#character assessment

[saphstories]

SCU Sonic does NOT know how to fight.

Not hating, but think about it. Other than maybe two times and a couple failed punches, all I can recall seeing the babe do is Spin Dashes. Maybe because he's spent so much time RUNNING, not fighting like Mainstream (Game and/or Comic) Sonic, he doesn't yet know how to properly use his speed in a fight? He doesn't know what a force he can be yet.

In Movie 1, Sonic is learning just what power he holds inside. The baseball field explosion, taking down Eggman's tank, and then the iconic Green Hills fight. Sonic learns just how powerful he is.

Movie 2, in comes Knuckles. Strength vs. Speed. Sonic figures out that his blunt power isn't going to cut it like it did in the first movie. He's forced to think outside the box to best Knuckles. And even then, Sonic doesn't even WIN against him. Knuckles is the superior warrior in this; if Sonic hadn't called attention to Eggman stealing the Master Emerald, I don't doubt that Knuckles would have defeated him.

Perhaps in 3, with this powerful adversary, someone that's not only Strong but Fast, it calls attention to Sonic's lack of proper skill? Perhaps he finally gets the training he needs to hone his power into skills? Maybe Knuckles teaches him. Maybe that's what the race is about in the trailer. Ngl I'd love to see a training scene or two.

Or maybe I'm tripping. What do you think?

[tenth-sentence]

Then she studied his face just as she had studied Digory's face in the palace of Charn.

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew" - C. S. Lewis

[whats-in-a-sentence]

Jones reassured the court he was untouched by Watt's lies:

I hope my character stands too high to be injured by any thing such a man as Watt could say of me; I do not think it will injure my character, either as a Member of Council, a magistrate, or a gentleman, but I should feel much ashamed to have it supposed that I could have any intimacy with such a man.

"Killing for Country: A Family History" - David Marr

[indywasdeepfried]

SPRING BON !! 🌻

…and his strange shadow counterpart.. 📼

[qiu-yan]

Serious Bitch Opinion: lan wangji...would be a terrible chief cultivator. yes, he is righteous and honorable and has a stalwart moral backbone. however, when you are given the responsibility of leading others, the impeccability of your own moral character must come second to what tangible results you can actually achieve for your people. and if you want to actually achieve any tangible results, instead of getting deadlocked forever or getting done in by your political enemies, you have to learn to compromise on some of your ideals. instead of freezing out the people you find morally despicable, you must learn to cooperate with them; otherwise, you will not achieve anything. and in order to achieve your goals, you must learn that not all of your goals are achievable--that, in order to get the more important of your desired measures passed, you must give up on some others.

now, this is almost the polar opposite of what MDZS as a text champions. arguably one of the central thematic thrusts of MDZS is the importance of not compromising on your ideals, even when it would be far more pragmatic to do so. thus, if lan wangji wanted to become a leader who could actually achieve things, he would have to directly contradict one of the most important messages of the very text that valorizes him.

the moral framework employed by MDZS to evaluate its characters and convey its themes is much more focused on ideals than on results. what matters to MDZS as a narrative is ultimately not the results of one's actions, whether one's righteousness led to joy or to ruin, but rather that one attempted to be righteous even in the face of almost inevitable failure. attempt the impossible, after all. the text of MDZS does not follow utilitarian ideas; it does not condemn wei wuxian for ultimately failing to save almost anyone. rather, wei wuxian's stalwart moral character is celebrated in spite of his failures because he, unlike everyone else, tried.

unfortunately--while someone who is only responsible for their own life can attempt the impossible, someone who is responsible for the lives of millions must instead achieve the achievable.

[maltcrescent]

Asleep During Assessment

please forgive him, he's trying his best to stay awake and learn

[astrolotte]

Interesting thing I realized is that the reason Peri still has his fuckass hair swirl in object form is most likely to make it easier to tell him apart from Cosmo (especially for colorblind kids), as he and his dad have the exact same facial features! Which is cool to note, I love character design.

