#characters and characterization

[ukrainian-groove-metal]

I love the "came back wrong" trope but from the opposite side.

Imagine you are dead. And then you are RIPPED from the embrace of decay into the world of the living again. Your memories are hazy and you don't recognize any of these people, but they act like they're close to you? Like they love you? So you try to get your memories back, to act like you belong here, but everybody tries to forget you died. And you can't. It is omnipresent. And just trying to grapple with that fact pushes the people who "love" you away, and they're incapable of understanding, and they're so confused, what's wrong N̶̄̀O̶͛͗T̷̉́ ̷͋͝Y̴̎̌Ȍ̴̈U̸̓R NÄM̴̃͑E̵̾̇? And you just need them to understand, you aren't that person! You aren't! You don't know who that person is! You don't know why any of this is happening, but they're unwilling to bend, they keep insisting you are that person, your memories will come back, everything will be normal again, and you want to scream and cry and claw yourself open to show them you're different. Your existence as a being wholly separate from whoever you "used to be" is a sin unto itself. All you can do is scrabble for life and to them, you're killing whoever they loved to do it.

just. lots of fun in that concept, you know?

#writing #media #tropes #characterization #character dynamics #came back wrong #kiriona gaia #nona #alecto #tlt #the locked tomb #personal growth #trans #transgender #like the whole trope is very transgender #vulture chatter

[abyssruler]

roses are red, violets are blue, lynette is so done with the two of you

lyney x gn!reader

lynette thinks fontaine’s worst kept secret isn’t how neuvillette wears blue underwear or how the hydro archon loves a good drama, no, fontaine’s worst kept secret is lyney’s massive crush on you and how everyone and their grandmother know except you.

comedy, pining lyney, lynette being so done

Lyney’s frowning.

Most people would find it an odd expression on him, used to having him direct dazzling smiles and playful laughter their way. But Lynette isn’t just anyone, and the sight of Lyney frowning is hardly a rare phenomenon within the privacy of their household.

Freminet’s usually Lyney’s choice of victim for whatever nonsense he’s managed to build himself up in that head of his, but Freminet’s busy doing errands and Lynette is unfortunately the only person within vicinity that Lyney trusts with his secret—which isn’t even a secret by this point, people have been making bets on how long it would take you to realize that Lyney’s been pining over you since forever.

Case in point: Lyney frowning over two identical flowers. She doesn’t need to be a mind reader to know that her brother is having a midlife crisis over which flower to give you.

Lynette thinks he should just man up and confess. Preferably within the next week or so, otherwise she’d lose her bet.

“Lynette, which one is more eye-catching, the crimson one,” he holds up the flower in his right hand, then he raises the other one, “or the maroon one?”

Lynette gives him the deadest stare she can muster. “They’re the same color.”

“Oh, sister, have you no taste?” Lyney tuts, pouting at her for a moment before returning to that constipated look as he squinted at the ‘crimson’ and ‘maroon’ flowers. Talk about being delusional.

“(Y/N)’s not gonna care whether the rose is crimson or maroon or red,” she tells him. You’d probably accept a dead flower if it came from Lyney, with that starry-eyed look you always got whenever he so much as glances your way. Lynette’s not one to judge other people’s taste too harshly, but she does wonder what you see in her overdramatic and annoying brother.

Ah, well. They do say love makes people blind. Hopefully not literally though, Lynette’s not looking forward to performing shows alone because Lyney got blinded by his love for you—though if you asked Lynette, she’d tell you it wasn’t love so much as obsession. Only someone insane would spend hours picking out flowers and calling them ‘maroon’ and ‘crimson’. It’s just red.

Lynette squints at him. “And since when were you interested in the meaning of flowers?”

“Well, I suppose you could say I like to dabble in other pursuits.” Lyney gives her a cheeky grin.

“Right…” He’s clearly losing his mind.

“Red roses symbolize true love, though rainbow roses in particular pertain to passion, and…” He trails off, eyes blinking in astonishment. She can practically see the lightbulb appearing on top of his head.

With a flick of his wrists, the ‘crimson’ and ‘maroon’ roses disappear. Lynette watches him warily, wondering what kind of outlandish idea has formed in that head of his.

