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scorpionyx9621 · 3 years

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Do you think Jason Todd fandom is kinda toxic? Because it seems like NO MATTER what DC do, there'll always be complains. Forget the bad adaptation like Titans. Even Judd Winick cannot escape the criticism with how he potrayed Robin!Jason. They just never satisfied.

SORRY, IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO RESPOND TO THIS. I just moved from Washington D.C. to Seattle, which, for my non-American friends, that's 4442km away. And I DROVE THERE ALL BY MYSELF. And now I'm trying to find new work in a new city and trying to stay mentally healthy and positive. Life is exciting but hard and scary.

*sighs*

As someone who was a fandom elder with V*ltr*n. I've seen some of the worst when it comes to fandom behavior. I'm talking people baking food with shaving razors and trying to give them to the showrunners. I'm talking leaking major plot details and refusing to take it down unless they make their ship canon (I am looking at you, Kl*nce stans) For the most part, DC Comics has had a decades-long reputation of treating their fans like trash and not caring what they think so from what I've seen, we all just grumble and complain in our corners of the internet about how we don't like how X comic portrays Jason Todd.

The challenge with Jason Todd is that he's your clinical anti-hero, the batfamily's Draco in Leather Pants, he's a jerkass woobie, and on top of all of that, he's a Tumblr sexyman. It's a perfect storm for a very fun but frustrating character to be a fan of. It doesn't help that every writer decides to re-invent the wheel every time Jason comes up so his canon lore is confusing at best and inconsistent as a standard.

I guess starting with a general brief on who Jason is and what is uniform about him with every instance he's appeared in comics/media.

Grew up in a poor family in Gotham with a dad who was a petty-mid-level criminal, and a mother who dies of a drug overdose.

Survives on the street on his own by committing petty crimes and potentially even engaging in sexual acts to keep himself alive.

Is cornered by Batman and taken in after Dick Grayson quits/is fired

Becomes the second Robin, but is known for being the harsher, more brutal Robin.

Is killed by Joker after being tortured, but somehow comes back to life and regains senses through the Lazarus Pit

Resolves himself to be better than Batman by basically being Batman but kills people.

Where there has been a lot of conflict in the fandom is the fact that Jason Todd is not a character that is written consistently. DC Comics loves to go with the narrative that Jason was "bad from the start" and was the "bad robin" when, yes, he has trouble controlling his anger, but he also still is just as invested in seeing the best of Gotham City and trying to be a positive change for the world as any other DC Comics hero.

Where I get frustrated with the fandom is its ability to knit-pick every detail of a comic they don't like while completely disregarding everything that makes the comics great and worth it to read. My example being Urban Legends. To which most people had pretty mixed reactions to. I was critical of the comic at first but as it went along I ended up really liking it. I have a feeling DC Comics went to Chip Zdarsky and told him he had 6 issues to bring Jason back into the Bat Family, and honestly he didn't do a bad job. Did it feel rushed? Absolutely. I wish there was more development of Jason and Bruce's characters and their dynamic as a whole. However, where I see a lot of people being angry and upset with Urban Legends is that they feel Zdarsky needlessly wrote Jason as an incompetent fool who needs Bruce to save him.

Whether or not that was the intention of Zdarsky is up to debate. However, and this may be controversial, but I don't think he wrote Jason Todd out of character at all. For as fearsome, intimidating, and awesome as Red Hood is. Jason is a character who is absolutely driven by his emotions. Why do you think he donned the role of Red Hood? As a response to his anger towards The Joker for killing him, and towards Bruce for not taking action against The Joker and for seemingly replacing him so quickly after he died. Jason didn't care about being the murderous Robin Hood or for being the bloody hammer of justice against N*zi's and P*d*ph*les. He only cared originally about making The Joker and Bruce pay. It wasn't until he trained under the best assassins in the world and realized most of them were horrific criminals who trafficked children and were p*dos that Talia began to realize that the teachers that she sent Jason to train under started dying horrific and painful deaths.

The entire story of the Cheer story in Batman Urban Legends was started because it finally forced some consequences upon Jason. Tyler, aka Blue Hood's father was a drug dealer who gave his supply to his wife and kids. And when Tyler's father admitted he gave the drugs to Tyler, it immediately made him fall within the self-imposed philosophical kill-list of Jason Todd. And Jason, well, he proceeds to kill Tyler's father. When this happens, Jason is in shock. Tyler's dad fit the bill to easily and justifiably be killed by Jason. We've never seen Jason having to deal with the consequences of being a murderous vigilante on a micro-level. When Jason realizes what he's done in that he's murdered Tyler's dad, he's shocked. He tells Babs the truth. He does a rational thing because he's in shock. He doesn't know what to do, he never has had to face the consequences of his actions as Red Hood and now the gravity of befriending a child as a vigilante hero who kills people just set in when he killed the father of the same child he was just introduced to.

(Oh here's a little aside because it had to be said, Jason would not have been a good father or a good mentor to Tyler and absolutely should not have been his new Robin. Jason is a man who is in his early 20's (not saying men in their early 20's can't be good fathers at all) who is a brutal serial killer using the guise of a vigilante anti-hero to let him escape most of the law. the complications of having the man who murdered your father adopt you and make you his sidekick are way too numerous for me to explain in a long-winded already heavy Tumblr essay post. There's a reason why we don't advocate for a story where Joe Chill adopted Bruce Wayne or one where Tony Zucco took in Dick Grayson.)

The next biggest argument is that they feel that Jason is giving up his guns as a means to just be invited back into the Bat-Family. To which I will tell anyone who has that argument to go actually read Urban Legends. Already have and still have that argument? Please re-read it. Don't want to? That's okay, I will paste the images from the comic where Jason specifically says that he doesn't want to give up his weapons for Bruce and his real reasoning down below since the comic isn't exactly readily accessible.

Jason gave up the guns because he felt the gravity of what he had done and knows how it'll effect Tyler. Thankfully his mom is alive and in recovery. But Tyler doesn't have a father anymore. And Jason killed Tyler's father. It may have been in accordance to Jason's philosophy, but it was a case where it blurred the lines. Jason Todd isn't a black and white character, just very dark gray. He doesn't kill aimlessly like the Joker. If you are on Jason's list you probably have done something pretty horrific, and also just in general, being in his way or being a threat to him. Mind you, in early days of Red Hood and the Outlaws (Image below) Jason almost killed 10 innocent civilians in a town in Colorado all because they saw him kill a monster. That being said, Jason isn't aimless in his kills.

(Also can we just take a moment to appreciate Kenneth Rocafort's art? DC Comics said we need to rehabilitate Jason Todd's image and Kenneth Rocafort said hold my beer: It's so SO GOOD)

That being said, the key emphasis in the story of Cheer asides from trying to introduce Jason Todd back into the Bat Family and give an actual purpose for him being there, other than him just kind of being there ala Bowser every time he shows up for Go Kart racing, Tennis, Golf, Soccer, and the Olympic games when Mario invites him, is that Jason and Bruce ultimately both want the same thing. Jason wants to be welcomed back into the family and to be loved and appreciated. Bruce want's Jason back as his son and wants to love and protect Jason. Both of these visions are shown in the last chapter of Cheer while under the effect of the Cheer Gas. It's ultimately this love and appreciation they both have for each other that helps them overcome their challenge and win.

