#like the author goes out of his way to make them flawed and bad but also let you see them as a person. very heavy on nuance
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i love internet brainrot because you’ll see someone type out a genuinely well thought-out and written comment critiquing how american prisons/justice system work and how they keep people in a cycle of poverty/crime and do nothing to actually rehabilitate people and how mental institutions don’t really rehabilitate people either and then someone responds with “we get it 🙄 americans are the only ones who ever suffer”❕❕
like congrats on the dogshit take of all time
#reading a webcomic with flawed 3d characters who are sympathetic people who make mistakes and fuck up theirs and other peoples lives#like the author goes out of his way to make them flawed and bad but also let you see them as a person. very heavy on nuance#and very against black and white thinking. and then you scroll to the comments and some of them are like the first comment and genuinely…#… insightful and great analysis. and then other comments are… Like That#like absolutely the most dogshit black and white thinking ever. everything is 100% evil or 100% pure. no nuance at all! no grey areas!
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THE HISTORY BOOK ON THE SHELF. ( HOTD x Reader )
AUTHOR NOTE! Thanks for all the love. <3 pairing: King Aegon ii Targaryen x Targaryen! Little Sister! Reader prompt: When the small council plans to marry off once again, you turn to your older brother for help. word count: 1, 000+ words

You were the youngest and third daughter of Alicent and Viserys. A few months younger than Helaena and Aegon's little shadow in your childhood. Your older brother at first hated it, the way you cling onto him and gawk at him with an innocent awe.
It was your ninth name day, your Father had not paid much attention to it, but your Mother had ordered a celebration for it. You had trailed after him, babbling about nonsense as he tried to lose you. It was at dinner that night that everything had boiled over. Instead of receiving gifts, you had taken to giving everyone a gift.
He had not expected anything. He hadn't been the most kind to you. But was surprised when you had gifted him an embroidered cloth with Sunfyre on it. It was not the best and some threads were loose, but you proudly had told him you learned embroidery for him. Seeing those big doe eyes of yours his opinion changed. He adored you. You were the only one in the family that did not care about his worsening reputation. You just...adored your big brother, flaws and all.
It was why it killed him on your eleventh name day you were shipped off to the Reach, married off to a Lord as old as your Grandsire. He was haunted by your wails, of the way you clung onto Helaena and Aemond, the two of them wailing as Ser Cole carried you off to the carriage.
His young sister, the only one in the family who truly cared, was sold off like a piece of cattle. Not even your cold Grandsire was able to protest the marriage as politically it was a good match and good enough reasoning for the small council to approve it.
As years ticked by, you gave birth to two children, a stillborn daughter and a healthy son. Your husband kept you away in the Reach, so no one in your family had seen you since you were twelve and given birth to your only surviving son.
He remembered the look in your eyes, so void and almost dead. Of how you tried to stay positive. Saying, "Tis' not so bad. He mostly ignores me, except when he wishes to bed me. But even then tis' not so bad, he finishes quickly."
When he became King, he swiftly ordered you to return home, regardless of your husband's wishes. No one would take his baby sister away from him. Not whilst he was still alive and had the crown placed upon his head.
Watching you bounce your son on your lap, he attempts to pay some attention to the small council, but his eyes keep straying back to you. It was odd to think that you were now a Mother and all grown up. Snapping out of his little daze, he glances back at the small council, each member arguing intently. Furrowing his brows in confusion, Ser Criston slides a piece of parchment in front of him, an uncomfortable look on his face. Raising a brow at what he had just returned to, he glances at the parchment, reading the words quickly.
Your cunt of a husband was dead, finally croaked in his sleep. There was no reason for you to go back to the Reach. You could stay here in King’s Landing once more. Softly smiling at the good news, he goes to speak up when Lord Lannister stands up from his chair, slamming his hands down on the table. His face red from anger, his eyes wild like an untamable beast, and voice booming loud enough that it would make a dragon’s roar put to shame.
“To speak of the Princess in such a manner is dishonorable, I will see to it personally that your tongue is removed, Lord Wydle.”
“The girl is of age, she has proven she can bear heirs, healthy heirs. To not give her hand to another Lord would be foolish.”
“We need allies, the common folk are starving and soon the coin will run out. Surely as Master of Coin you can see reason, Lord Lannister.”
“Your grace, please, listen to reason we should⎯”
It takes a moment to realize what they had been discussing so intently. Then it clicks, they were speaking of having you remarry.
"What?" He whispers, his voice shaky and full of disbelief.
"No, Aegon, please don't make me do this again. Please." You whisper, tears building up in your eyes.
"It would be best to have your sister marry someone⎯"
"Think of the war, your grace⎯"
Seeing the tears building up in your eyes, it reminded him of all those years ago when you were whisked away to the Reach. Struggling to speak up and dismiss their suggestions, you kneel in front of his chair, gripping onto breeches as you beg and plead for clemency to their plans. Your son starts to wail on the other side of his chair, making motions with his hands to be picked up.
Feeling his heart break a little at the sight, he shifts his gaze from you then your wailing son then back to the small council. Everything is hectic and he doesn’t know who or what to focus his attention on. Does he console you? Does he tend to your wailing son? Does he handle the small council? Struggling to find his voice, he just stays frozen in his chair.
“Please, please, do not make me do this again, Aegon.” You beg, “I did what was asked of me before. Please do not ask this of me again.”
“We need allies, your grace. The Princess is still desired by many men, men who will look past her past marriage and son. Think of the kingdom⎯”
“Send treaties, then!”
“Please, Aegon. I ask as your sister, not a member of the Court. Please do not make me do this again. I do not wish to marry again. Please do not send me away again.” You beg, your voice cracking.
Watching as the tears begin to fall from your eyes, he clenches his jaw tightly, anger boiling up at the sight of you. His precious little sister, the one person in all of the Realm that he truly cared for, was crying by his small council's hand. Slamming his hands down hard on the table, the room goes deadly silent, minus the soft sniffles of you and your son.
“There will be no marrying off my sister! If you wish for such alliances as much as you claim, do offer your daughters instead, for I will not be doing the same to my sister nor my daughter.”
“Your grace, if you would just⎯”
“I am King, no?” He snaps back, “There will be no questioning of my decision. The matter is settled.”
----
@fragileheartbeats
@danytar
@nightvers
#house of dragons x reader#house of dragons#house of the dragon#hotd imagines#hotd imagine#house of the dragon x reader#aegon targaryen x reader#hotd x reader#aegon ii targaryen#aemond targaryen#aegon ii#aegon the second#aegon ii targaryen x reader#aegon x reader#hotd aegon#king aegon#aegon targaryen#hotd season 2#hotd s1#aegon the elder
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Character Analysis of Pete Dinunzio (Comic Vs. Pilot)

