#they both seem really interesting!

[gen-toon]

#tadc #the amazing digital circus #tadc jax #jax #tadc ragatha #ragatha #bunnydoll #I need to pathetically explain myself here and say this was just one of those go to bed thoughts I've had for a while. #It was an idea for the sake of daydreaming and I never intended to ever draw it but then it happened and I got carried away. #I'd honestly call this a bit of a un-headcanon lmao #None of us know at this point so any one of them could be close or not close to losing it. #Saying that I feel Jax seems like one of the more stable of the group and out of the both of them Ragatha is closer to abstraction if at al #But it's interesting to think if he actually isn't to some degree and there's more behind that grin I can't lie #And I wouldn't portray abstraction like this either I'd go about it differently. again just one of those fleeting throw-away thoughts #It ends ambiguously but you can decide what you want. I know how it ends. #I just got really into portraying the mood or cinematics without any dialogue.

[offkilterkeys]

The world isn’t ready for my alpha kid readings.

#jane crocker #jake english #roxy lalonde #dirk strider #homestuck #alpha kids #Jane is the struggler don’t you EVER contest that #many might argue it’s Jake but he doesn’t struggle inherently #usually he just vibes until he’s forced into situations wherein he struggles #Jane struggles from the beginning #her entire arc is a struggle #also had to change it from “the fujoshi” mostly cause I don’t like that and also cause it’s not as versatile as the other labels #I don’t actually think Dirk is boring btw i just think that when put up against his friends he has a lot less complexity going on #like his arc is fairly simple as opposed to Jane and Jake’s #and even Roxy’s #His problems seem inherently a lot more straight forward to me simply because he’s articulate enough to realize he has problems #Jane and Jake are almost there #problems are like on the tip of their tongues #and Roxy is kinda like the John of the team where she isn’t even gonna acknowledge the possibility of problems #girl is like “problems? haha not me #I’m the put together one in this group :)” #and just ignores all her internalized misogyny and heteronormativity #she is a mirror to Vriska in that they both put a lot of emphasis on preforming romanticism as a means of affirming their gender #anyway my alpha kid readings are way too boring so I feel like nobody would really be interested in them Sighhhh

[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

[cerulean-crow]

Twicord my beloved <3 Using my redesigns this time!

Fun fact! This was basically my first real ship, basically ever! I was never too into shipping growing up and I was very confused about just how much discourse surrounded it and how absolutely feral some people got over their ships.

But Mlp was what would open me up to stuff like multishipping and crack shipping and how to enjoy a good rare pair- so at one point I just decided I was going to ship something I didn’t see anyone else really shipping. Thus! Twicord!!

At a certain point it stopped being a “joke” and this pairing has since owned my heart for the last decade <3

Sketch and flats under the cut because why not- I tried rendering this a bit differently and I like how it came out

#mlp g4 #mlp #mlp fim #my little pony #my little pony friendship is magic #twicord #discolight #mlp redesign #mlp fanart #mlp shipping #i do like to examine how my headcanons around their relationship has changed over the years #because as someone who is aroace spec I claim both Twilight and Discord as being on the AroAce spectrum #idk there’s just something about the whole opposites attract thing and how Discord seems so ready and happy to mess with Twilight at- #ever given opportunity #but I would say that he also has this underlying respect for her- at least by trying to give her a confidence boost in his own “discord” wa #I think their dynamic can be really interesting and fun #crow.art #crowverse mlp

[heartbeatbookclub]

I think, in a lot of ways, Monika and Sayori are reflections of each other.

Really, I think all of the girls are similar in a lot of their issues (self-esteem, anxiety, etc) and that's something emphasized in a lot of the stories, and a big part of why they all gravitate towards each other and work to create the club as a safe space for all of them, but I think Monika and Sayori in particular are just very much alike.

I think Trust really emphasized this similarity in the reveal of Sayori's poem, Become the Flower.

Prior to shifting focus onto the poem, Monika talks to herself about her real vision for the Literature Club. I think here, Monika points out what Sayori actually meant when she said that Monika was "trying to make the club [she] needs the most, out of anyone", even if she doesn't actually realize that yet. It's pretty clear that when she says that literature is a window to the real self underneath the person who's "forced to always smile and blend in", and is "forced to be perfect", she's really talking about herself.

