#abusers are smart
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kens-ramblings · 8 months ago
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so ik it’s not cannon accurate but,,,
i need a fic of tim just crashing out.
like he gets so sick of like damian and jason talking about how weak he is and shit like that that he’s like “yall realize lady shiva was my one of my FIRST teachers, and i was the first robin she trained. i had to train under b AFTER he already lost a robin. you DONT think he was 10x harder on me than any of you guys???? there’s a reason my training videos are mainly redacted without bruce’s or my permission. i got ra’s al ghul BEGGING ME to join his league or have my children. i get gifts from him WEEKLY. do you KNOW how many of his little ninja i fight per DAY??? nahh im sick of this shit let’s take it to the mats” and just demolishing both of them at the same time.
i just think it’d be very funny. i just like fics of people who pretend to be weaker than they are(or they just never really have a reason to go full tilt so they just don’t) get sick of holding back and just losing it :D
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blessedbrick · 6 months ago
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Bro the way that the fandom describes Hawks as stupid is crazy. Before I watched the anime I thought he was dumb because literally every single piece of fanart/fic said he was. He’s one of the smartest characters in the entire anime like that’s the whole point of him
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cynthiav06 · 2 months ago
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A big part of the fandom doesn't deserve to have Percy as a protagonist because of how they treat him and mischaracterize them to make their own favorite characters "better", more sympathetic or more tragic. Can they stop blaming Percy for Bianca's death? No offense to her stans but what was Percy to do when SHE was the one who stole from a fucking junkyard where they were specifically warned not to touch/take anything? Plus isn't she the one who basically abandoned her brother and joined the Huntresses? Can they stop acting as if Percy is stupid when he is actually better at coming up with strategies where no one gets hurts or killed *cough*unlike a certain blonde*cough*? Can they stop excusing Annabeth for being such a shitty person to Percy and anyone interested in him romantically or platonically? Can they fucking understand that her "cute nickname" to her boyfriend "Seaweed brain" is actually an insult and not a cutesy little token of love? Can they understand that judo flipping him, punching/hitting/etc him and liking to make him anxious is what typical toxic and abusive partners do? I don't care that she was abused and neglected as a child, having been abused is an explanation never an excuse. Percy was also abused by his stepdad and yet he doesn't act like her. Also another thing (and this one might be heavily controversial but) Sally Jackson is a loving mom, she tried her best for her kid but she is not a good mom, she was selfish in her love and got herself and her kid stuck with an abusive bastard for years despite the fact that she had safer options. At this point I feel like we didn't even read the same books or that these people didn't even read the series they just watch youtube and tiktok videos that are mostly filled with misinformation and headcanons.
I know I am extremely late in my response but hopefully not 'late to your own funeral' level of late. It was partly due to health problems and back to back exams I had and partly due to my procrastination habits. Which is why now that I am considerably free, I am trying to answer all the asks in my inbox.
I absolutely agree with most of the things you have said. I myself am extremely tired of repeating the same things over and over again to the fandom but I am under no delusions that any posts debunking biased takes, character assassination headcanons and absolutely baseless assumptions will actually stop anything or even change anyone's opinions.
These posts are just for people with similar mindset to interact with something that finally meets with their pov and aren't led to feeling isolated in the fandom due to monopoly canon ships and other such topics have in fandom posts. Sort of to create a safe space cause I myself was spared of the worst of the fandom's wrath due to there already being an established anti percabeth community, small but reliable and supportive. I even had to the fortune of never receiving a single death threat, at least in this fandom, and I want to make sure that any new mutuals I have get the same experience.
For the whole Percy being blamed for no absolute reason and for completely made-up reasons for the Nico-Bianca situation, I have already made a post here.
Percy being more strategic than Annabeth was something I have stated in multiple posts but mostly here. And Rick himself did give us proof, too, both about Percy getting better grades than Annabeth and how Seaweed brain is, in fact, an insult.
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I really believe that Percy and Annabeth's lack of nuanced emotional interactions, contrasting goals, and really conflicting fatal flaws all make up for a doomed relationship scenario. Percy finds himself unable to share about any of his trauma with Annabeth, and he also seems very insecure about their relationship and believes he can't live up to Annabeth's expectations or is being a bad boyfriend. Annabeth doesn't seem to be able to pick up on any of this, and without proper conversation, they are both chafing. Not to mention, Annabeth's toxic habits are not something Percy will ever address, and eventually, they will both just end up resenting each other. I had an idea about Percabeth break up and why and how it would occur, and I have posted about it here, and that's all I really want to say on that matter.
As for the Sally Jackson bit, I am actually planning on a Sally centric post. I have read so many takes on her and Percy's relationship and I am in the process of making it. Will definitely tag you in that.
Though what I will say is that, while Sally's love for Percy was very selfish, I think it was realistically rooted in her own trauma, the two way abandonment issues between both her and Percy and a mother's desperation.
Because for all the trauma Percy suffered under Gabe, you have to remember Sally suffered twice as much. She sent Percy off to boarding schools to spare him most of Gabe's influence while she suffered both physical and mental abuse throughout the six years she was with Gabe. The fact that Sally was willing put herself and Percy through the trauma of Gabe's abuse should highlight just how desperate she was to keep Percy with herself. And how despite all of Gabe's abuse he would face at home if he stayed, Percy resented Sally for sending him away to boarding school.
There's such an intricate codependency and deep-rooted trauma, maybe even generational trauma there. I really want to explore all of that cause I think Sally had very simple motivations and put herself and Percy through such complex methods to try and achieve those motivations permanently.
So yeah, there will be a post on that soon. I will tag you in that one, and there's another one I have to get to just before that. It's a Frank and Percy centric post, and I really loved that idea and I think I have most of my thoughts ready for both these posts. So expect them by the end of the week for sure.
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punkeropercyjackson · 2 months ago
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Percy Jackson's often headcanoned as crushing on Luke Castellan and various male gods but that's very reductist of Percy's anti-authoritanism,no?It's 'normal'(allegedly)to crush on older people growing up but that phenomenon dosen't apply to Percy with the characterization of hating older people that's always been there in mind and the lack interest in pursuing romance there too.'Bi Percy truthers' are frankly hysterical with how much they tweak over this eighteen year old punk children's protagonist not thirsting after crusty old men who overwatched their childhood as they turned them into a child soldier or the dude who manipulated them for their own gain from the start then spent the series abusing them.Have you ever read a book with an actual bisexual protagonist or were the lack of age gaps 'sanitazed' to you
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itsalmostavengers · 3 months ago
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There’s so many elements of Tony Stark’s childhood and younger years that I could make soooosososo sad if I gave it enough thought and also made some stuff up to fit my own personal narrative of him
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laegolas · 2 years ago
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Lighting and painting practice with Taizi Dianxia and Chengzu
Edit: I forgot how much tumblr scrunches images anyway click for high res
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bvrialatsea · 2 months ago
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what kind of characterization were people expecting for the bad boys episode?