But he doesn’t elaborate more, only shoots a wink at her and says, “I’ve got a great idea.”

✧

His great idea, as it turns out, is to corner you in an alleyway and make it rain rainbow roses around you as he asked you out on a date, all while Lynette is crouched on the roof, dumping sacks of rainbow roses and vindictively hoping one of them stabs Lyney in the eye. No such luck.

You, as the ever-crazy romantic that you are, are awestruck and amazed by what he’s done instead of weirded out like how a normal person would be. With an eager smile and a twinkle in your eye, you accept the rose in Lyney’s hand and say yes when he asks you to meet him for dinner tomorrow. Lynette wants to barf, but settles for dumping another sack of flowers on top of the two of you.

And if she uses a little bit of anemo to direct a few petals to Lyney’s face? Well, you removing a petal sticking to his cheek and having your fingers linger there for a few moments wasn’t part of the plan (the plan being: embarrass her brother by having him choke on a petal while he’s speaking), but she can’t entirely begrudge the result. Not when Lyney looks like he’s about to have a meltdown with just one touch from you. Good blackmail material right there.

Lynette’s happy that the two of you have finally gotten your heads off your asses and are actually going on a date. Though mostly she’s happy about the amount of mora heading her way soon.

She’ll have to thank Freminet for telling her about the bet about you and Lyney. Maybe she can start a new bet on when the two of you are getting married—probably soon, if the lovestruck look on Lyney’s face is anything to go by. She hopes he won’t be crazy enough to propose on the second date, because you’d certainly be crazy enough to accept if he did.

Oh, well. Lynette will put a bet on one month just in case.

#look i haven’t done the archon quest yet #so i don’t have a good feel yet of their characters #but i’m sticking with this characterization!! #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #lyney x reader #gn reader #lynette

[intermundia]

i just read about the "narcissism of small differences," aka the idea that the more a community has in common, the more likely the people in it are to engage in interpersonal feuds and mutual ridicule because of hypersensitivity to minor differences perceived in each other, and i knew there was a reason my time in academia and fandom felt oddly similar lmao

#you guys!!! this was freud's term from 1917. not mine #i understand people concerned about the colloquial usage but again. this is freud's term for the phenomenon in psychoanalysis #where the term 'narcissism' has a specific meaning #again. not my term. just a specific concept i found when i was reading about psychoanalysis and found relatable #ANYWAY. original tags -> #fandom stuff #like with people shipping the same ship #they have so much in common #love of and knowledge about the same characters #but then things like #top vs bottom characterization of one character #such a slight difference between people obsessed w the same character #makes sense it's so vicious lmao

[linktoo-doodles]

cquackity getting dressed in the morning

#quackity #dsmp #dream smp #mcyt #my art #Linktoo art #using dungeon meshi as a guide for more intricate characterization #its a REALLY good exercise to imagine a character you've designed actually step by step putting on their fit #really damn fun

[sadevergreen]

someone told me ‘cringe is dead have your fun’ on my last homestuck post (which was somehow my first homestuck post on this site) and it a little bit changed my perspective so ty :,)

have some morning beta kids!!

#jade is first to rise but she takes frequent naps ofc #she is powered by coffee #art with jeddie #homestuck #john egbert #dave strider #rose lalonde #jade harley #homestuck fan art #beta kids #my art #when i first got into homestuck my favorite character was john for a long time and i vividly remember everyone characterizing him- #as being cutesy and innocent #but he’s like not? #perhaps in some ways #but he for sure has some stubborn/ pettiness in him that was under represented #so i believe in bitchy john rights <3

[spinaart]

hey leader!!!