I think that a lot of Monika's character throughout Trust is expressed more subtly, often in a roundabout way like this. A huge part of the story is centered around Monika's own personal struggles expressing herself, and that trait is pretty well exemplified in this indirect way of talking about her own struggles. I think that the reason why Monika's characterization here is so subtle overall is reflective of this.

And I think it's pretty blatant that this is statement is also meant to be reflective of Sayori, given that we immediately move from this statement onto the poem which reveals to Monika that she's been hiding her own problems. In this way, I think Team Salvato wanted to explicitly point out how similar they really are, and draw your attention to it.

I think that the way that Trust as a story is put together is meant to really emphasize just how similar they are even in their differences; spending a great deal of time focusing on Monika's own problems, to then showcase Sayori as the mirror to them.

I think the two of them make a very interesting pair in that respect, because a big similarity they have is that they very much place others above themselves, so they both end up individually building each other up while they put themselves down. It creates this strange back and forth where they each insist they suck and the other is great, when the reality is that they're both pretty fantastic.

In the statement Monika made to herself about her vision of the club, while it's clear she's talking about herself, she frames it in the context of somebody else getting those benefits out of the Literature Club, rather than herself. Throughout the entirety of Trust, she speaks dismissively of her efforts and her problems alike, while pointing out that Sayori is providing a lot of help. Sayori by contrast spends most of her time hyping her up and points out, explicitly, that Monika doesn't give herself enough credit. She also dismisses her own efforts, pointing out in most things she does, up into the climax, that Monika is a lot better than her at whatever she's doing. And when Sayori's problems are actually revealed, she explicitly says that she doesn't want Monika to worry about her, and that she doesn't want to have this conversation.

I think this all really shows that both of them are averse to tackling their own problems head-on, and I think this comes out of a fear of being vulnerable, since that's directly mentioned several times in Monika's issues openly expressing herself.

I think what makes Monika's particular brand of self-negging quite so disheartening is that she dismisses it out of hand as her being silly and dramatic, and in that way, she doesn't actually address the fundamental problem underlying it, nor does she actually address the statements themselves as incorrect. The amount of time she spends talking down her own problems as something trivial and silly, particularly in comparison to Sayori's problems, are a manifestation of her own desire to avoid the vulnerability of even having these problems, and it's just...heartbreaking. Sayori's denial is its own can of worms, but Monika's ability to so consistently minimize her issues when they are clearly still impacting her is so uniquely troublesome.

I think a big difference between the two of them in that respect is that Monika wears significantly more of her heart on her sleeve, so Sayori finds it a lot easier to directly target Monika's problems than Monika does in the reverse, but their individual habits of avoidance are coming from the same place.

I'm traveling a bit aimlessly in this essay, trying to tie things together nicely as I see them, but there are just a lot of similarities I notice between their actions and the way they think that showcase that they have a lot of the same problems, and a huge theme in Trust is expressing oneself, which both Monika and Sayori struggle to do, in much the same way.

I think a key similarity between the two of them is their tendency to catastrophize over a situation when left alone, mostly revolving around seeing the worst possible scenario for how they could've personally messed up the situation. I'm just rewatching Trust for this little essay, so there are two major moments I see Monika doing this, but I remember Sayori doing this...a few times, actually, throughout the side stories.

I think the spiral Monika goes into after reading Become the Flower is particularly important, as it exemplifies the habit of dismissing her own problems fantastically; in this case, she has an excuse. It's true that Monika's issues with her perfectionism seem silly and trivial in comparison to Sayori's, but that's exactly the thing: She shouldn't be comparing them in the first place! Her problems are real, and they clearly cause her distress, but because Sayori's own issues appear so much more serious than hers, she dismisses them wholesale as her being dramatic and silly. Because Monika's problems seem so small, she doesn't see them for the problems they really are. In the same way, because her own accomplishments and work seem so small, she doesn't see them for the accomplishments they are.

