#he's deeply flawed

[pythoria]

i don't think you can fully understand astarion until you do an origin run tbh, or at least watch a video of his dream and all the responses you can give. it's hinted at in the final dialogue with cazador with his "you've never forgiven anything", but astarion wasn't some indisciplined brat who "deserved" or "kinda asked for it". He would apologise and beg for forgiveness, he would mind cazador's wishes and schedule and be constantly anxious about it, and the only reason that he got the worst of his wrath wasn't because his personality is just abrasive and it angered cazador, it was purely for entertainment, because he begged the prettiest, he screamed the loudest, etc. You can make the argument that he was the most vulnerable of the spawn, the least powerful, the runt of the pack.

Sure, he wasn't a great person while he was alive what with all his magistrate bs, but he was young and a bit of a dick, not evil. When he was alive and kinda abused some of his privilege as a magistrate that was posturing, underneath it there was always weakness and self-doubt. And when he was stripped of that little power he had, he became his "truest" (or rather basest) self, which was a scared boy who wanted to make it big or impress his superiors. On some level I think he admired Cazador for all the power he had, and we know that at the ritual "he wanted to be just like him". I don't think he would ever purposefully anger someone he looked up to, even with all the shit he was forced to do. For 200 years he was an obedient puppet, and it was his shortcomings, not his defiance that earned him all the torture.

So when you meet him after the nautiloid crash, you aren't seeing a single genuine personality trait of his. Not until the love confession in act 2. All you're seeing for the majority of 2 acts is a mask, a character he created, as well as him in full survival mode. Of course he doesn't want you helping innocents, this might be his only chance to escape, he doesn't want that derailed. Honestly, you don't really see the "real" him until after you've killed cazador. For anyone who finished his quest, y'all know how different he acts in the graveyard scene. He's uncharacteristically soft, even nice, and yes he's angry and he can't undo centuries of suffering, but you've helped him come back to himself. By act 3 he already stops rlly dissaproving of helping people, and when talking to the gurs he's defensive because he doesn't want to get their hopes up and dissapoint them, not because he wouldn't give anything to help. Astarion at his core is sassy, sure, but he is undoubtedly *nice*. He's a good person, he feels so much guilt for what he's done and sympathy for his victims, and he *has* to push it all down lest the psychological pain alone kills him. He likes killing, sure, but more as a sport than a past time. And honestly i could go on and on but let's leave it at that for now.

#pythoria.txt #bg3 #astarion #baldur's gate 3 #i could analyse his character all day #i should write a character study fic lmao #this all is not to say he's some hero btw #he's deeply flawed #but aren't we all #bg3 spoilers

[firebirdsdaughter]

So here’s the thing…

… What makes Nate so dangerous/such a wild card is that this man has become the untethered. He’s broken in an ugly way—there’s very little room to romanticise his grief, it’s twisted him into a very bitter, angry man.

Nate loves exactly six things: Leverage Inc’s mission of helping people, Maggie, and his team/family.

Nate will let the world burn, do anything he has to, to protect those things.

Nate’s not a monster, and he’s not bad in the way a lot of people depict him as being. He’s not the stereotypical charming conman, he’s broken and twisted in a dark way that will never quite heal, but he loves his found family and would do anything for them.

#Leverage #Nate is complicated and actually rewatching now I adore him #Nate is manipulative and angry and bitter and twisted #but he still has his positives #he's deeply flawed #but that's why he clings to the nobility of the mission he's found for them #and he loves his crime family to an absolute fault #the issue there being that bc of the way he's broken #that causes him to be an utter bastard a lot of the time #like I said he's a complicated case #he's not picturesque broken he's broken the HARD and UGLY way #but like I said in my TED Talk essay #a lot of times I think people overblow his flaws and treat them like that's all he is #when there is more to him and he does have positives #not really the most pleasant person even/esp to people he cares about #but he gets depicted/treated as if he doesn't care about his family and that is blasphemy #like I'm focusing on his relationship w/ Eliot in this rewatch(es) #which I keep seeing people say is one of Nate using Eliot and 'agreeing' when people call him a 'dog' which is RIDICULOUS #yes a great deal of their relationship is tacit and unspoken bc that's who they are they don't discuss feelings #but they understand EACH OTHER and that's WHY Nate doesn't respond to those people #bc he and Eliot it's not like that and that those people would never understand so it's not worth debating w/ them #Nate is the first person Eliot has chosen to give his loyalty to #not by necessity not for money #Eliot CHOOSES to give Nate his complete loyalty to look to him before going in to letNate pull him back #he chooses to trust Nate's judgement even when he's not sure and in turn Nate does the same #honestly the fact that they DON'T rise to those challenges is kinda great to me #bc it's a defiance of the way the world views them and a testament to their trust and faith in each other #that it doesn't matter what these people say bc they know who they are to each other #Literal Crime Family

