#He views a lot of negative traits as positive ones and positive traits as negative when there in contention with himself

[dxxtruction]

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[3hks]

Writing Character CHANGE

Character development is absolutely CRUCIAL to a story, but having spent more time thinking about this topic, I came to the realization that I misunderstood a lot of points other people have made when teaching how to write character development.

There are a lot of factors that play into character development, but in this post, I'll cover some overall, but the main thing concerns any change to your character! (Which is also a huge part in development, really.)

So with this post, I'll be teaching you MY personal tips regarding this subject!

*The Basics*

Before we really get into the developmental stage, there are some things you want to establish, in which I'll explain later!

A couple of flaws.

How your character views themselves at first.

Your character's morals/ideals and how they think.

These things may vary, but you want your readers to be able to at least roughly predict how your character will act during specific events!

*Change*

Character development is just about how your character changes throughout the story. I like to say that there are several different ways one may change, (we'll get into that later on) but your character should NOT stay the same as the same person during the exposition and during the resolution!

"During character development, your character should grow."

This is a common piece of advice; your character needs to grow. And while I've assumed for the longest time that I understood what it meant, it never truly clicked.

While they will use words such as grow, what they really mean is that your character should mature. By the end of your story, your character may not always end up as a better person. When I say mature, I mean that they have reflected back on their life and have understood the consequences that came with their actions (if any) or how they could've done things differently.

Your character will not always end up as a better, fixed person, but they should understand their world and themselves better.

*Negative/Passive Change*

Alright then, so how does a character develop if they don't necessarily change for the better? Well, I'll get into that!

No matter what, your character should have learned a lesson through their experience. Even if they haven't exactly improved as a person, there should be a moral they can learn from what they have gone through.

If not, then did they really grow?

Additionally, how did their qualities negatively impact themselves? If they are bad traits, then it needs to be clear. And the best way to achieve this is by demonstrating how it hurts your character! However, it is rather uncommon for a character to undergo little to no change after a story!

*Positive Change*

Let's circle back to the basics, real quick. Remember how I said that before any development takes place, your character should be anything but perfect? That same thing applies to after the change.

Do NOT create a flawless character by the end of your story. Instead, focus on one or two flaws that get fixed as the story continues. These don't have to be huge, life-changing imperfections, but they can be minor ones that still shape their life in one way or another.

"Fixing" too many shortcomings can make your character seem, well, out of character, producing a character development that's more forced. The same thing applies if you're attempting to FULLY alter a fault that's just too big. The change will be too noticeable.

What am I talking about? Here's an example!

Imagine a character who's incredibly closed off to other people, wanting to ensure that he never gets too close to others.

That's a pretty sizable flaw, no? By the end of your story, you do not want to completely change because you need to preserve character, but you can change it a bit. Does he have a few friends now? Does he understand that there are some people worth trusting?

He may still be closed off to majority of people, but at least it's not everyone, and that's a realistic change.

*Different Changes*

As I continue to read more stories and watch more shows, I have realized that character development is not always about fixing flaws or personality, but it can extend far past that line.

So listen up, because I feel like no one really talks about this.

Your character can change their IDEALS, MORALS, and how they VIEW THEMSELVES.

Hear that? If your character has strong morals, they will hardly stay the same as they reach the end. Remember the requirements I mentioned at the beginning?

See how it connects now? There is SO much more to character development than changing a few imperfections. Like I said in the start, your character needs to grow and mature. Things like new morals or ideals assist with that!

*SUMMARY*

In order to start character development, you need a couple of flaws, an idea of how your character looks at themselves, and their morals. This is because those are the main parts of you character that may change through time.

Growth = Maturing (gaining a better sense of who they are and the world they live in.)

NOT ALL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS POSITIVE!

For negative or passive change, make sure to clarify how their imperfections affected or hurt them and have some sort of moral that follows.

YOUR CHARACTER SHOULD NOT BE PERFECT!

They should not be perfect in the beginning, and not perfect in the end! Do not 'fix' too many traits because you want to preserve character.

I think that's all! It's quite the post for something so simple, eh? But hey, character development is absolutely PIVOTAL to a story so I hope I at least explained the 'change' part of that well!

Happy writing~

3hks <3

[collaredkittyboy]

Well it's come up multiple times today so I'll make a post about it.

I think the popularization of the word "twink" has ultimately been really bad for people in general.

I know it's hard to track the positive and negative effects of language but I don't think it's hard to see how creating a word for a group of people wherein the most consistent qualifying trait is "being skinny" is healthy for people's self image. Obviously people have lots of ideas about what it means to be a twink- gay, lacking body hair, feminine, beautiful, young, white- but the most consistent descriptor I've seen is "skinny." Hell, it's even a body type on Grindr; the size below "average."

So it kind of functions as a code word in the gay community: anyone can say that they're only interested in twinks and they don't have to look shallow by saying they only like skinny guys. It's such an accepted attitude that no one really bats an eye when they hear it.

I'm not even going to get into how it's become part of the larger issue of people turning "top" and "bottom" into gender roles 2.0, but that is closely related, because people with any internalized homophobia can look at a skinny, feminine man and turn off their fag alarms by viewing him as a woman or not a "real" man, and it makes twinks more acceptable to society at large.

No, ignoring all of that, one of the biggest issues is that gay men are taught by society that they are only attractive while they are skinny. Just having the label "twink" reminds a boy that people are looking at his body and judging it. There were countless times when I was growing up that people would tell me, "You're such a twink," or argue about whether or not I qualified as a twink because I had body hair. People around you, unpromted, judge your body and give you a label based on it, and that label has a large influence on whether or not you're seen as objectively attractive. I know many other gay people who say they wish they were a twink so they could be more attractive to guys.

So think, you have all these kids growing up being told whether or not they qualify as a twink, and then we have the gay community as a whole where it's completely acceptable to say you're only attracted to twinks. I think its because of all of this pressure to be a twink (in other words, to have a below average weight) that many of the gay people that I interact with struggle with a negative body image or eating disorders.

