#i feel like i’ve mischaracterised him a lot

[fivehundredsporks]

I mean do whatever you want but whenever I see someone frothing with rage over a character I do giggle a little bit

[minjeungsno1fan]

Hm. I feel like talking about Nico.

(Spoilers)

Nico is a character that, despite their fairly dark-coloured design, is covered in shades of grey. There is no one determined way to view what transpired between them and Ace and it mostly comes down to the viewer’s own personal experience.

You could view the events of 2-6 through a sympathetic lens, which would portray Nico as a victim of bullying and forced outing who was pushed to their boiling point (there were more people involved in the outing than just Ace, but he was the one who started it).

You could view the events through a critical lens, which portrays Nico as cunning and downright manipulative, taking advantage of Rose’s kindness in order to steal something that would be used in their plan to take a human life.

Or you could view them entirely differently. There are endless ways to explain and attempt to justify both Nico and Ace’s actions up to and including this encounter.

I’m not making this post to sit and tell you what to think about Nico’s attempted murder, but I am going to remind you of a similar case that was viewed very differently by the DRDT community.

A case where the perpetrator also attempted to take a human life. A case where the perpetrator exploited someone’s trauma to get away with it. A case where the perpetrator was more than willing to kill again if it meant they wouldn’t have any witnesses.

Enter Alexander Matthews, DRDT’s first attempted murderer.

Now, there are far too many nuances for me to even begin to analyse this case in a post about Nico, so I’ll sum up what I said before.

Xander took advantage of Teruko’s trust in order to attack her. That is an objective fact, regardless of his motive or feelings about doing it.

Xander exploited Charles’ trauma and phobia of blood to frame him for the crime. That is also an objective fact.

Xander was 100% ready to kill Min when she walked into the computer lab. That is, once again, an objective fact about this case.

Now, what about Nico? What did they do in these same situations?

Ace doesn’t trust anybody. Nico couldn’t take advantage of Ace’s trust because he didn’t trust them like, ever.

Nico did not exploit somebody’s trauma to commit their crime. They did take advantage of Rose’s kindness and her offer to help them paint, but that is far less severe than intentionally triggering somebody into a mental breakdown.

And finally, you know what Nico did when witnesses walked into the gym?

They ran away. They didn’t plan to hurt anyone else and when Teruko and Eden found them they were so scared that they fled.

Now, as I said before, these cases are nuanced and detailed and are painted in so many different shades of grey you could write a book about it.

The reason I brought up Xander was to point out the way people reacted to his attempt on Teruko’s life in comparison to Nico’s attempt on Ace’s.

People love Xander. He’s one of the most popular characters. In fact, he’s even won quite a few popularity polls on some other sites. As a result, a lot more people sympathise with him and view his plan as something he was manipulated into doing. I’ve seen some people so adamant to defend this view that they’ll completely mischaracterise him and take away everything that makes him an interesting and realistic character.

On the other hand, I can count the number of people I know who love Nico and have them as a favourite (as in top 3 at least) on one hand. This leads to less people taking the time to understand their character and coming to conclusions about this case based on an incredibly vague idea of who they are. (Of course, we are on chapter two, so we know hardly anything about anybody right now, but still).

As I said at the start, there is no right or wrong way to view and understand what happened between Nico and Ace and the fact remains that Nico attempted to commit murder. I am not trying to alleviate them of the blame for that crime.

What I am trying to do is show how it’s… a little ridiculous that some people have so much love and sympathy for Xander and have absolutely none for Nico. Would they be more sympathised with if Teruko or Eden had killed them in the gym that night like Min did to Xander? Are they less deserving of sympathy simply for the crime of being alive?

I think a lot of the talk surrounding Nico’s attempted murder stems from the fact that they are not what a lot of people think a bullying victim should be. Sure, they’re fragile and timid, but they’re also capable of standing up for themselves in a way it’s hard to perceive the “ideal victim of bullying”* being capable of.

(*This does not imply that Nico isn’t a victim. They are. They just aren’t the “lie down and take it” victim that has such a heavy influence on opinions regarding cases like theirs.)

Ace is not a schoolyard bully. Ace is someone who makes threats and has the physical capacity to act on them. Trying to apply the picturesque dynamic of what bullying stories should be to him and Nico doesn’t work because these two are not children in a playground hurling insults at each other, they’re grown adults in a situation where they’re not only allowed to but encouraged to commit murder.

Nico was handed a way to stop the constant harassment on a silver platter. Weapons that are available at their fingertips, chemicals that could be used to render their bully unconscious, and numerous locations that would be perfect for committing murder.

Returning to the comparison of this attempt and Xander’s, Nico did not think of the consequences for their actions, but Xander actively prepared for them.

Okay I’m starting to truly ramble so I’ll start to conclude this… really long essay that’s probably 90% waffling.

I think Nico deserves to be viewed in the same if not a more sympathetic lens than Xander. They committed a crime caused by being pushed to their absolute limit by constant harassment and bullying and being outed and the only people who were truly defending them treated them like a child.

Nico had nobody truly in their corner throughout chapter one and the first half of chapter two part one. Whereas Xander, the beloved and sympathetic attempted murderer, had quite literally the entire cast on his side even after what he did was spelled out by Teruko in the trial.

