#both characterization and acting-wise

[kandadze]

Beyond Evil, episode 13

This conversation is just so them. Lee Dongsik with his humorless humor, prodding and pushing, Han Joowon, seemingly calm but coming undone with one sincere question. Lee Dongsik might have started harshly but still knows that Han Joowon is not like his father, and he cannot hide his concern. And Han Joowon - having processed the most recent revelations and not half as adamant about his father's potential role in Lee Yuyeon's death at this point - might have expected hostility, even prepared himself for it, only to see that Lee Dongsik seems to be worried about him, of all people. And he cannot comprehend; Lee Dongsik's worry is worse than Lee Dongsik's ire. If Lee Dongsik didn't back off when he did, I'm pretty sure Han Joowon would've bolted out of pure overwhelm.

[kaleidowl]

i only like jerk when it's unrequited it's soooooo good and no one else seems to get ittttttt

[octosan]

Had some rambling thoughts about Emmrich and his questline,

It's funny, aside from Solas with his exclusive "is he an asshole or is he a victim?" interpretations in the endgame, I think Emmrich is another example of where they jammed two conflicting characterizations of the story into each other and just let one win out depending on which decision the player made so that each option looks Valid and Good and relatively consequence-free.

like, Emmrich becoming a Lich should have just been a bad thing, right?

Not in the sense that I think the game itself should have pointed at the player and gone "you picked the wrong option", but as a logical extension of Emmrich's arc, was it not a bad thing?

I remember at one point writing that Emmrich becoming a lich didn't do anything to conquer his fear of death even though him letting go of Manfred is supposed to be him finally coming to terms with him parting from people, and how that was bad. But I think I missed the point

I think (especially when you look at the concept art around Emmrich,) the original point was supposed to be that becoming a Lich was Emmrich giving in to his fear of death, ironically dooming himself to an immortality where he is surrounded by death, starting with Manfred's death. That losing people to death, like his parents, is the real source of the fear that he was grappling with, but he does not understand this and grasps it only as a fear of his own end. That it is, actually, on the player to understand that and counsel him wisely. It's an ironic tragedy, a very classic story of someone meeting their fate on the road to avoid it. And that's why it makes sense that he's still not over Manfred, why he's afraid of losing a romanced Rook, why he apparently mourns Manfred still (something I missed.)

But the narrative wasn't really built around this? You understand what his fear of death is about immediately and then the choice to be a lich was presented in most of the dialogue as like, "neato! he conquered his fear of death because he won't ever die! yeah Manfred is dead now but at least we honored his sacrifice and let him rest :)" no one has a problem with what he did, no one calls him out on it, no one but Spite even really cares that Manfred is gone even though Emmrich could have saved him, it's just Cool that he's a lich now. The liches are heroic and so Emmrich's desire to join them is heroic, his fear of death is not what motivates him to make some eldritch monstrosity of himself, it is preventing him from achieving this noble goal to help the dead forever, and leaving Manfred behind is a noble sacrifice that will prevent him from becoming a tyrant lich who just resurrects people at will.

I think the idea of "don't resurrect someone who died just because you miss them, you have to let the dead rest" is a completely separate idea that, in this specific situation, doesn't mesh well with "you shouldn't screw over your loved ones just to preserve your own life, and you should treasure your time with people while you have it," but they interjected both morals and just let them respectively theme the lich and human routes, as if I'm not supposed to think about the bittersweet poignancy of the human ending, where Emmrich proudly watches Manfred grow and achieve, while everyone is high-fiving him over being a skelly man in the lich ending. Or for me to look at the human ending as heartwarming after they already said Emmrich was disturbing Manfred's well-deserved rest and giving up an opportunity to do a lot of good by doing this, and that no one really cared that he was "dead".

(Also, like, as a spirit, Manfred's "rest" was him being sent back into the Fade, which we can now understand to be a spirit prison that Manfred specifically possessed that body to escape, so u know.)

I do believe Emmrich becoming a Lich is at its core meant as a selfish/cowardly act to preserve himself at the cost of someone he treated like his own child, because that was the motivation they gave him from conception. Concept Emmrich was turning himself into a lich to become immortal. In the game, he specifically sought out the liches because he was afraid of death. This is the case even if they interject dialogue later making it seem like he's trying to do this for the sake of the "dead" and it's really important and him resurrecting Manfred would be selfish of him. I don't mind Emmrich saying these things, but I feel like they needed to be lies he was telling himself, something that is not backed up by other Mourn Watchers, or by Rook not being given the option to call him on it, or by the liches having a morally stringent screening process that he passes with flying colors and stuff like that, with the entire narrative just taking the things he says for granted. Maybe the liches should just not be heroic at all, actually. And like if we're going to have it be a plot point that there have been powerful, immortal liches. In Thedas. All this time. They needed to not give a shit about Thedas to at least help me with my suspension of disbelief.

Am I making any sense here, like there's two different reasons Emmrich wants to be a lich and how his fear of death is interacting with it and they don't feed into each other very well imo.

And like, the way he is now this character, who was written to deal with a fear of death, has nothing actually helpful to say about coping with a fear of death, imo. The routes' messaging is either "You don't need to fear death because you can just Not Die" or "You don't need to fear your loved ones dying because you can just Bring Them Back" instead of "Death of some kind is inevitable, so cherish the life you still have instead of spending it in fear."

Idk how psychiatrically sound it would have been. There were apparently people who struggle with Thanatophobia who were helped by Emmrich's character, but like, just talking narratives.

[infernothechaosgod]

As i said before I tried redesigning fanny again but this time more in "disney" style as well tried applying more disney "limitations" if you know what I mean... though honestly looking at it or let alone her characterization it prob still breaks some weird rule

But anyways, i thought between making the dress green or red-pink but decided to stay on red because i just think it fit the dress cut better, i need to draw more green fanny ik

role wise, lets say were at house of mouse or usual topolino comics you know basic stuff, since i am trying to follow the disney footsteps id say she would have one of two roles

first being a "rival" for oswald, you know the usual characterization she get's but in less point and laugh at her way or demonizing "unpure" feminity way but a 3rd secret way where they both are accual proper rivals and pull eachothers hair a bit but arent full on enemies

Or second way where shes just his love intrest you know the basic stuff but id say their dynamic is a bit diffrent from others by having them both throwing hands around like instead of having her calm him down she just joins in when hes acting out, since i am attempting to follow the disney rules i tried not going too deep into it so id say thats it

You can see i added little white puffs in her ears, its to draw a bigger diffrence between her and oswald, also i still drew her body type diffrently to him, it's less disney like but I just coudnt bring myself to make her too much like him its breaking my own unwritten rules okay man TOT

in my ver/rubberverse they have slightly diffrent head and nose shapes but most importantly they have diffrent eyes and fanny has bangs, also their bodies are diff as well as ears are in diffrent positions plus fanny's tail is white, all these things are small and they still in some way look alike but I think it draws enough diffrences between them to make them unmistakable for eachother or god forbid being related or anything like that, while i coudnt apply bigger changes to her without just making it a redesign instead of a disney-like redesign I do hope the diffrences between them do pull through with that despite being so so small now TOT

Also have a Bonus of both roles being mashed together

[heyclickadee]

I really appreciate that Tech needed to go talk and apologize Omega after snapping at her in “The Crossing.”

Because there’s another few ways “The Crossing” could have gone. One way would have been Hunter or Wrecker going and talking to Omega on Tech’s behalf. “You’ve got to give him some slack, he’s just upset about Echo, too,” and so on, without Tech ever having to make the effort to patch things over. Or, alternatively, it could have gone the route of Tech just being a jackass who only learns to give a shit because Omega teaches him how.

But what it actually does is neither of these. It walks a far more complicated line. Omega and Tech butt heads because they’re both grieving and dealing with it in complete opposite ways. Omega’s frustrated because she needs them to talk about the elephant in the room (Echo leaving), but none of her brothers are actually helping and they aren’t talking it out with her. Tech is frustrated because he isn’t being given any space to deal with it and things just. Keep. Going. Wrong. She starts breaking down because everything is falling apart. He snaps and yells at her because he reached the end of his tether a while ago.

