#he's very pragmatic

[spider-man-2o99]

i don’t think we talk enough abt how when miguel first got his Spider Powers it was at least partly because his coworker genuinely tried to murder him on a whim just for being. like. kind of annoying at the workplace. utterly deranged and iconic behavior from aaron here

#talking tag #spider-man 2099 #spiderman 2099 #miguel o'hara #aaron delgado #spiderverse #atsv #say whatever u will abt sm2099 having its origin story spread across the first three issues-- no. 1 is still absolutely a home run #mig's origin--which very deliberately Doesn't involve hide nor hair of an even slightly-radioactive arachnid--has held up so long - #- for a Reason. it's been three decades! #and i Stand By that statement #he's got one of the most unique origin stories of all the dozens of alternate spiders!!!!! just suspend ur disbelief and have Fun #name one other Spider who was naked as a jaybird for a majority of their debut I Will Wait . #i justd. like. #like!! even in just this One Scene!! we learn so much abt miguel and how he thinks and deals with drastic unforeseen circumstances. #he talks himself up because he knows he IS smart-- but he /also/ acknowledges that he screwed the pooch and owns up to his ego #and from the jump he has very little hesitation before figuring out how to get his system clean of rapture and Doing That #if aaron wasn't also there that night miguel would've just done exactly what he planned to and then been done!! #he's very pragmatic

[skitskatdacat63]

"We are not the easiest opponent for everybody else, let's put it that way."

#the quote i think is a ref to carlos and the penalty haha so had to add it #ah also this interview kinda confirmed what i was thinking earlier #about him keeping expectations low and taking any kind of success as a win #even if that means a few points #very pragmatic yknow #he said h'd be happy w being in the lower top 10 #WHAT IF IM NOT HAPPY W THAT FERNANDO? WHAT IF I WANT YOU TO ASPIRE TO GREATER HEIGHTS #but nah im happy as long as its in the points but....id be happier if it was top 3- #nah bcs he had me getting excited over a p5 the other race #but honestly very nice and comforting to see him so happy all the time #also god im so tired and its so late and i still feel ill so the cuteness aggression hes giving me is insane #f1 #formula 1 #fernando alonso #we do a little bit of f1 #2024 chinese gp

[maddyscrsideblog]

I'm very much not at all of the mindset that Orym is going full dark but god I do think Orym as he is now would've been tempted by Lolth's circlet in a way Orym during EXU never was, not necessarily to use it himself but to at least have someone use it because giving in to darker powers can potentially give his friends the edge they need right now, he was the one holding everyone back from leaning into that kind of dark power not that long ago and now he's weighing things up and finding that having that power might be necessary

#as someone who watched exu as it aired this thought is making me feel insane #do you see how the things he's been through have changed him??? do you see??????? #orym's still very far from evil but these days pragmatism is often more important than his moral compass #okay i'm going back to work now but please know i'm rotating orym and his character development in my head

[fischlcatgirl]

Nahida being implied to have picked a side between Kaveh and Alhaitham and choosing Kaveh is so funny to me. about alhaitham she's like "yeah he's really smart but he's also an annoying know it all and nobody likes him" and about kaveh she's like "most of his ethical views align with my (god of wisdom) own :) the way he sees the world is so cool and epic"

Like yes alhaitham is her acting grand sage. Yes he helped save her from her 500 year imprisonment. He's also. An asshole. Kaveh is nice and makes cool buildings :)

#genshin impact #nahida #kaveh #alhaitham #board certified my post #its not really relevant to the main idea of the post but like #addendum: #it really does make sense that nahida would prefer kaveh over alhaitham in terms of their views of the world #bc alhaitham is very much a realist. hes pragmatic and almost overly rational #a major part of their plan comes into existance because of alhaitham's belief that a person's behavior is all based on factors that make #sense and can be predicted with precision #where kaveh can probably be best described as a dreamer #hes very ambitious about achieving things he puts his faith in #he is a believer to the point where he is willing to take himself down with his projects #see the place of alcazarzaray especially considering he knew of the danger of the withering and chose to go through with it anyway #which fits in well with nahida's desire for her people to dream!!! to create new things!!! #anyway. ragh ragh ragh im abnormal about them

