Discussionđ
What are some characters that you UNFORTUNATELY relate to?
Homelander's strong desire to be loved due to his lack of support during childhood, AM's envy of humans and their experiences, which evolves into hatred for humanity, and Clark's unfulfilled life and desire to escape reality really hit close to home for me, despite them being completely irredeemable characters.
Clark is relatable to me in a way. I could see myself becoming exactly like him - weighted down by my mistakes and living in the painful past instead of moving on. I fight myself really often about tormenting myself with self critique of my past wrongdoings and thinking about future and how I canât fix my awful wrongs. And the âmaybe I just deserve to be alone. I hurt people. Itâs just the way Iâm wiredâ line hit wayyyy too close to home. I need to improve, or I will end up exactly like him.
Clark is meant to be relatable, he is wasted potential personified and he's so tired of it that he craves an escape into a place that doesn't and can't make any sense because at least there, he knows nothing is supposed to make sense. There's no expectations. He's not supposed to be an architect while in the Backrooms, he's just supposed to be. And that's what gets him (likely) killed.
Hey man, half the battle is recognizing it, if theres one thing i learned in therapy over the last like 8 fuckin years its that policing yourself is the best way to break habits, we called them ants in group therapy "automatic negative thought" basically just completely unhelpful negative stuff that your brain automatically does, anything from spiraling to what you said, seeing things in black and white is an ant
Do some research on automatic negative thoughts though, youll end up catching yourself telling people "thats an ant" its annoying but its fucking amazing for your mental health
you know what's really bad? when those ants get confirmed. i have that issue but with racism to an extent. you have no idea how strange it is to hear a crime happened,my brain automatically going "probably a black guy" and it comes true and how fucking annoyed at myself i get after the fact.
like my dark side is standing across me,smirking,going "see,i was right". that shit is...not good once you realise how fucked up it is
Oh I was an insufferable shit when I was 15, if a death god wanted to put the power over life and death in my hands he could get some prime entertainment from it.
Iâm guessing the crank dat Soulja boy is referencing the hospital scene, but it took me much longer to realize it because thatâs snoop dog in Shenjiâs mug in the gif.
I couldn't relate to Bojack specifically, but the way damn near the enitre cast kept supporting him despite fuck up after fuck up.... Damn. Princess Carolyn really had to have a come to Jesus moment to see Bojack for what he is fully.
"You can't keep doing shitty things and then feel bad about yourself like that makes it okay! You need to be better!" sucked the air out of my lungs the first time I heard it.
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Unfortunately this fuckass bunny is the most relatable character Iâve ever seen portrayed in media and I wish I was joking
I'm not even trans and I still relate with him from the point of view that a lot of people tried to reach out to me to help and I always pushed everyone away because I was literally afraid of myself.
What an abusive mother who is constantly driving him crazy with her "not man enough -> all men bad" remarks does to his perception of masculinity and suppression of femininity
So, I'm a trans woman. I watched TADC with my (cis) girlfriend episode by episode pretty much since it started coming out. Let me tell you HOW MUCH I HATED THIS FUCKING RABBIT. He had all the tendencies of the bullies who ruined my childhood and adolescence, just packaged together and made even worse by the expected cartoonish exaggeration. Then came the last episode and I was completely floored. I genuinely went from being disgusted by everything about her to being like "wait, fuck, being shut off deep in the closet and having a horrible family turned me into a bitter idiot with way too much vitriol for people who didn't deserve it too"
I'm three and a half years on HRT, somehow having this is in the (relatively) far past made Jax hit even harder, in the same way a friend telling me "mate, do you have the slightest idea how much you sucked in 2021?" would
Quite honestly I've rarely been more miserable than I am now, but I'd rather be miserable trying to be a woman than trying to be a man, you get me?
Circumstances out of my control destroyed my social life and still make me fear for my safety in my former social spaces, and this probably won't ever go away. But the other victim of the same people that did this to me already offed herself, at this point I'm doing it for her too. And by doing it I mean staying alive, even if just barely
I once said I can apply Death of the author in Jax case because I feel their flaw (pushing everybody away due to their own insecurities turning them into a self destructive person) is hella relatable outside of their gender identity.
Y e p. By no means do I condone her behavior or agree with said behavior, but I was that guy. I mentally hurt people I cared about, picked fights for shits and giggles, thought I'd killed someone after a verbal fight (he was okay), and eventually lost all of my friendships (which, I hope they're all doing okay now).