But she’s a child, and he’s one of the adults responsible for her; and what I like is that while the episode is sympathetic to why Tech is frustrated in that moment, it doesn’t let him off the hook for taking it out on her and, to be fair to him, he doesn’t exactly let himself off the hook for it either. The only excuse he has for not going and talking to Omega when he’s called out is that she said she wanted to be alone, and once Hunter and Wrecker explain that that was…eh, not exactly a lie, but something like a lie, he goes to try and talk things out.

Anyway, the reason I like this, besides the fact that Tech’s and Omega’s relationship means the world to me, is twofold. One, there are a lot of fictional characters (mostly men) whose characterization vaguely—very vaguely—resembles Tech’s. Part of a running theme with all the rest is that they tend to be deliberately insulting, harsh, mean, and so on to everyone and anyone they can be, and they get away with it because they’re clever, funny, hiding secret insecurity, or the writer’s barely disguised superiority complex. Tech is blunt and direct; there’s a few times he’ll say something a little insensitive and catch himself too late (for example: he seems to realize how the, “more machine than man,” line sounds versus how he meant it a second after he says it and clumsily softens it with, “Percentage-wise, at least,” to explain that he’s not saying Echo is less of a person, just trying to explain why the chip programming didn’t work; the lack of follow up to, “It ate the crew,” might be another example), or be sarcastic on purpose. But the one time he really crosses a line he is called out for it and does his best to make it right. Which means his characterization takes on a very different track than a lot of other versions of the type.

Two, I think it’s important for the target audience to see a caretaker apologize and act like a young girl’s feelings matter.

[azerinbouee]

why does rick riordan write percy differently in every book after pjo?

it is not even about the timelines. like, the way he wrote percy in son of neptune was I think a great characterization. he was amnesiac but he still carried a major undertone about how much he loved annabeth, and his normal characteristics like his loyalty, his experience in battle, his ability to make new friends, his natural leadership, him being a great war strategist even though he does not even remember how to make them, and his underlying anger and trauma from the Titan War. then this anger and characterization was not handled that well in mark of athena in my opinion and unfortunately percy's arc in that book was mostly used for that meaningless effort to create a rivaly between him and jason but it still was okay for most of the part. then in the house of hades, all that buildup has exploded, and wasn't that the perfect place for the character? he broke down finally, going as far as to bloodbend a goddess and liking it. his love for annabeth was the only thing that held him back, but it must have been very traumatising for him, not just the whole tartarus experience but that feeling of power, and liking the pain he caused on akhlys, that must have caused a big inside dilemma in percy. incredible place to put the character percy, after everything that has happened. that could have led to a great conclusion.

then the blood of olympus happened. and... well, where was percy's trauma? where was the result of percy going as far as to bloodbend to save annabeth and himself, and finding out the true limits of his power, which is so scary even someone like annabeth freaked out. someone who knows percy inside out, better than anyone does, that knows the way he breathes. she was scared of percy. and percy realised that. how is that of no consequence in blood of olympus? let alone, percy and annabeth does not even have povs. the only thing mentioned about this is annabeth talking to piper about what happened and piper's question about what would happen if percy decided to act scary. then... his nose bleeds, that wakes gaea, and that was something he technically knows he could control now, so he could have stopped his blood from dropping to the ground and waking gaea, but he did not because annabeth asked him not to. this could have caused a great arc showing percy's regret and dilemma about doing the right thing even if using that power is wrong and choosing to not do anything because he always puts annabeth first. but there was nothing because it took 2 minutes to defeat gaea after that. percy seems same, even less traumatised than he was at the end of titan war at the end of the blood of olympus.

i won't go into the trials of apollo much, because to be honest that was apollo's story and I found percy's small bits enough for that story. no need to build unnecessary characterization in that books for percy. but timeline wise , let's do demigods and magicians. he is back to being the scary, scowling, frightening and powerful demigod. and he knows he is powerful. his lines to carter, 'names have power, i can't tell you my name.' , 'not many people can fight me that well.' . I love the percy in that book. i think that is exactly where he should be at that point.

then the chalice of the gods happens.

percy in that book is nothing like in the demigods and magicians. and there is literally days between both books. he is back to thinking he is useless, and everything is like taken out of a time between the pjo books, like none of the hoo happened. same for the wrath of the triple goddess. where was percy's trauma of tartarus? of bloodbending? of all the other things that has happened? where was annabeth's trauma, as well but that's another long topic.

I just am starting to think rick resets the characterization of percy in the beginning of every book and likes to write what he wants at that moment. i really don't like him do this to percy out of all characters. and I wish he realised before he write the other books.

[twilightofthesandwiches]

I’ve said it elsewhere but although the idea of Silas Mann being Zepheniah’s brother that he not only killed, but totally wiped off the Mann Family History seems to be a pretty popular Headcanon/fan-theory (and often also paired with the idea that the Administrator was his daughter and that this is what originally sparked her eternally burning hatred for Zepheniah).....I personally can’t bring myself to buy it.

First of all, the one confirmed image of Silas Mann in life is in this Mann Family Portrait

Which doesn’t seem to have been retconned out of the comics, considering it literally appears as an actual physical object in “The Days Have Worn Away”

This picture shows him as an aging man alive at the same time that Zepheniah was old and dying and the Administrator has already been working for him for decades. On the most basic timeline level, him dying before the Administrator became the twins’ governess obviously doesn’t make any sense.

(Even if we were to assume the Silas in this picture is some ghostly apparition, he’s just too old to be a brother Zepheniah killed when they would have both being young-ish men and/or the Administrator’s father)

And much more importantly for a story whose big thematic point is “the lore was ultimately Meaningless, what matters is the characters”, the idea of Zepheniah hiding the fact that he has ‘bested’ his brother and instead pretending he’s an only child just feels flat-out Out of Character for me with the way “The Days Have Worn Away” characterizes Zepheniah.

Zepheniah sees the act of killing your own sibling for fun and profit as an inherently noble act and a prove of one’s worthiness and determination. He talks about his father and grandfather’s dead siblings, without technically legally admitting that they killed them, but heavily implying it and clearly admiring them for it.

And he very very heavily insinuated to his new governess that her goal is to raise his more ‘worthy’ son to engage in fratricide.

The whole point of him saying he’s an only child ‘sadly’ is because he thinks it’s unfortunate he never got to prove himself by killing a sibling.

So the idea that he would somehow draw a line at mentioning the brother he himself defeated, that he wouldn’t mention it as to not.... tarnish his good name (even though he is proud of his ancestors’ fratricide and brags about it) or to give himself farther legitimacy as the worthy Mann Heir (even though he views being ruthless enough to kill your own sibling as the ultimate proof of being a worthy Mann heir) or to just not discuss his crimes with a total stranger (even though his explanation of his father and grandfather’s deeds didn’t technically incriminate them of anything and he also pretty clearly admitted to her that he wants his kids to be raised to be brother-killers) is just… it just feels totally antithetical to how Zepheniah is written in this comic.

However, I actually don’t think this totally deconfirm the “Administrator is the daughter of Zepheniah’s brother out for revenge”.

After all, Zepheniah is not the only possible Unreliable Narrator of this flashback. The Administrator is the one telling the story.

And the Administrator totally forgot what Zepheniah did to make her hate him so much.

And while it’s implied that he might’ve been responsible for her parents’ death in some way, it’s also implied the specific details have become hazy and unclear through the years….

So, like, if the Administrator is the daughter of Zepheniah’s dead sibling (It being Silas still doesn’t really make any sense timeline-wise so let’s call this Hypothetical Mann ‘Barshnibnab Mann’, okay?)… Would she remember that? Would she remember any detail about Zepheniah having a sibling if her own familial connection to that sibling was wiped away by the waves of time?

