#complex characters for the win!

[splanana-bitz]

You know what?

Shout out to complex characters. Those guys don't get enough of the proper recognition they deserve

I feel like we try too hard to make everything black and white, especially when it comes to characters, their actions, and the discourse surrounding it.

Should good characters be perfect all the time? Absolutely not! That's not how people work, and I think (to a certain degree) media needs to contain more accurate representations of how messy people and life can be, and sometimes, that means making good characters make a bad decision or giving them a complex past or a morally grey view on this or that, etc.

Should bad characters be excused for their actions? Hell no! But it's their flaws and seeing their improvement on said flaws that make it all the more interesting to see the story progress (especially if it's done right)

So, like...can we stop going to either the extreme of baby-girling and infantilizing questionable, ethically ambigious characters who's rough around the edges, or the extreme of shunning them so much and villainizing them for one bad decision...to the point we forget who the character really is and is supposed to be?

[bumblingbabooshka]

Thinking about marriage/women's rights on Vulcan Some may think that T'Pring not being allowed to divorce Spock was because he was going through the pon farr but if she were allowed to divorce him at all she probably would have done that a long time ago, confirmed by T'Pol when she's speaking with Koss, who isn't suffering from the pon farr. She says that he can choose another mate (without invoking a fight it seems: note the difference between a 'mate' and a 'challenger') and after he makes it clear that nothing she says will change his mind about marrying her, she finally threatens to declare a kal-if-fee. It's clear that Vulcan women cannot divorce/refuse to marry a man they've been betrothed to under any circumstances if A) He himself doesn't consent to ending their marriage or B) She doesn't have someone else waiting in the wings to be given to in his stead. Though, if the challenger she selects fails to win the fight, she'll have to marry her betrothed anyway unless (again) he decides he doesn't want her after the challenge. That seems like an incredibly unfair system, heavily biased towards men. SNW is an alternate universe in many obvious respects but most egregiously in that T'Pring has a lot of non-canonical agency over her relationship with Spock. It's interesting to me that Vulcan society has women in many positions of power and treats women as equal to men from what I've seen despite these laws. We don't really see Vulcans exhibiting a misogynistic attitude towards women in general but in TOS (perhaps because of its general writing style but it's still interesting to note) both Sarek and Spock take on patriarchal attitudes specifically regarding wives. Amanda says that 'of course' Sarek commands her because "he is a Vulcan and I am his wife." It's worthwhile in my eyes to note that she specifies 'wife' instead of attributing this attitude to women as a whole. Again, with TOS' writing style it wouldn't be out of place for her to say "he is a man and I am a woman." Spock, while in a pon farr induced irritation, states that it's "undignified for a woman to play servant to a man that isn't hers" - again implying that there's something specific about being a Wife in Vulcan society which is different from being a woman in general and demands subservience to a husband. This could perhaps stem from the extreme sense of ownership that Vulcan law has permitted men to have over women. A woman legally cannot point blank refuse marriage. There is no option which guarantees she won't have to marry her betrothed other than death. When T'Pau speaks of T'Pring she refers to her as being 'property' and Stonn, before being interrupted, states he's made 'the ancient claim' - we don't know what this is because he gets cut off but it's obvious they're both using the language of Vulcan law. Men are permitted true freedom to choose. If a woman wants to choose someone else to be with there is no option available to her other than the kal-if-fee which might result in the death of the one she wants to be with. And, if her lover fails, her husband can still just decide he wants to marry her and she'll be forced to. T'Pring gives two scenarios: One where Spock 'frees' her and one where he doesn't - it's still ultimately his decision which is clear when he ends the conversation with "Stonn, she is yours." This again isn't just because of the pon farr as T'Pol also goes through this. Koss can choose another mate and when the option is talked about there's no implication that this would result in any sort of fight (both by the casualness of its mention and by the fact that there's no formal word for it unlike the kal-if-fee.) Also, the fact that Koss does eventually grant T'Pol a divorce and it's all fine means that T'Pol isn't lawfully required to have another man waiting if her HUSBAND doesn't want her. It's ONLY required if SHE doesn't want her husband. Tradition must take precedence over individual desire UNLESS!!! You're a man. Then it's fine. Like, your parents might not be happy but legally you're golden.