Jason Todd is a character who, just like Bruce, has been through so much pain and so much hate in his life. The two are meant to parallel each other. While Bruce chose to see the best in everyone, giving every rogue in his gallery the option to be helped and give them a second chance, hence why he never kills, Jason has a similar view on wanting to protect the public, but he understands that some crimes are so heinous they cannot be forgiven, or that some habitual criminals are due to stay habitual criminals, and need to be put down. But at the end of the day, the two of them both try to protect people in their own ways.

I am aware that through the writings of various DC Comics authors such as Scott Lobdell and Judd Winick, the two have had a very tumultuous relationship. And rightfully so, I am by no means saying that Scott Lobdell writing an arc where Bruce literally beats Jason to within an inch of his life in Red Hood and the Outlaws, nor Judd Winick's interpretation of Under the Red Hood where Bruce throws the Batarang at Jason's neck, slicing his throat and leaving him ambiguously for dead at the end of the comic is appropriate considering DC Comics seems to be trying everything they can to integrate Jason back into the family. That being said, a lot of these writings have shaped the narrative of Jason and Bruce's relationship and have an integral effect on the way the fandom views the two. It doesn't help that Zdarsky acknowledged Lobdell's life-beating of Jason by Bruce at the very end of Cheer by having Bruce give Jason his old outfit back as a means of mending the fence between the two of them. That does complicate a lot of things in terms of how they are viewed by the fandom and helps to cause an even greater divide between the two.

Regardless, I want to emphasize the fact that Jason Todd is a part of the family of his own accord. Yes, he's quite snarky and deadpan in almost every encounter. However, Jason is absolutely a part of the family and has been for a while of his own will. There's a great moment in Detective Comics that emphasizes this. Jason cares about his family because it is his found family. Yes, they may be warry about him and use him as a punching back and/or heckle him. At the end of the day, we're debating the family dynamics of a fictional playboy billionaire vigilante whose kleptomania took the form of adopting troubled children and turning them into vigilante heroes. Jason Todd wants a family that will love and support him. This is a key definition of his character at its most basic. This was proven during the events of Cheer and is being reenforced by DC Comics every time they get the opportunity to do so.

Now, none of this is to say that I hate Judd Winick. I do not, I don't like the fact that in all of his writings of Jason, he just writes him as a dangerous psychopath, and Winick himself admits to seeing Jason as nothing much more than a psychopath. Yet Winick is the one who the majority of the fandom clings to as the one true good writer of Jason Todd because 'Jason was competent, dangerous, smart' Listen, friends, Jason is all of that and I will never deny it. However, what I love about Jason isn't that he's dangerously smart of that writers either write him as angsty angry Tumblr sexyman bait or that they write him as an infantile man child with a gun. There's a large contention of this fandom that has an obsession with Jason Todd being this vigilante gunman who is hot and sexy and while I definitely get the appeal. It is very creepy and downright disturbing that all of you hyperfixate on his use of guns and ability to be a murderer. It is creepy and I'm not necessarily here for it.

What I love about Jason Todd is that despite all of the pain, all of the heartache, all of the betrayal, and bullying, and death, and anguish. Jason Todd is one of the most loving and supportive characters in all of DC Comics. Jason has been through so much in his life, but he still chooses to love. He still chooses to see the bright side in people. Yes, he takes a utilitarian approach and chooses to kill certain villains, but at the end of the day he wants to see a better world, and he wants to be loved. It takes so much courage and so much heart to learn to love again after one has been abused or traumatized. I would not blame Jason at all if he said fuck it and just went full solo and vigilante evil. He has every right to, but he still chooses to be with the Bat Family of his own accord. That's something that I see a lot of in myself. I have been through a lot of trauma and yet I try to be a better person myself in any way that I can. It is extremely admirable of Jason to allow love back into his heart when he really doesn't need to. He kills and he protects because he has this love of society. It may have been shaped by anger and hatred, but Jason has found his place amongst people who love him and value him. I think Ducra, from Red Hood and the Outlaws put it best in the image given below.

To end this tangent, I love Jason Todd and all of his sexy dangerousness, but it's far more than that. As much as Jason may be dangerous and snarky, he loves his family without a shadow of a doubt. I look up to Jason Todd because despite all of his pain and all of his trauma, he still choses to love. Jason Todd is a character who is someone I love because despite all of his flaws and having a very toxic fandom, he still serves as a character filled with so much heart and so much passion. I wish more writers would understand that. But for now I will live with what I have. Even though the fandom may be vocal about it's hatred for his characterization, I choose to love Jason regardless because he is a character who chooses love and acceptance regardless of his pain. Jason Todd is by no means a good person in any sense of the word. He has easily killed upwards of 100 people by now. He is a character who is flawed and complex but ultimately is one who powers forwards and finds love and heart in a place from so much pain and anguish. That is what I love about Jason Todd. After all, to quote a famous undead robot superhero, "What is grief, if not love persevering?" Jason Todd chooses to love despite all of the trauma and pain and grief. Yes, he is hardened in his exterior, but inside there is a man with a lot of love to give and someone who deserves the world in my eyes.

#Long post GOD #Jason Todd #Red Hood #Bat Family #Batman #red hood and the outlaws #RHATO #RH:O #Batman Urban Legends #Red Hood Lost Days #TW Voltron #TW Death #tw murder #TW Klance #Gotta love how i am pouring my heart out onto jason AND calling out the Voltron fandom #Regardless love Jason Todd people

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a-master-procrastinator · 3 years

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Long ass post about the Eternal family not being a copy-paste from ATLA (aka I like the memes but my god can you please stop)

Because some people truly think that Vaylin is off-brand Azula, Arcann is Zuko and so on.

It's. Called. A. Trope. (I mean how often do we come across abusive manipulative fathers in media? Mothers who couldn't much to change anything? Children, desperately looking for their parent's approval no matter what?)

Of course, you have to consider the fact that the writing of ATLA is simply better than of KotFE/ET, so this might have been one of the reasons why people say that.

Spoilers for Avatar: The Last Airbender, Knights of the Fallen Empire and Knights of the Eternal Throne expansions!

Okay, so here's my unprofessional, maybe biased, not super deep take.

(not going to mention that all of them are members of royal, ruling family, kinda obvious)

What roles do they play in their stories? Well, both Valkorion and Ozai are main antagonists, but their presence throughout the story is very different. Ozai is rarely shown in first two seasons, we don't even see his face until season 3. He doesn't have a direct connection to the protagonist, they only meet at the very end of the show, and Ozai's role is to pose a threat to the world, while Aang's is to save it. Valkorion, on the other hand, is constantly on the screen, interacting with the main character, challenging their viewpoint and influencing them directly. His end goal is similar to Ozai's (destroy everything and be the only ruler of the his nation), but with one major difference - he's trapped in Outlander's mind, so to achieve his goal Valkorion attempts to take control of the main character. Their interactions play important role in the story, and we spend a lot of time with Valkorion.