[clownprince]

anyway i thjnk the most fucked up thing about i am a gun is that bruce is fucking right. his mental version of joker is damn accurate. even so early on in his career he's able to see past joker's evil uncaring monster outer persona and recognize the human inside of him who's alone and afraid and hurting, who desperately wants to be saved but doesn't know how to be anything other than the joker. even if you disregard that "the last smile" story the tkj script makes it Quite Clear that joker very badly wants to accept batman's offer but he doesn't feel like rehabilitation is a viable option for him (for multiple reasons)

#it's just so. auuuuuhhhhhhhghh #that bruce was able to recognize that so early on in their relationship like holy fuck #i feel soooooo cool and ordinary and normal about i am a gun (lie) #+ i'd have to reread the tkj script to be totally sure but i'm Pretty Sure it's the first comic that makes it overtly clear #beyond the shadow of a doubt that bruce wants to help joker not for pragmatic reasons like stopping his crimes or averting their deaths #but because he recognizes that beneath it all joker is a very sad lonely broken person coping with life the only way he knows how #(or at the very least not ONLY for pragmatic reasons) #(and yeah it's heavily implied in tkj and other stuff but i am a gun fully spells it out) #hjjijfjkjkkkkkhhhhhhh #batjokes #agony anguish pain #can't think abt batman 127-130 for too long it makes me so

[ghostwise]

ZevWarden Week 2023 - Day 2, Secrets Kept and Told

🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

Death From Head to Foot :: 721 words tags: guilt, ptsd, canon-typical violence, zevran arainai/male mahariel

It was bound to happen eventually.

Zevran does not know the man, but the man knows him, and that is his own error. An Antivan Crow never blows his cover. A Crow should strike from the shadows, vanishing after a swift and lethal blow with none the wiser. No witnesses. But here he is, and here the grieving stranger, bent on his destruction.

Had he not come to this city, Zevran would have never known that this particular iteration of Vengeance stalked the world, with his name upon its lips.

Worse still, Hamal meets his would be assailant first.

Damn it all.

"Do you regret his death?" Hamal asks him, days after the fact.

An easy question. Zevran is alive and his attacker is dead. The Warden is safe and unharmed. All should be well. And yet…

Zevran gives a terse shake of his head. "It was him or me. And you were quicker in dispatching him than I would have been."

Hamal observes him for a moment. "What's wrong?"

He doesn't immediately reply.

It's true that the incident bothers him still. It does him no good to brood over it, however; he should have put it from his mind straight away. Such childish moping helps no one. Now Hamal is concerned, and Zevran knows better than to try to insist everything's fine.

Experience has taught both of them how to navigate these fraught moments of conversation. So he gives.

"It was his right," he says sharply. "I killed someone dear to him. He reacted accordingly."

"As did I," Hamal returns, carefully.

"I know that," Zevran says. "Thank you, by the way."

Hamal's brow furrows. "Creators, now I am worried. Zevran, what's the matter?"

"It is going to happen again."

In the resulting silence, Zevran lets out a sigh, and explains.

"In all of our travels together," Zevran gestures in a wide arc at their surroundings, "How many times do you think we have passed through a city or town where I have killed someone? In truth, it happens more often than I care to comment on."

Hamal hesitates before answering. "This troubles you."

"No, in fact," Zevran replies. "What troubles me is that you cannot understand how much I am guilty of. Not because I would ever keep it from you—but because if I listed off my every sin we would never have time to discuss anything else! And then things like this happen without warning, and it—damn it all. How can I expect you to answer for so much?"

Perhaps it is a testament to how long they have been together, that Zevran no longer glosses over his emotions, his anger, his sadness. He doesn't need to. Not with him.

Hamal looks away for a moment. Through the muddle, it clicks.

