#and I hate seeing them get so wildly mischaracterized

[spekktors]

seeing the results on polls like "which bg3 companion is mostly likely to x" just confirms to me how many people haven't done the Galemance. you know nothing about this man beyond the memes about eating boots and it shows

[ritualcaster]

We're going hotter folks.

The hot takes from before were met with waves of agreement and affirmation, which was NOT the goal. So I'm going even hotter.

The lgbtq community is massively over-represented. More-so with gender identities then sexualities. This does NOT take into account the fact that homophobia may or may not exists in-universe. Either way there's something to be pissed off about.

I hate that this is an object show. I love object shows but not only is it off-theme for an obejct show, it's not intentionally off-theme. By that i mean theres no irony or parody to more conventional obejct shows.

Why the fuck are the episodes ordered like this? You can see minty lighting a moltov for citrus FIVE EPISODES BEFORE VENATICS. And then just a plothole of the pooltrus and binty groups splitting before anything like that is possible? Its stupidly hard to follow and reads like a rant.

I'm sick of the ships, ALL of them. Every romantic relationship possible has too many tie ups to be enjoyable outside of cannon. I've seen maybe 5 ships in the entire fandom that don't wildly mischaracterize atleast one member. Comet x wagyu? Citrus x minty? Wagyu x citrus? Fuck off.

Like seriously for a comic of this nature im expecting environment art, gore, violent animations, instead its just 90% ship art. Why is THAT what you found most interesting? Out if everything that was what motivated you to actually draw it? I understand its a fandom, but its weird to me. It's so damn shallow and "now make them kiss!" coded, show me a slowburn fanfic and THEN we can talk about ship art.

Mushroom and Dynamite are stupidly annoying. And thats saying a lot considering they have my 2nd favorite ep. Mushroom is immature, and Dynamite is so damn dramatic. It's hard to believe they're in college when they act like middle schoolers. It astounds me that mushroom can nuzzle dynamite and brush his hair from behind and still be suprised and when he eventually just kisses her. Ugh i still like them though.

I do not understand the comet fans, she's cool I guess, she's just boring in comparision. She has barely any redeeming qualities as a character and as a person. So i don't get how people relate or get interested.

[dundeey-art]

Had no thoughts about prowl. the majority of the fandom thinks he's an asshole and they either hate him for it or love him for it.

So I read the entire wreckers saga for Verity initially, but you know what? Prowl really stood out to me. I wanted to see more of him, so I read the issues he was in and I truly don't understand where the whole "prowl is an asshole" came from, yes he does some bad stuff (so does everyone else) but i interpreted this as a means to an end.. i think he's always thinking about the future and the end of the war, and his actions reflect that. I'm pretty sure he even mentioned that he "has to make tough decisions for a better tomorrow" but don't quote me on that

I think trying to moralize anyone in the IDW comics is a bad idea LOL, love them as they are (￣ー￣)ｂ

I find it really interesting how prowl is like.. public enemy #1 in the fandom when there are others who are worse and get so much love. LIKE RODIMUS OH MY GOD DO NOT EVEN GET ME STARTED. He annoyed me so much while reading MTMTE. Seriously, the way everyone babygirl-ifies him and never talks about his wrongs, you'd swear rodimus is a pretty decent guy. He's infuriating, painfully immature, and egotistical, and those traits get people killed. Like at some point, he ignores advice from ultra magnus because he's petty, and it ends up a disaster... I'm not even gonna touch on his horrible friendship with drift.

I dunno how this turned into a rodimus rant (；ω；) BUT ANYWAY!! prowl is pretty incredible, and i didn't know for such a long time because of the fandom's mischaracterization of him.

— dream (*＾3＾)/～☆

holy fucking based...

YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!!!

indeed, if you just read the material, you'll see that prowl is wildly misinterpreted and exaggerated by the fandom. personally i like rodimus, but what you said is true. almost every character in IDW has committed terrible crimes, but those get excused or overlooked way more than prowl's do. prowl supposedly being the biggest war criminal in the story is a joke that gets boring really quickly.

its most likely about more than just his actions, though. i think prowl's personality puts people off. like hes a bit too unfriendly, not cute or quirky enough. but i like prowl, he's one of the few i can actually tolerate. but i guess thats just not the popular opinion. really, though, i think people that genuinely think prowl is an asshole are annoying. we probably wouldnt get along irl.

personality aside, i genuinely think prowl is an incredibly admirable character. he's like the anti-hero to me. it's clearly shown in his actions and motivations. far from the antagonist that some people claim he is.

im so glad you read it for yourself to come to your own conclusion and gained all this insight! thank you for sharing!!

[gradualmadness]

I feel König is very mischaracterized and I want to have a say on that. Shoutout to my boy Herrera, he got my back 💪 💯 (Thxs for being my reader) if this does well I'll wrote more also heads-up I have NSFW ones so read to where you're comfortable with. Enjoy!!!

König Headcannons SFW

Has constant back pain due to his height and trying to make himself as invisible as possible, which for a man his height isn't easy. He sometimes catches himself slouching due to years of doing so in his childhood due to him being bullied.

Will completely and unashamedly stare at people. He's not sure how to start conversations and honestly just doesn't care much about them. So he just stares. He learns a lot about people because of this.

Just because he has social anxiety doesn't mean he stutters or he's some child. He just rather not interact with people. However, he's a Colonel for a reason. He's never afraid to give orders, and when he has something to say, he will say it. But small talk? Forget about it. He'd rather shoot himself in the head

Hates when people undermine him due to his anxiety. He's a human battering ram and a Colonel and rightfully so demands respect.

Want him to notice you? You gotta make the first move. He'll never make it. He'll just end up staring at you like a stalker. Talk to him. It'll be awkward at first, but once you get him to open up? He'll never shut the hell up.

Loud talker. Like really loud. He doesn't notice, though. If someone points it out, he'll get embarrassed and revert back to his shell you worked so hard to get him out of.

Loves to talk about anything snipers. Need advice which sniper is best for the mission? He'll gladly give you an hour-long lecture that you'll be forced to listen to. Need gear? He'll teach you how to make some for the meanwhile. Help in hand to hand combat? Say no more. Next thing you know, you'll be pinned under him as he tries to teach you, not realizing how he's basically taking your breath.

He loves the adrenaline he gets from exerting fear into the enemy. It's like a drug for him that he loves to chase. Seeing their small bodies, compared to him anyways, the way their eyes dilate with fear, the way their hands shake oh so slightly around their weapon. However, this is a double-edged sword. He never wants women nor children to fear. He was once a kid scared, and he never wants to be the reason someone wakes with nightmares.