#persona 3 #p3 fanart #makoto yuki #minato arisato #junpei yori #yukari takeba #i think their trio dynamic is the most overlook in any game #we talk about makoto in relation to anyone else but i always find it fascinating how #despite being the bro character. junpei initially resents makoto and actively has to work towards understanding him #as opposed to other bro characters who immediately love the protagonist #and i love how yukari learns to open up to him even through her own trust issues AND his aloof general attitude #to the point she behaves how she does in the answer (iykyk) #which is in my opinion (and like no one elses lol) one of the most compelling characterizations in a female character in persona #ok rants over. i just love these guys and i think they are sadly underappreciated #art #fanart #spin draws

[caelos-legacy]

Discovery

[Image descriptions in ALT]

[Comic Index]

#fnaf #fnaf au #fnaf sb #fnaf sb au #daycare au #fnaf daycare au #daycare attentant #fnaf daycare attendant #caelos au #fnaf eclipse #eclipse fnaf #eclipse x reader #eclipse x y/n #(note: this version of eclipse was characterized before the canon character came out. because of that the character is purely fanon #comic #that's all folks! i'll make a new pinned soonish. thank you for following along #eyestrain #eye strain #(due to glitch effects)

[mobius-m-mobius]

Owen Wilson and Tom Hiddleston at the FYC Emmys 'Loki' panel, April 13, 2024

#owen wilson #tom hiddleston #lokiedit #mcuedit #marveledit #loki #ft. owen's nonstop fidgeting and tom's heart eyes aka two of their best qualities lol #anyway y'all i'm never getting over how much he loves mobius #and how it means everything that FINALLY after all this time he's been able to expand on a character like he's always dreamed of #i mean. 'when you felt that you kind of contributed something' says the person who improvised every valuable moment of his characterization #and constantly works to make sure everyone shines equally #couldn't be more proud or glad he got to work with someone like tom who shares such an appreciation and journey of storytelling <33 #marvel #owenwilsonedit #dianagifs

[tropicalcryptid]

Ok so She-Ra pulled such a great hat trick with Hordak's characterization, and I LOVE it

One of my favorite things about 2018 She-Ra is Hordak's story and development (and Entrapdak cough but that's not the point of this particular post), and the cleverest thing is that so much of it is actually being set up and told to us in seasons 1 and 2 before we even realize that that's what's happening.

When we first see Hordak in the show, he's giving "generic evil overlord" vibes. Garden-variety baddie. Maybe a little more reasonable than some and clearly capable of long-term thinking, but that just serves to make him intimidating. Everything about him--the way he runs his empire, his armor, his color scheme, his minion, his Villainous Eye Makeup(TM), even his name--are all projecting to the audience "yup, Acme Bad Guy here. Move right along."

But then, backstory. And everything snaps into focus. Not only is it one of the first big oh SHIT moments of the show, where we suddenly zoom out and realize that there is SO much more going on than we realized--it's also the start of the audience seeing Hordak as a character rather than an archetype. Suddenly we realize that he's not conquering Etheria because he wants power, or hates happiness and sparkles, or whatever--he's doing it out of a desperate attempt to prove his worth to his brother/creator/god. This moment where Hordak lets Entrapta in is also the moment the show lets us in on what makes our favorite spacebat tick.

On top of that, we've also seen him bonding with Entrapta and opening up to this person that he respects and trusts...probably the only person he's ever respected or trusted apart from Prime. And she's Etherian--someone of a lower species, someone he's supposed to subjugate, someone who he has been raised and trained and programmed and mind-controlled into believing is below him in every way.

But instead she's brilliant and creative and mesmerizing. She's not afraid of him, and she's fascinated with his work. For the first time since being abandoned by Prime, Hordak finally has someone that he can talk to, who is on his level and both understands and cares about the science! (because he is a giant nerd). She's kind to him, a mere defect. And it just sends his whole worldview into a spin, and that's all before--

Bam, mans is a goner. Entrapta's "Imperfections are beautiful" comment punches right through all the toxic bs that Hordak has been steeped in his entire life. You can see on his face here--I think it's the moment Hordak fell in love with Entrapta, but this is also the face of a spacebat reevaluating his entire worldview. If Entrapta, who is amazing, believes something different from Prime...what does that mean? If Entrapta, who is brilliant, believes that he is worth something, and that she herself is a failure...

Well. We know what happens after that, and how Hordak begins to doubt, and eventually fights back against Prime (and remembers his love for Entrapta after TWO mind wipes help my heart ack). But we also get to see what life in the Galactic Horde looks like: the only life Hordak ever knew before coming to Etheria.

It's not nice.

It's really not nice.