This spiral showcases Monika's biggest problem, the reason why she has such trouble expressing herself, and conversely, the exact same problem Sayori has. She doesn't want to be the center of attention.

Put another way, she doesn't think she deserves to be the center of attention. Her problems are so trivial; her accomplishments menial. Her fear of vulnerability isn't a fear that others will hurt her; it's a fear of being selfish.

Sayori is very similar, in that the reason she actively works to avoid showing any possible sign that anything is wrong is because she doesn't want anyone to worry about her. She doesn't want other people to dedicate time and energy to her.

I think that for both of them, this comes from low self-esteem. Sayori is self-explanatory I think, but I'd say Monika's perfectionism makes it exceptionally difficult for her to really feel accomplished in anything she does, which, coupled with her constant preoccupation with how she appears to other people (I think Monika places very high expectations on herself. I mean, Trust literally starts with her frantically apologizing and saying "I normally don't ever do this!" when Sayori finds her napping) makes it very difficult for her to feel confident in herself.

The fear both Sayori and Monika have in being vulnerable isn't that people will use that vulnerability to hurt them.

It's that people will try to help them.

And I think that's a really big part of why Sayori feels like she can trust Monika with her darkest thoughts, because she understands that they're the same in a lot of ways.

Monika created the club which she needed the most...and it was also the club Sayori needed the most, for the exact same reason.

I think it's kinda easy to overlook a lot of this because of the sheer amount of focus placed onto Sayori and the more explicit issue Monika has (insofar as the plot is concerned), but I think Sayori is exactly what Monika needs just as much as Monika is what Sayori needs.

#i'll probably be making a lot more of these sorts of essays on different characters + side stories #i just noticed this and thoughts it was really interesting to look at #i think there's not a whole lot of focus given to monika as a character through the side stories in general outside of this #probably because the base game gives so much #i think this is a really interesting showcase of the pressure of this expectation which monika has of herself to be perfect #one thing i didn't mention here is that monika seems to outright reject the authority/seriousness of the club president position #i think another similarity between the two of them is that monika seems to use humor to soften things which make her uncomfortable #which based on the flippant way she talks about setting an example as club president specifically #it seems like she's not exactly confident in acting as an authority in her position #idk i really have a lot to say about them. both individually and together. #musings #ddlc monika #ddlc sayori #ddlc #doki doki literature club

[relmint-draws]

The business partners are dancing!

#rel'sart #alastor #charlie magne #hazbin hotel #hh #vivziepop #got my own issues with the show and creator but I've been attached to the two of them since the pilot #can be interpreted as charlastor if you like :3 #I never really saw them as father and daughter esp in the pilot? So episode five was a slap to the face. I did not see it coming at all SDO #charlastor #like #I can understand how others would ship them given how intriguing their dynamic is #both of their ideals and beliefs are in conflict and against each other #but at the same time they seem to share a lot of similar interests??? and also the vibes are impeccable #like the two of them can really challenge the other I would say... #but yeah my blog is a safe space for those who like Charlastor! #honestly I don't even mind a platonic dynamic for them #their interactions are always so intriguing to me #Like Alastor being intrigued by Charlie #seeing her as the most interesting thing after years of BOREDOM #He wants in on that #Front row seats if you will #I think every single action he takes towards her is manipulative but he grows to care for her in his own way #Charlie sees the good in everyone and is hellbent on proving Alastor wrong #One might say #she believes in redeeming even him #which Alastor just laughs at #I've been a Charlastor shipper since the pilot and I have curated my own specific view on them ever since KSDHD #Like...in the Charlastor ship right...I can't actually imagine Alastor loving Charlie in a romantic way?? #It's more like he's fascinated by her and wants to shake her in a bottle BAHAHAH

