#brief character analysis

[skelletime]

boris was too sweet to live.

when playing through the game when each chapter was first coming out i never really got the time to digest the dissection and constant torture of boris. of course i was devastated that in each chapter my friend boris the wolf was in a dire circumstance, but i never got to really grapple with why it was always him. that and the fact that i was eleven.

but now, looking back i kind of realized that he was obviously just a representation of the death of innocence in the workshop. this drawing studio that created kids cartoons has gone to ruin and the quintessential kiddie and kind character is splayed out on a table and gutted like a fish. and i do like this metaphor being carried on throughout each of the chapters, how boris becomes your friend and things start feeling good again, then he gets taken away and distorted to an unrecognizable monster. in my eyes this kind of reminds me of when someone looks back toward their childhood and sees the traumatic things that they have subconsciously blocked out of dismissed as not being a big deal. then you get him back, in a sense, and things aren't the same, but they are familiar and become comfortable. similar to nostalgia. like when you go to an ice cream stand and get an ugly character popsicle. sure, the bubblegum eyes are smaller and the taste is diabolical, but the feeling is still there and it glides you through that, eventually landing it in an enjoyable experience.

that being said, the nostalgia theme is also strong with henry's need to get boris back in the chapters. as we age, we feel this need to obtain the little things that we had and lost because for some reason without it we feel unhappy. once we get it we temporarily get euphoria, and then we realize that it was never the actual object that mattered. eventually we need to move on and find new ways to get joy out of our lives.

im currently in this phase, which is insane to me. i keep on going back to my childhood experiences and am trying to get that same rush from indulging. im consuming bendy content because that, along with fnaf, adventure time, and ddlc, was the first fandom i actively participated in! i used to post so much fanart for them on amino (jumscare), and i found so many people that loved the same thing, made me feel welcomed, and in all honesty, i believe are the reason that i am so confident in myself and my interests.

so, moral of the story, nostalgia is awesome and great, but also try and explore the deeper meaning behind said nostalgia and open that box. you may find things about yourself that really help with your self image. also, side note, can we make bendy popular again? i never really cared for the sequel/remake, but the original game is on of, if not, my favorite mascot horror games and i used to see some of the coolest fanart for it! i can also pull off a crazy good rubberhose illustration as it uniroically was my first artstyle.

[autumnmobile12]

Ambush Simulation: The Mother/Son Comparison

In canon, Rei is shown to be perpetually reserved, even as a young woman, but in Ambush Sim, Shouto finds an old video of her where she's taking part in a professional snowboarding competition. She's confident, laughing, and engaging in friendly rivalry with her competitors. And I didn't write this more wild personality to be a contrast to canon but more so to illustrate Rei's ability to adapt between different social situations. She can easily act the part of the quiet, obedient daughter in front of prospective suitors, but she could also be social and have fun with fellow snowboarders and other friends until Endeavor's mistreatment eventually broke down the more outgoing side of her personality until all that was left was the timid, compliant version of her.

Touya can also adapt to various circumstances. Canonically, he does spend the majority of the series being relatively calm and calculating up until Jaku City. That's definitely a personality he engineered while waiting for his moment. But even up until then, Touya says what he wants and, more importantly, behaves how he wants. In Ambush Sim, he retains his canon personality traits, but there is a distinct difference between how he behaves in front of Fuyumi and the Vanguard compared to how he talks to his therapist or how he talks to his students. He's also capable of swallowing his anger for an evening when he adheres to Fuyumi's wishes for a 'normal family dinner' in the Hellish Todoroki Family fic, consistently having the mindset, "Hate Dad all you want, but not in front of company."

Meanwhile, Endeavor and Shouto both struggle with complex emotional situations, Endeavor dealing with it by getting aggressive and lashing out, which isn't a good way to patch a character flaw, while Shouto has a tendency to shut down and be reserved (made worse by his father's mistreatment,) which he is growing out of as he forms positive relationships within his friend group. These aspects are why I headcanoned that Touya gets his personality, neuroses and all, from his mother, which in turn influenced the personality she had at his age.

I haven't really gone into it with Natsuo and Fuyumi, but they're split the same way. Fuyumi managing multiple social settings with her being a teacher while Natsuo, much to his chagrin, also takes after their father.

[cryptidtumbleweed]

So, I’m sure that by now at least some of my followers know that I LOVE looking into meanings of names and comparing them to the characters that carry those names, to see if there’s any purpose or hidden meanings.