Speaking of nightmares, he still has them. More than he likes to admit, but that's his cross to bear. He knows he's a killer, a murderer, even if a deep, uncorrupt part of him kills to admit it.

Tree climber (no I don't really have an explanation for this. Just look at him)

Great hider. When wanting to proof yourself sniper worthy, you need to know how to make yourself small or invisible. However a 6 foot something man cannot make himself small but he can hide. He knows how to contort his body to hide best. Uses the darkest part of his uniform to hide in the shadows. When you see a pair of eyes staring down at you, pray he has mercy on your soul.

NSFW Headcannons

Doesn't do one night stands due to the whole "having to talk to people" aspect. No, he much rather masturbate though he doesn't do it often eithier. (Life as Colonel is tiring.) He doesn't have one specific thing he jerks off to. He just chases the feeling of his hand.

Speaking of his hands, they're rough. Years of fighting left them calloused. And they feel good on him. He thrust himself into his hand wildly, only seeking release. He's wild like an animal in heat, not caring for how much his bed may squeak.

He's loud. Really loud. He shoves his fist into his mouth to quiet himself down. Has on multiple occasions used his mask as a gag to quiet himself down. Groans and moans. When he's close, his groans turn into pants and whimpers.

Definitely has cried when climaxing before. This man is stressed and needs the release. So one day he decided to edge himself and by the time he climaxed, he was sobbing into his pillow, mouth full of his mask, rutting into the bed like a bitch in heat. If anyone heard anything, no they didn't.

Sometimes the adrenaline from war gets him hard. It's a common occurrence between soldiers so people never say anything but it's hard to ignore due to his size translating down there.

He's def thought about bottoming...more than he probably should. He wants to not be in charge sometimes. The pressure of being Colonel and leading men can be too much and to keep up that facade in bed? While exciting, he wants to let his guard down and have someone take care of HIM for once. Will never admit it outloud, though. So yeah he's a switch but bottoming excites him more than he likes to admit.

He's a sniper to the core. His hands are stable and he has trained his eyes to stay open for a long time. However, that all goes out the window when he's having some private time. When he's about to come, his hands shake slightly and he fidgets all over the bed. He almost always tears up and may shed a tear or two when climaxing due to how tightly he closes his eyes.

Oral fixation. Anxiety is a bitch and can cause bad habits like lip biting. Loves to chew or suck on things. It helps him focus as well. This also goes in the bedroom. He'll suck on the inside part of his mouth to keep quiet or when he's feeling overstimulated. If he's using his mask as a gag, he'll suckle on it, not on purpose mind you, but it's what his body does naturally. Sometimes sucks on his fingers when jerking off (he always feels ashamed after but it brings him a sort of hazy feeling of comfort)

[aetherphobia]

So, this is a small acc and therefore not many people other than friends or weird nsfw bots coming into my dms to attempt to get me to click on a shady link are going to see this.

But I feel like sharing this for the laughs.

So, I never share my work outside of my average friend circle, but I like to write songs! Usually they're just random ideas thst popped into mind or vent songs. But sometimes I write songs regarding to my ocs and my friend's ocs. And I once started writing this song back in 2021 about two ocs that were made by me and @elysia-nsimp respectively. And this song was called "Hypothetically" because of an inside joke where we could talk about the ship between the characters via asking "hypothetical" questions that are VERY obviously referring to them despite not saying their names up front. And our other friend, Ender, would be teasing us about us being physically incapable of talking about the ship in a normal way. And this spawned the idea to write a romantic song about these two characters not so subtly talking about very clearly romantic things they want to do and then ending it with "Hypothetically" to avoid bluntly confessing (despite it being painfully obvious) (my oc in this is only book smart). And the fun thing about the song was that I wrote it in a way that made it sound like a cheesy musical number and came up with a general tune for it and everything.

But I get really nervous when attempting to write my friend's ocs out of fear I'll wildly mischaracterize them on accident and I hate being judged. So at some point I just stopped updating it because of that, along with the fact that I was running out of ideas on where to go with it. And I only picked the writing of the song back up as of recently.

But this song has cursed me ever since. Because whenever me and my friends are on call, and I say the word "hypothetically" in a sentence for any given reason, Elysia will chime in by singing "Hyyyypothetically🎶" in the tune I wrote it to be in. And every time it reminds me that I still have not finished writing that song. And it's just hilarious to me.

Although I haven't been finding it in me to finish writing it. So here's a pole to try and encourage me. Or discourage me, if you want. Depends on how you're feeling.

[br1ghtestlight]

this prompt is so funny bcuz SOO many of my ocs could easily be mischaracterized and read in the worst possible faith its impossible to choose just one

would be funny to see the arguements between people who are like "rainbow is a terrible person and a hypocrite and the narrative never punishes her for that" vs people who are like "rainbow is a neurodivergent kid who doesn't understand what she's doing wrong and the narrative and other characters are too mean to her and demonize her" both of which are incorrect takes on her character tbh. not sure which one would be funnier in a steven universe type video essay

two could be mischaracterized as a psychopathic abusive murderer (only one of those things is true!!) and people could say that he got off too easily by the narrative and he wasn't properly punished for his actions or held accountable which MIGHT be true but thats not really what his character's existence is for. maybe people forgive him too easily but they weren't the people actually hurt by his actions + in general murder is seen as a bad thing.... dont murder people i shouldn't need to say that. more interesting to deconstruct two and his mindset and how society and life experiences shaped him into the person he is and the lack of actual justice in the system. mf thinks he's batman (said with love)

starr just seems like the type of character that would be either wildly unpopular or sexualized beyond belief with like Five people total who actually understand her character and her story and think she's interesting and has depth. easy to say she's a horrible abusive person who's forgiven too easily by the narrative honestly that goes for so many of my characters AS IF MY STORY IS ABOUT REDEEMPTION ANYWAY like thats just straight up not whats going on. nobody has a redeemption arc bcuz thats not like the story.... it isnt about what they did before they met each other. for the love of god

i think jayden ultimately wins for most mischaracterized by random cartoon youtube video essay guys bcuz he's such a specific type of person and character people wouldnt even TRY to understand him or how he engages with the world. which is fine i have made my peace w/ that already. similar to knife in that people would see him as a badass protective bad boy who is secretly caring and sensitive with those he trusts and while that is NOT true its better than the alternative interpretation of his character lmao. he's so messy but i love him

could also see really annoying cishet Commentary youtuber types thinking bubblegum is annoying and cringy and hating her character and saying she's a dumb bimbo blondie and bad autistic rep or sexist or whatever. also sunshine being mischaracterized as a precious cinnamon role uwu who doesn't do anything bad ever which would be more funny than annoying. they wouldn't really get his whole self hatred thing or why he responds to situations and relationships in the way that he does which i think is probably fine?? he's self destructive but he's an abuse victim too..... lots to talk abt with him but if people want to simplify him down to what they percieve as a perfect innocent character w/ a happy life and no problems More power to them

[seanfalco]

Okay, buckle up lol for Winnie and the meta asks:

Basic 2, 5, 7

Fandom 2, 4, 8

Shipping 3, 7

B2. What plot points would change due to the inclusion of your character in canon?

