#Deep characterization

[lesbidin]

viktor is silly guy and a trouble maker and i wish more people would realize that. i appreciate how much attention jayce’s golden retriever energy and unwavering loyalty is given but lets not forget viktor “this isn’t my bedroom” “at least you didn’t throw up” “i’m not sure how to do that sir” arcane is also silly and goofy. he probably gets up to shenanigans with jayce, probably pulls little pranks and makes sexual innuendos and snorts when he laughs. he has a quick wit and a sense of humor. it’s the reason him becoming so mechanic and cold when he combines with the hexcore is so heartbreaking, it’s like he’s a completely new person.

[porrigens]

raison d’etre + sushi = profit

[tropicalcryptid]

Ok so She-Ra pulled such a great hat trick with Hordak's characterization, and I LOVE it

One of my favorite things about 2018 She-Ra is Hordak's story and development (and Entrapdak cough but that's not the point of this particular post), and the cleverest thing is that so much of it is actually being set up and told to us in seasons 1 and 2 before we even realize that that's what's happening.

When we first see Hordak in the show, he's giving "generic evil overlord" vibes. Garden-variety baddie. Maybe a little more reasonable than some and clearly capable of long-term thinking, but that just serves to make him intimidating. Everything about him--the way he runs his empire, his armor, his color scheme, his minion, his Villainous Eye Makeup(TM), even his name--are all projecting to the audience "yup, Acme Bad Guy here. Move right along."

But then, backstory. And everything snaps into focus. Not only is it one of the first big oh SHIT moments of the show, where we suddenly zoom out and realize that there is SO much more going on than we realized--it's also the start of the audience seeing Hordak as a character rather than an archetype. Suddenly we realize that he's not conquering Etheria because he wants power, or hates happiness and sparkles, or whatever--he's doing it out of a desperate attempt to prove his worth to his brother/creator/god. This moment where Hordak lets Entrapta in is also the moment the show lets us in on what makes our favorite spacebat tick.

On top of that, we've also seen him bonding with Entrapta and opening up to this person that he respects and trusts...probably the only person he's ever respected or trusted apart from Prime. And she's Etherian--someone of a lower species, someone he's supposed to subjugate, someone who he has been raised and trained and programmed and mind-controlled into believing is below him in every way.

But instead she's brilliant and creative and mesmerizing. She's not afraid of him, and she's fascinated with his work. For the first time since being abandoned by Prime, Hordak finally has someone that he can talk to, who is on his level and both understands and cares about the science! (because he is a giant nerd). She's kind to him, a mere defect. And it just sends his whole worldview into a spin, and that's all before--

Bam, mans is a goner. Entrapta's "Imperfections are beautiful" comment punches right through all the toxic bs that Hordak has been steeped in his entire life. You can see on his face here--I think it's the moment Hordak fell in love with Entrapta, but this is also the face of a spacebat reevaluating his entire worldview. If Entrapta, who is amazing, believes something different from Prime...what does that mean? If Entrapta, who is brilliant, believes that he is worth something, and that she herself is a failure...

Well. We know what happens after that, and how Hordak begins to doubt, and eventually fights back against Prime (and remembers his love for Entrapta after TWO mind wipes help my heart ack). But we also get to see what life in the Galactic Horde looks like: the only life Hordak ever knew before coming to Etheria.

It's not nice.

It's really not nice.

Prime operates in a very specific way, and we learn a lot about it in season 5. Prime expects complete obedience, devotion and worship from his clones. He allows no individuality from his subjects, not even a name. Failure or deviations are punished, mind-wiped, or destroyed. We even learn from Wrong Hordak that facial expressions are considered a privilege reserved for Prime (apart from, presumably, expressions of rapture caused by being around Prime).

And once we learn all of this, suddenly thinking about season 1 Hordak becomes very interesting indeed. The time we spend with the Galactic Horde and Prime throws absolutely everything that we know about Hordak into a whole new context. Now all those traits that made him a generic villain are actually hugely effective characterization! And what that characterization is telling us is that Hordak had already moved much farther away from Prime than we (or, probably, he) had realized, even long before he met Entrapta.

