#writing morally gray characters

[3hks]

CORRECTLY Writing "Morally Gray" Characters

Want to write a hot, cool, and bad character but DON'T want he/she to come across as toxic, downright bad, or, god forbid, cringe? Well, I've got a couple of tips that may help you create exactly what you want!

1. Softness

Okay, yes we want this character to be tough and cool, but there also needs to be a certain softness, no matter how small, that comes with them. If there's someone that your character prioritizes or cares about, there has to be a point or two that it shows--a moment where they're soft only for the people that they care about. Why? Because this establishes the humanity in them. It shows the readers that your character IS human, not an emotionless monster.

2. Goals

Key to any good characters are their goals. The thing is, for this type of a character, their objectives can't be so random. They need a reason for their actions, and it needs to be valid. Usually, this is reasoned out by some kind of past epiphany, which is crucial because without it, your character doesn't have anything solid backing up their goals. We need to see where they're coming from.

Bad decisions, but for an understandable reason.

Establishing their morals is important for nearly the same reason.

Now, why is this important? Because it can pull readers to their side. As long as they understand the cause, they have a chance to follow your character's side, increasing their likeability!

3. Neutrality

Notice how this is a "morally gray" character, not a "completely evil" one. Why does this matter? Well, a trait people tend to overlook when writing these characters is the morally gray, or neutral, part. It's important to just occasionally show that your character is walking the fine line and in my opinion, a great way to achieve this is to have them help the protagonist out (instead of always fighting against them) one, or even two times!

4. Positive Characteristics

This is a very simple one, but make sure to depict a couple positive qualities (besides just being hot) of your character! Like my first point, it's pivotal to illustrate that they have some humanity, and this is an easy and great way!

Throw in a few good characteristics (I have a post with some examples of redeeming qualities for villains if you need some help), and let it show that they are still respectable!

5. Backstory

I believe that with certain characters that play certain roles in the story, explaining their backstory is a NEED for them; and this character type is no different! Introducing even a bit of their past can get the audience interested in your character. It also allows for better understanding of them and shows how they changed over time.

6. CONFIDENCE

Be confident in your skills when writing this character! To many, the idea of "cringeness" makes them second-guess how they should write. In reality, it's better to write it however you wish, because if you're confident in one moment and clearly less in another, the readers are able to sense any unexpected changes in things in your character's tones, expressions, and actions.

It's important to keep your character in, well, character. Still, there's going to be a few moments that break it, but it shouldn't be in any unnatural way.

If your character is flirty, then let them act flirty. If they mess around a lot, then let them mess around. Don't limit their actions or words just because you think some people might find it cringe!

Alright, that's it for me! What do you think? Are they valid or unreasonable?

Happy writing~

3hks <3

[luna-azzurra]

Writing a Morally gray character

Think about their backstory, what shaped them into who they are? What do they believe in? And, most importantly, what pushes them to get out of bed every morning and keep going? These characters aren’t simple good or bad. They’re caught in the middle, in that murky, complicated space between black and white. That’s where they get interesting because they’re constantly wrestling with themselves, trying to figure out the right choice, or if the “right” choice even exists for them.

You need to show this internal battle. Imagine your character being torn between what they believe is morally right and what they actually want. This is where the real drama comes in, it’s like watching them juggle their principles with their desires in real-time. They’ll mess up, and they’ll make decisions that are sometimes questionable, but that’s what makes them human and relatable. One way to really highlight their complexity is by putting them in situations where there’s no clear answer. You know, those moments in life where everything’s kind of a mess, and you’re stuck trying to figure out what the hell you’re supposed to do? Your character should face situations like that. These gray areas create tension because readers won’t know which direction the character will go, and honestly, your character might not know either.

And don’t forget, growth is a huge part of writing a morally gray character. People aren’t static, they change based on what happens to them, and your character should too. Maybe they start off with a strong sense of morality but, over time, that starts to shift. Or maybe they start with shaky ethics and slowly become a better person as they learn from their mistakes. Growth can also go the other way, they could spiral downward, giving in to darker impulses. Either way, they need to evolve, just like people do in real life. That’s what keeps the story fresh and unpredictable. The last thing you want is a character that stays the same the whole way through.