In addition to that, their relationship with children are also not exactly the same. It seems like Azula is Ozai's favorite and Zuko is a failure in his eyes until he meets his expectations, and the same goes with Vaylin, Arcann and Valkorion, right? Well, partially. Indeed, Valkorion and Ozai's treat their sons in similar ways (are disappointed in them until they meet their expectation by doing something that goes against their morals), but when it comes to Vaylin and Azula, it's not that easy. See, Valkorion claims that Vaylin was always his favorite creation (even though we know it's actually his empire), and he certainly seems to take pride in her potential in the Force. But her power is the very reason he's afraid of his own daughter, and in this fear Valkorion literally locks Vaylin away and allows to put her through physical and mental torture just to make sure she won't become a threat, won't overpower him. Maybe he thought of her better than of Arcann, but she wasn't his favored child for sure. I don't want to say that Azula hasn't experienced abuse from Ozai, but for the most part he clearly favored her over Zuko. He has never shown fear of Azula's power and abilities (or at least I haven't noticed), quite the opposite - allowed her to do a lot, as long as she brings results.

I could also mention their slightly different characterization (mostly that we get more characterization of Valkorion, get to learn his motivations, views, philosophy and all that, also he's portrayed as more nuanced, even if he not really is) and role in their respective governments (ozai is one of many Fire Lords and arguably not the greatest, while Valkorion is a god to citizens of Zakuul, their only Immortal Emperor), but those are details, and I think you get the point.

What's similar: role of the main antagonist, manipulative and abusive father, goal of destruction of everything that isn't their nation/empire, relationship with disgraced son.

What's different: presence in the overall narrative, relationship with the main character, relationship with daughter, role in their societies.

Senya and Ursa are even less similar. Yes, they both are mothers who love their children, but have to leave them, but these are probably the only things they have in common. Just as with Ozai and Valkorion's presence throughout the story, Ursa is only shown in flashbacks (for obvious reasons), and Senya is one of major characters in KotFE and (a bit less major) in KotET. Ursa leaves because she has to kill Azulon in order to save Zuko, and later isn't present in the story (I'm aware that her fate is told in comics, but we aren't talking about it). Senya leaves because when she tries to take children with her, they refuse, and she understands that she can't force them to, nor she can help them to break free from Valkorion's manipulations. For a long time she's absent from Arcann ad Vaylin's lives, but at the time of game events she attempts to save her children and stop the madness and destruction they've caused, and it isn't a small part of the story.

I also want to add that their relationship with Ozai and Valkorion are also different, but can't say much about Ursa. I heard that she didn't choose this marriage and suffered emotional (and maybe physical???) abuse from Ozai. I can say with confidence, though, that Senya genuinely loved Valkorion, and strangely enough, he seems to at very least respect her. But, of course, this wasn't the best marriage either.

Plus, we see more of Senya's relationship with Vaylin than Arcann or Thexan, but with Ursa we see her more with Zuko than Azula. Just a detail to remember.

(also Senya is simply a better character but that besides the point, moving on. in this house we stand Senya)

What's similar: role of loving and caring mother, abandoning their family at some point.

What's different: presence in the overall narrative, relationship with husband, characterization in general.

Boy, where do I even begin. Vaylin and Azula are similar in that they are both extremely powerful (one is firebending prodigy, the other is potentially stronger than Valkorion), both are cruel "craaaaazy" (i hate that cliché), both are younger sisters, have serious mother issues (seemingly more so than father issues), both go through betrayal of people they could always rely on, which eventually leads to their downfall. But when I took a look at their personal arcs, it became clear that they aren't the same (unfortunately, Vaylin's arc is very rushed and underdeveloped, but we'll have to go with what we have and my personal view, sorry).

There's a really good video about writing corruption and madness, and I'm going to base my thoughts on it. To summarise it: a good corruption arc should have 4 components:

- the character has a specific goal (or a goal and subgoals);

- in pursuit of said goal they become the cause of a significant event that brings serious consequences;

- as the result of these consequences, character abandons their morals, ideals or a code in pursuit of goal;

- character either will not achieve their goal or will succeed, but it won't be enough to satisfy them.

And then the author brings Azula's arc as one of the best examples of compelling story of corruption (so basically, she represents it perfectly). In short, Azula's main goals are perfection and control, and subgoals help achieve the main ones. In pursuit of these goals, Azula causes Mai and Ty Lee to betray her (by pushing them too far to do something they wouldn't do), which then causes her to become paranoid, which makes her to attempt controlling everything and everyone around her, *breathes* which makes her lose control over herself and ....

Now, I thought if Vaylin's arc could fit into a corruption one, and next part will be based a lot on my assumptions and personal view of her character (plus rushed writing doesn't help), but I think yes (or at least mostly). The difference is in goals, ideals and details.

While the story strongly makes us think that Vaylin's goal is freedom (or control over her life and everything around her) or power and destruction, I think it's actually self-determination (which was said by Tenebrae in 6.2) and feeling safe. Let me explain (and here I thought this would be a short comparison). Sure, when Valkorion caged Vaylin on Nathema, he took choices and control over her life from his daughter. But let's not forget whom Vaylin blames for this (even more than Valkorion): her own mother, and I think this details tell us that the most important thing that Vaylin lost on Nathema is feeling safe. Then, after Arcann brought her home, I assume Vaylin still didn't feel safe enough under Valkorion's rule, still too afraid that he'd simply send her back to that hellish place.

It's when Valkorion is struck down Vaylin finally has a feeling of personal safety, even if she isn't the one on the throne. Why? Because back on Nathema there were two people who haven't turned on her - Arcann and Thexan (yes, this is also a huge assumption, bc the game states that only Thexan visited her, but it doesn't make much sense).

I've always noticed (and I'm not alone in this) that her behavior in Fallen Empire is different from the way she acted in Eternal Throne. Most likely bc of rushed writing, but I see a character driven reason here. In first of these expansions, Vaylin is the second person in power on Zakuul, and with Arcann being in charge, person she can trust more than any other living being, she feels safe - she can test her power, and now Valkorion won't prevent it, she can do pretty much everything she wishes, and the most Arcann will do about this is mildly complain (without blaming her). Really would be nice if we got to see any normal hobbies of Vaylin (like wasn't there something about books or art?), but I digress. She might have some questions about Arcann's tactics, but they get along just fine. The important thing to note is Vaylin not seeking to hunt the Outlander personally, to rule or conquer the rest of the galaxy, or trying to achieve absolute freedom or power. She's kinda there.

This, however, changes when Arcann doesn't allow Vaylin to kill Senya. Their relationship was getting somewhat worse towards the end of KotFE, but this is a turning event Vaylin caused by attempting to strike her mother. By saving the person Vaylin blames for all the trauma from sending her to Nathema, Arcann threatened her feeling of safety. And now Vaylin starts to believing that to achieve safety she now needs to kill people who hurt her (that's why she's so determined to find Senya and Arcann), take the throne and hunt down Outlander (she was manipulated by SCORPIO to these subgoals).