[mostdeviouswizard]

Clementine Midnight Burger inspires complex feelings in me which I cannot exactly put a name to so I had to make fanart about it.

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Road To Ruin

start of a postapocalyptic fantasy series set in an Asian-inspired desert world plagued by dangerous storms

follows a courier who transports romantic letters between a prince and princess, who helps the princess escape across the wastes towards the prince’s safe haven

but they’re pursued by bounty hunters, and accidentally uncover some ancient secrets. and also she’s in love with both of them

dinosaurs, magical motorbikes,

bi MC, start of polyam triad

[solivagantshenanigans]

TBHK SPOILERS Chapter 120 (ykno incase) short writing practice of Teru's POV

I like how Teru's eyes are so wide in this moment. Normally he has this shoujo scrunch up eyes, like a prince. But now, he had dropped everything he put in his act, too focused to see the truth in that well, too focused that it's like he forgot to blink.

He wouldn't want to blink though, cause he's scared he might lose everything (and not just his brother), might even lose himself if he close his eyes for even a second.

...

Or maybe he's trying to prevent himself to cry? Maybe if he let himself feel the burn from keeping his eyes open for so long, it'd be better than letting himself shed a tear, yeah?

[spaciebabie]

see i absolutely despise jimmy (and curly) as a character(s) but as a literary freak i can appreciate the way hes used as a story device with his relationship to curly. i could type this more eloquently but currently ive had a glass of champagne and i havent drank in like 6 months so my tolerance is low so forgive my writing but. jimmy cannibalizing curly. yeah.

theres multiple messages here, theres the message that jimmy is doing what curly (assumedly) did to get into his position and, employing another metaphor, taking the "dog eat dog world" saying to heart. and literally. devouring his competition. or maybe curly didnt do that. and thats what jimmy thinks curly did and so he aims to do the same. choose whichever one you like more they're both interesting storywise.

theres the message where jimmy "consumes" curly in some twisted expression of love. devouring curly so that he remains a part of him, an expression that he is the gold star captain and something to aspire to. admiration for something he'll never be and so he chooses to consume him in order to potentially absorb some of his skill or become more like him.

and then there is curly sitting there helplessly being devoured. its something he has no say in, not something that he chose to happen to him, its something hes become swept up in. he becomes devoured by jimmy in the literal sense of cannibalism, but also in the sense that he became so absorbed in his friendship w/jimmy he ignored his wrongdoings and ultimately led to anya's assault as well as the death of the whole crew.

curly and jimmy intertwined so that one is always consumed by the other. curly in a literal sense, jimmy in a more psychological one. i mean like its really quite crazy they did the "im consumed with thoughts about this guy and want to be him so i must literally consume him" thing quite well. when examining mouthwashing's narrative you find new things to admire every time. each little story element has a place in creating a wonderfully complex and heartbreaking story. its very well done and honestly something to aspire to from the perspective of someone who enjoys studying/writing literature.

all of this is to say i think that there should be more art of jimmy covered in blood and engaging in this cannibalism like the stupid little leech he is

[thesorrowoflizards]

SORRY this is so fucking funny. van is like oh, my crush likes another guy. that really fucking sucks because i kinda thought she liked me? god. and then she invites him over and tackles him onto her couch.