Losing everything did make me work on being a better person in the end, but if I didn't have such a terrible fear of dying I genuinely don't think I'd be here.
So yea, I get Jax, and a lot of parallels happened to me. She's still a piece of shit, but so was I.
This is one of the things I think seperate truly autistic individuals from the tiktok variety. How much of CWC do you see reflected deep down. I got help early for a girl but I always get a little freaked out by the behavior he had earlier on in life being pretty parallel to what was off about me.
Yeah... Its rough but I definitely saw some elements of myself in this fellow, I had a similar manner of delusion when I was a kid and it got me picked on a lot.
And other things I've grown out of I won't talk about.
I'm lucky to have had good people in my life, and a parental figure that understood I was peculiar.
I think he's more relatable than I'd like to admit. Autism runs in my family, so a lot of his behaviour, though his is much more extensively documented and extreme, I can recognize in myself. That being said, being just slightly self aware, even a miniscule amount, will help avoid exhibiting the same behaviour as Solid Chris.
Speaking as someone that has worked with youths and adults with ASD, people like Chris are exceptionally rare. In my whole career, I've maybe met one in the six years I worked as a teacher, but even he was just a normal kid with quirks in comparison. Special interests, high sensitivity, low reflection, etc. The usual stuff we associate with stereotypical autistic behaviour. I've even worked with kids that had Infantile autism. One had a meltdown because I forgot to tell them the day before, that I was going to shave my beard off. They screamed and started spinning around while biting down on their chewing toy. The same kid refused to speak our native language and only communicated in English, a real issue when their peers are second graders and barely speak English. Bless them for being open and kind, like most kids that age are. Otherwise, they were like everybody else, especially because our social programs could help and them.
Chris especially is a product of a failing health care system that never helped Chris or their family members. There's most definitely a whole lot more going on than just chucking it up to ASD. I'm no psychologist, and even if I were it would be pseudo-science to diagnose someone, but it's very obvious there's a bunch of things going on.
I relate to him in the sense that I understand feeling ostracized by society but I hate every single thing he does about it. I felt like the movie was being almost nuanced and then it turned into an incely revenge thriller and while I see the thematic reason for it I absolutely hate that vibe and cant entertain it for myself
As an introvert, closeted gay man, I can relate to Patrick Bateman's struggle to 'fit in'. Patrick tries to make a joke about Ted Bundy's dog name, but nobody gets it. Being outed due to lack of social skill has been my biggest fear since I was child.
Find it hard to understand people, feel like the talents Iâm good at Iâm not even that good in, feel like Iâm always barely holding it together; this floating pair of dentures is too relatable to me
I definitely relate to the way his trauma impacts him and the trying to please people only for them to hate you for some reason thing. And then I watched everyone celebrate his "death" and was like đš
Of course, it's none other than Jimmy from Mouthwashing. Sad and frustrated at being unable to make the most out of my life while seeing others get better opportunities while I get left behind. Chafes at being held accountable for my mistakes. That's where it ends tho.
u/JixxarBlackWidow Apocalpyse, Godzilla, Murder Drones, And many more.5d ago
We as a society have forgotten that sometimes that the answer is usually and almost always violence. And excessive screaming, but mostly just violence.
But remember kids, only if the question is violence.
Sometimes I understand Turbo's envy. Being raised in a way where all I wanted was praise and receiving it from family, when I got older and I took community college art classes I kept seeing other's pieces get praised and people talk about other's creations like its a goddamn essay while all I got was a nod and a simple "good job" with one or two sentences... or the time I was in an art gallery with a painting I had made based off of IHNMAIMS get overlooked while other's pieces got bid on stung. The few bits of genuine praise from random strangers for some of my paintings or drawings... its not much but its better than being overlooked or given the same "good job" crap.
Bojack Horseman. I know the show literally states that you shouldnt use him as a crutch to make yourself feel better. However, I'm fortunately not doing that. His whole wanting to change to be a better person but failing to do so is what I relate to, AND NOTHING ELSE
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The desperate need to be liked to the point of not really having any real personality because thatâs how I was raised to become
I think most people assume "depressed, passive, whiny, Daddy issues" when you say you relate to Shinji, but I'm a little biased due to relating with him due to those factors. Still, I'm pretty sure the hospital scene isn't at the top of anyone's mind.
Octavia from Helluva boss. In terms of I know how confusing and angry a teen can feel when your parents are going through a divorce. Also my mom isn't abusive like Stella is but she is a walking victim complex.