hi anon, i can't answer for others but this is my understanding. basically, there were a few posts floating around claiming young!dean's characterization was off in contrast to his other appearances on the show.
you see, 'bad boys' young!dean was softer, kinder, and more innocent than other depictions of him like in 'after school special' and 'something wicked' (insanely enough, yes, this is mentioned in one of the posts) and that made people reject the characterization, most claiming the writers just didn't have the balls to write dean how he really is (rather, how they see him).
it's nonsensical to me because we do see dean at the start of the episode being violent, sarcastic, and closed-off (to mask his fear, of course) but as days go by and he is given a safe space without any of john's expectations, exploitation or abuse, dean thrives, gets good grades, does wrestling, makes friends, finds love, etc,, and certain people do not want that to be true. they need dean to be selfish, they need dean to be nothing without his family, they need him to be desensitized and violent and "mature for his age" (but only in the way where he's a sexual predator, not the maturity he displays at the end of the episode when he makes a very selfless choice so he can stay by sam's side)-- they need the version of him which sam's memories depicts in previous episodes to be the more 'correct' one, instead of the humanizing, softer version we got from dean's own pov.
my main issue is not the opinion of liking or not liking 'bad boys', it's with how people spoke about it which ties-in with the fandom's repeated dehumanization of dean, the denial of him being subjected to abuse, and their need for him to fit a mold so he can be their designated abuser. i think it's heartless, i think it's stupid, i think a bunch of people are not-so-subtly promoting for the idea that abuse victims (especially boys) can only look like one thing, and i hate it.
i don't think 'bad boys' young!dean is a bad take on him, even if you do think dean's been abused (physically, emotionally, and/or even sexually) by that point--as do i-- i think abuse victims can retain part of their innocence when placed in a safe environment.
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deservedgrace · 1 year ago
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cult jokes are a symptom of and contribute to the simultaneous sensationalizing of cults (cults are all dark cloaks and animal sacrifices and devil worship and group suicide and despicable/unhinged beliefs) and diminishing of cults ("uwu come join my CULT XD we're gonna make cookies and WORSHIP SATAN teehee"), but i'm realizing how they go so hand-in-hand with the mindset of "only ~stupid/evil/crazy/etc.~ people could possibly join a cult. if it were me i would simply not fall for cult propaganda."
the diminishing part means that people don't take you seriously if you say you're an ex cult member or talk about your experiences in a cult or believe you are a current victim of a cult, because cults are just silly little groups that have weird beliefs but are otherwise innocuous. the sensationalizing part means people will also not take you seriously because if it was Actually a cult cult, that does harm and has evil beliefs, you should've known better because any reasonable person would have seen through it. the other side of "only an [xyz] person joins a cult" is "i am not an [xyz] person so i will never join a cult or be victim to propaganda and other cult tactics." the other side of "if it were me i would simply not fall for propaganda" is "someone falling for propaganda is fully a choice and a personal failing on their part." and combined they make: if you were [xyz] enough to join a cult and fall for propaganda, that means you deserved it.
people who would never make jokes about any other kind of abuse but feel perfectly fine making cult jokes used to kind of baffle me, because why is joking about personal abuse a problem but large-scale/group abuse is fine? why is it suddenly funny when you're the one that wants to perpetuate the abuse? but if your belief around cults is: "your experience wasn't that bad [diminishing], and if it was that bad [sensationalizing] it was your own fault and personal failing [i would simply not fall for propaganda], which means you deserved what you went through [only stupid/evil/crazy/etc people join cults]" and you don't understand how cults or cult tactics work, cult survivors/victims probably feel like a fair target for jokes (they are not, to be clear).
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huffelpuff210 · 6 months ago
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Bucky Barnes x shy reader Connection part 3
Summary: Steve and the others learn just how bad the government facility was,
You were showing them everything in the underground home, there were a total of ten rooms, a workout room a workshop, massive living room and kitchen everything was solar paneled each room had a bathroom,
“So I know it’s nothing like avengers tower.. but you are all welcome to stay I did quite a few upgrades,” you say your voice scratchy and squeaky from all the screaming from being tortured and not to mention one of the men squeezed your throat so hard he damaged your voice box you couldn’t talk for the longest time
“We would love to stay.”Steve answered,
Your back still facing them you are sure they haven’t seen your mangled face yet,
You nod
“Good pick any room, I’m gonna have to make a run for supplies and food..”you began
“don’t worry about that, we’ve got plenty food and supplies,” Natasha says
You nodded still not facing them,
“Okay make yourselves at home, excuse me I have to check on the system
” you say walking away
After checking cameras and wire’s making sure the steel door has some counter measures in case someone tries to force their way through, you are in your workshop tweaking the AI watch you have been working on, a giant magnifying glass as you continue working on it.
your thoughts drift back to the facility
.
Blood was all you could taste in your mouth your breathing ragged as one of the agents had a fist full of your hair making you look up at him after he beat the shit out of you,
“You know he is not coming for you. You might as well tell us where you last saw him or where he went.” The man says
You chuckled,
“Good as long as he and the others are safe that’s all that matters to me, you never will figure it out just like you will never crack my computer..” you say with a dry laugh
He backhanded you making you fall to the ground he started kick you,
“You will crack they all do eventually!” He says as he kicks you
********
You shake your head trying to rid yourself of memory, you look at the watch your hands were shaking you put down the tools in your hands taking a deep breath,
You hear a knock on the door,
“Yeah.” You answer it
“Hey you just-“ Nat says cutting herself off seeing your face
She gasps grabbing your chin,
“Christ Y/N! Why didn’t you say anything look at these injuries!” She said clearly upset
You pull your chin out of her grip,
“Didn’t think it was that big of a deal.” You say
“Well it is!” She says pulling you out of your seat
“Are there anymore injuries?” She asked pulling your shirt up a little to see,
Natasha was shocked, not only at the injuries you have but your overall health, you were underweight pale and by the looks of it you haven’t slept in a good while.
She grabs your wrist, leading you out of the room,
“Where was the medical room?” She asked
“Second door on the right.”you say
She nods talking you there you hear a few footsteps behind you, she Ordered you to sit on the medical table,
You sighed
“Nat it’s really not-“ you began but she only pointed
You sighed sitting on the table where Steve got a real good look at your face and injuries this only made him feel more guilty, what you didn’t notice was the way Bucky was looking at you with eyes filled with sadness and anger
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deathandnonexistentialdread · 5 months ago
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So you're telling me that White, raised to be a diplomat, definitely has at least a degree in basic political science, does not know how the common people are being screwed over by the government?
He is naive about it?? So he did not learn any case studies? He does not keep up with current events? He does not have common sense??