[frodo-a-gogo]

Let us be brutally honest with ourselves and with eachother for a moment. If he weren't obese you motherfuckers would be capable of percieving evrart claires sexy sexy moral ambiguity and complex charms

#i am (lesbian) sipping him like a fine DESSERT WINE #my evidence by the way is very simple and very damning. joyce messier. there i said it. #if you guys can appreciate the fact that Joyce is a complex figure worthy of disgust yes but also worthy of empathy #despite being a venal coward facilitating acts of violence and slaughter of the organized working poor of martinaise in the name of capital #if you can understand that she is a dimensional figure while also being an embodiment of the moral apathy and cruelty if capital owners #but you cant look at evrart and see that he is (while deeply flawed and morally suspect) also a dimensional figure #on top of the fact that his motivations are eminently relatable and dare i say it baser #and his greatest failing imho is in failing to advocate for the interests of *all* the poor of martinaise #opting instead to marginalize the inhabitants of the fishing village in favor of a power grab in the interests of himself and his union #though this is imo a bit of a grey area morally. undeniably a wrong and bad thing to do but done in service of clairs political goals #to gather power to advocate for the working class against ultraliberal monoliths like wild pines and fascistic orgs like krenel #still super wrong but i can follow the moral arithmetic there tho i don't like it #but like my point is if u can see that joyce is evil and pathetic but still cool and sexy but you consider clair flatly distasteful #thats cus hes not conventionally attractive #cus he is *every bit* as dimensional and interesting as joyce and he is not nearly as politically shite even if hes interpersonally a jerk

[softpng]

sometimes I think about that guy on amazon who reviewed pride and prejudice and did an entire angry, weirdly math focused rant about how awful darcy is and then ends it all with "I could carve a better man out of a banana"

#the funny thing about the review is that hes so right about most of his points but like #that's why the book is good BECAUSE darcy is super flawed and so is elisabeth and everyone else #also his criticism of how basically nothing happens in the book except them all going to each others houses #austen literally says that's love love is going to someone's home and love is looking across the dinner table at you and love is walking #love isn't grand gestures love is saying i love you in a fucking field bro #anyways i love pride and prejudice in postmodern context because it's absolutely hilarious and deeply relevant #pride and prejudice #jane austen

[ventique18]

Malleus is literally contender for most pitiful character in twst... Dead parents (mandatory for male leads, I fear), grandmother who couldn't bring herself to love him enough to hatch him herself, foster father who he can't even say I love you to because of their difference in status, foster brother/s who are mortal and will die before he physically turns 30, everybody dislikes him because his own mom accidentally cursed him, his first organically-met friend and potential love interest wants to go home to their own world and leave him behind, and if he chooses not to marry and have kids he's doomed to overwork until he either dies of loneliness or everyone else dies so he wouldn't have anyone to rule over anymore-- whichever comes first.

But even through all the shit the world's putting him through, he's still always so very grateful for any morsel of affection he does receive. Despite having all the reasons to be permanently afflicted with sad boy syndrome, he'd still grin and laugh the widest he could with anyone willing to share some with him. He wouldn't understand jokes and you may have to explain it to him, but he will laugh the moment he realizes you're being silly for him. He will adore that cheap bracelet you made for home economics. He will finish and love that plain omelette you made for him.

He's someone larger than life itself, but he's also someone who thinks little moments and memories and the people who gave them to him are more precious than even his very life. And he is genuinely thankful for every single one of them.

