#i think that neve's personality is going to be projected onto lucanis

[taamlok]

bonus points if you comment which trait and which man

[basedonconjecture]

I just read a critique on how the fandom treats Caterina, flattening her into a wholly morally objectionable character beyond her treatment of her grandsons rather than engaging with the nuance of a matriarch who is balancing her grip on power with the survival of her family. And I…have to agree that this is largely what I’ve seen myself and, while unsurprised, am somewhat disappointed by.

I want to be as delicate as I can here but there does seem to be a fair amount of players projecting their familial traumas onto Caterina, specifically, as well as the dynamics of the Dellamortes as a whole without accounting for their actual characterizations. There is certainly a form of catharsis in working through painful things within us using characters we relate to (and you can, of course, write whatever you want) so this isn’t me saying there’s anything conceptually wrong with this practice as a general rule. It is only me (calmly, gently) suggesting that a bit of circumspection about Caterina when writing her is, in my opinion, necessary. Not only to give space to a character who, by the very nature of them, IS complex but also in accurately depicting Lucanis’ (and, by extension Illario’s) relationship to her.

This isn’t to absolve Caterina of the choices she made or the harm she caused but there is something to be said about how there is far more sympathy for a man willing to sacrifice thousands of people for a lost cause than a woman trying to make the best decisions she could in the position she was in. I’m not going to say them here but I’m sure my meaning is clear.

I will say, while I think wanting to write Lucanis getting away from the Crows comes from a generally well-meaning place, I do think there are few ways to do so that wouldn’t strip him entirely of his agency unless you are engaging with Caterina (and his relationship with her) in a meaningful way. And this includes grappling with the murkier aspects such as grief and the love that remains for a person who has caused you harm. Most of all, it requires Lucanis making this decision himself. Not Rook or anyone else. Personally, I don’t think it’s a path that is super consistent with his character but that’s just my own interpretation. Again, write what you want. How you want. But I do think the themes of regret and forgiveness can be applied to the Dellamortes in a much more nuanced (and satisfying) way than Rook (or Neve) “saving” Lucanis from his terrible family as much as they may want to. Which can be an interesting angle to take in a post-VG relationship, conflict is important for relationship growth, but it becomes rather shallow if it is solely depicted as Caterina hating Rook/Neve or treating them poorly and/or doesn’t take into account Lucanis’ feelings, only pitting his family against them in a sort of forced choice situation, etc.

tl;dr the fandom’s treatment of Caterina largely kindaaaaa squashes any nuance there and I don’t wike it *whinewhinewhine* :(