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agnesandhilda · 1 year ago
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you really can't lose no matter what you interpret the mystery beverage kaiser is drinking in his supervillain monologue scenes as. if it's not alcohol then he's a child acting out the image of adulthood and adult power and if it is alcohol then he's, uh. becoming his father
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sideblogdotjpeg · 7 months ago
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have been thinking about professor sol even. professor bufo with no clearly discernable lesson plan. sol bufo ostensibly martial arts professor who spent two weeks running a yoga and meditation program and shows up to the next class with crochet hooks for everyone. professor bufo who is technically supposed to be assigning grades to students but hasnt given anyone less than an A because "i think they worked really hard and they did a great job :)" (referring to the ugliest and most malformed pot holder anyone has laid eyes upon in their life). professor bufo who is on his way to cluelessly kickstart the sexual awakening of about half the cohort of the academys new students. sol bufo adjunct professor who is gone half the year and his first class back is so immediately and easily baited into going into a long tangent about how cool his friends are. sol who is pretty sure hes easily the most useless professor on campus and almost cries when he sees his little desk overflowing with thank you notes at the end of the year. professor bufo absolutely fucking gloriously hot in the tightest little sweater vest because there were faculty complaints when he wore a crop top to class.
#ramble tag#ive been. ive been thinking.#aum. ultimately i just think.#like launchpad was a place for sol that was . place where he was demeaned abused exploited endangered and used#but he needed a place like that. so badly . really it was like. what else did he have.? the lightkeepers?#sol needed a place that would tell him he had a family . and thats what launchpad was!#launchpad is. if youre smart and talented and hardworking and brave enough then people will love and respect you. and you can belong.#and even if it was conditional sol needed a promise like that so badly .... the life that he dreamed of being within his reach.#so. IDK. i just. think...... and maybe this ooc but . well its POST CANON SO I CAN DO WHATEVER TF I WANT.#i just like to imagine sol as a . like yeah he has a minus one to intelligence and hes silly and stupid and very often incomprehensible. but#like . the kind of person who radiates kindness and passion. and maybe more than anything. unwaveringly believes in you no matter what.#i think. sol is very much a person who . on some level recognises the things he lacked in his life and compensates for it by extending that#to others. loudly and proudly shouting all the time. i want to care for you protect you help you believe in you support you and love you#:-) so. despite him being a . real hot mess. i think he would be a good teacher. even if he does for some reason spend a month teaching#his martial arts class how to cook a mean pasta.#(and not even mentioning sol travelling over bahumia to find kids like him who didnt are in bad situations and need a place where they can#be kids. and extending them a hand ... giving them a home and a space to just fuck around and make silly pots instead of fghting to survive)#ahem . ahem ahem. but WHATEVER#anyway if this is ooc i dont care because . thog dont caare .#this is post canon and this is a sandbox for me to do my silly little tag-yapping
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punkeropercyjackson · 6 months ago
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Percy Jackson has NOT spent a whole ongoing since 2005 saga nonstop talking about how adults who treat kids badly based on their age ain't shit just for dark Percy hoes to do the same to the new gen of Pjo kids yet completely unironically believing they understand Perce better than anybody else.'Percy is an adult canonically so it's okay to ship him with the gods and Luke and sexualize his youth compared to them-'Percy being an adult canonically means SHE can take estrogen with no health concerns now and she would beat your ass with no mercy for your rancid ass takes on her and the weird ass mean-spirited shit you say about/to minors coming in from the show
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beevean · 5 days ago
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omg you read my ask! Thank you. You answer was so long, through, and kind! I absolutely love the way you write / post your thoughts (and translating japanese sounds otherworldly to me). I'll definitely check out the manga, and try to get some time to watch a playthrough! Even with their own flaws, as any media, I'm sure they'll be funnnnn. [AAAAAAAAGHH i hope you don't mind another ask, I rarely send them to people, especially a long one because partially, I'm afraid to bother.]
I don't have issues with toxic ships on themselves (NBCs Hannibal and William Graham, i love them), but as you said, the writing is absolutely all over the place in regards to them. It could have been good. It could have been one of the toxic ships that are good — but it just wasn't: mostly because the writing deprives Hector from any sort of agency, learning or development. I never saw him as “a prize Lenore fans feel like she deserved”, but that actually makes so much sense. And despite me not liking her one damn bit (I audibly sighed when I found amazing fanart, but it turned to be her), I can't help but think the lost potential suck.
Many people say she's a layered, complicated character with themes to her: not liking the way her kind does things, the violence. “Just like Hector”. I couldn't really see that constantly, because it was so outshined by all the bad treated of her. Her design is likely the one thing I won't complain about — it's deceiving. The striking red hair complimenting a blue dress, the red cheeks and not-so-sharp nails? She could pass for a human if she hid the ears and got more careful with fangs, and that's not actually a bad idea! What I do think it's bad is the rest of her character.
Even when she's vulnerable (in that “i like you because you actually listen to me” scene that I despise with a passion), we learn nothing valuable about her. There is some information that feels shallow, but just enough to humanize her. I could extent the complaint to Striga and Morana, but I'll keep it focused. Lenore says “My parents died when English soldiers climbed up the toilet chutes with knives in their teeth.”, but we never get to see how this fact affects her. She follows up with “I'd seen enough war before I was five years old,”. Okay, she lost her parents at a young age, but that means she was a noblewoman, perhaps a princess. With some research, I could find out that Lenore is a French variation of Eleonora. She says she's two hundred years (200) old, so— her parents probably passed away during the Anglo-French Wars circa 1200.
It seems that her parents died when she was a child, but it is impossible to know how she grew up from there (which would have so many impacts on her psyche as a human). Did she refugee in a new court? Did she fled the country (supposedly, France)? How did she became a vampire? She likely kept herself in courts, vacating while developing her ability of diplomacy before finding her way to Styria.
She's also supposedly the youngest one of all the Sisters. Morana is likely thousands of years old. Striga must be along the same path, since her name derives from strigoi (“vampires” of Romanian folklore). Carmilla is centuries old, which would make Lenore be the youngest of the group with her 200s, another reason why they might not take her as seriously. She's young for a vampire.
What gets me is the next sentence of hers is “But I will never be comfortable with the idea that the best way to end war is to kill most of the people and cage the rest.” It sounds like gaslighting the viewer — even more when the follow up scene is Hector and her flirting! She was the first to suggest the names pen for livestock when Carmilla described the corridor. That is the single scene where she somehow shows dislike for this plan, but it doesn't feel because she's humanitarian or dislikes suffering; to me, it just felt like she disliked it because she is now, “a thing of the past”, like Hector said. She's being sidelined. Her abilities are being wasted, and she's feeling abandoned, underestimated. But, boo-hoo. Poor Lenore, she's feeling all alone by her sisters in this mighty castle. Who cares if she shushes Hector down immediately when he demonstrates despise for the condition she put him in?