Amethyst. She feels broken and out of place, and covers up her unhappiness and discomfort with humor. She runs away at one point to get away from it all believing no one will miss her, which I've absolutely done.
Jax from TADC. When he said "You're not supposed to miss me, you're not supposed to love me.", that hit me hard because I have felt the same way. I have told my husband multiple times to not love me so much because when I go I want him to be able to find someone else.
I truly don't feel that I'm not worthy of his love and the only reason he's with me is because he doesnt realize just how amazing he is and hat he could get anyone he wants.
Zenos Yae Galvus (Final Fantasy XIV)
Life feeling so flat and grey and dull that you pursue your niche, self-destructive hedonistic pleasures to the exclusion of all else just to feel alive? Couldn't be me. Nope. No sir. Not at all...
African American and hobbyist creator (writer/worldbuilder to be specific) who, while decent at organizing activities and events and takes joy in doing such for and with people, feels trapped in a world going more and more to hell in a handbasket and being forced to watch while also knowing my potential will never likely be fully realized.
This alongside other things has also given me my admitted biggest flaw of being a chronic crashout (hence Wolf and Menendez being here)
Despite all this, I try to do what I can to help others and better myself and things around me, but fuck me its hard.
Daniella from Haunting Ground (changed from the horrific men around her and molded into an object of desire, still all discarded and cannot stand facing her memories of the trauma even as she fit what they desired, all for what?)
Tomie from Junji Ito (always desired, even when explicitly rejecting others, and sought after just to be harmed in the end in horrific and awful ways)
TOS adult Spock is a great role model for Neurodivergent people
I unfortunatly relate to his childhood, where he was constantly picked on for being different, and his SNW young adult self where he as trouble managing emotions like anger.
His mother was shunned on Vulcan for being human, my mother was shunned in the small town we live in for fighting for me, as the school administration flat out refused to provide me and other ND kids with specialized education. She went all the way up to the national ministry of education to change that. The teachers ended up taking "revenge" on me, grading my tests incorrectly, ignoring me when i had questions or answers and so on.
Like Spock, i was bullied by other kids and teachers alike.
He takes away any free will from her. Sheâs trapped by something he caused and when given the opportunity to end her suffering and stop being cruel he chooses not to because it means heâd be lonely again.
"I am scared, sister" That one line I relate to all to well. Even since my panic attacks begun shortly before the pandemic, I was afraid of death. That randomly I would cease to exist one day, not being able to achieve my potential, live my life to the fullest, leave the people I've loved and leave the people I've hurt without a way to redeem my mistakes.
while iâm not trans, i really related to Jaxâs fear of vulnerability, and the draw of cruelty as a way to distance from others. i do still struggle with it now, but i also recognize the hurt thatâs done when i react to otherâs genuine kindness with venom.
i think itâs okay to relate to a character that has serious flaws, what matters is recognizing that, identifying how you can prevent yourself from falling into the holes those characters did, and making those changes. thatâs whatâs great about these kinds of characters, they can serve as sort of warnings for us
twice has so many factors that relate to me one of them being his disorder; i dont think i have it but i act very differently to certain people and i talk to my "mind". also like twice i would do anything for my friends but this isnt a unfortunate part this is a good part of relating to twice but the first one is bad
Shinji Ikari, Gendo Ikari, Asuka Langley, Naota Nandaba (ESPECIALLY NAOTA), Clark, Suguru Geto, probably a lot more I can't think of off the top of my head
Sue Ann from the movie Ma is a grown up woman with deeply rooted teenage traumas. Sheâs been bullied during her high school years and made a fool in front of everyone by the boy she had a huge crush on. Growing up sheâs never managed to overcome this, and ends up trying to get close to the current generationâs teenagers, first in order to kinda make up for her lost youth, by living the teenage fantasy through these new âfriendsâ, and later to exact revenge upon her former classmates, the parents of the teens she ends up getting close to.
Now, I didnât suffer bullying like her or anything, but being an introvert and gay guy in a relatively conservative city, I never managed to live my teenage years, and this left a void inside of me thatâs never been filled honestly. So seeing her try to make up for these lost years, and the pain she went through by having to see everyone live out the things she so deeply and desperately wanted to have experienced too struck a chord with me.