Disclaimer: This is by no means a very good or professional analysis or anything, this is just me whipping out my Honors English high school powers for fun, to put these guys in a jar and shake them. Getting as much content out of this comic as possible even if it means yapping. Pete goes first because he's easy, lol
The Comics Highlight His Flaws
The first difference I noted when watching the pilot first and then delving into the comics is; Pete is aggressive. Much more aggressive. He's the most argumentative member in the first few panels, with most of his comments being rather pessimistic or sexual in nature. He always has some sort of retort or comeback to defend himself and his views, and his passions come out mostly in anger.
There's also a silent shame that comes with his behaviors, much more likely to complain about what he doesn't like than happily explain what he's passionate about. When he does have passionate moments, it's because these things that make him very vulnerable are being criticized, and he gets defensive. Like his love for Christopher Lee.
Without any prior knowledge of these characters, it can be assumed that Pete comes from an abusive household. His behaviors are major signs. He's most likely so combative because he's used to constantly being under fire, especially with (I think) 8 other siblings who are implied to be mostly older men. If he didn't have a slick comment or keep up this "tough" persona, he'd be their personal punching bag - figuratively and literally.
All Pete really knows is aggression, being canonically the poorest member (he states that he couldn't even afford to be in the Boba Fett conversation in the comics). It's been shown that the club lives in a shitty area in Staten Island. Plus, they're heavily bullied. It's shaped the way he communicates and interacts with the world around him. Even his obsessions - he likes seeing people get ripped apart to the point it becomes a kink.
Even the way he speaks sets him apart. Not necessarily his accent, but his word choices are usually much simpler and his points are very blunt. He's not portrayed as booksmart, and his swagger comes off more as a performance (both of masculinity and of nonchalance) than a natural way of being.
It's also worth noting his position in the very first panel of the comics. Bill is head of the table, of course, it's his house and he's the leader. (I'll get to that symbolism in Bill's analysis). But Pete is sat right next to him, lower than Bill and somewhat distant from him, but still seeming closer and getting more focus than Jerry and Josh.
His position is meant to draw your eye from an artistic perspective, he is unconsciously trying to secure himself a good spot for control and stability. If you're on Bill's bad side, you end up like Josh (I'll get into the lolcow-ification of Josh later on too), but Pete gets the least shit from Bill. Pete is not a pushover, and he feeds into Bill more. Their bickering seems almost comedic.
Totally different dynamic than he has in the pilot, so them getting along so well may be retconned. He has much more of a moral compass in the pilot, and while both versions show Pete *attempting* to be a mediator and a voice of reason, the pilot shows it more. Almost like Pete didn't want to be there, much preferring Jerry's company since they were both reasonable.
Bill and Pete's dynamic also goes to solidify Pete's relationship with his father and the toxic masculinity he displays constantly. Pete has the urge to stray and separate himself from the obviously immoral tendencies of his father, but still seeks approval from an authority figure in which he admires. Someone he sees as "cool" and capable, teeter-tottering between loving him and fighting him. His father is very authoritative, Pete was never allowed to question anything. He associates anything "girly" with pain - like how Bill associates women with sexist stereotypes, expecting to be hurt by them because of their shared experiences with bullying and Bill's mommy issues. Except Pete had it literally beat into him.
Him connecting masculinity to being capable and independent leads directly to his tendency to make choices on the fly. In a house that's always arguing, someone has to make a decision. And Pete wants to be seen as the macho man who knows what he's doing, but also doesn't care that much. So he mainly makes decisions with common sense, emotion, and whatever he's compelled to. A very "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" mentality from living in a conservative household.
Though I do feel that most of his decisions come from a place of shame. If you're secure, you usually don't have to make it a point, or brag about it, or defend it so vehemently. You just... are secure. This directly ties into his canonical bisexuality along with his horror passions. His whole life he's been told everything about him was fundamentally wrong, and he's trying to run from it. Which is why he tries to separate his personal love for horror makeup and SFX from traditional gay and drag art forms. Those things are looked down on. He hates being looked down on. Which is why he uses gays, along with Josh, as scapegoats.
The Pilot Highlights His Positives
From the first 25 seconds of the pilot, Pete is already a more positive version of his comic alternative. He's more successful in diffusing the bickering between Josh and Bill, and is more level-headed and goal-oriented. He's calmer, seeing things go wrong and actually wanting to find solutions instead of dwelling on the small details and who-did-what. He almost feels like a disgruntled mother with more humor. His independence also shines, but so does his tendency to run into danger without thinking.
Pete also sits much farther in the pilot at their meeting table. He's at opposite ends of the table, like the other head, or leader, willing to criticize Bill and never really seeing eye-to-eye with him. He tries to lead before Bill does, starting with the "Sexy Sirens" tape, and has a little bit of a power struggle. He's leaning back, to distance himself, and his nonchalance is more natural, it's just who he is. Josh and Jerry seem closer to Bill than Pete is, which is a total 180 from the comics.
A big point of Pete's character in the pilot that isn't touched upon at all in the comics is his sense of justice. He wants things to be fair - from the trivia-off in Joe's shop, to the DnD game. He tries to break up fights but will hit back if he's being hit, or someone else is being hit unjustifiably. Much like a shephard dog instead of a guard dog, like his comic alternative. But only to the club, he's still a menace to his general environment.
His trauma is shown more subtly but it is still made a point - while Pilot Josh is unconcerned when Bill's mother is yelling at the club, Pete seems the most worried and distraught, the first to start sweating and holding his head. His body language screams abuse. His introduction panel also shows he's relatively used to beat downs, seeming silently resigned and defeated rather than horrified like the other characters.
His sexuality also seems more on-par with a teen boy and less hypersexual, and there's less sexist comments. He's definitely still a little freak, shown with his creepy little faces, clawing at the glass, and his comments about "Battle Broads" the series, but he's not trying to repress nearly as much.
Combining the Two
Since the point of the comics was to be an exaggerated version of real life incels, I'd say the pilot is a more realistic representation of who Pete is as a person. But with such a short run, it didn't get to show the entirety of his character, which would have to be fleshed out across multiple episodes. The comics is a satirical piece mocking and displaying the worst of the worst, and t pilot is a commentary on the societal failures that lead to children with this kind of behavior.
There are some parts where they undeniably intersect though. Like Pete's tendency towards violence to solve his problems, and one specific comic panel (which I can't exactly find right now) where Pete comments that sewing's for sissies, and Jerry insists that he's not. Pete's reply is "Of course not you, Jerry, you're a wizard. Keep it up." This can be seen as him just wanting his clothes repaired, but it can also be interpreted as Pete putting his own insecurities and internalized feelings aside because he loves and respects his friends too much. It shows that he doesn't actually believe what he's saying to the degree he insists. Pete is the second most likely to have the capacity to change his ways, if he ever so chose.
Honestly, it's up to interpretation how these traits are combined. Some fans like the comics more, some fans like the pilot. Though Evan seems to be leaning more into the pilot interpretations of the characters now than the comics, showing a possible reboot or retcon of their old traits, just like the retcon of Epilogue Pete.
Summary (MBTI, Enneagram, etc.)
I'm gonna use my general knowledge of personality quizzes to get my point across, lol.
I honestly believe his MBTI is ESTP, as someone who studied it for a very long time and spent way too long on PDB. But he is a very unhealthy ESTP that never found an outlet for his more creative attributes, and lives in unhealthy environments that disrupt his peace.
On the good side, he can adapt easily, read his environment and the people in it well, and he is extremely passionate. He's pushed by his love of horror and film, seeking out people with the same interests and motivation to get things done. He's very experience-based, seeking out adventure, and has a lot of energy. He's very down to earth, lives in the moment almost too much, can easily improvise and comes up with decisions very quickly. He's a quick thinker, but thinks after he acts, not before, and is very life-smart. He's a good communicator, he's practical, hedonistic, and fair.
Deep down, he seeks validation from his peers, wanting to be seen as competent, talented, valuable. At his best, this helps him connect with others in a meaningful way like he craves. But he never really gets there, which leads to him forming a persona he believes will get him that respect. He's actually a very sensitive person in that way, not necessarily emotional but very touchy when it comes to what he loves. He's prone to pessimism, doesn't think about the consequences of his actions, and doesn't see himself in a world in which he's truly successful.
He's selfish, rude, doesn't trust others, has an intense aversion to rules, and doesn't look at any information that goes against what he believes. He can be bossy at times, or judgemental of others who don't meet his standards, and doesn't keep other people' feelings in mind. This leads to an internal struggle with seeing everyone as fake or not as dedicated, but also wanting, needing connection with other people. This can lead to him being rather conspiratorial, which leads to the whole "Jock vs. Nerd" conversation.
I also think he's a sp/so (self-preservation social) 8w9. His biggest fear is being hurt and betrayed by the people he loves, so he seeks out control and stability so that can't happen. He tries his best to be self-reliant so he has no need to open up to others and make himself vulnerable, and he's hard to warm up to. But once he likes you, he's loyal for life. He isn't very loud about these traits, trying to maintain an air of calmness while also being no-nonsense. He doesn't want to lose control of his anger, but also has a tendency to do so, leading to small outbursts of strong aggression. While he craves connection, if he has too many failed relationships, he may start to see them as a waste of his time and become very introverted, like how he became in the epilogue.
__
Yep, that's it, enough yapping for me. Those are all the things I noticed, hopefully it's entertaining to somebody lol.
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Webtoon characters I am supposed to hate/dislike but I love/like instead:
1) Rashta Iskua (The Remarried Empress):

Even before we meet Rashta we are suppose to hate her, Laura talks very poorly about her and even the comments call her demeaning names and say how much of an awful person she is.
After we properly meet Rashta the author goes out of their way to present her as this evil mastermind who is out to ruin Navier's as well as all of her allies lives (example, when she smirks as Laura gets drugged away to the dungeon)
And this is pretty much what happens throughout the comic, Navier gets praised for just existing and her flaws are either ignored or are not presented as flaws while Rashta gets blamed for almost anything bad happening in the story with her flaws being exaggerated.
Now don't get me wrong, I am aware that Rashta has done some horrible and unforgivable things (and I am not gonna try and justify them), but so did Heinry, Ergi and other characters who get immediately forgiven.
Rashta is an illiterate, traumatized and naive young girl who got enslaved as a child, she got traumatised by all of the horrible things Alan and his family have done to her and yet I am suppose to scorn her for not understanding how things work in her new life and for wanting a better future for her and her baby, all the while I am suppose to coddle an empress who was born with a silver spoon on her mouth amd cheer for her psychopath husband who commits atrocities in her name.
Rashta is is not a good person and I won't make any excuses for her, but I can't help but feel so bad for her. She deserved so much better, both in terms of writing and how the fandom treats her.
2) Lady Krista (The Remarried Empress):

Krista is another female character from TRE who deserved so much better.
All she ever wanted was to keep her position as a queen,aka the same thing that Navier wanted, but because she doesn't kiss the MC's ass she is the villain.
Yes, working with Kuffman ( or whatever his name is) and trying to go after her brother in law aren't exactly the best things to do, but like as said earlier all she ever wanted as not to be replaced.
This poor woman lost her husband, she got replaced as queen by a foreign woman, most of her ladies in waiting abandoned her and her family turned their back at her to avoid Heinry's wrath. She ended up taking her life just like Rashta did and just like Rashta no one cared.
Hell, people started liking her, so to remedy that, the author turned her into a ped* who went after a much younger man, but even that doesn't mean anything when Navier married said younger man.
This woman deserved so much better, I hope she and Rashta can find peace in the afterlife.
3) Stace (Down To Earth)

The moment we are introduced to Stace we are suppose to dislike him because he annoys the MC Kade and that dislike slowly turns into hate because Stace is trying to get with the FL Zaida (I think this is how you write her name).
People will say that Stace is a creepy weirdo who tries to steal the MC's girl, even though Kade and Zaida weren't dating at the time, the dude just tried to shoot his shot after Zaida herself told him that she and Kade weren't dating.
I see a lot of people bringing up the fact that Stace is a photographer who wanted Zaida to be a model and take pictures of her and therefore he is a creep, completely ignoring the fact that Stace is a manager at Spencers and the reason he is looking for models is because he wants to advertise the shop.
"But he put her in lingerie so he is a creep", again, he is manager at SPENCERS, lingerie is not something unusual in that shop. Besides, Stace didn't force anything on Zaida, the moment she said she wanted to change because she felt uncomfortable, he allowed it without any problem. Stace didn't even force Zaida to take the job, he and Suzy suggested it so that Zaida can be more independent from Kade and have her own life and money.
And speaking of Kade, I'd argue he is the actual creep. The only reason he saved Zaida is because he found her sexy and beautiful, he even said how he would kick her out if she turned out to be a child. He is the one who made the "No feelings rule" yet he constantly sexualises Zaida and is clearly attracted to her. Also, he bought her lingerie as nightwear when they knew eachother for one week. Kade didn't ask Zaida what she would like to wear or if she'd feel comfortable wearing lingerie but he bought it anyway so he can ogle her.
Even so, people find it cute when Kade does these things, but god forbid Stace breaths the same air as the MCs without getting flammed in the comments.
And yes, I am aware that Stace called Zaida a monster, but if the girl I had a crush on suddenly grew horns and his eyes started glowing, I'll freak out as well.
Stace should fire both Kade and Zaida and find some real friends, cause he deserves so much better.
4) Thanatos (Lore Olympus)