I mean, people talk about "twink death" like it's an actual event that makes a gay man much less attractive, and no one thinks that, maybe, it's harmful to tell a guy that the very day he stops being young and thin and pretty, he will stop being attractive and celebrated?

I'm not qualified to speak on fatphobia in physical queer spaces because I don't have the ability to frequent them where I live, but I can't imagine that these aren't issues at social gatherings as well. I also can't speak on my own experiences with weight discrimination because so far in my life I have had a naturally thin body, but I have experienced a lot of outside pressure to be thin that have caused me to pick up unhealthy eating habits to reduce my weight in fear that I could become fat later on. Thankfully that is something that I've mostly been able to work past. I'm not an expert, but idk, I just wanted to rant on my silly tumblr blog.

Obviously it's impossible for a word to be inherently bad. I'm not trying to imply that saying "twink" is a magic word with evil powers. Obviously the real issues at play here are fatphobia and harmful beauty standards and body shaming. But in my opinion, the popular use of the word twink has made it much easier and acceptable to express fatphobia, etc, in the gay community by turning "skinny person" into a "type of guy that you should try to be so you can be attractive."

[serial-unaliver]

so tired of seeing on social media people say "wait, why didn't any of those men step in to save the woman in xyz scenario???" like sorry you believe some random man will jump in and save a woman being held at gunpoint, but in reality the man will, like the woman, not want to be at risk of harm in a life-or-death situation. he may also have biases that lead him to view the woman as deserving of her fate--many such cases for cops it seems! overall positive traits assigned to men and women by patriarchy are as untrue and harmful as negative ones and a lot of people don't seem to pick up on that, which leads to the tradwife "embracing femininity" shit that ends in financial abuse

[songjay-ay]

Yk i saw one of your posts a while ago that was like "theres a clear difference between jay fans and kai/cole ones" or Something like that and im kinds curious what u meant

U asked this so long ago but I forgot to respond better late than never tho🥲

It was about Kai and Jay fans (Cole fans are kind of in the middle of the spectrum)

Lots of Kai fans are super adamant about their fav being unproblematic from what I’ve seen. They don't like when you call him selfish, like they think he could never do anything wrong. But he has good AND bad traits. He is self centered and immature and I love that about him, he's so bland without his anger and his desire to be the best. I'd just like to see more people acknowledge this part of him, rather than focusing only on how caring he is or how protective he is. Nothing about that is interesting to me without his unhealthy traits that balance him out.

Jay fans are the complete opposite (at least the fans that don't prefer later seasons Jay, but that's an entirely different topic that I also have way too many thoughts about). They're pretty loud & proud about Jay's flaws. A lot of Jay fans (including me) are upset that wildbrain era took away his most prominent issues. His arrogance and selfishness are his appeal, and tbh I think a big part of Jay fans' enjoyment of his worst traits comes from the fact that they were taken away from him. We miss the bitchy, morally questionable Jay, back when he was actually a unique and complicated character. We want him to be who he used to be; the witty, sarcastic, and pessimistic guy that we miss so gosh dang much.

Not that it doesn't go both ways buuuut this is just what I've noticed. Actually Kai and Jay as characters are fairly similar in my opinion, regarding their flaws. It's weird how differently the fandom treats them. But I could go on and on and on so I have to force myself to stop it here😭😭 moral of the story, Kai fans highlight his positive traits, while Jay fans highlight his negative.

But also anyone can see them however they'd like and I'm not tryna force anyone to view the characters only how I view them. Idgaf really but it's just an observation

5 page essay dropping soon guys

[legoliomanikas]

Brief Thoughts About Aventurine, Religion, and Colonialism

This isn't a comprehensive summary, just things I started thinking about. It's kinda funny how things just completely fly past you when you don't think about them regularly, cuz I'm a very not-religious person so it took reading someone offhandedly refer to aspects of Aventurine's backstory as his "religious beliefs" for me to realize how important those actually are.

(2.1 Story Spoilers + reading the Sigonia relic set description will help for some context)

Despite his employment in the IPC calling for Aventurine to help amass capital in the name of Qlipoth the Preservation, we don't really hear him talk about Qlipoth often and his backstory basically omits mention of his relationship to THEM; the focus is entirely about his relationship with Gaiathra Triclops and HER blessing of luck.

The present Aventurine has changed a lot from his young self due to the influence of the IPC, in direct ways such as his newfound wealth and ruthless business practices, and in indirect manners such as how the IPCs involvement in the inter-tribal relationships of Sigonia resulted in higher tensions between the Avgins, Katicans, and other tribes.

However, his belief in Gaiathra Triclops has remained intact into his adulthood. It has soured as he begun to view HER blessing of good luck to be more akin to a curse, but it feels like a very deliberate writing decision to have him still hold onto the belief system of the Avgin. It would have been reasonable if he had later turned to the protection of Qlipoth, as joining the IPC had resulted in the wealth and status he has now, but he doesn't really do this.

Even if the colonialism took much away from him, he still wishes to retain his culture. (The value he places in the items his parents left for him and sister: the charm, the necklace, and the shirt, is further testament to this, as examples outside of his religious beliefs.)

Prayer is also something that we rarely see depicted often in Star Rail, which makes the segments of Aventurine praying with his younger self and sister stand out a lot more. The only character I can recall off the top of my head with an extended prayer sequence is Sunday at the end of 2.0, which is also notable.

One thing that I was wishing the Penacony plot would at least lampshade is the irony of sending Aventurine, a slave working for the IPC, to retake a planet that had led a slave rebellion to escape the IPC's control. While I'm now uncertain if they will address that directly, I do wonder that as we learn more about Sunday, if his relationship with Xipe the Harmony will end up being used as a way to foil him to Aventurine and/or serve as indirect commentary on the situation between the IPC and Penacony. (This is pure speculation)

But yea anyways, it's pretty interesting seeing mihoyo try to incorporate other aspects of racism and colonialism that extend beyond displays of outright hatred, such as how Aventurine's retainment of his culture's religious practices is depicted in a positive light. (Another thing that stuck out to me is how they depicted the fetishization of racial traits negatively, with the way some characters remark on his eyes, how the Avgin's untrustworthy reputation partially lies within their physical attractiveness, and how his relationship with his own appearance has changed as a result, as this is something I rarely see fictionalized but I won't elaborate on this here bc its off-topic.)