#god i am so in kove with him #what a deeply flawed #deeply loving guy #he's so flawed he's perfect #twisted wonderland #ventique rambles #malleus draconia

[starchaserdreams]

How did Regulus go from

Sirius' younger brother who did the thing with the locket and also he had a middle name

to

Basically the main character of my universe who's destined for a beautiful (but sometimes heartbreaking) destiny/soulmate level ship with James, and who's sarcastic and hides behind that, but truly loves very deeply when he lets people in

basically overnight in my head?

I don't even know how it happened. One day he was a side character and then I woke up and he was the main character not just of HP or the marauders but of my own brain.

#regulus arcturus black #regulus black #jegulus #starchaser #sunseeker #marauders era #marauders #dead gay wizards #regulus kinnie #Regulus is deeply flawed and i love that about him because it makes him feel very real #butt also he had absolutely no flaws and is perfect in every way #i will not be taking questions about this #god damn it why does autocorrect keep doing that

[pathetic-gamer]

#alan wake #alan wake 2 #its honestly a little funny how EXTREMELY not okay he is even when he's still got the Cool Guy persona up in the first game #tormented by nightmares from a young age. anger management issues. assaults paparazzi. described by his agent as 'manic depressive.' #lowkey obsessive about his wife. presumably has substance abuse issues. so deeply unwilling to confront and accept his own #flaws that he *may* have created an entire extradimentional being that killed dozens of people about it. no qualms about using #people's real lives to his advantage in his stories (see AWAN dialog with the scientist lady). calls himself basically a god even though #he didnt even get out of the dark place by himself (and never would have). generally an shitheaded asshole. #definitely a character of all time #(to be fair though he's significantly less of an asshole in aw2)

[herotune]

so much shadow around us. to think we almost missed the light...

(a belated entry for wyll week day 6! favorite ship...i adore them ok)

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #wyllstarion #wyll ravengard #astarion #astarion ancunin #wyll week #wyllvember #wyllweek #baldurs gate 3 #my art #herotune #i have so many. So many thoughts about them #theyre both. honestly exactly what the other needs...wyll finding someone who loves him and cares for him deeply despite or perhaps #even because of his very human flaws and wont weigh any expectations that he be this perfect fairytale hero over his head #and astarion finding someone gentle and kind who can help him feel safe to express the compassion he very much still has #but has not been safe to express for so long. #theyd balance each other really really well i think... #wyll really does need someone who wont levy expectations he cant live up to over him...who wouldnt care whether he can live up to the image #hes made for himself. of this perfect hero that he definitely feels like hes got to live up to and in a lot of ways Does. #but he still cant help the fact hes ultimately human. and thats okay... #i have a lot of thoughts about both of them in general actually 😭..........individually and together... #i think they also find solace in the fact they both feel like monsters despite that not. actually being true. some of their interactions #esp in an origin run for both of them feel that way already...wyll is also weirdly into the vampire stuff fsr its so funny shdfgjfkdk #anyway. gay people. i love them...

[filthytheodeckerkinnie]

Feeling very “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” about John today

#like I know he’s deeply flawed but. my boy. how could you do this again #john doe malevolent #malevolent #malevolent podcast #malevolent podcast spoilers #malevolent spoilers

[lunar-years]

i'm still very sad they didn't do anything at all in season 3 with the Nate & Roy dynamic they'd been building off in the background for the first two seasons, because the layers there were really fascinating.

Starting with like, Roy being the only one to vocally and actively stand up for Nate in season one. At the time I think Nate was appreciative, but I think in hindsight, (rightly or wrongly) it quickly morphs into this mindset that Roy is sort of patronizing and has long viewed him as this weak thing in need of protecting. It feels (in Nate's mind), like Roy swept in to play the savior when it convinced him, but even that was based more around his hatred of Jamie than it was about liking Nate. And we see Nate later think himself proven correct in that thinking after he kisses Keeley and confesses and Roy...barely reacts. Roy, who is furious and angry about everything and everyone every day of his life, is suddenly like "Oh it's fine" when Nate has kissed his girlfriend. Nick Mohammed's commentary that Nate actively saw that as a micro-aggression was so fascinating and makes a lot of sense.