People hated Thanatos in the beginning of the story because he tried to get Persephone fired and for exposing her crimes later on.
Honestly speaking I never hated him, in fact he has always been one of my favourites.
Thanatos had every right to want Persephone gone, she had zero experience in the field she was suppose to be working on and she got special treatment from Hades, aka her boss.
Imagine if this was real life for a second, imagine your 40 year old boss bringing in a barely legal girl to work for him, who has zero prior experience in working and gets special treatment on top of that.
Not only is this pretty gross but also very unfair to the other employees who had to work their asses off to get the job they have and never got any benefits form their boss. It's even more unfair to Thanatos who is Hades's adoptive son and never got treated any different than the other employees, but this inexperienced child gets the VIP treatment from Hades.
Thanatos geta treated horribly throughout the comic especially from his so called father. Hades ignores, belittles and in general doesn't care about him. Hades reaches out to Thanatos only because he needs his help not because he cares about his adoptive son. The "apology" Hades gave was Bakugou levels bad and it was basically Hades going "I am a traumatized uwu emo boy so you can't hate me".
Thanatos gets victim blamed because he was a "difficult child" that didn't make things easier for Hades, a grown ass adult. And before anyone says "but Hades was not ready to become a father at the time", true, but he could have at least tried to pay attention to this abandoned child or he could ask for help raising him.
His also has a pretty shitty girlfriend. Daphne tells him how Hades giving Persephone special treatment is not a big deal and he should stop whining about it. She also invites Hades into their home even though Thanatos told her how he doesn't want to talk to him.
My boy deserves a rise for putting up with all of this bullshit.
5) Demeter (Lore Olympus)
I feel so bad for Demeter. She is constantly demonized in every Hades and Persephone retelling and LO is no different.
This woman has done so much and received so little.
She fulfilled her role as a daughter, sister and fighter exceptionally well and yet no one acknowledged her for anything.
Zeus told her that he'll make her queen of the gods if they sleep together, only for him to choose Hera instead. He didn't even make her queen of the mortal realm, despite Demeter being the reason the realm is alive and flourishing, he just tossed her aside and forgot about her. The only time Zeus remembers her existence is when he needs something from her and then throws a tantrum when she declines.
Hades treats her the worst. First, he refuses to give her the volcanos, they are important to him but he never told her why they are so important. Second, he constantly belittles and demeans her because "she is an annoying helicopter mom", because god forbid a mother doesn't want an old, dusty man with bad reputation near her teenage daughter.
Like, Demeter has every right to be concerned and guess what, she was right! Persephone hasn't been to Olympus for one month and she gets drugged, kidnapped and SA'ed. Demeter was right about the other gods being assholes and Olympus being dangerous.
Anyway, I can go on and on about Demeter but I am pretty sure you get my point. This woman should disown Persephone and go live her life with the nymphs and her son, far away from the rest of the gods.
6) Minthe (Lore Olympus)

Ah yes, the infamous Minthe. Even people who have never read the comic recognize her as the "Trashta" of LO.
Minthe is proof that it doesn't matter whether you are the side chick or the main girl, what matters is that you are the main character.
Persephone is a homewrecker but because she is the FL it's ok for her to steal Minthe's man.
Yes, Minthe and Hades's relationship was toxic af and although I am not trying to justify Minthe's abusive behaviour, Hades is no better
He himself financially abused Minthe, he emotionally cheated on her with barely legal girl and never bothered to defend her against his racist family.
Hell, he was going to propose to her until he saw a younger and more vulnerable girl and he completely forgot about his girlfriend.
Minthe exposing Persephone was petty af, but I don't see the problem here. Persephone committed a crime, so even though Minthe did it for selfish reasons I don't see a problem with a mass murder getting consequences.
Again, I can go on an on about Minthe but I have more characters to talk about.
Girl should go and live her life with that one mortal who thought she was a goddess, far away from any god, cause she deserves a good life after what she has been through.
Also, an honourable mention to Leuce, Alex and every other character who got screwed over by the gods, they all deserved so much better.
7) Prince Bavilo (The Princess's Jewels)

Ok, Bavilo is not the same as the others, mainly because you are not suppose to hate him after a certain point, but I still wanted to talk about him.
We are suppose to hate him by the moment we see him because he is mean to the perfect FL Arianna. People call him jealous and spiteful because he isn't as perfect as his sister but Bavilo's anger towards Arianna makes perfect sense.
For one thing, he was right about Arianna setting a bad example to other women. She is a princess who collects men like Pokémon for her harem without caring about anyone else but herself.
She took away a general from another country and she basically kidnapped a dude after she threatened to start a war with his country if he didn't submit to her.
This doesn't just set a bad example for young girls who will definitely try to imitate Arianna but will definitely cause problems for the kingdom, Bavilo has every right to be against his sister.
His life is absolutely shit, his mother physically and emotionally abuses him on a daily basis, she is using him to gain more power and generally doesn't really care about him, his brothers don't seem to think highly of him, no matter how hard he tries to get his father's approval the king will never acknowledge him or love him as he loves Arianna and on top of all of that the queen (aka Arianna's mother whose name I don't remember and don't care to look up) is manipulating him, she wants Bavilo on her side to get back at his mother but just like everyone else she doesn't care about him.
His anger towards Arianna is completely valid, he suffers so much while his spoiled sister gets all the love and attention not only from their father but from literally anyone who knows her.
This boy should run away from his shitty and toxic family and cut all ties with them and marry a woman who would truly love him, become king and start his own family. He deserves a happy ending.
8) Queen Phoebe and Lord Demeter (This Isekai Maid is Forming a Union)


