“You need to do better.”
(This gets vitriolic, and is a full-blown criticism of Macaque’s portrayal in Season Four and Five. If criticism of a character/franchise you like upsets you, I do not recommend reading.)
Wow. I had no faith in his character writing, and I’m STILL disappointed.
And it only took one episode! How impressive!
Macaque, who has put in ZERO on-screen effort to become a better person or make amends to his victims, is criticizing Wukong for being a bad mentor! And does Wukong criticize him back? NOPE!
After getting screamed at and berated, does Wukong defend himself? NOPE!
Ooh, but there was a second long reference in a dual yelling match that mentioned that Macaque was a genuinely bad person who took glee in hurting innocent people! Oh, fucking delightful! Ooh, Wukong even points out in one episode that Macaque goes unpunished!
Pointing out a flaw in your writing does not make it less of a flaw.
Macaque will always be allowed to do whatever he wants to anyone he wants- power theft, attempted murder, insults, deceit, assault-
And the narrative and characters will never hold him accountable or force Macaque to look inwards or become a better person.
Macaque will always fall upwards into redemption without any obstacles or pushback.
There will never be a struggle to goodness with a satisfying conclusion. There will never be a moment where falters in his newfound goodness and questions going back to his old ways. There will never be explicit remorse or regret. He will never have deep introspections on his crimes and atrocities that provide a reason for him to want to change.
The sum of his “arc” will always be “you were a good guy all along”, and that lack of depth is where it will stay.
RIP Seasons 1-3 Macaque. You were fun and interesting and cool and lovable.
But the man they replaced you with was destined to be a boring and brooding “anti-hero” who has no real connection to the actions you selfishly and violently performed with your own two hands-
And you will always be a less interesting character for it.
The execution of the actual arc boils down to a single heroic (but ultimately self-serving) moment and then Macaque is immediately forgiven for all the crimes he’s committed and is a magically better person without any effort and nothing he’s done is ever brought up again.
It severely weakens any character’s arc to cut them off from their past actions. If MK forgot his traumas every season instead of carrying them forward- we’d all agree that doing so was a case of poor writing.
It was the reason that people disliked Mei’s portrayal in Season Four- she immediately moved on from the Samadhi Fire arc and “no longer wielded it” after spending a whole season gathering and learning to use it.
Why can’t we agree that it’s bad for Macaque, too?
You can’t “develop” a character by dropping an entire plotline and writing it off with one line.
You can’t “redeem” a character by pretending that they were a good person right from the start.
Sorry, bud.
I really did like you. I just wish I could like your writing.
——————
And, what is more clear to me now than ever?
People only defended Macaque’s shitty writing because they think he’s hot.
I know this now, because I’ve seen white-hot Li Jing arc hatred from fervent Macaque arc defenders.
So we all agree that an “I didn’t really mean it!” isn’t an excuse to abuse the people around you? That you don’t get to mistreat innocent people just because you’re stressed and upset?
Hmmm.
Hmmmmmmm.
I wonder why people despise Jing for his dogshit “one nice thing redeems all your bad actions” arc but love Macaque for his??
(Because they think the monkey is hot.)
The funny thing, though?
Li Jing apologizes to at least one of the victims of his actions. He expresses regret and remorse.
Macaque doesn’t even have that.
——————
Anyways here’s a line that I hate because Macaque has in no way developed enough to have the right to deliver it-
AND NO, SUDDENLY HAVING AN AFFINITY FOR PERFORMING KIND OR SACRIFICIAL ACTS IS NOT GOOD CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
HIM MAGICALLY OFFSCREEN BECOMING A GOOD PERSON WHO CARES ABOUT INNOCENT LIFE IS NOT GOOD CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
IF ALL IT TAKES TO “BE BETTER” IS ACTING LIKE A HERO, WUKONG IS LITERALLY A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER OF A PERSON THAN HE IS
THIS LINE IS DOGSHIT
“You need to do better.”
Really, Macaque? Maybe you should take your own damn advice- try apologizing to one of the people you tried to hurt and tried to murder in cold blood!
Like when you trapped MK under his staff after stealing his powers and tried to murder him when he was helpless?
Or when you kidnapped MK’s friends and tortured the kid by forcing him to fight them?
Or you led a violent assault against a palace full of innocent people?
Or violently beat his dear friends until they were screaming in pain?
Or assaulted Tang, who posed no threat to you?
Or threatened to murder an innocent girl if you didn’t get your way, then ran away (and encouraged MK to abandon her) first thing when it put her into a life-threatening meltdown of raw power?
(Isn’t it cool how NONE of these people have interesting or varied reactions to him doing this and ALL immediately are cool with him like a gelatinous hivemind.)
(Oooh ONE mildly questioning line from Pigsy but no anger over his adoptive son nearly being killed multiple times over)
(Isn’t it cool that no one has complex or interesting thoughts on this.)
(Isn’t it cool that by robbing them of unique feelings on the matter they robbed Macaque and the Monkie Kids of compelling and interesting interactions that could’ve helped flesh out their personalities and strengthen their characterization.)
(Isn’t it cool that Macaque and the Monkie Kids are actively denied intriguing character dynamics so Macaque’s shitty “redemption arc” can happen faster.)