Then you have Roy, who did see season one Nate as someone to protect, but then was also driven to his best performance on the pitch during his final season by Nate's no-bullshit speech before the Everton game. That scene is so effective because it's such a jarring departure for the entire team from how they've previously viewed Nate, and it works for Roy especially because Roy respects people who don't give in to the intimidation he's constantly goading them with and instead tells it to him straight, no words minced (this is why Roy gets along so well with people like Rebecca, Keeley, and Ted, and why the breakthrough moment with Jamie is Jamie calling him out at the gala, etc.). I think there IS a part of Roy that doesn't respect Nate in season 1, which is why he later reacts how he does to Nate's kiss with Keeley, and it's a mindset he's vindicated by when Nate turns on Ted. But that also gets all mixed up with moments like the Everton, with the evidence of Nate being such a good strategist that Roy later finds himself deeply envious of after becoming a coach himself.

During the time they are both coaching together, there's a dynamic there where they both (I think) believe the other person doesn't take them seriously, and it's rooted in a little bit of truth (on both sides!!) that's then wildly exacerbated by their own insecurities. Like, Nate is intimated by the fact that Roy is this rich famous hotshot publicly beloved, so that it feels way out of Nate's league to even be interacting with him. At the same time, he also thinks Roy is a bit of an asshole who doesn't see him as a threat because he doesn't take him seriously, and is (fairly) offended by it. Meanwhile, Roy is intimated by Nate because Nate is so clearly so intelligent, which I think is something Roy is insecure about in general, given his own education being superseded early on by football. He sees Nate as being a more adequate coach than himself because of this. But he also thinks Nate is spineless and whatever respect he had for him (fairly) dissolves completely after Nate goes to the press about Ted.

So it's like, this messy mixture where they both have something the other desperately wants but they can't see at all why the other would possibly be envious of them due to their own insecurities. They are, imo, the two most insecure people on the show in completely different ways. They hate themselves far more than they hate each other, yet they displace the weight of that feeling onto each other; Roy by treating Nate with indifference and Nate by dismissing Roy in his head as an asshole hotshot whose had a great life handed to him and doesn't even appreciate it, whereas Nate has to fight tooth and nail to find success. And it all boils down to them not understanding one another while also having a lot in common under the surface.

Anyway, I think it would be super interesting to see how their friendship or even just their relationship as coworkers develops after season 3, as they both make active attempts at overcoming their insecurities and doing better by themselves and each other.

#ted lasso #roy kent #nate shelley #ted lasso meta #been thinking about this a lot this morning for some reason! #the juicy bit is. They are both RIGHT in thinking the other doesn't respect them. at least a little. #and part of the lack of respect IS because of Roy's ego and Nate thinking of himself as twice as smart as Roy with half the payoff for it #roy is full of himself nate is deeply bitter and it results in unfairly thinking of the other as lesser in some way #but there are also real and valid reasons they lack respect for the other too. rooted in their respective bad actions #ie. nate going to trent roy's microaggressions at nate #and acknowledging why the other might not like them for THOSE reasons gets a little too close to home #as to why they don't like /themselves #so it's easier to just be like roy doesn't like me because he's an asshole. nate doesn't like me because he'd spineless and weak. #idk if that makes sense of if i'm just rambling at this point but like. TRUST ME. #it's a fascinating dynamic. #Nate haters don’t interact this is coming from a place of love for two flawed imperfect characters <3

[devils-yui]

Listen, all the characters in Vox Machina are hot,

But—-

THIS ONE. THIS ONE IS THE ONE I DUB THE TITLE OF “BABYGIRL” TO.

#I am madly in love with Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowki De Rolo III #His name is a pain to remember but I will remember every individual letter. #He’s got my heart wrapped in gift paper #Vox Machina #The Legend of Vox Machina #TLoVM #Percy De Rolo #Percival De Rolo #VM #Critical Role #Percival Fredrickstein Von Musel Kolowsski De Rolo III #tlovm percy #he is so— severely fucked up #but he’s handsome #and charming #and *insert every synonym of ‘pretty’ and ‘handsome’ #He is so deeply god damn flawed but I am willing to forgive heem just for a smooch

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

very interesting how everyone and their mothers bash steven universe for redeeming villains who tried to commit mass genocide, killed and harmed thousands of innocent civilians, physically and psychologically abused their family member; but they sympathize with and coddle catra, who did much of the same things.