Prime operates in a very specific way, and we learn a lot about it in season 5. Prime expects complete obedience, devotion and worship from his clones. He allows no individuality from his subjects, not even a name. Failure or deviations are punished, mind-wiped, or destroyed. We even learn from Wrong Hordak that facial expressions are considered a privilege reserved for Prime (apart from, presumably, expressions of rapture caused by being around Prime).

And once we learn all of this, suddenly thinking about season 1 Hordak becomes very interesting indeed. The time we spend with the Galactic Horde and Prime throws absolutely everything that we know about Hordak into a whole new context. Now all those traits that made him a generic villain are actually hugely effective characterization! And what that characterization is telling us is that Hordak had already moved much farther away from Prime than we (or, probably, he) had realized, even long before he met Entrapta.

Horde Prime does not allow his underlings to have names, personalities, or any differences of appearance. Not only does Hordak allow this among his own troops, he chose a name for himself as well! Season 5 tells us that his very name is an act of blasphemy against his god. And yet Hordak took one for himself, and that name is part of the core identity he is able to hold on to when rebelling against Prime.

Horde Prime cast Hordak out when he showed signs of physical imperfections. Hordak not only keeps Imp (who is by all appearances a failed clone or similar experiment) around, he treats Imp more gently than we see him treat anybody or anything before Entrapta. Imp is not simply "generic evil guy's minion," he is proof of Hordak's capacity for compassion, and evidence that Hordak cannot bring himself to cast aside "defects" as easily as Prime. Considering where Hordak came from, Imp's existence is a huge, flashing neon sign telling the audience this guy here is better than the hell that molded him, and we don't even realize it until 4 seasons after it's been shown to us!

Very cool, ND.

There's more, though. Hordak's red and black color scheme? His dark eye makeup and lipstick? Very Evil Overlord chic. But nope! Actually these are actually expressions of individuality on a level that Hordak knows would be abhorrent to Prime!

Reading between the lines, I see this as Hordak desperately trying to reconcile two diametrically opposed beliefs in his head: (1) devotion to Prime, whose approval he desperately craves, and (2) maintaining some degree of unique personhood, of Hordak, from which to draw strength. Because a failed, defective clone cannot survive on a hostile world, cut off from the hivemind and from Prime's light. A failed clone cannot create an empire to offer Prime as tribute, nor build a spacetime portal from scraps and memory to call Prime back. A failed clone cannot create cybernetic armor to keep his hurting, weakened body alive; to force himself to keep going no matter what, to fight through the pain and the doubt by sheer force of will.

But maybe Hordak can.

And so there it is. Hordak had plenty of time to gain and explore his individuality while separated from Prime, but I think the reason he did it so effectively (while still deluding himself that Prime would forgive him for these little sins, if only Hordak could prove his value) is because he had to.

Wrong Hordak gained his individuality surrounded by kind, quirky people who took care of him; Hordak was ripped from the hivemind by Prime himself and had to fight for his survival against all odds. And that produced a dangerous and damaging foe for Etheria. But it also produced the one clone with the strength of will to defy Prime himself.

This is long and rambling, but ultimately my point is that 1) I love Hordak, and 2) I love love love love that the show was so clever about his characterization. We learn so much about him and how much progress he's already made in breaking from his psycho abusive cult upbringing, and we don't even recognize it until the show wants us to. Hordak had come so far, all on his own, before he met Entrapta. She just helped push him over the edge and finally realize (at least consciously) that Prime's worldview might not be the correct one.

Idk, I just don't know if I've ever seen all the trappings of Basic 80's Villain(TM) so successfully subverted, where looking back 4 seasons later is actually a smack in the face with the "effective character building" stick. Amazing.

#spop #she ra #she ra and the princesses of power #hordak #entrapdak #entrapta #horde prime #Spacebat #Deep character analysis #Gotta love clever writing #Seriously I could go on about this show for ages #I just love the characterization for everyone but especially Hordak #Best spacebat #I mean I love Wrong Hordak too but you know

[lunasfics]

Found Family - Preview

summary: In which Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent engage in a custody battle over a clone created from both their DNA, or, in which you get saved from a lab and gain two new families who would move mountains for you.

pairing: Bat Family x f! Reader, Supers x f! Reader

full fic is posted here!

a/n: hihihi :) here is a preview of something I've been working on, hopefully it'll be posted in a few days, I hope you like it!

reblogs are appreciated!!