"You wanted to kill him yourself," he says gently.

"I was the target. I should have handled it."

"How is this different from any other time you have killed to protect me? Or I you, for that matter?"

The question knocks a bitter laugh out of Zevran. He looks away. Worse still, he realizes that Hamal is right; this was different. And now Zevran can only remember every stupid, cruel decision he made when he was an angry and lost young man.

It had not been a contracted killing.

It had been a simple murder. A common fight gone wrong, bravado and his cunning Taliesen egging him on. A version of himself Zevran cannot think about without his stomach turning. No wonder the man had been so bent on killing him. No wonder.

"Shit," Hamal murmurs, and sets a warm hand on his shoulder. "Zev, you do not need to talk about it if you do not want to. I don't mean to pry. Just tell me what I can do to help you right now."

In an instant, the feeling swells and fades. Zevran shuts his eyes. His shoulders slump minutely; he is grateful for the escape.

"Just… forget I said anything," he says. "Please, amor, forgive my bad mood. I will be fine. Really."

And I will tell you later, he thinks, as Hamal gives him a reassuring squeeze, what a horror it is you have married; and you will love me all the same, I know; and I you, more and more all the time…

#rinnywrites #dragon age #zevwarden week 2023 #zevran arainai #zevran x warden #mahariel #oc: hamal mahariel #here's the second drabble and it's an iteration on a theme i've explored with them before but there is always so much to say #i do think it's interesting how their attitudes towards killing vary from each other and also change over time #zevran is very pragmatic and does not see killing as inherently immoral; it's the context that carries more weight #killing the crows and killing in self defense are therefore inherently different from killing for one's pride or on a whim (unthinkable) #meanwhile hamal does the option where you kill the humans in the forest in dao #zevran perhaps does not realize he's a bit more inclined to act rashly in that regard.. not yet anyway

[wonder-worker]

Any judgement on (Richard III)’s reign has to be seen as provisional. The critic of the reign only has to consider how the Tudors would now be regarded if Henry VII lost at Stoke, to realize the dangers of too many assumptions about the intractability of Richard’s problems. But it would be equally unrealistic to ignore Richard’s unpopularity altogether. The fact that he generated opposition among men with little material reason for dissent, and that the disaffection then continued to spread among his own associates, says something about what contemporaries regarded as the acceptable parameters of political behaviour. There is no doubt that Richard’s deposition of his nephews was profoundly shocking. To anyone who did not accept the pre-contract story, which was probably the majority of observers, the usurpation was an act of disloyalty. Gloucester, both as uncle and protector, was bound to uphold his nephew’s interests and his failure to do so was dishonourable. Of all medieval depositions, it was the only one which, with whatever justification, could most easily be seen as an act of naked self-aggrandizement.

It was also the first pre-emptive deposition in English history. This raised enormous problems. Deposition was always a last resort, even when it could be justified by the manifest failings of a corrupt or ineffective regime. How could one sanction its use as a first resort, to remove a king who had not only not done anything wrong but had not yet done anything at all?

-Rosemary Horrox, "Richard III: A Study of Service"