(while i like steven universe and i do think that people hate on it a lot more than it deserves, i can admit that the show had its fair share of problematic elements. i'm not going to defend it to hell and back like some people do with spop)

#rose/pink diamond too! #the show literally states that she was an abuse victim #and ofc that doesnt excuse her actions but why not apply the same logic to catra? #at least the show itself acknowledges that pink was a deeply flawed individual who would be morally grey at best #while spop acts like their catgirl is the best example of a redemption arc done right #spop critical #spop #spop salt #spop criticism #spop discourse #she ra #spop fandumb #anti spop #anti stans #anti catra #anticatra #not to mention the diamonds may have been “redeemed” from a narrative standpoint but they were not forgiven #especially not by steven #he is clearly uncomfortable around them and even contemplates shattering white #i still think that the diamonds arc could have been handled better #but the creators at least had the courtesy to remind us that the diamonds were tyrannical monsters once #if spop were the writers for su i bet they'd find some way to make all of this steven's fault lmfao

[steampunk-cowboy]

The beauty of Trigun is realizing that neither the protagonist or antagonist is right actually

#Trigun #pixel rambles #seeing people arguing and picking sides with these two characters has me laughing #Vash’s pacifism is deeply flawed and only suitable for someone inhuman #I don’t even need to describe what’s wrong with knives ideals he’s committing genocide and eugenics AKHFSKHF #the narrative criticizes Vash’s morality in ALL versions of this series #but I see so many people be like AH I want to be JUST like Vash he turned me into a pacifist #it baffles me

[lacefuneral]

"ACAB except kim kitsuragi"

no hope for you even at all.

#i love kim but he is literally a centrist corrupt cop that abuses his power #please i'm begging you play disco elysium again and actually engage with the political themes #your takeaway should not be ''cops are good'' #it should be ''cops and politicians are corrupt and no one is immune from flaw'' #this why some ppl think the video game is copaganda... it's literally teaching you to be literate of propaganda and to use critical thought #the fact that kim is a likeable person is important. the fact that you want to impress him is important #you will sometimes eskew your own moral values to make him happy #if i knew kim in real life i'd be deeply ideologically conflicted #which is! the point! #sigh. #you can have little an old man yaoi as a treat but you should engage with the text first

[mugentakeda]

why do u hate iroh pls tell me

I DONT HATE IROH AT ALL!!!! in fact the exact opposite. hes like in my top 5 atla faves. among one of my fav characters in anything ever really. but the thing is . i like him FOR HIS FLAWS.... i love flawed characters. the atla fandoms opinion of iroh is sooo black and white ive noticed like u either hate his guts or love him blindly. which how other people perceive him is srsly none of my business like you can hate or love that fictional old guy as much as u want til the cows come home irdgaf. it is not that deep to me. but idk i feel like all his hypocrisies and discrepancies and inconsistencies and 500 mental illnesses are what make him so great... like if he was literally Just the wise old uncle guy without The Horrors he wouldnt be HALF as dear to me. people that have Very complicated relationships with their Very complicated parents enjoy iroh in a different and far more epic way than how everyone else does

#plus im pretty sure ive drawn him more than ive drawn literally any other atla character #and i made a long ass textpost from his pov literally this morning #like im obsessed with that old fuck trust me i love him its just that he also sucks. So bad. hes the worst #and hes also more special cus how often do u get such deeply flawed characters that are irohs age? #its always some moody 20 something anime dude. Never the shitty old man #IDKKKKK but this isnt an iroh hate blog i promise. well it is kinda but only ironically #this is the iroh saw trap blog. where i put him in torture labyrinths everyday for my personal entertainment. #asks

[thecoolerliauditore]

no im not gonna be okay about cleo and etho saying bdubs couldn't do it btw. no im not gonna be okay about the parallels w/ the last life wither fight where etho and bdubs were side by side versus etho refusing to go with him this time.

because etho and bdubs care deeply for one another but they need to sort out their own inner demons first. and bdubs doesn't need etho to fight his battles for him.

#random thoughts #secret life spoilers #trafficshipping #traffic spoilers #ethubs #its late and im unhinged abt this but do u see what i mean #like etho and bdubs are both very deeply flawed people who love eachother #but in order to truly love eachother they need to confront their own demons first #and in etho's own words he's a runner #whereas bdubs has no place left to go but forward #istg if this is bdubs' realising he doesn't need etho arc im gonna go insane