#they are both so compelling

[nipuni]

They are so fun to draw 🥺 help

A speedpaint video of this will be available at my Patreon on sept 1st!

#Good Omens #aziraphale #crowley #ineffable husbands #aziracrow #my art #I love them!!! 😭😭😭 #they are both so compelling

[welcometogrouchland]

[ID in ALT] I've made posts before about Talia/Dick co-parenting Damian moments (will never happen but let me dream) and this came to me in a vision. Took me ages to finish for some reason 😭 and then even longer to post

#dc comics #dc #damian wayne #dick grayson #talia al ghul #batfamily #dc robin #nightwing #anyway. yes im a self-indulgent ''dick as damians secret third parent'' truther #like i DO think it's way more complex and nuanced than the schmoopy affectionate fan portrayal of it #they're brothers they're father and son they're partners they're the dynamic duo except only in past tense etc etc #but consider! I'm not immune to schmoopy affection in fanworks. it compells me despite itself #anyway it's technically not that crazy when it comes to dick and damian. they hug! often! at least they did #it's not as big a leap to these types of scenarios #also talia ''somewhat absent for complex reasons on both her and damians part but very loving and loved by her son'' al ghul #you will always be famous to me #son of the demon origin...bwahhh #anyway. someone made a comic kind of like this/like a post i made abt this topic #but way funnier bc dick and talia starting trying to beat each other up #so go look at that as well #anyway. it's been a somewhat difficult few weeks so I'm. desperately trying to take it easy #i got some reading with me (first vol of kevin smiths GA run that i found second hand and jaimes BB run vol 2!) #so we'll see how far i get through those. considering there's demons in my head telling me to re-read things (LET ME OUT!!!) #when i finish GA and BB i do plan on rereading robin 2021. as a treat to myself #it's a run I've really warmed up to as time went on #I'm keeping up w/ the current b&r run even though it is. admittedly very slow w/ some weird dialogue #i read it for the damian content more than anything. also nikas back so that's neat :] #idk I have a feeling that after absolute power shakes out we might get some more creative team switch ups #so if anyone at dc is interested in taking over the reigns on b&r...that could be very neat #(it's me they should hire me. please DC i have ideas listen to my red hood pitch PLEASE-)

[chronurgy]

I think that before Gortash and Durge started working together, they were both very lonely. And part of why their relationship is so intense is that they both see the other as the only person in the world who can handle them. The only other person in the world who could possibly understand them or be on their level, and to some degree, chosen as they are by evil gods, they're not really wrong.

Because as worshipers of dark gods, both Gortash and Durge have very specific paths laid out before them. As a worshiper of bane, gortash needs to become a tyrant - he needs to end up on top of the world. And as they said in the Prayer for Forgiveness, Durge is well aware that Bhaal created them to be the last soul alive.

But both of those things, being on top of the world and being the last soul alive, are very lonely ways to be. And I think both Gortash and Durge have both had periods in their lives where they were very lonely - Gortash in the house of hope (or frankly even before that, his parents hardly seemed loving) and Durge was likely treated more as an instrument than a person in the Bhaal cult. Neither of them want to be alone again, and after meeting the only other person in this world who can possibly be on their level, they seem to immediately set out to find ways to work the other person into their rigidly planned out lives.

Gortash genuinely plans to share power with with Durge, to rule alongside them. He gives you, his co-conspirator, his partner in crime, half the credit for the plans - calling them "our" plans. He's happy to hear you're alive, he's genuinely pleased to see you again, and he's ready pick right back up where you left off. He tests your resolve with the netherstones because he very specifically doesn't want another flunky, he wants an equal. He doesn't want to be alone up there on top of the world, with no one who could ever hope to understand him. He wants Durge right there with him and he's willing to commit a Banite sin (sharing power! the horror!) to get it.

