#characters that give into their flaws >>>>

[rotationalsymmetry]

I do think the "realistically, the gaang must have already been killing people" thing is being genre-oblivious. This is a children's cartoon show, and you gotta roll with the conventions of children's media. For the most part, unambiguous death doesn't happen. When Katara freezes people in ice, they're fine, just immobilized, even though it's *ice*. When Fire Nation soldiers get dumped into the ocean, we see them at least temporarily treading water, which allows for the possibility of an off-screen rescue. When an Earth Kingdom general is trying to convince Aang to join the war, we see *injured* Earth Kingdom soldiers, with no coffins or anything. An implausibly large number of people are captured rather than killed by the Fire Nation -- we don't know of one character on the heroes' side who died on the Day of Black Sun even though they lost, it's not that big a stretch to imagine that worked both ways.

Even Yue doesn't really die, she turns into the moon.

And you can't make an argument that the show is treating ordinary characters like red shirts while giving the leaders "real person" status, because it doesn't! The show humanizes minor characters and people who don't have much in the way of power at every turn. There's Fire Nation soldiers and guards and students with individual personalities. Ordinary people in the Earth Kingdom have their own struggles and losses and moments of happiness. In the Avatar Day episode, Aang makes friends with the other people in jail and in the Boiling Rock episode the heroes work with other prisoners -- people with their own priorities whose crimes are left ambiguous -- to escape. There's no stormtroopers in this show, no faceless mooks. Everyone's a person.

And the show spent INCREDIBLE amounts of time on showing Zuko's redemption arc. So much that I think some people think of him as just being ontologically on the heroes' side from the beginning. The show put so much effort into humanizing and redeeming Zuko to convey that other people in the Fire Nation have that potential, including his father, who was a teenager once too. (Was a child once. Aang sees a picture of Ozai as a child.) Picture a Zuko who grew to adulthood as the prince of the Fire Nation, surrounded by people who were sure that the Fire Nation's imperialism was right and correct, and never directly interacting with any people the Fire Nation harmed. Are you sure Zuko couldn't have turned into someone like Ozai under different circumstances?

And it's not rushed. It's set up in The Southern Raiders, if not earlier. It's a theme over multiple episodes; the method is introduced late but the conflict is not, and the method is not the important thing. (Steven Universe was very much rushed, unfortunately, due to executive meddling. And also. If you're going to be mad at the show, you have to be mad at it starting with the Pink Diamond reveal, and that part wasn't rushed, that part came off perfectly.)

(It's also thematically consistent with, eg, Paku getting in the way of Katara learning water bending at first but being a temporary adversary, not a permanent one, or the guy Yue was engaged to being a total jerk, and Jet's story and Hama's. Sometimes people are complicated, sometimes people have conflict with people basically on their side, because whatever side of a conflict people are on, they are still people. With positive qualities and flaws. On whichever side. This is the core thematic message of the show, for crying out loud. Objecting to that means you wanted a completely different show.)

Sometimes I think about how and why some people had such a *bad* reaction to the end of Steven Universe, specifically in regards to the Diamonds living.

Even though they no longer are causing harm to others and are able to actually undo some of their previous harm by living, some folks reacted as though this ending was somehow morally suspect. Morally bankrupt, even.

And I think it might be because so many of us were raised on a very specific kind of kids media trope:

They all fall to their deaths.

Disney loves chucking their bad guys off cliffs. And it makes sense- in a moral framework where villains *must* be punished (regardless of whether their death will actually prevent further harm or not), but killing of any kind is morally bad for the hero, the narrative must find a way to kill the villain without the protagonists doing a murder.

It's a moral assumption that a person can *deserve* to die, that it is cosmically just for them to die, that them dying is evidence that the story itself is morally good and correct. Scar *deserves* to die, but it would be bad for Simba to kill him. So....cliff. (edit: yes, cliff then hyenas. But cliff first. Lol.)

Steven Universe, whatever else it's faults, took a step back and said "but if killing people is bad, then people dying is bad", and instead of dropping White Diamond off a cliff, asked "what would actual *restorative*, not punitive, justice look like? What would actual reparations mean here? If the goal is to heal, not just to punish, how do we handle those who have done harm?" And then did that.

Which I think is interesting, and that there was pushback against it is interesting.

It also reminds me of the folks who get very weird about Aang not killing Ozai at the end of Avatar. And like, Ozai still gets chucked in prison, so it doesn't even push back on our cultural ideas of punitive justice *that much.* and still, I've seen people get real mad that the child monk who is the last survivor of a genocide that wiped out his entire pacifist culture didn't do a murder.

[avelera]

Thinking about how one of Mel's flaws as a character, as I see it, is that she's fixated on being the power behind the throne, rather than the power itself, despite already having all the ability she needs to be an effective and incisive ruler.

We first see this characteristic of Mel's when she's a child, picturing the sort of hand-picked regent she would select to be her family's puppet.

But Ambessa points out even back then that there's no reason Mel couldn't rule directly. This I imagine is part of the whole fox vs. wolf theme that is a source of tension between them.

In Mel's defense, there's plenty of good reasons to be the power behind the throne. It gives you a lot more deniability and an easy escape-hatch if something goes wrong. You can always throw the puppet to the wolves and start fresh. But it demonstrates a lack of commitment to always be hedging like that and it also lose you a certain amount of direct control. After all, the puppet can always grow teeth.

