#problematic faves

[problematic-faves-appreciation]

Add your problematic faves in the tags!

[ultraericthered]

League of Villains Appreciation Post

Shame that Horikoshi dropped the ball with these guys in the final inning, but they were an epic legion of super evil while they lasted.

[rinasunny]

[problematic-tip-centre]

I saw a post recently about showing the ugly sides of your oc’s trauma and allowing them to lash out and be enraged at people and I thought I���d give some tips on it.

Reasons a traumatised character can lash out at someone else:

•Releasing pent-up tension

•Direct anger at their past traumas to someone else

•Misinterpret something the other did as a threat

•They are reminded of their trauma and displace their fear/anger

•They don’t believe they are worthy of love/are unused to love (due to their trauma) and thus lash out to not receive it

•To test if someone will stay or abandon them (esp if they have abandonment fears)

•They believe it’s a way to show love (rare (I think) but possible)

•They feel/are vulnerable and lash out as a way to protect themselves

•The other abandoned them during an hour of need (esp if they left them in a traumatic situation)

What could happen when they lash out:

•Short and cutting remarks or temporarily giving someone the silent treatment (isn’t really lashing out but can be a sign of trauma)

•Shouting or speaking harshly

•Using insults or weaponising past mistakes in an argument (my favourite thing is if the other accidentally triggered their trauma in the past)

•Throwing or smashing objects

•Shoving or grabbing someone (and yelling at them)

•Hitting or striking someone

•Serious assault (if the character is physically strong and/or they’ve been severely triggered/have severe PTSD such as a war zone or severe child abuse)

•They use any weapons that they have erratically

Potential consequences:

•They feel extremely guilty even though the recipient understands/forgives

•Fear or discomfort in the recipient

•People may grow less willing to support them if they repeatedly do it

•Some may retaliate physically

•Recipient feels remorseful esp. if they in/directly played a part in the other’s abuse

•In severe cases, the recipient dies.

My personal favourite scenarios are:

•A lashes out at B because B left them at the mercy of an abusive family member (bonus points if B is remorseful for it and/or A reconciles with B).

•A lashes out at B because B showed them a film which accidentally triggered their trauma.

•A retaliates at B because B raised their voice.

•B is unable to forgive A for lashing out at them (bonus points if they want to but can’t).

•B lashes out at A because A lashed out at B and B was unable to forgive them.

[royalnavyart]

—and still you treat me no better than a hound!

[anthroxlove]

Lola Glaudini shares a story about when actor Johnny Depp verbally abused her on the set of Blow.

[dmmeeble]

Can't believe this still needs to be said in TYOOL 2023 but:

Like, it's wild to me that some folks in this fandom are still trying to do discourse eight years later, when for the life of me I cannot be bothered about who enjoys x character from y media during a time of unprecedented actual real world problems for everyone, especially the LGBTQIA+ community. Yes, Victoria Chase from Life is Strange is a bitch and not very nice and a bully and she does some very bad things. You don't need to breathlessly remind me of this because chances are I've spent way more time obsessing over every line, action, and facial tic for this girl than any of her haters ever would, and because it's those very traits that make her fascinating to me and a character worthy of deeper exploration. Just like Azula, or Ianthe, or Catra, or Villainelle, or Regina, or any number of Very Bad Women doing Very Bad Things that have captured the hearts and imaginations of sapphics who just want to simp for iconic (and again, entirely fictional) mean girls as a way to pass the time in a world much crueler to us than a character in a video game or tv show or book or [insert media of your choice] could ever be. What I'm asking anyone for whom this may concern is to: A.) Evolve past the notion that what characters or ships people enjoy says fuck all about their morality or real-world relationship preferences, or B.) *get off the blog dedicated to the pRoBlEmAtIc fictional woman in her most pRoBlEmAtIc ship.* It's really that simple.

[xunehh]

off the top of my head

[letsallgotothelobby]

Endorsement

[subpixie420]

[austajunk]

A3 for Martina Electro & Yomi Hellsmile from Rain Code? 👀 👉👈

Hahaha, they are SOOOO divorced. :)

[problematic-faves-appreciation]

Anyone else tired of people lauding Zuko's redemption arc as "the gold standard of redemption arcs"? While its popularity is far from unearned, I wouldn't call his arc the "be-all and end-all" of examples; doing so entails overlooking other redemption arcs for taking different approaches to redeeming characters than the Zuko arc.