Clark sat in silence in the batcave, Conner standing to his left, his eyes wide as he stared at you, possessing some features belonging to both he and Bruce, and other features that seemed to be entirely your own.

You stared back, that same stoic nature radiating off of you that radiates off the Batman, however, he noted the defensive look in your eyes, one so similar to the one he saw in Conner when he first met him. He eyed your suit, noting the familiar “S” symbol, only it was a burgundy color, a combination of the Batman and Superman emblems, and he was utterly confused.

He looked over at Bruce, still in his bat suit, his cowl pulled off, “Bruce, what the hell is going on?” 

“I had to call you here because Luthor decided to create another clone. I did the DNA test, Clark, she’s a combination of both our DNA” Bruce looked at him, Dick and Damian standing to his right. It was silent for a moment, you felt like a guinea pig, the way they all stared at you. It made you angry. 

Conner was the first to speak to you, stepping forward before opening his mouth, choosing his words carefully, “What’s your name?” 

You responded immediately, it felt automatic. “Experiment attempt number one. Code G6B24. I was made to be the future killer of the Batman and the Kryptonian.” 

#this is my first dc fic so please forgive me if you dont like how i characterized certain characters lolol #you cant really tell now cause its just a preview butttt #just in case #but yeah im so excited to finish this #bruce wayne #clark kent #dick grayson #damian wayne #conner kent #batfam x reader #supers x reader #clark kent x reader #bruce wayne x reader #platonic #x reader #x fem!reader #x y/n #damian wayne x reader #dc x reader #dc comics #dc universe #fanfiction #conner kent x reader #platonic relationships #wayne! reader #Kent! Reader #batsis #supersis #superbat #superman

[carolinanadeau]

"this female character is underdeveloped" TO YOU. I can read subtext and I know all about her backstory and her rich inner life. also she told me personally

#I honestly think that one of the most enriching and rewarding parts of writing fanfiction is getting to #fully flesh out and explore a character who gets some but not-quite-enough characterization in canon #unless the character is REALLY minor there are always so many threads to pull out and weave into something new #you can even deconstruct the marketing materials! oh this character is only described as 'beautiful'? wonder how she feels about that hmmm #my original post #writing #fanfic #I'm just really proud of what I've been able to do with Miss T. it's almost all right there in the script and lyrics if you'd only look!

[hellspawnmotel]

remember when I did this?

well I did more

#deltarune #heathers #noelle holiday #kris dreemurr #pizzapants #susie deltarune #nooses tw #blood tw #suicide tw #hanging tw #death tw #art tag #first three were actually done a year ago but i never finished the fourth one until now #partially bc Background Hard but also i was like 'this might be too dark actually' #my friends were like its heathers of course its dark and then i showed them the sketch and they were like oh that IS dark #whatever its done i did it #ALSO this is important some people were confused with this last time: these are based on the MOVIE not the musical #like literally these are screenshot redraws from the movie but with dr characters lol #important bc since the musical makes betty and martha a composite character and in the movie theyre two different girls #and i wouldnt have put susie in the role of martha in the context of the musical. i probably would choose catti for that #and im also. not that fond of the musical. on the whole. for reasons #i do have like five of the songs from it on my showtunes playlist though LMAO #i may not agree with the story and characterization choices but i cant deny bangers #crossover

[ineed-to-sleep]

Blacked out in front of my tablet and woke up with sketches of my Touchstarved mc + Kuras my beloved. woops