[dhmis-autism]

what’s the biggest mischaracterisation of each character that you feel like you ‘suffer’ from the most? obviously no disrespect to ppl who do characterise them in certain ways! :] this is just out of curiosity…your thoughts are so intriguing:]

I am so sorry I am about to get so unbelievably bitchy and prissy and fussy. I have thought SO much about this question and I have also SEEN so many interpretations of my boys that I completely disagreed with.  Like you said though, clearly, no disrespect to people who characterize them this way! I know I am a very picky, persnickety bitch.

Anyways. Best boy up first.

 Duck mischaracterizations that I hate:

- him being super effeminate and given like an hourglass figure and human woman legs. like what.

- him being feminine being like, his whole personality. I loathe when people just start writing him like a super twinky, aave spitting gay. It’s really fucking weird can you all be normal about him wearing a dress ONE time please. LIKE HES JUST A NORMAL GUY. OK. GOD

- written as a bitchy or abusive mother/parental figure ( specifically towards YG. why.)

- him being super loud and just constantly spouting verbal/physical abuse at the other two (girl he is much quieter than you remember and he insults them like. twice. in 6 episodes. get real.)

- I hate hate hate when people act like RG is his whole world and have him ignore YG/act like he doesnt exist

- him being written as deliberately manipulating the other two, sometimes even like. physically self-harming in order to do so?? like oh my god. he would NOT fucking do that.

- him being written as totally HATING yellow guy and just constantly acting like hes a burden (I’ll actually kill over this one. how dare you. biting)

- weird thing I’ve noticed where people will make him refer to himself as 'the smart/intelligent one' of the group (something he's never done) but then like. the narrative/author will legitimately treat him like he IS very smart. like. no he is not.

- having him take YGs batteries out of sheer malice / ( ABLEISM(??)) and like. hate.  and somehow forgetting how hard he was freaking out that his friend was different earlier in the episode???????

- him being in a nuclear family situation with red with YG as their "son" . like 1. he is NOT a good dad and would not be a good one. 2. he SAID how he feels about that boy if you cant accept dad dog duo as a dad dog duo you do not deserve them

- writing him as CONSTANTLY ANGRY/PISSED OFF oh it makes me wanna shake people by the shoulders and SCREAM like!! Rewatch the show!! Baker Terry did not give us that bizarre and soft and joyous performance for you to write him like Squidward in a yaoi!!!! I’ll KILL YOU!!!!!!! HE IS AN UPBEAT PESSIMIST!!! A CHEERY DEFEATIST!!!!! I’LL GNAW YOUR BONES TO DUST!!!!

- when people make him skinny. How dare you. How DARE YOU. HOW DARE Y

- when people make him taller than YG. I would be less upset if “the smallest one” wasn’t literally something he was called IN THE SHOW

YG mischaracterizations I hate:

-Him being portrayed as GENUINELY stupid. Yes I know the crew call him that, yes I know other characters call him that, I think it’s obvious they’re exaggerating a bit.

-Him being the only one of the three that’s written as incredibly childish (imo, all three of them are a bit childish- but if you write just YG that way, I roll my eyes)

-Him being incredibly passive and soft and nice and conflict avoidant and a huge big pushover crybaby who never fights back or says anything mean.

-When people make it out like he’s really bad at art/draws like a child- really ticks me off because we are EXPLICITLY SHOWN IN EPISODE 1 OF THE WEBSERIES THAT HE’S GOOD AT ART

-I actually hate when people discount a lot of his talents, ppl acting like he wouldn’t be good at music or art when we KNOW HE IS!!!! WE KNOW HE IS!! WHAteever

-Him being socially inept/inadequate ! He is imo the most socially adept out of the 3 of them and the one most likely to thrive among a new friend group

-When people act like. YG with fresh batteries and YG without them are two separate people/have separate personalities??? They are literally the same dude (my good friend Am has a great post on this actually. Here. Read.learn.)

RG mischaracterizations I hate:

-The idea that he is nice. LOL I’m almost joking, but not really. Verbally, he’s very barby and I WISH more people would remember that genuinely.

-When he’s written as the ONLY voice of reason/ smartest guy in the room. He is not. God help him he is so fucking stupid and goofy and canonically loves Smash Mouth and thinks MAGIC is real.

-Super Hyper Sexy Man with vacuum-sealed abs and a COMPLETELY new personality

I have nothing else for him I don’t think of him often.

[raytorosaurus]

want to preface this by saying that this has nothing to do with frank himself and it is not about “frank girls vs ray girls.” i’ve just been seeing some posts the last few days - just from a small group of people, i’m not making statements about “frank girls” in general at all - and i want to say that if frank is your favourite and your reaction to ray getting similar levels of fan attention to him for the first time literally ever is to get defensive and act like this is a slight against frank, maybe think about that. especially given the recent much-overdue conversation about fandom racism in relation to ray, and especially if you didn’t engage with that conversation.