(Isn’t that cool.)
Why don’t YOU do better, Macaque?
(In a way that is more satisfying than “one kind-hearted speech from a kid that I tried to murder changed my mind and now I am a better person but all my character development happened offscreen and without personal introspection”, at least.)
Also what the fuck do you mean by “do better”?
Be heroic and put your life in danger? He already does that! He’s done it more than you have!
Just tell MK that he’s not alone? YOU COULD DO THAT YOURSELF, MACAQUE!
Help MK with his traumas and fears? MK doesn’t tell anyone about those! He keeps them bottled up, lock and key, and actively refuses attempts to help!
Wukong TRIED to reach out to him, and MK PUSHED HIM AWAY! Was he supposed to tie the fucking kid down and torture the information out of him?
He respected MK’s boundaries by not pushing any further and letting him leave!!
WHY IS THAT A BAD THING??
What the fuck, man
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Hey, I want to ask something: why Is using a drag queen's persona to create a female character a bad thing?/genq
The implication of cissification/forced gender norms is what I take issue with.
You're okay anon. I am going to clarify that this is a queer person critiquing upon a poorly mishandled drag persona of an animated Italian mobster spider that is named after cocaine. I am aware of the extremities here but I cannot stress enough how harmful viv's surface level writing for only her character designs is genuinely harmful and hurtful to me, as a queer person.
I see the themes she attempted to write but having angel dust only centered purely around sex, sexual advantages from the porn industry [without substance[, the pimp abuse and nearly racist depictions of Italians [Gold tooth mobster who only likes guns, violence, sex, drugs, money, alcohol etc,]-
I could go on and on and on as to why Angel Dust despite seeming to come from some level of apathy to drag kings/queens is nothing but surface level tripe. I do not care if the show releases and all it is focused upon is Valentino's abuse and misdeeds towards angel, IS THERE ANYTHING TO THIS CHARACTER BESIDES BEING ABUSED.
there is a difference of wanting to design a drag persona and having the gender be ambiguous but it is an entirely different level of tripe bullshittery to have a character that is allegedly surrounded around drag performing and openly being himself, is supposedly forced under a guise of abuse to undergo the said drag performing...????
Having a AMAB crossdressing to be a drag persona but then take that empowerment away from him, as if he was never allowed to be feminine in the first place. Angel Dust screams tryhard sexy appeal. I do not understand his, alastor, or Stolas for that matters' 'sex' appeal if they are not written well nor with any care for that regard about the communities they are representing.
Viv just wants to write the themes of addiction, gay trauma and industry abuse? That's perfectly fine as long as there is nuance and reasoning and justification for those characters turning to those types of aliments for aid. What do I meaaan????
Alastor has no asexual/aromantic representation, if anything the fandom has proven that it is APHOBIC !!!
Stolas takes pills and it never going to be brought up until Octavia finds out and then SHE is casted to be the villain over calling out the fact that her dad is a POS that only cares about Blitzo! GENUINELY WHAT?
Blitz is an alcoholic stalker SEXUAL HARRASSER that has NO REPRECUSSIONS WHATSOVER FOR SAID DRINKING, IF ANYTHING THE SERIES PRAISES HIM TO BE ONE!!!!
Husk is also a surface level alcoholic that doesn't get called into question! I'm sorry I'm not talking about the main point you asked anon but genuinely please look at the larger scope over why viv just depicts abuse and substance use as 'haha comically funny' while attempting to 'humanize' her Demons. It seems that the show is just pro-abuse and of they genuinely actually have Valentino try to be threatening or a well written pimp ill laugh and delete my blogs honestly since I have no hope from script leaks revolving around him comparing guns to cocks. Viv really loves writing about industry abuse with no nuance here.
I did not bring up Molly whatsoever because unlike Viv I actually love the drag performer community and empowering culture they represent. It's the same reason I believe that Brandon Rodgers is anti-drag despite constantly crossdressing/displaying it within his videos. It's harmful because his drag didn't NEED to be a separate person angel dust should BE the DRAG PERFORMING NAME.
HELLUVA BOSS HAS PROVEN THAT ALL VIV CARES ABOUT IS EXCUSING AND MARKETTING ABUSERS RATHER THEN CALLING INTO QUESTION WHY ABUSE IS HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE.
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No, but you don't get it. You don't get it. There are no pretty words to describe what I feel right now. There is no duty nor obligation, no misattributed sense of responsibility. There is nothing there, aside from the simple, the simplest, answer.
Why do things? Why give things away? Why reach out, why encourage, why support, why spend my time on others rather than myself?
Because I care.
And that's it. I could write big words, I could write a polite essay about the need for reciprocation, about how heart-wrenching it can be to reach out into the void, searching for a hand to hold your own. I could delve into the correctness and okay-ness of certain stances, make excuses and apologies before I even make any claims. Protect feelings before they get hurt.
But. But there is nothing more to it. Why do things? Because you care. Because you can do it. Regardless of whether it's hard, whether it's easy, that all is reason enough. Not for any gains, not for any expected results.
This surely sounds like a mad woman screeching, but I cannot express the value of that. It is good for you. It feels better than the most decadent selfishness. Any people around, the ones you can reach? They benefit from it. For the love of all things holy, we are a social species.
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