Also, please, no stereotypes. A morally gray character doesn’t have to be a brooding anti-hero with a tragic past (unless that’s your vibe, but even then, switch it up). Give them quirks that make them unique. Maybe they have unexpected motivations, like they’re doing something shady for a cause they genuinely believe in, or they’ve got a weird sense of humor that throws people off. Whatever it is, make sure they feel like an individual, not just a copy-paste character we’ve all seen a million times.

Even when your character makes decisions that aren’t exactly clean-cut or heroic, the reader still needs to understand why. Show their vulnerabilities, why they doubt themselves, why they hesitate, and why they ultimately make the choices they do. It’s all about making them relatable, even when they’re walking that fine line between right and wrong. People might not always agree with them, but they should at least be able to see where they’re coming from.

And remember, every choice your character makes should have consequences. They don’t exist in a bubble. Their decisions should ripple out and affect not only them but the people around them. Maybe they make a selfish decision, and it ends up hurting someone they care about, or they try to do the right thing, and it blows up in their face. One last thing, just because your character lives in that gray area doesn’t mean they don’t have any sense of right or wrong. They might have their own personal code they follow, even if it doesn’t line up with society’s morals. Maybe they justify their actions in a way that makes sense to them, even if other people wouldn’t agree. It’s all about exploring that space where they’re not totally good, but not totally bad either. That’s where things get really interesting.

Think about where your character is going. Is their journey going to push them to become a better version of themselves? Will they fall back into old patterns and never really change? Or will they stay stuck in that moral gray zone, constantly torn between doing what’s right and doing what feels right for them?

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

Crafting Compelling Morally Gray Characters: A Guide for Fiction Writers

In literature, there is often a clear distinction between good and evil. Heroes are portrayed as virtuous and villains as wicked. However, in recent years, there has been a rise in the popularity of morally gray characters - those who do not fit neatly into the categories of good or evil. These characters are complex, flawed, and often make decisions that challenge the reader's moral compass. In this guide, I'll help you explore the art of crafting compelling morally gray characters and how to make them stand out in your fiction writing.

What Are Morally Gray Characters?

Morally gray characters, also known as morally ambiguous characters, are those who do not conform to traditional notions of good or evil. They may have both positive and negative traits, and their actions may be motivated by a mix of good and bad intentions. These characters often blur the lines between right and wrong, making them more relatable and intriguing to readers.

Examples of Morally Gray Characters

Some well-known examples of morally gray characters include:

Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series: Initially portrayed as a villain, Snape's true motivations and actions are revealed to be more complex and morally ambiguous.

Jaime Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire series: Known for his arrogance and incestuous relationship with his sister, Jaime's character evolves throughout the series, showcasing his internal struggle between his duty and his personal desires.

Walter White from Breaking Bad: A high school chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine producer, Walter's character is constantly torn between his desire for power and his moral compass.

Why Are Morally Gray Characters Compelling?

Morally gray characters are compelling because they challenge the reader's perceptions of right and wrong. They are not easily categorized as heroes or villains, making them more relatable and human. These characters also add depth and complexity to a story, making it more interesting and thought-provoking.

The Power of Relatability

One of the main reasons morally gray characters are so compelling is because they are relatable. They are not perfect, and they make mistakes, just like real people. This makes them more human and allows readers to connect with them on a deeper level. When readers can see themselves in a character, it creates a stronger emotional connection to the story.

The Element of Surprise

Morally gray characters also add an element of surprise to a story. Their actions and decisions may not always align with what the reader expects, keeping them on the edge of their seat. This unpredictability makes the story more engaging and can lead to unexpected plot twists.

The Exploration of Morality

Morally gray characters also allow for a deeper exploration of morality in a story. By challenging traditional notions of good and evil, these characters force readers to question their own moral compass and consider the gray areas of morality. This can lead to thought-provoking discussions and a deeper understanding of complex moral issues.

How to Craft Morally Gray Characters

Crafting morally gray characters requires a delicate balance of positive and negative traits, as well as a deep understanding of their motivations and internal struggles. Here are some tips for creating compelling morally gray characters in your writing.

