#like. sometimes characters are shitty. and that's the point.

[lloydfrontera]

i just saw someone saying very confidently they read enough of a manhwa to give it an in-depth review,,, because they're already at chapter 42. like. girl. these things are adapted from novels with up to 400-600 chapters. you barely even started it at all.

[lucienne-thee-librarian]

Just to minimize my chances of being genuinely misunderstood OR deliberately misinterpreted, and crucified for something I don't think, How Dare You Say We Piss on the Poor website etc...I'm gonna say this right up top. I absolutely understand why people don't like Thessaly as a character, if anyone does completely unironically stan her as some kind of feminist hero who Did Nothing Wrong uwu, I personally see it as a bit of a red flag. I don't like terfs real or fictional. In a vacuum, I could even completely sympathize and agree with the people who want her cut.

HOWEVER.

It's really something to me to see people clamoring for her to be cut, because she carries and expressed an ugly indefensible prejudice (transphobia) in words towards (1) person. Meanwhile Hob fucking Gadling enacted one of the most violent forms of antiblack racism I can even think of against thousands no, millions of people, the ripple effects of which still affect billions more today. Just a little light idk, profiting off the fucking slave trade and had to be told by someone else that it was bad...and he's a fan favorite.

People are saying Thessally being Dream's love interest reflects badly on him or is somehow endorsement by the narrative (?!?!?!?!?!? Didn't she (SPOILER ALERT AS IF IT MATTERS BY NOW) help participate in his extended assisted suicide? She's not painted as a great person to me just another character what are y'all SMOKING whatever fine. It's fine this is fine.) But shipping Dream with Mr. Former Slaver is not only not verboten or frowned on widely in the fandom but its THEE most popular pairing by far. So...why the difference?

Like where are the same fans who are saying Thessaly shouldn't just be more clearly shown to be wrong, she shouldn't even be in the show at all when it comes to Hobert's crimes??? Yes, transphobia is indefensible. Isn't racism?

And I hear the cries of "it's fiction!!!" Already rallying (if anyone who needs to hear this even sees it lol) to which I say:

HORSESHIT. I KNOW you don't, deep down, really agree because if you did, why get upset about Thessaly being included??? Why does what she said to one person matter if it's Just Fiction You Guyze. Fictional characters are allowed to do bad things and fiction isn't reality sweaty....except when you only apply that standard to fictional racists you like and simp for, but fictional transphobes you don't are SO HARMFUL they shouldn't even be portrayed in fiction.

Like. Give me a big fat BREAK. This looks like bullshit, no? I'm sorry, but I'd love for someone to try and give any other explanation besides one personally offended you or hit home for you, and the other doesn't.

And if that bothers you or you feel like it says something negative about you...idk what you want me to say??? You can't control how other people perceive you and that's how people outside this majority-of-the-fandom bubble see it. You don't need to respond, I just wish and genuinely hope this gives you a moment to think about why fans who ARE bothered by both (and not just paying lip service to being bothered by the one but railing against the other) are so frustrated with people saying everyone is welcome but in practice only bending over backwards for the comfort and emotions of themselves, and people they can easily relate to.

You don't have to like Thessaly (I don't. I find her an interesting antagonist, I don't stan her. And frankly imo likability is not. the point of her character) but you'll pardon me for feeling more than a bit cynical and side eying people's motivations for what seems a...pretty obvious double standard, on what fictional crimes related to real world issues matter to y'all, and which clearly don't. Either actually bring the same energy to the table for fictional people who committed atrocities, even if against a group you're not part of and thus don't feel the need to empathize with, or just carry on, but accept that you don't have the SLIGHTEST room to talk about cutting characters who do immoral things. And you also need to accept that you look like a hypocrite when you do.

[whamss]

anyways top two tips for finding media with well written female characters! 1) consume media written by women and 2) stop consuming things written for adolescent boys!!!!