I think about this in relation to Jayce's Man of Progress image and how he needed to be the face of Hextech (and eventually a Councilor). Because why did he need to be the face of Hextech? Why couldn't Mel do it?

Mel was one of their first believers. She enabled their creation on the night of its inception. Why couldn't she be a partner in Hextech from the beginning, handling the public-facing side from the start? Or taken over from Jayce once it went from prototype to proven quantity?

I'd argue that if she had, a lot of the tragedies that befall Mel later would have been averted.

First of all, it's not as if there's an air-gap between the State and Hextech. There'd be no appearance of impropriety if Mel championed Hextech from the point where the Hexgates open. The Hexgates and Piltover had become synonymous by that point, there's no reason she couldn't continue to advocate and get funding for Hextech even as a Councilor. She had a skill for it, and the knowledge, and connections.

She could have allowed Jayce to remain in the lab, working on new innovations, occasionally coming out to offer the more scientific explanations as needed. But she didn't, why? (Doylist, obviously because we wouldn't have a story, etc. etc.)

I would argue it's part of the flaw or challenge she's facing in the story: she always wants to be the power behind the throne. So she helps elevate Jayce and supports his public persona. This persists until she sees an opportunity for an even bigger play by making Jayce a Councilor. Again, she sees a bright, charismatic, well-intentioned and easily-moldable person that she can work through to enact her own goals in Piltover and, because she is actually a good person, theirs too. She's not entirely self-serving and that's where she's different from Ambessa.

But this is where the problem of setting up a puppet sets in. Because Jayce has agency and he grows teeth and he pushes back on things Mel wouldn't want and does things she wouldn't advise with her superior political experience. Had she been the one in power instead of the power behind the throne, she could have avoided this, she could have molded the situation more specifically to her preferences, based on her superior knowledge. Jayce didn't want to be out in front of the crowd. He wanted to stay in the lab. Mel being the public face would have worked just fine for about 90% of the public appearances a representative of Hextech would need to make to the world. (I say this as someone who works as a public face in tech and has been a startup founder myself, such a role for Mel totally exists and often goes to someone who is a bigger name when the founders themselves are not charismatic or would simply prefer not to do all the wheeling and dealing.)

And this flaw loses her the relationship she could have had with Jayce, I'd argue. If she'd more directly worked alongside Jayce and Viktor, and taken over being the public face, she wouldn't have needed to manipulate Jayce or raise him to the Council, which were the dealbreakers that made him break up with her later.

Of course, they may not have had any reason to date in such a world but then, maybe they would have anyway as partners, now with a stronger foundation beneath them of working together, with both Jayce and Viktor relieved that the public, political side is being handled by a pro with a ton of resources (not that there wouldn't have been tension at all but certainly, this is a world in which I could see some flavor of MelJayVik happening harmoniously).

There's a Silicon Valley AU buried in all of this, free to a good home, but a world where Mel came on as a full partner early on would certainly be fascinating.

[meduseld]

You know, one of the things I really liked about Thomas Cardinal Lawrence from Conclave is that he is that extremely rare character type in which his hypocrisy is actually a positive trait instead of a negative one.

Like throughout the whole movie he decries his flaws and the reasons why he shouldn't get the job, while propping up friends and candidates with the same vibes as him. Benitez even points it out, Lawrence has his vote because he doesn't want it, and wins for similar reasons. Lawrence gives a speech about having an imperfect Pope, one with doubts, thinking of Bellini of course and completely missing how it all applies to him. He's amazed that it was taken as a campaign speech, since he will vote for an imperfect candidate but thinks that as HE is imperfect he should not be a candidate, but why wouldn't he be to others?

He even cops to, as Bellini accused, having thought of a papal name. The script even says:

He takes the Pope's "you're a manager" comment to heart as a bad thing, but is it? The farm does need a manager, in fact the Holy Father IS an Administrator. The fact that it is a Church doesn't really change that. And like Lawrence *is* a good admin/manager, he steers the Conclave, he is a solid candidate, he gets people, he keeps his morals...

It's just. Normally hypocrite characters are that way because they are blind, willfully or not, to their flaws. Lawrence is the rare one that is a hypocrite because he is *all too aware* of his own flaws, even if he can see how they might be an asset in others, because of or despite.

[son1c]

sonic fans will be like "not everything should be connected to the gameverse" and then get mad when there's differences in lore/characterization/etc across iterations. like you can't have it both ways guys. sometimes things can have merit even if they're not 100% game accurate. a respectful or creative adaptation has just as much if not more worth than a painstakingly faithful adaptation. sonic prime giving sonic a very obvious character flaw so he could have an arc in a television show instead of being a static mascot character for the entire runtime is actually one of its better choices. in this essay i will

[mandalhoerian]

i've been in the far orbit of this argument for a while and I'm really baffled why people can't be understanding of each other's perspectives and i'm sorry for what you're going through...

i want to have a little break-it-down for reblog's sakes if anyone wants to put this in their blog because there is MUCH to be said about the non-MC and you are the MC angles. spoiler alert: there is no wrong answer. it's about respect & understanding.

