Insightful Character Analysis from Tumblr Dot Com

I swear, every time I get into a series with at least moderate fannish activity on Tumblr, one or both of these arguments is gonna get whipped out at some point.

(Drawn while thinking of three separate characters from three different series. And that's without even being into Homestuck.)



Tumblr: Reblog from here, don't repost.

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Transcript

Tumblr: hdu call yourself a "fan"?? like u do realize the character is a toxic abuser right?? // omg the character is clearly neuroatypical and mentally ill like if u judge them u aRE THE PROBLEM

Self: OK but like...maybe the character is a person who has screwed up? As most people do at some point? Sure, some mental health conditions make it harder to make good choices -- doesn't mean it's a diagnosable symptom every time a character makes a bad one! And even if they do have a health issue -- which is a reasonable interpretation of the series -- that isn't a free pass to hurt other people! At the same time, can't we recognize that you don't have to write a character off as irredeemable just because you've noticed that they have problems?

Tumblr: ...

Tumblr: OMG THIS PROBLEMATIC ABUSE APOLOGISM // THIS ABLEISM IS SO GROSS I CAN'T EVEN