#i really don't fuck around when it comes to character writing and tragic backstories LOL

[genericpuff]

Hey puff! So you said Hades is a "mess who hasn't spilled over" and there are definitely some warning signs even now - Artemis' dislike, the ominous grin in the last chapter does not bode well for Alex, him treating Minthe pretty badly and dismissively, being open about his attraction to Kore while acknowledging Minthe, eating Dio to shut him up and laughing about it (No Kronos flashbacks, Hades??) Of course he did a lot of this in LO too but that was framed as a good thing and you seem more self aware than that.

My question is are he and Kore still endgame with his bad traits? Or is Kore just hiding a much darker, more selfish side who would like all this?

Hades and Kore are both very, VERY complicated people with complicated backstories that involve both the good and the bad. They're both victims of circumstance as well as their own wrongdoings (even the ones that were well-intentioned, they're both walking the road to hell wink wink), they're both holding on to some pretty dark shit and we're going to be exploring plenty of both sides along the way. I'm obviously trying not to spoil anything, but I will say that Hades and Persephone are not going to have a cut-and-dry 'fairy tale romance' like what was attempted in LO, Rekindled is attempting to be a more faithful retelling of the original Hymn to Demeter after all (or at least its original themes and messaging). They're both incredibly damaged people with a lot of tightly-sealed baggage that DESPERATELY needs to be unpacked and we all know what happens to relationships built on those types of foundations ;0 So that's all ima say on that ~

As for the irony of Hades 'eating' Dionysus, hurt people hurt people. Though I wouldn't worry about Dionysus, he just projects his consciousness into berries, he's alive and well ;) As for Hades... let's just say you shouldn't eat berries possessed by the god of madness, guy is gonna have a harsh comedown LOL

[supermarine-silvally]

Favorite 5 one piece characters and 5 you feel meh about

oooh it's so hard to choose! (especially for my faves heheh) but I've gotta go with...

Favourites:

note: not including Luffy because he's the main character

#5 Roronoa Zoro

I mean... he's Zoro. I don't know if it's possible not to like Zoro. For me, what elevated him beyond "he's extremely cool" to his current status in my top 5 faves was the "nothing happened" moment at the end of Thriller Bark. It really solidified his loyalty towards Luffy and the lengths of which he's willing to go to protect his captain and friends.

#4 Mr. 2 Bon Clay

Oh Bon-chan <3 When I started One Piece I never would've imagined to come across an explicitly queer character written in such a sympathetic way; who goes from being a minor villain to a beloved ally whom Luffy loves and respects. I love Bon-chan a lot and the ending of Impel Down is one of my favourite character moments in the entire show. Also the "queers never die" moment? Iconic.

#3 Yamato

As a transmasc person myself, there's no way I couldn't vibe hard with Yamato. I love everything about him, from his personality to his design to his insanely cool Devil Fruit abilities. I REALLY want to see him become a Straw Hat at some point in the future.

#2 Nico Robin

I LOVE Robin. My favourite Straw Hat hands-down. She's so beautiful and smart and has such cool abilities and plays such an invaluable role in the story. Her backstory is so heartbreaking and I truly believe that it's no exaggeration to call Enies Lobby peak One Piece. The "I want to live" moment is my favourite in the entire series. Watching Robin struggle with whether she deserves to be saved and her realising her friends are willing to go to war with the world to save her is just asdkjhsdf I love it and I love her pls marry me Ms Nico Robin

aaaaaaand to nobody's surprise, the number one spot goes to.......

#1 Portgas D. Ace

I love love love love LOVE Ace. From the moment he was first introduced in Drum Island to the childhood flashbacks of the postwar arc that laid out his story in full, I fell in love with everything about him and his character. He's insanely cool and silly and gorgeous and tragic and I have no idea how Oda managed to pack it all into one character but somehow he did. I tend to also be a sucker for older sibling characters since I myself am the oldest sibling in my family so I relate hard to that, too. I could write entire essays about how much I love Ace and why he is such a fantastic character but I think I'll leave it there for now lol also I own so much Ace merch it's ridiculous

The "Meh" Characters (I'm taking this to mean characters I am moreso indifferent to rather than ones I outright hate, which is a different list lol):

#5 Buggy

Controversial take, I know lol but let me preface this by saying I don't dislike Buggy-- I actually enjoy him in a lot of scenes, especially in Impel Down. But overall, I think he's overrated and I just don't vibe with his blowhard personality. And there were definitely moments in Marineford that I just found myself getting really annoyed with him (yeah yeah I know he was supposed to lighten the mood and all that but every time the scene cut back to him I was just like ugh gimme the Whitebeard Pirates back).