I would also like to put it on record that this could've been fixed if you let him keep the eyelashes he had as a baby. I will forever be an advocate for that LET HIM BE SLAY-

[fromtheseventhhell]

"I've never seen such anger in a girl" and it's literally just a nine-year-old being quiet after an upsetting event, Arya really experiencing the universal girlhood experience of having your emotions policed for not responding in the "right" way

[alphaketoglutaricacid]

when toshiro got on laios ass for being inconsiderate and never thinking about how his actions affect others like he was mean abt it but hes not wrong. Thats a pretty major character flaw and a pattern of behavior for laios — w not choosing jobs that made money for namari who is in a pretty dire financial situation where she cant even get off the island and has to go adventuring in the dungeon to get out of debt, who even explicitly brought this up, eating marcilles familiar immediately even tho she was attached to it, kidnapping shuro into his party and putting him in life threatening situations without like really checking he wanted to be there…?, wanting to see if izutsumi has more than one set of nipples when dehumanization is a HUGE huge issue for her the list goes on and on and on. Like when a friend does this to you its just kinda annoying but when ur the leader u really should be checking if everyones needs r met without them telling u. Like the autism plays a factor for sure, his cultural upbringing plays a factor for sure, but as ppl regardless I think u gotta step up to meet the needs of ppl in the moment or realize u shouldnt be calling the shots. just bc its influenced by factors out of ur control does not make it not a serious character flaw. And its written as such in the story.

[horizon-verizon]

Alicent antagonizes Rhaenyra despite it not being smart because:

from Otto, she works on the belief that Rhaenyra would not be able to “refuse” and resist against the Westerosi lords’s prospective rebellion against her (since the lords will “definitely” rise against Rhaenyra)– so Alicent feels like Rhaenyra is not truly an intimidating/strong enough threat as herself enough to not directly antagonize [episode 5]; also Rhaenyra being in a more vulnerable position at court for Alicent to directly antagonize on the daily has strengthened that notion in Alicent’s mind

Alicent feels she is morally correct and that Rhaenyra is morally incorrect (before episode 8 messes up that) and she feels Rhaenyra isn’t a good candidate for rulership because she doesn’t treat Alicent as she wants to be treated: episode 4’s lie and sleeping with men “unassigned” to her (because Rhaenyra can’t have nice things when Alicent can’t)

So Alicent both feels emboldened to attack Rhaenyra based on the feeling that Rhaenyra is not a “good” person, that her sacrifice for conservatism makes Alicent the “right” one between them, and Rhaenyra is–to her–already, definitely too “weak” to fight properly against the lords if they truely make demands of her, whatever they might be: to abdicate for Aegon, to kill her siblings, to allow others to kill them, etc.

I don’t understand how Green stans say that Rhaenyra not being close with her siblings means that she would kill them. Sure, Rhaenyra mostly ignored them for the most part, but that doesn’t mean she wants them dead. Not once did we see her speaking negatively about her siblings to her children. Rhaenyra was literally just living her life while Alicent was turning her kids against Rhaenyra’s. Alicent literally divided the family, and turned her children against their own kin. And even if Alicent really does fear for her kid’s lives, antagonizing the woman you think will kill your kids, at every turn, is not the way to protect them.

Imagine wanting to kill every family member you're not close to. Or don't get along with. Or even strongly dislike. Some of us would be awfully busy.

And yes, the way Alicent treated Rhaenyra was definitely not a smart move to protect the children she apparently thought Rhaenyra would want dead.

[tenth-sentence]

"(...) This one could gather from his casual talk. (...)

"Heart of Darkness" - Joseph Conrad

[whats-in-a-sentence]

Jones told Darling:

The less we have for some years to come of the free institutions of the Mother Country amongst us, the better it will be for the peace and good Government of the Colony. Property here forms no criterion of a Man's fitness; Character is infinitely of more consequence . . .

"Killing for Country: A Family History" - David Marr

[emeraldotter]

doodles

[leadendeath]

using squared, angular faces like ¬_¬ and :] to deliberately yet subtly allude to my computerness

this post is always popular so instead of turning off rbs for like the third time *posts my links* also i have a plan for my assessment which i need to add to my gfm page when i can find my phone to login- ask me about it! :]

you’ll reblog this version if you’re not a coward >:]

[horizon-verizon]

Edited and Corrected...Again

Edit:

“Rhaenyra would definitely do the same or something similar  (not the physical attack but the act of protecting her kids) and she did in refocusing towards Aemond’s accusation BUT she thought that was the only thing to do and if she had been there with Lucerys. 

