appeal? Especially when he is both Romani (group of people demonized and condemned as hypersexual by their nature alone) and an SA victim.

WHY is Damian "feral" and "uncivilized" despite being raised as a literal prince? Half of you treat him like a sociopath with no hope of redemption for an unfunny three second joke and the other half of you go full throttle into Bruce's white savior bullshit so that Damian can be "redeemed". Y'know when you're not villainizing Talia and acting like Dick is his other parent, actually.

WHY is Stephanie - extremely intelligent detective who can't stand Bruce and has a living mother she loves - lumped in as another member of the Batfam, a blonde ditz who only cares about prank wars and emotionally supporting Tim?

WHY is Cass - intelligent, a grown adult, suicidal perfectionist - emotionally intelligent, primarily existing to support the characters around her, immediately accepting of everyone she meets regardless of her own morals?

Why is Bruce the golden standard? Enough so that though everyone in the fandom could agree that he's an emotionally unstable wreck, being considered "the most like him" is seen as a compliment and not the HIGHEST insult? Everyone would agree if I said that Bruce purposely self sabotages his relationship half the time and the other half he simply does things without caring about the emotional impact it will have on people because he has to be the smartest in the room, but if I said that makes him a shit partner and emotionally abusive parent the fandom would bend over backwards to argue with me.

Why is Tim "the best Robin" when Dick Grayson invented the mantle, it is impossible for someone to embody the spirit of Robin better than him because he made it and he created what being Robin means. Maybe Tim is the best in Bruce's eyes, but what Robin means and who has the right to give it over was a significant thing they argued about. Tim the high school drop out, and yet also somehow the smartest? Tim "the most like Bruce" except no he's not, that's Cass. Poor neglected, abused, victimized little Timmy (the rich boy at the elite boarding school with loving albeit busy parents and almost every instance of him being victimized by another character has either been racist bullshit - The Al Ghuls and Rose Wilson- or a complete 180 for the character that made no sense when examined through the lens of prior characterization - Jason for instance.)

Almost every fanon trope that gets passed around like gospel seems to deliberately push POC characters and women into the background and strip them of interesting complex traits and stories, usually for the purpose of fitting them all into bite sized incorrect quote character types and uncomplicated narrative roles that are not only completely divergent from canon, but primarily exist to prop up the two rich white boys.

Also the insistence that Bruce, a 20 year old at the time, should actually be excused for how much he mentally and emotionally fucked Dick up because really they're more like siblings! While deciding that Dick at the same age was actually the perfect candidate to be Damian's new parent/guardian...have you lost the fucking plot you don't even make sense to yourselves.

Okay I lied at the beginning, I do hate fanon. You guys are so uncritical about the media you consume it is BEYOND just letting people enjoy things and have fun. I guess it's one thing if you KNOW this stuff isn't canon and UNDERSTAND why these tropes are problematic and you engage with it as such, it's fine read and write what you want, but just spreading the same nonsense around and parading it around as "better than canon" (version of the character so bland and boring you've somehow made the old white men at DC look like geniuses in the art of representation) is just infuriating.

[justcallmemrslupin]

How the Marauders fandom erased Remus Lupin

I know I've addressed mischaracterization here more than once, but I've been seeing so much on internet that maybe I should be more obvious.

I've held this in for too long, and I need to say it clearly: Canon Remus Lupin has been completely erased by much of the Marauders fandom. And I’m done pretending it doesn’t hurt.

Let’s be honest: the version of Remus Lupin popularized by fics like ATYD is not Remus. It’s a whole different character wearing his name. And it’s painful for those of us who have loved him deeply, for years. Not as a teen heartthrob, not as a ship vessel, but as the thoughtful, complex, kind man we actually met in the "Harry Potter" books.

Here’s a list of everything the fandom has changed about him (and why that matters);

1. “Drug Dealer” Remus

Yes, in their headcanons, Remus sells drugs at Hogwarts. This is completely non-canon, totally out of character, and offensive to who he is: a deeply responsible man who already feels monstrous because of something he didn’t choose. He’d never risk hurting others that way.