Obviously, mihoyo doesn't have the best track record when writing minorities and there's still a fucktonnnnn to be criticized about their decisions in Aventurine's lore as well (the most egregious of which being deriving the name for his planet from an actual slur), but it does seem like they are at least trying to add more depth to their depictions.

[hauntedhopeghost]

Ghost ranting about Green's glasses because they needed to get this down on words

With the whole "Green eating grass video dropping" and stuff

I wanted to explain my rose/orange-colored glasses theory in more detail. Because I made an entire timeline just to try and prove this. And for the other post I only put pictures and I find it super interesting.

(I know, I made another post about this but I'm going to say it again)

So, a lot of people already know that Green's sunglasses, (which he wears more and more often throughout the influencer arc) are orange, and that they match up with Second's as seen in the episode Skyblock. And that Green's glasses first show up in the episode A Special Song. Which was mainly just for fun.

And now he wears it in multiple posts now, mainly when he's alone, I've noticed.

Now, the term rose-colored glasses means having a positive outlook on life, sometimes not noticing the negative things or choosing to ignore it.

Green's sunglasses are orange. orange-colored glasses.

The meaning of the color orange, according to the top Google result is this.

Optimism. Rose-colored glasses is literally another word for optimism. And happiness + enthusiasm which plays another role in this. (Mainly with the rick/stickroll and with how Green's channel originally started)

And then there's the negative side. Arrogance, pride, impatience.

Traits that a lot of us associate with how Green is. It almost makes too much sense.

And working through my timeline, I find he mainly only wears those glasses when he's alone. Another very interesting thing to think about. The only time he wears it around his friends is, again, the rickroll episode.

Edit: I actually got that wrong, he did wear it at the end of the Minecraft vlog, but that's when his friends left him when he was trying to promote Instagram. So they might have seen something he didn't, or it just helps this theory even more. (Thank you so much to @dobrinata for pointing this out to me and adding it onto my original post)

So why am I talking about this? It's just a pair of sunglasses that have nothing to do with the plot whatsoever

I think, with how things are going so far, the glasses are going to serve a kind of symbolism, with Green's outlook of everything and how his perception of the new fame would change things, even if it isn't true he may have a more warped view of what happened, maybe with the Color Gang.

(I sound like I have no idea what I'm talking about XD)

They are sunglasses, too. He might be blind to what's going on... or...

(Just something I thought was interesting to think about)

So yeah, we might see more appearances of those glasses later on, but most likely, with how things are going so far, they'll disappear at the end, or at one point. Maybe it's the Color Gang, or maybe it's something else that he has to come to terms on his own.

Yeah uhh... thanks for coming to my talk where I rant about glasses lol-

[altocat]

I know there's a lot of talk of genesis attitude pre and post degradation, but what are the main differences in your opinion? How much does his attitude actually change?

I definitely think his degradation warped him, or at least took the more negative aspects of his personality and increased them tenfold, or influenced him into doing things he normally would have never done, whether out of desperation or the fact that he's actually receiving literal brain damage from his sickness.

Before his degradation, I think Genesis was definitely arrogant, hotheaded, and occasionally kind of rough around the edges towards strangers. He certainly had a lot of messy aspects to his personality, whether that was his jealousy for Sephiroth or his occasionally spicy attitude towards other people. This was mostly born from a sense of insecurity, wanting to impress people, to be recognized and valued. More than anything, Genesis wanted people to acknowledge him, to see him as someone whose existence mattered. He was terrified of being alone, or being seen as a burden.

For all his negative traits pre-degradation, Genesis had twice as many positives. Genesis could be kind, even sweet, especially towards the younger soldiers who had yet to prove themselves (Genesis heavily related to the feeling). When he wasn't focused on his rivalry with Sephiroth, he was a loyal comrade and a courageous fighter. He could be teasing and mischievous, but never to the point where he'd take things too far, at least not intentionally. He loved pranks and contests, still viewed the world with some lingering sense of innocence. He believed in storybook heroes and fables. He wanted to BECOME one someday. He could be practical, borderline chivalrous when it suited him. He could even be ready to sacrifice himself for the sake of his friends. Genesis had many flaws, but beneath his fiery exterior, there was a good-natured person who wanted to connect with others, wanted to be the hero they deserved.

After his sickness, Genesis throws a lot of his better traits away. He becomes overly spiteful, openly provocative, completely willing to hit someone where it hurts. His feelings towards Sephiroth warp from a competitive friendship to genuine malice, wanting revenge. He still never meant for Sephiroth to DIE (or Angeal for that matter), but he DID want to show him up somehow. And no longer had the restraint to care about the methods used to do it. Genesis also became hyper aggressive, his temper explosive, his thoughts constantly clouded. He acted on impulse even worse than he ever had before. He just did what FELT good in the moment and didn't think about the consequences....

....Until he was cured. After being healed by Minerva, the full weight of Genesis' actions falls upon him all at once, reliving every ugly moment, every thoughtless, cruel, violent action. SEVEN YEARS' worth of sins to atone for. Seven years' worth of brutality and loss. Genesis is crippled, body and soul. He seals himself in his watery tomb not just for the sake of the planet, but out of regret. He remembers his friends, the things he said and did to them. He remembers everything. He loved them. He never wished to harm them. WHY did he do it? Was it the sickness? Or was it really him this whole time? He can't bear to live with those thoughts. It's eating him alive. He grants himself the mercy of sleep as a means of temporarily escaping them, letting them haunt his dreams as he surrenders himself to oblivion.