[lesovyart]

im so obsessed w them that I made fanart AND my own playlist

#気になってる人が男じゃなかった #the guy she wasn't interested in wasn't a guy at all #gays bonding over 90s grunge and dad rock #no like u don't understand I'm a wlw who was raised on rock and blues since as far back as I can remember #reading this manga has been SO en #SO enjoyable #I can't believe I didn't get into it sooner!!!!! And I love the NOFX Green used all through the series omg #Also re the fanmix #I know Aya and Mitsuki are super into 90's grunge and hard rock specifically #but I added in some diff stuff from betwee #Also I tried to the playlist follow the chronology of the story and might continue to add to it/edit 🤔 #Anyway I'm really interested in the way both charas relate to music? I feel like they both see music as a place for enjoyment and discovery #but Aya is quite aware of and #secure in her emotions so uses music as an outlet for them: a way to arrange and communicate how she already knows how she's feeling #while Mitsuki seems more to use music as a way to actually understand both the world around her #but also herself... I love them both so muc #god my tags are horrific but writing tags on the tumblr app is literal hell #aya oosawa #mitsuki koga

[rainymoodlet]

Kiss Me in Komorebi+ 🌸

[ Settling In… ]

Part 6.b of 6 🌹

@foxsimthings @anarchosimdicalist

#ts4 #ts4 screenshots #ts4 challenge #ts4 bachelor challenge #ts4 gameplay #;kmik #sim: daniel #ivor korrapati by anarchosimdicalist #eoin einfeld by foxsimthings #|| #oooo eoin 🥺 he’s alone toooo both of our new guys seem pretty overwhelmed #i wondef what he’s thinking about? #it’s winter now in-game and it started blizzarding the very first night #i’m so excited bc the snow gives everything such a Look ugh #bundlin up our contestants tight #dan!!! really!!! likes!!! considerate!!! people!!!! #especially when its exampled out of genuine goodness and not out of self-interest #just that pure genuine ‘bro i have the money just shut up and tell me what you WANT to eat seriously i’ll get it for you’ kinda energy #and ivor has that in DROVES #he’s always lookin’ out for everyone (i catch him on the phone with julian all the time) #againnn its more that i forgot how many sims to take pics of that these two #got special dialogue moments but do not fret my dear onesss #i’ve got sixteen upcoming all day behemoths for you to enjoy 😉

[trentcrimminallybeautiful]

i think the diamond dogs should play improv games just bc it would amuse me, an ex theater kid, specifically

#ted and beard ofc are reading each others minds #trent is shockingly good at it but only when he forgets to be self conscious #also see: he does both best and worst with ted (best when he's not being self conscious #worst when somehow the prompt gets too touchy or 'romantic' bc Crush Crush Crush Brain Panic) #(please the image of ted in character hugging him or something and trent just. red. brain crashed. no longer improving just frozen. barely #manages to recover and even then it was not subtle. unclear if ted is a) genuinely oblivious b) teasing him and thinks trent knows that #c) something else(??) ) #roy is too stiff most of the time but if he gets really into it he gets REALLY into it. #best way to get this result is to involve phoebe or another child #higgins did community theater at some point and is the one teaching them all the games. beard also seems to have done intense research #but higgins is the one with EXPERIENCE #not that i think beard and ted couldn't have done an improv duo in college or something but in this scenario they did not #nate surprisingly is pretty good at it once he gets into it like it takes him a second but #then he's like. really getting into it and he's very quick on his feet #new way to go mad with power (affectionate): the rush you get when you make the perfect snap back comedic line/acting choice #also while trent is so good paired with so many of them i think he and nate would be a hilarious duo. they're SO funny. #they complement each other well and are both quick & clever #esp if it's about a mutual interest (although one of them taking the lead on something else like nate and music while the other plays off t #em is also good) but like #please i just had the iamge of them basically doing a bit where they're like. those mean old gay muppets in the theater? #like trent and nate improv duoing as some bitchy reviewers just going back and forth and it's so FAST and SO funny #beard records it and posts it somewhere and it goes viral. #god don't even get me started on the idea of some sort of official richmond social media/the gang posting random clips on social media #bc the ideas i have are so funny. #also largely trent centric but what do you want from me okay i'm just a little slut.