And Durge, well, we saw the Prayer for Forgiveness. Durge plans to kill Gortash on Bhaal's altar, the same place they hope to die. I do think that Durge intended to kill Gortash last, and kill him slow. So that when they kill themselves he'll still be there. So they can die together, hand in bloody hand on that altar. Because being created to be the last soul alive is such a lonely fate, to know that you'll die completely alone, without even someone to hold your hand. And that is Durge's sin, the one small comfort they'd allow themselves - not dying alone, but dying with Gortash, holding his hand, knowing that there was someone there who loved them as they both breathed their last. Imagining dying in a loving embrace instead of alone in a cold world.

It's interesting to see how they both can't escape their gods plans for them (ruling and dying), can't bring themselves to imagine any other ending, but also go on to explicitly sin against their respective gods in the name of their relationship (ruling together, dying together). They're both drowning and they know they can't escape but goddammit they're going to go down together, the only two people in this world who can handle each other, the only two people who matter.

#That's part of what makes their relationship so compelling to me - they really are the only motherfuckers who can handle one another #And they're both willing to change up their gods plans to fit the other in them #But they can't escape them entirely maybe because they don't want to #They're sooooo doomed #enver gortash #dark urge #dark urge x gortash #durgetash #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 spoilers

[mylittleredgirl]

controversial opinion, but i love second-person pov in fic. in this case, i specifically don't mean x-reader; that seems like a different kind of story that scratches another itch.

i want you to be a fully-fledged character, familiar, recognizable. the thing i love about second-person is not that it inserts me into the story as a reader, but that it inserts the narrator as this omniscient, invisible, inescapable force.

in present or future tense -- you do this; you will do this -- the repeated you becomes a back beat of inevitability. the character is being moved from page to page by the voice of god, and we can see god's shadow on the wall. the you is so bound by the constraints of their own character, their own nature, that they could never have chosen another path. it creates an undertone of horror in any genre for me. the story is that there could be no story other than the one the narrator chooses to tell.

#highly unrelatable content i know #but it compels me because it's both so close in to a character's experience and notably separated from it #i remember reading choose-your-own-adventures as a kid and being like ok sure i'm at sleep-away camp and can go right or left in the woods #but who is offering me the choice? #on writing

[szfiction]

This parallel makes me insane actually (and there is something incredibly Lawlu about it to me)

#One Piece #Monkey D. Luffy #Sanji #Trafalgar Law #Lawlu #something about Luffy saying almost the exact same thing that Corazon said to Law makes me so emotional actually #It's easy to think Corazon and Luffy would get along. they are both kindhearted goofy sweethearts #but it's more than JUST that #it's that deeper thing where they understand and carry the pain of the people they hold dear #And it's the fact that overhearing Corazon say this is pretty much what changed Law's life #To know that he is cared for and seen and someone wants the best for him #And then Law loses him #And then years later he aligns himself with Monkey D Luffy #Someone who has these echoes of Corazon in him #The echoes of the person he held so close to his heart #Like. It's no wonder Law is so compelled and mystified by Luffy in equal measure #I think if Law heard Luffy say this to Sanji he'd go insane #cause I know he's remember everything Cora said that night exactly #and it might tell him why he sought out and believed in Luffy against all odds and logic #(why he cares for him so much too. why Luffy's stubborn insistence on loving him without condition is so familiar) #I don't even know if these tags are making any sense but IM FEELING THINGS OK #donquixote rosinante #Corazon

[sculkapologist]

finally watched Decked Out 2 Lackey Shenanigans, about which i am SO normal,

#block game art tag #hermitcraft #zedaph #tangotek #hermitcraft tango #hermitcraft fanart #decked out fanart #decked out 2 #zedango #hermitshipping #if you squint #theyre both SO normal #this is my first time drawing either of these people bc like #surely u understand i was Compelled

[rapha-reads]

No but I gotta talk about Medusa for a minute actually.

It's been. A very long time since I read the PJO books so I don't exactly remember how Uncle Rick presents Medusa in the book. But the way the show introduces her myth? Fascinating. For me as a Greek mythology enthusiast, that is.