#4 Gecko Moria

Kind of a lacklustre villain for me, especially in comparison with the other Warlords. He feels like he really shouldn't have earned that title. All around just kind of whiny and annoying. (I love Thriller Bark, I just don't like Moria very much-- or at least don't think he reached his full potential as a villain in the way Crocodile and Doflamingo do).

#3 Foxy

Long Ring Long Land is my least favourite arc and while I did enjoy his fight with Luffy, I just found Foxy super irritating. Not enough to hate, but enough to make me go "oh thank god" when the arc was finally over.

#2 Sengoku

This fucking guy. He's not as outright fascistic as some of the other Marines like Akainu, but doesn't have the depth of Garp and or the ambiguity of Aokiji/Kuzan. There are some moments where the narrative tries to make him more sympathetic in ways that I don't think he deserves at all, considering his position within the Marines and his dedication to perpetuating the brutal oppression of the World Government and I will NEVER forgive him for basically ritually humiliating Ace atop the execution platform in a way that was, frankly, really cruel. He's just not interesting or developed enough for me to enjoy his presence in the story as an antagonist.

and my number one "I couldn't care less about this character" is......

#1 Enel

Okay. I like Skypeia as an arc. It has some great moments, like the ringing of the bell and the resolution of the story of Montblanc Noland and Calgera, but I just found Enel a really boring villain, especially in comparison to the major villain before him, Crocodile. I find him unappealing to look at (his face is just so punchable) and every time he was on screen I just wanted him to go away. He's not an interesting character to me and I don't understand how he has any fans whatsoever.

[crowtongued]

For muns with multiple muses, past and present, on any blog.

Rules: Fill out the form according to which muse suits each title best. (The same muse can have multiple titles.) Re-post and tag. Feel free to add more!

Favorite Muse: Alekt, Spy, Gyr, Protem, Kytes, Lavi

Most Character Development: Kytes, by far. He's had so much development ever since I started playing him with Rune (@eiinn-ulfr's OC) that its almost unreal. He's completely taken over the muse space lol

Trash Muse: Havoc (another OC). No question. Fuck that guy and his stupid egg beater.

The Meme-Lord: Lavi, probably. Also Spy and Gyr, especially when they're together.

Most Likely to Start a War: Havoc. Personality-wise, Kytes or Spy, since both are pretty fighty. But seeing as Alekt kind of canonically did start a war, actually Alekt lmfao As well as another OC, Altius

Worst Personality: Havoc. Literally the worst. Piece of shit. Bad dog.

Best Singer: Spy, for sure. Its not necessarily that she has the best voice, but she does have the most passion.

Most Attractive Muse: I guess it depends on how you look at it. Alekt is most attractive when it comes to looking refined and high-class. Spy is all about flashy rebel goth-punk fashion. Gyr if you like the rugged mountain-man look. Kytes if you like scars and someone who looks kind of young and unassuming but will tear you a new asshole if you look at him wrong.

Biggest Heart: Kytes. He might only give his heart away to a few select people but he's ride-or-die when he does. Spy is a close second.

Falls in Love Quickest: Kytes, even though most won't see it

Most Likely to Drop Their Phone in the Toilet: Kytes and Spy

Ice Ruler: Alekt

The Edgelord: Faulklin (OC), but I don't write him much these days. He practically invented edgelord.

Most Tragic Backstory: Kytes, by a long shot.

Best Case of Puberty: Probably Gyr considering the bitch is like 6'7" and ended up being taller than most adults.

Most Awkward: Kytes. He's painfully shy and doesn't really know how to be around other people.

Busy Bee: Alekt. Total workaholic.

Most Clueless: Kytes, on account of his history and memory problems.

Most Likely to Forget Their Wallet at Home: Kytes. Memory problems. Its fine though because he has his sugar-daddy Rune (@eiinn-ulfr).

Best Dressed: Alekt and Spy.

Biggest Flirt: Lavi, big time. He a hoe.

Most Dramatic: Lavi, Spy, Kytes, in that order.

Least Likely to Show Up Late: Alekt. Protem would argue he's always on time, according to Fate.