Today, I decided to look into some Toh characters - aka, brothers Wittebane. I don’t know if anyone’s pointed this out yet, so I wanted to share what I found! 

Philip

So, the name Philip means “warlike” - and yes, it also means lover of horses but I think we can ignore that meaning in this context :’)

Philip is a manipulative, ruthless man willing to go to the extremes to reach his goals. He’s willing to hurt people, to kill people and he places himself above others with the justification of his actions being for the greater good. He’s strategic and thinks his plans through, seemingly assuming he knows the best. His dedication to his goals, to his own personal victories is unwavering and he isn’t afraid to sacrifice friends and family on the way.

Philip Wittebane is a warlike man - his name is rather appropriate for him.

Caleb

Caleb means many things, including faithful, brave, bold and whole-hearted. We don’t know much about him, so analyzing his name’s meaning was (and is) more difficult.

So, what do we do know about him? We know he used to be a witch hunter. We know he saw the magical side of the Demon realm and saw good in the people he previously viewed as danger. We know he was close with a witch - and if the paintings in Philip’s mindscape are to be believed, he started - or was about to start - a family with one.

We also know that he was a good man. Every Grimwalker Philip made held his good nature - resulting in each and every one of them betraying him eventually. We don’t know how similar he and Hunter are by personality, but I think it’s safe to assume they do share some core traits, based on the pattern there has been with the Golden Guards and Philip’s relationship.

Another thing that speaks for his goodness is how after seeing Philip’s curse (or... whatever the palisman soul situation really is) he still fully accepted him - we see that in the mindscape paintings as well. He is loving towards his younger brother until the end, no matter how much Philip despises his relationship with the Demon realm and Evelyn.

It’s not much, but it’s something. I’m going off on only the little bits we know about him, but I do think that he’s deserving of the meanings of his name. He was faithful till the end - to Philip, to Evelyn. He might’ve been a witch hunter, but he was willing to give them a chance to understand them. (Of course, being a witch hunter is a big big yikes and there’s obviously problems with that kind of a view towards a group of people... but that’s not really the point here)

And he was brave. He took a chance on these people he’d grown up seeing as the enemy and fell in love with them. He was brave enough to step away from his old beliefs and learn.

So, yes. I think Caleb Wittebane was a brave, whole-hearted man.

Now, have the names been chosen on purpose? Considering the amount of detailing in this show, I think it’s very possible. It would be one hell of a coincidence if they weren’t.

Their last name

Yeah, I wasn’t just gonna go on about their first names and not consider the family name too. Wittebane isn’t an actual last name, so it was way more difficult to look into.

First thing I found was a vague explanation on some name meaning site. It claims “witte” stands for white and “bane” stands for menace. Which uh... I don’t know about that being the designed meaning of the name :’)

Or well, the two words combined anyway. I found a post on Reddit which I feel more drawn to. The poster had searched up what “witch” was in old English. And as it turns out, wiċċe is the female noun for the old English language’s version of witch.

So, my own conclusion is that their last name is supposed to mean something along the lines of “Bane of Witches”. It’s obviously much more open for everyone’s personal interpretation, so I’m open for future analyzing on it.

[modernsuperhero]

ok so i just wanted to ask since i just saw a dream smp post about philza (i think that's his name? he has the wings and wears a striped fishing hat): is philza kind of like the uncle iroh of the dream smp or am i getting the completely wrong vibes

Ah, well, long story short: it depends on who you ask. You’re probably looking at SBI content, not Dream SMP content, if you’re getting those vibes. I’ll explain.

The real person, Phil, is a pretty cool guy who likes to play a rather chaotic character, but has adopted his fans and is often called ‘Dadza’. He doesn’t pretend to be an Uncle Iroh character, although a lot of people seem to think of him that way, and he doesn’t put up with any bullshit. But he’s nice and accepting and supportive, so a lot of people like him, including me! 

The CHARACTER, Philza, is a bit more complicated, because there are really two different ‘canon’ versions - the Dream SMP canon version, and the SBI Family Dynamic version. 

SBI stands for Sleepy Bois Incorporated, and it’s a phrase Phil himself came up with to describe himself and a small handful of other, younger creators. In the SBI Family Dynamic, he is usually portrayed as a more wholesome dad-character. Not quite Uncle Iroh, but similarly beloved. He has three sons - Wilbur, Technoblade, and Tommy - and sometimes a fourth son, Tubbo, is included. 