The show makes Medusa a victim of Athena. Of course, the show is mainly for kids, so they can't exactly say that, hey, kids, Medusa was Athena's priestess and she was raped by Poseidon, YEP, or protagonist's father, IN Athena's temple, nah, that's neither kid-friendly nor does it endears us to Poseidon. Not that Poseidon is very dear to us viewers/readers at this point, our narrator/protagonist can't stand his own dad.

But still what fascinates me is that even though they twisted the myth to ft the narrative they still managed to evoke Athena's curse as being actually a gift, and Medusa not feeling wretched over her condition but blessed.

Which is not a modern reading of the myth, actually. Saying that Athena couldn't punish Poseidon for his transgression and could only punish Medusa, but did so in a way that would give Medusa weapons to defend herself against whoever and whatever would try to harm her again, is a narrative that exists since Antiquity.

My point is that the re-framing of Medusa's myth, departing from the traditional, non-kid-friendly version while still incorporating both classic and modern elements, is a good frame of reference for the series (book and show)' entire approach to mythology. And I guess I'm saying that mostly for the non-book readers who are discovering this world, many of whom might be Greek mythology fans and might have gone "wait, why is Hades AGAIN presented as the bad guy when he's the chillest, most normal, most stable god in this entire pantheon", because that's a conversation the book fandom has been having (over and over again) for more than a decade.

Anyway, yeah. As a long time book fan and a show appreciative, here's my advice to anyone who knows WAY too much about Greek myths and still want to enjoy the ride without going every five minutes "wait, that's not correct": reframe. Contemporary rewritings, modern audiences and Fantasy genre.

#pjo series #pjo series spoilers #pjo #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #rick riordan #medusa #greek myths #greek mythology #rapha talks #the funny thing is that one of the art exhibition i've been giving tours of these past couple of months is about goddesses #and it has some statues and objects about both athena and medusa so i've been talking a lot about these two for weeks now #so even though i still remember some from the books and i know damn well uncle rick's priority wasn't myth accuracy #i still got a bit floored by the planet-size holes in medusa's myth in the show #not enough to dislike the episode (au contraire i quite enjoyed it) but enough to feel compelled to say a word about it #(can you tell my special interest as a weird little girl was greek mythology and how it still is to this day...)

[monstermoviedean]

realized a thing about some dean ships today

#no offense to deanbenny i do enjoy it there just isn't much below the surface for me #drowley is good because there's so much that happens off-screen that is compelling #destiel is good because best of both worlds (on- and off-screen) #spn

[thevalleyisjolly]

There’s a weird recurring take in D20 fan circles that Zac doesn’t play “complex” characters and that people are just waiting for the day when he “finally” plays an asshole, which kind of baffles me.  Quite apart from the idea that only morally grey characters are complex or compelling, are you sure we’re watching the same show?

In Fantasy High, we have Gorgug, an adopted biracial teenager whose journey includes realizing his self-worth, coming to terms with his rage (literally), seeking out and navigating new relationships with others (his birth parents, the Bad Kids, Zelda), and discovering what he’s capable of. 

From The Unsleeping City we have Ricky, a second-generation Japanese-American, who has a very personal struggle across two seasons between doing the dutiful/sacrificial thing for other people’s benefit and expressing his own needs, wants, thoughts, and feelings; it’s a very particular exploration of immigrant generations and the relationship between the sacrificial model of your ancestors and the culture you grew up surrounded by which emphasizes the self.

There’s A Crown of Candy and Lapin, whose snark and one-liners are honestly less interesting than the way he engaged with and sought to understand religion and faith; the different yet similar ways in which both the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Church exerted control over their followers, and the search for spiritual meaning beyond these figures/institutions.

Then there’s Cumulous, whose every character aspect navigates a space of tension - the ultimate war guy who made himself hardened (literally) and pragmatic to get the job done but who also remains soft and caring and empathetic at the same time; wielding the power of death without glorifying or giving into it; the cousin who both is a member of the family and yet who remains at somewhat of a distance from the centre; a literal warrior-philosopher who is single-minded in battle and quietly thoughtful about the mysteries of life and death outside of it.