[team5ds]

the worst part is i can't even say he's wrong. they certainly did figure out how to contribute the city by joining the wrgp. but like. this is one of those things where it literally does not make sense. this is insane levels of logic. "we're not sure how to contribute to the city. we think entering a magic the gathering tournament will help." like. imagine saying that fr when your parents ask what you're going to do after you graduate college. "idk. thought i'd play card games and figure it out, man"

[jaxihammer]

Media literacy and smooshing my little guys together like non-canon compliant barbies should not be mutually exclusive

[idliketobeatree]

rereading the book omens again and I must admit, Aziraphale really is That Bitch most of the time. that being said, I really enjoy the special kind of uwu and sluttiness Michael brings to the table

[prettyupsetnerd]

(her mom was her best friend)

[mangopit]

i watched "it ends with us" out of curiosity, and regardless what you think of the smear campaign scandals, i really do believe that people have the weakest ass takes surrounding that movie. "it romantices dv" girl where. every triumph of the movie involves leaving and admonishing abusers. "blake lively sucks for not mentioning dv in the 3-second promotional material going around and thus the movie is bad." even before the allegations against baldoni surfaced, it's wild that you ever believed that one actress could be to blame for the entire marketing strategy for a major film. "blake lively is bad for other things (unrelated to dv) so the movie's message isn't as impactful with her at the forefront." i am trying to be as kind as possible when i say i think you need to retake a reading literature class or smthn.

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

At The Feet Of The Sun

book 2 in a slow paced high fantasy duology*

the right hand of the emperor (who is off searching for an heir) struggles with what to do after passing on his responsibilities and also discovering various pieces of information that are mindblowing to him, personally,

after adventure is thrust upon him, he travels to find His Radiancy and they go on some otherworldly adventures while growing closer and figuring out the nature of their friendship

(*there’s extra novellas & i think another book coming? duology adjacent, currently,)

[midnight-mismanagement]

I know the writers were in a bind with having powerhouses like Lucifer and Alastor both on the playing field at the same time. But, idk, to me, Lucifer coming late to the party feels less like a triumphant entrance and more like “where the f were you.” If Lucifer and Alastor were both there at the start, it would’ve made more sense for Lucifer’s character as he is trying to do better and be there for Charlie, and has no excuse for being late, but then the fight would’ve been two on one and there would’ve been no justifiable reason for why Adam couldn’t get defeated by both of them. So, maybe have another player on the field? Sera entering the fight? Or Lucifer getting kidnapped into heaven and forced to watch his daughter fight while he’s helpless to do anything until he convinces Sera to let him go? Idk. Cause his presence also undermined Charlie’s arc a bit imo.

Charlie has been sheltered by the two people closest to her: Vaggie and Lucifer. I think I would’ve liked a moment where Charlie is in a bind and this distracts Vaggie who automatically goes to protect her, but Charlie rallies harder, and Vaggie is shown that Charlie can also protect herself (maybe this happened in the show but I missed it? Cause they did split up at one point. I should rewatch the ep lol). I know they split up during the battle, but I kind of would’ve liked this part of their dynamic at least nodded to directly for the sake of their character arcs. And then with Lucifer, if he had to be in the fight, then have Lucifer raring to go, about to destroy Adam, but Charlie stops him and holds her own instead while Lucifer watches proudly. Or, somehow have Lucifer on the backfoot at one point because it’s been so long since he fought anyone, at first he’s overconfident or trying to appear confident, as he should be stronger than Adam, but Adam has been fighting for longer, more consistently, and maybe he’s had some kind of blessing to make him stronger. Have Lucifer taken off guard, and then have Charlie save his ass, clobbering Adam while he’s distracted, Adam who has always underestimated her, and then they defeat him together or something. Idk, just something to satisfy my personal need for Charlie to prove that she doesn’t always need to be sheltered or protected, that it’s fine to have support, but that those supporting her also make themselves vulnerable by doing so. I also feel like if Vaggie or Lucifer were hurt while protecting Charlie, she would definitely have some complex about that.

[purplecelestial-buddy]

I have a great history of holding back. Out of sight, out of mind, out of my interests or something.

So tell me why is it that I cannot avoid binge reading webtoons with weekly updates?!? gosh

I wait for until I have a bunch of un-read episodes and I swear to pace myself so I don't reach the most recent update...

and guess what

guess fucking what

[1800naveen]

Characters who are clearly complex or are misunderstood but half of the fandom don't want to believe/say it because they did a few bad things even though there are characters who are a lot worse>>>>>