(The following is the weakest, I'll admit, but I hope I can at least express what I see). So, in trying to achieve goals she didn't want before Vaylin loses in self-determination, being either driven by overwhelming anger or manipulated by others (SCORPIO or Commander on Odessen), desperately trying to accomplish anything, or even goes against her morals (like by erasing GEMINI's free will protocols, when earlier she agreed that freedom to choose is important; or breaking the deal on Odessen). All of these result in her downfall.

But even this isn't the end. The key difference between arcs of Azula Vaylin lies in it's resolution, or that Vaylin have a chance to overcome corruption in the main narrative (and Azula doesn't. again, not including comics here, sorry). After death, Vaylin is again controlled by Valkorion in Outlander's mind. First time physically (she can't resist it), second time mentally. This is where Vaylin has to choose - kill brother who betrayed her and Commander who killed her, or go against Valkorion, person responsible for almost all of her pain and trauma. She has t choose by herself, and I think it's a good start.

Now, before 6.2 we all thought Vaylin was dead for good, but that story update hinted at possibility of her coming back to life. What I like to think is that now that she dealt with people responsible for her trauma (helped defeat Valkorion and actually for once listened to Senya), Vaylin can now have a different life, finding herself with support of someone she doesn't hold a grudge against and who treats her well (Satele, I mean).

I'm so sorry for going into details, but I needed this long explanation to present the point (and I suck at explanations). As said before, this is my version of her arc, and most likely wrong interpretation, but even with personal freedom of choice, Vaylin character differs from Azula a lot.

Need I mention that Vaylin relationship with Arcann and Valkorion are drastically different from those between Azula, Zuko and Ozai?

(Also a little detail - with royal family of Fire Nation, Azula is the golden child, while with Tiralls it's actually Thexan, not Vaylin).

What's similar: role of extremely powerful, emotionally damaged daughter with little to no regard towards others, close people betraying them, resulting in their downfall.

What's different: characterization, role in the narrative, relationship with father and brother.

Arcann and Zuko is the most difficult part, but I still believe that calling Arcann just a cheap copy of Zuko is incorrect.

So, they fall into role of less successful son, always getting disapproval from father, being in shadow of more talented sibling, both obsessed with capturing the main character but ending up helping them end the war after going through a redemption arc with help of caring family member. Even both have scars on left side of face. Yeah, seems similar. I still think they are different characters.

Let's start with their relationships with family. In Valkorion section I said that his attitude towards Arcann is similar to that of Ozai towards Zuko, so not going to spend too much time here. However, there's slight difference - Zuko didn't kill his father even he had a perfect opportunity (bc it wasn't his goal), Arcann did (bc it was one of his goals), which says something about their characterizations.

Zuko and Ursa were shown to have a good mother-son relationship, and it played a role in Zuko's character. With Arcann and Senya, we don't really know (not much was shown in expansions). We know Arcann didn't hate his mother, but possibly didn't have warm memories of her either. The reason is most likely, like Senya said, her children wanted nothing to do with her (which is a bit untrue about Vaylin, but okay) and leaned more towards Valkorion. We need to remember that on Zakuul Valkorion isn't just one of many great leaders, he's the greatest, and seen as a god by most citizens, so safe to assume the same would apply to his children as well.

Zuko and Azula's siblingship (i'm out of words) is a bit similar to Arcann and Vaylin's in way of brother knowing that his sister isn't good, but still caring about them (even if not showing). At least it's what I saw. What's different is how Azula treats Zuko, compared to how Vaylin treats Arcann. I think Azula showed compassion or concern for Zuko maybe twice, but I'm not entirely convinced that it was 100% sincere. Vaylin, on the other hand, seems to trust and care about Arcann (with bits of sass and questioning his life choices), and switching to complete opposite after him saving Senya. Also, I don't she ever called Arcann a failure in their father's eyes.

Now I want to say that their roles in stories aren't the same either. Sure, both are introduced to us as antagonists, but in reality, Zuko was never a true antagonist (we get to learn this somewhere mid-season 1), when Arcann remains the main antagonist for whole of KotFE. Zuko didn't start a war and didn't participate in conquest of other nations too much, his main goal was to capture the Avatar so to restore his honor (and deserve his father's forgiveness). Honestly, I think it's safe to say the Zuko is one of two main protagonists of ATLA. Why does Arcann want to capture the Outlander? Solely because his father's spirit still lives inside this person's mind, and the best solution to keep Valkorion away from the galaxy is not letting the Outlander free (hence the carbonite freezing). And Arcann doesn't want or need Valkorion's forgiveness when he attempts to kill him (or kills him, depending on your choice. anyway, his action directly leads to Valkorion's "death"). And right after that he becomes a ruler of Zakuul and begins the conquest of Republic, Sith Empire and everything he can reach (the reasoning behind this is still unclear to me though; maybe because he was raised with ruling Zakuul in mind and he didn't anything else, idk). Point is, he's responsible for war and main's character imprisonment, which makes him the main antagonist of KotFE. They have it the opposite ways - Zuko starts as disgraced prince, supported by a little group of people, and in the end he's recognized and appreciated by his nation, and Arcann starts as respected by his empire, later becoming less and less loved, until some groups start rebelling his rule, and in the end he doesn't get to rule Zakuul again.

This leads me to their morals. See, Zuko didn't have the worst morals in Fire Nation, even more, he expressed care for loyals soldiers of his nation before getting punished by Ozai. During first season (and about a half of second one) his views on other nations are what he was taught before. However, these views are challenged by travelling in Earth Kingdom, witnessing people suffering from war Fire Nation started and hating its people (you already know all of this), and with this he comes through final stage of redemption when he's back home. Unfortunately, Arcann doesn't go through this, and he's shown to be more ruthless.

Alright, when it comes to their redemption arcs, well let's say they are different (both in quality and the way they go through it), I'm just a bit tired of long explanations at this point. Zuko's arc is one of the best ever put on television, and Arcann's... well, it definitely has potential, but is criminally underdeveloped (there are other people who will explain it better than I ever could).

What's similar: role of disgraced son, living in shadow of their sibling, serious injuries on the left side of face (though with different meanings), obsession with capturing the main character, having a redemption arc.

What's different: role in the narrative, role in their society, characterization, relationship with sister and mother, different end goals (before redemption), paths to redemption.

#ah. ofc it didn't show in the tag bc of the youtube link. ofc. gonna be down bc of this)#hey look at me rambling about something only maybe 2 people take seriously #also i noticed that parental characters are better in swtor and children characters are better in atla. do what you want with this #it's 3:30 am i should be sleeping but here instead writing this #(forgive if i have some spelling mistakes. brain shutting down but i won't be at peace if i don't post it right now)#okay so if you have thoughts on this... you really don't have to waste time on this #i really only wrote this because i was annoyed by some peeps on reddit claiming vaylin is off-brand with a straight face #(and then posted this on tumblr bc i don't want to suffer those people on reddit)#what am i doing with my time #(not gonna tag atla bc it's not really about it)#swtor #arcann #vaylin #valkorion #senya tirall #kotfe #kotet #pauletta's babbling #pls send help #(or oc aks to give me some free serotonin but no obligations ofc)

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rawliverandcigarettes · 5 years

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Halfway Home Draft 2 - Past Thessia and Act 1

Hello people of the internet!