To be honest, a part of me felt like she just spilled out her past like that to make Hector feel sorry for her, somewhat. I believed to an extent it was even fake information, but it doesn't seem to be the case. Through the season, she has a hell lot of scenes, showing her reactions very shallowly to Carmilla's fall to madness. They don't really felt as if they have a connection to me, despite that one scene where Carmilla says — “Im warning you, alright? I'm just warning you”, which is the only scene where they [Carmilla and Lenore] show deep concern for the other. It is immediately shadowed by a conversation over Dracula's castle, to show Carmilla's greed to seek for another nice castle when she already has one. Because she takes things away from stupid, evil old men! Bad bitch, slayyy! Who minds if Carmilla is nearly a caricature of hatred to men? Ughhh.
Lenore was a great deceiver, in my opinion. So many actions and phrases of hers could be interpreted as care for humanity and mankind in disguise, but I actually see it as how she paints it to be. When she got bored, she immediately went to disturb Hector, then opened up to him — thanking him for listening to her, when she won't do the same if he's not thanking her for the cage he got thrown into. It's just vile, honestly. The writing tries to paint her as this seductress, but, oh, she was protecting him from Carmilla! She was standing out for him (she even says that during their conversation earlier in the second episode of S4).
She's so self-centered, starting to whine immediately when things don't exactly go a specific way she designed them. I find it absolutely weird that she can't even fight for herself. When Isaac stepped into the cage with her, her reaction was to step back nervously — the only show of violence in a fight she ever expresses is when Hector “tries” to kill her, and she beats him to a pulp (she then grabs him and kisses his bleeding lip, I think, which is... uncomfortable.) Which doesn't surprise me, honestly, that her only show of violence was to Hector. When Isaac invaded the castle, she just turned into bats and got away from the commotion to “get Hector to safety”. But I see it much more as assuring a resource than actual care for his life — if something goes very, very wrong, she'll still have a forgemaster tied to her whims. And that's useful in any situation that a vampire like herself could be in. She knows how having the castle taken away by an assassin is like; she can be prepared for it now.
And, yes. Her reaction to the finger thing felt genuine because it was her disarray, the lost of control she so sweetly assured over him. All lost. Then, Carmilla dies, perpetually leaving her alone. When Morana and Striga arrive, they have to make a decision, and it's leaving because they don't know what they'll face exactly. They mutter about how if Carmilla is dead, Lenore is long gone. It's just oddly written, as if I'm supposed to feel sorry for the vampire aristocratic who made her bed and layed out on it.
Her final monologue made me lose it. I feel awful for saying it, but her death made me cheer. Not for the writing, though, definitely. Once things got out of her control, Lenore immediately discourses about how she won't be kept in a cage — to Hector. The man she put in that exact same cage and wouldn't have been troubled to keep caged through whatever means necessary. He holds her hand in a silent “I'd like you to stay, but if you want to go, go”, which is heartbreaking. Not because of their “love story” or anything of the sort, but because he's clinging to the one who never showed him anything but abuse and control! Even in that situation, he doesn't hold her back. So many people say “Lenore could have turned into a bat and fled, Hector never would be able to hold her back”, but the point is he never even tries to. He clings to his abuser, but doesn't entrap her the same way she did to him.
I'm not saying he shouldn't be held accountable for all he did, either. Hector has played a part in Dracula's war before this, but this was not the way to punish him for such sins. I'm also not saying Lenore was entirely cunning or manipulative, but all the actions that people say she did for other's good always inherently benefit her, as well. She's not the vampire counterpart to Hector, as I've seen some people pointing her to be — she's just another manipulative vampire woman who got through difficulties, but found in them the excuse to be completely inhuman and whine about it. She might feel bad for one or two things, but hell! Why should I baby this 200 hundred old year grown woman, who understands very well what she's doing? Just because she convinced others to do so, it doesn't mean she'll convince the audience.
Everything about her “character arc” feels— odd. I can't like her. I can't relate to her at all! And even if I could, all the rest of the writing just makes her and Hector's relationship completely unbaleced. They're not equally toxic, and she holds all the power and tolls to mindkeep him (praising him when he does things right, shutting him up when he shows an emotion she doesn't like). I seriously don't get what they were doing here, all the writers: Hector and Lenore aren't even one of those toxic pairings you can enjoy for toxicity; but they're not the deep, sweet loving story that was resumed with “right person wrong time” they tried to make it out to be.
The character was clearly designed to be somewhat antagonistic, to be deceiving. To be the temptress, the seductress that promises a bite of the apple while hiding away the price for it. But, no, she's just this sensitive, misunderstood soul— and the cage she was fleeing from is vampirism, because she doesn't want to become like Carmilla! (while I do think there's truth in that, I couldn't care less. Burn, woman. Burn.)
Another long ask uggg, thank you so much for reading it all, again. And for your thoughts. I love your blog, and thank you for all the effort put in each and all post! As always, if you have a different vision of mine or if I got anything wrong, please feel free to correct me (I haven't watched Netflixvania in a while, I got the transcripts from a site). Have a nice day/night!
ahhhhh so much meat to chew on lol! And thank you so much for your kind words! I hope you don't mind if I break this down, I genuinely appreciate long asks like these! Feel free to vent your thoughts anytime <3
I agree with pretty much everything you said, and it's honestly heartening to find someone other than my mutuals expressing these in-depth opinions. I fear that I can't add much because I have said everything I could say in the past, but I'll try my best.
I don't have issues with toxic ships on themselves (NBCs Hannibal and William Graham, i love them), but as you said, the writing is absolutely all over the place in regards to them. It could have been good. It could have been one of the toxic ships that are good — but it just wasn't: mostly because the writing deprives Hector from any sort of agency, learning or development. I never saw him as “a prize Lenore fans feel like she deserved”, but that actually makes so much sense. And despite me not liking her one damn bit (I audibly sighed when I found amazing fanart, but it turned to be her), I can't help but think the lost potential suck.
It makes sense, doesn't it? I have never found a Lenector shipper who just liked Hector and wanted him to be happy (those who do tend to ship him with Isaac lol, rarely with Alucard). They all love Lenore. They think she's a good person who really loved him. They lament that she died, because their preferred ending would have been the two getting married (I'm not joking. I have found fix-it fics like this). They believe that Lenore's death was a sign of the writer's sexism, which favored male villains like Dracula and Isaac, which... well, they're right for the wrong reasons lol.
There is definitely this underlying feeling of "Lenore deserved to be happy. She deserved to stay with Hector. She didn't deserve such a tragic end, or to be villainized". Add to this another implicit sentiment that yes, Hector would have been angry at her for a while, but eventually he would have understood that she Meant Well, reducing his broken heart to an obstacle to True Love, and it really feels like Lenector shippers (not everyone, but a good chunk) see Hector as the rightful reward Lenore deserved for being Best Girl.
