#character misinterpretation

[atomicpatrolcreation]

I just had the horror of reading a Twitter (X) thread where someone claimed that Batman and Magneto would agree with ICE.

What makes it worse is that it came from a so-called “expert on Marvel and DC comics.” Like what world are you living in where you can read Batman or X-Men comics and honestly believe either of them would support abuses of power and the abusive actions of ICE officers?

I don’t even like Magneto, but if that man existed, rest assured he would not let this slide. He has already lived through something very similar, and he would never allow it to happen again.

And Bruce would never support that either. He would be among the first to speak out against these immigration policies.

On top of that, I find it offensive that people would even think —or seriously argue— that Punisher or Logan would agree with ICE.

All of them would oppose ICE, and if you think otherwise, then you either lack reading comprehension or I honestly don’t know what comics you’ve been reading because the entirety of their histories exists precisely to explain why they would never support ICE.

[bonecrowneddoe]

I swear, if I hear *one more person* simplify fulgrim to just "yassss queen slay" I am going to break something. He's such an interesting, tragic and relatable character and I wish people didn't simplify him to "haha pretty boy".

[authenticleviackerman]

As a lover of books and a hobbyist writer, I hate when people misinterpret characters, even if they're not mine. Yes, fiction is amazing because each and every person will see one thing a little differently. That's the beauty of art.

But, there's a line between subtle differences in interpretation, and blatant mischaracterization of a character. As a student of literature, all of our interpretations must be backed by substantial evidence from the text itself and, if available, an external source such as a study or article.

What I see often, mainly in anime fandoms is that, people pick any character they find "hot" (I use the word hot because it's often this criterion they choose, usually for the vibe and/or design of the character) and then, proceed to imagine them in such ways that fit their fantasy, more often than not digressing from the actual message/emotion/meaning the character embodies in the story. Then, if this spreads enough, people actually FORGET the original intent the author had with them, and erasing them completely, to the point their name could be anything else, because it's not THEM anymore

(Levi Ackerman from attack on titan, who is literally not a cool stoic, but a hollowed out, traumatized grief stricken man with survivor's guilt and more. Hisoka from HxH, even characters such as Light Yagami from Death Note who is outright manipulative, perfect case of a god complex, narcissistic asshole etc.

Dazai Osamu from BSD: yes, the anime IS written as a comedy, but he is a chronically depressed forner assassin who's humour is a cry for help, and he suffers from obvious suicidal ideation.

Please, it's okay if you want them idealized. But be mindful. Because these characters might reflect someone VERY REAL situation and personal struggles.

Mine, from this list, are Levi Ackerman and Dazai.

Levi because I suffer, so much that sometimes I feel like quitting. But I stay for those I love. I stay because they told me they need me. I don't want to hurt my loved ones and my family.

And Dazai is my younger self. My self that has to exist to this day sometimes. Self deprecating, dark humour jokes. I laugh all the time. My family has always called me the Sun of their life. Now? I'm 22 and I was told I suffer from chronic depression since the age of 3, on top of being physically disabled. I can't stand, and I'm a runt in my family, who has a weak eye and one of my hands just like levi. By washing down these characters to likeable archetypes, it can hurt people unconsciously, even if actively in therapy, because then, even fiction says, if you are hurt? You're worth nothing and need to be fixed.

Thank you for reading <3

- Authentic Levi Ackerman

[bright-hope-spot-19]

No way, I just saw this post:

Tumblr is a place to express yourself, discover yourself, and bond over the stuff you love. It's where your interests connect you with your

And, first things first, I like the premise. The comic is cute, and we never say no to Kankuro and Gaara brother bonding moments. No complaints there.

What is hilarious to me, tho, is that op had to think of a reason Kankuro could be complaining bout to make this cute moment between the brothers. And of all things they could've had him complain about, they chose the one that is completely made up and not true at all for his character? Like, he's complaining that Gaara got to be a killer and Temari got to be angry because 'ninja mysoginy', while Kankuro, somehow, couldn't be any of these things because he had to be the mediator? My honest reaction to that:

What are they even talking bout, man. Kankuro never got to be angry? He never got to be a killer? When his introduction was him threatening to murder two-thirds of T7 in addition to the Hokage's grandchild. When he almost slaughtered Tsurugi in the pre-lims even when the dude was begging for mercy and saying that he gave up. Even when he left Shino this close 👌 to death, and if Shibi had arrived a few minutes later, Shino would've been a goner. Even when, in the Sasuke rescue arc, he had one of the most brutal kill scenes (second to everything crazy Gaara did in the chunin exams) in all of Og Naruto. But sure, he's not a killer.

Don't even get me started on him complaining about never being allowed to be angry. Anger was one of his main traits. Are you really trying to convince me that Temari was angrier than him? Just on the contrary, she had to be the composed, level-headed one as the elder sister cause she was THE MEDIATOR. It is also ridiculous to give that role to Kankuro. Temari was the mediator and peacemaker, not him. Do we even remember their introduction scene? The forest of death? The Kage meeting arc when Kankuro lashed out at Oonoki and had to be stopped by Temari? For real, just mention one single instance where he was the mediator and not Temari.