I don’t think too many would change much, other than the whole Nathan and Kelly thing.  Instead of Nathan being interested in Kelly, Kelly would be Win’s wingman, helping to get her and Nathan together.

B5. Besides your face/voiceclaim, who do you think would be cast as your character?

You're evil for asking this. But I could maybe see Alana Boden as Win.

B7. What headcanons/theories do you believe fandom would invent about your character?

I could see people theorizing about Win's past and why she's so emotionally damaged. Or about what her mum was like. Headcanons about what kind of music she would listen to.

F2. What feelings does your character most often instill in their fans? Affection? A desire to protect? Open lust? A love/hate dynamic? Why do you think their fans feel this way?

I feel like once they’d get to know how sensitive she is under her big bad act, that they’d want to protec at all costs.  Plus also maybe lust for. 

F4. What controversies/drama would your character incite in fandom?

I feel like some people would think Win’s out of Nathan's league.  There'd also be meta on whether her power is lame or too OP.

F8. What would be the ‘incorrect but wildly popular’ interpretation of your character in fandom?

She'd probably be relegated a mean bitch that's too cool for school and doesn’t care about anything. Or on the flip side they'd latch onto her sensitive side and infantilize her.  Maybe there’d be some people that think she’s being ungrateful and that her dad’s not really that bad.

S3. How does fandom characterize/mischaracterize your characters ship in fanworks?

I think they’d turn them more into an enemies to lovers sort of trope, when they’re more of a complicated friends to lovers.  I also think people would gloss over the parts of them that aren’t perfect and write a lot of pwp that isn’t realistic, like making them into these sex gods instead of two people that are kinda awkward and have bad sex sometimes too.

S7. What is the quote between your character and their love interest/whoever they might be shipped with that their fans would latch onto?

Wehh I never think my lines are memorable, but maybe this interaction during the club scene in 2.02:

“Are y'jealous?” Nathan drawled in her ear, giddy at her reaction, her lips tightening slightly and her shoulders tensing.   “I am not,” Win replied, levelly. “Ohhh, you totally are,” Nathan exclaimed, and though she tossed her head he swore he could see a hint of a smile on her face.  “C’mon dance with me,” he urged, flashing his most charming grin, “I’ll prove t’yeh I only got eyes for you.”

[ oc meta asks ]

[ideal-real]

with my entire heart and pussy i can say that zoro and sanji are the worst written characters out of the main strawhats with absolute ease. ive known this for a while although i dont know when i realized it.

sanji is somewhat self explanatory, his characterization is an absolute crapshoot that muddles the intent of his character because of how wildly varied the quality of it is, despite him having consistent character moments.

zoro is less self explanatory, his characterization is good and he gets it semi consistently, but it leaves too much to the imagination. i get that zoro is a repressed man, but we barely get to see inside his head in any way that matters, which goes beyond him having that vibe as a character and moreso him being slightly unintelligible to the audience so much so that fanfiction almost as consistently mischaracterizes him as it does sanji (someone who has the opposite problem.)

this, more or less, has left zorosanji fics as an absolute fucking mess. EVEN MY OWN FANFICTION, as someone who realizes this, is not what id like it to be. which is so frustrating and i hate it a thousand times over. i know ill find some consistent way to navigate them eventually, but blegh. its my hope that opla solves this or at least does something meaningfully about it so everybody who wants to write them isnt stuck between a rock and a hard place and has something to lean on

[thetimelordbatgirl]

For Locket:

What changes do you think would be made between your muse as they exist in your head vs how they would be treated as part of canon?

What headcanons/theories do you believe fandom would invent about your character?

Are there ship wars? Are they a popular character to ship, or the kind of character that gets shuffled off and away from shipping for whatever reason?

What is the wildest crackship you can imagine for your character, whether in-universe or in crossover?

For Una:

If there are multiple adaptions/If they are part of a multi-part franchise, which ones would your character appear in?

What fan-material would exist for your character in fandom?

What would be the ‘incorrect but wildly popular’ interpretation of your character in fandom?

What corners of fandom would consider your character blorbo material?

And for Sirena!

What role would your character play in the story? Are they a major player, or a one scene wonder?

Besides your face/voiceclaim, who do you think would be cast as your character?

What feelings does your character most often instill in their fans? Affection? A desire to protect? Open lust? A love/hate dynamic? Why do you think their fans feel this way?

By contrast, what would their haters dislike about your character? Is it a petty complaint? A mischaracterization of the character or their intentions? Are they just a woman in a largely male-centric series?

Be honest. What song is playing over an AMV/tiktok of scenes between your character and their love interest?

Locket:

What changes do you think would be made between your muse as they exist in your head vs how they would be treated as part of canon? Hmm, well, Locket's canon would be the MCU part of Marvel since I did use that for some of Marvel Descendants lore, and versus how I imagine her...she would be beyond different in the MCU. For starting orders, her backstory would likely be different, given timeline and Loki's current state in the MCU, but she'd likely be a random child on Asgard who only starts to get involved in stuff Phase 4 onwards as we see the Asgardians on Earth, given her Asgardian mom. And knowing the MCU, for some reason, she'd either get lucky and actually do her own thing in the plot or she'd just be a plot device that needs the heroes protection and such and in both scenarios, she'd be quippy constantly and even though she is not a young avenger, MCU would try to set her up as one likely like they doing with every young hero. There is also the fact her trauma from Devlin Kilgrave would not exist in MCU cause...his dad does not (there's a pro there). But there's a high chance in the MCU, her being genderfluid and bisexual would be erased or it'd be just a few seconds at best.

What headcanons/theories do you believe fandom would invent about your character? Feel like given Locket's darkness plot throughout Marvel Descendants, theories would pop up about if she has darkness still after Trickster's Daughters and if any of her kids in the future has gotten the darkness from her. And technically involves Locket, but when it comes to Bree in Entity High, theories might happen about the two being related due to uh, let's say stuff being hinted at....aka a crossover theory lol. You'd also have your typical possession theories when it comes to Mariana and Locket...I have seen things in fandoms, okay.