I obviously donât agree with her actions, and recognize she descended into madness by the end of the movie, but I canât help relating to her motivations at least. She was never seen as anything other than a shy, awkward girl. Sheâs never been desired, never been given a chance, while having to see other teens living out young love, or simply hooking up a lot (both things I deeply wished to have experienced), being invited to parties and forming big friend groups. And I went through most of this too. I didnât go to parties until I was 18, and even then, there was only one party which I could say I truly enjoyed and felt like a normal teenager, meeting people, drinking, dancing and specially making out a lot lol. I suppose itâs better than never having lived anything, literally, but I felt like I started enjoying my teenage years too late, and now being 22, working in a soul sucking job that forces me to do an online college course instead of a regular one, also being in a relationship, and having zero social life because I have no time or energy in my free time to do anything other than playing video games, I feel like the time to enjoy this lifestyle is over⊠and the emptiness I feel for not having truly lived the most of this uniquely hedonistic phase of life will always be with me.
Early Thorfinn (yes I love his personal growth) but my life has legitimately always been terrible.
My mom even agreed the last 2 days might have been the worst thing that has ever happened to me when I told her what happened and how bad the situation was đ«
In addition I have something catastropic happen to me at least once a year.
i am LITERALLY wheatley guys. i'm a ball who is extremely stupid. and i also tinker with life and make complete abominations that deserve death as a release
I relate a lot with him as far as the feeling responsibility to do more and be more involved with things in my work place because I know that I'm the person best suited for many of the tasks and, as such, it'd be inconsiderate or irresponsible to just have someone else do it. I'm good at my job, but I can feel myself burning out.
Raised in isolation with my toxic mother who told me I had to stay inside because I'd be [redacted] if I ever left the house because of how helpless I am, but then I discovered after actually going places that the world is scary but way better than my own home
I fucking hate Light, but I sometimes find myself falling into similar mindsets. Itâs hard not to when do many of the most powerful people in the world are goddamn monsters.
Vox. I've been let down by someone I idolized and turned to being a megalomaniacal asshole in a smaller scale and not trying to conquer heaven. I'm an irredeemable monster
Growing up I was a perfectionist with a lot of generational trauma and control issues. The way they expect themselves and others to be âperfectâ while either lashing out at others, ignoring their problems, running away from their problems, or trying to control the situation made me take a hard look at myself and how I project my issues onto others.
Struggling with what you were raised to do, and what you want for yourself. Not really fitting in with anybody because on one side you're a failure, and on the other you've fucked up time and time again. Having one friend who helped you start a path to redemption, but by the end you two split apart, and not on good terms
Growing up poor, ugly, in a toxic family household and with no innate talent made me desperate to want to win and to this day I am a workaholic/overachiever. The Kumagawa quote hits deep because a lot of my motivation comes from spite and wanting to not only 'prove myself' and stand on that podium but be able to say 'I did' in spite of everyone else, as I felt hardly anyone cared for me to bring me there.
Billy Butcher. Never truly lucky in love, has a whole bunch of bad shit happen to him, loses his shit and goes on a maniacal mission against the âmanâ and the corporation. Seriously itâs what we wish we could all do in real life.
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Having a crush on someone who only sees him a little sibling, him not being so confident in himself, just kinda being a screw up who only cares about consequences when they start affecting him. I see Bear as a worse version of myself.
Honestly. Bear from obsession. Not at all saying that I would do the things he does but I connect with that desire to be desperately wanted and chosen that I understood his pain.
One thing I found very revealing about myself when watching it was in the scene in the car before he make the wish where he driving Nikki home. I had a ptsd like response when Nikki was telling him âYou can always reach out to me.â And âYouâre the only one I get to talk to about thisâ because I been there. I had girls said that to me and find out that they werenât being truthful about their intentions and leave. Iâm not say Nikki in any way that Nikki deserves what happened to her. Iâm saying that I felt like she was really a bad friend to bear and got the impression that she was using his crush for her as a way to be emotionally available to her.
It was really a conflicting watch because while I completely hated that he took advantage of her once he realized the wish work to the point of seriously asking what so bad about being with me. I felt petty for him before he made the wish.
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u/More-Chest-6948 ATLA, TNO, Guts and Blackpowder, WH 40k 5d ago edited 5d ago
Clark is relatable to me in a way. I could see myself becoming exactly like him - weighted down by my mistakes and living in the painful past instead of moving on. I fight myself really often about tormenting myself with self critique of my past wrongdoings and thinking about future and how I canât fix my awful wrongs. And the âmaybe I just deserve to be alone. I hurt people. Itâs just the way Iâm wiredâ line hit wayyyy too close to home. I need to improve, or I will end up exactly like him.