We are nearing the end of august and I am very happy to say I have rewritten the first act of Halfway Home! This bundle is what I call the Thessia part and is composed of 6 to 7 chapters (the seventh, which I’m currently rewriting, is transitional and more of a jump in Act 2 than a proper part of Act 1). I’m very glad I got there, though the holidays and the fact this part has always been the more roughened by edits and trials made the whole thing easier –some chapters were more of indepth edits than actual rewrites, which got stuff in motion faster.

Honestly, the whole thing has been a joy. While reworking the same parts over and over again tend to get tiring and start draining the enthusiasm out of stuff, especially after years, a new sort of contentment gets in the trail of dried-out passion, and it could boil down to appreciation for the journey behind, and a new comfort with the characters that allow to be a bit more merciless into getting them where they need to go without raw attachment getting in the way. So they get better because of my cold heart, and then I love them more than before even when they’re absolute shitheads, which they tend to be.

One of the things I’m most happy with in this Draft 2 so far is how Everybody Does Problematisms.

It was already the case before, but I wasn’t diving into people’s imperfections with as much glee as I do now. I feel I managed to nail a sense of people who are not necessarily bad or evil, but contradictory and driven by that need to find excuses for the part of themselves that’s a bit shit. All of them are like that now. Not one of them manages to avoid the Problematism. Shlee has gotten specifically caught in it, which makes him way more of an unreliable, opinionated person, and also makes him more entertaining as an MC to follow (I’m especially proud of the difference between his sober and drunk voice, and this is not getting less chaotic anytime soon). The interesting thing that happened is that Anetha got a bit more reasonable by contrast, as in they are balancing each other more now, and it’s pretty cool. I’m really happy about that non-judgmental narrative place the T’selvi family has gotten into, except maybe for Rhanda, which I understand better as a character but remains hard to convey well and with as much nuance, especially through the eyes of someone who imprinted on her and cannot help but be deeply moved by her sorrow while being somewhat terrified by her, and everything he can’t understand and she refuses to explain.

So yeah, a pleasure to revisit the family, my favorite chapter that I always have to write in one go during a full night or the magic isn’t there. But that was the easy part, really.

Re-attacking the Omega part, which is the bulkier and have been almost entirely re-outlined since the first draft, will be something else. Some characters got full revamps, other got unceremoniously kicked out, and some even joined the crew. It also means we’re back to the morally and emotionally harder chapters to pull off, hoping we do better this time while still capturing what needs to be transcribed on page and forgetting none of the messiness. It also means we’re back to Khocress, the batarians, Aria, and many more. I’m both very excited and nervous to go back there with that new, messier Shlee, as I will get a bit more astray from the “perfect victim” vibe that I had a little bit on the first draft and hated –I really hope I get him to have more agency, strong and meaningful moments of growth and regression, and also get him to do dumb shit because that absolute dumbass thinks he can get away with it and doesn’t understand being salarian doesn’t make him smart by nature in ways that matter. But what can I say, I love this carnage of an amphibian and the places I wish I can get him to honestly fill me with awe –conceptually at least, for as long as I won’t have to write this stuff for real.

But besides all the challenges of getting into this charged territory and starting to toy back with terrible concepts that feel too close to home in many ways, I’m also back to work after my vacation, and work is getting intense too –in the greatest possible way, I am so incredibly lucky to have this experience, such talented and professional colleagues with loads of vision, courage and excitement, and I recently got to experience moments that is literally what a lot of storytellers dream of their entire carriers, and I am so dang young. This nearly feels a bit unfair honestly? But yeah, so I am starting to be i n t o o d e e p and get very invested in my narrative work for that crazy big ambitious game we’re making, and a lot of themes and things that happen there also get to me pretty bad, so not being drained by the amazing day project to get back to the amazing night project will definitely pull a toll on my Halfway Home productivity. Not complaining, but already calling I will be late on my self-imposed deadlines. :3 (also i’m getting exciteeeed at the thought of people experiencing my shenanigans for themselves on such scale that is just insane??)

So yeah, feeling jiggity and optimist for my personal creative life right now (!!!), which feels amazing and very much not on-brand, too bad the world is literally on fire and fascism is consciously attempting to drain the oxygen out of us, but HEY maybe I’ll start to go to more protests and do more active things instead of hoping things will solve themselves now that I sort of can afford to? Maybe tomorrow. Also wish my health would be onboard with my mood and not fuck me up and get me impossibly tired, but we cannot have it all it seems, and I accept that honestly.

Hope stuff is good on your part too, or at least that you’re holding on and you feel able to make concrete plans for yourself for the near future to get to somewhere else. Otherwise that’s also fair, courage and strength to you regardless.

To conclude, here’s an extract from an unedited draft 2 to illustrate more of Shlee’s flavor to the table, hoping it isn’t actually terrible in disguise and I just haven’t noticed. From Chapter 5, work title “Hurry You Are Late”.

A light cough. The owner of the teashop, a tubular asari that barely ever spoke to him, would cough his way every hour or so, in hope he would have finished his order so she could clean the table of hardwood he always sat at and make it very explicit she expected him to leave. He showed her the cup, and the finger-deep liquid still frozen down there. She didn’t even bother nodding and disappeared in the backroom. Six months later and Shlee still wasn’t sure if she avoided him because he had to be the most frustrating customer ever or because his skin was a specific shade of not blue enough. Once she had asked with a syrupy tone if his holidays were going well and how long he planned on staying, but that was months before she had to accept their fates were sealed together for the time being. Shlee had considered going elsewhere, but to this day he still preferred the discomfort of known bigotry than unmapped social reactions. Plus the mousse-tea tasted divine, and he had to give credit where it was due –even though he wished he could drink it warm without being kicked out.

#halfway home #halfway there #writing #Mass Effect #shlee #anetha #rhanda #personal #wouuh being happy and optimist!#i still haven't slept!#some things never change!

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ladyandtheghost · 6 years

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Reason #22: The Queen, the King and his ‘Key’: Sansa is the “Key to the (King in the) North, a.k.a. Jon’s ‘weakness’ and Cersei will use it.

This is a speculation meta about what I (like many others) believe could be a likely scenario for Season 8 involving Sansa, Jon and Cersei. Earlier this year there had been spoilery pics that may have hinted at a possible ‘abduction’ plot, which would confirm that Cersei will manage to retrieve Sansa from Winterfell and bring her back to King’s Landing and that Jon will come after her.

In earlier metas we’ve discussed how Sansa is Jon’s big “weakness” (mirroring Missandei being Grey Worm’s only weakness), meaning the prospect of something “happening” to Sansa is to her is Jon’s secret fear. Some might argue now that this could also apply to Arya, only that Arya is far more dangerous to Cersei than the other way around and more than capable of defending herself, ergo it is highly unlikely that Arya would ever be in danger of being captured. With Sansa, however, there have been heavy hints and foreshadowing galore that sooner or later Cersei will get her hands on her, and that she will not be forever *safe* in Winterfell.