The Genesis that emerges years later is cynical, jaded, world-weary, but ultimately wiser and more subdued. He still has his sharp wit and poetic personality, but it's a lot more muted now. Mostly, he's just tired, going through the motions. He seems a lot quieter, gentler around people. Through his altered genetics, he will live an exceedingly long extended life, surviving long after all the others (except for Vincent) are gone. In that time, Genesis travels the planet alone, doing good where he can, but never forgetting what was lost.

[beanghostprincess]

Usopp's constant negativity and anxiety are something useful and "positive" at the end of the day (eg: fight against Perona) because he doesn't necessarily need to change his views, he just needs to trust himself and his abilities more and he just uses what he has at the moment which is, you know, negativity. It is not something positive but it does keep him safe from danger and he will end up being proud of himself and stronger than he could ever imagine, but that doesn't mean he'll stop being negative. It's just another personality trait a lot of people have, and Usopp using it for his advantage is something great, I feel. He takes pride in being like that. He's loud and shameless about it.

Unlike Sanji, who dwells on his negativity on his own. Quietly. And lets it consume him without having any power over it. His self-sabotaging and self-sacrificing behavior often comes from a place of giving up out of fear of others getting hurt to save him because that's pretty much his core fear. Being a burden/Not being able to save the people he cares about from himself and his past. It's not something the manga shows that much in comparison to Usopp's negativity, but Sanji's pessimistic views are pretty much one of the reasons why WCI happens and why he puts himself in the worst situation in Wano.

And I think (this is why I'm writing all of this) that they're perfect for each other because Usopp could show him that being afraid and negative isn't something so bad. After all, at least Usopp is aware that if he can't do something, the crew will help him out no matter what. Usopp's negative, yes, but it's alright because he doesn't go through it on his own. Even if he does look shameless and "selfish" when desperately asking for help (he isn't, by the way. It's actually pretty reasonable to act like that). Sanji needs to learn to ask for help shamelessly too and he needs to stop putting all the weight of the world's negativity on his shoulders. They need to carry it together.

Like- There's just something so personal in Usopp going "Yes! I am scared. Frightened even. Please, help!" because he might not like that part of him and he's trying to be stronger and more independent every day, but he acknowledges that things can go south and his reaction is very fight or flight but pretty mostly flight to be safe. While Sanji's response is always to fight because he refuses to let others know he needs help in case something happens to them (and also because he feels ashamed of feeling weak). Usopp shares the responsibility and accepts that he's kind of a loser sometimes but Sanji refuses to do so.

This is just a thought about Sanji learning that being a coward and asking for help isn't bad because they're meant to do stuff like that, and Usopp growing to be stronger and independent but not necessarily stop being pessimistic because sometimes you just... Are like that. Sometimes you're scared. Sometimes you have anxiety. And that's alright. You can be strong anyway.

[officialsollux]

What do you think of erifef :-)

ahhh erifef..... it's about the misunderstanding. it's about being the opposite of who you seem to be when you're looking at one another. it's about the being kids too young dealing with stakes too high and using violence and using each other until finally that violence goes ON one another.

Feferi is VERY misunderstood in canon in part because she sounds very sure of herself and the things people around her are doing when in fact that narrative is NOT the true reality of the situation. she is. so so so. and i truly do mean so. witch of life core. she needs Eridan and she is in some ways using him and then switching her desire to be rid of him when she doesn't need him. she views the things he does always as sincere or manipulative in the opposite direction Eridan is acting, which is ironic since they've known each other for so long, but also, half the time Eridan gets absorbed. Feferi finds Eridan too much! he is too much for her! and she is someone who like. has to put herself first or she will twist the situation to suit those needs. but for Eridan she resents him in part because she did try to fit herself into a position with him for a long time because of this relationship with orphaning he had with her that she felt free of in the game. Feferi is in no place when she is a preteen/young teenager to be around very hyper-sensitive and traumatised individuals who she feels any responsibility towards. Eridan is like all of this plus she feels trapped. Which just sort of captures them in this cycles of him feelings overbearing so forth.

Eridan on the other hand is like. Not seeing Feferi as manipulative, but rather fated -- which is part of troll romance and also part of being thirteen -- but it does give some distance between who she is and how he's romanticising her. He loses himself in her perspective. And he is also devaluing a dynamic Feferi is putting effort into maintaining even though it is taxing on her because he wants her in another quadrant. And to be honest, had Feferi returned his feelings, I DO think they'd have been much better flush rather than pale -- hence Feferi being able to like Sollux who has quite a few of the traits that make her irate with Eridan. Though to be honest, I think that relationship probably would wear on her too. Eridan also has all these opinions he's loud about that he doesn't really mean that are the opposite of what Feferi's trying to do. I cannot even truly get a grasp if she believes it because I kind of do think she should be able to see through it, but I do think Feferi is very very bad at empathy. I don't say that negatively -- how you grow with low empathy can be completely neutral. But Feferi is also this counter to Eridan's perspective and they are wrapped up in each other more than anything so if we're being real, I think their perspectives match up more than people would think -- they just cope differently with coming to grips with the position they hold and how to self identify. they miss giant chunks of themselves in opposing ways. they are each other's foils.

now if we're talking about shipping erifef. my opinion is. when they are thirteen. it is not going to work. they are toxic bad bad bad for one another. Eridan is obnoxious to some extent but a lot of this is just on how Feferi kind of is -- which is why I feel like there's not enough great Feferi meta out there. She has sooooo many great traits, and she is so young, but she also is manipulative and violent and sure of how things should be even when she could be wrong. How she treats Eridan is not great on many occasions, not that she doesn't have every right to get space from him, and not that Eridan's isn't someone who shoots himself in the foot constantly trying to interact or portray himself ever.

I used to be really intense about them for a while and then I went the opposite way and I just like this week started thinking of them romantically again. But it's like very much in the context of this fic I'm writing.