Give Them a Strong Motivation

Every character, regardless of their moral alignment, should have a strong motivation for their actions. For morally gray characters, this motivation should be complex and not easily defined as purely good or evil. It could be a desire for power, revenge, or even a sense of duty. This motivation will drive their decisions and actions throughout the story.

Show Their Flaws and Vulnerabilities

Morally gray characters are not perfect, and they should not be portrayed as such. They should have flaws and vulnerabilities that make them more relatable and human. These flaws could be physical, emotional, or moral, and they should play a role in the character's development and decisions.

Create Internal Conflict

One of the defining characteristics of morally gray characters is their internal conflict. They are torn between their good and bad tendencies, and this struggle should be evident in their thoughts and actions. This internal conflict adds depth to the character and makes them more relatable to readers.

Avoid Stereotypes

When crafting morally gray characters, it's important to avoid falling into stereotypes. These characters should not be one-dimensional or defined solely by their moral ambiguity. They should have unique personalities, backgrounds, and motivations that make them stand out as individuals.

Show Their Growth and Development

As with any well-written character, morally gray characters should experience growth and development throughout the story. They should learn from their mistakes and make decisions that challenge their moral compass. This growth and development will make them more dynamic and interesting to readers.

How to Make Morally Gray Characters Stand Out

With the rise in popularity of morally gray characters, it's important to make yours stand out in a sea of similar characters. Here are some tips for making your morally gray characters unique and memorable.

Give Them a Distinctive Voice

A character's voice is an essential part of their identity. It should be unique and reflective of their personality and motivations. For morally gray characters, their voice should reflect their internal conflict and the complexity of their moral alignment.

Create a Strong Backstory

A character's backstory can provide valuable insight into their motivations and actions. For morally gray characters, a strong backstory can help explain their moral ambiguity and add depth to their character. It can also create empathy and understanding for their decisions.

Use Foils to Highlight Their Morality

Foils are characters who contrast with the main character, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. For morally gray characters, foils can be used to showcase their moral ambiguity and challenge their beliefs. This can add depth to the character and create interesting dynamics between them and other characters.

Morally gray characters add depth, complexity, and relatability to a story. By challenging traditional notions of good and evil, these characters force readers to question their own moral compass and consider the gray areas of morality.

[arson-09]

Tamlin is actually such an underrated character in acotar. Because of feyres very biased narrative she forces readers to ignore the complexity of his character and man. its sad

Tamlin is a character who is genuinely GOOD at his core. He changed so much of the spring court for good, eliminating slavery within the spring lands and mortals having more protection. Hes a morally good character that made a few mistakes and is boiled down to just those mistakes. Locking feyre in the house and the magical/emotional blow up, which are both pretty decent fuck ups (i dont think siding with hybern fully counts as he was a double agent all along and tamlin was decently justified in thinking feyre was being kept against her will. lets be fr here) and even after he’s extremely fucked over by the nightcourt, his lands and court burned to shit, he still saves rhysand. Saves rhysand and tells feyre to be happy, even when he has every reason to NOT do that!

Hes a character that clearly holds himself to a higher standard. throughout acotar he puts lucien and feyres safety above his own, even sending feyre away when she was the only one who could save him. Even though what he did to her wasnt great its not completely irredeemable, rhysand did much worse things to feyre and other people but hes living his best life while Tamlin seems to find himself unworthy of being a person (acosf wheres hes been in beast form for roughly over two years) hes a perfectionist who now doesnt even think he deserves anyone because he accidentally hurt the people he loves most.

Sjm accidentally created a beautifully rich and morally righteous character who is so extremely fucked by the narrative. Which doesnt even work half the time as sjm cant seemingly commit to making him a full villain (seemingly by accident again she gave him quite a reasonable explanation to everything he did ‘wrong’ but still chooses to make him a punching bag)

If Tamlin was genuinely a morally evil character he wouldnt have NEARLY the amount of fans as he does. Hes a character that requires the minimum amount of media literacy and comprehension to understand and i LOVE him.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Morally Grey Characters

Morally grey characters - operate beyond the dichotomy of good versus evil.

These characters will usually make the choice to pursue their own ambitions over those of the greater good or evil.

Because their goals are removed from these qualities, they could be inherently good or bad, so long as they serve the character's ultimate purposes.