In the book, Rhaenyra even tried to keep her son from becoming dragon soldiers at Rhaenys suggestion to immediately use the dragons to raze the greens during the black council because there are green dragonriders (ahem, Aemond) who could put these boys in danger, and Daemon himself makes it clearer with his comment about Old Valyria.So really, it’s not motherhood that people like about Alicent. It’s that she’s desperate and the perfect victim who tries to follow the rules.“

Why I Don't Like Alicent Both as a Hypothetical "Person" in either the Show or the Book and as a Character from the Show

[BOOK] Alicent attempts to take the throne from the protagonist, Rhaenyra, using her gender as the reason and to install her own son as the ruler—-as a rule, if I see a person attempt to block a woman from setting a precedent that would put women in general in higher positions of power or even just find it for themselves, then I am automatically against them—but I prefer Book!Alicent over HotD because Alicent shows more self determination there than in HotD

[BOOK]--This is more of a disgust with Show!Alicent Stans–Even as a noblewoman who has been conditioned against illegitimate children by the Faith of the Seven, Book!Alicent's prejudice against Rhaenyra's 1st 3 kids to the point where she justifies their murders as being less deserving of consideration or empathy than her own hypothetical kids disgust me. It always will, because that is an unequivocal indication of a person who believes in "blood purity", yet it is treated as a pure moment of motherly love and saintliness by Alicent stans. Where's the claimed "objectivity" given to Alicent towards Rhaenyra saying what she said about Nettles being too "brown" and "common" for Daemon, while herself developing serious paranoia, before ordering her execution?

[SHOW] Alicent has too weak of character. And I mean of will and philosophical inner strength. She is nothing without being a tool for her dad and following what she thinks the men around need from her. All of her daring has to do with protecting her kids in terribly misguided and abusive attempts to actually make herself feel better for allowing herself to be pushed around for years and seeing Rhaenyra finding ways of being happier while also doing her "duty". It's like if you get mad at a person for having had great insurance for most of their lives while you just sat around and waited for someone to give you good insurance.

[SHOW] If we truly think Alicent is in the moral, absolute right or even that she is a "little" right, we'd have to subscribe entirely to the opressive values that she herself is trying to enforce: women must have sex within marriage and never before or they will lose their value and other men will not see her as deserving; the status of people (example, bastards vs trueborns) inherently determine their value from birth to death; men of authority are always right or the only ones deserving of power, so we should not question their actions; repress your desires 100% of the time to fill the expectations and standards of the ones in authority or really any person around you instead of developing critical, independent thinking skills -> don't be your own person or even try to think for yourself, just be as everyone else is doing and submit yourself to the assumptions of others–deny your own personhood and become a model of conformity

[SHOW] There is simply nothing at all aspirational about her. And if she were to stay alone, what does she contribute to the progression of the story except to hold back actually progressive things? Say what you will about Rhaenyra (and it's probably made up, wrong, or hypocritical), but Rhaenyra is giving determination and cleverness. Alicent is giving dollface fighting to remain a doll. Her often repeated power moments or most interesting actions are her: wearing the green dress (and it going nowhere with how badly written her character is), her giving feet looksies to Larys with no pushback, her attacking Lucerys and Rhaenyra, and her protecting Aegon from Meleys and Rhaenys.

Why I Think None of the "Accomplishments" or Any of the Cool!Alicent Moments of the Show Really Matter

Episode 5–Her Green Dress Moment

After learning Rhaenyra slept with Criston Cole and deceived her, Alicent seems to decide that Rhaenyra is her enemy and declares it through her wearing her house color of green instead of the red and black or reds she used to wear after marrying Viserys. (Rhaenyra saying that she didn't sleep with Daemon still has her lying about her virginity, which is what Alicent was aiming for and what Rhaenyra herself was trying to avoid censure for–I think this was actually great of Rhaenyra, but that's for a different post.)

By wearing the Targ colors, we're made to see Alicent as trying to assimilate or be more a part of the Targ family/house and display her allegiance to her husband and/or Rhaneyra–fulfill that value. (If you are a Rhaenicient or Rhaeniciente-leaning person, you may believe or have a notion that Alicent was also trying to get closer to Rhaenyra, get back into her good graces, or show her allegiance to her specifically and support her political claim/status.)

When she talks with Rhaenyra in the garden after Viserys blows Rhaenyra off, we see Alicent express that Rhaenyra's marriage predicament is her coveted one, since Rhaenyra has many different men to choose from for herself--that's she's allowed the choice.

Alicent wears a bare-armed, red and black structured ensemble with red fabric falling from her shoulders while Rhaenyra has a more form-fitted, rose gold, floral sort of dress withe cut sleeves at the elbows baring her forearms. Both highlight their youth and current sexuality, but differently. Rhaenyra is more direct as her dress is softly colored and superficially more "modest" than Alicent's, but it still shapes well to her body and curves her hips and breasts well enough that we can see them while still having the floral and softness to display her youth, as if Rhaenyra we're at some moment of freedom (sexually, maybe some foreshadowing?). Alicent's dress is a little more boxy and, color wise, harsh against her skin. To me, it looked more like a Halloween costume than a dress made in that fictional universe. While it leaves her arms bare, it still doesn't make use of Alicent's body like Rhaneyra does and how her green dress does. Alicent's dress shows how stifled and confined her sexuality is, how it's doesn't "form" to her but she tries to form herself to it. It contains her.