However in Dream SMP... uh, well... he still has his dad-ly moments, but is overall a very flawed character. He’s known for his violence, with the name ‘Angel of Death’. Philza’s introduction to the Dream SMP had him MURDER WILBUR, who called him dad, confirming that in the Dream SMP, Philza is canonically his father. However, Technoblade has been pseudo-confirmed as NOT Philza’s son, and instead just an old friend - the only one with a GOOD relationship with Philza, and he’s not even his son! There’s been many debates and conflicting evidence of whether or not Tommy is Philza’s son in the Dream SMP, but if he is, then Philza is a negligent father at best. (If he’s not, then well, that’s not his kid, and he’s rightfully pre-occupied with trying to resurrect Wilbur). Philza has also been just as sweet and concerned for Ghostbur, Wilbur’s amnesiac ghost, as he has been dismissive. So, Dream SMP Philza’s parenting skills are... questionable, and he’s NO Uncle Iroh. 

IF THERE WAS AN UNCLE IROH IN THE DREAM SMP, it would be Captain Puffy. Captain Puffy is a sheep pirate captain who adopted the main villain, Dream, as her duckling, and originally allied herself with him until she realized all the terrible things he was doing. However, even though she is disappointed in Dream (who is now in prison), she hopes he will learn to be better and has opened up a therapist’s office. She has a soft spot for children and those who have been hurt - as well as, apparently, gods, seeing as how she has adopted a second god name Foolish. Thus, Captain Puffy, with her endless love and wisdom and solid morals and ability to kick your ass, is the closest thing the Dream SMP has to Uncle Iroh. Also, go check out some fanart of her because she looks so freaking cool.

[ask-ultimate-mid-poly]

How would Asch be protective over his partner who, is completely oblivious to the shit that goes on in the world?? I really see him being the more protective one in a relationship, and I just like the idea of him falling for an innocent bean, not unlike Noi lol.

Alright, time to do some character analysis because I feel like it, and it gives me the proper context to explain my answers.

So, as we all know, Asch is a massive tsundere. He Does Not Get Emotions, both in difficulty picking up on the emotional cues of others and in understanding his own emotions, and he bottles up any feelings he has if he feels they don’t conform to the expectations he tries so hard to live up to (social expectations, being a good leader to his knights, not being a disgrace to his family). So Asch struggles with being openly affectionate, and has learned the tricks to hiding his overprotective tendencies.

So while Asch wouldn’t be overt about his desire to protect, it’s still there, and has an influence on his decisions.

Of course, if someone gets hurt doing something they probably shouldn’t have done, then Asch has No Sympathy.

[letsrockthishit]

W.I.T.C.H. Confession

About Taranee Cook

I remember thinking her style was the coolest thing because both her clothes and bedroom were full of colours and so exotic. Even her name was awesome. But those superficial things were the only thing I enjoyed about her. For years I hated the idea that fire was the power suiting me most because that was Taranee`s element. I didn't understand how Nigel (who was my favourite boy until Eric tagged along) could fall for someone so dull. 

Now, as an adult, all I can think is: what was wrong with me? 

Taranee is actually a pretty good character, I think most people don`t know how to read her, just like I used to. The first step to appreciate her is to realise how making her the fire guardian is the cleverest thing. The element suits Taranee`s development perfectly. Some could say she is just the shy and nerdy good girl gone badass stereotype, which is true to certain extent; however, I believe this transformation has been properly executed (something that cannot be said in most cases). 

For a starter, Taranee`s evolution takes time. Plus, you can see some hints of her rebellious nature and bad temper from the very start. These factors make her characterization the perfect balance between a twist and a gradual change that does come out of somewhere; actually giving it a sense of realism + the feeling that her chacter arc was thought in anticipation.

Most importantly, none of these alterations are based on an attempt to be popular or get a boy to like her. 

I have no words to express how happy this makes me. Giving a girl an extreme make over and having her act super out of character was a common trope back in the day (probably still is) and W.I.T.C.H. successfully avoid it. Taranee`s evolution is not surface level, she actually doesn`t change a single bit in the outside; is all internal, a personal growth.  

As the story goes on, she starts doing some things I don't completely agree with. However, all her outbursts are understandable given the mess their lives have become due to someone else`s decision, not theirs. 