Maybe Zepheniah did tell her “Ah yes, and I became an munitions magnate after I took over the company from my sibling Barshnibnab who died under very unfortunate and mysterious circumstances lol” but because she has forgotten everything about her parents and her original motivation she just flat-out forgot it and misremembered that Zepheniah was an only child?

I think that works a lot better with the themes and the characters’ personalities. Really emphasizes how the Administrator’s hatred has become such a singular and twisted thing, that it literally wiped away all memory of the people whose loss was the source of this hatred. Her quest of vengeance didn’t just drag down, like, the entire world for the last hundred years - it basically wiped out all possible memories of her parents. Really shows how it turned from revenge to just Fuck This Guy In Particular.

If Zepheniah killed a sibling, he would have wanted it memorialized as a proof of his own cutthroat ruthlessness - but the Administrator’s hatred is the one who wiped them from history as collateral in the way of her burning loathing.

[ar-cadez]

Count Duckula Fan Rewrite!!

Recently I’ve been working on a Count Duckula rewrite that aims to give it a slightly more serious tone and semi-serialized story like many modern cartoons! It took some time, but I made redesigns of the main cast. I had fun making this project and I REALLY hope you do too! Because I’m extremely nervous that the small fan base Count Duckula does have will hate this

I haven’t actually finished the show btw so if there’s an antagonist or smth that shows up later I should’ve redesigned.. lmk! I’m open to suggestions I really like this show..

—————————————————

Basic Concept

Practically the same as the original show! There is a long line of reincarnations of a wicked vampire duck named Count Duckula, the most recent reincarnation went wrong and now the current Count is a vegetarian and much more interested in becoming famous than being evil.

Some major differences include the tone and story structure, being semi-serialized and having more serious arcs mixed in with the antics, along with a lot of changes in characterization. A big story change is also that Nanny was not hired until AFTER Duckula was reincarnated so Igor was the one who screwed up the ritual.

Tone wise I’d also like to slightly age up the target audience so it could get away with a bit more dark humour. My favourite part of the original show was moments that were just so morbid and completely brushed past. 13+ would be fine methinks.

Basic plot of the average episode would be about the count’s hyperfixation of the week and trying to get famous or profit from it. Not every episode would follow this structure though.

The grander themes of the series would be all about expectations from family and strangers and how those expectations can be completely false.

—————————————————

Characters

^^ Final lineup! ^^

Sketches (less interesting poses but shows off some things better)

Count Duckula!

What I wanted to change

I feel like Duckula from the original spin-off was already a really strong character! There is a lot to him and really all I would want from a more emotional reboot is to dive into what’s already there. I did kinda project on him a bit in this rewrite though… gotta write what’cha know!

I also changed his design quite a bit. I never thought the suit fit his personality and I wanted to go with something a little more bright. If I go back again I might saturate his shirt a bit more. I also wanted all the residents of castle Duckula to have purple in their designs and for duckula and Towser to share similar colour’s inversed

Character Traits

Hatred of his legacy

Duckula is the first member of his lineage to not be an evil vampire and he hates that role that is expected of him. This is partially what drives him to be the nicest duck he can be, in hopes of shaking off his legacy. This also causes him to reject anything that's “spooky” or has to do with vampires. He physically can't eat meat or blood due to his botched resurrection, but even the sight of either distresses him.

Attention Drive

Due to his infamy, all Duckula wants is to be liked by the general public. Everyone in his town is automatically scared of him and he tries really hard to change their opinions on him whether that be through attempting to bea good samaritan or by performing in town. (Both tend to end poorly for him)

ADHD and Theatre Kid Behaviour

Duckula is constantly picking up and putting down new forms of art and performance. This can be anything from oil painting to American football. He does tend to get frustrated or distracted and abandon projects or crafts entirely. His favourite artform is acting and music so as you can imagine he's very into musicals. His musical talents are decent but his acting is awful. He’s also known to loud and overly excited over his interests

Ego and Cowardice

Being given a position of power the day you came into existence does have the tendency to make you… immature to say the least. When in danger, if he even realises there is any, Duckula’s first move is to use his title as leverage. If that doesn't work, his second is to beg, grovel, and lie his way out of the situation. That, or hide behind his much more intimidating companions.

Rich Kid Syndrome

Having the majority of people you know be your house staff really messes with your sense of responsibility. Duckula can hardly do many basic life skills on his own because of this. It's not like he is completely lazy but he does have executive dysfunction and has yet to realise that fact, causing him to procrastinate on many things and completely forget or just get someone else to do it.

Not Naturally kind

Being his father’s reincarnation, it only makes sense that Duckula would inherit many traits from his past lives. Many of the other Counts were ego-driven cowards with desires for fame. They just went about it differently. Duckula actively tries to be kind and polite but a lot of passive aggression and snark slips through the cracks of that veneer. He would never want to admit that he has ANYTHING in common with his ancestors and he hates that being nice doesn't just come naturally to him. Being an immortal, Duckula also has a skewed sense of mortality and often doesn't understand the severity of certain injuries and situations.

This Duckula has ADHD and Autism in this rewrite and he struggles most with executive dysfunction, restricted interests, memory issues, atypical empathy (not specifically low or high), sensory issues (mostly with eating and some sound), and social cues. He also stims.

Towser!

What I Wanted to Change

Towser isn’t even really a character in the original. Just a running gag without a face. I wanted to balance out the main cast by adding another female character since I have feelings on Nanny as a character and i didn’t know if i would even be able to salvage that.

I really like what I came up with! She’s fun to me and I’ll probably flesh her out more later.

Character Traits

Family drive

Towser has little interest in birds that aren't close to her and it usually takes awhile for her to get used to new people. However, she’ll protect those that she does care about with her life. She is the castle’s guard dog and will do whatever’s necessary to protect it. This often comes at the cost of her sleep, because she feels like she always needs to be awake to protect them.

Tag Along

Following Duckula around like a puppy is what Towser does best! She might not fully understand his enthusiasm on certain subjects, but she's always up to backing him up on his newest fame seeking endeavours (though she herself prefers physical activity over creative works). She never expects anything to come of it, but hey, at least it's something to do. She also likes to hear Duckula rant to her about his interests.

Big Sister

Towser is of a much more stable mental state than Duckula, and as his only friend around his age, he trusts her more to be someone to talk to about his identity issues and issues in general. The two are a lot warmer towards each other than they are anyone else, and can also get away with messing with the other a lot more.

Big ol Lap dog

When in werewolf form, Towser tends to forget her size and often crushes them with her size. This usually wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that she's always a lot more cuddly and energetic in wolf form than bird form. This is because, as a werewolf, she's only in wolf form at night and being a fully nocturnal bird that should only be awake at night, this messes with her sleep rhythm a lot.

Igor!

What I wanted to Change

Personality wise Igor is already really strong and I didn’t change much of that. You’ll probably notice from the sketches that Igor has a skeleton hand, that’s because I made him undead in this version just to give a reason to how he’s been able to live this long since the original doesn’t really have one (which is fine)

Character Traits

Devotion to the role

Igor has been the Count’s butler since the first incarnation. He was assigned to keep the Duckula legacy alive by reincarnating his master every time he meets his fate and helping him readjust every time. Helping each new reincarnation bring misery and fear to the town they reside by with a smile… Until the most recent incarnation of course. He’ll stick it out though, because he still has hope for him.

Taste for the macabre

Whether it be killing innocents behind the back of his new master, decorating the castle with cobwebs and bones, or using his undead nature to scare and torture those around him, Igor certainly has an interesting idea of fun. Igor gets a sick enjoyment out of causing others distress and despises all things kind and cute, something which definitely frustrates Duckula, who's desperately trying to fix his own image.

Bitter Traditionalist

Having lived through the centuries in castle Duckula, Igor has gained an appreciation for the history of the place and the vampire ducks that have resided there over the years. He’s rather invested in the lives of his previous masters and is extremely cross with the newest incarnation for not only not caring about that past, but also completely disowning it. Igor tries desperately to get Duckula to be a normal vampire, truly believing it could work with enough effort. Less he spend the next few centuries with a vegetarian for a master… Igor would not have a problem with Duckula pursuing fame if it weren't for the fact that he thinks it's distracting him from true vampirism.

Tired old man

Igor has lived for many centuries and he does not feel as if he should have to babysit for an immature man child like Duckula. He would rather ignore or snark the young count rather than actually talk to him. When the two argue its a constant back and forth of passive aggression and personal jobs that they almost always forget what they're actually arguing over. Duckula is physically and mentally very young (17-early 20s) compared to Igor’s other masters due to the botched revival and he doesn't know how to, or want to, deal with it.

Nanny!

What I Wanted to Change

I’m sorry to any hardcore Nanny fans out there but this is practically a whole new character. I find Nanny to be frustrating and annoying in the original and who I personally feel is a very sexist and mean spirited character. There’s absolutely nothing I would want to write with a character who’s just “big stupid fat woman inconveniences everyone around her” it’s just uncomfortable after a certain point.

My idea for a new take was just an extremely kind older woman who’s a little airheaded but is a lot smarter than people give her credit for. This sets her up as a foil to Igor. She’s also the only non-monster resident of the castle in this version which I personally think is really interesting.

Character Traits

Only good influence

While Igor actively sets out to make Duckula a bad person and Towser couldn't care less about how Duckula acts, Nanny is the only direct influence in Duckula’s life who pushes him to do better. Nanny believes Duckula is a good person at heart and pushes him to take more responsibility in his life. She wants him to learn a good work ethic and is fully supportive of him trying to better himself.

Good Christian Woman

Nanny is, in fact, a christian. She is fully aware of the demonic nature of her companions but believes that everyone can better themselves no matter their circumstances and attempts to better those around her. Igor hates her for it but she’s totally ignorant to that fact.

Assertive Mother Figure

Though Nanny is a very kind woman, she is also not a pushover. She will assert authority over Duckula and anyone else if necessary, and most are compliant once she puts her foot down, if they aren't, however, Nanny does pack a punch and won't hesitate to use her strength to protect her family.

Smarter than she seems

Nanny is an airheaded optimist with a big heart and those traits make her come off a lot more clueless than she actually is. She may seem like she has no idea what’s going on but she’s actually very observant and is fantastic at assessing a situation and finding the best course of action.

Dr. Von Goosewing

What I Wanted to Change

I really liked the idea of the antagonist to Duckula was in a liniage of vampire slayers and that their ancestors have been fighting for generations. It gave me the perfect set up for a ✨SHADOW ANTAGONIST✨ I wanted to make this rewrite have the two reflect each other a lot more. To do that I wanted Goosewing to still be a really cooky guy but I didn’t want the public to know that.

Also I have no idea why he’s dressed like Sherlock Holmes in the original if he’s a Van Helsing parody and also an inventor. You could’ve leaned into either of those ideas but for some reason he’s dressed like a detective? so I tried giving him a more fitting outfit but keeping his colours for recognisablity.

Character Traits

Playing Village hero

Goosewing is considered a big deal in town because of his family of vampire hunters. He’s prepared his whole life to kill Count Duckula the moment he comes back and to protect the common folk from the paranormal. Despite this, Goosewing isn't actually particularly skilled at his job and usually ends up failing his assassinations due to his own incompetence. He feels like he has to play the role as a hero to continue his family’s legacy despite not particularly enjoying it or being good at it.

Overestimating the enemy

With how cunning and malevolent the past Duckula incarnations were, Goosewing expects the same from this one. Goosewing believes that Duckula is a dangerous and clever foe completely focused on causing others pain. In reality, Duckula is the most incompetent bird in all of Transylvania, aside fromGoosewing himself, of course. Goosewing also comes to believe that Duckula is only acting nice to later betray the public, a belief he is not quiet about and that keeps the public from trusting Duckula.

Mad Scientist

Goosewing definitely falls into the eccentric scientist trope with his innovative but scatterbrained nature. He would much rather be working on an invention than actually doing his job. The public sees him as a hero but while hunting vampires or when hes alone he comes off as more of a mad scientist than the hero character he plays. His intentions are ultimately good but are completely based on the assumption that he’s the wholly good protector of the people and that Duckula is a cunning villain who's out to get him and everyone else.

Shadow

Goosewing and Duckula reflect each other in a lot of ways. They both have a legacy they are expected to uphold despite not wanting to or even being able to, they both care deeply about the public’s opinion on them while the public has an incredibly incorrect view of the both of them, and they both have creative interests outside of the roles expected of them that they'd rather be persuing. Duckula fully rejects anything to do with his ancestry, while Goosewing is actively trying to fulfil despite not enjoying it.

The Murder Brothers!

What I Wanted to Change

Haha I called them the murder brothers bc they’re crows and criminals Im actually so funny… anyway. I don’t know if I should’ve even done these guys but I really like them as antagonists so!!

I gave the younger two names and a personality. The wiki said they didn’t have names but if they do lmk and I’ll just fix that. Other than that I didn’t change much except try to give ‘em a bit more depth and changing their physical designs a ton for fun.

Character Traits

The Murder Brothers, as a whole, are a tight knit family of con men crows who pull any grift they can to get their hands on some cash. Though they may act like their only loyalty in life is to money, they do genuinely care about each other's well being

Ruffles

Ruffles is the short tempered and eldest leader of the group. He’s constantly frustrated with his brothers’ incompetence and isn't quiet about it. He believes that if it weren't for them he'd probably be a lot further in life by now (which isn't true) and he’ll say he doesn't care about them, but he actually does.

Burt

If he didn't insist on helping his brothers, Burt would be the most likely to be living an honest life. As the second oldest sibling, Burt holds a position as right hand man. He’s a naturally kind and enthusiastic bird who, while a bit dumb, does openly express his love for his brothers. He takes on a lot of the abuse from his older brother and is often used by the group to talk to others, because he's so naturally trustworthy.

Reggie

Reggie is the second youngest of the brothers and the most relaxed out of all of them. He has an impeccable sleight of hand and is the go to for lockpicking and such. He’s a decent smooth talker and is often the one to break up fights, though he's not above getting angry at the others himself.

Leroy

Leroy is the youngest of the brothers and by far the least skilled. His speech is incomprehensible from under his mask (although he can see through it for the most part) and he’s often left with the worst jobs during their cons because of that. He’s the most timid out of all of them but I’m sure if you took that mask off of him he’d be really talkative.

—————————————————

Ending Words

Well that’s all I got! I spent way too long on this project that maybe two people will care about and one of them is me 💔 Anyway if I make anything else for this rewrite/au I’ll tag it with #wbcd . I wouldn’t count on it because I mighttt get burn out from this but im just so glad I finished it! I’ve thought about writing a pilot script just for fun but idk. I’d like to do more long format au stuff, I was going to make a YouTube video about this but I almost cried trying to record myself so I gave up 💔

[junkdrawerfan]

Idk if anyone will read this post but I've been trying to learn a bunch about different characters. And I've so far been learning about Tim. He's got so much content to sort through. I think only Dick (in terms of the Robins) has more content than him. So here are my thoughts while reading through some of Tim Drake's Robin run.

Part One:

Next

Batman 468-469:

Tim has really been set up to be the "Robin who Saves Batman." Because Tim is a Robin who does not have an internal desire to run around as a caped crusader, "why is Time Drake a hero" seems to be an essential question to his existance from the beginning:

This is after Tim has lost his mother and his father is paralyzed and unable to care for him. As such, Tim is staying at Bruce's manor (though no offical adoption has taken place. In fact his living situation is not explained beyond him just living with Bruce. So i assume a fostering situation?) Already, we see Tim stepping in to care for Bruce and remind him he's not invunerable.

I'm really enjoying the 90s action vibe they give Tim. His first nemesis is King Snake who'd feel right at home in a Jackie Chan movie! The fact that this 14 year old boy has the "second greatest figher in the world" (right after Lady Shiva) shaking in his boots is WILD even though its King Snake confusing Robin & Lady Shiva haha

This is after Tim has lost his mother and his father is paralyzed and unable to care for him. As such, Tim is staying at Bruce's manor (though no offical adoption has taken place. In fact his living situation is not explained beyond him just living with Bruce. So i assume a fostering situation?) Already, we see Tim stepping in to care for Bruce and remind him he's not invunerable.

I'm really enjoying the 90s action vibe they give Tim. His first nemesis is King Snake who'd feel right at home in a Jackie Chan movie! The fact that this 14 year old boy has the "second greatest figher in the world" (right after Lady Shiva) shaking in his boots is WILD even though its King Snake confusing Robin & Lady Shiva haha

I get why he had the longest running Robin solo act.

Bruce is very very protective of Tim in this arc. Makes sense since he just lost his old Robin and was spiraling because of it. We're -- time wise -- about a year and a few months since Jason's death. It makes sense that Bruce is having a hard time since another boy in danger, especially in a situation where that boy is being targetted by the big bad of the run. I guess they have to get Bruce to a point where he'll let Tim run around without as much helicoptering (and eventually found the Young Justice!). Its a really fun emotional core.

Batman 470

Just fun romps. I know I should switch to Robin II (Robin I covered his training with lady shiva & meeting king snake which i wrote about here) to keep learning about Tim. But I do like the Batman comics. I do not understand the difference between the Batman & Detective Comics. Like I get the Detective Comics are the original Batman comics but they're both about Batman so like.... why have two batman runs about the same guy and characters in the same universe? Just put out more detective comic runs? Makes no sense (plus having dual Batman v Detective Comic runs really fucked over Jason's time as Robin. I'm excited they're putting out the Batman & Robin: Jason Todd comics soon so we can finally have a definitive Jason Todd Robin characterization.)

Batmna 471:

WTF! Killer Croc oh my god! You poor thing!!! He just wanted to hang out with his family and watch cable tv!

Okay. Switching to Robin II series to continue to learn about Tim Drake!

(Side Note: Thoughts about the Batman comics though. I dislike that they stopped in 2011. I mean this comic series has been running since the 1940s! Its cool for a character to have that much history. Honestly, they shouldn't have rebooted the OG lines like Batman/Detective Comics/Superman/Action Comics. They're such long running series its more fun to let them just keep going. Especially since they ended up rolling it all back anyway. Its just a weird choice to decide the shit that kept your company alive from the 1940s doesn't matter anymore?)

[werewolf-biter]

Vexen Character Analysis Week Day 7-Connections and Interactions with the rest of Organization XIII

This was actually the first one I came up with for this week, but I held off on it to make sure I didn’t run out of ideas. Vexen/Even is in a unique position of having shared a scene with or is in some way connected to every other member of the original Organization. In this last post for the analysis week, I want to take a closer look at them.

Xemnas-While they never directly interact, there are still some things worth noting. They once were co-workers as apprentices, but this completely changed when they formed the Organization. Vexen is shown seeing him as his boss, but it’s not clear just how much he actually respects him. Sometimes Vexen is characterized as being under his thumb, while other times he seems to have little concern about Xemnas’s authority, as he has twice gone against the plans of the Organization. Xemnas doesn’t seem to care about Vexen on any level deeper than research. He may even actively try to avoid him going off that one 2FM cutscene, although that may just be Vexen’s arrogance talking.

Xigbar- He is the one with the least to be said about. They were co-workers and that’s it. They are never seen interacting and nothing is said in-game that would give an idea on their feelings about each other.

Xaldin/Dilan-Another Radiant Garden co-worker. Not much to say here either as they don’t interact. Dilan was probably worried when Even went missing and that’s all I got.

Lexaeus/Aeleus-Continuing with the apprentices, but unlike the last three there’s a lot more to actually say here. Lexaeus, Vexen and Zexion are shown to still share the fairly close bond they had as Somebodies. Lexaeus seems to be one of the only people Vexen has genuine respect for. Aeleus also seems to show concern over Even’s disappearance. Even seems to value him as a fellow apprentice and doesn’t seem to talk with him in an overly formal way. He seems to be closer to Aeleus then he does Dilan, although that partly do to how things shook out game appearance-wise. It’s also worth noting that Vexen, Lexaeus and Zexion tend to be grouped together in supplementary content.

Zexion/Ienzo-Out of all the Org members, Zexion is easily the one he is closest to. This comes from the fact that he is for all intents and purposes Ienzo’s dad. While Ansem and Even both share the role of father figure, Ienzo’s Character File makes it clear Even did most of the actual work. Ienzo describes him as a stern but loving figure who could sometimes be a bit strict, but still deeply cared for him. It’s clear from the scene in BBS that Even does care a lot about Ienzo. Unfortunately, becoming Nobodies put a damper on this. They both become a lot harsher to each other. It’s not completely gone though as Zexion gets pretty upset over Vexen being killed. Demyx also mentions them as an example of people in the Org who are friends, so they may be a bit more cordial off-screen. Ienzo is clearly the person most upset over Even’s disappearance. It’s not a stretch to read what he says in KH3 as him being scared that he may have lost Even permanently that time. Once they’re both back as apprentices they seem to have patched their relationship up.

Saïx/Isa- I feel like Saïx and him have by far the strangest interactions as it goes from Saïx having him killed to being comrades in betraying the Real Org. It’s a bit tricky to judge how they feel from the scene they share as it is clearly meant to be an act put on to prevent the Org from figuring out what they’re doing. It’s possible they bear no Ill will towards each other as they both seem to have taken a stance of “Yeah I really messed up when I was Nobody”. There’s also the pre-fall of Radiant Garden stuff, like Subject X and the darkness experiments, but it does seem like Isa trusts him, so that doesn’t seem to be something he holds against Even.

Axel/Lea- This one is a bit tricky to analyze because, to be honest, Axel is kind of all over the place as a character. He doesn’t seem to like Vexen all that much in CoM, although his actions there were part of a job Saïx gave him. It’s possible he regrets them due to just how many problems Vexen (and Zexion) being dead causes in Days. I have no clue how he feels after his re-completion, does he still dislike him or did saving Roxas and Xion make him change his tune, who knows. I don’t want to be too harsh here as there were likely outside factors contributing to how Axel’s writing ended up in KH3. As for Vexen, he doesn’t like him and the game directly states that, so no ambiguity here. Even still may not like Lea much once he becomes a Somebody again. He brings it up in a conversation in KH3, but as I’ll mention in the Saïx section that scene shouldn’t be taken at face value. Some of the stuff Vexen says when talking to Org members in KH3 has also been shown to not be how he actually feels. Anywho, this has kind of just been a long winded way to say who knows.

Demyx-This one’s fun because there’s some neat details to look at! Obviously, they have their scene together, where Demyx sees Vexen as a stuck up bore and Vexen sees Demyx as annoying, but Vexen’s Character File gives some extra context to this. In there Vexen talks about how someone being dumb doesn’t prevent them from being wise in their own way, with Demyx being used as an example. It seems that Vexen does appreciate him in his own way, even if he finds him a bit much.

Luxord-Luxord just thinks of Vexen as that researcher guy who sucks up to Xemnas. Nothing in the one scene they share really gives anything to work with on how Vexen feels about Luxord, so I can’t really say something on that.

Marluxia/Lauriam-They absolutely despise each other as Nobodies. This almost certainly comes from the fact they were butting heads over who was in charge of Castle Oblivion. Strangely enough I don’t think they’d dislike each other as Somebodies though. Looking at their Character Files shows them to be in fairly similar positions in their feelings post-recompletion. They both wax about their feelings towards their actions and thoughts as Nobodies and have an almost disconnect between their Somebody and Nobody. After his recompletion, Lauriam’s goal is to work out his memories and Radiant Garden is the best place to go for something like that. I feel they would both hold feelings of regret in that situation. This is getting a bit too speculative, so I’ll end this by saying I think they could have a really neat conversation.

Larxene/Elrena -She doesn’t like him and he doesn’t like her. Interestingly, nothing about this seems to be personal, she just doesn’t like most people in general and he sees everyone as beneath him. They were never going to get along, even if they met under the best of circumstances.

Roxas- Roxas would probably have mixed feelings on Even. On one hand, he’s the guy who gave him a less than fun lesson on how to do recon, on the other hand Even played a huge role in bringing not only him but also Xion and Namine back. The recon lesson wasn’t the worse lesson he had, but it definitely wasn’t the best either. By the end of the lesson, Vexen seemed to think Roxas had some promise at doing recon, so he likely has at least some respect for him, well as much respect as someone as arrogant as Vexen can give anyway. Even also felt like it was his responsibility to make things right by giving Roxas a vessel, so he does feel some amount of care. Maybe some of his good will towards Ventus transferred over to Roxas.

Xion- They may not have any on-screen interactions, but they are characters who are deeply connected. Xion knows him only as the person who created her, but doesn’t know much more besides that as she never got to meet him. She doesn’t ever talk about him, but going off of what we know she likely sees him as a curious figure whose presence looms over her life. Even does seem to care about her and feels a great sense of responsibility as the person who brought her into the world. Going off of the secret files in KH3, he remembered her when no else did. He also put his life on the line to make sure she was able to live a full life. It seems like he has a deep regret for the suffering she had to endure as part of the Organization from both the perspective of a scientist with an obligation to help others and as someone who had a responsibly to watch over her. I hope they do interact at some point in canon as it would be such an interesting scene.

So ends my little week dedicated to doing some fun little bits of analysis of my favorite character. I had a lot of fun doing it and I hope people enjoy reading it. I plan to do a bonus day, but it will just be little things.

Day 1 <3 Day 2 <3 Day 3 <3 Day 4 <3 Day 5 <3 Day 6 <3 Bonus

[urban-hermitism]

mandatory jiang cheng analysis now that i'm rewatching the untamed. (mind you i am currently 6 episodes in and this is exclusively based on the untamed. i have read the novel. i forget every word of it.)

tbh i have no strong opinions about the man in the first place just because... i don't really get attached to characters. and he wasn't like... interesting enough. but anyway

(adding a cut cause this got loooong)

seeing fandom discourse about him has made my conception of him confusing because he's always characterized as so angry by the fandom (at least from what i've seen. very surface level ik) but there's not really much reason to it other than jealousy about wwx and absorbing stuff from madam yu during the cloud recesses arc, and then bitterness and trauma (ig?) after the war and after the time-skip.

and then of course there's the fact that people either hate him or love him (as with many characters in this fandom lol) and there's really no in-between.

but rewatching the drama gave me thoughts:

1. the way jiang cheng acts with jin ling reminds me a lot of a concerned parent who can't express said concern through anything other than anger, and

2. bro is really concerned about face. actually a lot more concerned about it than the fandom led me to believe.

like okay, at first i was a bit confused as to why jiang cheng is constantly at wwx's neck for the smallest things, but i think these two factors play a major role in what makes him react the way he does.

I'll give two scenarios for your consideration:

first, let's look at jin ling in the first couple of episodes. this isn't about him, but rather how jiang cheng treats him. we know that jin ling cares a lot about his success. he does things (such as the 400 nets) to try and get ahead and do something note worthy. and jiang cheng encourages that attitude. he pushes his nephew to succeed, and jin ling responds to that. (i feel like their relationship actually sort of reflects the relationship jiang cheng had with madam yu. but that's something to look at another time.) at the same time, jiang cheng doesn't want jin ling to get hurt. he scolds him after recklessly going after the statue that appears in the first couple of episodes. but he doesn't know how to communicate his concern in any way other than yelling at him.

for the second we'll look at wwx during the cloud recesses arc. wwx is actually a lot more annoying than i remember, in the sense that i totally sympathize with jiang cheng. ik wwx is older, but it really feels like dynamic wise, jiang cheng is the older, responsible one telling wwx to behave himself. and he scolds him while telling him that! they argue! like siblings! but jiang cheng's frustration does seem a lot like the same concern that he has for jin ling. to jiang cheng, there are major consequences to misbehavior in gusu, and he wants to prevent anything bad happening to his brother. a lot of his anger seems to be out of care.

but in both cases, there's also the fact that i think jiang cheng is very conscious of face. honour/shame dynamics are very common in chinese culture, and as a clan heir, jiang cheng is probably hyper aware of the effects of one's actions on another's perception of you. he pushes jin ling to do better because it reflects well on the jinag, but more importantly, it reflects well on jin ling's parents. (and jinag cheng wants to honour his sister's memory, and what better way than to have her son succeed, and be able to stand with the best of his peers?) during the cloud recesses arc, they are in gusu to represent their clan, it's insulting to both their own clan and their hosts to be acting out of line. (probably, idk enough about chinese culture, but in my head it makes sense lol.)

wwx on the other hand appears to not care much about how one's actions affect the face of the group. there's definitely a sense that we get where he puts on this clueless, mischievous mask as a way to hide the fact that he's putting things together, but at cloud recesses, he's not really subtle about the goals of his questions. he's actually really blunt about things which is sorta unexpected. i'll need to compare that with how he acts later if to see if it's a skill he ends up developing better. but yeah, that aside, he just... he's willing to do stupid things because they are fun, and does not really think about how his frequent getting into trouble will affect others. (i'm not sure if he just straight up does not care, does not realize, or knows how to toe the line just so. maybe it's up to our interpretation. but i think the confrontation when the wen's interrupt their turn to salute, and the moment where he purposefully collides with jin zixuan and then lets him go ahead demonstrate a decent amount of social awareness so it's not like we can say he's totally unaware? idk.)

tldr, jiang cheng and wwx's personalities clash big time. one who cares too much about how one is perceived, and the other who completely disregards it. and big clash = argue a lot. iconic sibling behavior, let's be real

i do think that further along in the story it's possible that jiang cheng's motivations and reasons for why he acts the way he does become a lot more complex (because trauma + the war + just how people work in general), but to me, this concern for his family and his extreme focus on family honour seem to be his core motivators.

[comikas-fandom-dump]

Thoughts on the Third Hokage?

He is an incompetent coward.

...

Okay, okay. Real answer. Before I go onto a full-fledged rant about all (or at least the gist) of my grievances with the Third Hokage, let me explain. I personally consider Hiruzen to be the "victim of the plot".

In spite of an earlier, much more sympathetic characterization, Hiruzen gradually became less and less likable as the story went on. But Hiruzen's fall from grace, so to speak, didn't strike me as Kishimoto's "goal", rather than a plot necessity. Konoha itself falls into a similar category.

It is no secret that the story is always positively biased when it comes to everything Konoha. Whether it is child labor or straight-up genocide, the story will always find a way to conveniently gloss over the fact that the Village of the Hidden Leaf is actually the Village of the Hidden Horrors.

None of this was done to fool the audience, however. Naruto's story simply grew more complex. Characters were in need of compelling backstories to make them sympathetic, and they needed compelling motivations to pit them against our heroes. In order to achieve both, systemic issues were introduced to the village's world-building and, as the village's head honcho, it was physically impossible not to have that reflect back onto Hiruzen. The village's grievances would always either act as proof of the Hokage's incompetence or complicity.

This is why I view Hiruzen primarily as a tool of the plot rather than his own character. As for my thoughts on Hiruzen as a character, that one is far more complex.

The Murder Grandpa

As I explained just now, Hiruzen's characterization is driven by the needs of the plot. Initially, he is introduced to us as this benevolent, wise, old man with a silly streak. He spends time with his subjects, advises them on their personal struggles, and is one of the few people who express their sympathies for Naruto's plight.

But that's only until the Chunin Exams roll around.

Notably, the exams were an editorial adjustment that was added later on as Kishimoto planned out his story. According to an interview, Naruto (the character) was supposed to meet other 4-man cells on individual missions. Editors suggested the Chunin Exams be added to speed up the process of introducing characters.

Regardless, exams are no mission environment. Whereas it is entirely believable for characters to encounter dangerous situations on a mission (due to unpredictable encounters while out in the wilderness), a contained, supervised exam cannot turn lethal without the conductors' permission or negligence. Yet, the story likely needed the danger to build stakes, resulting in Hiruzen needlessly enabling death and murder.

Sure, the shinobi world is supposed to be this unforgiving place with no friendships - Only armistices. But, if a so-called "replacement war" must be fought to protect the balance between their nations, why does it have to be carried out on the backs of their youngest and weakest? Why burden them by convincing them that they are carrying the prestige (and by extension, the well-being) of the village on their little backs?

Sure, it makes sense from a logistic standpoint to sacrifice fodder first before wasting your most powerful resources - But Hiruzen still claims to care about the lives of his subjects, declaring the citizens of Konoha as his family. So, for some reason, while condemning Orochimaru for abusing his subordinate's loyalty for his personal gain, he simultaneously has the nerve to take advantage of his Genins' aspirations and loyalty for the village's gain.

It's that same attitude that Madara already criticized on Hashirama. At some point in time, the abstract concept of "village" replaced the lives of its inhabitants in Hashirama's visions for the future. Both Hiruzen and the Hokage before him have forgotten that wars are fought so the weak and innocent don't have to die, only to sacrifice the weak and innocent so that wars don't need to be fought.

And, while I addressed this in a different post before, Hiruzen very much had the choice to conduct a far less brutal Chunin Selection Examination. In fact, he has held them before, albeit during wartime, and with far more guardrails in place than there were during Naruto's era.

Where Team Minato simply had to battle other teams, under the supervision of proctors, Team 7 participated in a 5-day-long survival training amidst man-eating animals and ninja teams from rival (if not downright hostile) nations and with no proctors.

So yeah. This was a deliberate choice on Hiruzen's end.

The Disaster Hokage

We've already discussed Hiruzen's hypocrisy in regard to the Chunin Exams. Much like his peers and predecessors, Hiruzen has forgotten the purpose of the village and what "protecting Konoha" ultimately means. He ended up resigning himself to the idea that true peace can never be achieved in the world of Shinobi.

It's... not something I like but it's a clever justification of a character's cruelty: By making him a pessimist. But oh boi, he's not just a pessimist and it's getting worse once you really dig into it. Here's a small list of other things that Hiruzen screwed up:

Permanently bestowing political offices onto his unqualified friends and former teammates in what is best described as nepotism.

Waging war on smaller nations or their territory and inflicting lasting damages both to its land and inhabitants.

Trafficking children to forcefully turn them into Jinchuriki (人柱力 = "Power of Human Sacrifice").

Failing to implement the mandatory inclusion of a medical-nin on each team, even long after two world wars with massive casualty counts.

Lowering Academy graduation ages to send literal elementary schoolers to the battlefield.

Neglecting orphans and allowing them to be harassed by the village.

Permitting the practice of slavery for the sake of "clan traditions".

Condoning and sweeping a genocide under the rug by blaming it on the minor he and his friend had been manipulating since (at least) the age of 11.

Failing to hold Danzo accountable for repeatedly forcing children into killing their friends and families and blackmailing a literal orphanage.

Failing to deliver justice to Orochimaru after kidnapping, experimenting, and killing dozens of children, besides committing various other crimes against the village.

Now, I doubt that I need to go into full detail. You get the gist: Hiruzen sucked as a Hokage.

Once again, and much like with Konoha itself, I doubt that Kishimoto ever really intended to give Hiruzen this bad of a track record, or, at least I doubt he did so initially when he first created the character. Even then, he probably hoped to save his characterization by making him an ineffective leader rather than a malevolent one.

Still, the staggering amount of mistakes and downright atrocities committed during his reign, right in front of his face, make it hard to believe it was all just due to incompetence. Some can perhaps be explained or maybe even excused with the "cruelty and unpredictability of the ninja world", ends-justify-the-means-style, but we never even see him try to circumvent that ugly fate even though he is, supposedly, the most powerful man in the village. You can use that excuse for a child or a mere cog in the system, not for the Hokage himself.

And yet, here we are.

[comicbookgirl2]

Pls don’t be mad at me because I’m genuinely curious here

But why do some people seriously think that the writer of jjk hates Gojo?

Because I’d argue that if anything Gojo was one of the favorites (yes even tho you could argue the cruel irony of his track record)

I’m not saying the way he was handled near the end of the story was flawlessly perfect (in fact I sort of have problems with how most of his story played out tbh) - but:

I genuinely think that right off the bat Gojo was built or manufactured to be memorable or popular. His design is eye catching. He is rich, good looking and charismatic all while harboring his own contradictions and convictions on himself and the world around him. He’s the entire clan leader of one of the pillars of jujutsu society meaning he has just as much social power as he does political power. His personality reminds me of Howl Pendragon??? So right off the bat he’s guaranteed to be at least intriguing/successful.

I mean in the grand scheme of things he’s the only character who got a full blown backstory arc. Not the mc not the main villain. Him.

Hes been in every single jjk movie- and his backstory got both a movie and a multi-episode arc while Yuki legit got nothing remotely close.

Plus he’s the best at everything no matter how much that kneecaps or limits others because he’s a literal glass ceiling. The story practically had a non spoken rule that pretty much no one could be better at Gojo in anything combat/sorcery wise (maybe save for Shoko/Sukuna with external RCT but I sorta digress.)

In the world where nearly everyone else had humble or unknown beginnings His backstory is almost akin to a mythological demigod- his powers are tied to a god-like being (Tengen) via fate- and the act of his birth alone shifted the balance that badly. He even alludes to his wakening/enlightenment to having some sort of higher power/divinity (idk maybe his frontal lobe was fried but still-)) Like how is that not cool and intriguing???

And that aside he’s practically got some of the best powers/moments in the series and got to fight more than once. And even when he was too strong to be around the story put him in a box in a relatively good state. Like he didn’t get pointlessly packed up like Nobara did (who ended up losing an entire eye btw), or nearly dismembered like Hana/Angel who lost an arm just to make her powers weaker. Or killed off like Yuki who probably would’ve given Sukuna a VERY hard time if she’d lived ((I’m so sore about how Yuki/Nobara was treated. Like there’s just no satisfying answer there to me lol))

Heck I’ll just say it now that a good chunk of the best writing in JJK is connected to or is from Gojo. The BEST stories in this arc do NOT happen without Satoru Gojo being connected to it in some shape or form.

So no Gojo we can’t all just forget about you.

So why do people think the writer hates him say moreso than Nobara or Miwa? (Hate how the story treated these two btw) At least Gojo’s loneliness was taken seriously.

Sure his death is sorta spotty and I do think his revolutionary ideas were loaded with untapped potential/ambition that could’ve been used to strengthen the characterization of others and the world but Like compare everything he got to how Yuji, Megumi, and so many members of the female cast got and are we sure the writer hated Gojo?

I just want to hear someone else’s take.

Maybe it’s all just a joke tho.

[bringthekaos]

Do you have any Jayvik fic recs?

It’s about time I did a part two of JayVik fic recs! (My first round of recommendations can be found here!)

Sleepover by Kirbily—rated E. Words cannot accurately express how much I adore this fic. Divorce Era. Jayce has taken on a ward, seven year old Amaranthine. She is, in the best possible way, a tiny terror. Jayce and Viktor are working on rekindling things, and Amaranthine is finally meeting Viktor for the first time. It’s sexy, sweet, domestic, heart wrenching. It’s literally one of my all time favorites.

I’m All Yours (You’re All Mine) by Fenfyre—rated E. Reaaaally scratches the Dom Viktor/Sub Jayce itch. Divorce Era. Jayce is abducted by some Undercity thugs. Viktor makes their pronouns past tense. Realizes that Jayce is turned on by how scary he is, drops right into Dom mode. Degradation kink, edging, bondage & gagging (someone else put them on but both of them are beyond ok with it), humiliation. Just nails the whole love/hate/sex/love life cycle of Divorce Era.

Notes on Germination and Fantasy: A Field Study by SirExcelsior—rated E. Arcane Era, 2 chapters. Heed the tags. Jayce is alone in the lab with the Hexcore. Viktor is elsewhere, thinking about Jayce. The Hexcore responds to Viktor’s thoughts, and subsequently acts on them. Good ol’ tentacle porn. I’m not usually into that, but this is done very well, in a way that is weaved into Viktor’s psyche and his longing for Jayce. Leads to realizations and confessions, and then Viktor gets to do the things he was thinking about. Lighthearted and funny and yet also super sexy.

A Guide On How To React When Your Nemesis Is Dying by TradingJack—angst, rated M for blood and gore. Divorce Era. Heed the tags. Jayce is mortally wounded in battle, and Viktor intervenes to save him. The characterization in this fic is so deliciously spot-on; Viktor is calm and collected in crisis, but you can see the notes of worry, of panic as Jayce’s condition worsens. Jayce is wary of what Viktor will do to save him, augment-wise, because he doesn’t want that. And the angst hurts so good.

That’s all folks, til next time!!!

[ada-tan]

Been a while since I yapped about diamivy... anyway!

I think their support really touches on two huge aspects of their characters: Diamant's sincerity and insecurity, Ivy's trust issues and valuing of genuine intent.

A VERY recurring theme in Diamant's bond supports is his insecurity. The uncertainty he faces in his future role as king, and whether he'll be a good ruler or not. And in Ivy's bond supports, the topic of trust comes up often. Namely her troubles with it, borne from her upbringing.

Their support is one of TWO instances where Diamant openly reveals his insecurity towards leadership/ruling to someone who isn't an emblem (the other person is Alear).

The man who feels he should show NO fear, no weakness, unloads to a woman who WAS his sworn enemy until a bit ago. The crown princess of Elusia, THE person he should not be revealing weakness to.

And this unexpected moment of sincerity from him directly plays on Ivy's trust. It starts with the gem he personally gives her, but there is hesitance.

She thinks that he may want something in return (hence her NEED to thank him, to not owe a debt), because growing up, Ivy has been made to believe that most relationships ARE transactional. People want things from you. Acts of kindness are not acts of sincerity. They have conditions.

And with the prince of BRODIA? There has to be a catch. She can't be beholden to him or his country.

Despite what people say ("oh they're instantly friends"), there IS an undercurrent of tension and distrust initially!

But it's covered by a layer of royal decorum and "rising above" feuds and heated emotions (which Alcryst's dynamic with Ivy directly - and interestingly - contrasts), and it's covered by a faint understanding of each other's circumstances.

And it's fully broken when Diamant reveals his deeper insecurities. Unexpected to her, and even unexpected to HIM ("sorry for unloading").

And Ivy's response to that? "I'm relieved you're a kind person"... though the localization changes it to, "I'm relieved you have the same concerns".

Both establish connection, but the original emphasizes his kind nature, which opens Ivy up to trusting his intent and vision, thus allowing her to have faith in it, as well.

This is what spurs her to make the necklace from his gem, to give him the tangible plan he NEEDED for a new connection to Elusia, not fueled by, or reliant on, war.

Ivy has always struggled to trust and open up to others, but when she sees their sentiment is genuine, and that their good intent is true (the Kagetsu support is a great example of this), this allows her to fully open up.

And this is what happens with Diamant.

He - unintentionally - makes himself vulnerable with her, a rare occurrence for him, and she puts aside her discomfort and tension to begin the path to trusting in him as a friend, and partner she can work alongside to restore and reform both their countries.

Diamant and Ivy not immediately jumping to lashing out and hatred? Is perfectly true to their characters, and imo is a more interesting angle on the usual "enemies to friends" formula.

Enemies by circumstance, but two people who actually connect really well with each other once they're able to peel back the layers.

A really good support characterization wise, and SUCH a fave.

[idylls-of-the-divine-romance]

Are you familiar with the term “amipotence?” I was reminded of it when you answered anon about omnipotence. Curious of your thoughts on it

I have never heard of it but I looked it up AND IT LOOKS FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!

I found an article written by the guy who coined it and uhhh I’ll just post like the whole thing lollll

Amipotence combines two Latin words ami and potens. The first means “love,” and we find it in words like “amicable,” “amity,” and “amigo.” The second is the Latin word for power or influence, and we find it in “potential” and “potency.” Amipotence is pronounced, “am” (as in “Amsterdam”), with a short “i” (as in “it”), and “po-tence” (similar to “moments”).

I coined this word to stress the priority of love over power in God. Divine love (ami) comes logically and conceptually prior to divine power (potens). We best understand God in general and divine power in particular if we give love pride of place. Love comes first.

Amipotence interprets the Johannine phrase “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8,16) to mean love comes first in God. God is necessarily loving, because it’s God’s eternal and unchanging nature to love. God could no more stop loving than stop existing; but both are metaphysical impossibilities. Amipotence agrees with John Wesley when he says, “God is often styled holy, righteous, wise… [but] he is said to be love: intimating that this is . . . his reigning attribute, the attribute that sheds an amiable glory on all his other perfections.”

Crucial to making sense of amipotence is making sense of love. Most theologians say God loves, and some say divine love is powerful. But few define love carefully or allow love to characterize divine power in a satisfactory way. As a result, the majority portray God’s love in ways that differ radically from what we consider love.

[…]

We best define the love in amipotence as acting intentionally, in relational response to God and others, to promote overall well-being. This definition applies to both divine and creaturely love. The love God and creatures express, in other words, involves intentional action, relations with others, and the aim to promote flourishing. And because love is inherently uncontrolling, neither divine nor creaturely love controls.

Love can’t be omnipotent.

While the definition of love applies to God and creatures, divine love is greater in degree than creaturely love. Divine love is universal and therefore differs in scope, because only God is omnipresent. God’s love differs in duration and frequency, because God loves everlastingly. Divine love differs in adequacy, because God is omniscient and therefore better knows what promotes well-being. Divine love is necessary, because it’s God’s nature to love; creatures may or may not love. Divine love is perfectly sensitive and vulnerable, because God is affected by all creation. Creatures often fail to empathize with a few, let alone be sensitive to all.

The “potence” of amipotence pertains to God’s influence. Divine power is immensely more influential than creaturely power. God is more powerful, in part, because God affects all creation. And divine love is more powerful because everlastingly relentless. The power of amipotence is active and receptive, empowering and empathetic, wooing but persistent, and always uncontrolling. God’s love is literally the most powerful force in the universe.

An amipotent God is not omnipotent in the sense of having all power. It is impossible for a loving God to have all power, because love requires responsive others with power. An amipotent God is not omnipotent in the sense of being able to do absolutely anything. After all, love cannot sin, cannot force its own way, cannot be isolated, cannot make 2 + 2 = 7, and more. And an amipotent God does not control creatures or circumstances, because love is inherently uncontrolling. 

God exerts the greatest conceivable power but, thank goodness, is not omnipotent. Amipotence is maximal divine power in the service of love.

I still would take it a step forward: love IS power, and not separate from it. This is where my thought gets kind of Thomist (he believed love and justice and wisdom were all one but we experienced them differently). All virtues are extensions of love. All divine attributes or energies are emanations of Love. I haven’t fully fleshed out or developed this idea but. I’m glad to know there are others who have had similar thoughts.

I think this is also a way to have still have a philosophical understanding of God (that is, God as Ultimate Reality), while still keeping an open theist and immanent perspective. But I need to meditate on this first