After Alicent sits with Viserys and calls Rhaenyra "stepdaughter", it's clear that she's decided to fight Rhaenyra and we're supposed to think she developing her own faction. We even get to see her be complimented and assured by her uncle/the Hightower head in the same dinner. Yet, Alicent, even in this feast episode, doesn't really have that much going for her afterward nor some sort of private confrontation or conversation with Rhaneyra like Joffrey and Criston, Daemon and Laena, etc. And on the episodes afterwards, Alicent somehow doesn't have enough support in the Red Keep and frantically wants her father back. She sits at the table and looks upset for most of the time, and even when Rhaenyra is in danger or when Criston Cole is revealed with Joffrey, why don't we see her reaction to piece out her state of mind then? Where is the promised independent spirit?

Episode 7–Her Attack

Some say that Alicent grew so fed up with how Viserys doesn't support her or their kids in favor of keeping Rhaenyra safe from infidelity and treason accusations. That years of the same thing, of Viserys ignoring her frustrations over Rhaenyra being allowed to have bastard son after bastard son and not getting punished is not fair to her, who has followed the rules and has not had a scrap of pleasure or happiness for herself, how she's a victim of the patriarchy by being married as a child.

However, while you may be willing to hurt others to protect your family (like how some have praised Daemon) it doesn't take you a good person yourself. It just makes you a terrified parent. And losing complete control in the face of perceived danger to yourself or to your loved ones in any scenario doesn't make you a hero–it means you are scared. It's not an evil thing, but it's not heroic either.

When Otto praises Alicent for being "determined", he's operating from this notion that Alicent is acting as if Rhaenyra/the blacks (for him, Daemon) are the unequivocal enemy that needs to be destroyed. However, we are supposed to know that Alicent is not acting politically ambitious at all. Unlike Book!Alicent, she's not even pursuing Rhaenyra's end for the sake of her son's becoming the king, just so he can become king. Show!Otto doesn't know shit about Alicent--he's only looking to use her. He's pleased that she is acting how he wants her to act, and he's projecting his own desire to fuck Daemon up onto her. Seeing what he wishes he could do without sacrificing his own face like Alicent did.

And then there is the consequence of Rhaenyra/the Velaryon boys actually being revealed: death, exile, and/or universal condemnation of women trying to be leaders, the execution/exile/universal hatred or death threats for the three boys themselves. Anyone who is trying to get this done for a person who lied about sex (so that they are not condemned for it)--esp without even trying to be ambitious or addressing an actual direct threat (Ottoman Empire law at one time actually had the winning male descendant of the past Sultan kill all his other brothers to assure his own place)--is ridiculously narrow-minded and needs to be regarded as such.

It also treacherous if they were both a woman and a friend of that person...who seems to still want to be friends? Even after what we are lead to think by Alicent's first green dress appearance and her trying to get Rhaneyra and her killed or banished or villainized by their entire society? Writers, make up your mind, who is this woman, what does she want?!

Alicent is not heroic in attacking Rhaenyra because she attacks her ("Where is duty? Where is sacrifice?!") not to protect her kid (at that point he's already hurt) but because she is angry that Rhaenyra managed to avoid being as sexually repressed (sacrifice) as her. That Rhaenyra's "duty" appears less heavy or demanding as Alicent's (when really, if you truly analyze it, it isn't. At all).

Alicent doesn't see that this is not an individual thing but a systematic thing and that she is just making things worse for herself, her kids, and Rhaenyra.

These are not hallmarks of a hero or someone to root for. She's not trying to shake things up for herself, so she can't be classified as a classic tragic hero. Nor is she like firefighter or a nurse, a person who puts themselves at risk for someone unaffiliated with them to save or maintain their lives, so she's not a modern American hero either. And the perceived danger of Rhaenyra has no strong basis, so she's not fighting against or resisting the real evil (Otto/Viserys/patriarchy, as the show makes it).

She's a misguided, abusive mother who defaults to her one, universal job–protect the kids. And even then, her kids are not really protected from the schemes of her dad and the incompetence of Viserys (Helaena's marriage and unwillingness to connect with Alicent, Aegon's alcoholism and raping, Aemond's anger and violence). A blind, repressed, unintelligent love doesn't make you a good parent, successful parent no matter how many times you push your kids behind you.