(because, and let's be real here, many fans have a crush on her and wish they could be her pet. This is why they don't feel like Hector suffered. Problem is, it's fine if you want to be a dommy mommy's pet, but Hector never wanted to before she tricked him into sex.)
And I feel you about fanart lol. I do a double take every time I see anime art of cute women with long red hair lmao. imagine how hard I laughed when I learned about Makima from Chainsaw Man
Many people say she's a layered, complicated character with themes to her: not liking the way her kind does things, the violence. “Just like Hector”. I couldn't really see that constantly, because it was so outshined by all the bad treated of her. Her design is likely the one thing I won't complain about — it's deceiving. The striking red hair complimenting a blue dress, the red cheeks and not-so-sharp nails? She could pass for a human if she hid the ears and got more careful with fangs, and that's not actually a bad idea! What I do think it's bad is the rest of her character.
This is another thing that drives me up a wall: her design is great. She is by far the best designed character in the show (not the hottest though lmao. I'm weak for Striga myself :P), and there was a lot of care in her details and how she'd mirror Carmilla and Hector. Carmilla is all sharp lines and points, with a pointy chin and icy eyes, even her hair is carefully combed to fall into straight locks; Lenore is soft, baby faced and doe eyed, her hair is fluffy, in S3 she has a pointless but cute fur coat. Carmilla has exceedingly long claws, painted red, to scream "I am dangerous"; Lenore has human nails which I personally imagine she keeps filing, to say "I'm harmless". And it's interesting visual storytelling that in S4, Lenore dons a very cute blue dress, contrasting with Carmilla's red and approaching her to Hector's own blue.
But a good design is not enough to prop up a character, and if most of the appeal comes from whether you find her sexually appealing, that is a huge failure for me.
(Lenore isn't the only case. I resent N!Alucard for similar reasons. No, I'm not going to love him just because he shows off his boobs.)
(also look up Dahlia Hawthorne from Ace Attorney for an even better case of a redhead taking advantage of her cute looks to manipulate naive men. She has a much more solid butterfly motif, while Lenore was supposed to have either a "snow princess" or "princess in mourning" motif which ended up going nowhere.)
Even when she's vulnerable (in that “i like you because you actually listen to me” scene that I despise with a passion), we learn nothing valuable about her. There is some information that feels shallow, but just enough to humanize her. I could extent the complaint to Striga and Morana, but I'll keep it focused. Lenore says “My parents died when English soldiers climbed up the toilet chutes with knives in their teeth.”, but we never get to see how this fact affects her. She follows up with “I'd seen enough war before I was five years old,”. Okay, she lost her parents at a young age, but that means she was a noblewoman, perhaps a princess. With some research, I could find out that Lenore is a French variation of Eleonora. She says she's two hundred years (200) old, so— her parents probably passed away during the Anglo-French Wars circa 1200. It seems that her parents died when she was a child, but it is impossible to know how she grew up from there (which would have so many impacts on her psyche as a human). Did she refugee in a new court? Did she fled the country (supposedly, France)? How did she became a vampire? She likely kept herself in courts, vacating while developing her ability of diplomacy before finding her way to Styria.
godddddd I hate that backstory lmao. In fact I saved a rant in my drafts because I found it so utterly laughable, which I'm going to post :P
I don't care about your sob story after the last time I saw you, when you gloated to the man you raped that he's your pet now. I'm really not in the mood to feel any pity, especially not for such a lackluster story.
So you suffered when you were 5. You are now 200. How do you even remember your childhood, let alone having it influence your current worldview? Why do you still care about your parents, when you had two whole centuries to process grief and you have a (in theory) solid support system? In fact, is the show really telling me that Lenore was the only victim of war that was turned into a vampire, and that's why she's the only one who hates war and aggression? Please.
You childhood is not important! What about those two centuries or so of your life as a vampire? Who turned you, and why? How did you end up from Normandy to Styria? Were you hired in the council as a newborn vampire, or did you live on your own for some time? How did you feel when you became a parasite with the instinct to dismember humans? Did you indulge in your bloodlust or did you decide from the get go you were going to repress yourself?
"Life didn't get better after that" you absolute buffoon, you are a QUEEN! You are living in a nice castle where you don't even have to lift your skinny ass to hunt, you are wearing cute dresses, have all the books you want, you are talking to your sex slave, you keep saying that the stability of the quartet allowed you to live in peace, what in the shit are you talking about???? And even then, you may have lived during war, but you were apparently a NOBLE GIRL! Whatever war you might have endured, I can assure you it was nothing compared to what peasants below you were going through!
"end war"? Carmilla started a war. And you helped her. You literally turned Hector into a slave, through rape and deception, instead of allowing Morana to hire mercenaries. Bitch! This whole thing is your DAMN FAULT!!!!
Lenore has a lot of hints that she hates being a vampire. I would rather want to know about her life as a vampire rather than the most ridiculous sob story of "my parents died when I was little :(". Personally, I decided to headcanon with my friends that she was kept as a prisoner of war until Carmilla found and turned her against her will (I don't know at what age, anything from 15 to 20), leaving Lenore torn between being grateful and resenting her new condition. (I have this mental image that won't leave me that Lenore tried to smash her own teeth in with a hammer so that she wouldn't bite anyone, but they regrew. Related, I also headcanon that she had the idea of keeping bottles of blood in the council room, so that she wouldn't bite anyone and stain her pretty fangs.)
The funniest part about her story, however, is that she said that English soldiers climbed up toilet chutes. If she is referring to the seige of ChĂąteau Gaillard, which would fit with the timeline, it belonged to the English at the time, and it was the French who climbed inside it. fun trivia!
She's also supposedly the youngest one of all the Sisters. Morana is likely thousands of years old. Striga must be along the same path, since her name derives from strigoi (“vampires” of Romanian folklore). Carmilla is centuries old, which would make Lenore be the youngest of the group with her 200s, another reason why they might not take her as seriously. She's young for a vampire.
Another bout of wasted potential. Morana, according to Katie Silva, wears a kaunakes, which would make her from the Mesopotamian times! Do you realize how ancient she is? You would think that a vampire born at the dawn of civilization would offer unique insights! Perhaps even have some beef with a mere 200 yo, like she's just a baby! Imagine the clash between an old haughty woman and a young insecure girl who wants to be taken seriously!
nah morana is just striga's armcandy. okay. nice of the writing to pick the only lesbian of color and turning her into a prop :)
(speaking of her, "Morana" is the name of the Slavic goddess of harvest, which is just as dumb as Striga being literally named "witch" in Romanian.)