Though these two are pretty similar, so I decided to put them together.
First of all, both are actual villains and not demonized characters like the rest of the people in the list.
And second, both of them are well written characters, with goals and motivations instead of hate sinks to make the MC look better.
Both of them are a deconstruction of manhwa tropes, Phoebe is the MC who dies and gets reincarnated as a scorned young noblewoman and Marinus is the ML who is a straight up a psycho that can only be fixed by the FL's love.
But unlike stuff you'd see in a generic manhwa, these two actually face consequences for their actions and are not glazed by the author.
Phoebe is an elitist and racist woman who abused her power, she doesn't care about anyone other than herself and her family and is a horrible human being who mistreates her servants and will do extremely messed up stuff to get what she wants . This is pretty much how every OI protagonist acts like, the difference is the author doesn't let Phoebe get away scott free just because she suffered, she gets a very deserved karma and is forced into hiding after the commoners started a coup against her and her family.
Marinus is written is a similar way. Despite his tragic backstory,the narrative does not excuse his actions because of his trauma. Marinus committed mass murder, he killed the MC Bridgette in the first timeline and her fellow servants ( who were all minorities btw) after they tried to protect her. Then he pretended to have amnesia so that Annette (the FL) won't be mad at him. He was an awful father, he killed his own wife after she wanted to divorce him and poisoned his own daughter because he liked to feel needed (also he was a huge asshole to his son)
Yet, despite all of this, Phoebe and Marinus are my favourite characters. They are very well written and interesting, they move the plot forward without being plot devices and the author gave them a reason as to why the act and think the way they do without justifying any of their horrible actions.
#manhwa#manhwa critical#the remarried empress critical#rashta#krista tre#lo critical#lore olympus critical#anti lore olympus#prince bavilo#down to earth#stace down to earth#this isekai maid is forming a union#the princess's jewels
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✮ ↳ The Show Must Go On ↰
♡ yandere! actor x gn reader♡
tw/cw: slight obsession, nothing too detailed
authors notes: first work and i wrote this in one sitting...it's okay we're fine ♥ also i may have based him off of myself and i will probably do that with a lot of my ocs! my bad i'm just a theater kid who likes to write
➼ yandere! Actor who first only knew you as one of the stagehands, always flitting back and forth behind the curtains.
➼ yandere! Actor who didn't even know your name until you got promoted to prop manager.
➼ yandere! Actor who never knew how every character that he played fell in love with someone at first glance, but as soon as you walked onto the stage and started giving out your orders, it was like the heavens had shone their light upon you and you only.
➼ yandere! Actor who was infatuated with everything about you. Your responsibility, your assured nature, the way you'd sternly correct him when he messed up his lines because he "should be reading off his script, not off my face".
➼ yandere! Actor who was always on top of his game, one of the best actors in his region, yet when you looked at him with your concentrated eyes it was like he was a rookie again.
➼ yandere! Actor who would be stuttering and tripping over his words on purpose just to get you to come up and read it with him, your warm body so close to his that he could almost taste the perfume you were wearing.
➼ yandere! Actor whose heart raced whenever you praised him, even a simple "good work today" would give him butterflies.
➼ yandere! Actor who knew that opening night was approaching, so he worked day and night to memorize his lines. The excited smile on your face when he was able to perform the whole dress rehearsal without flaw was something he'd never forget.
➼ yandere! Actor who, standing behind the curtain on the first day of their showing, suddenly started to shake. He's been in the industry so long that he forgot what it's like to have pre-show anxiety, and he doesn't even know how to deal with it. Suddenly, a warm hand is put on his shoulder.
"You're shaking." You point out, turning him around to face you. "Why? Are you feeling alright?" You place the back of your hand on his forehead to feel his temperature. "You're not warm, so you're not sick..." You think about it for a second, looking him in the eyes with a warm smile. "Are you...nervous?"
Aurelian doesn't speak, instead, he just nods. He's ashamed of you having to see him like this, the Aurelian Yavuz, getting jitters right before the opening night of one of his most popular shows.
"Hey, look at me." Your voice is soft, yet commanding, forcing him to look into your assuring eyes. You place both your hands on his shoulders, gripping them firmly to help ground him.
"You've done this show countless times before, and we've read the script together so many times that it should be burned into your brain by now." He laughs slightly, a sign that your motivation is working.
"You're one of the best actors I've ever worked with, and one of the most dedicated as well. You've spent so many hours reading, fixing, and editing this performance so that it's just right and absolutely nothing could go wrong. Am I correct?"
He nods again, making you click your tongue.
"Use your words. Am I correct, yes or no?" Your firm tone makes it hard for him to disobey, especially when you look at him with those fierce eyes.
He gulps, taking a deep breath before responding.
"Yes, you're correct. I've done so much to make sure that this show is perfect, so I have no reason to be nervous." He stands up straighter and walks backstage, adjusting his costume in the mirror. "Plus, I know that you'll be watching, so everything will be okay~." He winks at you from the mirror, making you chuckle.
"Exactly. We behind the curtain will be making sure that everything goes smoothly, so all you have to do is go out there and do what you do best." The lights start to dim as the audience applauds. You pat him on the back and adjust his collar for him.
"The stage is yours, Auri." you nod at him as he takes a deep breath, walking out onto the large wooden stage to loud cheering. His voice booms through the stage, and soon enough, the show is over. The cast takes their final standing bow and walks back to their dressing rooms. Aurelius makes a beeline for the lighting booth where you are usually sitting; he bursts through the door backstage, only to find your seat empty.
"What...?" he looks around for any trace of you, but it's like you've disappeared. He takes a seat in your chair and waits for what seemed like hours to him because of how tired he was. 15 minutes after the show ends, he hears your voice from outside the door. he gets up to open the door, but as soon as he does, the door opens with a creak. There you are, standing in the doorway with a coffee in one hand and your bag in the other, looking up at him surprised.
"Auri, why haven't you changed? Everyone's already leaving, you should go too-"
"You weren't watching." He cuts you off, looking at you with cold, dead eyes.
You look at him confused, setting your bag down on the floor. "What are you-"
"Why weren't you watching?"
#zain>>works#yandere writing#tw yandere#yandere blog#yandere#yandere x you#soft yandere#oc x reader#god i think i blanked out writing this#it's now half past one in the morning#i can't remember how i got here#all i remember is having an idea and needing to write it immediately#it's fine it's okay#we ball#anyway this is my first work i hope yall weren't expecting much
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omg hi sorry but it's soooo nice to see a da blog that actually engages w aveline's character beyond ermmmmmm fantasy cop!!!! thank u so much your takes are great and i'm rly enjoying the rest of ur blog as well!! have a nice day
it's just purely perfomative in the most obnoxiously obtuse way imaginable. like if people really gave a damn about the cop thing theyd talk about it with other characters. like cassandra or cullen or leliana or even the fucking iron bull. it doesnt actually matter that shes the fantasy law enforcement it just makes for a funny joke and easy excuse for not actually bothering with her as a character. i can say fenris is a bootlicker for defending the templars and even going out of his way to sabotage hawke's plans to undermine them and that'd be just as lazy and shallow an analysis as the common discourse surrounding aveline. not only that but be honest none of you (you in a general sense) actually genuinely literally equate the guardsmen to the irl police force LOL be so serious if you did youd be just as vocal and passionate about their role in this narrative as you are about the templars.
it also goes into a more general annoyance i have with this fandom where people will obviously hate a da2 character. will whine and bitch constantly about their flaws and how they dont like them or how they're so problematic and terrible. and then the more they talk about them the more its become increasingly clear that despite this for some insane reason theyve only played the friend route. as if the rivalry routes arent almost entirely an exercise in exploring their toxic behavior and the consequences thereof. as if this isnt The route to get a better insight on their character if you think their behavior is bad. ooughhh i hate aveline she's too rigid and strict she's a class traitor and theres never any point where you can get mad at her for this :( except for you know the entirety of the rivalry dynamic. where the major conflict between her and hawke is how hawke constantly undermines her authority because it comes from an insecure and self-loathing need to maintain control over her surroundings so she never has to experience another ostagar again. people do this with characters like anders and merrill too like theyll complain constantly about how theyre too focused on their goals and they dont listen to anybody else and thatll make them do crazy things. and they will be talking entirely out of the friendship route and will have never even heard of their personal growth and background insight that you can get through rivalries like fuck offfff
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hello!!!!! you’ve mentioned previously that you have some opinions on bakugo mitsuki as a mother, and im super curious about them 👁️👁️
Hihi!!! Basically, I’m one of those people that really dislikes Mitsuki. Ultimately , my opinion is that the fandom can be really weird in their mindset about her because she is a toxic/bad mother, and I think that’s true regardless of how much someone might like her.
(This is really long because I yap about a couple different things, sorry!)
Mitsuki falls victim to an issue that I have with Horikoshi as an author; he has a really bad problem with tone and trying to merge his comedic aspects with his more serious ones. The best example I have is Hagakure, a character that solely exists because he thought it was funny to have a female character with the ‘needs to be naked to be invisible’ trope— something that destroyed her ability to be an ACTUAL character and caused her to be so overlooked that she accidentally makes more sense as the traitor than Aoyama, the one that was known to be traitor since day one.
It’s absolutely fine to have darker themes in a silly show, have a kids’ show become darker, or have two juxtaposing tones to highlight how serious things are getting. Spy x family is a show that does this incredibly well, imo, even with some of the pacing issues I have with it. With mha, however, Horikoshi will just randomly add things and commit to them just because he’s thinks it’s a funny bit and it ultimately ruins a lot of things about his work.
Bakugou Katsuki is one of them. As much as I love him, his character is fundamentally flawed because his author’s intentions with him and what the audience would interpret from him are so vastly different. The reason for this is because there are two major aspects of his character that are big deals but Horikoshi refuses to actually handle it as if it is because, to him, they’re jokes or something that’s not meant to be taken too seriously (based on the way he addresses them). The Sports Festival ending was absolutely horrifying if you think about it for more than two seconds— there is absolutely no way it is ever NOT abusive to muzzle and chain up a fifteen year old boy on NATIONAL television (possibly international because Aizawa says this festival replaces the Olympics). This is especially true when that same student had previously been attacked by a villain that GAGGED and RESTRAINED him (the sludge villain at the beginning of the show).
This is something that would traumatize him. I don’t care if he “deserved it” (he didn’t), this was humiliating and abusive and if UA wasn’t a sociopolitical superpower alongside the hero commission, the repercussions of this would’ve been devastating. But it’s never addressed because Horikoshi did it as a joke. This moment is meant to be funny and you’re supposed to laugh at how out of control Bakugou is. Despite the fact that this display is what leads the MAIN ANTAGONISTS to feel sorry for him and offer him a place with them because they believe he’s being abused by hero society. And I could hear the argument that this was all intentional and the league kidnapping him was meant to show how bad the end of the festival was, but I’d argue that nothing ever happens to cement that idea (in the anime, at least! I know that lots of stuff gets cut from the manga so it might not be wholly Horikoshi’s fault if there is manga or side content that goes against any of this). No one ever apologizes to Bakugou for it. Bakugou never talks to a friend about how these events were connected. It’s never addressed and, with how the villains and hero society are consistently treated throughout the series, I find it hard to believe that this was the actual intention here.
All this to say that his relationship with his mother is the exact same.
Mitsuki treats him the way she does because Horikoshi thinks it’s funny. She’s meant to be a parody of the strict/harsh mother that a lot of Asian households have— but the problem with this is that a lot of Asian mothers are abusive. In fact, the “harsh” way a lot of parents are across different cultures is all abusive, but it’s often justified with “well, that’s just how parents are here” but I don’t think that’s a good excuse.
It’s important to note that her being abusive makes her a bad mother, but I don’t think she doesn’t love her son or that she’s inherently a bad person. People often jump to this defense when you say she’s abusive, which is part of the strange mindset I spoke of earlier. It’s really dangerous, imo, to imply that an abusive person can’t love their victim and I don’t like that perspective, even with domestic abuse. These things have nuance and it’s not an all or nothing thing like people online like to pretend it is. Treating someone badly doesn’t automatically mean there’s no way you could ever love them or care for them, it just means that you treated them badly. Their love doesn’t justify their abuse, nor does it make it any less bad or traumatizing and saying that it’s okay because Mitsuki loves him has that implication.
In the same way I can say that someone is saying/doing something homophobic and not mean that they are a homophobe that hates gay people and wants to take our rights away, Mitsuki is abusive, but I don’t mean she’s a ruthless child abuser that feels no love or remorse. I’ll say that again: when I say she’s abusive, I don’t mean she’s incapable of love, but her loving her son does not change the fact that she treats him poorly and that she, and any mother she’s meant to parody, are bad mothers because this isn’t a healthy way to raise a child.
And I say that as someone who has a mother like her! Mitsuki as a fandom topic is really triggering for me and I tend to avoid positive posts about her because so many people like to justify her behavior, which in turn feels like they’re justifying my mother’s behavior. To add context as well, I’m white but my mother’s side of the family is all Japanese, with my great-grandmother being the one to immigrate to America. I don’t say this to compare my experiences with people who are actually Asian or Asian-American with mothers like Mitsuki (because I’m like 1/8th Japanese at this point so I’m in no way apart of this group 😭😭), but a lot of these behaviors are caused by generational trauma and I know my mother acted the way she did because of her mother, and because of her mother, and so on. Basically, this topic is kind of personal to me, even if I’m not in the exact position to be able to speak on it from a cultural standpoint.
To circle back, though, I don’t believe it’s accurate to say my mother doesn’t love me, even though she was abusive to me. I don’t think it’s accurate to say my grandmother didn’t love my mother, even though she was abusive towards her. Parents are far more complicated than that and it feels really gross to justify objectively bad actions by saying “well, she can’t be abusive because she means well and loves her son!”
Arguably, Endeavor loves his kids, as shown in his atonement arc (though, I don’t love how that one is written either)— that doesn’t make things any better, though, does it?
Mitsuki hits Katsuki. That is an objective fact because I have the scene pulled up right now and I’m watching it happen. Another objective fact is that it’s never okay to hit your kids. It’s not okay to spank them. It’s not okay to whoop them. Psychologically, this does more damage than good and Katsuki is actually such a good representation as to why. When you hit a kid for being bad or too much, they learn that when someone is “bad” then they deserve to be hurt, which leads them down two roads— either THEY become physical against other people when other people do something wrong (like the way Katsuki uses his quirk against Izuku— because, yes, Katsuki was abusive towards Izuku too. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad person now. He was a child and this was a learned behavior from his mother/his environment but that doesn’t suddenly justify it or make it better), or it means that they continue to allow other people, such as romantic partners, to hurt them as they get older because they feel like that’s the acceptable punishment.
I don’t care that he’s a teenager. I don’t care that she does it to reel him in. If it’s not okay to smack another adult because of their attitude problems, it’s not okay to do it to a child.
And the way she speaks to him is incredibly damaging. I don’t have access to the manga panels rn so this is based on the anime (dub with the translated subtitles) so maybe the manga handles it slightly better— but when Aizawa goes to ask for permission to let Katsuki stay at the dorms, Mitsuki smacks him COMPLETELY UNPROVOKED and when he snaps back at her with aggression telling her not to hit him, she responds with ANOTHER smack and says, “Oh, shut up! It’s your fault to begin with for being so weak. You got caught, and now you’re causing everyone trouble!” (subs)/“Oh hush! If you hadn’t been so damn weak, you never would’ve gotten caught and caused all that trouble!” (dub line)
Her son was just kidnapped.
Kidnapped by people that, at this point, have cemented themselves as incredibly dangerous individuals. The nomus are publicly known and publicly associated with the league because of the attack in Hosu City. He was kidnapped by people so dangerous that ALL MIGHT had to retire after he fought them— on NATIONAL TELEVISION. Katsuki could have died. Katsuki was traumatized. And this is how she treats him in front of PRO HEROES.
Following this, she hits him AGAIN and goes on about how Katsuki is good at everything because of his quirk, but that he was always being praised for shallow stuff and she says that it’s likely why he ended up like this. For starters, this obviously upsets him a bit. Humbling him isn’t a bad thing, but there’s a time and place for it and it’s very obvious that this line of thinking is how we end up with him having his fight against Izuku. He’s incredibly insecure despite his pride and if everyone was praising him for shallow stuff, what was she doing? How was she handling it other than hitting him and telling him that he’s weak? Do you really expect me to believe that the ONLY reason Katsuki acts the way he does is because his peers and teachers said that he was the best, and it has nothing to do with his mother who is aggressive even when he doesn’t do anything and describes him as “good at pretty much everything he does because of his blessed quirk”? His mother who responds to his kidnapping with “well, you got caught because you were weak and it caused so much trouble”?
Children are a product of their environment and there’s nothing anyone can do to convince me that Katsuki is the only child in the world whose biggest influence wasn’t his parents.
“He’s a hot tempered brat and we know he’s a pain” (dub)/“he’s a hopeless guy” (sub). If she talks like this to his teachers, to Pro Heroes, how does she talk to him when they’re alone? How did she respond when he was attacked by the slime villain? When he was chained up and muzzled on live television? You simply can’t convince me that she would’ve reacted any better.
I don’t care that she liked what Aizawa said at the press conference. I don’t care that she means well. I don’t care that she loves him. I don’t care that she clearly cares for him at the end of the manga when he’s in the hospital. No amount of manga panels showing her smiling when she’s near him or holding him as a baby will change the fact that she is a major part of why Katsuki is the way he is. Again, she can love him and be trying her absolute best and still be abusive or a bad mother, regardless of what Horikoshi was intending. I will never argue that she hates her son or that she does this maliciously— but based on her behavior, she’s incredibly damaging to be around.
When did she start hitting him? Was it when he was younger and getting too prideful for his own good? Did it start because he was annoying? Or because he had an attitude problem that she didn’t have the patience to solve without needless violence? Did she try anything other than hitting him or was he just getting on her nerves so that’s what she resorted to first? There are times where kids are truly uncontrollable and there really is nothing you can do to stop them from acting out. There are so many parents right now dealing with kids that refuse to listen and are engaging in really bad behaviors— again, I have personal experience with this.
But something tells me that Katsuki isn’t and never was meant to be one of those kids. Something tells me (and that something is his characterization and how he thrives under Aizawa who actually respects him and how he’s disciplined and grows without parental intervention and how he’s a hero) that Katsuki was not so uncontrollable and dangerous that it warranted any of this. He’s a fifteen year old boy going through some of the worst things people in this universe can imagine and she’s treating him like a burden. It’s actually devastating when you think about it.
My mother did the best she possibly could with the resources she had and I have no doubt that she loves me. But love should never feel like that, and while I respect anyone who wants to like Mitsuki or play with the Bakugou family dynamics, I don’t like her and I don’t like his family and I don’t like the amount of people in the mha fandom that consistently try to justify her behavior by saying it’s just a joke or just a product of the culture.