[spitblaze]

Gold and Silver are good kids and Gold likes to show up unannounced to Lance's house post-game to bother Silver and Silver is like 'ugh great just what I need a loud annoying weirdo' but they are neither loud nor annoying while they hang out they just quietly sit on the floor reading magazines abt pokemon or playing video games and sometimes Gold will shove something in Silver's face like 'WHOA CHECK THIS OUT' and Silver will be like 'can you quiet down. What stupid thing could possibly get you that excited' as if he wouldn't also be equally excited about the very cool article about Sharpedo Gold just found

#spitblaze says things #i just thing gold and silver are two different flavors of neurodivergent #gold has the overactive adhd kind and had issues w volume and impulse control #silver has the quiet (traumatized) autistic kind where he basically makes his way thru life by playing 4d Social Expectation chess #v good at masking. unfortunately his mask is aggression #gold doesnt care hes hot garbage with social cues too but makes zero effort to mask or compensate #its fine tho they both have the same special interest. Pokemon #(also gold makes a very good compression stim. silver will just be like 'will you lay on me please' and gold is like 'sure thing buddy :)' #and theyre just like that. on the floor. like cats. clair doesnt really know what to make of it but silver doesnt seem bothered #so its probably fine) #pokemon #preciousmetalshipping #(i mean i guess lol. either way they are Best Fwiends) #trainer gold #rival silver #idk why im so invested in these two. johto isnt even in my top 5 #pokemon gsc

[neosatsuma]

I for one would be thrilled if the big bads were defeated through 1) the power of comedy and 2) the criminal justice system (randomly applied)

#jjk #jjk spoilers #the fact that Higuruma CAN'T CHOOSE what Judgeman prosecutes if the funniest thing on earth to me #I DO think it's interesting that iirc both Takaba and Higuruma were granted their techniques by the stunt Kenjaku pulled #like. techniques like this were largely extinct bc of the progressively increased focus on assured-hit domains right #and the conservative higher ups want to maintain the traditions of the last couple hundred years or whatever #they don't like weird techniques like Hakari's #and the major clans want to maintain certain inherited techniques #sorry I'm overhearing my boss being really embarrassing Im losing focus here #long story short: techniques/domains that aren't focused on combat seem to have largely died out #Takaba's and Higuruma's techniques are like. cloned wooly mammoths or something. reintroduced. #BY KENJAKU #so it'd be extremely funny if it was These Techniques that were the lynchpin in taking the bad guys down #my nonsense #jujutsu kaisen #jjk 244

[androgynouspenguinexpert]

starting a former william fan support group bc what the entire fuck was that

#redacted audio #redacted asmr #redactedverse #art #illustration #redacted vincent #vincent solaire #look william is right in that thats how it be sometimes way #does NOT make his actions any less shitty and certainly doesnt absolve him #suggesting vincent and sam just fuck off seems incredibly dismissive and sort of is but he's right #william knows he isnt going to change and vincent (+ sam but he's really only got a tiny stake in this) can deal with it or bugger off #super interesting issue because i can clearly see both sides of the argument #william cant afford to not be strategic and that includes manipulating the people he has power over #THAT SAID #vincent is rightfully upset at being fucked with for william's interests #i dont think theres a solution for everyone here #stay and become involved at worst or complicit at best #or cut ties completely #which is a whole nother can of worms and leaves vincent (+ sam but hold your horses) vulnerable to being killed by either a clan or drifter #(which would be hard but not impossible) or get snapped up by someone looking to manipulate him #sound familiar? #and sam was also there #someone needs to explain to him how a monarchy works #like yes honey william DOES get to make every decision on his own and move assets and people as he sees fit without counsel #thats what it says on the tin

[burinazar]

Oh, wait, wait, ok, I can tell tumblr my news now.