you are the main character

This perspective is all about inclusivity and self-insertion, which is honestly such a big draw for otome games in general. The idea is simple: you’re not just playing a game--you’re imagining yourself in the game. Your avatar is customizable, so you can tweak your appearance to reflect how you see yourself, or even how you want to see yourself. It’s like being dropped into an isekai where you’re not just some regular person--you’re someone special.

and HEY, who doesn’t want to imagine themselves as this badass, idealized version of themselves? In this game, you’re a cool hunter, you’ve got skills, you’re navigating this wild sci-fi/fantasy world with monsters and powers & oh yeah, you’ve got a literal aether core in your chest. That core isn’t just a plot device, it’s a metaphor for potential, for becoming something more. The game practically screams, “Hey, this could be you! Look how powerful and capable you could be!” It’s empowering in a way, and I totally get why people love this angle. It’s fun to imagine yourself as the one charming the LIs, holding your own in battle, and rising to the challenge of this world.

For people who vibe with this, it’s about escapism and self-expression. You don’t want to read about someone else being awesome, you want yourself to be awesome. It’s the ultimate power fantasy.

key word: power fantasy. which brings me to

you are NOT the main character

The argument here is that while the game tries to sell the MC as us, it just......... doesn’t land for a lot of players. Let’s start with the fact that this is a Chinese game, and the default character design is heavily rooted in East Asian beauty standards. Which is fine. It's their game, I'm not complaining I'm just telling it as it is. Yes, the skin tones are inclusive, and I’ll give them credit for that, but the body type? The facial features? The overall aesthetic? It’s not exactly universal. I mean, take a good look at my big fat ass and tell me how I’m supposed to feel immersed when the MC looks like a dainty stick figure who’d snap in half if she ever actually tried to fight (despite all the "abs" talk.) Like, she’s cute, sure, but she’s not me. And definitely not you. (Don't talk to me about "she has to look like that because she's a hunter, remember". all of us know that's not the case. it's about beauty standards.)

And then there’s the way she acts. Oh boy,,,,,,,, Sometimes it feels like she’s actively trying to make the worst decisions possible. It’s one thing to be flawed, flaws are human and relatable, but there are moments, especially in the Sylus arc, where I’m sitting there like, “Girl, what are you doing?!” She makes choices that I would never make, and it pulls me right out of the story because it’s not even a matter of imagining myself in her shoes anymore. It’s like watching a character in a TV show make a bad call, and you’re yelling at the screen, but it’s not like you can change what happens. That's okay, though, it's not a sin. She has her own personality, her own reactions, and her own story, and while that makes for a compelling narrative, it also makes it really clear that she’s not us.

For people who lean toward the “non-MC” argument, it’s frustrating because the game is selling this experience as one where we’re supposed to see ourselves in the MC, but she’s written in a way that feels so disconnected from how many of us would act or feel. It’s hard to immerse yourself in a story when the character representing you feels so far removed from who you are or who you want to be.

so what?

Honestly, I think this boils down to what you’re looking for in the game. If you’re someone who loves the “you are the MC” vibe, then you’re probably willing to overlook or even embrace the gaps between you and the character because the customization and the overarching narrative of personal growth are enough to make you feel seen. But if you’re in the “non-MC” camp, then every time the MC makes a cringe-worthy choice or the story reminds you that she’s more of a predefined character than a blank slate, it’s going to take you out of the experience. (This was me in "No Defense Zone", I had to put my phone down and do laps around in my room out of second hand embarrassment.)

Maybe the real issue here is that the game is trying to have it both ways. It wants to tell a story with a strong narrative and a compelling lead character, but it also wants to let players insert themselves into that story. And honestly? That’s a tough balance to strike. It works for some people, but for others, it ends up feeling like a half-measure that doesn’t fully satisfy either camp.

At the end of the day, I think it’s okay to feel a little jealous of the MC because, in a way, she isn’t us. She’s her own character, living her own life in this world, and we’re just along for the ride. And whether you see her as “you” or as “another character,” what really matters is how much you’re enjoying the story. So let’s keep discussing it, but maybe we can stop tearing each other apart and harrass people over it. It’s okay to love the game for what it is—or even for what it isn’t.

Guys I may be mentally insane but ... Why do I low-key feel jealous of MC when I see clips of the upcoming cards... Especially the Sylus one..

IK SHE'S MEANT TO BE US BUT 😭😭

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Waiting for Superman

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~600

Warnings: fluff

Summary: For decades, you’ve been coasting through life thinking you’ll never find “the one” until you take Spencer to a bookstore, and he manages to find something to pass the time.

Square Filled: waiting for superman by daughtry for @spencerreidbingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are greatly appreciated <3

x

Spencer loves books. He reads nearly twenty of them in a week. However, he is a fan of nonfiction, not fiction like you love. The new bookstore that just opened near your house only had fiction books stocked, nothing that would ever catch Spencer’s eyes. Still, he goes because it’s what you love.

Most people who know Spencer know that he is patient, calculating, thoughtful, and very friendly. That all gets thrown out the window when he comes to the bookstore with you. He’s like an impatient child who only comes along because he has to. He gets bored very easily since his big brain is always running away from him, so it takes a lot to keep him engaged. It’s why he’s so good at his job. His mind is constantly engaged by whatever unsub has made it to the briefing room.