However, that’s not to say that morally grey characters don’t aim to make the world better (or worse) in some way.

They may have a larger goal that they’re striving to achieve.

Example: Immortality for all or taking down a corrupt government.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean morally grey characters won’t see others suffer, regardless of intent.

They are often described as being reserved and unfeeling—a dramatic outward expression for characters whose inner selves are anything but, yet appropriate to exemplify the secrets they keep locked away.

The beauty of morally grey characters is that they don't fit into a mold like many other character tropes, which makes them instantly feel more real.

Tips to Writing Morally Grey Characters

Your morally grey characters should still feel like a living, breathing person and not just a caricature of one. In order to realistically portray them, there are 4 important things to consider:

1. What is your morally grey character's life's mission?

This needs to become their guiding belief, their driving force.

These characters are very goal-oriented.

More than anything else, this is why they make the choices that they do, for better or worse.

2. How far are they willing to go to achieve their goals?

They are unique in that they are capable of making hard decisions that most of us might otherwise struggle with, and they often seem to do so with ease.

What matters is achieving their goals—not necessarily how they go about doing so.

3. They need to still have a system of core values to abide by.

Even morally grey characters have an internally consistent scale of, well, morality (albeit on their own terms).

Give your character a code to live by that even they wouldn’t break.

4. What is their role in your story?

Don’t create morally grey characters just for the sake of it.

Whether their storyline is part of the main plot, or whether they have subplots that influence the overall story, there needs to be a point to it all regardless.

Morally Grey Character or Villain?

What may differentiate a morally grey character from a true villain are the following 3 things.

Recognition: Your morally grey character should recognize that their choices can cause harm, intentionally or otherwise.

Remorse: Following that recognition, and often as a result of it, they must understand and experience remorse.

Redemption: Finally, when even they feel things have gone too far, your morally grey character must seek redemption however that manifests itself in your story.

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[the-heros-sidekick]

❝ went looking for a creation myth, ended up with a pair of cracked lips. ❞

He feels it first at the back of his neck. A buzzing, like the crackling of electricity underneath his skin, reverberating against the hollow of his skull. Something is knocking, making its presence known: A particular kind of evil that had snuck into Stiles’ mind once already, stealing away control over his body. Condemning him to sit back, trapped in his own mind, rendering him powerless. Doomed to watch in horror as his  blood-stained hands wielded sharpened blades against those he loved. They’d gotten him out, though nearly at the cost of his own life—a sacrifice Stiles had been more than willing to make, so long as no one else would get hurt because of him. And yet something must have stayed behind, lodged into the membrane of his skull like a shard of glass. For the longest time he’d managed to keep the horrors contained to only haunt him in the dead of night, leaving him sleep deprived and wrung out, every nerve ending scraped thin. But now, even the light of day no longer offers refuge for Stiles to feel safe. Long gone is the once obnoxiously loud, carefree kid—left in its stead is a man carrying himself with caution, treading quietly across the space between other people’s reality and what lies beyond. He knows there are demons out there listening, waiting for an opportunity to exploit any sign of weakness—a door left slightly ajar, perhaps, much like the door to Stiles’ mind they’d never managed to close. The feeling of impending doom crescendos and Stiles, feeling sick to his stomach with fear, clings desperately to the words he repeats to himself like a mantra. "Nothing gets in unless you let it.” But the words turn to ash in his mouth, memories of past experiences proving him a liar. 

an exploration of Teen Wolf's 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐊𝐈—𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐄 who, after leaving Beacon Hills behind, settled down in New York where he's now considered the FBIs golden boy ― crafted for @fakevz. following canon events of the show with additional headcanons. low activity & very crossover friendly. minors dni. this blog operates in english only. est. 2014 ♗ ©

𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐘 𝐈𝐍: loss of innocence ⊹ comedic sidekick ⊹ overcoming demonic possession ⊹ a morally gray world ⊹ undying loyalty ⊹ survivor's guilt ⊹ agent of chaos ⊹ deflecting with humor

✧  𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 ✧ 𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 ✧ 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒

I think I've loved you since I met you. I just mistook it for curiosity.