One with Weirdest Habit: Kytes. We don't talk about it.

Most Likely to Be Caught at the Gym: Spy, Gyr, Alekt, Lavi

Tagged by: @starsburned

Tagging: @starsburned since its been a hot minute, @eiinn-ulfr, @corruptiongifted / @zcitgcistcr, @theircurse, @crownshattered, @adenial, @drownedwar or steal it.

[hotxcheeto]

Hello !

Since you do write for Caitlyn I hoped to request some poly Caitvi headcanons of them with a s/o who's childhood was tragic/sad so their inner child comes out too often in their adulthood?

Some ideas of their behavior would like: buying toys out of impulse, getting distracted by any bug on their way, making cute outfits for plushies, gets super excited around pets (literally adore them) and when they fuck up is really obvious cause they get all quiet and anxious thinking the worst over little things.

So yeah that's the vibe I'm going for😎.

I'm writing a character and I need some feedback to be honest. Hope you can help me !

━ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃 / 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐘𝐍

𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜(𝙨) - Vi x G/N!Reader x Caitlyn Kiramman 

𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 - Cursing, alludes to rough childhood, mentions of arguments and being judged, mentions of fear of doing something wrong, alludes to anxiety, mentions of overthinking, I think that's it?

𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 ? - Yeah/Nope

𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 - SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! I hope you enjoy hun! I based some of it off my own experiences but it's also 430am rn so I did my best lol! thank you darling! i hope your character writing is going good!

Let's be clear, these two are amazingly great with taking care of you, even before you told them about some of your 'issues' as you used to call them

Caitlyn was the first to notice, once you both began spending a lot more time together

She knew you'd dress up cute, you put in a lot of effort into your appearance and you reminded her of a little shop doll dressed up among the other girl, boy and other dolls she'd seen

It was fun and a bit different from the sophisticated nature that comes with Piltover

Also loves your stuffed animal collection, but maybe not as much as you

She finds it adorable you treat them like your children and Vi, well when it comes to Vi she very much indulges in it

Listens to you when you name each one and tell them both their backstories and go into details about their birthdays

They remember them too

Vi loves you so much though, since you're helping her heal without even realizing

You don't care when she snuggles up under your blankets around your teddy bears and talks to you quietly while Cait makes you all tea to drink

It makes her feel like a child, and you don't mind either because she's listening to you and actually interested in you

Cait tucks you both in after you fell asleep reading a book together with you telling Vi the entire story and Vi finding you very pretty to look at

All cuddled up in her giant bed made to fit the entirety of your plushies she made sure to cuddle you both immediately after

They both always make sure you're comfortable with things as well, getting overwhelmed in public situations isn't new for you

They're very overprotective of you

Especially around other people who notice that sometimes you'll act childish and point out something cool to one of them

Whether it be a pretty butterfly or a street performer you found so awesome you had to tug on Caitlyn's sleeve to show her

Vi doesn't have any of it when someone is rude to you, that's for sure

And Cait focuses her attention to you always and makes sure you're alright at the time

They knows you mean well, even when it can get frustrating and they're trying to focus and you're wanting attention

But they'll never ever tell you because it goes away within a few seconds when they see that smile on your face, and it was like they never felt it at all

You'll bring them things while they're busy and they'll always stop to listen to you go on about whatever topic popped in your head

or to see whatever cool toy or trinket you'd brought home

Vi had accidentally been a bit rude to you one time on accident before and felt awful for it

Did EVERYTHING to make it up to you, and I mean EVERYTHING

She felt so bad

You cried for five minutes before the ice cream she offered became a bit too enticing along with the bear hug she gave you

You forgot about it after honestly but she still thinks about it

Lets you sit on her lap all the time because you like the comfort it brings

It makes you feel small and she holds you nice and tight in her big arms with her head resting on your own

Vi loves to love you and you're so sweet to her it makes her feel undeserving

You'll hug and sit with her always

Seeing her as your biggest and best teddy bear

Hearing you say that nearly made her cry

When you give her special nicknames and kisses whenever just because you know she loves you and it makes you feel good that you're making her happy

Caitlyn gives me motherly vibes and it unintentionally goes to both you aswell

You when you're sad and want her to sit you on her lap and hug you close

Or make you food while you kick your legs back and forth sitting on the counter telling her about what you and Vi seen around the city while she worked

Vi loves taking you to a cupcake shop nearby

Speaking of that, they love bringing you pretty sweets home to see that light on your face