#r*chard iii #my post #english history #Imo this is what really stands out to me the most about Richard's usurpation #By all accounts and precedents he really shouldn't have had a problem establishing himself as King #He was the de-facto King from the beginning (the king he usurped was done away with and in any case hadn't even ruled); #He was already well-known and respected in the Yorkist establishment (ie: he wasn't an 'outsider' or 'rival' or from another family branch) #and there was no question of 'ins VS outs' in the beginning of his reign because he initially offered to preserve the offices and positions #for almost all his brother's servants and councilors - merely with himself as their King instead #Richard himself doesn't seem to have actually expected any opposition to his rule and he was probably right in this expectation #Generally speaking the nobility and gentry were prepared to accept the de-facto king out of pragmatism and stability if nothing else #You see it pretty clearly in Henry VII's reign and Edward IV's reign (especially his second reign once the king he usurped was finally #done away with and he finally became the de-facto king in his own right) #I'm sure there were people who disliked both Edward and Henry for usurpations but that hardly matters - #their acceptance was pragmatic not personal #That's what makes the level of opposition to Richard so striking and startling #It came from the very people who should have by all accounts accepted his rule however resigned or hateful that acceptance was #But they instead turned decisively against him and were so opposed to his rule that they were prepared to support an exiled and obscure* #Lancastrian claimant who could offer them no manifest advantage rather than give up opposition when they believed the Princes were dead #It's like Horrox says - #The real question isn't why Richard lost at Bosworth; its why Richard had to face an army at all - an army that was *Yorkist* in motivation #He divided his own dynasty and that is THE defining aspect of his usurpation and his reign. Discussions on him are worthless without it #It really puts a question on what would have happened had he won Bosworth. I think he had a decent chance of success but at the same time #Pretenders would've turned up and they would have been far more dangerous with far more internal support than they had been for Henry #Again - this is what makes his usurpation so fascinating to me. I genuinely do find him interesting as a historical figure in some ways #But his fans instead fixate on a fictional version of him they've constructed in their heads instead #(*obscure from a practical perspective not a dynastic one) #queue

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

Can you put some thoughts on buggy and his crew relationship? I noticed people think of them as uncaring about their captain, what do you think? Why would they follow him? Talking about the ogs not the worshippers

absolutely i can!

…though i’m afraid there’s not much to say. mohji and cabaji, our two named officers on the crew, are simple opponents for our heroes to beat in orange town, and that’s about as seriously as the story ever takes a buggy pirate crewman. unlike buggy, who zigzags between being a joke and being a character with real depth, these guys are pretty consistently jokes.

that said, taking a serious look at them, i think buggy found a crew that’s a lot like him, for good and ill.

they’re fully bought in on the romanticism of the captain-crew bond, and of bonds of friendship forged over a meal at sea. just look at their brief appearance at the start of the impel down arc: they bought an eternal pose that points to impel down! the whole crew is on their knees in tears thinking of buggy and ace awaiting execution… they want to do something about it! there must be something they can do!!

but oof, those sea kings sure are… real big…

and when alvida flatly tells them they’ll never make it, that even if they could, impel down is impregnable, and in any case she’s not going to let them use the big top to do it… they back down. still tearful, but now it’s “we’ll never forget you!” “see you in the next life!” tears. they know their limits, and beating alvida, to say nothing of whatever else awaits them, is beyond those.

and those limits never really change as the series goes on! so they give in and give up earlier and earlier, each time an obstacle appears in their path.

this crew values strength, but they don’t have much interest in doing the work to increase their strength, either as individuals or as a crew. they’d rather ride on a stronger person’s coattails, and call that person “captain.” buggy’s ‘growth’ as a pirate is a bit of a mirror image to that, actually—he’s getting stronger and stronger subordinates (or “subordinates,” as the case may be), but not really getting stronger himself.

buggy’s crew follows him eagerly and loyally, but that camaraderie doesn’t really extend to one other when worse comes to worst. they watch with fear, but no protests, when buggy targets one of their own for destruction—knowing that one wrong word could put them in that same position. is it so surprising that they’d turn that attitude on buggy himself, when former warlords come calling?

so yeah, i can understand where the ‘uncaring’ perspective comes from. they’re quick to give up (and to be fair, buggy would often also like to give up, but people around him keep misunderstanding his intentions), and that includes giving up on buggy when things get tough.

but what else are they supposed to do, get stronger? that’s literally the greatest swordsman on the planet, how is cabaji supposed to get on his level? ridiculous. at least if he keeps his head down he gets to be middle management at cross guild.