Ever since I first laid eyes on you, I felt this unquenchable need to know you. I blamed it on ulterior motives, justified it because I needed something from you, because you held the answers I was looking for, because no one else was able to help but you. Looking back on it now though, I'm starting to think that maybe some part of me knew right from the start, that first night I stumbled upon you in the woods, what took me years to see: Maybe my heart recognized that it was going to love you right away, and I spent the years to come catching up with what it knew right from the start. That it was always going to be you. How could it ever have been anyone else? Through mayhem and bloodshed, through fear and loss, through grief and sleepless nights, you were the one constant that remained. When I lost sight of everything—first myself, then reality, then hope—you were the one guiding my way like a beacon, or a north star. If I've ever known peace, it's in all the moments that your hand has touched mine and that your arms have held me tirelessly, putting your body like a shield between me and every inkling of danger. Of all the late-night wonderings of trying to make sense of the last decade (and failing), what remains is this singular thought: At least it was you. At least it was me. At least it was us, together. I'd bear it all a million times over if it meant I got to hold your hand at the end of it all. You are the moment of quiet at the end of a long day, you are breathless laughter, you're the patch of sunlight filtering in through the window that I stand in to warm myself. You are everything good in this world and living proof that there is hope despite it all, and I love you beyond measure.

[astrolotte]

Thinking of writing a fic where Wiggly calls Nibbly the "least evil Lord in Black" (a canonical fact about him fyi), and Nibbly responds by deciding to supposedly 'prove him right' by sabotaging his latest apocalypse and working with the humans. Just to fuck with him. As brothers do.

No clue if anyone would even be interested in it but I'm highly considering it. Maybe I'll see where this goes.

edit: turns out people are very interested in this, so I've started writing it! if you're intrigued enough here's the ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51812965

[ominous-feychild]

CHARACTER PROFILE:

THE EXISTENCE OF MAGIC

"Consider yourself privileged to be in my presence, {Redacted}. Not many get the honor." -Magic

Magic awoke as an Existential upon the creation of the Faewildes—a realm of pure, uncontrolled magic.

The Faewildes themselves emerged from cracks in reality made by Existence of Chaos, so Magic sees him as the closest thing they have to a father. Likewise, they hold a deep respect and admiration for him.

... and even more resentment toward the other Existentials, who sealed Chaos within a magically-enforced coma following the First World's destruction.

But what could they, Magic, do about that?

OVERVIEW:

Chosen name: {REDACTED}

You don't deserve to know their name.

Age: ???

Due to being "born" with the destruction of reality—and emergence of the the Faewildes—and the resulting space-time distortions, it's impossible to know their age. However, they are the youngest Existential.

(During RFtA and SaS, they are at least 800 years old.)

Species: Faerie (shapeshifter)

Due to their relation to the Faewildes, they see themself as a (and I quote) "better faerie".

Gender identity: Nonbinary (any/all)

Sexuality: Omnisexual

Raw magic: (existential) Magic, (faerie) magic, (axiomatic) chaos, (axiomatic) disaster, (axiomatic) destruction, (axiomatic) corruption, (axiomatic) disease, (axiomatic) nature, (axiomatic) vegetation, (axiomatic) animal influence, (axiomatic) earth — Just... assume it's almost everything. But that's some of their main stuff!

Applied magic: Reality warping. Can create any and all effects they desire, transform the environment and the "rules" dictating reality around them, and create anything out of nothing.

While possible, it costs them more essence to warp reality outside of the Faewildes, whereas it's near-effortless within. However, as Magic next to never leaves the Faewildes, it's hardly relevant.

They are also capable of creating enchantments, blessings, curses, and portals.

Their axiomatic magic is mostly important when they grant magic to others, as they only ever give their magic to people who amuse them.

Tier ranking: Existential

As the Existential of Magic, they are a manifestation of the consciousness of Magic Itself. They are completely unkillable due to the fact that they are not the body they reside in, though... you can sure try to kill their body.

Regardless of the result, your death would be a mercy.

Status in Existential War: One of the "top gods", having some form of influence in literally every continent and over a dozen B (or higher) tier avatars at all times.

Spokespiece: When communicating with those outside their realm—or those they don't care to appear in front of—Magic will manifest body horror abominations or a singular, giant disembodied eye.