2. Raised in an Orphanage / Abusive Father

Canon tells us Lyall Lupin loved Remus dearly and tried to protect him. Turning Lyall into an abuser and Remus into an angry orphan is a classic fandom move to "grit-ify" him, stripping away the tenderness that shaped his restraint and gentleness.

Let's make it clear: Remus grew up watching his beloved parents suffer and being outcasts because of him. That's what made him keep everyone (including Harry and Tonks) at arm's length.

3. Anger Issues

This one is especially frustrating. Remus Lupin is arguably the most emotionally self-controlled characters in the entire series. If anyone had anger issues, it was Sirius (impulsive, reckless and explosive). Remus? He was calm even in unbearable pain.

4. Emotional Instability Before the Full Moon

Canon Remus suffers physically before the full moon, yes. But emotionally? He’s stoic, quiet, and closed-off. He doesn’t lash out. He retreats. That’s his pain. He hides it. He doesn't externalize it.

5. Hypersexualized and Over-Romanticized

Remus in fanon is often portrayed as highly sexual, jaded, or emotionally dependent. But canon shows the opposite. He didn’t believe he deserved love. He thought he was too dangerous. He only fell in love once (with Tonks) and even then, he tried to push her away to protect her. That is love born of restraint and selflessness.

6. Addiction and Self-Destruction

Canon Remus was depressed, yes, but he was incredibly rational. He was poor, discriminated against, and alone, yet he never turned to substances, recklessness, or despair. He got up. He tried. He taught. He loved. That's strength. Quiet, unwavering strength.

7. Crude Language & Swearing

Fandom Remus often talks like a foul-mouthed rebel. Canon Remus? He was one of the most polite, softly-spoken, and articulate characters in the books. He chose his words carefully. Even when angry, his language was never rough. It was respectful, thoughtful, precise.

8. Teaching & Purpose Erased

Canon Remus was an incredible teacher, maybe the best DADA professor Hogwarts ever had. He encouraged, protected, and believed in his students. That doesn’t come from nowhere. He had a calling. He lived with purpose, even when the world gave him none.

9. Replacing Him with a Ship

Let’s be clear: the Remus/Sirius ship completely overwrites his adult life, marriage, and fatherhood. It reduces him to a love interest for someone who in canon treated him more like a boring older brother than a partner. Sirius distrusted him, weaponized him (the Snape prank), and left him nothing in his will. That is not a healthy relationship. It’s not even close.

Remus Lupin is the man who:

Fought for good even when he had nothing to gain.

Spoke gently in a world that treated him like a monster.

Took a cursed, painful life and chose to live it with grace.

Loved once, deeply, selflessly, and became a father knowing he might not live to see his child grow.

Was wise, measured, and heartbreakingly human.

He wasn’t a rebel. He wasn’t edgy. He wasn’t reckless. He was good. And the fandom needs to stop rewriting that goodness out of him.

[least-carpet]

yu ziyuan screams, cont.

One of the things that irritates me is when people aren't thinking about motivation when translating characters from one context to another, ESPECIALLY women. Specifically, I'm thinking about Yu Ziyuan, and how her anger about her life is so often reduced to romantic jealousy or just chalked up to her being "violent and abusive¹." Like, okay, yes, she's often angry and really mean about it. Why is she angry and what does that look like in a different time and place?

Here are some reasons for Yu Ziyuan's anger in canon that aren't just "she's jealous" (gag):

Feeling devalued and disrespected in her marriage, which is also her job.

Not wanting to parent a child she didn't agree to adopt.

Being an extremely talented and strong cultivator who is restricted by society's expectations for women / her gender role, which she resists (such as by continuing to nighthunt, being called "Madame Yu" rather than "Madame Jiang," etc.).

Wanting a secure future for both her children and wanting them to appear strong in order to access that future—which is why she's so angry about Jiang Yanli peeling lotus seeds and Jiang Cheng coming in second to Wei Wuxian. Her children are "lowering themselves" in relation to a person she doesn't consider a member of her family and who is continually a source of public shame. She feels like this might damage their prospects, all for a person she doesn't personally care about!

Feeling pressured to secure that future for her children by herself, because her husband doesn't seem to like one of them, and furthermore often doesn't seem to be acting in their best interests.

So if I was going to translate to a modern!au, that could look like:

Feeling devalued and disrespected in her marriage (still happens).