[ridl]

Something i rlly dislike abt Ganyu's characterization in fandom is how ppl see her being read as a stupid weak stereotype, and they just retaliate with another stereotype but from the other end of a spectrum.

She can be strong, competent, knowledgable and have very important role in the Liyue Qixing for years, but also be kind, humble, avoiding conflicts and NOT always knowing everything. those are not mutually exclusive!!! Yes she's old, no that doesn't mean she's now perfectly confident, knows everything and is good at everything. She's not some untouchable, divine being, better than everyone else. Stop removing humanity from her, when that's the whole point of her identity!!!

When i see overly confident, dominant, bitchy, smug, flirty Ganyu i start throwing rocks bc that's not Ganyu, begone impostor.

I just want Ganyu to be actually herself. Not a submissive secretary caricature. Not a dommy mommy caricature. JUST Ganyu, with all her complexity, strengths and weaknesses.

It's like treating Ganyu's personality as inherently weak and boring, so in the act of "justice for women" ppl just remove it and replace with a caricature of a strong woman. It's driving me insane when those "women defenders" are just slandering them, without even thinking abt it. If someone thinks a woman being quiet, kind, humble, avoiding conflict etc. is inherently "misogynistic" and needs those traits to be completely removed and replaced, then they just hate women

[theonlyadawong]

went through the mia tag yesterday and my God you people have got to stop reducing her to "loving wife and mother," i mean come on this is a woman who lied to her husband for years about her work with the connections and who oversaw eveline for a time. give the lady some grit.

[celibibratty]

Amy is a misunderstood character, I remembered her in the old games being a bit annoying, but in reality she is super nice, kind and a cutie🌸, Amy was a character above her time, she is a tougher girl, she is basically what she is (she is a female version of sonic), just like him, she is heroic, has good intentions, wants to help, and just like him, she has her "flaws", sonic's is being slightly cocky and hers is be exaggerated/hot-head, she has the fru-fru cliches of a girl character, yes!, but it's not in a boring way (and it's not that much really, I didn't take It Amy in Sonic unleashed saying that she's enjoying/getting used to Sonic werehog form look because it's kinda cool and "wild"!😂and I didn't felt it was in a way like"oh I like the bad boy look" it sounded more like "oh, I kinda would like to dress up like a punk too😂", cute, then she shades him saying that she prefers he's day/blue form��)

Amy for me, is that character who wants to be seen and treated like a lady, but acts like a brute, because in reality she is a little warrior, not a lady, she is little warrior princess😅🌸, and I like that, it's cute, she's a bit of a tsundere, maybeeee, but she is nice and sweet(not much of a pain in the ass like most tsunderes characters, tbh most anime cliche characters are a pain in the ass, not only tsunderes, y'know because it's anime and animes are overexagerated)

Her love/"obsession" with Sonic, people used to say that her character only revolves around Sonic and her personality is just being the girl who likes Sonic and that her love for him is toxic, no, Amy is more than that, like, in Sonic Heroes her intention was to go after Sonic, but it was also to find her friends' pets, and she takes that very seriously in the game, she doesn't even talk so much about Sonic, her love for Sonic, i don't see it that way, for me it's very genuine, for me she just wants to take care and protect him🌸, just like he does with the world and everybody, she just likes him a lot and makes that very clear, and it's meant to be comical, it's not meant to be serious, the chase it's suppose to be funny, and I like that even though Amy loves Sonic a lot, she doesn't take shit from him, she's not afraid to confront him, she's not afraid to confront anyone really😅 (see!, just like him) , Amy is a strong female character, yes!, and I say more☝️✨Amy is an example of a badass female character much more than the little blonde princess(and i don't say that because peach is delicate and amy's "not much", but because peach sometimes is a B*tch), Amy is the true pink/girls rules icon!, people say they like the modern Amy more because she is cooler and more independent, she always has been

[introspectivememories]

My fear is that DC makes Bernard such a beautiful well written character that mixs his old asshole personality with his newer tamed personality and people start actively liking him because he is own person with his own hopes and dreams and then fans want more of this Bernard only to be met with a shitty shell of a character and starting back at square one by forcing him just to be Tim’s love interest

this too actually

[sheryl-lee]

yellowjackets rant time :)

people whining that natalie’s death was “shitty writing” makes me want to bang my head against the wall. like are you seriously shocked that the show about tragedy and murder has tragedy and murder in it. are you seriously shocked that the show about fucked up people has fucked up people in it.

