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Wimpification
Yep, I'm using a term from TVT. Bite me.
Anyways, I was searching Deviantart for Loki. While there were some very good works that I like, there were also a great deal of drawings that depicted Loki as a misunderstood creature.
Note that I am not by any means denying that Loki is misunderstood. This is critical to understanding Loki himself. However, it should not blind the viewer to the other traits that are necessary to understand Loki: namely, his batshit insanity. Loki is misunderstood, yes, but he is also a ruthless killer (and, as Avengers shows, a bully at heart) and extremely mentally unstable.
This is what I dislike about the term "Freudian Excuse": it has been misused for ages. A freudian excuse should not act as justification for a person's actions, it should only act as an aid to understand why said person did said actions.
This is my problem with Silver fans or Vriska fans: oftentimes, they tend to forget that said characters are mentally unstable and instead discuss their positive traits. This belies a deep inability to understand what makes a character, and in my opinion is just as bad as demonizing them.
Comments
Loki's pretty openly evil. But he's pretty and his roots are from feelings of familial abandonment which... well, I can relate to them at least.
Which isn't to say it's ever okay to write off what he did as just being a victim or mind controlled or whatnot.
That said I will cut anyone who says a bad word about my poor Yuno.
A problem I have with the mind-control theory is that if Loki was mind-controlled, he wouldn't have been nearly as inefficient.
If he was mind-controlled, he wouldn't run around killing people and shouting "IS THIS NOT YOUR NATURAL STATE" and shit. He would get work done, and he would do it discreetly. In the movie, he was less "Solid Snake" discreet and more "Run through the east coast on a monster truck while firing bazookas haphazardly" discreet.
The theory isn't about logic, it's about freeing Loki of blame.
Yeah, and that's why I don't like it.
And more importantly to those people, justifying their slashfic immediately after freeing Loki of blame.
Re-imagining characters you like into a way you can better portray them?
Wow, it's kind of like what comic books have done all the god-damn time. (Pardon my language)
Except they aren't reimagining them to better portray them. They're reimagining them to justify their slashfics and assorted fanart.
I think part of it is that weird kind of attitude that says "I like watching this guy, so he can't be all bad, right?" So they rationalize it.
this too
watch your fucking mouth
I'm pretty sure if they wanted to reimagine Loki as a homosexual god, then they'd had to portray them differently.
again, Like I said, whatever the reason they want to reimagine the character, it still leads to a reimagining of the character.
>Wow, it's kind of like what comic books have done all the god-damn time.
Not entirely fair. Even people who think Magneto or Doom are in the right, keep basic character flaws and aspects intact.
and the people who do that are usually paid for said services. just because you don't like the way a character is reimagined doesn't make the process of reimagining a character invalidated.
My problem with Loki is that he didn't seem like an unrepentant, evil killer in the Thor movie. His characterization in The Avengers struck me as incredibly different.
I mean, he did want to destroy the Frost Giants and Thor, but he didn't seem to have that whole "I'm killing people because it's so much fun~" thing going on.
Well, it was suggested that in his time floating through the universe or whatever he kind of went off the deep end.
I read that in a few places but didn't notice where it was implied in the movie. I probably missed it.
^^^^There's a question of logic and quality though.
There's a bit before Loki and Thor fight where Thor says "You can't wipe out an entire race!" and Loki pretty much grins and says "Has your time on earth made you too soft?"
Not to mention that he was willing to stage an all-out war just to impress his father and he didn't seem to be thinking "This is the price that must be paid" or whatever
With that said, the implication is that in his "travels" he had become more willing and more certain that he was the rightful king of Asgard and blah de blah.
Kinda like when you fight with your dad and all that does is reassure you of your feelings of being right.
There's a substantial difference between re-imagining Magneto as a terrorist with ideals, like Grant Morrison did and re-imagining Magneto as a man who was entirely in the right because he murdered humans.
"The process of reimagining a character" is not what is being protested here. It's the idea or the notion that being pretty (or gay) means that a character deserves redemption for his crimes, as well as missing the point of the character in order to justify a crush or an attraction.
@AXavierB:
I don't remember if they outright said it, but it was certainly the impression I got when I watched the movie.^^It's nice when you meet your aunt and uncle and they talk with you can confirm most of the negative things you think and stop it Malk you're projecting again.
You're right, what they're doing is completely misinterpreting an established character.
But aside from logically and calming pointing out how they're mistaken in their assessments of the character "Loki is crazy and insane and not in sexual love with ________"
there's not really much you can do. and it's still re-imagining them, just so poorly that you can justifiably call their work as not even being remotely close to what was intended by the original author(or insert ____)
I just think it's dishonest to say that just because on a very fundamental level, two stories attempt to do the same thing (reimagining a character) that means both of them have the same artistic value, really.
But yeah, there's not much you can do, except whine about it on the internet, or calling the author out and pointing out that what they're doing doesn't make much sense.
Either way, I mean, I don't mind it simply because slashfic by definition requires a great deal of supsension of disbelief, most of the time (Like, Loki isn't the kind of person who'd have sex or share an interpersonal relationship without a further goal in the first place, really.)
Man, I'm still just waiting for someone to write Rorschach/Loki fanfic.
Like what I'm doing now?
Yep.
But fuck, just because there's not much we can do doesn't make it any less ridiculous or moronic.
Another thing that bugs me about this trend is that it takes away some of the character's appeal.
I mean fuck, part of Loki's appeal is that he's a Chaotic Evil mass murderer.
Nah. It's that he is a charming and interesting mass murderer.
Loki's real appeal is watching Thor punch him.
Neglecting the "Puny God." scene? For shame.
Can't speak for Silver and Vriska though.
Silver's character is based around making you want to beat him in a cockfight. He's like Gary, except slightly less smug.
ok, fine!
Loki's real appeal is seeing the Avengers (And Hulk) beat him to a pulp
Gary is at least nicer to his Pokemon.