Are there ship wars? Are they a popular character to ship, or the kind of character that gets shuffled off and away from shipping for whatever reason? Very likely Locket would be shipped with other characters in Marvel Descendants (sadly including um, the icky side of fandom shipping, but we ignore that), and I endorse multi-shipping, given I do it myself, so....

What is the wildest crackship you can imagine for your character, whether in-universe or in crossover? ...Locket X Thorn. That is the most crackiest you can get when it comes to Locket and shipping, given how these two first met and how it took until book 4 for them to start getting along as friends at least, but they'd be victim to 'enemies to lovers' in fandom fully.

Una:

If there are multiple adaptions/If they are part of a multi-part franchise, which ones would your character appear in? Hmm, well Una is Descendants, which it a multi-part franchise...so I think: If we going by her story, she'd be in all three parts and the Royal Wedding, not so sure on Rise Of Red since it is believed Uma is only in the past so debatable if Una is with her, and she would be in Wicked World at least and likely in all four books (rip Una in Escape, because she would suffer bad writing like everyone did). If we going by Descendants canon, not in first film nor first two books nor wicked world, but she'd be in second film and third film, Royal Wedding and the last two books (again RIP Una, Escape is the worst book to appear in).

What fan-material would exist for your character in fandom? Very likely your normal fan-material you get in Descendants fandom, aka fanart and fanfiction, very likely either on her own or with her sister/the sea three or with Audrey.

What would be the ‘incorrect but wildly popular’ interpretation of your character in fandom? Given Una is mute, its very likely that uh, Una would be considered a soft pure speechless baby who needs protection and is never given her own autonomy.

What corners of fandom would consider your character blorbo material? Likely the Sea Three and Audrey sides of the Descendants fandom would when it comes to Una.

Sirena:

What role would your character play in the story? Are they a major player, or a one scene wonder? Given Sirena's story is a OC X Mal X Ben story, Sirena would be a major player as one of the core five given a chance to be good and attend Auradon Prep, only for her to slowly realize she likes Mal and later, Ben as well.

Besides your face/voiceclaim, who do you think would be cast as your character? I honestly have no idea because is too many blonde haired actresses to keep track off, so uh...

What feelings does your character most often instill in their fans? Affection? A desire to protect? Open lust? A love/hate dynamic? Why do you think their fans feel this way? I would say Sirena would fall into 'desire to protect' due to same reasons we want to protect the core four in first film: their family situations on the Isle and the fact that they face a-lot of shit in Auradon, this being the same reason Sirena would fall into 'affection'.

By contrast, what would their haters dislike about your character? Is it a petty complaint? A mischaracterization of the character or their intentions? Are they just a woman in a largely male-centric series? People may find Sirena annoying at times due to how Sirena sometimes acts like her mom, and given she's an addition to the Ben and Mal ship, some shippers may not like her entering their ship.

Be honest. What song is playing over an AMV/tiktok of scenes between your character and their love interest? I...honestly do not know that many romantic songs and the ones I do know, uh, do not match Sirena X Mal X Ben, so...

[dani-luminae]

Meta asks! Any oc, all of the questions under the "fandom" section

I've decided I'm gonna answer this for Prince Rose from An Untold Story: Tales of Auradon because I rarely get to talk about them.

What do you think the fandom for your character would be like? Are they a fan favorite, a love to hate villain, derided for whatever reason, or something else?

God, I have no clue. They're an incredibly multifaceted character, so I feel like the Once Upon a Time fandom would probably be ambivalent while the Descendants fandom might not like them as much. But Rose is wholeheartedly an Uma supporter (in a story vastly altered from canon, albeit) so I'm sure some of the fandom would like them!

What feelings does your character most often instill in their fans? Affection? A desire to protect? Open lust? A love/hate dynamic? Why do you think their fans feel this way?

Probably affection, a lot of support for looking at their parents' kingdom and going "uh. what is this?" and pointing out a lot of hypocrisy.

By contrast, what would their haters dislike about your character? Is it a petty complaint? A mischaracterization of the character or their intentions? Are they just a woman in a largely male-centric series?

I'm gonna say it: Rose is spoiled. It would all too easy to misconstrue some of their actions and personality as spoiled and bratty (though Rose, and all their family, try very hard to ensure that Rose and Ben are not selfish and unkind.)

They're also non-binary and that is not a detail about them that just fades into the background, so I'm sure that would cause some ire.

What controversies/drama would your character incite in fandom?

Probably a discussion about pronouns (Rose uses both she/her and they/them). Probably some people calling them an ungrateful brat. Probably someone misinterpreting Rose's purely familial love for her father, and vice versa, as a very different kind of love (which I only bring up because unfortunately it's happened twice now). Also Rose is pan and is crushing on Uma, but later goes on to have a male True Love, so that would probably cause some drama.

(Rose and Uma simply end any chance at a relationship amicably, because Rose is not at a great point in her life where she can handle a relationship, and but the time she is, Uma's definitely into Harry.)

What fan-material would exist for your character in fandom?

Rose has quite a few looks I can imagine fanart for! And probably lots of one-shots on what it would be like if Rose and Uma's relationship actually worked out.

Is your character the subject of ‘imagines’ or ‘x reader’ style blogs?

Probably so, though I can't imagine they're getting the characterization right.

Are there any tropes fandom would put upon your character, for better or for worse?

"Teenager who hates their parents for no reason" comes to mind. Can't think of anything else right now...

What would be the ‘incorrect but wildly popular’ interpretation of your character in fandom?

Probably "rebellious for the sake of rebellious" or "teenager who just hates her parents."

What corners of fandom would consider your character blorbo material?

I wanna hope that people who find Ben to be a blorbo would also like Rose. Even though Rose has more of Adam's personality than Belle's, Rose stands with their brother on a lot of the same issues. They're just more likely to sneak out and see from the front lines while Ben endlessly researches laws in the library.

Thanks for the ask!

