so, this is my first post (no idea what I’m doing), but I just kinda want to vent/rant about tragic/sympathetic villains.
obviously, when looking at villains and analyzing, taking into account motivations and past traumas that lead up to their current actions is vital! It can change the message behind a story, the impact on characters within the narrative itself, etc. And there’s nothing wrong with liking a villain (regardless of redeemable qualities) and finding aspects sympathetic!
that being said, I just get so frustrated sometimes when all I see about a villain is their tragic backstory. What about the implications and consequences? The aftermath? I know people who like these characters usually don’t actually ignore/excuse the terrible things they do, but still.
might get some hate (if anyone sees this, which is doubtful), but this is somewhat specifically about Sephiroth and Shen Jiu, though there are others
gotta be infuriating to be one of the people involved in the plotting/secrets of the Holy War in dgm.
you picked random guy one to be the Guy Who Dies (he even agreed!) and he’s just… so hard to kill. Everything that you’ve done to kill him has backfired and he’s harder to kill now.
your choice to use him as your memory vessel extended his life temporarily. that other guy’s attempt at killing for this decision failed miserably, now he has a weapon and is years younger. the weapon is no longer responding to commands and won’t kill him. yet another person tries to kill him, but because he’s a kid now, he feels bad and spares him. you feel bad when you try to kill him, even after he’s grown up a bit—he’s just so nice!
when he tries to die on his own, he’s super durable.
now you’re just waiting him out, but he’s making everything so difficult. you think you’re getting somewhere, and then he comes back, clinging to life and sanity by the skin of his teeth.
he’s dying at a rapid, unstoppable rate and he’s unkillable.
allen: what’s with all this “chosen one” bullshit? Chosen by who? Why me??
allen, upon regaining his memories:
allen: son of a bitch
this is entirely a crackpot theory as I haven’t reread all of dgm in ages, so I’m likely missing a lot of relevant information, but:
is the reason for the earl making akuma to prevent new accommodators? Like, if I’m interpreting past!lavi’s words correctly, innocence feeds off of/attaches itself to people of particular suffering and tragedy, right? And mana won’t let himself grieve/cry because it will attract the earl (I think) and Allen is the same. So is the earl intentionally going after people who experience great suffering and just… nipping them in the bud? if the innocence is hostile, or even just keeping in mind the Noah clan’s hatred of it, then preventing it from getting stronger from feeding or gaining the ability of fight would be a smart move.
I’m not sure why specifically going after people in deep grief is a qualifier outside narrative themes, but it would make some sense to me, especially if the Noah’s past world was destroyed due to something relating to the innocence.
everyone (but especially Cross and Mother) watching Allen Walker
I’ve changed my mind, I’m not Sisyphus anymore. I’d rather the boulder just fuck me than push it up hill.
modern (no powers) au where crowned clown is a tapeworm that Allen formed an emotional attachment to
mdzs au where everything is the same except jiang cheng calls wei wuxian “edge lord” during his yiling patriarch era
Nea: you look nice. Who dressed you, the Great Depression?
Cross: you look lonely, Nea. I’m so sorry I couldn’t attend your funeral 35 years go.
a pet peeve I have in media is when the writer(s) try to write a strong female character and instead the just write a masculine woman. Of course woman can be masculine and strong (together and separately), but often I don’t feel like they write women who are masculine, they try to write a strong women and they can only conceive masculinity as strength. Also, I’m not sure if I’m phrasing this poorly, but it doesn’t always strike me that they write masculinity in the way a woman (or maybe a genderqueer person, though I haven’t had the pleasure of reading many original media featuring these characters prominently) might experience/express it.
one thing I appreciate about Xena as I’m rewatching it as an adult is that it feels like they’re women who have masculine traits/are masculine. Like, even beyond the fighting aspect, Xena often sits in stereotypically masculine way and takes charge/fulfills roles that are shown to be taken by men within the world they occupy. Additionally, I know that later, Gabrielle is joked to be “father” to Xena’s daughter, but I’m not that far yet, so I don’t know how far that’s taken.
idk, it just feels different to me. If anyone else has input/polite pushback I’d appreciate it/conversation! Or any other pieces of media that do this/explore women’s masculinity/gender expression/afab exploration of masculinity.
wei wuxian 🤝 cale henituse
cottagecore farming retirement fantasies