When Alicent attacked Rhaenyra, it was not supposed to be about motherhood but about herself and her lack of realizing she can think out of the box and getting angry at Rhaenyra for doing so. Yes, she is obviously angry at Viserys' doing nothing. However, the moral or ethical answer is not mutilating the offender, because then it's just about saving face and showing a kind of strength than actually righting a wrong and that needs to be remembered. And she wasn't just angry about Viserys but about Rhaenyra's lie and her ability to have some freedoms that Alicent herself rejected long ago to conform. As already stated.

If anything we would do better to see Alicent's act as just desperation, not determination.

And ironically, Alicent lost a lot of face when she went after Rhaenyra, which is why she is so differently dressed and publicly showing her Faith with the Star around her neck, why she takes down the erotic tapestries to make the Keep bare, why the Keep (supposedly, I saw no difference because nothing much was shown) looks so different from the past. (Except the defaults back to her way of dressing again at the family dinner in episode 8? The style where her shoulders are more out and some of her hair is down, some pinned up. Writers, make up your mind!)

Larys and Her Feet–Episode 9

Honestly, I agree with everything this anon asker to @laphacienne said about the matter: LINK.

A section of what they wrote:

I don’t think people realize how serious it is. Alicent's actions immediately following Viserys' death and at the Green Council in Fire and Blood are the narrative peak of her character's contributions to the Dance of Dragons. This was arguably her most powerful moment in the book, the moment she held the most political sway. And what was Alicent's most memorable scene in episode 9 ? The foot scene. The Green Council was supposed to be a dramatic, incredibly tense, and history-defining moment, but we are mostly talking about a foot fetish. I don't think she'll ever recover from this.

However, I don't think Larys has an innocuously idiosyncratic foot fetish per se.

I think that he loves the fact that Alicent feels that he has more power over her or has what she needs and only he can give this one thing--specific information--to her. That--not really her feet themselves-are what motivates and thrills him.

Still, the anon made a good point that Alicent has been reduced from her moment in Fire and Blood to this person who doesn't try to even use the power she does have as a Queen whose husband is out of commission (even if not dead, still very inactive and the greens have taken over the court by how the writers want us to think). Like how Cersei did to Peter Baelish in GoT--however strange that scene was.

Which tells us about what kind of person the writers and show runners want Alicent to be: a shrinking violet with no will to enact and dream of agency for herself.

Her Pushing Aegon behind her and Rhaenys/Meleys–Episode 9

Same point as for Episode 7 about Alicent's motherhood being used as a justification for actions.

Again, any parent that actually believed they cared or truly cared for their kids would do the same. Nothing more. Nothing less. It's not heroic or exceptional of her to protect Aegon even with her not liking him or thinking him for for kingship. She is compelled to protect him just on the fact that he is her son. Rhaenyra would definitely do the same or something similar if she thought that was the only thing to do and if she had been there with Lucerys. In the book, Rhaenyra even tried to keep her son from becoming dragon soldiers at Rhaenys suggestion to immediately use the dragons to raze the greens during the black council because there are green dragonriders (ahem, Aemond) who could put these boys in danger, and Daemon himself makes it clearer with his comment about Old Valyria.

In All

Show!Alicent doesn't see or now that Show!Rhaenyra had fought with Viserys before about her not having the ability to choose if she was even going to get married, so Alicent and some in the audience seems to forget that Rhaenyra has much less choice than they think. And Alicent herself is still a noblewoman. Every single noblewoman/girl is in the same predicament of having less choice than noblemen in who they get to have sex with.

It is the parents/ruler who decide who their kids marry–boy or girl–not the child themselves. But men at least can have sex with literally anyone they choose as long as they are discreet about it. Yet on practice, even then not really, since there are little real or lasting punishments for when they have illegitimate children. If a woman has a bastard, she's made into this villain, and not just based on "cost-analyses" in politics. She's made into this shedevil who has dared to limit her sexual pleasure to what her husband, random people, and family determines for her. That Alicent never truly thinks about this doesn't place her in my favor.

If anything, Show!Alicent is nothing more than a picture of the twisting of a victimized girl into an abusive pickme.

[revvethasmythh]

ngl, "I'm the only one who understands [x] character" or "only ten people actually get [x] character" is like the #1 biggest red flag to me that a person probably will have an inaccurate interpretation of a character. because if you've decided that you understand that character in a uniquely objective way over others, you inherently wall yourself off from alternate opinions by deciding they're wrong on the basis of simply not being the exact same as yours. if you can't incorporate or even just ponder other people's perspectives, people who have lived different lives and are approaching the content through different but potentially very useful lenses, you might miss out on some extremely enlightening and fascinating interpretations. building yourself an insulated echo chamber is probably the worst thing you could do when assessing a character like that