There is just. So little we know about them. Even something small but important like Carmilla being Lenore's dame, which would explain why she's there despite all the jeering and mockery. Can you imagine, Carmilla being Lenore's idol and mentor, and therefore being heartbroken when she loses her mind?
But no. The show doesn't know what real relationships are. The council is made of catty bullies who just stick together for convenience. #feminism.
What gets me is the next sentence of hers is “But I will never be comfortable with the idea that the best way to end war is to kill most of the people and cage the rest.” It sounds like gaslighting the viewer — even more when the follow up scene is Hector and her flirting! She was the first to suggest the names pen for livestock when Carmilla described the corridor. That is the single scene where she somehow shows dislike for this plan, but it doesn't feel because she's humanitarian or dislikes suffering; to me, it just felt like she disliked it because she is now, “a thing of the past”, like Hector said. She's being sidelined. Her abilities are being wasted, and she's feeling abandoned, underestimated. But, boo-hoo. Poor Lenore, she's feeling all alone by her sisters in this mighty castle. Who cares if she shushes Hector down immediately when he demonstrates despise for the condition she put him in?
:))))))))
It says a lot about the show's priorities when Lenore gets two scenes where she does nothing but say "this war that I am complicit in will put me out of a job and I'm Sadge about it" and we're meant to feel so bad because she's so Complex and Humanized, while her sex slave, the man who was beaten and raped and imprisoned and gaslighted, is standing there and pat patting her little head and offering her words of comfort to keep the focus on her. The only time he tries to say something in protest, well. Shut up, pet. You got your dick hard, and that's the only thing a man should care about :) the real people are talking, now.
I'm just. I'll be honest: in a vacuum, I think Lenore is relatable. She is the weak link of her council. She is seen as a useful idiot. She believes that she's only worth something if she's of use. She cannot be honest, she always has to put on a mask of politeness and diplomacy. The only person who listens to her literally doesn't have a choice in the matter. No one truly loves her: at most, Hector owes her. She kills herself as she realizes that she is doomed to a worthless life devoid of true happiness. I do believe that a better Lenore could still be pitiable even after raping Hector, if you frame her as a pathetic little girl who wanted to play adult and is now paying the consequences of her two-faced behavior.
But I can't stand how the narrative framing revolves around her, forgets all about her past cruel actions, and asks us to pretend the person she has hurt is all gucci now. On top of how she's just... not a good person even in S4, as I have amply elaborated on. She does effectively nothing, let alone anything that could be considered a "good" action. As you said: it feels like the writing is boldly lying to our faces.
To be honest, a part of me felt like she just spilled out her past like that to make Hector feel sorry for her, somewhat. I believed to an extent it was even fake information, but it doesn't seem to be the case. Through the season, she has a hell lot of scenes, showing her reactions very shallowly to Carmilla's fall to madness. They don't really felt as if they have a connection to me, despite that one scene where Carmilla says — “Im warning you, alright? I'm just warning you”, which is the only scene where they [Carmilla and Lenore] show deep concern for the other. It is immediately shadowed by a conversation over Dracula's castle, to show Carmilla's greed to seek for another nice castle when she already has one. Because she takes things away from stupid, evil old men! Bad bitch, slayyy! Who minds if Carmilla is nearly a caricature of hatred to men? Ughhh.
lmao, I could believe it. Lenore is very good at pretending to be an innocent victim, when she wants to.
Don't get me started on how S4 treated Carmilla. Don't get me wrong: I don't like her. I think she was a detrimental addition to the plot, because she singlehandedly derailed my beloved CoD plot into "everyone acts like a dumbass to make her look Girlboss". She is the reason Hector didn't develop his own agency in S2. She's also just a walking cliché in her #girlbossness. However, she genuinely feels like a misogynistic slur in her writing.
You have a woman who was, apparently, a victim of sexism, being an old man's pet (with all that it entailed), being left to fend for herself by other male lords who didn't give a shit about a female ruler, who was apparently so traumatized by her powerlessness that she pivoted too much in the other direction and became obsessed with power. And what do you do with her? You turn her into a hysterical bitch so horrifying, that not only Hector begged Isaac to kill him while he wanted to revive Dracula (what in the genuine fuck is wrong with you), but her own friends all ditched her and were almost happy that she killed herself! They saw her as nothing but a danger to their own stability, not a friend in need of support! It's almost insulting how Lenore chose to save her own pet of two months over the woman who supported her and gave her a castle, a nice life, power, and something close to friendship.
And all for what? You guessed it: to make Lenore look like "the good one". Aww, she's so scawed of mean cawmilla đŸ„ș mean cawmilla lied to her, just like dracula lied to hector, they're such soulmates đŸ„ș fuck you.
(writing wise, I'll never be over the absolute sloppery of going from "do you honestly think Dracula would have kept Hector in his castle were he dangerous?" to ranting about the castle itself. girl. girl you have bigger issues on your hands. was the first draft written on the toilet)
Lenore was a great deceiver, in my opinion. So many actions and phrases of hers could be interpreted as care for humanity and mankind in disguise, but I actually see it as how she paints it to be. When she got bored, she immediately went to disturb Hector, then opened up to him — thanking him for listening to her, when she won't do the same if he's not thanking her for the cage he got thrown into. It's just vile, honestly. The writing tries to paint her as this seductress, but, oh, she was protecting him from Carmilla! She was standing out for him (she even says that during their conversation earlier in the second episode of S4).
Lenore lies so much, I genuinely struggle to tell which are the intended lies and which is just bad writing. Personally, however, I cannot look at S3 Lenore and think that anyone could be fooled by her "mask". She is so obviously sadistic. And yet, apparently, some viewers genuinely thought she meant well.
The "standing up for him" part is another thing that really exemplifies how creatively bankrupt the writing is. I get the idea that Lenore, with all of her cruelty, was honest when she said that Hector would get to feel safe. That's actually neat, I like villains with their own moral code. I can excuse rape but I draw the line at my bestie bothering my pet! lol. However, it kind of... falls flaccid when you see that Lenore "protects" Hector by more or less calling him too stupid and weak to be plotting anything. Not only it puts Carmilla in the OOC position of saying he's actually devious (???), but. really? that's how she shows her love? by calling him an idiot to her bestie? where's her putting herself in harm's way to shield him?! Where is the effort!
Then again, Lenore is said to be a "kind animal lover" yet wouldn't even heal Hector's wounds, like the ones she caused, and that trait was expressed through sexual humiliation. can you see the wasted potential of her own concept.