As for actual assholes, we have Norman Takamori in A Starstruck Odyssey, a bitter man who is the living embodiment of both the Superior Orders excuse as well as scapegoating.  On a side note, the amount of absolute vitriol and double standards which people threw at Norman during ASO for being an unapologetic asshole -and he had less than two full episodes of screen time- kind of underscores the calls for Zac to play a “real” asshole.  Zac can and will play whatever type of character he wants, but is fandom really ready for him to play an asshole if that asshole doesn’t have a secret heart of gold?

From the same season, we have Valdrinor/Skip, who starts as the “prince running from his destiny” archetype with a dash of brain slug possession, has a humorous yet oddly profound exploration of what humanity is and what it means to be human, and springboards from there into “wait, who am I really and actually, why are we doing things (brain slug possession) this way when there are other ways to engage with the universe.” 

Most recently in Neverafter, we have Pib, who apart from the fascinating meta element of being a literal character archetype, constantly straddles the line between self-absorbed self-interest and putting himself on the line to help others; his repeated demonstration of both at various points throughout the season is a subtle yet intriguing manifestation of free will and choice-making in a story all about lacking free will and agency.

So, I mean, lack of complexity where?  Does a character need to be an asshole in order to be deep or compelling?  And because I’ve heard this specific rebuttal quite a few times now, does a character need to vocalize their innermost thoughts loudly and frequently in order to prove their complexity?  If a character is “less vocal” compared to other characters, does that mean they lack interiority? 

Also, other people have brought this up before, but I am once again asking that people remember the difference between fictional characters and real life people.  Zac playing one (1) himbo on the show does not make him a himbo in real life, nor does it make him incapable of creating or playing complex characters (especially as said himbo is himself an extremely complex character), nor does it make him a lesser player than other cast members.  You don’t have to find all or any of his characters interesting or complex, but can we stop conflating character with player?

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 discourse #dimension 20 spoilers #(in case you haven't seen one of the mentioned seasons) #i haven't listened to naddpod so i can't speak to mavrus and squing is not included but the point still stands generally #1) asshole/morally grey characters are not the only type of characters who are complex or compelling #2) at the same time; zac has actually played both non-asshole and asshole characters who are complex and compelling #3) you don't have to find all his characters deep or interesting but please stop using them to make assumptions about the real life actor

[rikkivoid]

a pawn twice over

#aa4 #trucy wright #phoenix wright #kristoph gavin #turnabout trump #I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT TRUCY AND AA4 AHHH #the was trucy is used by both kristoph AND phoenix to deliver forged evidence (that destroys both their careers) is rlly compelling to me #phoenix is on trial for a murder he didn’t commit #and the real murdered is in the room #ACTIVELY trying to obfuscate the truth!! so phoenix’s decision to forge evidence is much more sympathetic #BUT IT STILL SAYS SO MUCH about how the 7yg impacted him and skewed his moral line #did trucy understand the role she was being asked to play??? #how did she feel about it???? #*throws hands in the air* TRUCYYYY #mystuff

[shisogelee]

not to be a hater but certain medias should simply never be found by the actor x reader crowd and saltburn is a perfect example

because with that array of fascinating characters and insane displays of queer psychosexual depravity? imagine being like yeah actually the most interesting part is the math nerd with 5 minutes of screentime

#saw someone in the tag being like ugh oliver was so mean for ignoring him like GIRL..... #also #if your main take on it is 'oliver is a good old queer predator creep and felix is a perfect heterosexual angel'.......you're uninteresting #TO ME! #like obviously oliver IS a creep and a predator #but the layers to that dynamic from both sides are insane and so compelling and fascinating #felix being capable of casual cruelty while also absolutely being a victim is what elevates the character above dead wife status imho #anyway #stan venetia and farleigh!! forever #saltburn

[artsychanel]

hi can i get a character who's associated with fire, has had rough beginnings due to being cast-out from society because of their appearance and struggled with their femininity, went on a journey seeking power and to become stronger, ultimately being blinded by their thirst for revenge, have killed several people and at some point got betrayed by someone close to them?

