I might get torn apart for posting this, but imo it must be said.
To make it crystal clear, I don't excuse Susie's actions in Planet Robobot. But I don't excuse Taranza's actions in Triple Deluxe either.
I think people in the Kirby fandom infantilize Taranza way too much.
I am not joking when I say that I've seen people go as far as to say that he was "never a villain in the first place". That he's "innocent".
I'm sorry, but that's just flat out wrong. He was objectively the villain during Triple Deluxe. "He was just following orders!" is not proof of innocence when he was following the orders of a dictator. Taranza was a dictator-enabler. A dictator's right-hand man. That's not innocent. He lowkey kidnapped people in the name of this dictator.
Who knows what he could've done off-screen during the game while dragging Dedede around with him... probably could've tormented a lot of unshown Floralians while Kirby was trying to stop the takeover.
I also believe that Taranza loved playing the villain. He looks incredibly smug while dragging Dedede around and provoking bosses into fighting Kirby. Not to mention the very things that he says in his monologue right before he uses Dedede like a puppet to fight Kirby.
.... So much for the claims of "never a villain in the first place".
I very much believe he's reformed (Susie too, tbh) but I wish people would stop totally erasing his actions and pretending he did no bad.
This is not meant to demonize Taranza in any way. It's just... I absolutely hate that people treat him like a poor little innocent baby while simultaneously treating Susie like an irredeemable, unforgivable monster. They committed very similar crimes, but somehow get treated like they're opposite ends of the spectrum morality-wise.
Now, when comparing them, Susie is indeed the worse of the two overall, because her actions were done on multiple planets vs. one country. But that doesn't change the fact that it's still hypocritical to treat one of them like they're innocent while demonizing the other.
Regardless of the different scales of their crimes, they're both ultimately just second-in-commands to corrupt higher-ups that then helped give Kirby something to fight the final boss when it mattered.
I like to think that Taranza and Susie are both rather morally grey people with good and bad qualities. To me, they're friends with Kirby now, but they still have flaws despite not being as bad as they were before. I'd put Magolor on the same boat alongside with them too.
Taranza can both have grief and still have flaws. And I think Susie 100% has had grief for her dad too, even if she's less open about it.
One of the reasons why Susie discourse is so aggravating is because people simultaneously downplay and infantilize other villains, especially Taranza. People are hypocrites. I bet people wouldn't give a crap if Taranza or Magolor were to turn Meta Knight into a robot.
I get why the colonization and capitalism themes for both Susie and Planet Robobot as a whole can strike a nerve to some people and elicit discomfort, but I don't really think that warrants a massive and unfair discrepancy to how she gets treated compared to the others.
While I can get why those themes can make some people not like her as much as others, I don't think it makes it fair to treat her like an unforgivable demon because her villainy happens to be more real.
Just because the others are less real doesn't mean they're innocent.
The double standards suck.
168 notes
·
View notes
I just imagined a scenario where Marx walks up to Taranza and tells him that he found a way to bring Sectonia back. He tells Taranza that if he wants to bring her back, then go make a wish to a clockwork star!
And then I of course imagined a secondary scenario where Marx does the same thing to Susie, coming up to her and telling her that she can bring her dad back by making a wish to a clockwork star to do it.
46 notes
·
View notes
Omg... is it true that the second annual @kirbyoctournament has rolled around? How exciting!
Last year, I entered a nasty, nasty, no-good old woman, and that was fine and dandy, but I think it might be time for a change in vibe. After all, as much as I love my girl Peacekeeper, last year I hadn't yet created my favorite Kirby OC, and I think said OC deserves her chance in the spotlight.
Which is all to say...
Peony will be entering the fray!
I made a longer post going over Peony's whole deal here, but to give the long-and-short of it (because yes, this is the abridged version), Peony is my (extremely self-indulgent 💜) Taransusie fankid.
Her existence was a bit of a happy, spite-induced accident, seeing as how she was grown in a test tube on an impulsive whim, but she's a very beloved, happy kid. Albeit a bit strange...
Because you see, Peony sees ghosts.
Following a near-death experience, she was supercharged with Soul magic and now she teeters the line between the worlds of the living and the dead. A creepy, macabre, spirit medium of a child, her circumstances would be confusing and offputting to anyone. But with her family's history in particular?
...Yeahhhhh, things are kind of bizarre.
She gets along well, though, with her undead friends. And who knows? Perhaps her new, mysterious powers could be the key to giving her family some long sought after closure.
Peony is an overconfident, somewhat-naive, stubborn know-it-all who doesn't know how to take 'no' for an answer, and really, it comes by her honestly, considering her family. For all of her hardheadedness and ego, though, she really is a sweet kid, and much of her determination comes from a place of honest love. She adores her friends and her family and just wants the best for them, regardless of what other people think or what the world says she can do.
As of right now, her biggest dream and aspiration is to find a way to undo death and bring her ghostly companions back from the grave, setting things right and 'reuniting' her family. This is almost certainly something she won't be able to accomplish, but...
Like I said, Peony doesn't really know how to take no for an answer.
Upon growing up, Peony ends up becoming a wandering spirit medium, traversing the galaxy in hopes of helping people come to terms with their unfinished business. She still makes sure to visit home often, though! For all of her pluckiness, she's still ultimately her mom and dad's baby girl deep down.
"Have you been taking proper care of your mechanics?"
"Of course, Mom."
"And you've been eating alright?"
"Yes, Dad. Oh my Stars, you two, there's no need to fret... you can just say you're glad to see me. It's good to see you too."
...And there's no need to fear. Rest assured, she still has her babysitters compatriots. Something tells me their unfinished business won't ever truly be done with until they've finished looking out for her.
Because if Peony's strange life full of reopening once-thought-to-be-closed doors has made anything clear, it's that the more things change, the more they inevitably stay the same.
24 notes
·
View notes