Spencer huffs as he follows you around the bookstore, and you pick a romance book off the shelf.

“You know you didn't have to come with me.”

“I want to hang out with you, even if it means being in here.”

“How romantic,” you roll your eyes playfully.

“Are you almost done? I know of another bookstore that has books we’d both like.”

“Spencer, this one is closer, and we have to meet my parents for lunch. If we went to the other one, we wouldn’t get back until late.” Spencer leans against the bookshelf and is quiet for maybe five seconds. “Okay, how about you go to the cafe and get something to drink, yeah?”

Spencer grumbles but doesn’t answer you. You go back to reading the backs of books, pushing Spencer aside in your mind. He leaves your side to go find something else to do. If this is Spencer’s only flaw, then you consider yourself pretty lucky. You were at the point in your life where you thought you’d be alone forever.

Every date you went on, you weren't connecting to anyone. Either they were too boring, too stinky, too full of themselves, or they had their eyes on other girls. None of them were ever right until you met Spencer. He kept his attention on you every time you two were together, always put your first, and made sure to remember every detail you’d tell him about yourself.

Okay, that last one is his natural ability to remember everything, but he made a conscious decision to do it.

You spent what felt like a lifetime for someone like Spencer, so you’re not going to let him go that easily.

Over the next hour, you read and grab books that are interesting to you until you have a pile in your hands. You had just gotten paid and felt like spending a chunk of your paycheck on books. Knowing there is nothing for Spencer in here, you search for him in the small bookstore. He’s upstairs sitting in a book nook with half a dozen kids sitting around him. Their parents are near just watching Spencer read a book to them.

His eyes are wide, he does funny voices for the characters, and he engages each of the kids in the story he’s reading. You set your books down on a table and lean against it, content with watching him. Each kid is mesmerized and hooked to every word he’s saying, and the parents don’t mind the nice break from their children.

“What about the dragon? Who is going to slay it?” a child asks.

“Princess Annabelle is.” All the children gasp. “I know. Usually, the prince does but I think Princess Annabelle is tired of waiting for someone to do it for her. Let’s see how she does it.”

Spencer flips to the next page and continues to the story. He looks up and locks eyes with you, and you give him a slow-growing smile.

It’s right here and now that you’ve decided this is the man you’re going to marry. You’ve been waiting decades for your Superman to show up, and it’s been in front of your face the whole time.

x

Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[reignpage]

What are the characters in your Eden au (can be the characters and or their respective readers) fatal flaw?

made this quickly so not proofread

gojo: loyalty

he believes in family by choice and not by birth, he's always submerged in light, he emits it. but light can blind and he doesn't see the tendrils of shadows that are pulling the people he loves away from him until it's too late and all he can do is shine brighter. that is all he knows to do. he's the type to remember all the good days, the fun conversations, the sincerity, and believes it outweighs one mistake, even if those mistakes pile up. he'll go to the ends of the world for the people he loves, even if they might not follow

geto: his principles/beliefs

he's so sure about what is right and what is wrong, he cannot justify anyone choosing differently to him, he dares not attempt to see their perspective. he sees all the darkness of the world, that surrounds people, that is borne within and he knows not what to do with his knowledge. he doesn't think anyone can understand or could help, so he solves it on his own, so focused on the destination, he fails to realise he's on the wrong path until it's too late

choso: naivety

he's got an artist's vision, he sees the beauty of what was and what could be, but he often fails to see what is. he's idealistic, he hopes for the best in people, sees their potential, but doesn't understand that one must always keep in touch with reality. he's an open book, wears his heart on his sleeve, and he'll allow those he loves to take bits and pieces for the sake of art, of love, of worship, even until what's left of him melts into the cracks and he bleeds dry

toji: sense of responsibility

he's the captain, his teammates' mistakes, his team's failures, their weaknesses, they reflect on him. that translates into the family, he's traditional, it is the man who provides, the man carries the burden and he mustn't falter. he keeps it all to himself, every fear, every worry, every festering wound until he thinks himself the problem and he leaves. because he can't recognise the difference between selflessness and cowardice

nanami: maturity

he's principled, logical and rational. every problem has a solution, clear and straightforward. but sometimes the world doesn't work like that, some people can't be quantified, and some solutions require, not objectivity but rather, subjectivity and bias and a trial and error approach. some people are messy and broken and scared, to love them involves accepting that they can't be fixed, and as irrational as it is, there's a beauty in that

sukuna: arrogance

he thinks he knows it all, that the world is a zero-sum game, that every system operates on a give and take basis, where you either have power or you don't, and he thinks he has it all. he's so confident in his name, his strength, his intelligence and wealth that he sees no one as a threat, and well into adulthood, he still sees things like that, there is no one who matches him, no one who deserves or has earned his respect, no one worth a shred of his attention. except for one person

[luciferanalyzestar]

Wow that valastor person is a scum bag, calls the other people fake bitches than leaks private discord messages to prove what a fake bitch they are. Loves and cosmic are fans but they’re aren’t blind followers they recognize that the shows are flawed and like every fan use HC and fanfiction to cope, they know how to have fun. Only thing I heavily disagree is shitting on someone’s art. Dani is a bully and has driven alot of fans away, especially asexual fans that drew a lot of angel and alastor porn from the show because of how affiliated they are with viv and SH crew especially Morgana. being praised by SH crew for being a bully. The lesson that should be taken is that you’re not safe anywhere in the HB/HH fandom and it’s gonna get worse from here on it

I am going to be hyperbolic for a second, this fandom has reach three of ten signs of a cult.