Pausing her career to have children, then returning and having to fight hard to make up ground.

Wanting a secure future for her children, pushing them aggressively to achieve (in concrete ways such as test scores and extracurriculars). Likely a source of conflict with the more hands-off Jiang Fengmian.

I do think she could get divorced, but obviously wouldn't if it had severe social, financial, and/or professional consequences—in canon, she maintains a separate household, she's addressed by a title that separates her from her husband, and she spends a lot of time away from him, but she hasn't left. Really depends on the era and milieu she's operating in. She wouldn't do it if it would damage her or her family, or unless the damage had already occurred and couldn't be mitigated.

The threat of divorce might change the dynamic between her and Jiang Fengmian, though? If it didn't, why not? Is there a specific reason they both feel like they can't leave?

Like, you don't have to do all of that for there to be conflict between her (authoritarian, concerned with society's values, high standards, definite Tiger Mom candidate) and Wei Wuxian (rebellious, mischievous, high-achieving but not particularly well-behaved), regardless of whether or not he's a part of her household. They disagree about a lot of fundamental stuff! There's always going to be friction, even without canon's complex social/household arrangements! You simply do not have to reduce her to a misogynistic caricature of a jealous wife, even if part of what made her so angry in canon is gossip about her husband's feelings for another woman. That gossip doesn't exist in a vacuum! It has a political dimension! The power of gossip is literally a theme in the book! Many of her complaints are explicitly political, especially in relation to the Wen! I'm cool, it's cool, we're good. I'll stop yelling now.

(I also think that the person most likely to be critical of Yu Ziyuan's parenting—or Jiang Fengmian's parenting, for that matter—is Jiang Yanli rather than Jiang Cheng or Wei Wuxian, especially after she's had a child, and, in all cases, any individual member of the trio is more likely to be indignant about the others' treatment rather than their own. But that could be a post of its own.)

I'm not particularly interesting in rehashing the discourse about whether or not her treatment of Wei Wuxian constitutes abuse. I think this is a good summary of how it's treated in-story. I think it's fair to still read it and think it's unacceptable, but the original construction of it in canon is relevant if you're trying to translate their relationship to a modern setting.

[wonryllis]

dear future husband (m) | lee heeseung.

i can't say i do without you.

PREVIEW. you always get what you want, spoiled with the love of everyone around you. and it's all innocent love, at least that's what everyone thinks. it comes with much surprise therefore, when heeseung makes a move on you. thirteen long years of being in the brother zone having made him utterly clueless that if he’s going to date you he has to pass through your actual brothers first. and he knows how scary they can be. especially since they are known to have a sister complex and he’s been the third scary one with them, numerous times before.

OR WHERE, bimbo heeseung has no idea what the fuck to do with his feelings for you who are oblivious as fuck and your brothers who are overprotective as fuck.

MEET THE CAST. insanely love struck lee heeseung with his spoiled rich girl!reader ft. yeonjun, soobin, the rest of txt and the rest of enhypen. NSFW VERSION: BRAT TAMER heeseung with his BRAT girl.

GENRE & WARNING(S). social media!au + written chapters, SMUT MDNI!!! in the form of written chapters later on in the series, fluff, humor & crack, minimal angst, lots and i mean lots and lots of swearing and dirty jokes and everything nsfw. college!au, nonidol!au, neighbors to lovers!au, childhood friends to lovers!au. heavy on sister complex! rest other warnings will be stated in respective chapters.

UPDATE SCHEDULE. discontinued.

ׅ ꢾ꣒ profiles, character introductions & the groupchats. ( PLAYLIST ) theme song, code blue!

YEONIE NOTES. incase someone wonders if this is incest, no it’s not, they are not related by blood. sister complex. a state of strong attachment and obsession to sisters, always having them as their first priority. FIC ASKS: ask about the characters!

EPISODES rolling ..

000. prologue: the backstory.

001. arranged date gone wrong

002. it's a shame yn wants you

003. all good when all delusional

004. can you afford her a McLaren? TWT + WRITTEN ( 2.4k )

005. heeseung finally— [REDACTED]!