#asked and answered #one piece #buggy #buggy pirates #imo buggy and his crew are all cowards but his crew are less stubborn about admitting that they’re cowards #they don’t have his pride! or his ambition! but he can talk them into following his lead… up to a point #unrelated: i do like the mental image of the buggy pirates swaying alvida & surviving the sea kings & getting to ID *just* as buggy escapes #very powerful umbrella academy car meme energy #*pragmatic characters

[ckcomics]

Ink Test: Kill this guy

Based on this comic by @hausofdecline

#comic #helluva boss #striker #Moxxie #inking #traditional art #Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen - Soft - Black #I love these two ;-; #I really gravitated towards Striker first with his dynamic with Moxxie before shipping anything #imp au #Striker the pragmatic-down to business kinda guy and Moxxie the only real one with a moral code in the group #They're foils in the best of ways #Very different yet very similar #Striker is Moxxie if Moxxie was cool and not the series punching bag #Hence the reason why Moxxie hates him and wants to beat him #And Striker's just an overly competitive douchebag that of course he's game #Probably ended up being one of my favorite ink pens of the bunch for these comics #Line variation and control is nice #Likely will use this as a main driver

[cienie-isengardu]

Zuko’s stealing habits: Additional observation 

I have already talked about Zuko’s stealing habits in second Book and came to the conclusion that, narrative and visually speaking, he stole food and money primarily for Iroh’s sake. Even stealing the ostrich horse from the kind Earth family that fed Zuko and Iroh seen at the beginning of the season (something I did not include in the previous part) was done for pragmatic reasons rather than out of spite or for fun. As in, the ostrich horse gave them additional advantage to avoid or run away from pursuit. Iroh was not happy about Zuko’s choice but he ultimately accepted it and never again scorned his nephew for taking that animal - the later episode showed the ostrich horse was vital for their escape from Rough Rhinos. 

Interestingly, Zuko wasn’t that much prone to stealing and/or appropriating someone’s property in the previous season either. Especially not for a petty reason. The three examples (or as close to stealing it could be) that comes to my mind happened in:

Avatar Return, when Zuko took Aang’s staff that the young airbender used in fight against him and then offered willingly as a token of his surrender in exchange for leaving Katara and Sokka’s people in peace.

On his ship, the Banished Prince said:

This staff will make an excellent gift for my father.

What A) shows he didn’t think of keeping the last airbender’s weapon for himself and B) is a similar gesture done by Iroh, who sent little Zuko a knife of an Earth Kingdom's General that surrendered to him during the siege of Ba Sing Sai.

The Waterbender Scroll, during confrontation between captured Katara and Zuko:

Zuko: Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother. Katara: Go jump in the river! Zuko: Try to understand. I need to capture him to restore something I've lost, my honor. Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost. Katara: My mother's necklace! How did you get that? Zuko: I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is.

And yes, Zuko did not steal the necklace, as Katara lost it when she helped imprisoned earthbenders to free themselves and Zuko found it in ruins of the workcamp. But he was willing to use it as a bargain chip and later, to track Aang with the help of June. From this episode he knew the necklace meant a great deal to Katara but for him it was a tool to fulfill his mission. 

The Blue Spirit, we can assume Zuko, as the Blue Spirit, was infiltrating Fire Natin’s stronghold to steal information about Avatar and/or Zhao’s plans, as said knowledge was denied to the banished prince. And mind you, the first time we saw Blue Spirit at the fortress was long before Zhao’s people managed to capture Aang. 

During the first season, Zuko may not have a strong moral opposition to destroying other people’s villages or pursuing Aang from one end of the world to another, or keeping Katara’s necklace but in general he does not steal unless it is necessary. He does not even take trophies from defeated enemies and/or attacked villages (Water Tribe and Kyoshi Island were left immediately once Aang either surrender or escape) with the exception of Aang’s staff that Zuko wished to give his father, no doubt to earn his respect. Which is something fitting the theme of the second Book.  