You dare have criticism something or someone! BANISHMENT. Ex-fans are viewed as 'antis' or bunch of crazy people or 'jealous of Viv' like no. The standom believes that the leader (Viv) cannot do nothing wrong because she is 'mother' (yes, I seen fans call her that) and she not a flawed human being (even though every person on the spinning rock is flawed, even me and you). Ok, I am done with being hyperbolic.

The Hellaverse fandom cannot handle that there is another fan has a different opinion that goes against the norm.

We ALL have to like the songs, we ALL have to the same characters, we ALL have to like the popular ships, we ALL have to support Viv unconditionally. If you do, you are no longer a fan. You are just a little bitch hater. Like I am sorry, but the world does not work like that. We all have different tastes and views on things and humans have always been like this. I do not care if someone says the hate the characters and/or the ships I like. I am not taking it personally because I am my own person, that stuff does not define me.

I am only okay with leaking private messages if someone was being a bigot or being creepy towards someone, not because they have opinions OVER A CARTOON! It has always been obvious that Lovearts23 was not the typical fan, she is the reason I joined this community. Criticisms are all over her videos, it was never a secret. When looking at the critical opinions in the screenshots I was like:

I use headcanons and AUs to cope that Hazbin will never do any of the character's justice when it comes to writing. The fandom is the main source of giving characters depth and whatever else. I cannot count how many times I have seen fans take headcanons and theories made by fans as 100% canon, it is crazy.

I know Hazbin is very flawed and my ass will be right there when season two drops and I am going to have a gay old time watching it because:

Shitting on someone's art is "deviantART cringe" compilations behavior, critiques are the way to go. Danidraws is 100% a ride-or-die Viv stan. She needs to do self-reflective because this is a weird thing to say about someone for doing harmless Hazbin redesigns.

I know what 'pop' means because my mother said to me as a child. Pop means you are going to hit someone mainly in the face for talking back. Saying that you want to hurt someone for not liking your favorite shows is not okay at all.

This fandom has an acephobia problem nor can they wrap their heads around asexuals who like to draw and make nsfw or kinky content. I am sex repulsed ace, and I love kinky content even though the idea of indulging in stuff like it IRL gives me the ick. Some asexuals tend to be Aegosexual or Adesexual.

There is a lot of fans who are on the ace and aro spectrum (and a lot in the critical community too) and we have to fight for other lives and defend our sexuality and explain it to allosexuals who are too lazy to do a simple google search.

A lot of fans need to look at themsleves in the mirror and think:"Why I am doing this?" or "Has the stuff I done and say online have effect someone in a negative way?" because this fandom forgets that there is another human behind the screen.

[flossthecryptid]

I’m so glad someone else said this first lol,

But I totally agree, it’s such a strange way to present their dynamic and always feels kinda forced to me.

It also messes with other character’s dynamics and arcs too; which I guess is fine if you only care about specific characters but one of my favourite things about Damian is his relationship with others.

Dick gives heavy older sibling energy which isn’t interchangeable with a parent role.

Like you said, making Bruce abusive for the sake of this relationship feels wrong. He has such interesting flaws that can already be explored that clash so well with other characters. You do not to make up new stuff for an interesting story.

Gotta be honest, don’t attack me

But I really hate the whole Dick Grayson is Damian’s dad thing

Some fanfic writes completely ruined it by making Bruce abusive or things of that nature. And then they have Bruce be in the wrong for having his feeling hurt that his own son doesn’t see him as his dad, like…? Of course he’s gonna be hurt?

It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth the way it’s presented.

I’m told that in a lot of comics Bruce and Damian have a really good relationship because of how similar they are. It’s fine if you don’t wanna go by the comics, we all know I don’t, but I always find it weird when someone takes a perfectly good character and makes them abusive to make another character look better in comparison.

Once again, if you like that more power to you, but personally I feel like it’s bad writing and in bad faith. I very much so avoid the tag Dick Grayson is Damian Wayne’s parent like the plague. Let Dick be an older brother! That’s all he wants!

[hobbitkiller]

Adding to a list of weird assumptions that people made while watching Arcane that makes me think they really don’t understand the show or characters is the assumption that Sevika would be super mad at Jinx for killing Silco.

Sevika knew Silco’s power was slipping, and essentially said she wouldn’t say no to a better offer. She also, in a way, understood Jinx better than most. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she knew Jinx killed him.

She’s actually really fascinating in Season 2, because it feels like she’s trying to strike the balance between Vander and Silco. She wants to unify the Lanes to stand up against Piltover, but she wants to do it how Vander would, by joining together, rather than Silco’s method of fear and control.

I think it’s really interesting that, in the scene that juxtaposes Cait looking at Cassandra’s statue and Scar looking at Ekko’s portrait, Sevika is looking up to Vander’s statue. The unspoken text of the scene is three people had leadership thrust upon them looking at the likenesses of those who came before and wondering how they can move forward. Obviously, some of this was set up to remind us about Vander for when Warwick showed up, but it’s still a bit of an evolution of her character.