like. since the breakup and up until this reunion tour has started, frank has pretty consistently been the most popular member of my chemical romance. this is of course understandable because he’s a deeply lovable guy and can largely be attributed to the fact that he’s the one most in the public eye, but ray was out there doing regular interviews in 2016, making blog posts, even appearing on a couple of podcasts, and he was never afforded the same amount of attention from both fans and major music publications as frank has been. i know there’s a lot of factors that go into this and a lot are understandable but if you were paying attention to the recent conversations about subtle self-perpetuating racial biases in emo/rock culture, you have to acknowledge that some of those factors are inextricably tied to those racial biases. i have genuinely no idea where the idea that ray somehow gets more credit than frank/more credit than he deserves comes from - as if he’s not been consistently underappreciated by mainstream music culture because of the homophobia and ableism linked to being associated with my chemical romance in general, and also by mcr’s own fanbase because of the reasons we discussed the other day - largely, because he’s not one of their twinky white faves. frank in the past few weeks receiving less attention for his guitar/backing vocals/stage presence than ray is not in any way comparable to the way ray has been overlooked for decades or wildly mischaracterised as a) a controlling technical musician who was disenganged from the emotional and thematic messages of mcr (at best) or b) weirdly hostile towards frank or vaguely homophobic/transphobic (at worst). again, these perceptions of him are so far removed from reality and from everything ray stands for and are largely rooted in him being seen as the straight masc one for years due to his race (discussed by many people recently but for example here). also i feel like i shouldn’t even have to mention this but ray is more complimentary and respectful of frank’s talents as a musician than literally anyone else, and anyone who’s paid attention to a word out of ray’s mouth knows that.

again, this is not meant to be a criticism of frank in the slightest and obviously it’s 1000% understandable and cool if he’s your favourite. and it’s of course okay to want to discuss your own fave more than you discuss the others! but please think about how you look if you’re complaining about him not getting enough attention these past two shows specifically or acting like discussing ray = belittling frank. and please don’t take this post as a reason to get defensive. it’s just okay if someone else gets attention too and that doesn’t mean frank isn’t loved and appreciated in his own right. we don’t have to behave like toddlers.

[resident-idiot-simp]

I’ve always hated media interpretations of hope, usually its depicted as an innocent fragile little thing that needs to be protected regardless of what form it’s taken ie inanimate object, animal, human or just a concept. I actually like what they did with hope in the Percy Jackson universe but I won’t into details here for fear of spoilers.

I think Ghost as the God of Hope works really well because he (nearly) always survives regardless or in spite of what it will take to live like when he dug himself out of his own grave. None of it was pretty or kind and there are even moments where he is small and fragile but it feels earnt in the story and hearing still survived Hope has a nasty habit of springing back up even after you’ve squashed it.

I fell like people have a habit of writing Despair as some loud ugly thing that just lashes out and it can be that but it can also be silent and still or even seemingly happy it doesn’t always lead to steaming and crying I have literally seen people so sad they start laughing.

I’ve think Soap as the God Despair works so well as well because people also sometimes mischaracterise him as this happy go lucky guy who not as smart or as good at his job compared to the rest of the 141 and Ghost in particular, he may not be as stealthy as Ghost but he’s more destructive and I would argue smarter in a book sense way.

As Gods I’d say they both have a Grim determination to get the job done the difference being hope fighting for the end and despair fighting till the end.

One of the inspirations for this idea was the story of Pandora and the Alone mission. Soap opens the proverbial jar and lets out the nightmares when questioning graves on his and shepherd’s betrayal. Pandora was curios and opened the jar realising evil unto the world. Ghost stayed to watch over and guide Soap through a city being destroyed by monsters they’d previously helped. Hope was the last thing left in the jar and it stayed to protect and help humanity survive.

When questioned about Ghost staying behind to help Soap in Las Alma’s they both responded together and opposite eachother, Soap in despair felling alone and Ghost resolute always there.

This was supposed to be short lol

Side note imagine 09 Ghost Soap Persephone and Hades

I agree honestly it misses the whole point of hope smh.

OOHHH amazing reasoning absolutely agree with you. God and that is such a powerful connection and example. That even in the worst moments humanity will always succeed and conquer.

I have to it is a sight to see and so telling of the sheer lengths people can go and what they can handle. The amount of respect I have for people who suffer so much and can still smile is beyond words. My mom is disabled and was told she would never work again, but that woman got up and told the world to fuck Itself. She got better It's still hard and there are days she can't get out of bed, but she beat the predictions. She has chronic fatigue and chronic pain with fibromyalgia, she has a heart aneurysm we are keeping a close eye on and just beat breast cancer. She from what I have seen is the embodiment of hope and the strength of the human spirit.

Completely agree as does @azilver we talk about this a lot. People really don't understand Soap's character and it sucks. It's all a mask or if it isn't it is a tool in his arsenal so people don't realize how dangerous he is.

Again, completely agree.

YES, GOD DO YOU HAVE A LINK I NEED TO CONSUME THAT LIKE CRACK!

AGAIN, SPOT ON! That is such a good way to tie that line into the idea as well as a good basis on top of the already solid reasoning!

