History YMMV / WinterMoon

** Does [[spoiler:Augustus]] really want to create a digital utopia in Magnolia Online, or is he just scared of dying? [[spoiler:According to himself, he is terribly scared of dying and he wants to be immortal. So, maybe his "creation of utopia" is just an excuse? After all, he seems more like a communist than good shepherd.]]
** Is Valera really okay with [[spoiler:Albright's terroristic attacks? She's no longer a naive child, so is the fact she can live in Magnolia Online is enough to convince her to follow Augustus' plans? Or is she just lying to herself or was brainwashed?]]
* ArcFatigue: In season 4, Risa is attacked by Lance and an accomplice, intent on torturing and murdering her. This goes on and on for over half a dozen episodes. Readers finally revolted in episode 50, with a majority of the top-voted comments being some variant of "Merry, either end this or we're going to stop reading!"
* DesignatedHero: Both Risa and Florence, arguably. Risa is a manipulative bitch who leeches off of other players like no tomorrow, and Florence will kill other players at a whim and is a complete prick about it, getting an entire game shut down in the process. It's no wonder Merillian managed to find a band of people who hated Florence because of what he did to them.

** Risa displays many symptoms of Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD), such as seeking for attention, seducing and flirtacious behaviour. It's also possible she has PTSD to some extent after her conflict with Landor. She also very likely has social anxiety, because of her depression, extreme shyness, introvertism and being unable to establish relationships with other people.
** Florence is often viewed as a man with Avoidant Personality Disorder ([=AvPD=]), because of antisocial behaviours, his fear of intimacy despite craving it, fear of rejection and viewing himself as inferior to his teammates.
** Aside from being autistic, Gideon is also considered as a person with Schizoid Personality Disorder (SPD) because of his apathy, coldness, distance from his teammates (at first) and presumed asexuality.
** Landor shows most of the symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD, sociopathy), because of his lack of empathy, egocentrism and tendencies to manipulate other people.
** Valera is almost perfect example of non-romantic version of Dependent Personality Disorder (DPD) - she's extremely dependent on others, passive to the point of being a witting pawn and afraid of rejection.

** Risa and Florence act like assholes online to deal with the ''hideously'' abusive home lives they have. Risa is slowly becoming self-aware about this.

** Landor wasn't the sanest character since the beginning, but he lost any sympathetic traits after he [[spoiler:exposed Risa's identity in public]] just for betraying him in the game. And then he had done much more worse things...
** [[spoiler:Augustus]] was quite morally ambiguous throughout the series, and some of his actions had their justifications. He lost it after [[spoiler:he became a tyrant in Magnolia Online and started to kill players just for not joining Ministry of Light.]]
** For most of the series, Valera was a happy, nice girl who had been easily manipulated by her superiors. In Season 5, she crossed it after [[spoiler:she admitted she knew about Augustus' terroristic attacks and didn't give a damn about them, justifying them, because they are meant to create a better world.]]
* TooBleakStoppedCaring: For the first season no characters were really good enough to cheer on them, except from Easen and Bob. Florence and Risa were selfish jerks, and Gideon wasn't that assertive like in later seasons; other players weren't saints either, some of them even more eviler than Winter Moon, just always losing to them. This started to change in Season 2, where Florence actually started to gain more heroic traits, Gideon developed stronger moral code and even Risa was on her way to become a better person under Florence's infleunce. Other players were still jerks, but also the good ones appeared and started to play more significant role in the story. It's probably best shown in the Season 3 finale and beginning of Season 5.
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Risa. While the readers are supposed to empathize with her due to her BreakTheCutie ordeal, she can come off as unsympathetic to many of the readers as she just ''keeps'' pushing away everyone and anyone who tries to help, including Florence and Gideon. It also isn't helped by the fact that the whole scenario started due to a misunderstanding that could be resolved even just by talking to each other.
* TheWoobie: Valera was neglected by her father at young age and placed in a medical institution, where she had a good care, but wanted to have friends. When she started playing Magnolia Online, her guild was disbanded, then she was manipulated by a Ministry officer, then manipulated again by another officer and finally joining other guild, just to be manipulated again by the Guild Master. Poor girl.

