So I’m Back In The Sander Sides Fandom And All I Can Think About Is Roman’s Character Arc. I Really

Concept: After the Battle of Mount Othrys Camp Jupiter grew afraid of Jason.

Jason had always been there golden boy. Sure he’d always pushed for things they didn’t approve of, like ending beloved traditions because they were “harming others.”

But he’d always been someone they trusted, relied on and looked to for aid.

Seeing him go up against Krios, a titan and the power and skills that he showcased. It reminded them all that Jason wasn’t just any old demigod, he was a son of Jupiter.

Jason only pushed himself that hard to save them, surviving the ordeal hadn’t even crossed his mind. But seeing how far he went scared them all.

What if one day he turns on them?

Most of them were legacies after all, little more than mortals. What could they do against one who could do the impossible like he just did.

They couldn’t kill him and none were even brave enough to try. So they began to shun him. Slowly but surely isolating Jason away until he was left with no one.

Even Reyna who had thought the whole thing was ridiculous had already begun to distance herself from him because of Venus’s words.

Jason didn’t know what he did wrong. He threw himself into work hoping that maybe his efforts would change things. But nothing did, if anything the more effort he made to help the worse it became.

Octavian was front and centre trying to diminish whatever credibility Jason had left. He spoke of tragedies that would occur in his name.

And how he’d be much better suited in the position of Praetor. People didn’t treat it like it was something outrageous anymore.

The day Jason vanished they all sighed with relief.

daring: we can’t lose because we have this! *points to chest*

dexter: we have heart?

daring: heart? no. me. i’m pointing at myself. i’m going to win this for us.

Arthur: He tossed a few drinks together, poured it out, and made you drink it? How was it?

Albert: Disgusting.

Bartender: That’s not what you said.

Albert: No, because you were there.

Bartender: Well, I’m here now.

Albert: *gesturing to Arthur* But I’m next to my big man.

I was talking to my mutual about Cole when I had a surge of Thoughts so per usual you all have to hear them now. I was considering a couple things, namely his development and place as the "strong guy" on the team and his masculinity (and how it presents in the show vs in fanon).

Cole's pretty often typecast as the gruff strong guy in a lot of fan-media (from fanfics to fanart etc) which isn't wrong because he was like that, especially within the early seasons. The way he spoke, the way he acted, his place as a sort of leading force. In season three you even see him in that stupid lumberjack fit (said affectionately), it's all very traditionally masculine. Which fits his whole Strong and Big guy of the team role (the five man band archetypes etc etc). However, it's interesting to say because at his core, he's very emotional and very driven by a strong sense of internal compassion (with a canonical affinity to children). Which obviously none of that is opposed to masculinity but these traits begin to show more as the gruffness pulls back. The first real example of that I think is in ToE with his fight with Jay. I don't read him as being invested in their fighting the same way Jay was. Jay was fueled by insecurity and a very strong sense of jealousy and possessiveness. Cole? I think he was just reacting to Jay's aggression, which didn't put Nya in a better position but it is a difference. 

So when their match rolls around, he's the first one to realize what they're doing is stupid and give in. He reaches out emotionally to Jay. However, Jays still is a friend so that is easy to write off as a symptom of friendship. And then following ToE we have possession and DOTD which I think are where he really begins to develop, and have the strongest examples of what I'm getting at. I'm going out on a limb and saying that I really see his prior gruffness as a sort of armor, to be good enough for the team (insert that one Wu note of him staying up late before missions) and also there his whole rebellious streak against his father trying to force him to be someone he's not. (Note: I wouldn't be surprised if how Lou raised him really had a impact on all this) Then, we get to Possession and both his self worth and self image are shook badly by literally dying. He outright says he's not a ninja anymore, which I think he based a lot of who he was on (<- which is why struggling with it hit so hard).

Finally DOTD comes up and I think we see the strongest example of where his compassion really become a core trait. It's his fight with Yang. He had no reason to reach out to him, to be honest he had the right not to, but he did and it worked! He didn't get out of DOTD in the end with brute force, he got out of it with emotional support (his team showing up), a stubborn adherence to his moral code, and reaching out to Yang with empathy. From that point on, I think he's softer and more prone to being emotional, it's like there was a very real shift. To circle back to Jay, because I think he makes for a good comparison, he does not develop like that post ToE. Actually, the issues carying from s3 (though, they do exist prior just not as starkly) all the way to Skybound where it gets violently (literally) addressed. Jay fans can probably say it better than me but the season is about his insecurity and treatment of Nya and there's a reason both Nadakhan and Cliff are like that (read: they're parallels). It's just interesting because both Cole and Jay have issues with self worth and image but they present and develop very differently. 