(HOLY SHIT!!!! OMFG YOUR RIGHT THE LIST IS BEING ADDED TO THAT IS SO BASED)

[blorbocedes]

Blorbie something I’ve noticed is that a lot of fics with Nico include lines in reference to him having “perfectly manicured nails” and just various remakes along those lines but as someone who has been a fan since like 2013 this definitely feels like a big misconception/assumption because in most of the close up photos I’ve seen of Nico’s hands his nails have in fact not been perfect or manicured at all and I’m almost certain I read once him saying he bites his nails. I tried to find it because I’m sure I’ve not made that up but I sadly couldn’t. So much of being a Nico fan is learning to ignore mischaracterisation because it’s just easier but him being a nail biter is 100% canon to me and his uncharacteristically untidy nails make total sense (and reminds me of a fic I vaguely remember reading years ago all about him having an oral fixation 🙃)

And yes, before you ask, I clearly do have too much time on my hands if this is what I’m busy thinking about…

haha hi anon. I'm gonna answer your question from the perspective of a fic writer. If I include the phrase "perfectly manicured nails" it doesn't mean I'm stating an objective fact like nico is blonde. rather im trying to convey something about the character. I don't think the writers have actually zoomed in on Nico's fingernail pictures to check.

so where does this perception of perfectly manicured nails come from? what does it signify? well, Nico's most documented and well known year is 2016, it's what he is most strongly associated with. And 2016 nico was highly neurotic, regimented, type A. He needed exactly 8 hours of sleep regardless of the timezone to beat jetlag, he had a really strict diet, exercise plans, etc. when an author goes out of their way to mention perfectly manicured nails, they're signifying that nico is someone meticulous, tidy, metrosexual, aware of his image and how the world sees him and cares about it.

it's important to remember this is fanon nico, fan interpretation of canon as is the case in rpf we can never truly Know the actual person, just their public persona. the biggest difference in fanon and canon nico for me was the video where nico was on a yacht with his friends and he found out his dad's team won the DTM championshipship. so he just books a flight on his phone, doesn't even pack a suitcase or get off the yacht, asks his camera guy if he can travel and then he heads straight to the airport. in his yachting shorts! and shows up to his dad's party. this goes against the perfectly polished idea of fanon nico, who is always scheming and prepared and would've had this flight and his suitcase packed in preparation, while irl nico is rich boy idgaf. even vivian comments "he always does this" at nico randomly booking a flight In The Middle Of Their Yacht Trip 😭

here's the link to the video, it's honestly a really fun watch:

anyways I hope this explains why the fics "mischaracterise" him, in order to write him in a certain way that's more interesting to the writer -- and you are free to disagree with it. I myself don't agree w/ a lot of popular nico tropes (the jilted ex to sewis for example), but that's why I read the fics I enjoy or write my own

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

What is your most annoying mischaracterisation of buggy in the fandom?

ooh, am i getting salty asks now? fun!

but we’re gonna be balanced about this. the mischaracterization in my own writing of buggy that annoys me most, then the one i’ve seen in the broader op fandom.

i can’t ever bring myself to write fully-bought-into-his-own-bullshit buggy. “let’s go to marineford so i can kill whitebeard!!” buggy. i know it’s essential to his character. i know he has to actually think he’s hot shit most of the time, or the contrast with his secret insecurities doesn’t pop. i know, but the way he acts in those moments of… not delusion exactly, but something a lot like it… it just makes me cringe so hard with secondhand embarrassment. i can’t touch it.

now, the broader fandom trend that i dislike most… i don’t know if you can properly call it a mischaracterization? it’s not someone misremembering canon buggy’s behavior or misunderstanding his motives, it’s someone looking at canon, saying “mm, no” and doing something totally different. mis feels accidental. this is very much deliberate.

anyway, call it what you will, but it’s the “buggy is pretending to be a pathetic cowardly weakling loser to test rookies/see a pirate’s true colors” thing. i don’t know who started it, i’ve seen it pop up in too many stories to track down the origin, but i find it incredibly condescending, as a fan of buggy as-is, to see the things i like about him being treated as a façade some cunning mastermind is hiding behind. it feels like somebody made up a (very cool! very interesting! i like the concept!) oc, gave him buggy’s looks and history, and now a chunk of fandom is going around pretending that guy is actually buggy, while ignoring my actual silly little guy.

[celaenaeiln]

Hi, I’ve been following this account for a while now and I really enjoy your posts. I was very sad about the mischaracterisation of Dick in fanfiction a lot, so finding your posts was very exciting to me. They’re huge writing inspirations for me, especially after a long burnout and writer’s block I’ve been going through this past months. Just wanted to say it real quick.

Also not about Dick Grayson but I’ve discovered this new song called The Kid I Used to Know by Arrested Youth, and it’s been giving me Jason Todd vibes. Just wanted to get your opinion on it, if you’ve ever heard it.

I hope you have a wonderful day today :D

Thank you!

I just went and listened to it - The Kid I Used to Know - and OH MY GOD

IF THERE WAS EVER ONE SONG AND ONLY ONE SONG THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT JASON - THIS IS IT!!!

MIND BLOWN ABOUT HOW ITS PRACTICALLY WRITTEN ABOUT HIM

This. This is the creation and meaning behind Red Hood.

You told me this should be fun, thank for the talk, are we done? This is my masterpiece, a tragedy, I wrote it myself I can practically see this playing as a backtrack to Jason as he's planning his Red Hood activities, right when he makes his debut.

It's full of irony and blasphemy, it's practically hell But the perfect part about it is it's all that I've got Jason's actions and character is everything Bruce worked his life against, his story his blasphemy in the eyes of his former mentor. It's also his anger and resentment about dying and coming back to life only to find that Bruce has seemingly moved on while he's stuck reliving his worst memories. but that's not going to stop him. No, those memories are only fuel. This is who he is.