Horde Prime does not allow his underlings to have names, personalities, or any differences of appearance. Not only does Hordak allow this among his own troops, he chose a name for himself as well! Season 5 tells us that his very name is an act of blasphemy against his god. And yet Hordak took one for himself, and that name is part of the core identity he is able to hold on to when rebelling against Prime.

Horde Prime cast Hordak out when he showed signs of physical imperfections. Hordak not only keeps Imp (who is by all appearances a failed clone or similar experiment) around, he treats Imp more gently than we see him treat anybody or anything before Entrapta. Imp is not simply "generic evil guy's minion," he is proof of Hordak's capacity for compassion, and evidence that Hordak cannot bring himself to cast aside "defects" as easily as Prime. Considering where Hordak came from, Imp's existence is a huge, flashing neon sign telling the audience this guy here is better than the hell that molded him, and we don't even realize it until 4 seasons after it's been shown to us!

Very cool, ND.

There's more, though. Hordak's red and black color scheme? His dark eye makeup and lipstick? Very Evil Overlord chic. But nope! Actually these are actually expressions of individuality on a level that Hordak knows would be abhorrent to Prime!

Reading between the lines, I see this as Hordak desperately trying to reconcile two diametrically opposed beliefs in his head: (1) devotion to Prime, whose approval he desperately craves, and (2) maintaining some degree of unique personhood, of Hordak, from which to draw strength. Because a failed, defective clone cannot survive on a hostile world, cut off from the hivemind and from Prime's light. A failed clone cannot create an empire to offer Prime as tribute, nor build a spacetime portal from scraps and memory to call Prime back. A failed clone cannot create cybernetic armor to keep his hurting, weakened body alive; to force himself to keep going no matter what, to fight through the pain and the doubt by sheer force of will.

But maybe Hordak can.

And so there it is. Hordak had plenty of time to gain and explore his individuality while separated from Prime, but I think the reason he did it so effectively (while still deluding himself that Prime would forgive him for these little sins, if only Hordak could prove his value) is because he had to.

Wrong Hordak gained his individuality surrounded by kind, quirky people who took care of him; Hordak was ripped from the hivemind by Prime himself and had to fight for his survival against all odds. And that produced a dangerous and damaging foe for Etheria. But it also produced the one clone with the strength of will to defy Prime himself.

This is long and rambling, but ultimately my point is that 1) I love Hordak, and 2) I love love love love that the show was so clever about his characterization. We learn so much about him and how much progress he's already made in breaking from his psycho abusive cult upbringing, and we don't even recognize it until the show wants us to. Hordak had come so far, all on his own, before he met Entrapta. She just helped push him over the edge and finally realize (at least consciously) that Prime's worldview might not be the correct one.

Idk, I just don't know if I've ever seen all the trappings of Basic 80's Villain(TM) so successfully subverted, where looking back 4 seasons later is actually a smack in the face with the "effective character building" stick. Amazing.

[sincerely-sofie]

Alright. Going to play more Slay the Princess now. Y’all’s reactions to my worst theory yet scare me. Have some fanart to enjoy while I dive back into the insanity.

[dustykneed]

is this how tsfs went? i think this is how tsfs went. source? trust me bro. he chose the danger

unintentional coincidence but thinking about it this sorta reminds me of this post by @muirmarie! if you enjoyed the comic you should absolutely go read it. i'm insane about it

[ivrsen]

the way *some* mouthwashing fans portray jimmy (inspired by what i've seen on tiktok)

i'm tired right now so this might not make sense so i'm sorry in advance. ALSO TO PREFACE: THIS IS NOT IN DEFENSE OF JIMMY'S ACTIONS!! just some personal pet peeves. also, I understand that these can be unserious as tiktok is pretty brainrot but i just had to say it somewhere.