And the reason why I am quite excited about this possible scenario rather than terrified is because I think this will entail a plot that might bring Jonsa to the surface and take the “sub” out of the Jonsa “subtext” of S6 and S7…

So how would this actually come about?

The “Protection” Challenge:

Sansa’s infamous statements regarding her safety - “No one can protect me.” (6x09 and 7x01) not only sound like a challenge to Jon, but also as if she is somehow jinxing herself. Unlike Jon, Sansa is constantly aware of the threat Cersei poses to all of them, and to herself in particular. And she reminds him of it: “There’s nothing between us and Cersei.”:

Sansa: “If you’re her enemy she’ll never stop until she’s destroyed you. Everyone who’s ever crossed her she’s found a way to murder.”

Jon: “You almost sound like you admire her.”

To Jon, Sansa’s words sound hyperbolic – like he cannot imagine Cersei having such strength and power. The Cersei Sansa paints here sounds like an Super-human who can make the impossible possible and Jon doesn’t believe in this kind of power coming from a Lannister (he’s met Tyrion before so). To him the threat – also to Sansa – is in the North, not the South and he doesn’t *want* to worry about Cersei as well, no matter how much Sansa talks of her as an almighty force to be reckoned with here.

And this imo is yet another sign that Sansa will be right and Jon will be wrong - the Battlement Scene about Cersei is basically a reprise of the ‘Tent scene’ and Sansa telling Jon that he does not *know* the enemy like she does and that he is underestimating her. Jon dismissing her worries will definitely come back to haunt him…

Bottom line is, if Cersei does manage to get Sansa this will be a major narrative twist that will affect a lot of major characters. In another post I write about Sansa’s “Queen’s Watch” and all the characters who have come to care about Sansa and protected her at some point in her life: Brienne has sworn an oath to protect Sansa and if Cersei gets her, well, we remember how she reacted after she failed to protect Renly. At the moment Sansa has the most skilled assassin in the world by her side and we know that Arya is already hellbent on killing Cersei, so kidnapping Sansa would only give her another reason. The Hound and Tyrion might reunite with Sansa and both of them have cared about her wellbeing in KL, so here is another two characters who would give a shit about Sansa being abducted by Cersei.

HOWEVER, the character who would without a doubt be the most affected by such a plot would be Jon. From the moment of their reunion when he declared that “father’s ghost” would come and murder him if he failed to protect Sansa to the Tent Scene were he promised to protect her, to his choking the living daylight out of Littlefinger, it is being made BLATANTLY clear that Jon is extremely protective of Sansa. This even comes up in their subtexty-UST squabbles:

If Cersei manages to retrieve Sansa and bring her to King’s Landing, we WILL see Rage-Kitten-Jon ON STEROIDS. We saw him completely lose the plot with LF in the crypts, so there is no doubt that Jon will go absolutely nuts if *anything* happens to Sansa in S8. And I think this will also be incredibly interesting in terms of the Political!Jon debate. Right now, many viewers are led to believe that Jon is acting on “emotion”, that he knelt to Danii and declared her his Queen in front of the Dragon Pit crowd because he is in love with her and acted on “feeling” rather than rationally and politically. I personally think that we will get to see in Season 8 that all of Jon’s actions in S7 had actually been rational and calculated and political IN CONTRAST to his actions in Season 8 which will be driven by emotions and feelings, namely when Sansa is in danger.

Right now Jon thinks he’s on top, he has Daniis’ support and two dragons at his disposal, he feels in control of the situation. And we know that this rug will be pulled from under his feet several times in the last season, with the Targ reveal to begin with. There will be challenges and “trials and tribulations” for Jon in S8 and one of them will involve his failure to protect Sansa from Cersei and we will see him do everything in his power to get her back. His interactions with Cersei so far had been all political - but when it comes to Sansa, it will be very much PERSONAL.

Sansa and Cersei - A “Complex” Relationship:

It’s imo one of the most fascinating relationships on the show, because there are so many different layers and overtones between Sansa and Cersei that you are never quite sure how they feel about each other. It’s a very twisted, complex Mother-Daughter-Friend-Enemy-Love-Hate relationship that was acted incredibly well by both actresses. The fact that all through S7 antis and haters would insist that Sansa was “becoming” Cersei (the only indicator being that her wig looked similar to Lena’s earlier wigs) shows that a lot of viewers do not even understand the complexity and nuances of this relationship.Sansa admits that she learned from Cersei - which does not mean that she learned to be a bitch or how to take revenge on people, it means that she has watched her carefully and understood how the “Game” works which enables her to turn it around and protect herself and her loved ones from other “Gamers” such as LF. There is no doubt that Sansa is repulsed by Cersei’s actions and when she “acts” as QitN in S7 we actually see her making the opposite choices that Cersei would have made: making sure there is food for all the people, refusing to seize power from Jon when the Northern Lords begin to rebel against him...all of this makes her the Anti-Cersei rather than a copy of her.

The Queen’s Persecution: Sansa as Snow White, or, The YMBQ :

When I saw the still^^ from “Mirror Mirror” the other day, I suddenly got this Sansa-Cersei vibe that had me consider their dynamic as being very much inspired by the fairy tale: vain narcissist mother-figure/Queen, kills King and seizes power, paranoidly fears “younger and more beautiful” daughter-figure/princess will arise and “cast her down”, evil Queen wants her dead, princess has to flee, finds refuge in a home with seven men who love her, guard and protect her...and once the Queen who believed her dead finds out she is alive and happy, does everything in her power to come after the princess.

The prophecy by Maggy the Frog of the “younger more beautiful” queen coming to cast Cersei down and take all she holds dear sounds is definitely a parallel to the famous mirror in Snow White that told the Queen that there was someone “displacing” her as the “most beautiful” in all the lands.

Cersei thought this “other” would be Margaery, and now she thinks it’s Danii, but looking at all these parallels to Snow White, it’s really Sansa who fits the role of the “other”, the princess who is “more beautiful” best, not only in her relationship with Cersei, that was quite ‘evil step-mother’-like but also in terms of her entire storyline of being persecuted and fleeing KL and finding a home and seven people who love and guard her...

To me this is just another heavy hint that there will be an abduction plot involving Sansa and Cersei in S8...

The thing is, Sansa is sure that Cersei will kill her as soon as she gets her hands on her, but I am not altogether sure that this will be the case. Vain and narcisstic as Cersei is, she likes to have people around who flatter her, make her feel powerful and “reflect” her (”Mirror, mirror on the wall like”) - Jaime being the best case - or her own flesh-and-blood, her children. Most interestingly, of all her children, the one Cersei loved the most was her daughter, Myrcella. But ironically not because she reflected her, but because she was so unlike her.

As is Sansa.