[lesbiansanemi]

bleach + 8, 9, 18, 22

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

I don't see eye to eye with the Bleach fandom on... most things. I think they focus on the wrong aspects, and mischaracterize most of the characters as a whole. But the one that really gets me and I see the most of is just.... Ichigo in general. Like 90% of the fandom does not understand Ichigo well and it's honestly a little painful. Like!!!! Ichigo is one of my favorite shounen protagonists, actually I think he is my favorite of the older shounen protagonists (tied with Edward Elric anyways) but no one gets him. I see him wildly mischaracterized in one of two ways. The first being making him way more of a "stereotypical hero" than he actually is. Like, ofc, Ichigo does namely fight for others, but he has stated several times that he really doesn't give a fuck about most people, and just wants to protect those he cares about (the issue, is it takes very little for him to actually start caring about a person enough for him to want to protect them) but he doesn't enjoy the "knight in shining armor" stuff or playing hero. Really, he just wants to get left the fuck alone by everyone so he can live his life. He's not an overzealous, positive savior. But... on the other side of things, he's not an antihero either, which tends to be the other way people view him. They view him as far more jaded and negative and uncaring than he actually is. He does want people safe, and he will fight for them, even if he bitches about it along the way. It's finding that sweet spot in the middle and for some reason, most people just??? Don't do that? I dunno. Also see a lot of people claim he cares about his human life or Shinigami stuff way more than one or the other, which also isn't true. He wouldn't completely leave behind one for the other (and I mean, you'd think the arc where he loses his powers would clue more people into that but, evidently not?). For some reason, people can only see Ichigo in extremes that don't tend to work for his character, which I think is very lame and misses the point of him

(Though to be fair... Kubo kind of does it at times himself)

9. worst part of canon

There are so, so many parts of Bleach canon to choose from regarding this. So many times Kubo dropped the ball or just bad/weird writing choices, but ultimately, I have to go with completely abandoning the theme of impending change that was hinted at very early in the series. The fact that nothing about the Shinigami changed at the end of the series, and the only difference being that Shunsui was now the head captain and a few of the other captains and lieutenants had changed? Awful. So many times throughout the series, Soul Society was shown to be just as bad as Hueco Mundo (and so much of it was systematic that Aizen twisted to his advantage, they weren't necessarily things directly caused by Aizen). In fact, one could even argue that Soul Society was worse than Hueco Mundo and the Hollows because their transgressions were 1. deliberate and calculated, and 2. wrapped up and hidden behind the scenes while they touted being "good." As a protagonist (both personality-wise, and the potential symbolism with him being Shinigami, Hollow, Quincy, and human) Ichigo could have been meant to bring about/inspire a complete reform and reset of the way Soul Society functioned. But.... No. Nothing changed after the Winter War when Aizen was defeated, and nothing changed after the Thousand Year Blood War when Yhwach was defeated (actually, TWBY and Yhwach I feel only solidified how "right" the Shinigami were for the Quincy genocide which I... hated). Anyways, this is very rambly, but basically! The series fully acknowledged how shitty Soul Society was at times, but actually did nothing to challenge it, and then doubled back on itself to pretend there was actually nothing wrong with it. There was nothing wrong with the genocides, nothing wrong with the human experimentation, nothing wrong with the way the Rukon Districts were handled, etc etc. It's so, so unsatisfying, and does a disservice to the vast majority of the main cast, as it genuinely feels out of character for them to go on and uphold the status quo. Least favorite part of canon by far

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

YORUICHI!!!!?????????? Which like, okay, she's a fan favorite, but no one focuses on the right parts of her (again... tbf, Kubo didn't exactly either). She's chalked up to Urahara's badass sexy side kick but Yoruichi has so many fascinating aspects that are literally never fucking discussed? She is Shinigami royalty, but not once does anyone talk about the potential political ramifications of her turning traitor with Urahara? She was the captain of the stealth force, but despite that... doesn't fight with a zanpakuto. That's... significant, but it's never discussed? Beyond making a few jokes about Soi Fon being a lesbian, no one really talks about the more nuanced side of their relationship either. And, again again again, I get that these aren't things Kubo ever focused on either or completely left out, but to me, when I think about Yoruichi, they're the first things I want to talk about, but then the fandom literally just wants to use her for sex jokes, cat girl jokes, etc etc. and I simply do not get it. She's so cool? Can we talk about the actual cool aspects???? I get it, she's hot, but like... HER POLITICAL IMPORTANCE AND ACTUAL FIGHTING ABILITIES?????

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

I mean, the female characters in general. (Again, the pattern of Kubo never capitalizing on them to the fullest extent but also if the fandom can spend so much time making shit up about that wet rat Byakuya, you could focus on someone actually interesting instead). But the main three being Unohana and everything with her being the first Kenpachi, both the implications of that, and her character development of becoming a healer. Also Harribel becoming the Hueco Mundo ruler (and like, I love Grimmjow myself, but his die hard fans are really annoying and like to pretend Harribel couldn't kick his ass? As if he'd let anyone rule that place other than him unless they could kick his ass? She definitely beat him to all hell at least once and I'm mad I didn't get to see it. Also mad that she immediately got nerfed by the Quincies in TWBY, I still argue that makes little sense but whatever I'm getting off topic). Literally everything with Nelliel, like her entire story line is so interesting but does anyone ever talk about it? Fucking no. It's so lame

Holy fuck this got enormous, sorry about that, I got a lotta Bleach thoughts

[bumblebeeenby]

🦋 and ☯️?

🦋 I’m most insecure about two things, one much more than the other. The first, less anxiety-inducing thing, is the fear that I’ve wildly misinterpreted or mischaracterized a character. I’d hate for the majority of people who read a fic to have to tell me “yeah, this was really OOC and makes no sense at all”.

The other, much more stressful thing is my fear of being judged for my writing? I guess that’s my hangup with all writing. With visual art, there’s some heavier leeway in interpretation, and people don’t assume things about you the same way they might while reading prose. Art and writing are both personal, but writing is much more SPECIFIC about it. It’s even moreso a part of your soul. What you write implies something about your personal views, how you see others, and the way you’ve lived your own life in a much more transparent way.

There’s always that fear that someone will tell me that something I wrote to be a healthy relationship is actually toxic, or I’ve written something problematic due to my own internal biases, or they’ll make a judgement about my intelligence based on how many typos I missed, or think I’m immature for writing for the fandom I do. Just.... the judgement I imagine. The fear of being both SEEN and MISUNDERSTOOD. That’s the scariest.

☯️ Fandom can be a wonderful experience. Letting our own excitement make others happy, and letting their excitement make you happy is a feedback loop worth getting lost in.

It does, however, take a lot of self-management to make sure you’re not being misunderstood or coming off with anything but good intentions. I’m a naturally blunt person, and always have been. When I was younger, people were always calling me mean because I didn’t know how to say things. Online, it’s even easier to be misunderstood. It’s also easy to misunderstand others.

My advice to feeling more healthy in fandom spaces? Learn about “bad faith interpretation” and try not to do it. Learn about cognitive distortions and the ones you experience most commonly so you can stop negative thinking patterns before they happen. Think about what you’ve written in a fandom space and try to imagine how it could be misunderstood.