i recently watched a mouthwashing play through after my fyp was flooded with memes, edits, and think pieces. the edits did a good job with getting me hooked, i'll admit. however the way some people talk about jimmy's character is kind of annoying? this isn't to police how people interact with media because who am i to say?

we all know that jimmy is a terrible person. that's obvious. he raped anya, one of the worst things -- if not THE worst you can do to another person. HOWEVER, the way people characterize him is quite strange. i see a lot of people say he probably stinks and doesn't take care of himself. a lot of people also choose to portray him ugly and low effort. i find this particularly odd because i feel like it pushes that rapists are ugly or dirty which is not always true? a rapist isn't always a stinky, dirty looking man hiding in an alleyway, it can be a handsome rich guy who drowns himself in cologne. it can be a good friend you've known for years, a family member, a coworker -- which in this case it was. another pet peeve is when they attach all these negative traits to him just because he did what he did -- almost making him some unrealistic level of evil despite him already being horrible.. is it reasonable to assert he may be a misogynist? yes. is it reasonable to say he stomps on puppies and tortures kittens in his spare time? i don't know.

what makes jimmy scary in my opinion is that he's a regular guy -- albeit an asshole. i feel like trying to put him into this stereotypical box of what a bad person looks like is a disservice, i feel.

don't burn me at the stake please.

[pastelshroomsbasement]

Goofy svsss au where qqq is also a transmigrator!!!

[unopposablethumbsao3]

Garak doing drag* under the name Obsidia N. Order and then when Julian's like "a plain, simple tailor, eh?" he's like "my *dear doctor* what an *imagination* you have, you really read *far too much* into these little coincidences"

*Please note Garak came up in the balls on Cardassia Prime he is serving pure, unadulterated cunt

[thegameartist03]

had a surprisingly lucid idea for an Asterix and Obelix story last night while i was half asleep.

it’d be a backstory issue like their origin set while they’re still kids, a bit after Obelix gains his powers. the Romans are trying to deal with this village of indomitable Gauls and are beginning to realize how much of a struggle it is when they have the magic potion. so, one Roman general and the antagonist of the story comes up with a scheme to solve this problem.

the plan is for the Romans to distract everyone in the village by attacking while a small team sneaks into the village and kidnaps all the children. with the kids gone, there won’t be a next generation to take the magic potion and defend themselves. instead they’ll be taken back to Rome and taught Roman law and supremacy until they forget they’re Gauls, thereby conquering all of Gaul (eventually). it’s a long term plan, but it’s guaranteed to work.

the only problem is, they also kidnap the two smartest and strongest (respectively) kids in the village who aren’t about to let the Romans get away with their plan.

it’s a fun lil lighthearted plot with plenty of room for shenanigans as Asterix and Obelix try to free their friends and escape before they’re taken to Rome. Obelix is still learning his strength and how and when to use it, Asterix gets to use the Romans underestimating him to his advantage, and they both want to prove they can be great warriors like their parents and stop the Romans themselves. it’s a glimpse into their past that shows a bit more of how they ended up where they are now.

[fernhelm]

WHO IS LILY EVANS?

HP, HBP / Simone Weil: An Intellectual Biography - Gabriella Fiori / HP, OP / The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath / Cain - Lord Byron / HP, SS / Violence and the Sacred - René Girard / "How Do you Solve a Problem Like Maria?" - The Sound of Music

[anghraine]

I've developed a very silly hobby when it comes to reading K/S fics between boring things I have to do:

Click on the Kirk/Spock tag on AO3 (there are over 23,000 fics)

Organize by kudos or bookmarks

Do not check or filter subfandom tags (TOS, AOS, TOS movies, SNW, etc)

Exclude active annoyances like NOTPs or particular tropes so it's still fun

Include some particular tag to search by: hurt/comfort, mind melding, whatever (there are many options for ST)

Start reading one-shots that look interesting, but still avoid checking the actual fandom. See how long it takes to figure out whether it's TOS, AOS, or something else.