TLDR: I really dislike Mitsuki and how she’s handled in both the show and fandom. I 100% think that Katsuki is a victim— of his parents, of UA and hero society, and of the villains that target him— and it’s such a critical part of his character to me, a part that often goes overlooked because it genuinely doesn’t seem like most of it was intentional so a lot of people ignore it or just miss it entirely.
#baby babbles#i can’t write good parent mitsuki so any fic I have with bakugou has the undercurrent of her being damaging#sorry if any of this feels trauma dump-y!!! I tried to keep mentions of my own mom low#mha#cw abuse#anti bakugou mitsuki#not gonna rlly tag this one bc I don’t wanna argue with anyone 😭😭#I also think it’s interesting that a lot of defense I see for Mitsuki is the result of demonizing a child that clearly takes after her#I didn’t bring up how victim blamey it feels but uhhh yeah
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may I ask how you developed your relationships for zero, both romantic and platonic. I kinda need help with my own and you’re one of my favorite oc x canon artists at the moment, I love your work and you’re a huge inspiration !
ouuu... thank you.... (big wet eyes) That's a huge, very high compliment to me thank you!
If you have any further questions feel free to ask! I LOVE developing OCs and stories. I wouldn't say I'm any type of 'authority' on the matter, but I just love the process of creating, of developing and exploring. There's a reason why I named my mascot "The Editor" hehe, but anyway.
Putting a cut here because I talk a lot. I think if I put this on people's dashes it would be legitimately annoying LMAO. But if you're interested in reading about some of Zero's creation process and character dynamics, there's a fair bit of that in here
With Zero I had a lot of existing elements to work with, so some of her dynamics/ideas got a headstart. In addition, I wanted a romantic dynamic with 2BHank, so I asked myself: how could I make it interesting without losing the essence of 2BHank?
The Arena Mode story provided the blueprint for Zero and 2BD's dynamic. Initially, it's not dissimilar to how the story goes and the two have mutual respect. Doc is a little more eccentric and egotistical but he likes how obedient and efficient Zero is. He has a fondness for that, which unravels into genuine attraction with some more unhealthy elements when he learns of her "true origin."
With Hank, I wanted some sort of foil/parallel to his tendencies/mannerisms. Arena Mode also provides a perfect example of this. Zero's killing is duty-bound. It is boring. Hank's killing is freeform. It is fun. They are similar yet different, largely silent to mute characters whose existence is to kill, to maim. They learn from each other, in a way. But I didn't want them to overlap too heavily because that ended up being quite boring, so I wanted some contrasts.
Contrasting elements can be good on a character interaction or thematic scale. Foils are important to demonstrate key elements of what you want to say with a character or their story, and for me, how HankZero kills is important. How they perceive life and death and interact with it in the context of Nevada is an integral part of the story I wish to tell with them.
I think essentially look at what story you want to say, or if not something on that type of scale, what kind of dynamic you want to explore. Hell even start with one character, and then think about the scenarios you want to put them in. It's how I started with the multi-character concept that I'm currently working on.
Also take inspiration from media! Sometimes I do so deliberately, other times its quite subtle or unintentional. The dynamic between Rory and Jane (who I will reveal soon) has a lot of similarities to Elita One and Bumblebee, which I didn't plan but it helped refine their ideas. Conversely, Zero was inspired a lot by silent indie game protagonists, the Courier from FNV, etc.
When it came to evaluating Zero and the relationships she has with others, it was important to remind myself of the core aspects of each character. Sometimes I literally list them out as positive/neutral/negative traits (old technique from my OC development), or outline them as dot points. I also do this to help keep the character clear in my mind, and to ensure they stay relatively balanced in "pros" and "cons." It has helped because somewhere along the line with Zero I realised I didn't actually know what I was "saying" with her. Hence my current rewriting.
One element I definitely fail at/find lacking is creating conflicts between characters. I subconsciously make a lot of dynamics where they're usually on fine terms. Zero is mostly because she is quite forgiving and neutral, almost to a bad degree. But I think it's more fun and compelling when characters aren't perfect, they argue, and they have faults and flaws that make them clash. Hank finds it annoying how obedient Zero is sometimes. Doc finds it annoying when Zero and Hank fight and end up killing each other and wasting his time. Zero has an extremely hard time talking about what's bothering her so sometimes she's perpetually irritable and closed off.
When it came to reflecting on character dynamics as a whole, I stepped back at looked at the fundamentals of Zero. She is essentially a silent protagonist who came into this world feeling nothing. The way she was made, formed and trained makes her distinctly inhuman. Many of her relationships highlight this aspect of her in some way. But she has found herself through the people she has formed bonds with. That serious part of her interspersed with some silly charm. She doesn't express much, but those who know her can see the subtle differences. She is a guardian to all life, protective of the weak. But she will kill. She has learned she cannot save everything.
I'm still refining and adjusting elements on a day-to-day basis. More recently I've fleshed out her relationships with Deimos and Sanford. I think there is a subtle romantic element between them, but nonetheless, Sanmos is the more 'human' exploration of her. Deimos is lively, a huge chatterbox and quite silly. Zero has a great fondness for that and sort of follows him around like a silent shadow. She sees his vices and has little judgment for them (she doesn't really have a ton of personal opinions), so Dei feels strangely vulnerable and safe around her. He's great at reading her face, cus he got a lot of practice from when Sanford was really closed off. Deimos was the first person to hear her voice (besides Dave).
Sanford is her emotional bedrock. He was in a pretty similar situation to her (emotionally speaking), shutting everyone out and stonewalling emotions/life/etc. He empathises with her deeply and wants to help her, and is the first to notice/reach out. Zero takes a LONG time to open up to him, but eventually, she does and she's much better off for it. They share tender physical intimacy; Sanford likes to put his hand on her shoulder, and Zero will stand closer to him. When she needs quiet and to relax, she usually seeks Sanford out. Because Sanford understands Zero, she also understands him, so in their worst moments they support each other.
For the rest, I definitely want to flesh things out more. I've been thinking a little more about the aspects with Dave, but I'd like more detail for Skinner and Pava. And of course, I'd actually like to get QBert and Bossman in there somehow, because I can't think of a particular "point" that would make them interesting. Eg. for Pava, it was the weapon modification.
Having a good grasp on the character individually can also help with thinking of more random interactions. I don't think Zero is super interesting on her own, but putting her with Sheriff for example was pretty funny. Her passive demeanour and face looks eerily similar to Hank, which frightens the fuck out of him. But she just thinks he's cute, especially with how flighty he is. She has a lot of respect for what he's built with the MERCs.
Her relationship with the Maker is also interesting too, I think. I'm still reworking it alongside Zero's story so I hesitate to explain the particulars right now, but it's quite similar to the Pale King and the Hollow Knight.
Hopefully that explains? Some things? There's a lot of me talking about my own stuff but hopefully there's some useable advice/ideas in there. hehe
It sounds lame and boring and overdone to hell but genuinely reading/watching a lot of different things can inspire you in ways you didn't expect. It's something I need to do a lot more of.
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My hot take is that the same people who call Jason copaganda, pr-gunviolence or etc are from the same vein as people who blame schoolshootings on videogame violence, who blamed crime on Metal and satanism.
Instead of taking a critical look at a system within which a symptom of a problem is making itself known, you look if there is an outside influence, a kind of "virus" that you can blame for making it "sick".
DC comics are a little fucked up. That's the agreement you entered when reading them. All characters are inconsistent and sometimes in the wrong. Jason is a Bat, so at least it feels like he's maybe substantial enough to blame for the whole batclans issues, in a way that Helena Bertinelli (for example) can't be, because she is less closely tied and has less appearances. Congratulations, you have an identified patient! Jason is the problem that is rippling out and causing all these nasty and unsatisfied feelings the readers have about how crime is handled in these comics.
We see crime being fought in imperfect ways and our current cultural consciousness goes off with warning bells to identify the problem. But what you were taught was to identify what outside influence happens to be present and connecting the issue, and how to justify that all evil stems from this malignant influence. So surely if we could just remove this bad thing, we could go back to the wonderful world we knew where everything was ok.
That world never existed. The thing we are nostalgic for, is the world before we became aware of it's flaws. The problem has always been there, has always been an integrated part of this whole you used to love and admire.
But because the kind of people blaming Jason for "copaganda" do genuinely and truly come from a good place of wanting social justice (I'm saying you are good people. I disagree and think you are making a logical error, but we do care about and want the same thing. Good People) because you come here with the right intentions, you use the buzzwords of copaganda. Or gunviolence. You know from what you have heard that the issue is systematic, but you are struggling to find what that system equivalent is in DC comics. You are falling victim to the fallacy of assuming a main narrative perspective. Just as irl cops are hard to identify as the problem bc you might have to first struggle through the cognitive dissonance that your old worldview of good cops was wrong (so so wrong), you experience cognitive dissonance if trying to read comics with someone like Batman being wrong and flawed.
Looking beyond any superficial similarities to cops Jason is called out for (uses a gun, kills, enforcing his vision of justice) he really doesn't have much more similarities. He isn't a figure of authority, he lacks the nigh god-given justification to do whatever he wants whatever the outcome and is questioned at every turn. Just the sheer instances of Batman or another Bat showing up to beat Jason up and lecture him on what he does.
Extending this, he does not have the pervasive and persuasive power to shape a narrative. Jason's narrative is so far out of his hands. Which has been a core truth about him since for ever. From his maleable origin story, to his death, the years of him being gone and having No Voice Whatsoever, his resurrection in utrh showing him trying, struggling to have a voice against Bruce's story and being drowned out and denied his perspective, the inconsistency of his character after, each writer trying to shape him into something. Now cops fucking have a narrative. Their narrative is the main one we are fed. Their violence is structured and oppressive. Jason is neither a structural systemic power, nor is he oppressive of anyone. If you disagree with his violence for the sake of the moral highground of condemning killing.... Then, just, there are other media, you know.
Cop violence is systemic violence. It is violence that is "justified" to the extent it requires no justification. It is above being questioned. I am genuinely willing to hear an argument how Jason is cop-coded. But to me he is the punk resistance based "violence" that is only organized in the anarchical but organical sense of caring to protect the community that surrounds you. He doesn't approach Gotham as a paternalistic force of protection shielding it from above, but as one of them from within, showing up for the people who are suffering the way he has suffered too.
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There is a post about ableism in the sorcerer/siege of Macindaw books. I'm not going to reply directly to the poster because I don't necessarily think they're wrong, but there's a bigger problem I want to touch on without derailing their post.
The post by @bronze-oakleaf Sorry, but John Flannagan isn't an ableist for describing disabled people as disfigured, Will is. John, although in his usual hit-and-miss style, goes out of his way to show us that the people Will and others are afraid of are not monsters. It's been a while since I read these books, but I can remember there being a few backstories and instances in which it's made clear that Malcolm’s people are just very normal people who have fun, interests and hobbies and love each other deeply.
Will's apprehension of disabled people is very clearly presented as a character flaw. John is a children's author and cannot go into depth about how monstrosity isn't physical but something that manifests in the soul a la Victor Hugo's Hunchback of the Notre Dame. Still, I don't think any child (at least I didn't) finished reading Sorcerer and Siege thinking that disabled people were any less deserving of respect and love than others and Will kinda had a point there in the beginning.
I think the only example of bigotry where there is a high chance of it reflecting John's real-life views is the way he characterises Romani and Sinti in that horrible short story. Without going into depth the key difference here is that not a single person in the story thinks that Alyss and Will are doing or thinking anything wrong. Nuance, even if it wasn't much, visible in Sorcerer and Siege is missing.
Now I have that out of the way, this post is actually about character flaws. I'm not trying to be smug by pulling the historical accuracy card, but honestly, Will's views of disabled people are one of the few ways John established the world of Ranger's Apprentice as a Medieval society. I don't know how to say this without sounding kind of like an asshole, but if you want to critique Ranger's Apprentice flaws you also have to apply the same critique to the characters within Ranger's Apprentice. Separating art from the artists in this case doesn't really work because the art exists within the context the artist created. I don't think we have to be overly critical of characters because otherwise we're bad people and not woke, but viewing your favourite characters as flawed makes them inherently more interesting. I think viewing Will as an enforcer of feudal oppression (cop), extremely privileged (has an education and can bear arms) and classist with a very obvious disdain for those who are below him (this man should be nicer to farmers who can't read) is way more interesting than a perfect boy who fell victim his author's bigoted world view. Will, and all Rangers tbh, think they're better than other people. Rangers are smart they aren't like the uneducated masses who think wizards are real and the devil will claim your soul if you sleep lying down. But are they really?
Will is confronted with the fact he is like everyone else. He's also afraid of the “dreadful caricatures of normal people”, but why? The treatment of disabled people in Medieval society was very complex, and without getting into the nitty gritty, most of the cultural feelings towards them weren't because they were 'just ugly' but relied heavily on superstition. Will might be educated, but he still grew up in a society where disabled people were viewed as cursed, their ailment a deserving divine punishment. Him not being confronted with his hypocrisy in these books is the true moral failing of John to be honest.
Now to my final statement: pleasepleaselpleasepleaseplae let the Ranger's Apprentice characters be bad people. Because they ARE. I guess this post was a very elaborate way of saying Will isn't an UWU soft boy but a grown man with hairy balls. So are Halt, Gilan, Horace, Crowley (I didn't forget the time you enslaved a man king) and Duncan (Truly truly sick a twisted individual for sitting back and doing nothing as his daughter was sold into slavery because 'We need everyone here'. That wasn't a convenient plot point so Halt could save the day but misogyny). This doesn't mean Will isn't/can't be trans (because he is) or Cralt isn't canon (it is) for the sake of historical accuracy. I just want to say that these characters are all very privileged and classist individuals with many flaws thanks to the society they were raised in, which makes them more interesting. Remember be gay AND do crime.
#sorry this got so long im procrastinating studying for my ancient history exam#rangercorpstherapy#rangers apprentice#ranger's apprentice#will treaty#didn't make it very clear but this doesn't mean you can't. aren't allowed to feel uncomfortable with the language John uses sometimes#you should thats the point
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“the 2012 family isn’t abusive” and “the 2012 family all have toxic traits that can affect each other badly” are both takes that can coexist
i think out of all the tmnt shows (except maybe rise, but i could go back on that if i think about it for more than two seconds; this post isn’t about them tho), 2012 has the most dysfunctional family.
this is not a criticism tho. it’s an observation and it can lead to interesting storytelling.
splinter in 2012 suffers from ptsd and it affects how he teaches his children and how he views the world.
he’s been through a lot and was lead to believe he lost his first child.
so yes it’s not shocking that he’d make bad decisions as a parent.
he’s not a bad person by any means, but his attitude about strangers, enemies, and relationships are off. he shows favoritism towards leo, though that’s not his intention. he fails to give his other children the attention they need. etc etc
so it’s not that surprising that his children also gained flaws that affect each other negatively.
leo is dedicated to his training, which isn’t bad but it gave him an ego. he believes he’s the good example, that he’s better skilled than his brothers. he has good skills that make him the best choice as leader, but sometimes his ego and his authority make him downplay his brothers’ opinions and chastise their choices.
it’s mostly seen in his arguments with raphael and donatello. raphael is stubborn, but he values his family like leo does. their opinions on how to protect their family and do the right thing aren’t always on the right page, which frustrates them. raphael goes through growth that makes him a lot more patient with leonardo, but he still calls leo out when leo makes bad decisions, and leo often refuses to listen to him bc he’s the leader. he’s in charge. why should he listen? which is not what a leader should be and he needs to learn that over the course of the series (he,, rlly doesn’t but i digress).
as for donatello and leonardo. donatello is smart and leonardo knows that and ends up using that to his advantage. he puts a lot of pressure on donnie and overworks him. donatello is smart so he has to be the one to track things down, fix mutations, learn what is going wrong. and when donatello’s attempts go wrong, leonardo gets frustrated and orders donatello to just. do better. keep working on it. since donatello struggles with insecurities, this is just added to it and he is super hard on himself when he fails.
having so much pressure put on him by splinter certainly doesn’t help his attitude either.
is he hard on michelangelo? eh not rlly but mikey’s a nothing character so moving on
raphael very obviously has his temper. he’s probably the most criticized of the team so his faults are kinda obvious. he has the most growth in the show tho so i’m not gonna go into too much depth.
obviously his temper and habit to get violent when he’s angry affects his brothers negatively. tho he’s mostly physically violent with leonardo or michelangelo. with donatello they usually are more verbal ig? when raphael is rough with donatello, it’s usually playful. idk
also his temper affects his focus and skills so he’s often chastised by splinter, which comes across to him like leo is so much better and splinter likes him more.
donatello’s turn. this guy has his heart on his sleeve and ik i mention his insecurities constantly but it does affect him more than anything else. he’s insecure about being a mutant, he’s insecure about his weapon and fighting skills, he’s insecure about his feelings for april, he’s insecure about whether he’s smart enough, he’s insecure PERIOD. he has so much going on in that brain so ofc it’s gonna affect his brothers
he snaps at people all the time. he lets his insecurities affect the way he interacts with other people (see: casey jones).
even the pride he does have about his scientific accomplishments can be easily crushed when they’re ruined or criticized in some way.
he isolates very often and sometimes when he is confident it comes across as rude.
and when he acts out of concern for april, he goes about it wrong and ends up being creepy.
it doesn’t help that splinter hardly corrects any of his behavior. plus he doesn’t get the affirmation he needs.
as for michelangelo he’s a bad interpretation of someone with adhd— oh wait no that’s not what i’m trying to talk about hold on—
so michelangelo is playful and naïve and fails to take many things seriously, which frustrates his brothers a lot so it’s hard for them to take him seriously when he is being genuine.
and for karai, we already see how flawed and rebellious she is, and it rubs off on her brothers often, particularly leo.
this family is just a wreck but that’s why they’re so interesting to explore and see them grow. it’s why i wanted more from the series. their dynamics have positive parts as well and it’s nice seeing them talk through things. but the series sacrifices a lot of that for plots that don’t rlly matter tbh (most of season 5 <3)
they are not abusive at all but they are extremely flawed and that’s okay
#except for mikey what who said that#pumpkin stuff#tmnt#tmnt 2012#tmnt leonardo#tmnt raphael#tmnt donatello#tmnt michelangelo#tmnt splinter#tmnt karai
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Happy Mother's Day!
(for those who celebrate and for the countries it's celebrated in. I know that not everybody does).
The mothers of Magi are great. I don't necessarily mean all good. The quality (how good they are as mothers) ranges largely from amazing to Gyokuen. That, in itself, is amazing. I like to see parents that aren't the same note, whether good or bad. It's also nice with the variety of mothers especially.
I want to take the time on focusing on one of them, and my conclusion that the most interesting character study in this regard is Scheherazade.