I think if they both grew up enough to umask a lot (which I think for Eridan will end with a complete collapse of self and will happen fast and will end up with him falling into guilt & self hatred, still self obsessed, but with a loss of his armour and ideology) (likewise, for Feferi, I think it'd need to be drawn to her attention, repeatedly, shoved in her face what she is and what's she's like, and I think the way she'd come to grips is in fear of the weight on her shoulders and what if she, after time passes by and by and by, could become like her ancestor?) they could potentially be a romantic match.

The thing is. Eridan does genuinely love Feferi a LOT. And I do think Feferi loves Eridan too, she just isn't equipped to meet his needs. Feferi wants to help people so badly. She wants the world to be better. She has a world in her head that's counter to the violence pushed upon them, but it's still wrapped up in the huge privilege they both share. She can't really handle not wanting to fulfill a position, especially one someone else could. Like, the situation with Eridan does need to Be Flipped on Eridan, whether or not that's an accurate representation of the situation or not. Because the way Feferi needs to meet her needs also needs to met by her sense of security in perception. She resents Eridan mostly because of what she doesn't want to be for him.

now. if we are talking pale -- I don't think there's ever a time when it would be necessarily smart for the two of them to be moirails. that's like, the worst matched quadrant for them by FAR. flushed i'm like, well Feferi doesn't like Eridan and that's her right, so it's one of those things where, I wouldn't want her to change her mind to suit him unless they'd both moved on from his childhood crush you know. I CAN see her liking him as they mature. If they unmask. I think she might kind of start to like the balance Eridan has and the sweetness he holds for her. She also has feelings for Sollux who has more in common with Eridan than either of them would like to admit. I can see it being very sweet, especially if Eridan has a good moirail too. But I still think it could go VERY badly. their personalities are kind of bad for one another in many ways. So it depends on how they grow up and how stable they are.

they should not be kismeses. it would uh. destroy Eridan. even if they weren't childhood friends and he liked her red. like i cannot tell you enough how bad that would be. still perhaps not as poorly matched as moirails for both of them, but for Eridan. yeah not good.

so yeah flushed erifef could go hard in very specific circumstances, childhood friends make me SOFT. it's about the love it's about the history it's about the growing up together. i think erifef is compelling and toxic. they are foils. but in more complicated ways than people always think.

[fefifofoggy]

The Marauders as The Soldier, Poet, King Meta

So, I don't know if anyone's ever thought about this song with the Marauders specifically. But as a sidenote I like listening to music on my way to classes and I ran across one of those 'and you were a fairy' playlists with the first song being The Soldier, Poet, King by The Oh Hellos.

Anyways it made me think of MWPP and which lyrics would represent who.

The King

I don't think that this comes as a surprise to anyone, but I feel James has this spot claimed. The ruler is the most important, he is the king. Everything he says or does can have either a negative or positive impact on the people and his subjects. It was a positive impact for his friends. They remember him in a good light, he can essentially do no wrong and if he does then it can always be explained away for this or that reason. He was the shining sun and the warmth that all the Marauders felt cocooned in. Prongs was their King.

“No, I think you’re like James,” said Lupin, “who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends.”

James was protective and loved deeply those that were his. He was honorable, he had a very black and white view of the world from what we know of. The king who found nothing more dishonorable than not trusting his closest friends--the ones he became illegal animagi with, the ones he created a secret map with and the same ones that he went gallivanting through the woods under a full moon with.

There will come a ruler Whose brow is laid in thorn Smeared with oil like David's boy

(Yes, this is a reference to Christianity, to Jesus and his brow laid in thorns while put on the cross to die.)

But, I also like to think of it and how this would apply to James. There will come a ruler -- he and Lily are a part of a Prophecy; those who have thrice defied Voldemort, with a summer born child. A Prophecy that they go into hiding for, a Prophecy that could kill them. Yet, it wasn't the Prophecy that killed them, but a betrayal of trust.

The Poet

Sirius Black, the poet.

I feel that this might be contested--maybe a lot of people would think this is the role that Remus would slide into, since he already fits into dark academic aesthetic and fandom portrays him as a voracious reader. (Not to mention the way he talks and how he will weaponize his words)

But I think the Poet is Sirius Black.

There will come a poet Whose weapon is His word He will slay you with His tongue

Born and raised a pureblood to the House of Black, likely slotted to become the next head of his house after his father or grandfather. We see from Walburga's portrait during OoTP that she had a virulent tongue, a trait that Sirius inherited from her. We see it in the train car during their first meeting.

“Where’re you hoping to go, seeing as you’re neither?” interjected Sirius.

Between MWPP, Sirius has always been the one to use his words to cut people the most.

“There’s��enough filth on my robes without you touching them,” said Black.

Picking at people's hygiene, cleanliness, looks, abilities, or intellect--nothing is/was too far for Sirius.

“Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement.”

That's how he talks to a friend once he's gotten annoyed? What about his enemies? Or those he considers beneath him? (Which are typically those he doesn't find to be intellectually stimulating to him, as we've seen and a few other people on here have pointed out.)

More than half the time, Sirius' chosen weapon is his words. He is the type of character to point out flaws, weaknesses, things that he knows will hurt the most because he wants to make you bleed.

(And to think, these quotes aren't even some of the worst things he's said, I just couldn't find the quotes that I wanted and didn't want to leaf through my bookshelf.)

The Soldier

I know this will most definitely be an unpopular opinion, but I couldn't decide between Peter or Remus as the soldier. So, I put them both in this section, but I am more partial to Peter.

Remus as the soldier because of his status as a werewolf.

There will come a soldier Who carries a mighty sword

His lycanthropy is his sword, and he is one of Dumbledore's soldiers because of his ability to enter werewolf rings as a spy. It's a heavy burden but one that (as Lupin says) only he can bear.

But that is two of three lines, and he doesn't quite fit the soldier role to me.

Peter does, however.

Sure, he's not a brave soldier, the one that movies are made about--and he doesn't have a strong sense of wanting to fight for the little guy.