10 points if I can tell in the first ~100 words; 25 points if I can tell before Kirk's eye color gets mentioned; 50 points if I can tell before there's any references to specific details or plot points from the particular canon it's based on.

[dustykneed]

looking at the choir, ocean wishes she'd realized it sooner-- you were good enough, after all.

all of you were good enough.

[dollypopup]

thinking about how book!Colin was more than just a traveler. more than just a wanderer. he was an explorer. like sure, the first few times, it's basically just a study abroad. he's on a grand tour like lots of people did back in the 1800s to educate themselves on art and culture of the western world, but after the typical places- Greece, Italy, France, Colin keeps traveling. He travels for an entire decade.

at a certain point, he's not just traveling to eat Parisian food and look at paintings. he's trying to discover himself, his purpose, his place in the world, to find a drive, so why wouldn't he explore remote places? he's basically backpacking his way in the wilderness multiple times. he would almost CERTAINLY have a semi-strong grasp on the languages of places he visited, and would be able to converse in Italian or French or Spanish for the sake of his travels. he would have to know how to read a map and a compass. how to navigate. how to ration food or hunt or forage or maintain a fire. he'd have to know how to read the stars and what danger sounds and looks like, how to set up camp, how to deescalate tough situations with large groups for the sake of working together for survival. he most certainly climbed mountains, waded through rivers, lost friends.

someone doesn't travel for a solid decade and get lucky every single time. he'd HAVE to have some very tangible survival skills that he picked up after a while. he's not just some dandy fop who cocks his hat and sleeps on a feather mattress every night in a bed and breakfast after looking at a shoreline. the man is gone for YEARS. where is Colin the amateur map maker? the ruins explorer? the mountain climber? who curses like a sailor because he's certainly on boats long enough? who comes home and has to code switch immediately? scruffy colin who has snapped chicken's necks so he could eat and dug pits for water with his bare hands and learned how tree bark can aid wounds and which plants made him so sick he thought he would die in some foreign corner of the world with none the wiser? it's like he gets glossed over the shiny pretty boy who gets to be a prince on a horse and live happily ever after.

that's why book!Colin who marries Penelope and never travels again is so weird to me. like of course he's happy and in love, but he's seen the world. why wouldn't he show her? show his children? he knows a world beyond England. a wide, wonderful, sometimes terrifying and thrilling world that he's had the privilege to experience. with a heart as big as his, of course he'd want to experience it with people he loves.

and show!Colin, too. sure, he went on a grand tour and didn't do the exploration that his book counterpart did, but the hunger for curiosity and discovery wouldn't just fade away because he's in a relationship. if anything, now he has someone he can share it with even more! he sent her so many letters, I can't imagine she wouldn't be curious, too. hunger for that freedom, that education, the knowledge. they can discover together! y'all think Penelope wouldn't love riding horseback and wearing breeches and eating squirrels roasted over an open fire and skinny dipping with the love of her life in a clean, beautiful lake? you think she wouldn't enjoy seeing all the art that has been out of her reach and eating foods she can't get in London and getting dirty and messy and knowing the entire time, she gets to do it with the love of her life and her favorite person to talk to?

i know a lot of the time the fandom sees Colin's travels as something where he's running away or avoiding his life, but it would be nice to explore an opposing perspective. that this is a very fulfilling hobby and life he has. he meets people, gains skills, grows as a person on every trip. he learns to depend on himself, to do more than just what any aristocrat can, doesn't lean on servants for every whim and beck and call. Anthony and Daphne didn't even know how to light a stove to heat up some milk. You think Colin has that problem? Nope.

Colin's travels make him a richer character and a better person. It gives him a bigger appreciation of nature and himself and other communities. I think sometimes we don't give him the depth he deserves. Traveling is an incredibly fulfilling and impressive thing to commit oneself to and Colin IS a distinguished person for doing so.

idk. explorer colin just means so much to me. i love him

[ramblingguy54]

Thinking again about the deep underlying context between Roz & Brightbill's bittersweet goodbye from the migration scene.