They love it

And you love it because they're thinking about you and you weren't entirely used to that

You just love making them happy, and you know why and where it stems from, but it makes you happy

Vi loves when you talk about everything when you guys walk together down the street

Every little thing, you'll bring it up

She has this game where you'll point at people and come up with life stories for them

She'll have you giggling for hours, ready to pee your pants from how hard your laughing

And when you walk into the toy store to 'just look around' Vi finds herself paying for a few new stuffed animals and maybe a few dresses and suits for them

And a little tea set that you couldn't pass up

Walking down the street holding a ton of bags while you're carrying a fancy little box with your cups in it

A smile on your face as you talk to a few kids on your way

But it's all worth it

Though, that's the good side of it all, the cute side they love

But sometimes Caitlyn and Vi argue, it's VERY VERY rare if impossible that you're in an argument with them mostly because you just don't argue

But they do, rarely, but it can get bad when they do argue

You feel stuck between them both, but they'd never ask to make you choose a side unless you say something

You don't though, afraid that you'll hurt the other and they'd hate you for it

It's like being stuck between two parents arguing

You hate it when they're mad at each other, even if it's not for long because by the time night rolls around you're all snuggled up in bed tracing skin and pressing light kisses against your cheeks

Or sometimes you mess up

Like the time you broke one of Caitlyn's favorite glass teacups

You wouldn't look at her, afraid of what you'd see when you finally told her

She'd been asking if you were okay for at least an hour

Wouldn't say a word to Vi while she watched the interaction, you just stared at the floor

But they were just glad you were okay, Caitlyn didn't care about the cup she thought you were hurt

You were a bit shocked to say the least but it made it easier to come to her when you did something you deemed bad

But to your surprise, she was never mad

Sometimes she'd even laugh, and get you back to your good mood by making you smile

And when you overthink too much about something you did she sits and talks you through it the entire time

Vi can tell when you're lying to her very easily

So when you're overthinking about something you said, or maybe a small thing you did to one of them or to someone else

She talks you through it all like Caitlyn taught her

Because she knows you're freaking out quietly over nothing

But to you it's everything, in the moment anyway

Until she reminds you that she'll beat anyone and everyone up and she's got you laughing and Caitlyn smiling from across the room

Vi's good at distracting and desire

Caitlyn's good at calming and comforting

They're perfect for you, because they take good care of you and you take great care of them

[transsexualhamlet]

6, 9, and 10 for the reader asks and 11, 16, and 44 for the writer asks? :D

6. How do you find new fic to read? Where do you primarily read fanfiction?

I don't often read fanfic because usually if there's an idea or feeling I get the hankering for, I want to write it myself, so I don't often get around to looking at other people's stuff. But when I do, I really do love it! Usually I will read fics by my friends and by looking through tags on ao3 and browsing until I find something that piques my interest.

9. Tag 3 fic writers you think are underrated/unknown in the fandom/fanfiction community.

OBVIOUSLY YOU TOO BUT THAT'S IMPLIED

@velveteenvampire thank you once again i cry every day because your oneshot defined fyozai for me. @bungoustraypups you are my daaad you're my dad! boogie woogie woogie!! you put so much effort and time into an extensive, complex, and thoughtful whole. @tg-headcanons YOU RUINED MY LIFE /pos

10. What��s your favorite fandom, pairing, or character to read fic for?

I mean, I work with hyperfixations, so whatever is in my mind is just what I care most about. And even if it's what I care about,,, a lot of the times the other people in the tags just suck ass :| but I think that out of all ships to read fic for, sherliam was definitely the best experience for me. Maybe it's just because it's a relatively new fandom and things haven't had a chance to go off the rails yet, but yall have good takes. It's just a dynamic I will eat up again and again.

11. How do you come up with your fic titles

Sometimes, I actually start with the title in mind and base the fic around it, but most of the time I will just start with the idea and then the title will emerge of either a theme or line of dialogue that appears in the writing. Sometimes I don't have a title until after the fic is done, and I have to reflect on what the fic is about and what best encompasses it from those things. So yknow, it depends. The title and the theme will base themselves off of each other, and I want to make sure the fic reflects the title and the title reflects the fic.