I was accepted into the JET Program and will be moving to Japan for one year starting in late summer to teach English. : )

I don't know how many other applicants have ever had either of my specific application 'angles'. I think they were both pretty weird, but also very, very me, and I'm pleasantly surprised that they seemed to have worked, going off both by the acceptance and the very positive and warm reactions I got during the interview I had. These were:

Science/scicomm/museum background + implying mutual interest in and love of like insects and sea life could be an avenue of intercultural connection and exchange

India and Japan have always struck me as weirdly similar in ways nobody seems to discuss, especially in both being simultaneously hurtling into modernity and deeply traditional/conservative in many ways and places

So. Is this a silly idea considering most people in this program are fresh college grads, and people my age are expected to maybe be getting more settled rather than hopping continents? Is this a scary idea, considering I'll have to uproot all my shit and go exist in a foreign country whose language I really don't know beyond miniscule smatterings? I mean, hmm, yes on both counts, but I'm very excited. On count one, I'd only get older in the future and demonstrably *don't* already have a settled life and career here to disrupt (lol), and on count two...guys, I'm so so tired of letting fear and inertia make my life decisions.

Time to pack up and store most of my shit and end my lease and. Yeah. Also I haven't actually been to India in five years and will probably try to visit my relatives there in the coming months since idk if i'd had an opportunity for a prolonged visit in the future during the one year (at least) in jp. I'll also be probably selling, trading, or giving away a lot more of my hobby shit (that was sort of an ongoing project already but since I'll be unable to use most of it for a year plus it's another reason to do so), so uh, if you've ever wished I would sell any of my dolls now might be time to commit BJD Hobby Taboo and ask me lol. And, obviously, I'll be studying more Japanese, because mine is incredibly へたくそ at the moment. So much to do. But I'm really excited. And thank you to all of y'all that have been encouraging to me about anything related to this matter <3

#i don't know where they'll put me but i asked for ibaraki prefecture #during my research i became really endeared by the idea of The Prefecture Everyone Thinks is Ugly and Boring lol #seems like a good combo of 'not too far from urban things + cost of living + genuinely there ARE nice natural and cultural things there' #they could put me anywhere though lol #already one of my fandom friends from there wants to meet up ;; im so flattered #im obviously not going there to do doll and fandom bullshit but that stuff will be a nice bonus in off time #i have very little idea on what to expect specifically re japanese attitudes to south asian people and am interested to find out #and maybe be a bunch of kids' first exposure to both americans and south asians and like immigrants as a concept : 3 #keeping my expectations tempered though. It Could Suck #but it'll suck in a novel way and truly i thrive on novelty even though often i take the easy and familiar path to try to protect myself #just. aaAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaa scary but exciting im so excited

[martianbugsbunny]

"I'm not with Gravik cause I'm with you" vs whatever the heck Priscilla's doing

#not Priscilla hate btw #in this house we don't hate on the canon love interest just because they're canon #....because in this house we ignore canon lol #but I would bet that the parallel between her and talos in episode three was set up very intentionally #they're both people who know Nick very well and have had front row seats to how hard it can be to care for someone with his job #people who have worked with him for decades #one seems to have lost faith in him and one apparently has the utmost belief in him #it's really quite beautiful #nick fury #talos #priscilla fury #secret invasion #espionage husbands #nick fury x talos #talos x nick fury #the furys #parallels #martianbugsbunny ships #martianbugsbunny opines

[lord-squiggletits]

One of my least favorite parts of how JRO wrote Optimus is that he wanted so badly to continue his dark and gritty world building making the Autobots problematic, but evidently couldn't reconcile this with Optimus being a Heroic Paragon, so instead he leaned way too hard into "oh Prowl was the one who did this and it was behind Optimus' back" which if anything I think makes Optimus look worse, not better. Because then it's like, okay I know Optimus trusted Prowl a lot as his friend but you CANNOT TELL ME that over the course of 4 million years, Optimus as the leader of the Autobot army who literally would have access to 99.9% of all the records they produce, would never notice or question where some of these odd/inconsistent details were pointing. It just seems really inconsistent with how a real military would actually function, especially regarding Optimus' character, who is incredibly thorough and responsible and wouldn't neglect to keep up with all the details of his army.

Hell, Optimus knows who the Wreckers are and had them on call for tricky operations when he needed them (Stormbringer) so he's literally not at all ignorant of/averse to the use of special wartime units composed of dubious individuals. He's the fucking commander of an entire army, of course he knows that War Is Hell (TM) and no one's hands are clean. That's not even getting into all the stuff he got up to in phase 2/3, I mean everything from the annexation of Earth to OP breaking humans out of prison against Council orders shows that Optimus is no stranger to immoral and/or unlawful means.