Seriously, why are people switching between Kanks and Tems personality traits now? I thought people liked Temari the way she is? Why are they giving her Kankuro's personality now? Kankuro is angry, unruly, defiant, disobedient, cocky and gives no shits about authorities, only ever caring bout his little brother's safety. Temari is disciplined, composed, level-headed, cocky, and angry, but not as angry as Kankuro, respectful of authorities and ninja rules, and significantly more obedient than Kankuro. Is it because fans want to give her Kankuro's more punk attitude? If that's the case, great! I support you! But I don't understand why that has to come at the cost of Kankuro's canon personality. If you wanna make Temari into the 'unruly, disobedient, punk, rule-breaking bad girl', why do you gotta make Kankuro into the mediator, a role that doesn't fit him at all.

If you wanna give him angst, there's plenty of things he could complain or cry about that don't involve assigning him a role he never displayed in Canon, and that makes very little sense for his character. He could complain about his father's neglect. Feeling like he's not making enough progress with his puppetry. About his fight vs. Shino in the chunin exams. About Chiyo's death. About Sasori's legacy, he has to carry. About how Gaara ruined his childhood as kids. About missing their mom, and how he barely remembers her. There is plenty of stuff he could complain about that has nothing to do with 'not being a killer', 'not being angry', and 'being a mediator'.

Why can't people, or at least, fans of the sand sibs who claim to like him, ever understand Kankuro, good God.

[primoresplendens]

Dudebros see the phrase "perfect soldier" and can only ever think of "a perfect manly man uwu". They will never realize that a perfect soldier has a perfectly zero agency in every moment he is out there fighting as a perfect soldier.

[bright-hope-spot-19]

I hate to be annoying, but wtf are these people talking about:

First one first, Temari never got Madara's praise, lmao. Like, point me to the manga panel or anime scene where he acknowledged and praised her. That never happened. It's just a hc they made. She landed one singular hit on him in the anime, caused no damage at all, he got up, dusted himself, and didn't even bother acknowledging her existence or looking in her direction. Her fans think that's him praising her. At this point, the Temari girlies might just be a tiny bit more delulu than the Sakura girlies, when the Skra fans also insist that Madara praised her too, by acknowledging her Ying seal and saying that it reminded him of Tsunade or smth? At least he had a fleeting thought when Sakura recklessly and stupidly might I add, attacked him. He didn't spare Temari the same courtesy.

The second one. Oh, boy. All right, I'm okay, with the Shikamaru hate. I'm not really fond of that dude either. He's whatever. Shit-talk him all you want. Ship Temari with all the other girls. I support you on that. What surprises me are the notions this person has that Temari is a feminist, and in their words 'very obviously pro-woman.' Said like Kishimoto gave her a whole arc standing up for oppressed women and their rights in Suna, and how that led to her becoming a feminist icon in the ninja world. Things that, as we know, aren't true. Temari was never explicitly shown or portrayed to be a 'feminist icon' in any way. She's seen only once, saying that men are weak when she had that talk with Shikamaru in the hospital. As we know, saying that men are weak in one scene doesn't mean she's a feminist. Especially when she never repeats those words, has any actions to support that she believes those words, and her brothers definitely aren't weak, so she definitely doesn't fully believe what she said there. Now, I also have no problems if you want to write her like that in your fanfics (even if her fanon feminist version usually includes her being abusive to Kankuro). But stating it like that, as if it was a fact, is not it. You might end up misleading some people who haven't watched Naruto and are considering watching it, into actually believing there's an actual feminist character in the show. Imagine you've never watched Naruto. All the things you've heard bout it are in regards to how mysoginistic the writing is. Then you come across this post about a character named Temari, who's a feminist according to her fans. So, hope returns to you, that perhaps! There's actually a good female character in this show! So, you go watch it, just to be sucker punched by the fact that Temari is just another love interest. A love interest to the openly mysoginistic guy, might I add. Guys, in Kishimoto's canon, the Temari that Kishimoto wrote in his story doesn't even pass the Bechdel test, I'm sure. Unless you wanna count the few scenes she has screaming at Gaara's two fangirls (Matsuri and her friend) in the anime during the war arc, as canon.

I really have no idea what gave so many people the impression that she's a feminist icon. Why are you looking for feminist icons in Naruto. Go watch a better show, like Full Metal Alchemist, One Piece, Chainsaw Man, or even Soul Eater. I'm pretty sure all of those have way better female characters that maybe could be considered 'feminist icons'. Looking for one in Naruto is like looking for water in the desert. Tsunade is the best written, and she barely passes as a half-full well. Temari was always just destined to be a love interest. We're just told she's in an important position but never shown any of her achievements (like what part did she play in the peace and alliance between villages?) Literally a big example of a 'tell don't show' type of character. I just.... don't know what else to say, really. So, I'll just leave this here and go.

[primoresplendens]

It was an ENTIRE TIMELINE that Lord stepped in to save in the Hard Mode. They did NOT "abandon everyone for one person" sorry boo

[eggchjf]

the joke character and thats bout it

OOF