And this is partly why I think that Cersei will NOT kill Sansa (though she will make her a prisoner), aside from the fact that Sansa is far too valuable a hostage. Weird as it sounds, but Cersei had a genuinely soft spot for Sansa, at least as far as she was capable of having “affection” for someone other than Jaime and her children. Of course she did not love Sansa like she loved her offspring but we know that Cersei cared for Sansa in a half motherly, half mentoring kind of way. Cersei treated Sansa much like a pet (not unlike Joffrey, but without the sadistic psychotic overtones). She called her almost affectionately “Little Dove” and as Sansa herself complains that Cersei won’t leave her alone, Shae notes that the Queen probably sees something in Sansa that makes her seek her company:

Basically a huge compliment^^

This in turn is also why - despite knowing that it was Olenna who killed Joffrey - Cersei still resents Sansa and would do everything to steal her from WF and Jon. She felt betrayed on a PERSONAL level and we know how she reacts on such occasions:

Indeed. And she will fetch them back.

It is often said that Cersei sees ‘herself’ in Sansa. I do agree that Cersei sees “something” in Sansa or at least “senses” something about her that simultaneously fascinates and repulses her. I don’t think it’s that she sees “herself” so much than the opposite. If anything Sansa reminds her of Myrcella, of whom she said:

“She was good. From her first breath, she was so sweet. I don't know where she came from. She was nothing like me. No meanness, no jealousy, just good.”

At the same time there is also something in Sansa that she does not trust and that she also resents - a lot:

“You’re perfect, aren’t you?”

When Sansa “acts” more responsible and Queen-like than her, calming down the women with song and prayer in the middle of the crisis rather than drinking wine in a corner - Cersei tries to make Sansa “act” more like her, orders her to sit and drink with her and talks of seducing Stannis and how Sansa should learn to use what’s between her legs. It’s a popular scene that often earns Cersei kudos for being so “honest” and telling it as it is, but what this scene really highlights is how she did NOT manage to turn Sansa into a younger version of herself - but that instead Sansa clearly somehow affected Cersei who realized that the “girl” she always looks down to has qualities that she will never possess - even if she regarded those qualities as weaknesses at the time. The ironic twist that Cersei’s greatest enemy (beside the Valonqar) - the YMBQ - could be her own ‘pet dove’ who she had trusted and been grudgingly fond of, would make all their scenes of previous seasons so much more poignant.

Jon Snow’s Weakness --- Sansa as the “Key to the (King in the) North”:

First as a hostage, then as “key to the North”, Sansa was always a valuable prisoner to the Lannisters. And I think that at some point Cersei will realize how important Sansa is to people - and most especially to Jon - which would make her not only a political hostage but also a personal one.

Jon Snow, where we last saw him at the end of S7, is currently (and quite literally) “on top” of the game. He is in the best possible position to see his plans through with two dragons and a Targaryen to ride them at his disposal, with a Dothraki army and basically all other armies Danii commands at his disposal, with dragon glass galore and the entire North united, ready and prepared for battle – and on a more personal level – with the bonus happy news of Arya and Bran being alive and safe in Winterfell…Jon is flying HIGH right now.

And Jon believes that the battle against the Night King and the WW will be the hardest thing he will have to face – he also thinks that he’s prepared for all the losses now, for all of them to win or die in the war against the Dead.

We already know that there will be one major shocker for Jon to cope with: the Targaryen reveal. And while I think this will bring on a major identity crisis for Jon, I can’t see this distracting him from the battle he was single mindedly focused on for so long. Jon tells us himself that the Night King is all he can think of:

“I’m consumed with the Night King because I’ve seen him. And believe me, if you’d think of little else if you had, too.”

The word “consumed” always gets me here when people assume that Jon is actually genuinely “distracted” by Danii or has feelings for her. Jon says it more than once – ALL he can think of is the Night King and ALL he is consumed with is the Night King and NOT Danii Targ. If anything, DT fits perfectly into Jon’s plans against the NK.

I mean could it BE any more convenient for Jon? The thing that supposedly distracted you from your biggest enemy just HAPPENS to be the weapon against your biggest enemy. Ever since they won Winterfell back, ever since Ramsay is out of the way, Jon had been named KitN and succeeded in all his endeavours (similarly to DT in Essos) – because he just HAPPENED to fall in love with the “right” woman?

I won’t get into Political!Jon theory now – but let’s just say that it would explain the weirdly overly “convenient” narrative of S7 and give a lot more depth to Jon’s character and supposed “luck” in securing the deadliest weapon imaginable for his war just by merit of falling in love.

Regardless of what happens with the Night King, or what the Targaryen reveal will mean for Jon – both have little to do with the fact that Jon is underestimating the “enemy in the South” and that

Cersei will be the “factor” Jon does not reckon with.

In many ways, what we will see in S8 is a “chain” of weaknesses: Cersei hates D and wants her dead but D is supposedly the strongest and has no weaknesses --- except the King in the North whom she is in love with. The King in the North in turn also has one weakness --- his sister/cousin Sansa Stark.

Logic (for Cersei): Sansa is the “key” to controlling Jon.

I’m sure a lot of Antis/Haters/D and JD stans will spit and spew and claim that even IF Cersei had it in for Sansa --- Jon wouldn’t care THAT MUCH about Sansa. And I say, please rewatch all of S6 and S7 and you will realize that there is a pattern, a theme almost of Jon caring for and TRYING to protect Sansa with everything he has.

And I say “trying” because Jon still has to actually fulfil his promise and keep the oath he made to Sansa: “I’ll protect you, I promise.” And I do not mean to demean Jon’s fighting efforts in the BoB, he did everything he could to protect Sansa – but fact is that in the end, Jon had to be saved by Sansa and Sansa was in turn saved by LF and the Knights of the Vale. The thing is, Jon is very much AWARE of this failing on his part. I wrote about this and how this also stoked an underlying rivalry between Jon and Littlefinger in another post and it rankled with Jon that it was Littlefinger who came to Sansa’s “aid” when he failed to protect her. Viewers are actually repeatedly reminded of all the times other characters “saved” and protected Sansa: Brienne and Pod and Theon – which even gets its own big scene at the beach when Jon tells Theon “what you did for HER”) So…the question is what will JON do for HER in Season 8? After all the foreshadowing and all the times Jon and Sansa talk about his protecting her and not letting anyone “touch” her and Jon choking the shit out of Littlefinger, literally “demonstrating” what he will do to anyone who “touches” his ‘sister*...

I feel very strongly that Sansa will be the “Key” to Jon’s arc in Season 8 (as D had been in S7) also because so many viewers don’t even pay attention to her, she is the perfect Red Herring. We know there will be a showdown with Cersei that will involve Sansa, because nothing and no one else could be reason enough for Jon to fight, kill and die for to protect other than the woman he swore to “watch over” and guard with his life, the woman he nearly chocked a man for admitting that he wanted her, the woman he spared a family traitor for because he owned him her life...

They demonstrated his protectiveness of Sansa for a reason. Arya is just as important to Jon, but she will not be the “Key” in Season 8 as she has her own story to finish, her own demons to slay (Cersei being only of them).