She's so self-centered, starting to whine immediately when things don't exactly go a specific way she designed them. I find it absolutely weird that she can't even fight for herself. When Isaac stepped into the cage with her, her reaction was to step back nervously — the only show of violence in a fight she ever expresses is when Hector “tries” to kill her, and she beats him to a pulp (she then grabs him and kisses his bleeding lip, I think, which is... uncomfortable.) Which doesn't surprise me, honestly, that her only show of violence was to Hector. When Isaac invaded the castle, she just turned into bats and got away from the commotion to “get Hector to safety”. But I see it much more as assuring a resource than actual care for his life — if something goes very, very wrong, she'll still have a forgemaster tied to her whims. And that's useful in any situation that a vampire like herself could be in. She knows how having the castle taken away by an assassin is like; she can be prepared for it now.
Yeah, it sure is easy to be all "people think I'm soft, people think I'm weak" after brutally beating to a pulp and molesting (thank you for pointing out the kiss. she started sexually molesting him from the get go) a weak, starved, naked man, huh, Lenore? But a man with a knife getting all close to you makes you piss yourself in your dress, huh? :) She didn't even bother to turn into mist to try and flee the cage. Add this to how she didn't even try to discuss things with Carmilla and opted to whine to her powerless pet, after flaunting her "diplomatic" skills when it came to gaslighting Hector, and she really comes off as a massive cowardly bully.
You make an excellent point, actually. I always point out how Lenore apparently had the asinine idea of putting Hector "somewhere safe" without even mentioning to remove the ring that keeps him trapped. The idea that she planned to still use him to rebuild a kingdom somewhere is... actually clever. I never considered it, it makes sense, and she looks even worse now. The only thing is that Lenore gives me the impression of having no goals in her life beyond feeling good and comfortable, which is why she chose death over Hector instead of waiting until he and Isaac were dead to rebuild her life. But I'll be incorporating this in my belief system :)
And, yes. Her reaction to the finger thing felt genuine because it was her disarray, the lost of control she so sweetly assured over him. All lost. Then, Carmilla dies, perpetually leaving her alone. When Morana and Striga arrive, they have to make a decision, and it's leaving because they don't know what they'll face exactly. They mutter about how if Carmilla is dead, Lenore is long gone. It's just oddly written, as if I'm supposed to feel sorry for the vampire aristocratic who made her bed and layed out on it.
Sometimes I feel I need to rewrite this post where I talked about that scene and Lenore's horrified expressions. I was making a more general point but I mixed together too many things. I do believe that those expressions are a very good way of conveying her feelings without telling us exactly how she's feeling - and I read nothing but horror at the realization that she has lost all power over Hector and her own life there.
I pointed it out earlier, but I almost find it misogynist writing how Carmilla's friends are almost happy that she died and is no longer a problem for them. Of course female friendship would be depicted in such a selfish way. The only thing that doesn't make it outright misogyny is that everyone sucks in this show (Trevor and Sypha abandoning Alucard while he was grieving, Dracula and Lisa letting Alucard believe they're still dead while they go on their honeymoon, Dracula and Isaac calling Hector variations of the r-slur for no reason.)
It's also weirdly funny how they just assume Lenore died and won't shed a tear for her. Again, it shows how little they care. But like. at this point what is their beef with her. what did lenore do to them. why do they hate her so much lmao
Her final monologue made me lose it. I feel awful for saying it, but her death made me cheer. Not for the writing, though, definitely. Once things got out of her control, Lenore immediately discourses about how she won't be kept in a cage — to Hector. The man she put in that exact same cage and wouldn't have been troubled to keep caged through whatever means necessary. He holds her hand in a silent “I'd like you to stay, but if you want to go, go”, which is heartbreaking. Not because of their “love story” or anything of the sort, but because he's clinging to the one who never showed him anything but abuse and control! Even in that situation, he doesn't hold her back. So many people say “Lenore could have turned into a bat and fled, Hector never would be able to hold her back”, but the point is he never even tries to. He clings to his abuser, but doesn't entrap her the same way she did to him.
I've seen people explain that Hector keeping Lenore like that is supposed to be a continuation of his old habit of resurrecting dead pets to force them to him.
Think about it. Lenore is miserable and all but dead inside. But Hector wants her to stay with him. Sure, he didn't put a slave ring on her, but he still expressed the desire to be with her, and King Isaac gave him what he wanted. She doesn't love him, but Hector doesn't care. She has to stay, because well, what else she has left?
Problem is that this is the goddamn ending of his arc, and he's apparently still the same boy who forces dead creatures to him?? And I'm supposed to be touched that he lets his former owner commit suicide in front of him, because "ohhhh he let het gooooo"? Fuck that! I don't care about that woman! I care about him! Why isn't he allowed to grow for himself??!?!
(the shot of him taking her hand with his own mutilated onet, though. it's sickening. where was this focus on his finger when he had the ring that forced him to soothe Lenore, huh?)
And while I'm at it, I need to rant about the worst part of that scene:
youtube
I fucking hate how this is the best track of the show and one of the most beautiful compositions I've heard. It carries the whole emotional weight of the scene. It gives me goosebumps. It makes me misty eyed. It perfectly conveys the sorrow of a choosen death for the sake of freedom. For this bitch? How dare you give such a sweet, heartwrenching leitmotif to a brat ragequitting from life!! You can't let Trevor Morris or the VAs carry all the emotions, the writing needs to make an effort too!
It's the same as the idea of a vampire choosing to not look at the sun during their last moments, because they would rather look at their lover. Poignant. Unearned in Lenore's case. Remember that her last apology to the man she abused, humiliated and enslaved was "I'm sorry for everything you went through." All the emotional beats are superficially feelsy, but hollow once you peer through them.
I'm not saying he shouldn't be held accountable for all he did, either. Hector has played a part in Dracula's war before this, but this was not the way to punish him for such sins. I'm also not saying Lenore was entirely cunning or manipulative, but all the actions that people say she did for other's good always inherently benefit her, as well. She's not the vampire counterpart to Hector, as I've seen some people pointing her to be — she's just another manipulative vampire woman who got through difficulties, but found in them the excuse to be completely inhuman and whine about it. She might feel bad for one or two things, but hell! Why should I baby this 200 hundred old year grown woman, who understands very well what she's doing? Just because she convinced others to do so, it doesn't mean she'll convince the audience.
That's the other thing. I've seen Lenore stans defend her by pointing out that he's no saint, that he was okay with culling, that Lenore gave to him what he envisioned for other humans.
And yeah. Show Hector is an amoral, spineless, unempathetic servant of Dracula. He's no cinnamon roll. I actually don't mind the idea that he's soft in manners, but callous in his view of the world, I think as a villain he was much more fascinating than show Isaac who was just "weh humans were mean to me so i'll purify the world in the name of mohammed".