006. you went as my arm candy

DISCONTINUED!

i think its obvious enough why, the lack of response and enthusiasm from readers has made lose all motivation to continue this any further. i was so excited to revamp it but it seems it isn't the case for the other side. feedbacks are what keep most if not all writers going and absence of it for this one has just rid me of all interest i had to share it with you all. thank you to those who read it, and i apologize those who were looking forward to read it. this is it. over and done, with this kind of support i'm never doing a series on here again.

FIRST TAGLIST @s00buwu @lilyuwon @pockyyasii @nctislifue @shawnyle @enhastolemyheart @aaa-sia @criminalyun @oddracha @satan-223 @diorsyun @hooniehon @fakeuwus @caramelcandescence @intromortal @kookify @yutasberryy @sumzysworld @nikiswifiee @shuichi-sama @primroselover @rayofsunshineeee @aishigrey @yjwluvs @soraokkotsu @nyfwyeonjun @srhnyx @trashx678 @wondipity @winuvs @hoondiors @niniissus @firstclassjaylee @biancaness @enhaz1 @sophi-ee @un06 @heelariously @d-earlog @pharaways @ethelia @eneiyri @secretbarbariangardener @seochangbinnnnnnnnnnn @microwavedstrawberr1es @randomanothercreature @thatsoraya @graythecoffeebean @rikibun @jaeyungxrl @mxxnintheskyreblogs

[residentwordsofaffirmationdealer]

hi guys. i keep seeing posts about damian talking about how he's kill-happy, or is he the most likely to break bruce's no-kill rule and here's my comprehensive reply, as a damian scholar:

damian has already made the conclusion that killing is bad (and has adhered to that for over ten years). he does not kill anyone anymore. he is not a "feral demon/gremlin". his (current) morals are very similar to his allies + family but in total, i'd say most like cass & bruce.

he is a very complex character who is NOT a remorseless, violent killer but rather a child who was trained to be a warrior (and arguably a weapon as well). he DOES feel very intense remorse and guilt for his actions, and is also very genuinely compassionate and cares very deeply for other people and animals!!

main themes that are often emphasized in works centered around damian are redemption, acceptance (from his family & allies), atonement, and forgiveness. damian will work to redeem himself not because "bruce told him to do it" but because he knows it is the right thing to do!! anyway, not to understate bruce's role in making damian who he is, as of course damian does look up to bruce a lot, but ultimately, damian made his own choices about who he is and what he stands for.

i know he makes a lot of statements about killing and violence but it is a facade he puts up -- often times he will mock or ridicule dick (whom he has mockingly called the angel on his shoulder) because damian will say something like "i'm going to kill x person" and then dick will reprimand him but they both know damian would not have done it anyway -- in the 2016 nightwing, there's a scene where damian says he will kill dinesh, a robin impersonator, but when dinesh is killed, damian gets mad at his attacker, lunging at him while yelling "he was just a kid!"

also, i stated earlier how he is a lot like cassandra in terms of morals. this is because she, like batman, truly believes in redemption and seconds chances. i'd argue that one of "the batman's" defining value is his belief in redemption, not his obsession with vengeance. a fundamental part of his character is the belief in second chances. he will always be there to help the people of his city -- whether it be saving kids or defusing bombs or providing support for the rehabilitation of villains -- think of the BTAS scenes of two face saying "good old bruce, he was always there for me" or how many times bruce has supported harley quinn in her journey to redemption or in general how many times he's rescued the joker instead of let him die out or how many times bruce has forgiven jason. cass is also very obviously similar to bruce. in the batgirl (2000) series, there's an issue where she tries to "rescue" a man who was sentenced to death. she rescues him because she truly believed he was capable changing -- even if he was a murderer. she, too, was one but has learned and grown, but he'll never get that opportunity. similarly in shadow war (2022), damian has a similar crisis where brion markov (geoforce), pretending to be deathstroke, assassinates ra's al ghul. in the major confrontation scene, damian lunges at him, yelling "you killed my grandfather!" as they fight, brion compares himself to damian and tries to manipulate him into disliking the al ghul side of his family. brion says "i was also trained to be a weapon. but i did it out of love for my country. but you? what your mother and grandfather did to you. how they tried to kill you. and here you are defending them. seeking revenge? protecting killers?". damian's response to that is "it doesn't matter who they were. you killed people. your actions led to the death of others. people who never had a change to change." this is especially interesting because it shows his growth -- he understands that people will always have the chance to grow, and he wants to encourage that, not take lives -- it's also almost exactly the same conflict cass had like 20 years ago!!