#I found out dr. kuras is 6'6 I said hold on lemme get a stool so I can climb this man #touchstarved #touchstarved game #touchstarved kuras #kuras #sleepyscribble #oc.emma #my mc is meant to be a self insert but also like. I wanted to come up w a design and character arc and everything jkvkvk #so I ended up basing her on my personality/looks but taking her into a direction that would fit the game #she's like. me but 'characterized' and a bit exaggerated for the sake of being a character yk #the way she turned out is that she's basically a friendly happy go lucky mage who laughs at her own misery but hides #a deep layer of self loathing underneath all that bc of her curse #having been cursed all her life she believes she's a monster and the sunny personality is a way for her to 'make up for it' #but at the same time she feels like a farse. like she's only luring ppl in to an inevitable demise #and she thinks she's selfish bc despite knowing the danger she poses she still goes out there and puts herself among ppl #bc she craves human connection. even tho she feels guilty for 'indulging' in it #anyway I love the cursed mc concept in this game <3 it's been really interesting to think abt how that would affect someone #also I kept her physical features looking pretty much like mine #bc I wanted to draw myself in a cute way. teehee #but the clothing I was basically thinking like. early game simple clothing that she didn't rlly pick for herself #and maybe later I can have an updated design w something she would actually pick for herself

[noritaro]

Blurr during his spotlight comic

#transformers #idw transformers #blurr #maccadam #nori art #i love vain arrogant characters #his characterization in his spotlight comic was wonderful

[floating--goblin]

you know what hill i'll die on? terzo is not the sluttiest emeritus

I mean sure, he's the most dramatic and the most outspoken about sex, and he gave us Mummy Dust which is its own discussion-- but I sincerely don't see him, in his private life, being so promiscuous. Like out of all of them, I'm the most certain Terzo would be either monogamous or have a few regular partners at most, but I don't think he'd be big on casual flings. Frankly I don't even see him having sex that much at this point, he seems more attached to it as a concept than an actual activity he regularly engages in.

You know who's the inverse of that, though? The one Tobias himself calls a pervert? Secondo. There's your whore. I know he looks big and mean and authoritary but let's be honest, half of Infestissumam is about ritual sex and he's out in Vegas on the regular with more women than he can reliably satisfy. He says it himself that he became Papa because "he likes a sexy beat". THERE'S THE EMERITUS WHORE, AND I'M CERTAIN OF IT

#the band ghost #i'm not trying to be like. puritanical by saying this #far from it #it's just like #i feel terzo is often stereotyped as hypersexual #and i feel like that's because he's for lack of a better word the most queer-coded papa #i just don't think he should be THE slutty emeritus yknow? because when i think about him i think of other things #he's the greatest showman among all of them and the way he grew disillusioned with the world is tragic #he's the only one (so far) to have gotten a grammy #he's the first to treat his ghouls like proper friends #the only time we see sister imperator actually afraid is when he shows up #like there's SO MUCH and obviously i'm not saying or even thinking that a character's sexuality is less important than other features #all the papas encourage a celebration of sexuality #i'm just saying i feel like people stop at that. and don't look at terzo any deeper #and that's tragic because he's a HELL of a character #and when you look at the bigger picture i'm sorry but i just can't think he fucks as much as secondo. sorry #give mr worldwide the recognition he deserves ok #and also give terzo proper characterization!!

[t-w-i-l-l-e-r]

one of my (many) favorite things about Barry being a dick when he’s first introduced is that like. He is totally a fridged wife guy. He’s a fighter and a bodyguard for hire. He’s brooding and shitty and traumatized and ~too damaged to make friends~ (and then dies horribly oops). HIS WIFE IS LITERALLY DEAD. but like he also. Isn’t that. He’s literally called The Lover. He blushes when he drops his glasses and the woman he likes gives them back to him. He’s lactose intolerant. He doesn’t know how to swim until Taako teaches him. He makes hot chocolate for Lup while she schemes. His wife is also not dead !!!! (I mean, she is but how much does death rly mean in taz? plus they’re not even technically married but how much does marriage rly mean in taz?) He’s basically that one post about an angsty dude and everybody assumes his wife died tragically but then u find out she’s actually fine and he just rly missed her and is actually pretty normal when she’s around. I know I’m not saying anything about him that has not been said before but sometimes I just. I’m struck by him

#taz spoilers #taz balance #the adventure zone #barry bluejeans #blupjeans #taz lup #he’s just such a great character and he was kind of an accident and I just #u couldn’t pay for this kinda characterization!! he’s tumblr’s dream guy!!! #taz balance spoilers