I'm over wasting time in life trying to be something I'm not His hatred over how Bruce kept trying to make him a Dick Grayson 2.0 during his robin years until he storms out.

'Cause fuck that shit Yeah I don't wanna be that kid No, I'm not gonna hang my head And be another accident And Jason will be damned if he's just going bend over and let his death be swept under the rug. Let Bruce who he really is now. He's going to tear part Gotham and he's going to raise his head and do it proud.

So long to the kid that I used to know So long to the place that I used to go I'm not an R.I.P I'm not another sick, sad tragedy He's better now, he's better than he's ever been. He's got the skills, the fire, and power to become something new. He's not going to be something they cry over in the books or mutter "what a pity." He can never go back to the manor where he and bruce ate sandwiches and how they analyzed crime but it doesn't matter anymore because Jason's not going to take orders anymore from a man dressed like a bat, he's on his own - and he will prove it. Him and Bruce? They're done.

Do you ever feel like you're underwater? Drowning inside like there's no tomorrow? It's the feeling of the lazarus flooding his lungs and the blood choking his throat as he realizes with his dying breath that he won't make out to see tomorrow.

Life gets tough but you should know That I don't plan on letting go Come hell or high water, Jason's going to make bruce pay. He's not going to a footnote in an encyclopedia. He's going to haunt Bruce, he's going to haunt Dick, he's going to haunt Tim, he's never going to let them forget.

I'm not an R.I.P I'm not another sick, sad tragedy He's back - better and badder than ever. Watch out Gotham because Jason Todd is here to prove there's no "The End" to this story.

[blackbatcass]

Hii Linden!! Sorry in advance for the long ask lol

I dunno if this is an unpopular opinion but I thought I’d ask your opinion on this: I’m getting pretty tired of nightwing being pushed so much by dc recently.

Like as much as I like seeing dick being a leader and stuff it just doesn’t make sense for him to lead the entire justice league when he’s not even a member and a lot of these characters don’t know him very well. I know he’s done it in the past but apart from the dickbats thing that has also felt a bit undeserved compared to the other character available to lead.

Plus they’re mischaracterising other characters (big barda) to prop him up and that just makes his leadership feel disingenuous.

It’s also isolating a lot more dc fans from his character because they keep seeing him get pushed so much instead of other characters or at the expense of other characters.

Like I’ve seen so much hate over the past few weeks and although most of it was bs a lot of it was people genuinely tired of nightwing being the leader of everyone or ordering everyone about all the time.

And I agree with them a bit, dick is an incredibly popular character who has a bunch of his own solo stuff currently going or planned and I would love for some lesser known characters to shine in big events instead. This might just be my own preferences given I don’t like how batfam-centric dc is.

I love seeing dick being characterised properly again after the TT nightwing run and get the respect in universe he deserves but by making him so central to everything it just feels overdone especially when there are better choices :/

If you don’t agree I completely understand and sorry for asking about discourse 😅

i really wish i had more to say on this anon. i haven’t been keeping up with modern dc aside from my 3 runs so i don’t have a ton of context but i do know what you’re talking about. i don’t think i really have an issue per se with dick being portrayed as a good leader or leading the justice league; i mean he led the titans for like a million years and leadership is his thing. connections & teams are his thing. but i absolutely understand that it sucks when he’s pushed as Thee Most Specialest Most Talented Boy to the detriment of other characters. dumbing down other dc heroes to prop up the bats has always been a rampant practice and it’s the most annoying thing in the world.

idk. i don’t really feel qualified to make a definitive statement on it LOL and this feels like very shaky territory but yeah. unfortunately dc will always push characters that are popular & recognizable, due to the ever present scourge of capitalism. i think that it’s kind of reductive to claim that nightwing shouldn’t have important leadership positions but i do think it’s valid to be irritated with his constant spotlighting, if that makes sense.

[chihirolovebot]

genuinely so so sorry if i’ve ever mischaracterized phys, i don’t want to ever make authors uncomfortable :( i send a lot of stuff about lyrics and songs that i think potentially fit physouma, but i never fully explain the choices because i don’t want to be overbearing or say too much! i can explain the choices if you’d like me to clear some stuff up or if i did mischaracterize them you can explain why to clear up any misinterpretations others may also have?? i’m sorry again, hope you have a great rest of your day/night <3

(sorry!!!!)

NOOOO NONONO okay . i love hearing songs and music because theyre subjective and interpretive!!! i dont want to ever make anyone feel like they cant send something and be like 'this is so physouma' bc even if i dont personally see it i LOVE hearing that other people do . that sort of stuff has never made me uncomfortable or annoyed me, in fact it literally fills with me utter joy trying to find what other people see in the lyrics or songs that fit physouma's vibe. i love it!!! i dont always get around to answering everything but its because im both busy and forgetful .

and with songs its very different because its like. how do i explain this. finding lyrics that fit physouma will always be more 'vague' because songs as a medium contain a lot less detail than a 400k word fic. obviously. so if something is hyperbolic or reductive, i wont take offense or find it weird. for example, the song 'jackie down the line' by fontaines d.c. i have claimed as a physouma song before. even though its about a guy trying to claim that any relationship with him will be ruined because he will lie, hurt and manipulate his partner in the end. there are ELEMENTS of physouma here ( a relationship on the rocks bc one of the partners is a liar ) but the song is a lot more mean-spirited and hopeless than i believe physouma is. but that's the beauty of it!! finding meaning or relevance in lyrics that weren't tailored to physouma.

all that to say, don't ever worry about mischaracterisation in the songs or lyrics you send me. dude ive compared physouma to a fucking play by samuel beckett. the sky is literally ur limit. and i love getting those asks :') im sorry if that last post made YOU uncomfortable, or that i dont appreciate those kinds of asks. all engagement is good engagement. i dont even really resent people who misunderstand phys or physouma, i know sleep awake is super long and nobody thinks as long or intensely about it as me.