But he is still a soldier. The soldier who joined because his friends signed up for a war and he didn't want to be alone. The soldier who thought that maybe, just maybe, he could cruise on throughout the war because he's not particularly useful or strong or politically important in any way. He's just another foot soldier.

Until he is important, and he realizes that he doesn't want to die. He's fresh out of school, he followed his friends into a war because maybe they convinced him (or he convinced himself) that this would be a summer thing or a couple years at most and it'll make for a decent story for his future kids or grandkids when he can say, "Yeah, I fought in the war--on the winning side."

But then he is faced with a choice: living as a turncoat or dying.

Nobody wants to die. Certainly not Peter who is barely in his twenties at this point. He hasn't lived. Didn't have a girlfriend, wasn't married like James was. Did he even want to get married? What if he wanted to travel the world?

We don't know.

So, spying? On his friends, on his comrades, on people who look him in the eye and think they can trust him. And it turns out that Peter is kind of good at it. He's remained undetected for a while. Hell, Sirius thinks its Remus and Remus thinks its Sirius. Nobody ever suspects Peter.

After all, why would they? It's not like he's ever been anything more than a coward, right? James and Sirius' tagalong. Peter couldn't hurt a fly, not when he was the fly.

There will come a soldier Who carries a mighty sword He will tear your city down

First his sword was his secret as a spy.

Then he becomes a Secret Keeper. The Secret Keeper.

A Fidelius Charm was advanced magic. Voldemort could make out with the Potter's living room window and still not know they were on the other side, unless--

Unless someone with the key to the city let him in.

Tearing a city down had never been easier.

[centrally-unplanned]

How did dems shoot themselves in the foot with Latino voters? What did they do

I don't think there is one answer or any settled answer to this - in some respects of course the answer is "how did Trump successfully court Latino voters", he was president after all, and sometimes you just lose out to positive actions from the opponent.

IMO most of the evidence suggests that A: Latinos, like black voters, are more socially conservative than white voters within the Dem coalition (or even amoung independent voters), and less left in a general sense. But unlike black voters, latino voters do not have historically hyper-deep political orgs tied into the democratic party to keep them on their side despite the shifting views of the party. So in the 2010's - particularly when Trump was president and there was no democratic policy to evaluate, only their words as opposition & like media/vibes - the left shift on cultural topics, from racial politics to queer/identity issues and so on (or more muddled topics like Covid policy), was isolating to Latino voters. And this was paired with a generalized "taking them for granted" amoung many operatives - like they were just assuming Latinos would be opposed to Republican rhetoric on immigration, but no, they are quite capable of being just as nativist as anyone else (a human trait, that), and additionally tended to live in the communities most "exposed" to undocumented immigration waves and so many groups had negative opinions. Hispanic Americans are diverse, and Dem messaging didn't acknowledge that.

I also think that the 2020 crime wave should be its own point here too. In the summer of 2020, the Democratic party became vibe-associated with harsh anti-police sentiment, and then in the summer/fall of 2020 the US had a huge spike in crime, particularly violent crime like murder. Like black voters, Latino voters tend to disproportionately be the victims of crime, and thus are typically more "law and order" minded - and additionally don't have the same relationship with police black Americans might have that complicates that pattern voting-wise. So, even if imo it was pretty unfair because it wasn't like actual Democratic politicians (outside of a few cities where they almost immediately backtracked) ever themselves supported cutting police funding and Trump was president at the time, the Dems got heavily viewed as the weak party on crime, and that voting block heavily punished them in 2020. That block had a lot of Latino voters in it.

But I have no doubt there are other stories to spin. Like in the current election Robert F Kennedy disproportionally has Latino supporters. Probably some level of growing "anti establishment" sense there, and Trump (hilariously, as nepo baby billionaire megadonor former president) has the outsider brand in US politics right now, so 2020 may have reflected that.

[springbreezes-and-peonies]

I just wanna quickly state, and I don’t at all mean this in a rude way but as someone who’s played most of the games and has been in the fandom since I was 8 years old and trust me when I say that’s awhile. I’m an adult now. I don’t understand the people that get mad when Taranza is written as cute and sweet. As long as he’s still given agency I definitely view him and write him as cute and sweet and not insufferable. I also think he definitely can be a bit of a snob, a know-it-all and a klutz. All these things are stated but there’s no reason he can’t be both. HAL Labs THEMSELVES in the mangas, game descriptions, and cutscenes and artwork official by THEM has him more often than not having the sentimentality of a heartbroken old man if you just look up some of their own character art. There is no woobification. Sure some fans may not focus on all elements, like the fact he can fight really well and CAN possess people but he’s also a silly little spider Kirby character for chrissakes. Sorry I find him as adorable and cringe fail as HAL makes him. I really think this is just a case of one segment of fans getting mad that one side of the fanbase focuses more on his positive or endearing traits and like…sorry 🤷🏼 I like him??? So I focus a lot on the positives. I also think painting him as a 100% callous villain who has reformed is MISSING the relationship abuse and grief themes of his character and TDX as a whole but I don’t post stuff criticizing fans who want to portray him that way, it’s a valid portrayal too. Seriously look at some of Hal’s artwork of him. Manga chapters of him. Tell me he’s not meant to be endearing and cute. This is Kirby. He can be both long-winded and snobby and adorable and sweet. I’m js. It’s a little odd to me to be like “stop headcanoning kyoot character as kyoot when I think he’s an asshole!” Taranza is a comfort character for a lot of us who grieve and have been abused. He is absolutely endearing and I look at all his traits. I just especially love the kyoot ones. I emphasize again: if you prefer him to be a cold, snobby, jerk that’s hard to be around that is your right and you can do with that what you want. I don’t see him that way. I think he has his negative traits and his positive and hope to capture BOTH.

[pikachu78109]

Worst Traits That Some Champions Have Part 2

((This is part two of my original post where I wrote different bad traits about some of the Pokémon Champions, so I’ll be giving more Champions some negative traits that I think they might have. Enjoy!))