Jon threatened to kill Littlefinger “himself” if he touched Sansa. Now that Littlefinger is dead, this scene has become a stand-in for someone, anyone who dares to touch Sansa…

So if we’re all not totally off with our speculations and the abduction plot does happen, we it’s safe to say tht Jon will go totally berserk and it will be a thing of beauty (at least for Jonsas everywhere):

#jonsa #jon x sansa #s8 speculation #sansa stark #ymbq #cersei lannister

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fictionalcharactermbti · 7 years

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Petyr Baelish: ENTJ [Game of Thrones] 2017 Follower Favorite Winner

Dominant Extraverted Thinking {Te}

Petyr Baelish judges based on impersonal practical knowledge. He sees the standards of the game, society, of power. Despite his possible cheating of the rules which will be covered in Ni, he does indeed work within them, which is probably why he has lived so long, unlike traditionalists like Ned Stark. Petyr will often put his personal life and feelings aside for the execution of plans and decision making in order to survive and acquire power.

As much as the system has worked against him growing up he believes in the structural integrity around him and performs everyday to meet these societal standards. Despite his feelings for Sansa (however, one would describe them) he brings her to Ramsey Bolton despite knowing what this man does in his personal life. He is mentally able to tell himself he loves her and to give her to this man in order to make political alliances and for his and Sansa’s power to grow. For all of them to meet the standards of society and play the rules of monarchy.

He loses sight of his and Sansa’s needs in order to accomplish his goal. This can make him seem selfish and cold, however, he ignores not only the feelings and will of others, but his own. We see this despite his love of Catelyn, he had no problem with the husband she loved dying in order to meet bigger aims. Notice Petyr often makes choices that on a personal level don’t serve him well.

He requires hard facts when he deals with anything. He needs evidence and facts in order to be persuaded of anything. He does not make a move based off of a whim, a gut feeling, or an appeal to emotions. In fact, his dominant Te gives him the gift of a deep emotional privacy that few get access to.

This is part of why Te dominance sees the showing of emotions as weakness or childishness. This could be why we see him being more attracted to Sansa as she grows more empty. Petyr is also not one to lend an ear or talk about feelings. His dominant Te makes him extraverted but he is only talkative when describing or solving problems. Hence, why as an ENTJ he is not often very expressive.

Petyr often annoys viewers and characters because he is often neutral in expression or only expressive when dealing out some critical assessment. In the newer episodes we see this with his conversations with Sansa. Sansa knows what she is doing, to be afraid of Cersei, but this is the way Petyr communicates and struggles to show he cares (in whatever form he truly does).

Secondary Introverted iNtuition {Ni}

This is why Petyr does not follow the rules of game and existing structures blindly. Ni helps him see around corners, to go down the most efficient route. This is the motivator and streamlines his goals and tactics. Te makes him use evidence for utility purposes, but combined with his Ni we get his deep imagination. However, when this function is healthy it should help him recognize the importance of inner meaning and priorities as all introverted perception provides for dominant extraverted judgers.

It doesn’t in his case as he is, surprise, unhealthy. He uses Ni as a problem solving tool, only. He uses it as an assist to his Te. We see this most in one of his latest quotes, “Everyone is your friend, everyone is your enemy. Imagine every possibility happening at once. Nothing will surprise you, because it has all happened before.” Now that may seem like some heavy Ni, hence why he is often mistyped as an INTJ. Because of moments like this, but it really is just an ENTJ using his Ni to his Te advantage. He doesn’t prioritize his inner meaning first, nor is he stuck in the theoretical narrative. He is all about that Te utility of getting the plan executed. He uses Ni simply as a tool, an instrument for these Te goals. Hence, why we only see strong Ni when used to get an advantage on others.

Because of this Ni vision he does see all the elements of a situation and his Te makes him actually unbiased. This makes him a pretty good adviser. But that lack of bias means that he isn’t on your side or someone else’s side. This is the dangerous path of trusting Petyr. His Te is impersonal to a fault. He likes Tyrion, he likes Jon Snow, he may just love Sansa, but he doesn’t let that get in the way of his Te judgments and execution of plans.

It is his Ni that conflicts with his dominant Te. Petyr feels special and outside the framework people judge using Te. It makes him feel that no one really knows him, the real inner him. This isn’t helped by the fact that his outsider origins make him never truly accepted by the people who took him in, his not getting to be with Catelyn Stark, and no one at the monarch tables seeing him as an equal. As an ENTJ he assume power, but is often underestimated because of his circumstances. Because of this as an ENTJ his Ni can inspire him to escalate a situation just because he can. Petyr often does this to prove others wrong, to prove he is special, someone to be reckoned with.

On top of this his Te-Ni makes him believe that most people are basically idiots. They are illogical, guided by emotions, reckless, and therefore their opinions don’t matter. ENTJs like Petyr often live by the motto that knowledge is power, which incidentally he explicitly states to Cersei in season 1. This is what really defines him as an ENTJ and not an INTJ, like Varys. While Varys is a spider with his many webs of knowledge he does not seek power, but seeks to play the game for the people as he says to Daenrys. Petyr on the other hand with dominant Te and secondary Ni is more utility focused, rather than focused by the truth. We also see the difference in Petyr being very present when he makes a move, while Varys as an INTJ always stick behind the scenes, using others. He does not seek status, simply a role powerful enough to cast his webs. Petyr on the other hand makes himself known using Ni only when it is useful.

Tertiary Extraverted Sensing {Se}

It is no accident that Petyr gains riches from a brothel. As an unhealthy ENTJ he uses Se for straight up sensations. The very things he is repulsed by others is found in himself. He enjoys the delights of wealth and what they can buy. But being so externally focused with Te-Se, he does not see these possible faults of debauchery within himself.

Se pushes him constantly outward because he doesn’t use his Ni properly. Any problems he has are caused by the outside circumstances around him. He can’t get what he wants because Catelyn’s family, or because of the Lannisters, etc. He finds fault in all but himself. He refuses to look inward to analyze his personal perspective and the perspectives of others.

His Se also makes him very status driven in the way that he needs to constantly maintain his surface image. He is motivated to rise and makes his own crest, the Mockingbird. No matter what goes on in his private life, he must retain his outer role and appearance at all times. We see often how much this is a concern to him. His Te-Se focus often leads him to live two very different lives. The one he shows others and his personal one full of darker impulses.

Inferior Introverted Feeling {Fi}

As an inferior function, Petyr is afraid of his own Fi, afraid of his own emotions. For him being emotional means being out of control and that he can never be. He pushes the feelings down, finding them illogical and not helpful for his Te aims.

His Te drives him towards external goals, like his rank and power. It drives him away from his personal goals not driven by impersonal extraverted logical standards. He clearly did have feelings for Catelyn and may have the same for Sansa, but to recognize and express these emotionally are out of his vocabulary. He comes at these things with his Te, which isn’t very romantic or helpful when it comes to people. It serves him well with politics and the game of thrones itself, but not when it comes to love. He even made the impersonal decision of giving away the woman he has feelings for to a rapist in order to stick to the Te goals and tactics.

He keeps clinging to his Te and Se ignoring his inner self, his inner priorities, and the priorities of others. He doesn’t consult the feelings of others or even himself. He constantly pushes himself to eliminate, ignore, or simply just complain about anything Fi related. He should be above these things that others can’t control. He views himself as above such impulses and irrationality.

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