I experience a ton of social anxiety, and have RSD. It can get rough if I think someone’s rejected me, and I start coming up with all these horrible scenarios where everyone secretly hates and is annoyed by me. In those cases, remembering that those thoughts aren’t rational and being able to label where my logic went wrong really helps.

Fandom can be great! It makes me excited to make things! People getting excited about the things I make encourages me to make more art, and to improve my craft. I’m not sure I’d ever have gotten anywhere beyond a beginner skill level with drawing if I didn’t have fandom to encourage me. So go out there and encourage others! Get excited, have fun. Let your words fuel their art! Leave comments, make art based on theirs and tell them you were inspired. Talk to other people who want to improve their art and help each other. Edit writing for others, offer to beta read, share art resources, host drawing nights!

Inspire each other!

[darkbitchithic]

theres some weird microdiscourse on tiktok rn abt fan fiction, specifically batfam content and how there are people writing stuff who have never really interacted with canon a significant amount - there's a lot of shaming and blaming going around and to that I have to say fellas. it's fanfic, not a dissertation - relax a bit

common points against these renegade authors that I see are along the lines of them messing up characterization, not understanding plot points, or just disregarding canon in many instances for their own fan-wraught versions and just. again, I cannot stress this enough but why does it matter??

no fanfic is ever truly going to BE canon compliant, no matter how well written or how well researched it is. that is the literal nature of FAN fiction. getting mad at non-canon content when it's... well... not canon is. particularly funny to me

and I see folks trashing authors for even wanting to write fics when they don't enjoy canon all that much but, again, that's. one of the many points of fanfic. you can do what you want as you want to!! how many spn writers or harry potter writers actively dislike or are dismayed by canon! ppl can't stop praising the marauders fandom for taking jkrowling's crumbs and trying to make something interesting out of them, and many folks wildly mischaracterize characters to better align with their visions for their writing, or even to better reflect their own thoughts and feelings!!! it happens pretty much everywhere, and I just don't get the absolute hate I've been seeing from this fandom in particular

imo this has the energy of folks getting mad at people wearing a nirvana shirt when they've only ever heard one or two songs, or ppl who get pissed when folks call themselves a fan of a game when they've only ever watched lets plays. people have different thresholds for experiencing and enjoying media, and especially in an ecosystem that runs on freely-given labor I think you can take a second and stop trying to police other people. you aren't being forced to read these fics, no one is saying you have to read them or even talk about them, it's just strange elitism and vaguely pretentious. it doesn't hurt anyone, block and move on <3

(obligatory disclaimer: there can be and are valid critiques of these authors! however, comma, I do not think this is one of them and am just tired of seeing so many ppl hate on them for no good reason)

[clearcatastrophe]

You know what? I was inspired so JOURNEY INTO IMAGINATION THOUGHT DUMP

In a Defunctland podcast episode, Ron Schneider (an experienced theme park actor/writer and the OG walkaround Dreamfinder), when asked about thoughts of the current state of the ride, mentioned that it's not the original ride they need back, but a severely updated one; those who want the old ride back the way it was don't realize that while the technology used for the attraction was pretty good and relatively ahead of its time for the 80's, it's now mostly stuff we'd see on our smartphones. By utilizing the technology of today with the basic concept and spirit of the OG ride (that imagination belongs to everyone and the everyone has the ability and capacity to be creative) it most certainty could entertain and inspire anyone looking to board the ride, and it would satisfy the fans and general populace alike.

ALSO speaking of the spirit of the ride, I feel as though the condescending nature of the last iteration of the ride has wildly mischaracterized Figment: he's no longer a curious childlike figure who can explore the wonders of the world freely, but instead he's treated as an annoyance who acts out *because* he's discouraged from being imaginative. Channing constantly tells Figment to suppresses his excitement and creativity, and while obviously that doesn't work, kids do pick up on that. They see Figment, a childlike figure (like them) excited to share his wacky ideas, be completely shut down by Channing for almost the entire ride. And I don't know how much truth this statement holds, but I feel as if kids will see that and question how annoying they seem, and their genuine curiosity might get squashed because of that. And lets all be honest, Figment is kind of a pest in the current version of the ride. He's supposed to be. The way I see it, both Dreamfinder and Doc Channing are meant to be the metaphorical "left brain" to Figment's "right brain", but Dreamfinder succeeds in that role because he guides and encourages Figment, giving him more ideas and and mixing them together to create new ones (while not going completely overboard), while Channing fails because he's constantly berating Figment and giving him no space to be creative (so Figment has to make that space for himself, which causes a bit of chaos). I don't hate Channing, I just think the way he was written to interact with Figment isn't working too well. I want this attraction to succeed; an updated ride and Imageworks would be FANTASTIC. Crossing my fingers for any news on this ride.

[iridescent-honey]

Mysterion characterization

In my opinion, he is one of the most mischaracterized people in the hero franchise.

He is often portrayed as an angsty, edgy, and a ruthless antihero.

Although I can see how that conclusion is come to, here are my thoughts:

*TL;DR at the bottom in red*

*This information is coming from both the game and show, if I can find direct clips, I will show them*

I used the word anti hero, allow me to elaborate on that briefly. For anyone unaware, an antihero is described as “a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes.” I would also describe it as someone who is fighting for good while being uncaring/unhelpful to others if it means the majority of the public is helped. Note that the definition of what an antihero is varies from person to person. Poorly characterized antiheroes are written as villains who are part of the hero’s team for some unknown reason.

The first episode we see Mysterion in is in S13E2, he is seen as a rival to The Coon, however he does not view himself that way, in his eyes, he is helping because that’s what he should do, not to spite Cartman.

I think this episode is often forgotten when people view him as an anti hero. We see him expose his identity and putting himself in danger to not have citizens caught in The Coon’s attempt at blackmail. Not my exact idea of an antihero however I digress.

Spoilers for the the game

In the game, the entirety of freedom pals aren’t introduced until the halfway point, however Mysterion, Wonder Tweek, and Tuppaware are introduced very early as opposition. After a lovers quarrel between Tweek and Craig, Doctor Timothy have an argument causing the two factions to fight. Craig is a mandatory player on your team.

While you fight the Freedom Pals, Tweek is the one doing the most talking (I say Tweek because it is very out of character for Wonder Tweek). Throwing insult after insult at Craig, even when the insults aren’t at him directly, Craig respondes as though they were. Tuppaware is not to important, he does his job and fights you, nothing too noteworthy there. But this is about Mysterion so I’ll move on.