His misdeeds were a bit more serious than that, bud. Yet at the same time, the retweeter is correct about one thing: Zuko's crimes are indeed easier to stomach — the other villains outdid him in the heinous department — making him palatable to people who don't want redemption arcs for characters that do really bad stuff.

So, without further ado, here are some redeemed characters with worse misdeeds under their belts than Zuko!

Cartoons

Grace Monroe (Infinity Train)

Animated Films

Emperor Kuzco (The Emperor's New Groove)

Manga/Anime

Thorfinn Thorsson (Vinland Saga)

Live Action Films

Wikus van de Merwe (District 9)

Video Games

Red Hood/Jason Todd (Batman: Arkham Knight)

This one is... complicated, but yes.

Books

Severus Snape (Harry Potter)

Live-Action TV

Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

──────────────────────

Who would you add to this list?

[ultraericthered]

Erika does the last word in ALL CAPS just like Dlanor often does.

And some time not too long after this:

Shows they've grown close and have rubbed off on each other. <3

[racefortheironthrone]

As you mention other works such as Lovecraft and Howard, and off of earlier asks about ancient astronauts w Kirby or Ib and GRRM…what is your view on the complex issue of how to enjoy work that is inherently problematic and the risk of being inspired by them only to unknowingly (or knowingly) propagate those ideas?

You're right that it's a complex issue.

Problematic faves are everywhere, everyone's got at least one, and it can be really difficult to draw the line when it comes to how to properly consume this kind of media without absorbing or propagating the ideas behind it.

To start with, you can't be defensive or in denial about the problematic elements of media. In other words, don't try to minimize, whatabout, "it was a product of its time," and especially don't go down the Gamergate/Comicsgate rabbit hole of "why are SJWs injecting politics into my media?" While avoiding cognitive dissonance is a powerful psychological drive, it is ok (and I would argue, mandatory) to admit it when something you like is problematic. It doesn't make you a bad person, you don't have to post public apologies or self-flagellations, and in fact, it's the first step to consuming this media responsibly.

Next, you have to make sure that your critical brain is turned on when you're reading or watching problematic media. Pay attention to the tropes and themes and character arcs and world-building and dialogue and cinematography and so on, and do the same kind of close reading that you would in a classroom context:

Who is the creator(s)? What do we know about their background? What do we know about their body of work and their favorite techniques and themes? What do we know about their position in society? How might these things affect they way the creator(s) sees the world and produces art?

Who is the audience? What kind of assumptions are the creator(s) making about their intended or desired audience - demographics, beliefs, spending habits, everything? How might the creators have shaped their work to suit (or challenge) their audience?

What is the context? When and where was this media made? How might the political, economic, cultural, etc. environment that it was produced in have affected the creator(s) and their work? What were the broader trends in their cultural industry at the time, and how might those have influenced the creator(s)?

What is the content? What kinds of assumptions are the creator(s) making about their characters, the world they inhabit, and the things they say and do? What kinds of techniques do they use to get across their ideas about these assumptions to the audience, and how does that affect the message that is being sent?

If this sounds a lot like A.P History, I have to plead guilty to being a historian. If I went to film school or comparative literature or media studies, I might have a different list of questions, but no one can help the way they're trained.

Finally, you have to be self-aware. As I said before, cognitive dissonance is a very powerful psychological drive - no one wants to think of themselves as a bad person and people are naturally very protective of their own work. But an important part of being a responsible creator is turning your critical eye inwards and asking yourself those same questions above and being honest with yourself about whether and how much the problematic media you consume affects you. Again, this isn't about self-flagellation but awareness - influences can only creep in unawares if you are not paying attention, and when you do pay attention you can make conscious decisions about what you let in to your work and how you present it when you do.

[theflikchic]

People really act as if Severus Snape is the worst most disgusting character I could ever choose to like as if I don't also think about Hannibal the mfing Cannibal every morning.

[gregdotorg]

I feel like I learned a lot from the pile of Theaster Gates interviews, talks, and articles I just went through. Mostly it's about his experience as a Black potter, and his engagement with Japanese pottery traditions. Also the work of Dave Drake, a 19th c potter who incised his name and poems on the pots he made while and after being enslaved in South Carolina. Making something good from complicated things is a useful skill. Gates just opened an exhibition at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.