But the most ironic thing about Zuko’s stealing habits? Iroh’s reaction. Our dear uncle Iroh was not happy that his nephew has no problem stealing - and is stealing to either provide them food and comfort to the level Iroh was used to (book II) or to fulfill his mission of capturing Avatar (book I). I mean, that is a reaction we should expect from a responsible adult and the fatherly figure, right?  However in "Bato of the Water Tribe", Iroh himself was shown stealing perfumes while everyone was busy fighting

just because it smelled nice and there was no one to stop him. And from “Waterbender Scroll” episode we know Iroh had money to buy himself nice things on whim.

But nope, stealing from people that he helped Zuko and June to attack is all right yet he will be upset that his nephew is desperately trying to please his father by capturing Avatar by any means AND Iroh, by providing him food and comfort the older man was used to.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #prince zuko #zuko #uncle iroh #i love iroh but he can be sometimes such a hypocrite #i'm not defending zuko's stealing habits but at least he operated on some moral sense #yeah stealing the ostrich horse was a bastard move when the strangers showed him and iroh such kindness but i believe the stealing #was a pragmatic choice and helped them survive #iroh stealing perfumes because no one is watching and like not giving a crap what is happening aroung him? yeah very responsible adult act #i know iroh was a good influence on zuko and father figure but we should be glad zuko didn't pick up iroh's worse traits lol

[syneilesis]

I kinda noticed that the princes have a dramatic and/or traumatic backstory that, like, tortures them or at least occupy their minds a lot.

AND THEN THERE'S CHEVALIER, who doesn't give a flying fuck about his childhood and how people see and fear him, and he's just, "I'm gonna crush all the rebels I'm gonna crush all the enemies I'm doing this for Rhodolite I WILL BE KING."

All the other princes have interior drama but Chevalier has other people going through the drama over his character lmao

What I'm saying is, I love him so much.

#Ikemen Prince #Chevalier Michel #ikepri chevalier #ramblings #he's very pragmatic and efficient #among the international relations theories he may be under the realism theory lol #like i said before he's a 'the ends justify the means' kind of guy #i believe it's only in the prologue did he say that he will be king #but in his route he didn't explicitly professed that ambition? #am i remembering it correctly? lol #i really do think that he really just wants rhodolite to be a prosperous kingdom no matter who gets to sit in the throne #but he does believe that he's the most efficient for the job #he's very logical #coldly so #which makes other people uncomfortable and afraid of him

[suncaptor]

people sanctimoniously trying to explain US politics looking down or spreading vitriol towards anti-Biden people like you're not going to convince people upset about a genocide during an election year of a sitting president that they're just too stupid or evil to partake in harm reduction the way you want them to and advocate for the president arming Israel actively lmao.

#do you really see it as greater harm reduction of declaring unconditional support towards a president currently supporting a genocide. #like do you think it's some great coincidence that the primaries full of people voting uncommitted is impacting his (albeit slight and not #enough) changes made. like yeah the Democrat party is eating itself alive yeah Trump would be even more supportive to Israel #but don't you think even any slight impact on the very real CURRENT situation is the like. correct focus. does it just not matter or. #this isn't about fucking disillusionment and it's not about not being pragmatic for fuck's sake do you think I wanted to vote for Biden in #2020. I was fucking devastated to. and while I do think it was perhaps better give how I'm sure Trump would have acted I mean he also is #kind of a laughing stock of the world lmao. #Personally I hope that they both drop dead ASAP but can't bank on that :/ #i mean i am also fucking upset about the fact the option's are between Biden and someone else who's running claiming Biden didn't defend #Israel enough or whatever lmao. but that I can't change. send repeated emails about what will make me vote for people who represent me? #while they ignore me and refuse to change at all ? yeah well i can do that. #incoherents #us politics

[abirdie]

Gael García Bernal in También la lluvia (2010, dir. Icíar Bollaín)

(these gifs also feature Luis Tosar and the back of Cassandra Ciangherotti's head)

[other gael filmography gifsets]