There's also the fanon aspect with those two that's really funny. I think everyone's aware of the infamous fanon-bruise, the 2010s-yaoification. Uwu Jay, Big Strong Man Cole, and how weirdly racist it is. It's just funny to note because the issues projected onto Cole in fanon are ones Jay has, like, in the show. Cole's the more emotional and compassionate one of the two, but because of the strong guy role, it gets flipped around in fanon. Going by the 'traditional' (read: toxic) masculine standards, in terms of personality and character, I think Jay more closely aligns. It reminds me of this post I saw once, it was of Hunted where Jay was making the plane (?) and Cole was with baby Wu. It called Jay the 'mom' and Cole the 'dad' which I find kind of funny because if you look at it through that hetero-normative lense, it really should be the other way around. Cole's the one caring for the baby pretty consistently, Jay's the one making a machine and Working. Did Jay just get called the 'mom' there because people think of him as smaller and weaker and therefore more feminine? Did Cole get called the dad just because he's strong and considered bigger? It's interesting. Fanon does Cole really dirty sometimes.

To get back on topic of Cole's narrative development, then we get to MOTM (like a bajillion years later which no I'm not complaining except I am). Cole's characterization in MOTM is so fucking good. MOTM does a fantastic job at tying together several of his strings. It ties in Lilly, his self esteem, his staunch morality, affinity towards leadership, and compassion into one, pretty bow. MOTM puts Cole back into a leading role, and it gives him several groups to reach out to (Vania, the munce and geckle, the uppily). It draws back the insecurity present in him, letting it show again to be addressed. It even ties in his relationship to Wu in a really lovely way to me. MOTM is the season where Cole finds who he is, his identity and his place as his mothers son.

Speaking of that, I have a very strong love for male characters who exemplify who their mothers were and what they taught them. The scenes with Lilly really put his entire character into a different perspective. At the start he was this tough kid fresh off grief and pressurized so strongly by his dad and himself and he goes through loops and hurdles of strength and identity and by the end he finds himself exactly where he needs to be. Where he's the strongest and it's in his mothers footsteps, as someone both emotional and strong. It's a really lovely character arc to take him on, and though I haven't watched DR, I've heard they continue that on. 

Anyways, consider it positive masculinity, consider it anything else. I just had a lot of thoughts to share and hope I don't sound too 'reading-too-deep' about it. Bye bye Kar ramble over.

I'm a fandom oldie and a strong proponent of "ship and let ship", and I defend everyone else's right to ship what they love... But I think that gives people the idea that I like, automatically love every single ship??? Or every single trope?

I don't though!

There are a lot of fandom tropes that are on my "absolutely fuck no" list. There are a lot of irk kinks that are also on my "nope absolutely not" list, too. Personally, this is healthy. I'm able to look at something and go "Yep, I hate it, but it's not harming anyone, so continue to do as you please."

Dr. Dillamond: Exactly how many of you have experienced… romantic feelings for Fiyero Tigelaar?

Glinda: *Raises hand*

Elphaba: *Raises hand*

Shenshen: *Raises hand*

Pfannee: *Raises hand*

Boq: *Raises hand*

Nessa: *Puts Boq’s hand down*

I’m bored in psychology so here are some more daring/ramona/rosabella headcannons:

They are all super overprotective, if you insult one of them you insult all of them

Daring calls them rosie and mona and refers to them as ‘his girls’

Daring and ramona go to protests with rosabella to support her.

Rosabella and ramona also go to darings bookball games to cheer him and cerise on

Fiyero (about Boq): I call my boyfriend “Bambi”.

Fiyero: he thinks it’s because he’s cute with his brown eyes.

Fiyero: little does he know, I want someone to shoot his father with a rifle.

May I request Dagur and Snotlout for the kissing prompt game? Absolutely love the ones you’ve shown already!

#51 - Kissing Every Finger - Dagur x Snotlout

Thanks!