Their spokepieces always speak with a deep, distorted voice.

General appearance: As the Existence of Magic, an abstract concept, they technically do not have a physical form. However, they have created—and live within—a body for themself.

Magic usually takes the form of an 8'2 (249 cm) pale-skinned androgynous faerie, although they'll adapt their height to situations at hand (almost always intentionally towering over all others).

They usually have intentionally-exaggerated "human" features—far-too-long arms and legs, an elongated face, too-sharp (potentially even clawed) fingers, and two pairs of long, pointy ears.

Similarly, Magic takes up a lot of space through other methods—they have a large mane of puffy ginger hair, massive tree-like antlers that crown their head, and two sets of large, insectoid wings they can fly with... although they can just magically levitate, anyways.

But, strangely enough, their most distinguishing feature?

Magic is almost always wearing a smooth, featureless silver mask affixed to their face, completely obscuring their features and even their own vision... though they can see through their magic, anyway.

They claim that they only show their face to those who are worthy to see it, and that others aren't worth laying their eyes upon.

During meetings with the Existentials, they still wear an eyeless, silver mask—but one that shows their mouth, allowing all to see when they smirk.

Personality: Extremely cocky, arrogant, egotistical, sassy, and flamboyant.

Magic considers themself a comedian, enjoys "putting on a show", scaring people, and generally antagonizing others—but especially the other Existentials.

Most of the time, Magic is flexing their magical abilities one way or another—it's partially an ego thing, but mostly because it's just second nature to them. They are Magic—and who would you be to stop them from using it?

(They especially tend to levitate, floating around and "sitting" in midair, or manipulate distance around them to force people into their personal space.)

A lot of their personality comes out through the inhuman appearance they take, where they explicitly tower above others, take up as much space as possible, and wear a mask to deprive others of the privilege of witnessing their face.

They claim to see the Existential War as a game, but a boring one. They aim to end it—one way... or another.

Any single wish: Complete freedom

Greatest fear: {REDACTED}

Fun fact: Magic currently (as of RFtA and SaS) has a specialized, hyper-magically-aware avatar investigating themself—after all, why wouldn't one want to understand their own nature?

... at least, that's what they claim their purpose is.

CHARACTER QUOTES:

"You've come looking for a favor? And you're willing to pay the price?"

"Oh, don't start with that. Don't lie—we all know you want to accept. So, let's just cut through the—" rolls their eyes, turning their head and sarcastically fluttering their hands at their sides. Mockingly: "—'oh, no!!! Not for me!? Sacrifice!?!?'" Faces the pair again, re-crossing their arms to continue more seriously: "—bullshit and move on to the terms. We're all here. Unless you want to have wasted my time negotiating with {Orange} before you got here?"

"I will have mercy on you. [But] you're still paying a high price—it has been quite an inconvenience to do all this, and you should know how few people get to be graced with my presence. {Red} would not have been given this opportunity otherwise."

Tag list: @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star

@the-letterbox-archives @48lexr @aalinaaaaaa @thecomfywriter @paeliae-occasionally

Divider by @cafekitsune

[aurae-rori]

I FUCKING LOVE FLAWED MORALLY GREY SELFISH PROTAGONISTS I LOVE IT WHEN THEYRE NOT PERFECT OR WHEN THEYRE HUMAN AND WHEN THEY MAKE MISTAKES!! TO ALL THE FIC AUTHORS WHO HAVE VILLAIN PROTAGONISTS OR PROTAGONISTS TRYING TO DO GOOD EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE FUCKED UP I SEE YOU AND I LOVE YOU!! I FUCKING LOVE MORALLY GREY/CHARACTERS THAT ARE HEALING FROM THEIR TRAUMA AND TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING BUT ARE STILL MAKING MISTAKES!!!!!!

I fucking love flawed characters with issues and who make mistakes. The more human they are, the more appealing.