#gael garcía bernal #también la lluvia #ggb filmography gifs #gael garcia bernal #this is luis tosar (and juan carlos aduviri)'s film really (although gael has lots of screen time and second billing) #just in terms of who gets the biggest character arcs #touches on racism / colonialism / what narratives survive in history / impact of imf and world bank / employment relations and ethics #filmmaking / creative obsession / idealism vs. pragmatism vs. actual human relationships #plus water rights and grassroots protests obviously #there is an interesting interview on youtube with icíar bollaín #obviously when you're making a film that deals with the ethics of filmmaking there are certain expectations #also the very first version of the screenplay years earlier was for the film that they are shooting within this film #and then the stuff about bolivia and about shooting the film got added later in subsequent iterations of the script #side note i love how the film they are making plays out in sebastián's head when he's reading the script or shooting individual setups #of course this took $5.8 million at the box office while letters to juliet took $80 million #no one ever said life was fair #not that i'm still bitter about letters to juliet #(i am totally still bitter about letters to juliet)

[mostlikelytofangirl]

I've read fic where JGY was abusive and found it in character. I don't think 'abusive' and 'not abusive' are two separate categories of people. Under the right circumstances, any person or character can exhibit abusive behaviors and, with a long enough time frame and no interventions, their relationship could certainly become abusive.

If the word 'abuse' seems so incompatible with our beloved villains, can we really say we love them as villains if we can't love and acknowledge their capacity for harm?

-Regular Anon

Oh hi there, anon! Nice to see you again :D. Sorry this took so long in getting answered, I've been having a case of Real Life(tm) recently orz.

Anyways, I'm guessing this is maybe apropos of this other ask? In any case, let me just go part by part starting with the last statement bc I actually agree there with you.

If we claim to like a character, there's really no point in ignoring key elements of their personality, right? If we like villains, we like them bc of the fucked up shit they do and how very sexy of them it was, not in spite of. That's why even when I can indulge myself in the occasional fic with a softer canon WRH (bc food be scarce and every treat is appreciated :'))), I don't fully subscribe to that bc that's just not how he is. Even in AUs there just has to be some of his og assholery or at least make the changes make sense.

But here's where my first caveat comes, and it's something I mentioned in my other reply too. The characters' circumstances.

Now, idk what kind of fic you read, and at the end of the day, if it works for you, that's totally cool! I just would have to assume that JGY's life still had some level of shittery to it, or he was going through someting bc really, this is the character that saved a perfect stranger in the middle of the war without any ulterior motive, nothing to offer, and risking his own safety just bc it was the right thing to do.

The entire point of MY/JGY is that he was "corrupted" by a society that left him with only two options: accept your fate as a bottom feeder, or cheat the system in whatever way you can bc you are always going to be inherently disadvantaged. And here's my second caveat:

JGY doesn't read like a villain to me. An antagonist, maybe, but an actual force of evil in complete oposition to the core values of the heroes and actively trying to hurt/stop them? Not really.

So it's not only that, but also the fact that he's a nurturing person at his core that lead me to disagree with the notion that he would be purposedly abusive towards another person unless there's very pressing circumstances that would make it so that his own well-being actually depends on somehow damaging this other individual.

Sorry, but I just don't see it working in any other way.

That being said, yes, you are right, interpersonal relationships are much more complicated than just abusers and victims (despite what some corners of tiktok and twt might say lol). As I also said in that other ask, at some point in our lives, we are all going to be the assholes and even the villains in someone else's story; we are going to hurt those close to use and we are going to make mistakes bc we are humans. But there's a difference between toxic behavior and being a toxic person. So while being a dick bc you had a bad day or bc there's no good communication going on can totally happen to everyone, that's not the same as intentionally hurting and manipulating someone in a systemic fashion fully designed to keep them trapped with you.

THAT is something ingrained in the person at hand, and while there's an entire conversation to be had about nature vs nurture, in JGY's particular case there has been no examples whatsoever in canon to even suggest that that's the direction his character skews towards. On the contrary, he has sacrificed his own desires and needs for those he cares about: being a model husband to QS and never taking a concubine, helping rebuilt Cloud Recesses and creating the watchtowers even if it was unpopular, going to NHS' aid whenever he called despite it being more work for him, never hurting Madam Jin in spite of how she did hurt him, etc. By the end even, pushing LXC away when the man had clearly accepted death with him.

