i get why tubbo feels like this is the only option however he should just maybe . talk about it instead of actively going to try and sabotage his friends happiness. feels like a . maybe a Leap.
Let's investigate the symptoms of ASPD and how that’s portrayed in Kai Chisaki
Right off the bat, most people would describe Kai as a classic example of a sociopath. While they’re not wrong, I think it’s important to note the proper term is classified as Antisocial Personality Disorder or ASPD.
Kai is someone that seems to have: a lack of remorse for others, he has a tendency to be manipulative and violent, and he’s got an ego built on his arrogance. His demeanour fits the criteria of ASPD, so it’s fair to assume that Kai’s a sociopath. What I’ve noticed though, is that a handful of people see neurodivergency in a very binary way. Some people believe that his apathy makes him irredeemable. Some others sit on the fact that Chisaki’s a monster, and they’ll call it a day. They believe no discussion is needed, adequate with the notion that Kai was “simply born that way” and that there’s nothing that can be done to help him improve. When people think about neurodivergency, they often think you’re either 100% one thing and 0% the opposing thing. Realistically, (like a lot of other mental conditions) ASPD is a spectrum, and the symptoms will vary in every person that’s diagnosed with ASPD. And believing that some people are just “born” as sociopathic monsters really is just dehumanizing… and it reflects how little people actually understand where personality disorders come from and how it manifests. While a biological component CAN be considered, there’s very little salience in that when we’re trying to investigate a fictional character.
So if Overhaul’s a hyperfixation for you too, you’re in for a treat! I’m going to start diving into his psyche as deeply as I can, with my background of a handful of psychology/sociology courses! The theory of personality is immensely complex, but before we get more into the different factors of Kai’s upbringing, interpersonal relationships and other aspects of neurodivergency let’s start with… attempting to diagnose this darn fictional character. But with respect and investigation, because we can’t just throw around labels unthoughtfully.
My argument here is: no Kai isn’t ‘born’ a monster and he wasn’t ‘born’ wrong necessarily. I think his upbringing, trauma, home-life, and use of his quirk directly contributes to how he lacks empathy. But before we get into a tangent of those, let’s just take go over what symptoms DOES present Kai with Antisocial Personality Disorder. From there we can confirm he’s not “born a monster” he’s just someone that lacks the capacity of emotions and cognitive reasoning that neurotypical minds hold.
So let's take a rundown on the ASPD criteria, according to the DSM-5 and how it’s shown in Kai.(1)
✔️Disregard for right and wrong: Pretty obvious that Kai’s moral compass is pretty skewed. He’s not above manipulation, violence and murder. Does he completely throw ethics out the door though? No, he’s no anarchist; he follows his own warped version of morality. While he consciously rejects the morality of gangster chivalry that Pops tried to instill in him, parts of it still shaped him as a person. Kai pertains a deep sense of loyalty and devotion and those things are intrinsic to morality. I think a better way to frame this demeanour is: “disregard for right and wrong upheld by the law.”
❓Persistent lying or deceit to exploit others: this one pretty much speaks for itself. What’s interesting though is there’s this dichotomy where Kai as a person, is distinctly both deceitful and candid. He speaks his mind, even when it lowers his persuasion because he’s too confident in his opinion to be seen as ‘wrong.’ He has trouble understanding that others can’t automatically be on the same page as him, and explaining his plan thoroughly isn’t going to make him any more charismatic. For example, minutes after talking to the LOV, they feel soured by his arrogance, or when he talked to Pops he completely shut down Kai’s plan. The only people he was able to manipulate were outcasts/emotionally vulnerable men a literal child. So I would say if we can frame what we’ve seen of Chisaki, he’s not as cunning or as cool as a manipulator as most people would depict him as. He just talks smoothly (sometimes) and has an air of confidence clouding him.
✔️Being callous, cynical and disrespectful of others: Kai is bitter at the current state of the world and has a repulsed feeling toward humanity in general. He sees people as assets and tools before he considers them human. He makes constant remarks about how narrow-minded and diseased everyone is, and seems to hold no respect for the people around him.(2) Using charm or wit to manipulate others for personal gain or personal pleasure: yes and no. To reiterate, the only people that Kai was able to manipulate were existing Eri, and a handful of vulnerable men, many of them already presenting mental instability when he met them.