Sometimes of course though, the title ends up being something stupid as a joke, and that's honestly just as fine. (in the case of "mika's tragic emo backstory TM" and "kureto is going to kill him for this" and "catastrophe at 16: gureshin angst edition". i guess that was, an ons thing lol)

16. Do you research for your fics? If so, how deep of a rabbit hole have you gone down by accident when researching?

I definitely will research through the canon, if I'm writing stuff that relates to lore or anything I'm not up on about the series. I've seriously gotten into that stuff for fics, and god, the amount of ons lore I have contemplated and looked into and the amount of light novels I have read just so I can write fanfic?? Man. However, I don't tend to do much research about like, normal things that come up, a lot just because I have this weird irrational fear of Looking Specific Things Up On The Internet for some unknown fucking reason. And I think that really is an issue for me, as a writer, i know I'm going to need to do research if I want my writing outside of my limited experience to be any good but if I have to type something into the google search bar that doesn't immediately autofill i will CRY.

44. Rant about something writing related.

Hmm. I feel like you've heard most of my writing rants. But god. Why do people hate first person so much. It's the only thing I can write in what is weird about it first person is so much more easy to get into the speaker's mind with like don't get me wrong there's nothing wrong with third person and I like it too but ??? what's WRONG WITH IT

[eddiethehead-uwu]

✨My jojo ocs for a possible fan part I might actually write but I'm intrudicing them to you in a tag yourself style template✨

(warning: long post)

(warning: I know cringe culture is dead, but it might get cringy)

So basically the main gang is an upcoming metal band going on their first world tour, weird shit happens and this fan part's Jojo finds out things about her past she would have much rather not known, like her real lineage and all that, and, you know, more stuff happens

This part is set in the future, in a universe very similar to the original one, except for a few things like the uhhh reset not happening and some things going differently in part 5, in Morioh. Some of the characters below are related to preexisting characters, some are not

Ok I'm done here's the squad

🌟JOUKO HIGASHIKATA🌟

-the lion, the witch, and the audacity of this bitch

-can be super annoying and quite manipulative like 80% of the time

-super determined, will cut a bitch to get what she wants

-"danger is my middle name 😎"

-wants to be a rockstar but needs to calm the f down like where the hell do you think you're going with that attitude?

-stand: Motorhead (aka punchy ghost n. Uhhh I lost count)

🌺MOMOE NIJIMURA🌺

-shady and sly af ngl probably invented the 300iq impostor strategy for among us

-a freaking beast when it comes to guitars (shares Jouko's same dream)

-looks always upbeat and happy but has a pretty mischievous personality

-*crushes on basically anyone*

-gets distracted pretty easily

-stand: Judas Priest (aka Chomp Ghost)

👿REJ ANSELMO👿

-A N GE R Y

-will fight you if you disagree with her

-pretty careless, doesn't really care about others

-gets pissed off super easily

-like, my God, chill dude wtf

-can't say what happens to her next bc it would be a spoiler if I actually end up writing this fucking story

-stand: iron maiden (fkn shape-shifting metal object thing hehehhe knife girl)

💕YOKO SHISHIDO💕

-an actual angel

-definetly stoned 24/7

-super friendly, will help you with everything and will hug you if you need support

-just the chillest person ever

-druggie mom friend

-rip srr i had to

✨MIYAKO KAWAJIRI✨

-shy 👉👈😔

-always anxious of messing things up or hitting the wrong note on the keyboard while performing with the band

-basic math? Idk her

-only wears black and red

-never gets angry, bottles all of her frustration up and when she lashes out it's usually when her second personality (kameko) is dominant

-stand: digital love (LAZERZ GHOST)

🦇HIDEAKI KAWAKITA🦇

-annoying bitch 2: simp edition

-"you spilled lipstick in my black Valentino bag!?"

-loves Halloween a bit too much

-did I already mention he's a simp?

-can't shut his mouth for 2 seconds

-who even made him part of the band? Ah yeah right he's the only one with a driving licence

🔪ROCHELLE P. 🔪

-CEO of tragic backstories

-doesn't display any emotion and doesn't display any eyebrows either

-has definetly killed someone with no regrets

-2 stands!?? Nah mate

-"you have beautiful eyes" "thanks. They don't work."