She is a deeply flawed person in this regard. She's a shit mother for the majority of the time with Titus. However, I do not believe it is intentional on her part, or something that she even recognizes right away.
I want to make clear before I get too deep into this that I still love Scheherazade as a character, and this isn't an attack against her but more so an examination of how her motherhood compares to being decent and how it doesn't.
The root of the problem is Scheherazade is the parent who just expects her children to be like her. So much so that she ignores all the agency that they have to be their own person, which will determine that they have different things to give a shit about, ones that do not align with hers.
This makes sense as she makes them as clones, to do something she cannot or else the main one to keep her youth. They are her in the most literal sense. Titus has had self-awareness sustained to where he develops his own thoughts and perspectives. Then Scheherazade doesn't recognize it right away. Eventually, but not right away.
The second flaw for Scheherazade being a good mother is that she loves Reim and the nation she fostered to a fault.

Again, this is something that she recognizes and relents to after being confronted with it. That the love of the country she helped foster and built is actually fucked in some ways. That maybe, quite possibly, being an imperialist slave-trading/owning state is fucked. No shit. How does this impact on how she's a mother to Titus? She uses him as a rally to her troops when invading Magnoshutatt. Scheherazade acts as if he was kidnapped, and that a goal of taking Magnoshutatt is to take him back and bring him to safety. Since it is a message given to the whole battlefield, Titus does hear it and recognizes the bullshit, not that any of the Reim soldiers can see him.
That is messed up to use your authority over a child (or anyone dependent on you) as a reason to harm anyone else and acting like the child endorses the behavior. If someone is fighting for someone else, with the knowledge and consent of that person, yeah, that's cool. If it's defending someone else, like someone standing in between one party and danger, yup, checks out. Using someone else and their perceived safety to actively attack someone, when you know explicitly that goes against their wishes. Nope, not cool.
Some precise examples outside the broad strokes:
When Titus is reporting to Scheherazade, He goes off topic since he is a child who is finally able to be out and about in the vibrancy of the world. That is what he focuses on. She dismisses him and tell Titus to get to the point. It is understandable from her position, but it is unnecessarily harsh. For Titus, he is talking to his mother and hoping to get positive affirmation with sharing his experience. The best case I can describe Scheherazade is she treats him more like an employee. Not an inaccurate descriptor, but Titus is clearly distraught and thrown off guard from the dismissal and Scheherazade shows nothing in addressing it.