It also leads to a lot of annoying fanon where people write Optimus (sometimes unintentionally, sometimes not) as like some sort of ignorant fool who's unaware of the machinations of his own army or has some sort of naiveté of "b-but we can't use bad tactics against the enemy! I would never condone the use of morally gray means in war!" No, IDW Optimus knows perfectly well all of the bullshit he's enacted/condoned for the sake of trying to win the war. Some stuff is definitely out of character for him and was only machinated because of Prowl, but I think this fandom REALLY underestimates Optimus' personal agency/responsibility as the commander of a whole ass army and ESPECIALLY underestimates Optimus' capacity to condone morally gray Bullshit Of War while still being a good person individually as well as, comparatively, the lesser evil compared to Megatron/the Decepticons.

Anyways what I'm saying is JRO may be a good writer but he's really hesitant to make Optimus morally gray and does some asspulls sometimes to justify most of the bad things the Autobots did as "Optimus just didn't know," and since the majority of the IDW1 fandom only reads JRO's stuff they go running with this premise of ignorant/uninformed Optimus when there's evidence elsewhere in canon to show that Optimus is, in fact, very highly aware of the bullshit he's allowed "for the greater good" and the only stuff he was "unaware of" was the stuff he would literally never agree to the ethics of, like bombing innocent neutrals disguised as Decepticons to get them to join the Autobots.

#squiggposting #idw op love #i feel like part of the issue is that for a franchise whose entire premise is war #i feel like a lot of this fanbase. hasnt actually read a lot about war (fictional or nonfictional) #bc a lot of ppl here really seem to struggle with reconciling OP as a good person and OP #as a war leader who had bad things happen under his rule #and bc they dont know much about war in fiction or IRL they treat this as like. one extreme or the other? #when like if ur someone whos read a lot of war literature it's very easy to comprehend both of these as being true #like idk i think the 'OP was ignorant' defense isnt even how being a commander works #but it's also a cop out to make OP less interesting/morally gray than he could be #like idk how to explain that war is an inherently corrupt/immoral institution where in pretty much all of history #the act of waging war in itself is a moral compromise. war is literally about killing more of the other side than they do you #you are treating human life (and society and gov and the environment) as tools for victory #no matter how righteous your cause is or if you follow rules of engagement you literally are going to do bad things #so like this idea the fanbase seems to have where they like. want OP to be sheltered/ignorant of these realities #is SO not how reality works and wouldnt ever be in character for like 99% of optimi #i'm still trying to pull together my thoughts on this sorry the tags are so incoherent

[adorabledaylilly]

I think the reason people separate Machine!Connor and Deviant!Connor so much as characters is because they don’t actually understand his motivations in the story. They don’t separate Violent!Marcus and Pacifist!Marcus because his motivation doesn’t change, his means do. Same with Kara. But Connors motivation isn’t as clear as theirs is so people default to the difference being caring about the mission or not, when the mission isn’t his motivation. His motivation is self preservation. The desire to be needed and useful; to live. The only difference really being if he is selfish about his self preservation or empathetic. Every defining moment for Connor is rooted in empathy or apathy, does he prioritize his own survival or does he lend empathy to others understanding that they want to live too?

#detroit become human #dbh connor #just thinking about it I guess lol #had my friend play the game for the first time and interestingly he played Connor with high empathy towards Hank but no one else #but in the end prioritized converting all the androids instead of saving Hank #which I found to be a very interesting play through! #i was played him highly empathetic to everyone (probably because I’m empathetic myself) so it was interesting to see someone else’s choices #hilariously he kept saying he was ‘going villain arc’ with Marcus but was continuously very pacifist until the attack on Jericho #he also prioritized Alice comfort and safety over most things but did make a point of saving Luther whenever he could #but his main thing seemed to be protecting his character and those they knew #he didn’t really care about anyone else #which is what made converting the androids instead of saving Hank so interesting because both characters died #but he decided the cause was more important #I need to see more people play for the first time! #it’s so interesting to see how people play the game #my text posts