[gunkbaby]

What I luv luv luv about Shuu lately is how deep his character is. Like I’ve been writing him for 8 years, studying every inch of this man - and my perception and understanding of him changes constantly!!!

Like, a lot of it is me basically growing up having this character and not much else, but still. Every time I reread the manga, or meditate about him, or watch the anime, or whatever - I find something new about him! And I love that! I live for that!

I have always gotten things wrong about him, even now, but I don’t mind as much anymore? Because yes, the idea of not doing him justice devastates me, but I also have come to understand that with Shuu, getting something wrong comes with the correction. I see my flaws in my reading of him mostly when I see something from him that contradicts my idea - I find the character does communicate that. You have to read between the lines with Shuu, and I think my problem with a lot of previous characterisation of him was down to him being taken at face value, or commodified, or viewed through this very specific light. I try to view Shuu as Shuu - but I think lots of people in the past cast a very pessimistic, cynical idea onto him, no doubt due to the edgy nature of the fandom. I do think with Tokyo Ghoul, that there has been a severe lack of more optimistic views of characters and story in analysis. Not that it’s an optimistic story inherently, but I find people get quite into it being this inherently nihilistic view of the story. Tokyo Ghoul - and it’s characters - are grey but people paint it black. I try my best to view it through a neutral, grey lens.

But my point is that Shuu’s like. Completely esoteric to me. I love it. He’s my muse, my religion - he’s both my raison d'être and something that serves to shock it. He challenges me, and then I want to understand that - and it all feels so fucking rewarding.

I find his character motivates me to educate myself more. I read books I would never consider, do hobbies because he does them or I think of him via them. I only drink good coffee because Shuu says so, and when I was in my recovery to begin with - it was Shuu that made me want to get better, and give myself good quality food. And all because I want to understand him, because I want to feel him and know every part of him. Because of that, my life has been genuinely improved by him. He’s my force of good. He has saved my life. I think about where I’d be without him and there is no answer. I got so lucky with finding him when I did - when my mental illness was just showing itself, and just a year before it all fell apart - like. That was when the best thing in my life showed up - and I’m supposed to believe that was coincidence??? Like he’s not literally my guardian angel or some kind of heaven sent messenger???? God is real, you guys, and it exists for all of us.

I’m off-track. I just. I love that Shuu is so esoteric, so hard to understand, sometimes. Yes, he is chronically mischaracterised and I’m not under the impression that I have not contributed to that, but also? Him being like that is so wonderful. I love that he’s so complex, I love that he pushes me to learn and read and study and experience. I just love him quite a bit, you see.

[tadc-confessions]

I've seen a weird amount of people (In fics usually) completely mischaracterize Gummigoo, and the relationship between him and Pomni. When it's just him, they either make him super strong and independent, or sad wet cat. Not really much of an in-between. With Pomni in the mix, he's almost always COMPLETELY wet cat, but so is Pomni, so I guess it balances? I just feel like he's neither, he's just about as balanced of a character as he could be, and it just really annoys me when the gator man would never even be in a situation if they kept his personality right.

Sorry for ranting I just have a lot to say :,]

Don’t worry! This place is for ranting! <33

I’ve seen a lot of Gummigoo mischaracterisation and it gets me giggling each time I read it, because it’s just funny to see gummigoo as wet cat (because we was very much not a wet cat in the episode)

But maybe that’s just me

[trust-ceremony]

Your tags on the Mei agency post are so true. Especially the shipping part, people really act like her and Red Son are just like. Hunt|ow with a different coat of paint, it completely erases Mei's whole entire character.

Anyways, say more

I love complaining thank you for giving me an opportunity

I've watched TOH but it isn't really my thing so I never really cared about Huntlow much but I think I get what you meant and honestly I think the characterization of Redson in the fandom erases a lot of Redson's actual character too

I feel like the fandom tends to erase his character and infantilize and that unfortunately happens to most traumatized/abused characters which. As someone who has gone through abuse is really gross imo. I don't really think about Redson that much so I don't have too many points for him but yeah mischaracterisation sucks

Onto Mei, who I have a lot of points about. I feel like the fandom reduces her personality down to “bubbly girlboss” when she’s really not. Honestly I think the only time that she actually is bubbly (that i can remember atm) is when she’s making fun of or mocking people (main example that comes to mind is her with redson in rotsq) her temper is kind of just removed from her character by most of the fandom even though it’s a reoccuring trait that she’s had since the pilot. I guess the reason could be that she was more angry than usual in s4 ep9 and since it was one of the main things in that episode people actually noticed it (because no one in the fandom actually notices Mei unless she has something major in an episode) but there was a reason she was so upset. I think anyone would be upset if their best friend had a breakdown in front of them and then flew away to where you wouldn’t be able to find them and then you were forced to wait around and do something that you perceive to be useless instead of stopping the person who caused all of this. I’ve seen some people call it out of character which is already bad but seeing it attributed to Redson just feels worse because she’s already only ever talked about in relation to other people. In general I feel like some people don’t really get the point of Mei’s character and only talk about her in relation to OTHER PEOPLE (even with how people talk about the samadhi fire thing for some reason??)