* CompleteMonster: Charles de Beaumont, Florence's father. He had abused his son for years because of sexuality, expected him to inherit the company he didn't want, almost forced him into a marriage, both of his children hate him and he has literally ''none'' redeeming qualities.

* MagnificentBastard: Valera is really popular among fans, because how she's written, her backstory and the great battles she pulls.

** Florence is often viewed as a man with Avoidant Personality Disorder (AvPD), because of antisocial behaviours, his fear of intimacy despite craving it, fear of rejection and viewing himself as inferior to his teammates.

* DiagnosedByTheAudience: Risa displays many symptoms of Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD), such as seeking for attention, seducing and flirtacious behaviour. It's also possible she has PTSD to some extent after her conflict with Landor.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Does [[spoiler:Augustus]] really want to create a digital utopia in Magnolia Online, or is he just scared of dying? [[spoiler:According to himself, he is terribly scared of dying and he wants to be immortal. So, maybe his "creation of utopia" is just an excuse? After all, he seems more like a communist than good shepherd.]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Does [[spoiler:Augustus]] really want to create a digital utopia in Magnolia Online, or is he just scared of dying. [[spoiler:According to himself, he is terribly scared of dying and he wants to be immortal. So, maybe his "creation of utopia" is just an excuse? After all, he seems more like a communist than good shepherd.]]

* MoralEventHorizon: For most of the series, Valera was a happy, nice girl who had been easily manipulated by her superiors. In Season 5, she crossed it after [[spoiler:she admitted she knew about Augustus' terroristic attacks and didn't give a damn about them, justifying them, because they are meant to create a better world.]]

* JerkassWoobie: Risa and Florence act like assholes online to deal with the ''hideously'' abusive home lives they have. Risa is slowly becoming self-aware about this.

** Florence ''is'' a jerk, but it's hard not to feel bad for him when it's revealed that [[spoiler: his father hates his guts just because he's "feminine". He is also implied to be physically [[AbusiveDad abusive]] towards Florence.]]

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Risa. While the readers are supposed to empathize with her due to her BreakTheCutie ordeal, she can come off as unsympathetic to many of the readers as she just ''keeps'' pushing away everyone and anyone who tries to help, including Florence and Gideon. It also isn't helped by the fact that the whole scenario started due to a misunderstanding that could be resolved even just by talking to each other.

* ArcFatigue: In season 4, Risa is attacked by Lance and an accomplice, intent on torturing and murdering her. This goes on and on for over half a dozen episodes. Readers finally revolted in episode 50, with a majority of the comments being some variant of "Merry, either end this or we're going to stop reading!"

* ArcFatigue: In season 4, Risa is attacked by Landon and an accomplice, intent on torturing and murdering her. This goes on and on for over half a dozen episodes. Readers finally revolted in episode 50, with a majority of the comments being some variant of "Merry, either end this or we're going to stop reading!"

* ArcFatigue: In season 2, Risa is attacked by Landon and an accomplice, intent on torturing and murdering her. This goes on and on for over half a dozen episodes. Readers finally revolted in episode 50, with a majority of the comments being some variant of "Merry, either end this or we're going to stop reading!"

* ArcFatigue: In season 2, Risa is attacked by Landon and an accomplice, intent on torturing and murdering her. This goes on and on for half a dozen episodes. Readers finally revolted in episode 50, with a majority of the comments being some variant of "Merry, either end this or we're going to stop reading!"

** Florence ''is'' a jerk, but it's hard not to feel bad for him when it's revealed that his father hates his guts just because he's "feminine". It's also implied that he is physically abusive towards Florence.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Bob, a low-level bald, musclebound player. Clueless, guileless and friendly, he is adored whenever he shows up. He's a minor character for most of the comic, but joins the main cast's team for the tournament arc, and pulls off a stunning upset during his round.

* DesignatedHero: Both Risa and Florence, arguably. Risa is a manipulative bitch who leeches off of other players like no tomorrow, and Florence will kill other players at a whim and is a complete prick about it, getting an entire game shut down in the process. It's no wonder Merillian managed to find a band of people who hated Florence because of what he did to them.