✔️ Arrogance, a sense of superiority and being extremely opinionated: One of the first personality traits that you can pick up about Kai; I’d say this symptom alone though is just something that formed with how he was raised and where he was raised. Despite the state the yakuza is left in the MHA world, it’s still a culture that’s built upon uprightness; a place that holds standards above meer villainy. And considering how Kai’s positioned as the second command in the Shie Hassaikai, evidently he’s going to present an air of arrogance and superiority above others whether he has ASPD or not. So I feel he was bound to become extremely opinionated.(3)
❓ Repeatedly violating the rights of others through intimidation and dishonesty: For intimidation, again I think that’s a personality trait formed by his upbringing/environment. Growing up in a morally grey criminal group will shape how you communicate with others. For Kai it creates that combination of superiority and intimidation towards others, and he’s not the only one that acts like that. You can see a lot of other Shie Hassaikai members that hold onto that mentality too if you listen carefully enough to their dialogue. Dishonesty is a different conversation however. Culturally, the yakuza tries to uphold a notion of honour, so I feel that should go hand in hand in being honest (within reason) but Kai doesn’t hold onto that. He’s deceitful and dishonest… but also candid and frank at the same time.
✔️ Hostility, significant irritability, agitation, aggression or violence he get’s easily aggravated, hostile, agitated and violent: A lot of people feel he switched from cool and cunning in the beginning of the Shie Hassaikai arc to erratic in the end, but he’s been consistently unstable since we’re first introduced to him. It doesn’t take much to tick him off, and that’s something also interwoven with untreated OCD. Pair that with his overpowered quirk, it’s too easy for him to get violent, and for things to get out of hand quickly.(4)
✔️ Recurring problems with the law, including criminal behaviour: Pretty self-explanatory. Even before he took on the persona of overhaul and started getting into that fiasco of distributing narcotics (selling trigger to street villains), he was very much involved with the morally grey world of the yakuza, the black market and under-the-table matters. On top of partaking in underground fight clubs (that we see in flashbacks), putting other guys in critical condition or killing them. A life of crime is pretty much the only world he knows of, and we definitely return back to this point of environment influencing personality.
✔️ Unnecessary risk-taking or dangerous behaviour with no regard for the safety of self or others: Once again, pretty self-explanatory. His whole motivation is built on protecting and reviving the yakuza in modern day, and more importantly, he’s devoted to paying back his debt to Pops. We return to this notion that Pops has picked up on, Kai always “takes things too far.” For trying to restore the yakuza back to its former glory, he risked everyone else’s safety and security. Including his own well-being.(5)
✔️ Failure to consider the negative consequences of behaviour or learn from them: Should be kept into consideration that this is a result from quirk nature, this point alone really deserves its own post that I’m going to tap into. (6)
✔️ Poor or abusive relationships: Another self-explanatory one so long as you watched/read the whole arc. Treats Eri like shit, push him down da stairs guys
❌ Being consistently irresponsible and repeatedly failing to fulfill work or financial obligations: Only thing on the list of symptoms that doesn’t really fit Kai. I suppose how he decided to taint Shie Hassaikai’s name by making it a “designated villain group” is something you can consider irresponsible, on top of him being a shitty foster-father as irresponsible, but this statement seems to follow more of the idea that a person isn’t cognitively accountable. Kai has the capacity to be responsible, he’s a fully functioning adult that can blend in with everyday society; he’s just deliberately being reckless and unlawful which is a different category that we already covered.
Additionally, for ASPD to apply, the person would need to fulfill this criteria:
✔️1. The individual is at least 18 years old - Check. Our guy Kai is 27-28 here depending on the timeline
✔️2. There is evidence of conduct disorder onset before age 15 - Safe to say there is. We really only get one flashback canonical of Kai as a kid getting into fights at school, but we can extrapolate from that and from Pop's dialogue that Kai’s always had recurring issues with impulsiveness, violence and crime when Pops mentions “you always take things too far.”
✔️3. The occurrence of antisocial behaviour is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or a maniac episode. - Haven’t investigated other mental disorders for Kai other than OCD, but it’s safe to say this doesn’t apply to him.
_______________________________
Footnotes
(1) The lists I have here are available on mayoclinic, but for thoroughness I also pulled up the DSM-5 list as well as a chapter in the book “Bad Boys, Bad Men : Confronting Antisocial Personality Disorder” to cover these symptoms.
(2) Also an important rhetoric for the affects of quirk nature and how the capabilities of his quirk overhaul allow him to avoid consequences, making him callous and naturally uncaring to those around him. I’ll made a separate analysis post on this in depth!