[musical-chick-13]

"but there just AREN'T any well-written women in aNyTHiNg I interact with"

DO TEN MINUTES OF RESEARCH.

WATCH BETTER SHOWS. READ BETTER BOOKS.

THERE IS A VERY SIMPLE SOLUTION HERE.

[twistwhisker]

i think y'all's main problem is that you expect good, consistent writing from fucking warrior cats. like why are you doing that you're making things worse for yourselves.

[not-poignant]

Gary got me. Pia, he got me, I cried like a baby over that scene. This was the moment so much of his shitty behavior in the past made sense to me. Now I just want him to get cuddles and a happy ending. How do you do this???

Idk anon it's just one of my favourite things to do!!!

I love that turnaround moment so much. I love reframing a character's actions without forgiving them, so that people can go back and reread (if they want) and feel the weight of those actions with the added knowledge of what was behind them and feel out for themselves what it all means to them. I love the moment someone is like 'oh no he needs a hug' after like 'can we smack him tho' dslakfjsa

There's something about adding layers to a character, where it's like...the first layers are mostly just one flavour with hints of something else. That flavour might make you think the character is 'good' or 'bad.' In the case of Gavril in The Golden Age that Never Was, a lot of people initially liked the 'sweet' flavour he came across with, and over time I 'spoiled' it, adding more layers. (I like also making a character that previously seemed amazing, really awful sdalfkjas).

But I love just...adding the layers, and one day you get a layer and you're like 'holy shit I thought this was X but it's actually Y, and X is just on the surface, or only a small part of it.' I feel like sometimes that's how we get to know people. We see the layers they want us to see, but there's other layers there.

Ngl I live for these moments. I never know exactly when they're going to happen, either. Like a lot of people have already had their 'moment' where they've come around to Gary, and for others it might wait until nearly the end of the story. Some people are ready to embrace and love an asshat, and others hold back, with much more grudging approval, and others never come around (some folks will just always hate the Raven Prince no matter what, for example, and I'm sure the same will happen for Gary).

It makes writing serials so exciting and dynamic to me. And it makes it so much fun, in the sense that like, I feel like I get to share something about a character like a secret, and people see that secret and it's like 'OH I get why that thing was hidden but ALSO it changes a lot and recontextualises this person.' You get to know them not as they wish to be perceived - which is how they come across initially - but as *who they actually are* - which is different for everyone.

Idk I just love ittttt

[berrymeter]

sometimes i think maybe i'd like to actually write & post my writing on here but then i remember the worldbuilding i was working on needs to be entirely reworked in some parts & it's like. what's the point until i've worked all that out

[gregmarriage]

talking to my brother about succession and trying to remain normal is like playing a game on extreme difficulty

[lord-squiggletits]

Like I'm not one of those story "critics" who will nitpick the smallest inconsistency and call it a plot hole that ruins the whole story. I'm okay with inconsistencies and even the occasional plot hole if it ends up producing a story that's interesting, gripping, and brings up interesting things.

The problem is that suspension of disbelief only stretches so far. And secondly, stuff like character drama and themes are only as strong as the plot that supports them. If the plot is full of contrivances, plot holes, and really stupid things that make it feel like the author is just forcing something to happen to move the story along, then the themes and character drama become much less convincing.

[matoitech]

i rly did not think this was as complicated as ppl r potentially missing the post to be

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

hate when i see a youtube video that's like 'analyzing why [thing] is bad!' and you watch the video and they just say nothing for twenty minutes