all in no particular order

and make it a double, please 🙏

#fang runin #mizu #blue eye samurai #the poppy war #these are extreme generalizations and i might have missed something this is all in good fun please don't come for me thanks #i love both of them so much #i was going insane watching the show #i love this archetype so much?? #oh and also! the character has THREE love interests #a guy who they grew extremely close to and then ended up dying #a guy who seems insistent on being their enemy and killing them and a girlboss who wants freedom and despizes the expectations society plac #and their bestfriend is the comedic relief who's actually a really smart and compelling character #im literally obsessed #all of their love interests are fruity btw. i don't make the rules #spoilers btw

[mamawasatesttube]

We always make fun of Tim for being Not normal about Kon (and rightfully so) but it overshadows Kon being absolutely not normal back at him

i was going to put a bunch of caps here of "moments kon has been Super Normal about tim" but by the 4th one i was like oh this post is going to get obnoxiously long and changed my mind hksfhjd but like. it is absolutely mutual.

mr kon "hey bro haha your voice gets so deep when you're being authoritative haha" el. guy who goes to bother tim on patrol when he's feeling lost and uncertain. guy who loses his powers and his second choice of who to ask for help learning to fight without powers, after guardian, is "maybe robin" (this idea makes me insane, btw). guy who (with bart) gets So Mad when anyone's being shitty to tim. guy who just likes to pick tim up?? wf3 kon i see you.

and do i even have to mention how fucking bonkers robin!kon is???? like that's before cissie even leaves the team. he's already that insane about tim. okay!

and uh. lest we forget. "you're my robin. always will be."

#answers #Anonymous #not even getting into how much he clearly wants tims approval in so much of yj98 #or how protective he is of tim in graduation day + how he keeps trying to comfort him when he's blaming himself #or the fact that they hold hands at Least 3 times. #they are both very much mutually abnormal about each other thats the entire reason theyre a compelling ship dynamic <3 #timkon #kon

[chiropteracupola]

girl-shaped thing and thing-shaped girl...

#em draws stuff #team fortress 2 #miss pauling #pyro tf2 #missfire #pyropauling #<- this concept Compels me actually. as it turns out. so. image and I'll tag it. #hilda coloring style again sort of! which was tricky as pyro has gradients and that style does Not. but we got there! #really I ought to draw pyro more often. fond of the mask's little snoot situation now that I've had more practice with it :] #regarding the caption both of them are both of those things. By The Way.

[lightlavenders]

for instance i feel like a valid criticism of she ra is that it uses its war as a narrative backdrop that it doesn't take seriously or flesh out very deeply. which doesn't ruin my enjoyment of the show (because the show is not "about" the war!!) but it exposes cracks in the writing from time to time. however saying that, this is a show intended for children and teens to teach them about love and self worth and queerness so I think it's really up to each viewer how seriously they wanna take the war aspect given it never intended to go that deeply into the concept.

apparently some people wanted to take that aspect very very seriously!! and thats okay because critical thinking about a text is a good skill to have!! yay for sure!!

#apparently the critical thinking only goes so far #sorry no one even cares about this discourse anymore but me #the weird catra fans vs hordak fans discourse #why can't we coexist. theyre both compelling characters #it's so weird i can't #as a die hard hordak fan I believe some of yall are only saying catradora is abusive because you're insecure that their fans will call #our ship abusive #neither are. use your brain. #entrapdak #entrapta #hordak #she ra #spop #she ra and the princesses of power

[ofpd]

it's been a bit funny to me the couple of times i've seen people suggest that grantaire actually did do what he was assigned in 4.1.6, bc after all we only see enjolras's perspective on it for like a minute. theoretically that's plausible but come on let's be serious for a moment

#txt #les mis #ive been meaner than usual recently about exr so obligatory disclaimer that im very much just as obsessed with them as everyone else #as you can tell from my url #this is both more plausible and more compelling to me #like ive seen ppl suggest that actually enjolras is too harsh on grantaire & the fact that he plausibly could have done as asked shows that #but actually enjolras could stand to be way harsher. grantaire certainly thinks so