Autonomy is what drives Taranee and I believe that is a leasson of great value. 

She is like the ambassador of freedom. Tara teaches the younger readers how important it is to make your own personal choices.

I find it interesting too that, although Taranee is said to be the academic genius, this doesn`t automatically give her the role `rational of the group´ (she is indeed pretty emotional. The fire girl must be volatile, duh). 

Taranee panics when discovering all this `Kandakar has chosen you to save the world´ stuff but still complies with her duty. Despite the very reasonable full of fear first reaction, she demostrates to actually be the bravest guardian. In Issue 3 she begs Will to leave her captured by the villains in order to get the other girls back home, safe and sound. What a hero!

I would love to hear the opinion of a POC, however, from my point of view, Taranee is an awesome representation of a non stereotypical black character.

[thessaliah]

A chicken

Doctor Roman is called a coward and a chicken a lot, but looking back, that doesn’t seem to fit. He’s the man who rushed straight toward the fire when an explosion happened. The one who kept his head cool during the sabotage while others did not. He kept on leading when hope was lost when a coward would hide and cry. He doesn’t show any particular fear when he unflinchingly argues with Gilgamesh in his interlude while the protagonist was scared and asked Roman to help him. He does panic when the Master and Mashu are in danger, but he isn’t apparently controlled by his fear. 

But those statements are true, though, he’s a coward and a chicken. Just not in a conventional sense.

Being afraid of something doesn’t make one a coward. That’s natural. Being brave isn’t lacking fear. It’s to face your fears what makes you courageous. 

Roman isn’t a coward because he stays behind in Chaldea. He isn’t a Master with circuits to leyshift along, so that’s inevitable. As the story progresses, your character realizes he wishes he could be with you in the missions. It’s not an injury he fears. He pushes his body and mental capabilities to the limit to monitor the protagonist and Mashu, ensuring their safety in the singularities (without it, they would have gotten erased because they are potential paradoxes). He pretends he plays around, but he’s actually a stress ball of poorly slept and fed fatigue who puts a smile so people wouldn’t know his burdens.

That’s why he’s a coward.

He’s afraid of people. He’s scared of opening up. He’s reluctant to rely on others and trust them. Because he’s frightened he would hurt their feelings which in turn hurts his. It’s not physical confrontation what he fears. That’s unpleasant but bearable. It’s to discuss, argue, offend people. He dislikes seeing others upset. So he keeps them at a certain distance. He is very easy to get along with because he has a very warm, friendly personality but very difficult-if not nearly impossible-to befriend because he’s wary and paranoid, among other issues.

When people try to get close, or when they see beneath his empty gestures of superficial goofiness, he becomes rude, cagey and unpleasant. I’m not sure if the observant players have noticed that he’s kind of he’s snappy and passive-aggressive to Da Vinci, for example, in comparison to other characters. That’s because Da Vinci has been trying since her summoning to Chaldea years ago to get him to talk to her and get closer to him, bless her soul, and he’s not budging.

Yet.

He’s still too much of a chicken. Even worse after Lev, who was his friend for years (but he never trusted him either) “betrayed” them.

[scarsofra]

This is one of the many reasons why I love Malik Ishtar.

It may be skewed logic to a lot of people, but Malik wholeheartedly believes that the “fate” given to him and the tombkeepers by the Pharaoh’s family was a curse. Since he wants revenge for this curse that was forced upon him, he not only wants to kill the last remnants of the royal family, but also wants to replace the Nameless Pharaoh’s position as the ultimate “fuck you” to the roles they’re both supposed to fulfill. He is implying that as the new King, he’ll free the rest of his people. Essentially, if the prophecy must be fulfilled in order to free his people, he’ll take over as King to do that job in Atem’s place.

He knows that what he’s doing is blasphemy to his entire upbringing, but he’ll be damned if he’s stopped. It’s a cause he’s willing to die for. These panels not only show his rebellious nature, but also shows how much passion and heart he has for his people. As extreme and terrible as his actions may be, Malik feels justified because he will do everything he thinks should be done in order to obtain freedom. Even if he has to turn his back on the Gods and stain his hands in blood, he believes it’s his duty as the leader of the Ishtar Clan to lead this rebellion.

((Seriously, for the people who have only seen the dub, I highly recommend the manga. There’s so much more to Malik’s character.))