-stand: Nightwish (W A T E R G H O ST)

-bonus: also gets followed around by Chariot Re- AHEM ALESTORM YES SHE NAMED HIM ALESTORM because she doesn't know his real name nor who the user is/was

-he just,, follows her. When she was 5 she gave him a feather and he kept it ever since lol ok I'll stop

🔥SANTANA🔥

-bruh he still alive

-R E VE N G E

-got tired of being left out of his master's shenanigans and being treated like dog shit

-if it wasn't obvious he holds grudges for looooooong times

-will kill you just with slurs

-wants to annihilate into oblivion his old master

-still undecided whether to give him a stand or not

Ok I'm done, this is the main cast, some of them are not gonna make it through, sorry already.

I want to start writing something for them because I have a long ass list of things that could happen and how the story could jnfold, but I'm not sure where to write it. Sooo idk

[itsclydebitches]

Let me start by saying that I love all of your meta and analysis soooo much especially the ones about Ozpin. I was curious to hear what what do you think are some legit motally grey things/mistakes he did, not the garbage the haters love to throw around. The only things I can think of are either in an impossible situation with only shitty options (where I don't really consider the decisions as immoral since morality needs agency and the chance of a better choice) like with Pyrrha and Oscar (1/2)

Thank you, anon! And honestly? I couldn’t agree more. I often say that Ozpin has made mistakes partly so that people don’t blow off the points I’m trying to make with, “Oh an Ozpin stan. Ignore her, she thinks he can do no wrong and thus can’t provide an objective opinion.” But honestly? Not all mistakes are created equal. There are mistakes one makes because they’re selfish, foolish, didn’t bother to take precautions---things that are preventable and therefore invite heavy criticism and an acknowledgment of responsibility. However, there are also mistakes that, as you say, are simply outside of your control. You don’t have the information available to make an informed and therefore better choice, or you simply just have bad choices from the get-go. For me, the vast majority of Ozpin’s mistakes are the latter. 

Overall, I think the largest mistake he bears responsibility for is prioritizing his love for Salem over basic ethics. AKA, choosing to become a wannabe god with her and encouraging this mentality that they are intrinsically superior to everyone else in Remnant. Granted, there are many other factors involved in this, including Salem’s status as a creature now consumed by darkness (she was heading down this road no matter what Ozpin may have done differently) as well as her abuse towards Ozpin, her manipulation, and the sheer overwhelming terror of the goal Light set him. Which just reinforces that all Ozpin’s mistakes are understandable to one extent or another. He’s human and his mistakes resonate because, if people are honest with themselves, they’d probably admit, “Yeah. If I found the love of my life again I’d be tempted to ignore Light’s warning about her too. If I was offered a life of luxury and power under the guise of protecting the people, I might cave and go along with that as well...” We get how Ozpin got to that point, we may admit we couldn’t have done better, but we likewise understand that the man he became, regardless of how he got there---from natural human desires to abuse---isn’t okay. As Oz and his host ask themselves, “What are we doing?” And we see how he comes back from that edge. How he rejects that sort of power later when it’s offered to him after the Kingdoms were reunited. Ozpin learned from his mistakes. 

Which adds further complications to his choices in the present day. Just as Ozpin learned that the world doesn’t need him as an all-powerful figurehead, he likewise learned that sharing secrets leads to nothing but the worst kind of consequences. The first time he reveals what he’s hiding? His wife announces that she’s going to take over the world, then murders their children, then him. A more recent time he reveals information? A very close friend betrays him to said wife. Tries to kill him. Nearly kills his allies. Is eventually killed himself. The latest time he was forced to reveal information? People are shouting, grieving, he’s punched into a tree, the one friend still at his side completely rejects him. 

The fandom points to Ozpin’s lies and secret keeping among the group as his greatest mistakes and yes, objectively I agree. Without context I can say no, he shouldn’t have made a promise if he didn’t intend to keep it. He should have just told them that there were questions left, or that the relic attracted grimm. But the thing is that context is there and it always matters. I’ve spoken before about how I think Ozpin made that promise with precisely zero expectation that he’d ever be put into a situation where he might conceivably break it, that I’d also hesitate to tell a group that there were invaluable questions left when they were clearly eager to use them recklessly (which they then did), and that keeping the grimm aspect secret was the only logical course of action because telling them would just attract more. But even ignoring all of the potential justifications attached to each choice, I simply don’t believe we can ignore Ozpin’s trauma. I might not have lied to people like that, but I haven’t been horrifically traumatized for a thousand years whenever I do tell someone information. Ozpin has been conditioned not to tell people and though yes, everyone technically has free will, trauma like that will “force” you to take what you perceive as the only safe option. It fucks with your perception and your understanding of what even is an option in this situation. Ozpin simply no longer has the ability to go, “I’ll trust them!” like the others around him do and their reactions certainly didn’t help teach him otherwise. Imagine that for a thousand years you’re punched every time someone lifts their hand. Then someone you’ve just met demands that you stop flinching whenever they raise theirs. No matter how much you may want to stop, you can’t. Not immediately on someone else’s order. The human experience doesn’t work that way. 

