Was scrolling through AO3 and found this gem
Enemy to parent is a trope we have to popularise lmao
i hate being the bigger person why cant i say why are you being mean to me and burst into tears dramatically
also consider: LOTR but hobbits have Tapeta Lucidum
Boromir gets the fright of his life their first night on the road
Man, that flashback episode really reminded me of all the things I hate about Zoox and Devo.
(Which speaks to the McElroys bc I'm pretty sure I am supposed to, if not hate, at least dislike these aspects of their characters)
For Zoox - It's mostly just that he's very callous and easily offended? Which to be fair to him, he's basically a toddler so it's pretty understandable. Just sometimes it rubs me the wrong way, like when he was talking to Hermine about Finneas' lantern and being offended when she tries to keep, what is ostensibly, the corpse of her friend that, to him, is just a lantern with no meaning ascribed to it other than it is his.
My main problem is that this characterisation seems mostly incidental and is framed as positive and at other times he seems rather willing to give things to other people - not a greedy guy for the most part which made the whole thing seem a bit weird to me, but it could just have been a tonal disparity.
Devo is just an asshole. He constantly explodes at people and blames them for things that aren't really their fault (example: Finneas, the sallow) and doesn't provide any constructive feedback alongside his complaints of other people (again: sallow). He's also kind of a hypocrite in that he gets easily offended at things and also seems surprised at people being hostile to him despite his poor treatment of them (see: the bar fight, enlisting the biggest baby). He doesn't really apologise and when he does I feel as if it's often about the wrong thing, just the wrong time or he makes the situation more about him. The apologising thing might just be something he learned from the church, though.
On the subject of the church I feel a large disconnect between the story Devo is telling and the story we are seeing (specifically the lantern room), but I think that might just be due to Travis and Griffin not really discussing it properly between them. I got the impression the lantern memory was worse in Travis's mind than it turned out to be, it was still bad, don't get me wrong, but Guidance was being kind of a good teacher the entire time (as in: there were no threats or punishments, just gentle encouragement - it was a discussion). Which isn't to say I like her - she's a gaslighting, lovebombing bitch. (Specifically: when they talked to her for their contract)
I honestly have no complaints about Amber. She's a well-written, well rounded character who is consistent in both her flaws and her strengths. She's a badass woman who lived through the apocalypse, I don't know what to tell you.
I'm not going to lie: I really don't like Devo. And I really preferred the scientist over him. (He was fun. Hope he shows up again)
But also Devo is somehow my favourite of the three and I'm excited to see how Devo manages his anger issues (which he's acknowledged he has! love that for him) and further develop as a character. As well as potential for seeing what the Church/Hand Of Benevolence is really like (I want them to be really shitty).
All of this to say that a lot of people like this exist and props to Travis and Clint in making me have lots of conflicting feelings about Devo and Zoox
I made a rose out of blutack :D
me, incorrect: everyone is probably sick of me drawing this character by now...
my inner voice, wise: ah, but this cannot be... because I am part of "everyone"... and until I am sick of drawing them... it will not be everyone
me, opening a new blank canvas: ur so right
devo continually pissing people off then telling them to shop at nermal’s pile continues to be hilarious to me
Agent Woof is in position
{x}
[image id: AO3 tag that reads “i said there would be no angst. i lied” end id]
He has this sparkle about him