How neither didn't want to say goodbye to the other forever.

Yet, Roz felt like she had hurt Brightbill too much to deserve a second chance. After robbing him of a family, even if it was an accident.

Brightbill didn't want to insist upon her staying because he rejected Roz as his mother. Claimed she didn't feel any ounce of emotion. Let's not forget also processing the realization his biological mother wouldn't have been able to care for him, like Roz managed to do so.

Both struck by irrefutable guilt over what they did and said.

The layered complexity sold with barely much dialogue and only excellent character expression alone.

Fucking got me over here like.

[infernothechaosgod]

I love you "four eared trouble" oswald

Hell yeah a ghost brother trying to help you break into a ritch guy's house because he fucking stole your "kinda magic mirror" my beloved

also

I love how the jokes with oswald being an older character arent just him using 1920's slang and that being his entire personality but him being unaware of so many things We found out during the decades Like yeah uhhhh i dont know i dont think you can land on the sun oswald

[a-most-beloved-fool]

Siskoshir and 13 (discreetly) for the ask game? ❤️

thanks for the ask! <3 also oops i accidentally went waaay overboard. this isn't really explicitly romantic or platonic, so interpret it as you will. i think. i don't know what makes a kiss romantic tbh. it is what you decide it is!

A hand squeezed suddenly at Julian's shoulder, and he only barely suppressed a flinch.

"Chin up, Doctor," Sisko breathed into his ear, voice barely louder than Julian's own heartbeat. If he weren't augmented, he was quite certain he wouldn't have heard it at all. "We'll get out of here. Just hold on."

Then Julian felt something soft brush the back of his head, a gentle reassurance, and Sisko was gone again, vanished into the mass of prisoners and leaving only a trace of warmth behind.

--

"We won't be able to communicate openly, once we're in place," Sisko had warned, before everything began. "If they discover that we're associated - they are not known for their mercy. Are you certain you're up for this, Doctor?"

"I am," Julian said, determined. "I won't let you down."

He was the best choice for this type of mission, in his opinion. He'd survived Internment Camp 371, after all. He would survive this, too.

It would be better this time. Julian would have Sisko with him, and he'd be there for a reason, not trapped with little hope of escape.

--

Perhaps Julian had been - a touch overconfident.

In truth, he didn't know if he would have managed to complete his part of the infiltration, if it weren't for Sisko's gentle companionship.

Oh, they couldn't be seen openly together, of course, but the camp was crowded - and in a place where you could hardly move without brushing elbows with a stranger, it was hardly a crime for them to be near one another.

And so, Sisko began - touching. Just little brushes, at first, tracing fingers against wrist or bumping shoulder to shoulder. Little signs of comradery which - though Julian was loath to admit it - were doing a great deal to keep him grounded. Each time the noise or the stench or the aura of despair became suffocating, Sisko would appear and, unobtrusively, find some way to touch him, and suddenly he could breathe again.

Julian returned the favor whenever he could, and hoped that the contact was doing even half as much for Sisko as it was for him.

Then, almost a week into their unpleasant stay, Sisko pushed past him and brushed a kiss to his cheek, coupled with a light squeeze of his shoulder. The touch lasted hardly a moment, and to an observer, would certainly seem accidental - but to Julian it felt as bolstering as his first sight of DS9 after escaping the Internment Camp.

The next day, when the opportunity arose, Julian pressed a secret kiss to Sisko's wrist - and from there, swift kisses, chaste and discreet, were quickly adopted into their touching routine.

They were... nice, Julian decided. Pleasant.

He couldn't help but wonder if they would continue even once back on the Station.

He rather hoped they would.

____

for this ask game. i've got one left to write for it, but if anyone else wishes to send a request, i'm happy to do that, too!