Combine that with her insistence on not giving up their people—words much closer to Vander than Silco who literally paid enforcers to hunt down his enemies, and Season 2 Sevika feels like someone who understands Silco’s flaws and that, in the end, he wasn’t what was best for Zaun.

[morphean42]

Falsettos unpopular opinions because two people asked for this and honestly I don’t give a fuck anymore. I want to state this isn’t in response to anyone in particular, though, and if you get offended by any of these think about why. For a good reason? Please tell me and I’d love to debate it, truly. For a petty reason? You’re simply part of the problem.

1. They are Jewish. End of story. If I see anything related to Christianity or Christmas or whatever the fuck with them… shut up. Yes Whizzer is half-Jewish, yes in the revival Cordelia isn’t Jewish (WHICH BRINGS ME TO ANOTHER POINT ILL GET INTO LATER), yes they are most likely secular as evidenced by Mendel’s “religions just a trap” and ‘Days Like This’, no this does not give you the right to ignore their ETHNICITY AND CULTURE.

2. It’s okay to like the revival more. It’s not okay to ignore the original just because you get blinded by conventionally attractive men. Going to my Cordelia point, she’s Jewish in the original, her line ‘Shiksa caterer’ is ‘Kosher caterer’. Again it’s fine if your headcanons and fanfics and fanarts are based on the revival, I love it too, but stop acting like it’s the only version.

3. Whizzer’s entire personality does not revolve around being gay. He’s not a sassy twink. He’s a full grown man with issues that need to be addressed. Again, I reiterate, he is not a twink. Stop. Drawing. Him. Skinny. And. Hairless. I don’t care if ‘ oh but but that’s just my art style!’ Shut up.

4. Correlated to the above point, here are things Whizzer is not: a prostitute, a drug addict, relying on Marvin for everything, a twink (saying that again to get it through peoples fucking skulls), innocent. I’m 100% positive if the people who had these headcanons watched the OBC version of the show they’d never continue to advocate for them… once more I’m begging you guys to look past Andy Randy’s beautiful face and actually use critical thinking skills when it comes to Whizzer.

5. Short but (not) sweet: don’t claim to understand Marvin if you haven’t watched In Trousers. Just don’t.

6. If you flat out hate any character in the show, you’re wrong. Yes I’m still mad about the Mendel thing; if you think any one character is worse than the rest and isn’t just a fully human person with flaws and nuance, you don’t understand the musical as well as you claim.

7. It’s not the ‘gay’ musical. If you like falsettos for Whizzvin and nothing else, please, just… I don’t even know. There’s so much more to it than ‘ooo boys kissing.’ Please grow up, this leads into a whole other point but fetishisation is never okay, no matter who does it.

8. So many people treat Trina as either a perfect angel or just the side character in the way of the gay people. She’s an entire person, an entire character with flaws and hardship and terrible actions done by her and to her. Treat my homophobic queen with the respect she deserves, and acknowledge her faults too. It’s more misogynistic to treat her as perfect when she has issues too than just saying ‘she’s never done anything wrong’.

9. Stop making AIDS jokes.

10. This next one is probably the most iffy on the list. I will never be one to police fandom and creation, you can engage with material in any fucking way you like it literally doesn’t matter to me… but I dislike AUs. Now, I’ll always enjoy a little fun, adding in a twist like lesbian Whizzvin, or enjoying a feel good college AU. But. Especially for Falsettos the canon events are so fucking important and cannot be disregarded as casually as some do. AIDS is an extremely important part of the story, as well as the fact that both Marvin and Whizzer are men. I’m trans myself, but I dislike making them so simply because everything about their characters, all the characters, are so highly specific and important to take these aspects away is to disrespect the message of the musical.

11. It’s very important Mendel is straight. I see some people headcanon him as bisexual or trans or so on, and this just feels so wrong to me. Trina and Mendel are straight and that’s why their acceptance and love for the others in the Tight Knit Family is so important, especially Trina struggles with moving away from the idea that these ‘homosexual tendencies’ are wrong. They are straight but they love Whizzvin and the lesbians just as much as anyone else.

12. This one is so petty and I accept that, but… HIS NAME IS NOT MARVIN GARDENS. GARDEN IS A JOKE CHRISTIAN BORLE MADE BASED ON MONOPOLY. Jesus guys please just stop it it’s so stupid, William Finn didn’t have a last name for Marvin on purpose, and though I can’t do more than theorise what that purpose was, Gardens is so stupid. It’s not even funny. Same goes for Cohen, which just is odd. The only name I could begin to accept is Falsetto, and even then… just work around the last name in your fics.

12 1/2. SIDE TANGENT Jason would never take Weisenbachfeld as his last name. As a child of divorce… no. He’ll never view Mendel as a true father over his own dad, especially after Falsettoland, and he wouldn’t take that name. Hell, I’d known my ex step-father since I was two and I’d never have taken his last name. So, please, I never want to see Jason Weisenbachfeld again. That’s just not how it works.

At the end of the day this is just me alone in my room bitching… I just hope these points resonate with others.

[kalinara]

(A+X #18)

This post is a rerun. If you scroll back twelve years on this tumblr, you're going to see these exact panels. But I was reminded of it when @rei-ismyname posted this review of X-Women.