(3) It’s important to note that his extremely opinionated beliefs are deeply tied to how he feels about quirks, the current state of the world and probably severe and untreated OCD. Once again another topic that deserves an exhaustive post I’ll make
(4) Referring to my 2nd and 3rd footnote again
(5) On top of the effects of quirk nature, Kai really doesn’t have regard for his own safety and sanity. There are a couple analysis posts on tumblr that talk about how Kai is negligent to his own safety, and completely throws out the idea of self-preservation. A clear example is when we see him numb to Mr.Compress taking his first arm, but horrified when his second hand is taken not because he’s worried for himself but because he can’t honour back his debt to Pops, and that he permanently fucked up everything.
(6) Referring back to 2-3rd footnotes
I am, actually, going to judge characters and writing based on how they treat c!Tommy. I think a character's treatment of someone who was known to have been murdered, known to have been isolated, and known to have been suicidal is rather telling of them as a person.
both bagi and tina have talked abt how they feel like nobody trusts them on this island and listen. i feel this, i get that it would be weird considering everyone else is super close, but also.......... like yeah its only been like a month. of course nobody's opening up about their big dark secrets or traumas, they don't /know/ you.
it took so long for people to start working together on the server and it was only after the eggs brute forced them into conversing with one another AND THEN it took bobby dying to solidify it. like.
i know from my perspective like qjaiden didn't talk to *anyone* besides roier and bobby for months. her only other sort of friend was bad bc he stole their furniture LMAO... and then bobby died and everyone realized they had to work together and shit got better but that was WELL into both the og crew and the brazillian's time on the island. the french just sort of got fast-tracked by trauma so.
idk i just think i get why it'd be weird for characters to be on an island with people who just Do not trust them and find that frustrating but also i feel like they were also pretty naive for hoping they'd gain the same trust everyone else has after. like a month. and most of that time being without the thing that originally brought them together
This is my main character, King Rex the Lion of Felina! He's a brave young warrior who's very skilled with manh weapons
Art made a LONG time ago by http://aminoapps.com/p/5c3468
Critique under the cut!
First off, I want to say that this is a very solid start for an oc design, in particular I really like the weapon proficiency aspect. But there’s still some room for refinement, or pushing the design further etc. Here’s some pointers I can think of:
For starters, while I do love character names with puns and meanings, naming a character who’s a king the Latin word for king might be a bit on the nose, even by Sonic character standards. If you’re willing to consider other names, perhaps consider names with meaning that match qualities/traits associated with royalty? Or if you want to be even more specific, a trait that relates directly to the oc himself? The special category section of the site 20000-names.com would be a good resource for this.
If you care about mobians accurately resembling the animals they’re based on, I would like to point out that lions have rounded ears rather than pointed ones like domestic cats. Also, lions manes can sometimes be a darker colour than their coat, which if you were to incorporate into the oc, might help visually break up the design and make the hairstyle more distinct!
It’s difficult to give exact advice on outfits without having a better idea of what styles he prefers (ie, does he like to dress regally, or does he prefer a more low-key, casual look) but I would confidently say that someone from such a high-class background with a proficiency for fighting is likely going to be very particular about the quality of the clothing and equipment they use. I would definitely say to go and do some research on this area but off the top of my head I’d be thinking something along the lines of really sturdy and durable boots.
I’ve said before that I really like the weapon proficiency aspect and I think you should try to communicate this through the character design more! Have him actively carry more weapons, or at very least the equipment that would help him carry said weapons. Holsters, quivers, bandoliers, tactical belts etc, whatever matches the weapons he uses.
Overall, it’s a good design, you just gotta push it and develop it a bit more!
I’m kinda nervous about this because this is the first time i post here and tumblr in general and i have no idea what i’m doing.
A friend help me drawing my oc
Ellis is a Numbat that can control electry energy
Critique under cut!
This is a really cute, appealing design! There’s a sweet, soft vibe to this character that I really like, and the brown and cream color scheme is really pleasing to look at and complements the blue outfit very well!
My main suggestion would be to play up the electric element if the character a bit more - think of how Blaze’s ponytail and tailtip look a bit like flame, and how the red and gold in her outfit and bright gold eyes give her a little bit of ‘fire’ to her color scheme without overriding her purple color scheme. In Ellis’ case, brightening his eyes to electric blue and adding some white or gold to the outfit might help him read as electric! You could also give the markings on his back and tail a more ‘lightning bolt’ shape - I would suggest simplifying them as it is, a they seem a little complex compared to the rest of his design. I’d also suggest simplifying the fur on his tail a bit - you seem to want him in something close to Sonic style, so something more like the shapes of his facial fur might fit better.