Again, idk the details of the fic you are refering to, for all I know, it's an entire exploration of JGY spiralling down an even darker and more desperate place than in canon, and him becoming abusive towards someone bc, idk, that's the only way in which he can feel in power when his entire life depends on others is the whole point of the thing. And that's perfectly valid too!! What's fiction for if not to explore and go beyond??

I just felt like I should clarify that, while I agree on principle with the villain statement, I don't think it applies to JGY unless there are specific factors playing along, and if those are not met, I personally wouldn't find an abusive!JGY portrayal accurate or in-character.

But once again, that's just my position and I have my preferences and my biases like any other person.

#replies #mdzs #jin guangyao #tbh I think jiggy would first kill the person than cause them unnecessary pain #bc what reason would he have for hurting someone in a close relationship with him?? #if they become impossible to deal with (a la NMJ) then it's just easier to get rid of them #at his core he is also very pragmatic #he only ever wants safety and respect man #he won't even force the few ppl who care about him to stay #he gave lxc the token back instead of dragging him to his mess #and I know murder meowmeow is like a meme at this point #but I honest to god can't see him as the villain of the story #of nhs' story maybe #but nhs is not the protag and jiggy was doing zero nepharious deeds when canon happened #he was the target of a very personal revenge not a big baddie to be destroyed a la wrh #that's not a villain to me tbh

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

#i was looking through old photos today. they where from wjen i was like 1 and it made me so sad #bc my mum would have been like only a year or 2 older then i am now and she looked so young #and now she has an abdomen full of tumors and blistered hands and feet. theyre prob gonna hsve to remove her bladder #but shes still very pragmatic abt it. but she grew up in a house where no one really cared about her feelings so she made them small #and now her mother calls and doesn't ask how her grandkids are doing and doesn't ask how her daughter is doing. im cursed with terrible #grandparents on both sides but i resent my mothers mother worse. though my dad said i probably wouldnt have survived his upbringing #and hes right. my nana has like zero empathy and cant cook for shit. idk how my parents r so normal but the fact i had a good upbringing is #probably the only reason im still here. and thats the other thing that made me sad abt the old pics. just looking at this little baby with a #fucked up head and thinking: in 25 years that kid is gonna b so broken down their not gonns kno what to do or how to fix it. idk whats wrong #with me. ive always been some stage of miserable but i used to b able to get things done. and now i cant seem to force functionality #and it sucks. bc im home now and i still feel like im cringing around this open wound in my chest. but whatever #as of today ive started taking ab1lify. hopefully it helps in the long term but in the short term it triggers my 0cd. which is not fun #its so frustrating. whatever. i also found out my eyes used to not work together. not enough to have a lazy eye but it was hard for me to #read and apparently my eyes were tracking at like double the speed of a normal person. wtf is wrong with my brain? also also my mum was like #yea i never would have guessed bip0lar but we thought it was something. autism i could see 100% but yea didnt see that coming. ao i guess #i brehave like a bit of an oddball. ans my nana would bother my dad to try to make me participate in church and my dad was like no. she #clearly don't wanna b here lol. ay. they did the best they could which i appreciate #unrelated

[utterdrip]

thembie looks so out of place but she is a TINKERER! she needs to ease of accessibility an apron provides!

i promise shes not a butcher! she is an inventor!

#frankie posts #bg3: thembie #she is no nonsense and very…. narrow minded but not in a prejudicial way but in a ‘i’d rather be taking these things apart and dissecting th #em’ way #thats why astarion was so pissed at her #cuz she walked away and then when he held her down she Tried to headbutt him but she is #not very strong :( #and then she called him a paranoid lunatic so you know. #the normal meet cute i think! #but yea i have the artificer mod for her #she is gonna have little robot friends #she’s dense and pragmatic and demi and we love her ok