In this fight, nearly every time you attack him or his teammates, he responds with how we are only being used by The Coon and we can do better than the Coon and Friends franchise. Also, note that when the opposition show interest in attacking Wonder Tweek he appears fearful, Tuppaware looks disgusted, but Mysterion appears surprised? Disappointed? I’m not quite sure but it’s definitely different than the rest of the Freedom Pals’s reaction. (I know how pointless it may seem to analyze the facial expression when they’re drawn, well, like that. But also consider this! I don’t care.) The best way I could describe it is as being upset/disappointed that that he is being attacked. It is my belief that this is because he doesn’t want to fight. This is countered by the fact that he is a relentless fighter. The only time he isn’t is stated before: the first time you fight him.

The second time however is a different story, he attacks you ruthlessly. He gives you one chance at the beginning of the of the fight, saying that “Fighting Doctor Timothy is a mistake beyond your comprehension.” But afterwards makes no attempts to help you, instead changing to his one liners.

This is another thing I need to talk about. I have a post made for the future where I talk about way too many of his quotes but I’ll summarize it for you.

Being angsty

Being ruthlessly

Being dark

Being concerned for his teammates

Cheering his teammates on

There are some more types but these are the most important because a lot of his lines are dark, angsty, and ruthless and tend to overshadow his other quotes. The appeal to throw in the towel and say that he’s an antihero would be very easy but I truly don’t see it. Despite his quotes he isn’t as angsty in most parts and is seen being distressed for other teammates and trying to help whoever he can.

I believe that he says his quotes only to scare the opposition. When he interacts with his teammates and civilians he stops the angsty-ness and acts as a protector. In my opinion, an antihero would not care about their perception, if the job gets done that’s all that matters. But clearly Mysterion doesn’t abide by those rules.

Although alignment charts are a gross oversimplification for explaining characterization but I think it is a very simple way to explain it. On the character sheets, the alignment is more simplified and only allows lawful, neutral or evil. He describes himself as lawful but that is not a proper alignment. I am still torn on his alignment but I will show three alignments definitions then my thoughts.

Definitions

Lawful Good

A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. They combine a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. They tell the truth, keep their word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished.

Lawful good is the best alignment you can be because it combines honor and compassion.

Lawful good can be a dangerous alignment when it restricts freedom and criminalizes self-interest.

Lawful Neutral

A lawful neutral character acts as law, tradition, or a personal code directs them. Order and organization are paramount to them. They may believe in personal order and live by a code or standard, or they may believe in order for all and favor a strong, organized government.

Lawful neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you are reliable and honorable without being a zealot.

Lawful neutral can be a dangerous alignment when it seeks to eliminate all freedom, choice, and diversity in society.

Neutral Good

A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. They are devoted to helping others. They work with kings and magistrates but do not feel beholden to them.

Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order.

Neutral good can be a dangerous alignment when it advances mediocrity by limiting the actions of the truly capable.

*I did not add lawful evil because it is so wildly out of character there is no point in talking about it.*

Breaking it down

Lawful Good

A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act.

Mysterion shows himself to be a good person without wanting payment many times. Most notably when he reveals his identity to prevent harm to other citizens, and when he shows kindness and hope to the player despite the character and their teammates showing none back.

They combine a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly.

The commitment to fight evil seems self explanatory so I will not acknowledge that, what I will elaborate on is the “discipline to fight relentlessly”. Earlier in the post, I explain how he seems to not want to fight but does so fiercely. This explains it. He is the calmest out of the heroes at nearly all times, the only time this is false is when a teammate is unjustly injured. While he does get angry, he is never seen actively trying to start a fight, but he will always end one.

They tell the truth, keep their word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice.

Throughout the series and the game, he never lies, however, he is never asked to tell the truth and I’m hesitant on saying that the lack of evidence is evidence. Despite that he does keep his word, his promise to protect his city, and promise to protect Karen are always fulfilled. When the Coon acts against the group, Mysterion is quick to shut him down.

A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished.

In the game, he tells us multiple times that being a hero is ugly. That the merciless don’t deserve mercy. He has made it clear that he is the bringer of karma.

Lawful Neutral

A lawful neutral character acts as law, tradition, or a personal code directs them.

Mysterion is an upholder of morals. His own ethics pave how he reacts and behaves. For the most part, he follows the law very closely, but he will break off and actions will become unforgiving if the person deserves it.

Order and organization are paramount to them. They may believe in personal order and live by a code or standard…

His origin as Mysterion was to organize the town through peace and to help stop crime. He tries to keep his team peaceful and succeeds when part of freedom pals. When the franchise was whole, the Coon could break his peaceful exterior.

or they may believe in order for all and favor a strong, organized government.

This is the most difficult to defend. Yes, he does feed information to the police, but only when they are passive crimes. When active crimes occur, he attempts to deal with the issue himself.

Neutral Good

This is not in line with his personal alignment identity, but this seems the most plausible. Allow me to elaborate:

A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do.

This has been explained in many places throughout this post and so I do not feel the need to repeat it.

They are devoted to helping others.

Once again, Mysterion is constantly seen putting others first: revealing his identity, handling Hindsight by himself, and risking his life and immortality to save them from Cthulhu.

They work with kings and magistrates but do not feel beholden to them.

This feels more natural than the last explanation for lawful neutral. He works with the cops in certain situations but is quick to work by himself or with his teammates if needed.

The alignments have been broken down and the evidence has been laid out, feel free to make your own decision.

TL;DR

Mysterion is not a dark antihero, he is a vigilante, a defender of peace, and beacon of hope to his citizens. He puts the needs and safety of others before himself.

Alignment possibilities: lawful good, lawful neutral, neutral good.

[davidmann95]

So you've talked a lot about Darkseid, but what about the other New Gods?