Overall, I like this design a lot! He reads well and is very charming to look at - I’d love to hear more of his story!
My very first critique! I’m always open to criticism, but have had difficult time finding someone – or ‘sources’ – to critique my works. Fortunately, this blog exists! Give me everything you’ve got, I’m ready!
Character Name: “Astrid” Nova
Creator/Artwork: @astridnova
Species: “Porcupine”
Other Details: Her official character biography can be found here. Bear in mind: I’m not one to shy away from detail (especially when it comes towards my characters).
Critique under the cut!
The first thing I want to mention is that the character design, when viewed independently from the character description, is very good: the outfit has this fun, other-worldly vibe to it and the application of colour scheme is excellent.
However, I find that the character design doesn’t entirely mesh well with the character description, and it’s important for the design of the character to inform you of what that person is like. My first impression of Astrid, before I clicked the link and read her bio, was of a very confident and mature young woman, one who is very sure of herself. However, after reading her bio that’s obviously not the case since you describe her as having self-confidence issues and being an ‘energetic buffoon’. While subverting expectations through your character’s appearance is certainly a good potential design choice (think about how popular the ‘sweet little girl is actually a villain’ and ‘big scary man that likes cute stuff’ tropes are) the implementation of this needs to be very purposeful and thought out, which is not the impression I get from Astrid’s design. If you want the design and personality to have a little more cohesion, I reckon the easiest way to do this would be have Astrid’s default/resting expression be more open and innocent; such as having her eyes be fully open rather than half-lidded.
To talk about her personality, I feel it’s a little odd to describe her as having a ‘darkness in her heart’ when all that seems to amount to is having a conscience; something that is generally considered to be a morally good thing. Perhaps by ‘darkness’ you mean inner emotional turmoil rather than an ethical character flaw? I also feel like it’d be easier to understand that turmoil if we knew what event/choices she’s made that have made her feel this way.
This next note is not so much about Astrid herself but something in her bio: I’m really not sure what direction you’re going with in regards to the Delta Elites Squad. Their name makes them feel like some sort super-exclusive fighting or adventuring team (or a college fraternity/sorority if I’m being brutally honest) while the description of their activities seems more in line with a charity or disaster relief organisation.
The last few things I really want to mention is I think the backstory of the Nebularans is very interesting albeit a touch confusing to understand. I also think your choice of name for Astrid is very fitting.
Overall, your character design is fundamentally very good and at this stage it’s about taking care of the small details: making sure that both your design and who your character is as a person are cohesive and in harmony.
This is Flurry the Stoat. She’s 18 years old and has ice and water powers. She like to use her powers to make weapons, her favorites being an ice bo-staff and a water whip. Her favorite color is aqua green. She very small compared to most Mobians her age, but that’s just because of her species. Unfortunately, that’s all I have for her at the moment. Oh, and I didn’t mess up on her fingers; they’re supposed to be white because stoats always have white toes.
Critique under the cut!
First things first, I want to say that I love her name, it really matches her powers well! Her powers also sound really cool (pun not intended), especially the concept of creating weapons; I’d love to see the water whip!
Regarding your point about the toes being white, if you’re concerned about that not being communicated well enough you could potentially alter the design a little to make the white more prominent? Possibly by making the underside of the hand and arm white; it would be pretty accurate the fur patterns of irl stoats.
While your basic colour scheme is pretty good (I really like the blues/greens) I feel like you could push it a little more: specifically I think you could go for warmer tones for the fur and eyes to really emphasise the hot/cold contrast. Alternatively, just to throw another idea out there you could really go full hog on the coldness of the colour scheme and make Flurry an ermine stoat specifically and make her entire coat of fur a cool colour such as white or perhaps something like a really pale shade of mint?
The weaker part of your design is probably the outfit: it’s a little dull. While the colours are good it’s very basic and doesn’t really display any personality. If you want to keep this outfit and make it more exciting, add some fighting-appropriate accessories such as a utility belt or maybe some light armor like shin guards or kneepads? Alternatively if you don’t mind overhauling the entire outfit, try designing an outfit that works with her powers, something waterproof or suited for extreme cold!
The last point I want to make is not really a critique, but it is something I want to point out. While designing a characters’ height based on their animal species is typically a great design trope (I myself have a dik-dik antelope oc who’s pretty short) Sonic characters don’t necessarily have to stick by that sort of rule: after all, Big and Vanilla are among the tallest mobian characters in the games universe, yet cats and rabbits are not very large animals irl!
Overall, this is a very solid design with a great idea behind it, it just needs to be pushed a little more!