I think Redson and Mei work together so well because they’re so similar. With stuff like both of them feeling out of place in their families (small complaint again but the fandom generally doesn’t talk about Mei’s family issues either and imo they probably effect how she deals with emotions which is interesting), feeling like they will never live up to expectations, they both seem to have a few shared interests and their personalities bounce off eachother very well beause they have similarities but not too the point where they’re the exact same person. I think the whole samadhi fire training (while unfortunately mostly off screen) developed their characters and relationship with eachother so much. Their friendly banter (idk if that’s the word) actually seems friendly whereas before the training it was a bit antagonistic. Both of them having the samadhi fire at one point causing Redson to be able to help Mei in a way that no one else probably could have. Speaking of that I think it’s also really interesting that Redson doesn’t seem to want the fire back at all people also never talk about that.

I think this problem exists with every character in the show actually. Everyone gets put into small character archetypes just to fit into the view of shipping and other stuff to a degree where people just miss the entire point of a character. I think people should have fun with what they want but some people treat it as if it’s canon. The reason it annoys me so much with Mei in particular is partially because she’s my favorite character and partially because there’s literally no other content of her alone which is exclusive to the fandom actually I’m pretty sure she has the most centered episodes out of everyone in the main crew (aside from MK but he’s the mc so it makes sense)

Have a silly image of her

[everybody-loves-purdy]

Honestly I just have like 90% of TigerDove shippers blocked at this point, it just. makes me extremely uncomfortable to see ppl ship them, especially after they’re made aware of the creepiness of it all. Nobody tries to go out of their way this hard to justify DustFern or SpottedFire (which are also bad ofc) so I don’t get why some ppl feel the need to defend this particular ship so much

I don’t understand it either

I do know a lot of people don’t remember oots properly and don’t remember how bad it started. So I completely understand there.

But I have had a few conversations with TigerDove shippers where I’ve pointed out my problems with the ship and I’ve usually been ignored. In one instance someone insisted they saw it like an 18 year old dating a 16 year old but it just isn’t? They met when he was a new warrior and she was a new apprentice. So when they met it would have been like a 12-14 year old meeting an 18 year old (and I feel even that might not be too accurate given that even Flametail has had time to get his medicine cat name at this point!). And at best by the time they started dating it would have been like a 16/17 year old dating a 20/21 year old. She doesn’t become a warrior until the book following them starting dating, and they meet several times before then so it’s not like she was on the cusp of being a warrior like some claim.

I just don’t get it why people want to defend this ship so hard. I think it’s because he dotes on Dovewing now, but that shouldn’t excuse the absolute disaster the relationship started out as.

I have found it to be an issue as well where because of people liking this ship they keep mischaracterising Tigerheartstar and ignoring how awful he is to other people and downplaying his actions in order to make the ship seem more wholesome. The whole point of him is to be a morally grey character, let him be that! But unfortunately I’ve seen the idea of him being nothing more than a silly wife guy with one brain cell be spread around more and more, but that just isn’t him. Lots of people I saw their main takeaway about his character in Shadow be that he makes dad jokes, but there’s so much more to him than that!

Despite my hatred of Tigerheartstar it pains me to see this reduction of his character. I hate him but I appreciate his character’s writing, so, so much, and I feel that given how important he currently is to the plot that the fandom should embrace who he actually is rather than shape him into something he is absolutely not. Otherwise we may end up in a situation where he does an absolutely shitty thing in his temper or out of pride and some may call it out of character when it’s the exact opposite and that just harms any discussions of the books and his character.

[mokkamicci]

Kataang vs Zutara: a small chat

So most of you who follow my blog on here will know that much of the content that I reblog and post are Miraculous-related. But I also post ATLA and Zutara content occasionally. I am a massive Zutara fan and I’m here to talk about something that I’ve noticed within the ship wars between Zutara and Kataang.

So starting off, while Zutara fans criticise the Kataang ship wiith facts and logic, sometimes I feel like some of these people go a little too far with their criticism, claiming that Kataang is misogynistc, makes Katara out to be some kind of trophy for Aang and is just all around nothing more than an unbalanced relationship. Obviously they’re not wrong, but sometimes they forget that Aang is just a kid, just like Katara is. Relationships at that age aren’t gonna be the healthiest because they’re going through a developmental phase at that time (aka puberty). You could argue the same thing could happen if Zutara became canon instead, because they’re both teenagers. Not to mention Zuko and Katara can both be hot headed at times. Combine that with hormones and growing into young adulthood... yeah it’s not exactly a fun time.

I also think that Zutarans often end up mischaracterising Aang completely in order to justify their arguments to the point where it’s barely recognisable from the canon Aang. Like the way some people talk about him, it’s almost as if they make him out to be like some kind of incel. Y’all are really jumping through a lot of hoops to make that kind of conclusion. This is almost like the time Adrien/Chat Noir salters in the Miraculous fandom called Chat Noir a sexual harasser. It’s really funny the way they think.