[ketamachine]

The thing about Uriah is that all the characters are truly morally gray ( except for the cops they're just dicks) like it's not that they're sympathetic villains. It's not like they're just heroes who kicked a puppy once. Every character is a deeply complex, multilayered, hypocritical being. Anita abused her children, but she loved them. Kristen didn't protect her children from her husband, but she suffered his abuse as well. Thumbless killed and hurt many people, but he was a child, and he was just trying to survive. Camilla killed and hurt people, trying to make the world a better place. Liam killed trying to protect the only family he has on the godforsaken island. Vincent had a similar motive to Camilla, just more personal. They're all deeply messed up people, both victims and perpetrators, and their complexity makes them feel so much realer. These characters are so raw, you could put them in any situation and know exactly how they'd react because it feels like you know them. They feel human.

[arunneronthird]

"jason was the sweet robin"

"it was dick who was the murder child"

(it doesnt get better)

(it gets worse)

then he killed a man :)

and then he died

right after disobeying bruce

good news is, surprisingly jason being a diligent student and doing his homework is actually canon, him getting along with nightwing when hes a child is also canon (id provide pics but im tired just trust me bro)

what im trying to say is, canonly, jason is a complicated, angry, messy character, who had sweet moments and terrible moments, specially after his retcon, and i really like him even though his writers didnt

[dootznbootz]

Hi there! Can call me "Mads" or "Dootz". I don't mind either way! :D

I am a Trashcat, member of the Worm family, and the god of cheese.

I'm into so many goddamn fandoms and I'll even slap-up things I just simply find pretty/interesting but probably the main ones as of now are:

Greek Mythology (Mostly Odyssey) MAJOR hyperfixation now. I am in love with Penelope.

Fairy Tail

Legend of Zelda

My main ships are OdyPen (OFC), Helen x Menelaus, nalu, gruvia, gajevy, jerza, and zelink (all)

Those are the main ones you'll find BUT like I said, search for something and you'll find it.

Avatar (both Last Airbender and Legend of Korra)

Fullmetal Alchemist

Pokemon

Gravity Falls

BTW, I get not wanting to follow me if you don't want random shit on your dashboard. You don't have to follow me to say hi and have conversations though! I'm on Tumblr to make friends, not followers!

Just don't be a piece of shit and we'll get along fine!

AO3 account:

(currently writing an Odypen fic (first chap is up), there's 1 Odypen snippet up. 3 Nalu fics (one isn't finished 🫣someday not anytime soon)

Always feel free to say hi! :D

Even if you're shy or don't always know what to say, I like to chatter and am always open to making new friends! If I become too much or something then let me know! (or give a one word message! I'll get it! :D )

My big ass essay I want people to see:

Fuzzy worm above was done by the lovely iroissleepdeprived !

Tag guide:

#Mad rambles : My posts or posts that I chatter in

#Mad writes : My writing/fanfiction

#Water Wife : My silly 3/4th Naiad version of Penelope who I love so very much

#shot by odysseus : My tag for my own Tagamemnon posts in general. The joke is that I love Penelope so much that Odysseus is shooting me like he would a suitor.

#my headcanons : ...My headcanons

#waiting for proteus : Seal tag for Menelaus! From book 4 of the Odyssey! :D

#save me morally gray circe : tag for anything talking about Circe and how she's cool as her fucked up potion making, terrifying, goddess self.

#essay : ... ya know

#Mad memes : most of my memes :P

#Mad character design : exactly that.

#GIFT : lovely gifts by lovely people 🥹

#___ Dork: my unique weird tag for fairy tail characters

[solar-halos]

paul isn’t percy’s step father he’s the father that stepped up

[shentheauthor]

Sometimes I think about how the Pale King did love the Hollow Knight. He did regret his actions. They caused him immense pain. He cared for his child, to the point where he built a memorial to them, after erasing them from history.

But it meant nothing.

He still executed his plan. He still sent his child to their doom, knowing full well it wouldn’t succeed.

The Hollow Knight still pretended. Hallownest still fell. The Pale King failed and all the sacrifices it took to get there meant nothing.

All that’s left of the kingdom he massacred children to save is a few outsiders, Hornet, Dirtmouth, and the ruins the Pale King left behind.

[patchworks-in-progress]

this is what coryo's inner monologue looks like in the nothing burns like the snow fanfic. promise.

[twoa-plus]

people will see a character who has flaws and does bad things sometimes and call them morally gray