However. One, I don't believe anyone deserves to be raped and enslaved. Shocking, I know. Just because Hector apparently didn't think much about what culling would have entailed, doesn't mean I should cheer for Lenore for treating him like a dog. Two, he wasn't even punished for his beliefs. It's very easy to see: he trusted that Carmilla would save his life, and he gets beaten to a pulp. He trusted that Lenore would run away with him, and he gets raped into slavery. The story punished him for being naive. And, case in point, what is his "development" in S4? Learning the worth of humans? No, becoming "smarter", outwitting his captors. That was his flaw according to the story. Not his lack of morals, but being stupid. The show is extremely cynical and amoral.
I disagree about the part about Lenore, though. I do see plenty of parallels about the two of them, the whole being underestimated for their softness, their selfish kindness towards pets, the alienation from their species. Of course, it's all written like dogshit and Lenore comes off as a spoiled little girl, but the concept is there. Lenore is basically a less naive Hector, and they could have bonded about being alone in the world, still unable to properly get close due to her callous actions. Keyword: could have. But that would require Hector to be a real character.
Everything about her “character arc” feels— odd. I can't like her. I can't relate to her at all! And even if I could, all the rest of the writing just makes her and Hector's relationship completely unbaleced. They're not equally toxic, and she holds all the power and tolls to mindkeep him (praising him when he does things right, shutting him up when he shows an emotion she doesn't like). I seriously don't get what they were doing here, all the writers: Hector and Lenore aren't even one of those toxic pairings you can enjoy for toxicity; but they're not the deep, sweet loving story that was resumed with “right person wrong time” they tried to make it out to be. The character was clearly designed to be somewhat antagonistic, to be deceiving. To be the temptress, the seductress that promises a bite of the apple while hiding away the price for it. But, no, she's just this sensitive, misunderstood soul— and the cage she was fleeing from is vampirism, because she doesn't want to become like Carmilla! (while I do think there's truth in that, I couldn't care less. Burn, woman. Burn.)
Putting this together, because my personal belief is that Lenore got mangled in the process of writing.
This is her concept art:
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Lenore is described in sweet, tragic terms. Her very name evokes Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem, as if to foreshadow her death (I like this, it reminds me of Isaac whose name foreshadows that he's fated to be sacrificed in the name of his god). The snow princess, evoking concepts of cold and isolation. The princess in mourning, grieving something unknown to us, donning a black veil (which she has in her introduction to Hector, too, and then never put on again), keeping roses inside books. Her design that conflicts with Carmilla so much. What they all tell us about her being excessively kind, Striga painting her as overly romantic, Morana accusing her of being "off with the fairies". Her very theme that I linked, which sounds playful yet melancholic. I seriously believe Katie Silva had another character in mind, when she designed Lenore, one that was still villainous, but tragic: a melancholic princess wracked with loneliness and sadness, perhaps. And I bet this character would have been a beautiful case of a sympathetic antagonist, hurting our protagonist out of a misguided sense of mercy, making us think about the morality of vampires.
And then Ellis took her and turned her into another dommy mommy. And Lenore in S3 is just Carmilla 2.0. She speaks in the same obnoxiously smug voice, with the same obnoxiously smug smirks. She beats Hector like Carmilla did. She questions Dracula's sanity (and Hector's intelligence) like Carmilla did. She acts overtly sexual in a way that clashes with everything her design and alleged characterization suggest. She is nothing but sadistic, and her mask of kindness is pretty much made of glass.
Can you imagine S3 Lenore saying something sappy, or keeping petals in her book? I can't, because S3 Lenore is always shown as a callous, sarcastic dominatrix. The others tell us about her allegedly childish personality, but the show only shows us how she behaves with her prisoner. But imagine if she acted like a sweet demure woman to Hector, love bombing him to lower his guard. Suddenly everything about her design and how the others talk about her make sense, right? But she was written how Ellis knows how to write "cool" women: by fetishizing them.
And then she was sort of re-railed in S4, returning to the soft tragic princess she was meant to be. Well, still very poorly, she lacks the elegance of her concept and her angst is petty (there's a difference between "I feel useless" and "my life is perpetual loneliness and I grieve something I can't get back"). But it's as if the two Lenores were written by two different people, and the second one didn't even know about the first one. There was no attempt to show any growth, any added context, just "oh yeah btw she was good all along"
Hector's behavior in S4 makes more sense from this perspective. He plans revenge, he traps Lenore in a cage, he sassies back to her, he aides in Carmilla's death, he has his moment of glory... but at the same time, he still cares about Lenore, he loves her, he supports her, he doesn't leave her alone, the two are soft together. It doesn't make any sense, unless you believe in a rewritten script, like I do.
So their relationship starts as "sexy dommy mommy leashes the subby puppy", which clearly has its appeal judging by how much hornyposting I still see in the tag. And sure, kinks are kinks, but I can't get behind it because Hector is written with so much spite, I don't even find the sight of him naked and bruising hot. He feels so pathetic and laughable and humiliated to a cruel degree, because he doesn't oppose a inkling of resistance, or shows any conflict, he just goes along with every humiliation Lenore puts him through. But then it makes a 180° and it's all about these star-crossed lovers who Get each other and respect each other and would protect each other with their lives and aren't they so tragic, aren't they so misunderstood, please like Lenore please think she's cute!!!!! yeah cool uhhhh what about the petplay. what about the ring that binds hector to the woman who treated him like a dog and rejoiced in his suffering.
It's the lying that I can't stand. Either you have a toxic abusive relationship based on manipulation, deceit and mutual betrayal, or you have a sweet wholesome "you're the first person who was kind to me" deal! But you can't stitch both together like a lazy Frankenstein! Because as I said in the previous post, otherwise you get a narrative that tells me that you owe your abusers your life if they're cute enough and give you the bare minimum!
I... can't promise much, but I do have in store a fic I'm writing where I'm trying my best to make Lenore a more cohesive character, not an innocent babygirl but hopefully more sympathetic in her patheticness. I really see some potential in her and how Hector would be torn about her. But that's the thing: I am aware that I am the one expressing her potential. The story itself did jack and shit. The show is not written well and I'm tired of pretending it is!! It wastes all of its ideas in the name of shallow edginess! I wish its fans acknowledged that they're basically writing fanfiction in their head!!!
Well, this was. a lot. Thank you again for your asks, they really have made my day :D I am very normal about the two Hectors, and sadly I'm also very normal about my barfo. I always hope I can be as exhaustive as I can to make my brain stop screaming lmao. Thank you for giving me an outlet!
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ratsbanes · 10 months ago
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i may be in love with dazais character writing... he can be a bit of a bitch sometimes and it annoys me but the fact that he can simultaneously be an abused and mentally ill person, an intellectual and manipulative genius, and a funny character is kinda insane. truly, i could write a dissertation
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princescar · 10 months ago
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I 1000% prefer this over how she got mikan to fall for despair in Dr3 (honestly it feels like this was what was supposed to be how it went)
(Extra context: it's Junko's (and by extension Mukuro's, which is why she has an option in the first pic) birthday.)
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