That's an awful look for her. However, when meeting up again she tells Titus he should go back to Marga after telling him their lifespan is almost out. He seems taken aback that Scheherazade remembered her. She paid attention to some degree and could guess what he would want to do at the end of his life.
The second is when she overrides her rukh with his to stop Titus from Falling. It is an emergency situation, and her safety is as at risk as much as his. That said completely ignoring his bodily autonomy is uncalled for. Scheherazade does not leave it at that. She takes the opportunity to threaten Mogamett and his country while possessing a child's body. Same as above when I mentioned her using Titus as a reason to be an imperial bitch, this time manipulating Titus quite literally.


All that said, I do see Scheherazade as a decent mother. Why? I think what separates her from say Gyokuen, or Aum Madura, is that she is ignorant on Titus being his own person. She's not used to her clones to have the degree of autonomy that Titus has. She treats him as an employee and extension of herself but despite it all I have never felt malicious intent. It doesn't excuse her, but it is understandable. Unlike the latter two, who fully know they are destroying children's lives for their benefit and have no compassion for them.
Scheherazade lets him go. She apologies to Titus, and he does not have to forgive her. He does because he's precious, and he sees her as someone who was his anchor and who told him about how wonderful the world was before he could see it. Titus was so hurt by her coldness because he believed she cared. She shows she does. Scheherazade is heartbroken and furious when she realizes that Titus died and used the last of his energy to try to save Mogamett.


What she does, at the end of the day, is give up her prolonged life as a reborn magi. She has lived long enough and recognized her flaws in being conservative and stuck in her ways while passionately loving the country she fostered. None of that matters though because her goal and final desire is to give her child life. The cost is meaningless. And of course Ugo listens. It is the same promise he fulfilled for Sheba with Aladdin. Kids are all right. And they deserve to live.
I think Scheherazade is one of the most interesting characters in Magi. I wanted the opportunity to talk about this part of her. Once more I need to mention how I love the mothers in Magi. A lot of the time, there's a crapload of breakdowns and devotions on how father's can differ, especially in a male targeted demographic like shounen. Not that there isn't the same for the father's in Magi (honestly there's more to pick at for father's in Sinbad no Bouken imo). The best in the main series is Sinbad and Alibaba. And I'm okay with that. Don't think I will have the time to have a similar breakdown by Father's Day. Maybe another time then.
#again need to reiterate this isn't meant to be a takedown of a fictional character#magi#magi scheherazade#magi titus#titus alexius#magi: the labyrinth of magic#magi labyrinth of magic#this took forever help#includes photo edit#long post#cw child abuse#my stuff#mother's day
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I know this is quite a random request but which sakamaki brother would be best paired with kianna komori