(As a side note, the reason why I emphasize a thousand years so much is because I believe the extent of the trauma and its implied consistency is really relevant here. As is the close tie between that trauma and Ozpin’s choices. There are many other characters out there who I don’t believe “But they had a hard life!” excuses their actions: Snape, Bakugo, recently what I’ve read of Yennefer---among others. It’s notable to me that Ozpin didn’t endure traumatic events by revealing information and then, say, go abuse his students for years. Or tell someone to kill themselves. Or take over someone else’s mind. Not only is his trauma more extensive than the vast majority of characters we meet, but he hasn’t used that trauma as an excuse to get away with horrific---and unrelated---choices. The love of my life rejected me and then died... so I’m going to abuse eleven-year olds under my care. My mom is demanding and people cater to me too much... so I’m going to gleefully beat up my weakest classmate. I dealt with being ugly for a good chunk of my life and now can’t have kids... so I’m going to take away someone’s autonomy and endanger a whole town. Unlike most other characters with tragic backstories, Ozpin has a one-to-one correlation between that hard life and the mistakes he’s made: people hurt me when I tell them things... so I just won’t tell them things. By keeping that strong connection it eliminates the possibility that Ozpin is just using his trauma as an excuse (knowingly or otherwise) and he is, notably, still a good person beyond those very specific choices. We see his horror at the decisions he has to make. We see his endless attempts to be as kind towards others as possible. We see how much he’s fought not to allow his trauma to warp him into a person he’d despise. A person like Salem. Just like not all mistakes are created equal, for me not all people making mistakes are equal either. I’m less likely to forgive your mistakes if you’re an all around horrible person. You’re clearly a good person trying your best? Your mistakes are easier to stomach and, as discussed above, I’m more inclined to assume that these mistakes stem from things outside of your control. If someone who has been nothing but cruel to me lied I’d automatically be pissed. If someone who has been nothing but kind to me lied, I’m inclined to ask them why they did that, expecting that there’s a good reason attached to that decision.) 

So did Ozpin make mistakes? Technically yes, but I think they were mistakes largely outside of his control. Either he only had shit options available to him or he was in a position where the group demanded something of him that his mental health simply wouldn’t allow. People have to remember that we’re not Ozpin (insert obligatory, “He’s fictional” here). We have more options available to us when it comes to our choices, simply by means of not having gone through what he has. His choices are always limited, both by outside factors and his own experiences, and they likewise always have inevitable downsides. Ozpin doesn’t get the luxury of choosing anything that turns out well. 

As a final note, with Volume 7 underway I’d say that another potential mistake has been introduced: making Pyrrha the Fall Maiden. Meaning, unless the story reveals that Winter actually can’t become the next Winter Maiden due to her age (unlikely given that others have said the non-canonical age limit is 30), it raises the question of why he’d choose a 17 year old over a 20-some graduate. However, to me this is pretty clearly a writing issue. The creators were more concerned with keeping the story revolved around RWBYJNR than they were the implications of having Ozpin choose Pyrrha over a more suitable adult. So though yes, I’d technically consider that another mistake.... obviously not much Ozpin could do against his own creators lol. 

Which finally leads to me saying that although Rooster Teeth seems to want us to believe that Ozpin is a morally gray character, they haven’t succeeded in writing one well. That characterization requires a fair balance between what most would consider “good” and “bad” traits. Not a good person presented with only bad choices. Or a character so horrifically conditioned that his ability to make a better decision is almost impossible. We wouldn’t call a person who was manipulated or forced into doing bad things a morally gray character, nor would we use that term if, somehow, they were sick and that led to those choices. That’s how I view Ozpin, mentally as opposed to physically sick. After a thousand years he needs evidence that trusting people and giving them his secrets won’t result in him being hurt. Until he’s shown that, expecting him to trust people just because they insist they are trustworthy is like asking someone with a broken leg to run you a race. They can try, but good look expecting them to succeed.