So for some context, this is part of a series that plays with team ups of Avengers and X-Men characters post Avengers vs. X-Men.

Scott Summers and Steve Rogers was a natural team-up as they're both leader types who generally act with restraint and try to be idealists and sometimes fall short but never maliciously.

There's a natural source of tension too. Steve is a law-and-order type (except when he isn't.) And Scott, at this point in time, is a fugitive Mutant revolutionary who had (under Phoenix possession) killed Charles Xavier.

They actually do work together pretty well. But this is the ending of the story. Where you have both characters coming to blows because Steve wants Scott to submit to arrest and trial.

Presumably in the meantime, Scott is supposed to go back to that prison run by a human supremacist who put him in a shock collar, tortured him, tried to have other prisoners murder him, and got a comparatively innocent young civilian murdered instead.

And then he's supposed to have a jury of his "peers". And Scott has a good question about whether those peers are supposed to be mutants, or whether they'll be human - you know, the people who generally are completely fine with the existence of genocidal robots who attack mutants immediately.

After a conflict that came about because the Avengers (led by Steve) invaded Utopia's sovereign soil and demanded a child, then an Avenger (Tony Stark) split the Phoenix, causing five unprepared people to suddenly be forced to be Phoenix hosts.

And the whole need for the Phoenix came about because an Avenger (Wanda Maximoff) decimated the mutant race. I like Wanda, and acknowledge that since then she's more than made up for it. But at the time, the question was valid: where was HER trial by jury?

Okay, I reluctantly admit that Steve Rogers has his own flaws and blind spots. He could genuinely believe that Scott would get a fair trial and that justice would be served. He might think he can ensure an imprisonment that doesn't involve brutality. But since he doesn't SAY those things, he just looks like a cartoon here.

And that's not even getting into the callousness of the observers. Let's let them "have their moment", as though they're just fighting over whose turn it is to buy dinner, and not whether or not one of them should go back to be tortured in prison.

I actually mostly liked A vs. X (the X-Men parts anyway), and I loved most of the aftermath stuff. And I even loved the vast majority of this team up. But this wasn't a funny ending. Sorry.

...okay, the cowboy hat is pretty funny. I'll give them that.

[maxdibert]

Ginny’s got a really interesting set up for a character, it’s just that everything interesting about her happens off page. How does she feel about the fiasco of her first year, and that her family didn’t even notice how lonely she was? How was her second year, after nearly dying and making no friends in her first? How’s her relationship with her mother, given that she clearly wanted a daughter but they don’t share common interests? How does she feel about everyone focusing on Harry after the dementor attack on the train when it seems she was just as badly affected? How did trauma shape her from an openly very emotional little girl to a hard-eyed unemotional teenager? Does it annoy her that Harry *admires* that she’s hard-eyed and not weepy, when she wasn’t like that before Tom Riddle sunk his teeth in to her? How does she feel about always being kept on the periphery of the trio? How does she feel that her boyfriend didn’t think she was capable and worthy of including in the Horcrux quest? What was her time as a Hogwarts resistance leader like?

There’s so much potential that JKR sets up, but it gets sidelined because she doesn’t want to get bogged down by making Harry and Ginny a plausibly equal partnership. So instead she becomes a sassy hot girl who’s Harry’s ticket into his dream family. She’s the most frustrating character in the series for me for that reason, the character could’ve easily been a great deal more than she is.

Exactly. 100%. Totally. That’s my exact opinion.

My problem with Ginny is that if Rowling had cared to give her some relevance starting from the third book, after what happened with Riddle, maybe bringing her a little closer to the trio so that her character could show some depth—just like we know so much about Ron and Hermione because they’re close to Harry—everything would’ve happened more naturally, and Ginny would have been developed enough to be likable despite her flaws. She had four whole books to do this and didn’t bother, in fact, she’s basically a side character until the sixth book. She’s a character who doesn’t matter, and then suddenly, bam! She’s the dream girl of every teenage guy because she’s hot, athletic, doesn’t cry, and talks back to anyone who raises their voice at her—what? All I see is a really annoying girl who constantly needs to please the guys because she’s looking for male validation, and she’s just a fangirl of Harry Potter, period. I’m sorry, but she messed it up big time.

I’m not a fan of Romione, I find them boring as hell and I don’t see them together, but Romione has development. You see it throughout the series, you see the tension, and you see how their relationship evolves, and even then, until the end, Rowling doesn’t make them canon. The same could have happened with Harry and Ginny, but she didn’t want to and it was a huge mistake because it ended up creating an unbearable character.

[bluiela]

Yazthebookish: Elain is not just disliked because she is feminine but because she has flaws and SJM said she doesn't find it interesting writing about characters with no flaws so she'll write Elain with flaws, and because of the flaws some people not like her.

E/riels: "the entire Gwynriels are saying SJM doesn't want to write about Elain, here's an essay on her getting a book"

"The entire Gwynriels thinks we like Elain because she is flawless but here is an essay of the reasons I love her flaws"

"entire Gwynriels hates Elain and Gwyn and Lucien suck but here's another paragraph of me ranting about Elain" and so many more.

These guys banned ships from and event to make a "safe space" for their creators but they will not give others the same decency.

They make 100+ posts on literally 3 stories she posted and none of them actually talked about what was actually written.

It just seems that they will twist and manipulate anything to bring down people who don't agree with them.