Cynthia

This one is sort of hard as Cynthia, as a person/character overall, appears so humble and down to earth. She’s not out here trying to be high and mighty nor a perfectionist. Cynthia understands herself well and is aware of both her strengths and limitations; she doesn’t obsess with being number one, nor doesn’t flaunt her abilities to newcomers or bystanders. So, suffice it to say, Cynthia has difficulty accepting compliments and praise. Like, she’ll smile and say “thank you” to not be rude, but it’s a quick reciprocation. Knowing how powerful of a Champion she presents, and how often many compare, it’s a continuous thorn in Cynthia’s side that she will ALWAYS be an exemplary champion that many other future Champs, or even the current ones, should aspire to be. Deeply, it wounds Cynthia that she overshadows other Champions due to this, how some may downplay their strength in favor of Cynthia’s. Truthfully, I can’t say that this is a worst trait. It’s more of an insecurity, albeit Cynthia not enjoying being a damn expectation for all Top Trainers. She hates the pressure and believes that every Champ deserves their time to shine individually. For Cynthia, when not battling, the spotlight always makes it back to her and that makes her want to retreat so badly.

Geeta

As both a Champion and Chairwoman, Geeta has a lot on her plate, so she never has any free time. Much like Lance in part one, she’s a workaholic, constantly on the move, and makes frequent visits to each Gym in Paldea to make sure everything is running smoothly. This, of course, makes her prone to burning herself out and usually Rika has to step in and reel her back.

Given her frequent visits to each Gym, Geeta can be very strict and I’m putting that lightly. In truth, Geeta is an intense woman. Outside, she appears calm and collected. La Primera never loses her temper towards anyone. However, she’s very domineering albeit politely (yes, I know it’s strange). She tends to overstep boundaries without meaning to and this comes off rather poorly towards the Gym Leaders such as Katy and Ryme, and, of course, our one and only Larry. Geeta views these visits as necessary, so she doesn’t quite understand that her barging in unannounced and unprompted has caused the Gym Leaders to garner a negative opinion towards her. Geeta doesn’t know this as, once again, her intensity deters the Gym Leaders (even Elite Four) to call her out on it.

Geeta has a bad habit of assuming what people should do with their time and often asserts her own opinion on things that she has no say in. When she asked Drayton about a position in the League to replace Larry, he turned it down immediately and gave his reason. That’s one example of Geeta pushing a choice onto someone without considering their wants/needs. This is by far Geeta’s worst trait and one that irks people the most. She thinks she’s being helpful and generous while others say differently. It’s inconsiderate at worst and intrusive at, well, the ultimate worst.

Diantha

I don’t think it’s fair to put Diantha on the same page as Alder in terms of running away from Pokémon League duties. Fact of the matter is, Kalos isn’t as battle heavy as other regions, so challengers coming to face off against Diantha are pretty rare to come by. Because of the lack of challengers, Diantha isn’t seen as “Champion-like” nor exudes an intimidating aura like Lance or Cynthia. She’s often not taken seriously, which isn’t a bad trait but more of an insecurity on her part. Diantha cares about her position, but she won’t deny that even she doesn’t understand why she still has the Champ title.

There really isn’t much I can say about Diantha, but she’s forgetful sometimes. She tends to forget about the League due to her busy schedule as an actress and her time at the League isn’t always available. It’s not her fault of course, but her being away so often has led others to assume that she’s neglecting her League duties. Her time management skills need work and she’s trying hard to improve on that.

Steven

Much like Cynthia, Steven has a difficult time accepting compliments and praise from people given his notoriety and strength. Again, much like Cynthia, Steven is polite and keeps it brief but the man can be a bit overwhelmed when a huge influx of praises roll in. Usually, Steven might react very little (still maintaining politeness) and, when done, he just tries to get away from all the attention. At heart, Steven’s a bit of an introverted guy as opposed to Wallace. He’ll avoid any large gatherings as much as possible, but inevitably he’ll get washed away by many fans pointing him out in public. It’s exhausting and Steven tries to be a positive influence but this guy just wishes that it would be over quickly so that he can go back to his rock collection.

Quite argumentative, but only when he’s at his absolute limit. Steven’s a reasonable person and doesn’t mind a bit of back and forth, but when he gets heated, it becomes another level. Steven doesn’t like to be wrong and doesn’t like when people insult his intelligence (Zinnia is a prime example here). For all his coolness and collected demeanor, Steven tries to articulate his points clearly and makes damn sure that it gets to the point. However, it will get lost in translation because Steven might fumble with his words, picking out correct words that will deliver a final say. Regardless, most debates end in stalemate and Steven feels salty for a while. He’ll get over it, but it’ll take a few minutes. Or at least an hour.

[pokemontvtime]

Ash & Self-Sacrifice (S1E4)

One thing that turns up again and again (and again, and again, and again) in the Pokemon series, at least to me, is how Ash constantly puts his Pokemon before himself.

We see this from the very start of his journey, when he attempts to save Pikachu from the Spearow that have been chasing them. He does this by telling Pikachu to hide inside its Poke Ball, while he himself attempts to face off against the flock.

It's clear that Ash is putting himself in danger with this action; the potential consequences are not clearly defined, but would probably involve at the very least a lot of injuries.

Ash is saved by Pikachu, rather than doing the saving, when Pikachu sees Ash's courage and leaps to summon an electric attack and send the Spearow packing.

This all happens in the very first episode, and it's a really striking character illustration, as well as character-building, establishing what will be a lifetime bond between these two.

Ash is shown to have great courage, determination, and a disregard for personal safety when it comes to a Pokemon that is relying on him.

I find this to be an exceptionally admirable trait in a character, and one that the show remains consistent in.

This dedication to his Pokemon, and learning how best to look out for what they need, continues throughout the next several episodes. We can see that Ash is inexperienced in the fourth episode, when his Metapod gets kidnapped by a Beedrill.