Another toxic trait they apply to Aang is him being an evil abuser who stifles Katara’s freedom and who also has his feelings coddled by her. The fact that he is selfish and puts his own comfort and feelings over her own has somehow become fuel to harshly criticise Aang. Like he is 12! Of course he’s gonna be a little selfish and immature! I don’t think his not-so-likable character traits justify belittling his relationship with Katara.

I don’t think it necessarily helps when Zutara fans stoop to the level of Kataang fans. I understand Zutara fans’ frustrations, because many Zutara blogs have expressed that they’ve been mocked and belittled the most, by both Kataang fans and even the show’s creators themselves. It only seems fair that Zutara fans get a little payback to treat Kataang fans the way the former have been treated. But I also think by doing this, it’s created an even bigger divide between the two. What happened to “ship and let ship”?

DISCLAIMER: I’m not trying to discredit Zutara, I LOVE Zutara with my whole being. I just think that when it comes to ship wars, people should be a bit nicer to each other rather than making them feel bad about the couple they choose to ship in the show. I’m also not very fond of Kataang either, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to absolutely crucify someone just because they happen to prefer that ship over Zutara. I honestly don’t think Kataang deserves the amount of hate it’s gotten recently. In fact, before I fully got into the ATLA fandom, I used to prefer Kataang over Zutara myself. I thought it was a nice wholesome ship. While my opinion on this ship has changed, I still think there are some parts of it that are cute based on canon moments in the show.

I’m probably gonna get some hate for this, and you know what, I’ll accept it. I’ll listen to what everyone has to say.

[spamtonology]

Anon from spamton's mischaracterisation ask here! Thank you for your time answering my ask, im very happy to see people opinions on my thoughts! I just wanted to say that in point 2 i mentioned, the "sad and obsessed with neo" part was kind of, not properly written from my part? And could probably lead to some misunderstanding which i apologise for, spamton wanting to get to neo is very important for his entire story, So it should be ver understandble that people Focus on that for bigger Scale!

also wanted to say that spamton is generally very diverse character, and toby fox did amazing job balancing comedy with tragedy, where something spamton says makes any Player laugh, but if you think more about it you realise meaning behind it, and go like "oh, OH" which makes spamton such great character (i want to talk about that one part later too) and taking it only to one part is taking the entire point of his character!

And last thing about the infantilising part, i do agree with most things said, spamton is infact homeless adult (if we want to involve spamton's fan assigned birthday in 1978 that would mean that in 201x spamton is like 30-40 year old) and heavily coded to be mentaly ill and disabled, and when i think (as an disabled person myself) properly including the disabilities in stories could make a big diffrence and making the whole "taking care of spamton" possibly better, but most of the time its always just, infantilising spamton (and i generally noticed that infantilisation of mentally ill or disabled characters is very common thing in media)

Thank you for getting into this discussion Again i really apprieciate it!!!

Hello again Anon! You’re very welcome, the ask was an absolute treat to answer and I’m glad you sent it!

I understand your wording may have been confusing on the NEO part, it’s perfectly fine, I know I have some awkward wording myself. But, making him “only sad” is a real issue that does happen in the fandom and does a disservice to the multifaceted character he is.

Spamton is very much a Fridge Horror type character, where the things he says at first seem innocuous or funny, but with replay or knowing later context, it suddenly becomes...sad. Scary. The “Letting your old pal Spamton kill you” line is a good example, he might be addressing Kris, but he’s really talking about himself. He’s likely implying he wanted to commit suicide in the past.

Feel free to talk more on that aspect, it’s one of the best things about his character in my opinion!

I like Spamton’s fan-assigned birthday of May 3, 1978 a lot and generally use it in my fanworks, though I also like to make Spamton a few years older at 50, mostly because I like round numbers and anything with 5 in it. He would have been very young as a Big Shot too, which might make his story even sadder to some.

I am also disabled, and include some experiences with my own disability into Spamton’s character, though of course his circumstances are wildly different. I do need help with a few things, and it seems logical that he would too; as a severely mentally ill adult he might need assistance with a few things including reminders and physical support if necessary. There is a definite difference between that and infantilizing him.

 I can’t name too many fanfiction besides my own and Steppin’ Out as portraying actual disabilities making his Activities of Daily Living impaired in a respectful manner, and wish there would be more content like this, because so many fans want to take care of him but forget that you can take care of a disabled adult and still treat them like an adult. I don’t know if it’s somehow easier to write him as childish, if it’s pure ignorance/ableism, or the author thinks it’s “cute”, but...At least make an effort, you know?

I’ve done a lot of research for my fanfiction, and google is only a few words and a click away. If, like me, you forget easily, you can collate these research points and links into a document (Google docs preferred, though you could use Word too). If you don’t know a word or phrase, look it up or ask a friend knowledgeable in that area.

But, yes, research, research is so important for storywriting. All those memes about shady-looking search results including things like “How much blood can a human lose and still be alive” are real and true, that’s the type of thing authors (both original and fanfiction) look up in order to research for their story! If you’re especially paranoid about your search history being seen by others (mostly advertisers) incognito mode/private browsing is your friend.

I went off a minor tangent here, but I hope it was helpful! Thank you again for your ask, and feel free to ask more!