By the way you can find her info on my page here on Tumblr she's an OC of mine and you don't have to take this request if you don't want to
From author: Based on what I've learned about Kianna, she seems to be a very fragile person. Not like glass or a flower, but more like a bomb. Underneath her intimidating exterior, she's a very passionate person that cares about those around her.
It looks to me that the problem isn't her trusting people, more so, do certain people deserve her trust? She's a very sweet individual that likes to share her craft (sewing) with others, which tells me she enjoys having like minded individuals around her.
Because she may often get picked on because of her being a prodigy, she needs someone that doesn't harbour any envy towards her academic success because it'll be hard for her to know whether or not she should let this person into her life or if it'll be a mistake.
Because of her bad relationship with men, she needs someone who understands and empathizes with her rather than someone giving her reasons on why it's 'illogical' to dislike men. She needs to be able to experience that on her own and make her own verdict.
Due to her health issues, she comes across to me as someone very insecure and because of this, I can deduce that she doesn't hold others to the harsh standards she holds herself to. This tells me that she'll accept a person flaws and all.
I've also learnt that she's all for self growth and development. This means that she works well with someone that wants to become a better person, rather than someone who's pessimistic and unwilling to change. She'll help you, but you need to want the help.
And because of this, Kianna's best match would be 🥁🥁🥁🥁
Subaru Sakamaki
Read further for more info
Subaru Sakamaki, like Kianna has a bad relationship with the opposite gender which already makes them sympathize with each other. They can both be each other's experiences in learning to be more open with others.
Subaru by far, is the least abusive towards his prey which goes in favour for Kianna. He's also described as self deprecating and self loathing, which Kianna could help him in understanding that he's more than that and if he continues to go down this way, he'll end up just like his brothers.
Subaru in my eyes, would enjoy being around someone that doesn't pander to his needs just to get out alive. While that may be the logical thing to do when dealing with vampires, what he needs is someone to tell him he's not a monster and that they're not afraid of him.
Kianna would show this through her actions and behaviour, that she's willing to take on anything that harms her family, even if that includes Subaru. Unlike the rest of the brothers, he wouldn't think she was acting cocky or that she needed to learn a lesson. He'd be glad that she was so determined and might even get motivated himself.
They both would bring out the worst and best in each other. With time, I honestly see this as a blossoming relationship that could last centuries. Subaru just needs time and Kianna just needs someone to genuinely listen to her. And guess who has a pair of immortal ears? Subaru does.
This could honestly work either platonically or romantically since they'd both be each other's best friends.
#diabolik lovers#diabolik boys#subaru x reader#subaru sakamaki#diabolik lovers x reader#ayato sakamaki#laito sakamaki#diabolik lovers laito#dialovers#anime x reader#diabolik lovers fandom#fanfic#diabolik lovers yui#diabolik lovers reiji#diabolik lovers subaru#diabolik lovers kanato#ayato x reader#diabolik lovers ayato#dialovers laito#dialovers fandom#subaru#diabolik lovers headcanons#diabolik lovers shu#shu x reader#reiji x reader#reiji sakamaki
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Something about being an IDW OP fan is that even in positive works about him I feel like his problematic aspects are brought up way too often even in an appreciative way.
Ignore the haters of IDW OP/other characters I'm using as an example bc I'm talking about how fans talk about their own faves.
Like with Prowl fans, they know he's problematic but they pretty much just go "yeah he's an asshole what about it" or just don't acknowledge it at all and write/draw what they want to see. Some might allude to ACAB stuff but they don't do a disclaimer on every post about him with "btw I know cops are bastards and war crimes are evil I just think he's neat"
Pharma stans make content about him, whether apologism or just fun haha chainsaw doctor, without having to constantly be like "medical malpractice is bad and all but" or "He kills people and that's definitely important to talk about but" they just write about Pharma being a tragic/evil character and that's that
Megatron fans definitely are willing to talk about him being problematic, but again that element of self consciousness isn't there and ppl write headcanons and fics and stuff without Megatron having to turn around in the narration and go "oh I'm evil I'm so awful no one should be like me" as a sign to the audience that the author doesn't condone Megatron's actions and thinks colonialism is bad
I'm sure I could come up with other examples but like it's just weird to me that even among ppl who like IDW Optimus (and I'm not immune to this either), there's like this self-effacing attitude where ppl can't just say "I like him" or "It was cool when he did this" without almost ALWAYS preceding it with some sort of "He is a cop but" or "He's kind of a jerk but" or "I would hate him IRL but" as if there's some sort of Transformers fandom panopticon saying that you're not allowed to talk positively about IDW OP without first mentioning all of his flaws/problematic aspects. People sort of speak about him as if he's enjoyable or well written DESPITE being problematic, or that enjoying him has to be justified bc him being problematic automatically makes him repulsive. As opposed to merely talking about IDW OP as he is, and the problematic parts of him are thinks you can talk about or not talk about just depending on your mood and what angle you want to approach. No, every post or conversation has to always allude to how "IDW OP is an asshole, but he also has positive traits" or "I know he's problematic, but hear me out."
Hell even tho I'm seeing a little more fic about IDW OP or OPs with more IDW elements, it still feels as if most writers put him in situations where he goes "yeah I'm sorry I'm problematic and did bad things" as if he has to confess his sins publicly before being allowed to be a person. Or that the author feels the need to write him as such to reassure the audience "No actually I know ACAB just because I like IDW OP doesn't mean I'm not progressive look here I'm writing a story about everyone calling him an asshole for being a cop and OP kisses Megatron's ass because revolutionaries are actually right and it's only state propaganda that maligns them as violent and capable of wrong."
Idk I just think that among people who enjoy problematic characters, there are still a lot of fans who are either immature or self-conscious in their enjoyment of problematic characters. Where they DO have that enjoyment but they feel the need to make public disclaimers constantly or write their stories in a moralizing way to demonstrate how well they know that character is problematic. To contrast, I think true "problematic character" enjoyment comes when people can just LIKE A CHARACTER and it's a morally neutral act where they don't feel the need to make demonstrations about how transgressive it is and how their taste in fictional characters definitely doesn't reflect their real life morality.
It's just saddening bc even tho these days, there are lots of people who like IDW OP and there's fewer people being assholes about him, it still feels as if content about him is self-conscious of the fact and won't let him exist as a character/funny guy in your brain/vessel of themes and plot and instead it's some sort of Hays Code-esque thing where every time he appears on screen at least one person has to call him a cop bastard so the audience knows the fanfiction isn't copaganda.
But what if instead IDW OP fans and fan content had the same energy as other problematic character fanbases like Prowl or Megatron and we could just go "yeah here's a story about my favorite guy" without making a whole disclaimer about it
#squiggposting#idw op love#sorry that this post rambles and repeats a lot it's hard to empirically describe what i mean#more just like. it's like that looks inside-wires meme#'heres a fan work about idw op' (looks inside) 'constant criticism and moralizing and calling out how problematic he is'#like imagine if Megs fans wrote about IDW M the same way OP fans write about IDW OP#M would wake up every morning and immediately have 3 people calling him a genocidal asshole#he goes to kiss OP good morning and whispers 'i'm sorry for the countless atrocities ive committed'#and OP whispers back 'i forgive you dont worry'#then M goes to get lunch with his friends and in the middle of the conversation#someone goes 'you killed people tho' and M launches into a speech about how sorry he is#and how nothing he can do can ever make up for what he did#then he goes back home to OP and OP tells M how the entire war is his fault bc if he'd just listened to OP it couldve ended sooner#(and all of this is written by someone who's vocally a fan of him and wasnt writing it as a parody or hatefic)
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Reading the Hunger Games, specifically TBOSAS, really makes me think about the whole “man written by a woman” thing in a new light.
I came to the startling realization that I’ve had similar thought processes to Coriolanus Snow- that of constantly being watched, of having to present a certain way, of having to be constantly aware of every action and every potential meaning.
And it hit me like a freight train when I realized that Snow is written with more humanity, fallibility, but also vulnerability than almost any character I’ve ever read that was written by a man.
Snow is such a strange character to read from the perspective of because he is so clearly male, so clearly represents toxic masculinity, but the paranoia and consciousness and self doubt he exemplifies are such a major part of female socialization, self objectification, and internalized misogyny.
Snow is a good character and he’s an excellent villain, but him reflecting the humanity and internal struggles that so many women experience and live with day to day is so out of place for a male character. Most male characters are not written to experience this level of self surveillance, but almost every girl and woman in real life is raised to internalize this same level of uncomfortable and exhausting self surveillance.
Add to this that many male authors so rarely incorporate vulnerability, blatant hypocrisy, cognitive dissociation, and narcissism into their writing, especially as a relatively blatant character flaw (rather than a character trait or even a strength) and it goes to show that a male character written by a woman just has an extra layer of depth that many men written by men lack.
If we wanna get misandrist with it, we can also say it’s a bad thing that Suzanne Collins wrote Snow so well, made him a complex and conflicted character because so many men in real life seem to lack this same depth of thought, nuance, and even lack the mental flexibility to be as hypocritical as Snow. Snow is written almost too well, he is almost too human- and I say this as someone who has grown up and lived all my life around men who are just as, or maybe more, narcissistic, fragile, hateful, hypocritical, and selfish than Snow’s character. The men I have known irl who have the same traits as Snow have never shown the same complexity, humanity, or vulnerability that Snow does.
Even when writing an evil male character, female authors so frequently award them more humanity than even similar men irl are capable of. Even in fiction, even as villains, women give men more humanity than men themselves express.
Not to say all men are shallow asshats, but that every narcissistic and abusive man I’ve ever met who exemplifies the same traits as Snow lacks any depth behind their actions, thoughts, beliefs, and has no reason for their poor treatment of others beyond maliciously selfish ignorance. Snow, for being a pretty evil and corrupt person, displays a level of humanity and care, and a remarkable lack of sadism, compared to real life men who have the same traits, and even similar experiences to Snow.
I think the worst thing about Snow is that his characterization as a control freak narcissist sets the precedent of assigning too much humanity and giving too much credit to actual narcissistic abusers irl. Because real life narcissistic abusers lack any real humanity, depth, or ability for growth- but Snow shows each of these traits to some degree; he just chooses to disengage with them, he chooses to remain stagnant and stunted- but real life narcissistic abusers lack those traits to begin with. Snow is such a good villain because he made the choice to be one. Real life narcissistic abusers were never even on the playing field when compared to Snow; Snow actively chooses to repress his humanity, whereas real life narcissistic abusers chose to never have humanity in the first place.
#the hunger games#the ballad of songbirds and snakes#coriolanus snow#rambling#character analysis#feminist media critique#feminism#literature#men written by women#narcissism#there is more nuance to the real world parallels than I chose to write here#for brevity I chose not to get into the not all men stuff#I wrote my point and my thoughts and nothing more#that doesn’t mean it’s one size fits all nor universal#do not misinterpret me. do not put words in my mouth.#i noticed some patterns irl and how they were reflected and contrasted by the book. get mad if you want idc
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character drafts 01
some silly little doodles of characters I wanted to make. I'm thinking they're dating, with a moon x sun kind of dynamic. they both meet in a bad place, and help each other overcome bad experiences, falling into a dynamic along the way then doing smooches or requiring comfort after that. sun x moon character. I think it's pretty obvious which one is which lol :')) guy name (right): Jed
girl name (left): Simona
explanations: Simona basically means "it is heard". It more or less goes into their relationship, and who she is a person. She wants herself to be heard, she wants people to listen to her and her concerns, listen to what she wants, why she wants it, when she wants. or maybe not just her wants-- her needs, too, especially when she lives in a world which treats her nothing like an object. And Jed seemed like a cute guy name
their little first meeting. ah, memories, memories. do you like my shark drawing? (yes, it's a shark.)
some little more about them, the drafts of their personalities!
I imagine Simona as an insecure woman, someone who looks at the bare minimum, a pessimist. She doesn't expect much, nor does she want much, (even though she thinks what she wants is already a lot.)
Her thoughts, what she wants-- it's controlled by the idea of what's a "good life", and in her scenario, a good life is one married to a good man (if she can even find one) and being pretty, both which to her knowledge is completely undoable because of the features on her face (for her, it's her nose, lips and face in general).
She's very easily pissed, not so sociable because she has a lingering fear and caution everyone. But it comes from her want to be safe, a want of a better life.
Jed is a man who believes he isn't worth much, but strives for others to believe in an idea of selfishness. He raises people's standards, he points out the flaws in their thinking and where they lack-- where they could want more, where they could be happier.
But it doesn't help that he doesn't find the flaws in his own thinking, which often leads him to disregard himself, a lack of confidence which make people rely on him more as a second option than an actual best friend or lover, a possible partner. more like a "maybe" and not a "yes, it's him!"
that's all for now. I will try to update their stories soon.
a few authors notes ^U^
INSPIRATION: I saw a tumblr post about a person talking about someone not being beautiful physically but because of their personality. I thought it was super cool and made Simona, and Jed came along the way.
NOTES: their names are due to change. I'm not good at naming characters and just searched up a random name lol.
I'm very quick to delete stories or characters. So instead of doing that, I've decided to-- instead-- show my characters to the world using tumblr posts. I want to make stories, lots of them, but I'm very lazy lol
have a good day :3
#art#oc lore#oc#writing#writeblr#ocs#my ocs#original character#digital art#my art#drawing#artists on tumblr#writers on tumblr#oc art#ive noticed people putting a lot of tags#so i wanted to put a lot of tags too#oh and also a bunch of text in tags#idk what this does but i'll do it anyway
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