SO THIS HAS BEEN IN MY INBOX FOR ALMOST AS LONG AS THIS BLOG’S BEEN AROUND AND I JUST FINALLY FINISHED FOURTH WORLD

Well that sure was something. My musings on some major players that I either have substantial thoughts on, or where I especially think the majority consensus/interpretation has subsequently gotten them wrong (a state Kirby is well aware of, because a HUGE part of “Even Gods Can Die!” is him being frustrated at subsequent handlings of the characters even by 1984 mucking things up):

Orion: Perhaps the most hard-done by as a result of Kirby never being able to fully finish Fourth World as he had imagined it, as his character arc ends on a cliffhanger for a decade and is forced into a rapid completion later. When he emerges, while a warrior born he’s also every bit the classical, magnificent hero you expect to see in a superhero comic to try and overshadow his inner demons, while by the end of New Gods he’s embraced not only his true face (the OTHER face, as his father would put it) in the fight against Apokolips but the murderous, sadistic rage that is his birthright, reveling in inflicting agony and very much the berserker others have since portrayed him as. Surely as much a product of his trauma from a childhood on Apokolips (a detail frequently glossed over) and a sense of being unwanted as anything genetic, it’s ultimately unconditional love for him as he truly is in Hunger Dogs that lets him overcome his fear that he can’t be anything but a monstrous tool in service of better people than himself, and embrace ‘the tomorrow overture’. Even his anger has its righteous if tragic place as a primal force of upheaval: “It defies time! It stands firm against the hammers of change! It mocks life and defies death!” I won’t get to it for awhile yet, but very curious what Simonson does with him.

Lightray: Rules! He’s the closest the New Gods have to a traditional superhero, and it’s in that capacity that while a lousy warrior next to Orion (Kalibak thinks little of his attempt at fighting him, mockingly deeming him a “callow little killer”), his strength is in transformation: he makes himself light, he turns a tormented weapon into the glory boat, a machine armed against the New Gods into a weapon against Darkseid, Orion from a man alone into a friend. He’s not a warrior, but he’s the one who makes a better world worth waging war for and who might one day make such war unnecessary. Also he and Orion have definitely fucked.

Mister Miracle: Not WILDLY off the mark since, but it’s interesting that as I expect a result of JLI he’s been written so often since as an everymanish, relatable, bordering-on-comedic figure, when under Kirby he was very much the archetypal good guy. One often committed to freeing others as he had been freed himself, in the likes of Ted Brown and Shilo Norman, an avenue I’m surprised hasn’t been explored more often from what I’ve seen. Also worth noting: Darkseid declared the moment he got his hands on the kid that Granny would be twice as hard on him as others, and that it would eventually drive the boy away and let the war resume. Which not only indicates Darkseid’s understanding of the subtlety needed in control, but would seem to take Scott’s rebellion out of his own hands…except that at the moment of his escape Darkseid still offered him a choice, implored the boy to allow him to “complete the destruction of Scott Free – so you may live with the majesty that is the power of DARKSEID!” And instead he turned his back on his god and chose to be what he is.

Barda: Shockingly, great as she’s been since, her background is often severely mischaracterized. The shorthand is “love saved her and turned her from a servant of evil to a champion of good!”, but that’s…while not entirely wrong, a bad way of presenting it. When she leaves Apokolips initially, even after she starts hanging out with Scott Free and Oberson after having helped the former escape years earlier, she still believes in Darkseid. She fights and hates her former allies not because she’s turned against his vision of the universe (this is in fact a major aspect often overlooked - under Kirby Darkseid’s agents don’t simply fear him, they sincerely believe in him and his vision of how the universe works) but because she sees them as loathsome, brutish executors of his grand design. In short, she doesn’t think it’s the system that’s the problem, but a bunch of bad apples. It’s her experience with freedom and simple pleasures and life on Earth, her lingering guilt over the death of her friend Auralie as eventually manifested in her protection and training of Shiloh Norman, and yes, her eventual realized love for Scott, that brings her around to realizing she truly desires a life beyond what Darkseid can offer.

Forever People: Okay I actually don’t have a ton to say about the Forever People, though I do think they’re underrated and underutilized. Naive and in over their heads as the frequently are they’re also the best of their peers, believing in freedom and transformation and the potential of those around them to become better - their defining moment for me is when they reassure Sonny Sumo that having the power of the Anti-Life Equation doesn’t make him a monster. “Where we come from the Anti-Life Equation is one of many others–almost as awesome!! But they merely exist!! It’s we who live!!”

Metron: The big figure I haven’t really been able to crack. Machinery as not necessarily cold mechanization but extensions of ourselves and our souls, and able to nourish them in turn, is a big aspect of Fourth World, but Metron as the embodiment of mechanization and knowledge feels like not just an outsider as he’s framed but one who never quite became whatever Kirby had in mind for him, making his crucial role at the end of Hunger Dogs a bit of a non-sequitur for me. I’d be curious to hear what other people think.

Desaad: God Desaad’s been made boring. Not that he isn’t fairly one-dimensional under Kirby too, but his craft and awful glee as the god of torture isn’t just in strapping people to tables and poking them with unpleasant tools, it’s in manipulating their emotions and agonies to a fever pitch - he should be such an unsettling figure, and instead he’s a simpering helpless toady.

Highfather: Not a perfect figure, given how he’s framed with the likes of Fastbak, and the Forever People, and the Pact, willing to deploy fear as a weapon in the name of peace as Darkseid will use chaos in the name of a larger order, but always trying - as with Darkseid, an imperfect vessel of what he represents, but capable of growth and realization as a leader.

Steppenwolf/Heggra: Essential to understanding The Pact, they’re the old ways of the world and war, petty despots and warrior-kings, supplanted by fascism in Darkseid.

Darkseid: So I’ve discussed Darkseid before in terms of his broad use and ideas, but the very specific ways Kirby presented him have their own dimensions. In the world of superheroes he’s larger-than-life and often such in here too, but in rare moments, and by the end entirely as all artifice is stripped away? Kirby’s Darkseid is a profoundly human figure. He recognizes the irony that the Forever People believe in letting all be who they are, for that very need to fulfill himself is why he must pursue conquest (“And of course - that’s the pity of it!”). While he thinks to himself “Oh, how heroes LOVE to flaunt their nobility in the face of death! Yet THEY know better than most that war is but the COLD game of the BUTCHER!” he too believes in “Boldness! Risk! The raw meat of existence!” even as he consigns himself to the role of puppetmaster rather than warrior. He does or so he tells himself “no more than what HAS to be done!!” rather than indulging in cruelty for its own sake. He dresses up in ridiculous costumes for his schemes, he gets sarcastic, he recognizes honor and respects worthy foes, he feels love, he craves the laughter of a friend, he fears the obsolesce of his preferred way of doing things, he tells himself that should he achieve omnipotence others will find “eternal shelter”. He’s a person, one capable of a range of emotions, but he is the TIGER FORCE AT THE CORE OF ALL THINGS regardless…not because he is a mythic unstoppable force, but because every day he rises and believes in himself over all others, because there is a black hole within him that he can only hope dominance might fill regardless of what pain he finds in the process. But as Mister Miracle’s battle with the Lump foretold, when left truly alone over a world that is himself he will be only within “a self-made prison”, reflections of his own fear and agony.