Ash reflects on the experience, and comes to view it as his failure to look out for and protect his Pokemon. This seems to reinforce earlier ideas he's shown in earlier episodes, doubling down on himself as the protector of his Pokemon

The show also doubles down on having his Pokemon respond to his convictions with equal commitment to look out for their trainer, as in the very next scene, Metapod throws itself in front of a Beedrill that was attacking Ash, taking a grievous injury. (Not to worry, it uses this battle to evolve into Butterfree, working even harder to protect Ash)

I admire this characteristic of Ash's, to treat the care and responsibility for his Pokemon so seriously. The show seems to really emphasize this as character growth of his, and it makes me adore him more as a character, especially because this will not be the last time he commits himself to this ideal. ((*see: Ash throwing himself between Squirtle and a bomb (S1E12; Ash running into an on-fire building (S1E26); and nearly throwing himself off a cliff to grab Pikachu (S2E23) among many others.))

It is, however, also something that I see as a character flaw of his, in equal measure, for many of the exact same reasons.

I think he does amazing things for his Pokemon, and I think it makes him an amazing trainer. And, also, I think he undervalues himself often. He is determined, but often takes even perceived failures to heart, even when the actions he took had no positive or negative morality attached.

He beats himself up for failing to protect his Pokemon, yet would never for a moment let one of his Pokemon think less of themselves for failing to protect him.

He shoulders a heavy burden, and often seems determined to carry it alone. It makes me feel so much sympathy for Ash, and makes me relate to him and love him more for it.

I have a lot more to say about the ways in which Ash sacrifices himself, but it will have to wait for a future post.

[gemsofgreece]

Hello!

This is a genuine question tangentially related to the response you posted:

Do you think the characteristic of the God of the dead in Greek myth as someone comparatively more positive of a person (as close as a God gets to being one, at least) is something based in cultural/historical/archeological/mythological evidence or the absence of it? As in, when you view him through a more positive lens, do you base your opinion on any particular local idea of him, or on the lack of "negative" myths about him?

I know there are certain parts of the general cluster of info on him that point towards his positive traits (some epithets, seemingly positive take on H/P in Lokri area, and so on), but what do you think is the main reason for him to be viewed positively? What is your reason?

I do agree with you, by the way, that there's a lot of weird... hypocrisy in how people now treat different Greek Deities. So, my question is more to ponder with you on the topic, don't consider it a nuanced attack or anything. Thank you in advance!

Hello! This is a great question.

I do have a reasoning and it is based on the general information we have about him rather than the lack thereof.

First of all, Ancient Greeks generally did not like Hades and avoided mentioning him but this was not because of some presumed cruelty or flaw of his character. They simply thought of him superstitiously and feared that too much engaging with the worship or even thinking about Hades would bring - what else - death upon them. (This superstition is huge even nowdays - don't mention / analyze something bad or unfortunate or it will come to you). This avoidance and the fear are perhaps the reasons why there are relatively fewer myths about him compared to some other gods.

However, it seems they were also aware of this avoidance and in the back of their minds they were concerned that it would anger the god and have the opposite result (bring them death out of spite / vengeance). I believe this is why they also developed positive traits about him (the most important being that he was also the god of wealth - Pluton). The fact that this name and domain of divine authority was attributed to him a little later in time supports the hypothesis that they were trying actively to make his worship more palatable in order to appease him.

But I think there's another reason why Hades had generally positive traits and this is that... he was the God of the Underworld!!! OK, hear me out! Unlike the major Olympians, Hades was the only one who was not ruling over living beings. The other gods domineered life and all of the nature with its elements. They domineered over things that underwent changes constantly, sometimes unexpected or violent. So their personalities reflected that constant change and this unpredictability - be it in nature, in the sky and the sea, in the animals and humans themselves and the livings they led. On the contrary, Hades ruled over the dead, the unchanging eternity, the ultimate silence. It didn't make sense for him to be a noisy, lively or volatile god because this is not what death is. I bet this is also the reason why he was the only one who was viewed as mostly monogamous and interested in longterm romantic relationships - he was not a god who contributed to creation and procreation, he was associated to the exact opposite. It would be jarring for the dead to have a god that constantly has sex and has babies and births life. I believe the few partners given to Hades and his few children (three and three respectively) were likely even serving some necessary concepts Greeks had to attach to some symbolism (i.e Persephone and nature), otherwise Hades might as well be portrayed as celibate. Him ruling over the eternity of death made him stable, consistent, more sensible, generally quiet and calm and capable of more profound, undying emotions.

Hades was also responsible and decent. There are some insinuations in the myths and their variations I think that he wasn’t all that happy for being assigned to be a ruler of the underworld. He accepted his fate with dignity however, even though he was the oldest brother, out of respect for his younger brother Zeus saving all of them from Cronos and perhaps out of wisdom for deciding it’s not worth it to argue it out with super strong Poseidon for the seas. After that, he ruled the Underworld with dignity, total responsibility and great care. I think this might be some symbolism associated with the solemnity, decency and sacredness people treat their dead.

Furthermore, he was viewed as just. This also makes sense because upon observation Greeks could guess that Death is just. It comes to all, lucky, unfortunate, rich, poor, privileged and loved or marginalized. No one ever escaped or returned from death. Death was fair and absolute. Surely the Greeks would also like to imagine the Underworld as fair and equal towards all the souls of the dead [with a special treatment for extreme wrongdoers - Tartarus, rarely for normal human beings - and rare glorious legendary heroes - Elysian fields - and then all the average souls together in Hades (the place)]. Hades (the god) also employed three srict but good judges to determine how a soul was to be treated in the afterlife, based on how they had fared once alive. Despite being generally good and fair, he was stern and cold because how could the god of the dead be joyous or overly expressive and animated? And he was adamant at keeping the souls to his realm, greatly guarded, because who ever came back from the dead?

So this is why I think Hades was viewed as quiet, consistent, just and reliable. Because this is what death is - reliably it will come to us all and we will all receive the same treatment.

And now, sorry, but I have to do this: