#Flawed Protagonists

[joncronshawauthor]

Heroic Journeys in Modern Fantasy: The Rise of Flawed Protagonists

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of modern fantasy literature, a new kind of hero began to emerge. Gone are the days when heroes were as spotless as a knight’s freshly polished armour. Today’s fantasy protagonists are more akin to a warrior who’s been through a few too many battles and perhaps one too many visits to the mead hall. They’re flawed, complex, and as perfectly imperfect as a spell…

[dreamchasernina]

If they ever make the live action version the Guru episode it’ll go like this.

The guru: so, Aang, let’s start opening up your chakras. What are you ashamed of?

Aang (who never hurt Katara): ummm…

The guru: What do you blame yourself for?

Aang (who never ran away): uuuummm…

The guru: What are the lies you tell yourself?

Aang (who never denied he’s the avatar): ummmm…

The guru: What attaches you to this world?

Aang (who isn’t in love with Katara): ummmmm…

The guru: WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE?

[bixels]

I'm glad nobody's questioned why Sunset's personality is so different in the AU, but I'll explained anyways. AU Sunset basically has Tempest Shadow's personality. I decided not to adapt Tempest because too many redeemed villains, she doesn't play an important role in the overall story, and her broken horn is so cool and unique to her as a unicorn that any adaptation wouldn't do it justice. So I fused the two together. Sunset's backstory and hotheadedness with Tempest's tired, jaded, anti-social disposition and fighting skills.

Anyways, I hope it's not too jarring of a change. The more I develop Sunset, the more you'll probably notice how OOC she seems. I'll probably end up adopting Sunset into an OC once I'm done with the AU, since she's basically a completely different character.

[comradekatara]

one thing i really love about korra is that her go to everyday outfit is sweatpants and a tank top, and then her go to sleeping outfit is….. a different pair of sweatpants and a different tank top. she’s so fucking real for that

[salty-an-disco]

I disagree with Narrator in a very fundamental and philosophical level, but you know, even if I agreed 100% with his worldview and the reality he wants to bring about, I’d still think he’s wrong for taking matters into his own hands and changing THE VERY FABRIC OF REALITY affecting people in the entire universe, simply because HE thinks he knows what best for the world.

Like– that’s why I find him so fascinating, it’s not only the fear of death or disgust towards the very concept of change (tho that is very funny and interesting in its own right), but the utter arrogance to champion himself Savior of the World without EVER considering that maybe– just maybe, people might not agree with what he plans to do.

Like. Hubris indeed, and he even has the gall to say, “you can still do what you must and kill her” when we call him out on it. Like. Wow. I want to study this guy under a microscope.

[imagone]

togashi: writes a compelling arc where the lines between good and evil gradually blur and the “well raised”, naive yet humanly selfish child protagonist gives into his negative emotions, to the point of breaking down under the gruesome circumstances he encounters, almost losing his life on the path of revenge while tunnelvisioning on his rage because he’s not fully developed yet and not prepared for the pain he experiences. similarly the cruel, “inhuman” antagonist learns compassion and the worth of every life with every episode ultimately showing us depending on the right conditions, we are capable of being both.

some white weeb somehow: gon has always been a problematic piece of shit, I can’t believe he would treat killua like that. he should have stayed comatose

[stealingpotatoes]

Tales of the Empire (spoilers)

Morgan Elspeth: “My world has been burning since I was a child, why should this world be any different?”

-such a boomer statement, made me instantly dislike her (as if the terrorizing the citizens of Corvus wasn’t enough)

YEAH its wack bc she was a terrible choice to make a short story anthology out of but if they'd actually used their brains they could've made smthn interesting. as it is, her stories are essentially all "morgan kill people she bad" and it feels like someone bullshitting a 3000 word essay on a topic they havent studied. IF INSTEAD they'd made it a sort of mirror to barriss' story and about how people respond to trauma differently, they really could've told a decent story despite her being so meh. like just show how some people don't go "i hope this never happens to anyone ever again" and go against the fascists, some people (morgan, in a good version of this show) become their enemy in their anger and in clawing for their own survival. instead they spent 3 episodes saying literally nothing and pissing on timothy zahn while they were at it

[hylialeia]

not going to bug people in the tags but it is (legitimately!) interesting to see a character in asoiaf who is so clearly meant to be the traditional fantasy red herring chosen prince, and to see people - including the readers! - gravitate towards that romanticism, often unquestioning. I think one of asoiaf's major motifs being "ruling is hard" (see GRRM's thoughts on Tolkien) and that consistently showing up across every pov regardless of their morality or ideals or circumstances, yet both people in universe and in fanbase stalwartly believing that surely this does not or will not apply to their ruler... now, that IS fascinating

[rowanoftheunknown]

I love that stede acknowledged he was a shit dad actually like they don't woobify the fact that he is just. Not a very good father. I am not being sarcastic when I say I love it.

[ohitslen]

I am here, once again, with my Ao No Flag propaganda

These two specific panels of Toma were the thing that made me think over a year ago “Man. I want to be like that too” as in KAITO drawing expression because—

The subtle shift of emotion, it’s present all throughout the manga, but this is what sold it for me. For no particular reason, it’s not even the best example, it was just what sealed the deal to me

[backjustforberena]

I've finally watched Fate: The Winx Saga and... wow.

[joncronshawauthor]

The Anti-Hero's Journey: From Ancient Epics to Modern Fantasy

Fantasy literature has long been known for its iconic heroes and valiant champions, but it is the rise of the anti-hero that has reshaped the genre’s landscape. Anti-heroes, flawed and morally ambiguous protagonists who defy conventional notions of heroism, have emerged as captivating figures who challenge traditional storytelling tropes. Today, we’ll trace the evolution of anti-heroes in…

[takeme-totheworld]

Hot take: I think what my perpetual stabby feelings about the state of GO Discourse come down to is that I resonated so unbelievably hard with Aziraphale exactly as he was presented to us in the show, and I feel like all of these elaborate theories about the final fifteen in which there was Something We Didn’t See going on (that would change the entire meaning of what we DID see) are tantamount to trying to change Aziraphale into a totally different character who people would feel more comfortable rooting for.

Like obviously people can theorize whatever they want about this show, but it’s left such a bad taste in my mouth that I’ve stopped making my serious Aziraphale thoughts rebloggable because I don’t want them used as fodder in this ongoing fanon rewrite of his character that erases all the traits I found so relatable and turns him into some kind of 5d chess master who’s going to single-handedly topple the system.

(I’m this close to doing the same thing with Serious Crowley Thoughts, btw…I’m not here for “suffering martyr Crowley whose every waking moment has been pain” OR “Crowley the stupid jerk who should have listened to his husband.” I just can’t, both of these characters are so much more multifaceted than that.)

[hecksupremechips]

To also go off of the point about cop!akihiko being annoying to me I gotta say that Akihiko as a character is very hit or miss with me because of how different adaptations of p3 will subtly alter his character. I felt like in portable with the femc route he comes off best, he’s a bit of a hothead with an obsession with fighting, but he’s overcompensating his strength so he doesn’t feel as weak and helpless as he’s been in many situations. He defines strength in a very literal sense, being physically strong and using that to protect others, but he’s lacking in emotional strength as a result. And in particular in this version I think he’s portrayed as a bit more goofy and sweet in a sense. He cares deeply for you as a friend and leader but he struggles with finding the words to describe how he feels. Hes kinda naive and gullible and has trouble noticing his surroundings. He has no clue what he’s doing but his heart is in the right place. I think he just comes off much more human and he has flaws, many many flaws, and that makes him all the more lovable

But then in other adaptations and spinoffs it’s like. They look at him through some hetero male bullshit filter and seem to view him as a lot more admirable and cool. Like in p3 dancing, theres literally an event where he’s talking with Junpei and Minato and they’re gushing about how perfect Akihiko is and how he doesn’t seem to have ANY flaws at all. And it becomes clear his inability to flirt with women just gets added as a way to make sure you, the Straight Male Player, don’t get insecure being next to such Perfection because at the end of the day, you’re still more charming and sexy than he will ever be because you’re better. It’s a “flaw” that’s only there to shield a sensitive male ego. And then in arena I mean, come on. He’s overly beefy and is a damn cop and travels the world and loves Protein™️ it’s his whole personality and he’s so clearly meant to be seen as hot but like, he’s just some shitty hetero male fantasy. Hes what the writers deem to be a Perfect Man that every guy wishes he could be, but don’t worry he’s still bad with women so you don’t gotta worry about him stealing your property- I mean, girlfriend!

And though I’ve not played reload and don’t really plan to anytime soon, judging from his social episodes they seem to have a similar problem. Akihiko comes off as a lot less approachable, like the year age gap is just too much of a barrier to get to know him properly. And he doesn’t have that dorky sweetness he has in portable, he’s just that perfect hetero male fantasy guy and don’t you fucking worry- he still has his protein powder with him

[lord-squiggletits]

The thing about the fandom headcanon that calls Pharma Ratchet's crazy ex and treats him like some sort of stalker or intrusion on Ratchet's love life (usually with Drift) is that

On one level, it's already annoying when a perfectly fine/interesting character is reduced to nothing but "bitter ex getting in the way of The Actual OTP" because it simplifies the character to only exist as a satellite to someone's ship (the bitter loser who can't let go/doesn't deserve person A/etc) instead of having their own life going on.

But when it comes to Pharma it's particularly annoying because it reduces Pharma to "the crazy stalker/bitter ex", framing Pharma as if he's the villain ruining Ratchet's life with his inability to just let go,

When in actual canon it was Ratchet who was best friends with Pharma their whole life (they're even shown together in the Functionist Universe). Ratchet who ditched Pharma with barely a word of goodbye (before Delphi, and ironically the same conversation where Pharma asked Ratchet if he should accept the station at Delphi). And it was Ratchet who asked Drift if he was scared of going into DJD territory as an ex-Decepticon, but treated Pharma like scum for killing patients under threat of being murdered by the DJD. And Ratchet who stole Pharma's hands. And Ratchet who tried to manipulate Pharma by using his deepest insecurities against him on Luna-1.

It's not like Pharma is some rando who Ratchet barely knew. They were BEST FRIENDS whose friendship was severed on a really messy note. Pharma has every right to be invested in a relationship/friendship that almost literally lasted he and Ratchet's entire life. It sucks when people implicitly treat Pharma as if he's obsessed and should just move on when the reality is that it was Ratchet who first terminated their relationship with no explanation or even a goodbye (pre Delphi) and then with leaving Pharma to die and then stealing his hands (post-Delphi). So is Pharma really "obsessed" or is he just understandably upset about being betrayed by the person who should've known and cared about him the most?

So like, it's really annoying when Ratchet has so many flaws in canon and questionable ways he treated Pharma, but the fandom just calls Pharma a crazy stalker ex as if Pharma is the freak who's overreacting and mentally insane while Ratchet is just some guy who was only minding his own business. To me it's not even a matter of shipping, it's just the fact that Ratchet DID handle his relationship with Pharma super fucking poorly. And I really wish more people in the fandom acknowledged that instead of framing Pharma as the evil/crazy/overly attached one for being upset about being ditched. Pharma has reasons to be pissed off and driven to get revenge on Ratchet, and even if his romantic feelings towards Ratchet might play somewhat of a role, Pharma is way more than just some stalker ex who's evil because he's crazy and wants Ratchet to be his boyfriend.

I mean Pharma literally says on the page that the reasons he's angry at Ratchet are for ruining his plans at Delphi and for stealing his hands. Even though Pharma-as-Adaptus orders Drift shot later in LL, it's not explicitly framed as some romantic jealousy and could also just as easily be construed as Pharma getting revenge for Drift cutting his hands off. I don't think Pharma ever even talks about or mentions Drift in the entire story. It's very clear that Pharma's beef/obsession with Ratchet is entirely between him and Ratchet and Drift is only a footnote in all of the reasons Pharma is pissed off.

[tomlivingspace]

misogyny was still rampant in the first series but its interesting how much it was also a part of the plot. bluestar had to give up her kits in order to be deputy because a nursing mother wouldn't have been fit to be leader. yellowfang is blamed by starclan for being brokenstar's mother despite him never even knowing she was. it's just interesting how much the tragedy of how misogyny manifests within the clans in the first series is present and just kind of goes away. there's still misogyny but most of it isn't an intentional flaw of clan culture. the flaws of clan culture are focused more on forbidden romance romance crap