also, its super interesting from the point where one of his major inecurities is people not thinking he's good enough -- and good as in pure/moral etc. he (for a long time) has hesitated to call himself a hero, and has had nightmares about dick thinking when damian died, he went to hell, and so on. all damian wants is to redeem himself and be accepted, and he's scared that the people he loves the most do not think he is capable of that, and he's especially scared that they think he belongs in hell. more than anything, he wants to prove himself to them, and he tries and he tries and he tries. he'll never stop trying, even when bruce tells him that he's selfish, uncompassionate, and untrustworthy. even when he's hurt that tim puts him on his hit list. even when he thinks dick is replacing him by having his a new kid.

in all, he, like cass and bruce, very strongly believes that everybody is capable of redemption and he worries that him killing maya's father (a supervillain) means that he took away any possibility for her dad to turn his life around. most importantly, as much as he believes in forgiveness for everybody else, he does not believe he deserves forgiveness -- he is not a heartless killer/feral demon child etc etc.

[jasontoddsno1simp]

Part of me has to wonder if the reason Bruce interprets Jason's actions as slights against him, personally is because Jason, existing, reminds him that his work is not victimless. That even his own son wasn't spared from being collateral damage of his work.

There's also the angle that Jason pretty much says in UtRH that Bruce's failures as Batman is the reason why he does what he does. And let's not forget all the belly aching Bruce does over the fact that he took Jason in and trained him. Much that b/s is classist as hell and revisionist history, but it makes sense for the billionaire with the savior complex to think that shit. Especially with the years upon years of lying to himself about Jason's behavior.

Why I think the Outlaws were a good idea, if frequently terribly executed and Task force z wasn’t although parts of it were well-executed:

One distinct difference between Bruce and Jason or rather the difference between Bruce and Red Hood is that Jason requires absolution from society for whatever he’s done, whether it’s attacking Cobblepot or the 8-heads-in-a-bag, whatever wrongs he has done is to society as a whole and possibly to the families of whoever he killed. Bruce’s faults are against his family and associates (and he should be atoning to them specifically but we all know that won’t happen).

Jason’s fault is in destabilising society (there’s an argument here that vigilantes do that anyway, but I have points for why it’s different the way Jason did it, I’m not going into that here). I personally think he’s better off trying to make a difference out in the world than in jail (call it community service) which is why the concept of the Outlaws is good. He is atoning to society for what he did while hopefully acknowledging that it’s not zero sum, that he has to get up and keep doing it anyway.

Finally, Red Hood was the moniker he took to take power away from the man who sinned against him. It can now be understood as the moniker he carries to acknowledge his own sins, he does not drop it and simply vanish into a new identity so that he is identified with what he is done and his past - it is saying, to everyone he meets, “this is who I am and what I’ve done, and I acknowledge that you might dislike or mistrust me, and I give you the power to do so.”

Bruce, on the other hand, behaves unforgivably to his family. For a very long time, the narrative seems to behave as if Jason’s transgressions are the same, but by and large Jason’s transgressions are not against the batclan, bftc excluded. Even more so are his transgressions not against Bruce.

Jason should not be atoning to Bruce or to the bat clan. Him wanting their trust and atoning to them (Bruce specifically historically) sets them up as something they are not: capable of forgiving him on behalf of society. It is a travesty to act as if Bruce could or should, and as if once Bruce forgives him that makes him worthy. It doesn’t, as long as Gotham’s people don’t trust him again. AND it is a further travesty because even if they do, they who he has sinned against can’t, and whether or not he believes he was correct to kill them, or even if society agrees that it was okay (because they needed to be stopped) he should know that no one else can forgive him on their behalf. He would probably be okay with that, pragmatically, but he should be aware of it.

The fact that Bruce also seems to be behaving as if Jason’s offences are against him personally, something that he needs to correct, is ALSO a travesty of bad writing. Neither Batman nor Bruce are capable of redeeming him and it's practically a god-complex for him to think he can.