Safe space can only be given to people who agree with them and their shipping choices otherwise they will make 100+ passive aggressive posts on 3 stories harassing the creators who was casually sharing her opinions and actual stuff that the author said.

And then they whine about people saying their side is toxic and mean. If you don't want to be called toxic and mean then don't do stuff that makes you toxic and mean.

[pomefioredove]

I really liked the advice for writing about Rook ;u; I was thinking if there was one for writing about Vil's character too?) :'0

I can try!

I think what you want to avoid is making vil a stereotypical "mean girl", for lack of a better term. he has a low tolerance for bullshit but he's not a bully. he's just... german...

he's also not perfect. like, that, to me, is a huge part of his character. when I write him, I give him a sense of humor, I give him flaws, I make him a little... uglier, so to speak, because that's who he is to me. especially with yuu

what makes him an interesting character (to me) is his relationship with morality. he definitely has insecurities about his appearance, he's very meticulous and critical of himself, he has an eating disorder, to me, at least, but... like, that's not what makes him tick. vil is extremely insecure about his morality. he thinks he's a bad person, an irredeemably bad person, an intrinsically bad person, and he believes, in some way, that he's unlovable. he hates who he is, he hates that he can't be good enough, or innocent enough, or nice enough, like neige. it's not about looks, not really. it's also fucking insane to me how all the adults in his life profiled him as a villain and put him in that role again and again, both on stage and in real life. being told that you're a bad person really fucks you up as a child

so, feeling like he's inherently evil and unlovable, he pours all of his effort and time and care into his appearance, because, unlike his morality, that can be changed. he needs that control. of course, the result of this is that he becomes really insecure about his body, and is always looking to improve, because it's never enough to heal what actually needs to be healed

he puts on this mask of indifference and perfection, he acts like he think he should (or how other people assumes he should), he makes himself untouchable because he feels like he doesn't deserve to be touched, but god, is he scared. and so, so lonely. and jealous. and sort of resentful of everyone for making him that way, but dependent on their comfort and approval all the same

people don't really look at vil as if he were human and I think that bothers him. even though he makes himself inhuman, godlike, he doesn't really want that. he wants to be loved for who he is, he wants to be reassured that he's not broken, he wants a break from being looked at, he wants to be felt instead

I read a post once, forgive me for I do not remember the OP, that said that it wasn't jealousy or rage or bitter ugliness that had caused vil to overblot. it was when he realized that he was about to hurt neige, and that he had become the villain everyone already saw him as. his conflict with his morality is the most interesting part of his character and it's rarely explored, he's rarely even humanized

tldr, uhhh, vil is a person, he longs to be seen as a person, he is not a mean girl. got emotional writing this bc I love vil so muc,

[elainsgirl]

i’m laughing at the fact that gwynriels are trying to say that we claim elain is perfect and without flaws.

i’ve never seen an elriel make this claim. in fact, we are all incredibly excited to see elain’s growth in the next book for this reason. you can’t have a compelling story without a flawed character. we just don’t degrade her for those flaws by calling her boring or useless or weak, unlike them.

meanwhile gwynriels pop a hemorrhoid any time we try to say that gwyn isn’t perfect because to them, she is flawless, which is why she needs to be with azriel because he “deserves better.”

another day of them trying to twist the narrative when really they’re just pointing the gun at themselves again 😌

Hey anon 🫶

Let me get this straight:

The same Gwynriels that have called Elriels misogynistic and other non-polite words as well as attacking them for believing in the LightSinger theory or having any theory that potrays Gwyn to be morally grey instead of perfection - the same group of people that have Gwyn as the flawless friend, auntie, spy, warrior, ruler etc etc. She literally has 0 flaws. Even Gwynriels haven’t bothered to theorised about Gwyn’s character growth/journey. Its always about what she can do for Azriel/Nesta. And it makes sense. Most of her stans that are also gwynriels only like her bcs she is a stereotypical character with little depth so its perfect for stans who love to self-insert themselves.

Saying Mass doesn’t like to write about perfect characters with 0 faults but then stanning and theorising Gwyn - who has 0 flaws - will get a book… is just hilarious. Honestly, they embarrass themselves 😭

When I - or other elriels - say elain is “perfect” its said in an exaggerated, “I love this character so much” way. Not in a “she’s actually perfect and has done nothing wrong” kind of way. Yes. Elain has flaws. She has growth to do, a journey of self-discovery to grow. The difference is: Elriels just don’t hate Elain for BS reasons like Gwynriels. Elriels don’t find Elains behaviour towards Lucien wrong or something she needs to apologise for - the way Eluciens do. We do not criticise Elain the way Eluciens/Gwynriels do. Their criticism is always based on misogyny. As far as I know - elriels may critique Elain but what has that woman really done wrong? In a series where you have r4pists, SAs, emotional or physical abusers- Elain not planting a vegetable garden as a child doesn’t seem like a big thing to hold against her. Im not saying she is “perfect” she definitely needs to apologise to Feyre but for Elain - it will be more self-discovery, dabbling into her fanged beast side etc.

Yeah at this point - I don’t think antis realise how ridiculous they’re sounding anymore. Like you don’t even have to do anything and they’re just there. Spiralling whilst giving the rest of us second hand embarrassment.