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The Woobie Cleanup

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11111001011 11111001011 from Peachtree City, GA Since: Dec, 2018 Relationship Status: Abstaining
11111001011
#551: Jan 31st 2019 at 7:21:25 PM

Cut Motoyasu.

Help me!
Bugfragged Since: Nov, 2012
KazuyaProta Shin Megami Tensei IV from A Industrial Farm Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Shin Megami Tensei IV
#553: Jan 31st 2019 at 8:25:02 PM

Ah, Rise of the Shield Hero, the embodiment of the edgy LN that sadly have redeeming traits ruined for the author being a nutcase.

I guess cut him, too bad because sounds like a character that could be a amazing Jerkass Woobie in good hands.

Watch me destroying my country
Bullman Enid Sinclair Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
chasemaddigan I'm Sad Frogerson. Since: Oct, 2011
I'm Sad Frogerson.
#555: Jan 31st 2019 at 8:37:55 PM

So, apparently I was summoned to vote on Motoyasu even though I haven't really participated in this thread and have no knowledge of The Rising Of The Shield Hero. But I'll give it a shot.

I'm not sure why Motoyasu was listed as The Woobie, as from the EP he comes across as someone who's out of touch with the rest of the world and a bit of a chauvinist. I'll give him [tdown]... unless I got his character completely wrong. But those are my two cents.

[down] Eh, don't worry about it. I'm happy to do it. smile

Edited by chasemaddigan on Jan 31st 2019 at 12:00:29 PM

MasterJoseph Frolaytia X Qwenthur of Heavy Object from Not telling. Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: All I Want for Christmas is a Girlfriend
Tyk5919 Your friendly neighborhood stank goblin Since: Mar, 2011 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
Your friendly neighborhood stank goblin
#558: Jan 31st 2019 at 9:43:44 PM

Okay...so like chase, I was asked to give an opinion about Motoyasu, even though I know nothing about the show/light novel and don't really come to this forum often?

I guess cut him, considering the circumstances.

Edited by Tyk5919 on Jan 31st 2019 at 12:44:55 PM

I write stories and shiz. You can read them here.
TheUnsquished Filthy Casual from A youngun between two oldies Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Filthy Casual
#559: Jan 31st 2019 at 10:39:34 PM

[up]

(Annoyed grunt)
ElfenLiedFan90 Me in a nutshell (Coping with Depression) from Jakarta,Indonesia Since: Aug, 2017 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Me in a nutshell (Coping with Depression)
#560: Jan 31st 2019 at 10:40:39 PM

Cut him. Also, I'm not that interested with Tn Y either.

"Making screw-ups and mistakes was I ever really good at. Because everything I touch went to hell."
dood9780 Half-Demon Dude In A Bizarre World from The Vortex World Since: Mar, 2014
Half-Demon Dude In A Bizarre World
#561: Feb 1st 2019 at 3:35:48 AM

Cut Motoyasu, in the words of Ike's victory quote in Smash Bros.

"You'll get no sympathy from me."

"Death's vastness holds no peace. I come at the end of the long road—neither human, nor devil... All bends to my will." -Demifiend.
EmeraldSky (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded)
EmeraldSky (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded)
#563: Feb 1st 2019 at 9:56:40 AM

The discussion date is here so here's the next reevaluation for Weight of the World. I'm doing the entry for America (Alfred) first since he's the biggest one. I will do reevaluations for Canada, Ruby, and Yang later.

America (Alfred F. Jones)

Who is he?

America (Alfred) is the main protagonist of the story. He is the personification of the United States of America, the twin brother of Canada (Matthew/Mattie), and younger brother of England (Arthur). The Aura of Vale is forced into him without his consent, and with it comes all of Vale's burdens, among which includes being the key to unlock the Relic of Choice. As a result, America is hunted by Salem, Ozpin's faction, and other factions who either want to use him to reach the Relic, wish to protect him, or wish to kill him so Choice can never be retrieved.

What has he endured?

He was captured, experimented on, and vivisected by Atlas and her scientists. Part of Vale's Aura is forced into him in the lab before he escapes mid-transfer. He and Canada are hunted through Atlas and into Vale, where Canada accidentally uses his Semblance on both of them, erasing their memories of the lab.

America goes to meet with Headmaster Ozpin and other teachers he trusted, only to find Ironwood (one of the leaders from the lab) is allies with them. He fails to fight them off and regains his memories before passing out. He wakes up in an unknown location with Ozpin's faction. Ozpin's faction gives him the "choice" to accept the rest of Vale's Aura, but America knows the choice is a sham and he has none since the process was already started. Even if he says no, Vale's Aura will go to him anyway. America "agrees" to complete the transfer and is ordered not to tell anyone about Vale.

This leaves America lonely and isolated as he struggles with how his personality and soul may die when the transfer is completed. America is the only one to remember what happened in the lab, leaving him even more lonely and isolated since Canada does not remember what transpired there and does not recall the Character Development (more like "showing what he's really like beneath the mask") America went through while there. America tries to subtly confide in his brothers about what is happening but they misunderstand and think he is being an arrogant Heroic Wannabe who believes he has to save the day. They chide him for being "selfish" and unintentionally imply he should sacrifice himself for the greater good.

Yang mistakes him for an enemy, beats him up and shoots him with not a single person stepping in to help him. The rest of Vale's Aura is forced into him piece by piece in a slow, painful, and torturous fashion. He is Mind Raped by Vale for weeks before they agree to merge relatively peacefully into one. He wakes up with amnesia.

He travels with Neo, Mercury, and Roman (who pretend to be his friends) but then betray and almost murder him, leaving him to die in the woods. Raven then slits his throat because she believes it is inevitable that Salem will capture him if he lives. He recovers. Then he is taken hostage by Tyrian and Emerald, who attempt to use him to capture Canada (who they believe is Vale).

Due to his amnesia and his merge with Vale's soul, America does not act like he used to and is much more cautious and closed off. His friends and England notice and constantly point out how "wrong" America is acting; sometimes to his face, sometimes when they think he cannot hear them. England almost tricks America into performing a ritual that would doom Vale's people and he runs off, only to be captured once more and whisked back to Remnant. He regains his memories and his mind splits from Vale's.

America is kept in captivity, starved, tortured, and physically and mentally scarred by Polendina's men. Upon escaping, he is betrayed by Penny 2.0 (his only ally at the moment), nearly drugged into a coma, and tortured by Atlas, who stabs him repeatedly through the stomach while he tries to protect Ruby and Weiss from her. He then finds out he's slowly dying with the crumbling Kingdom of Vale.

He is nearly captured by Ironwood and Hazel, who use a drug-injecting collar to cut him off from his Semblance and Aura as they hunt him through a burning airship. He barely escapes them. Characters like Ozpin and Ironwood imply he should be willing to die to save Remnant, and that he should kill himself if he is about to fall into enemy hands. Throughout his times in captivity (and with Ozpin), characters constantly berate him for being "selfish" for not doing what they want, or daring to want to live and hesitating to give up his life for the world.

Russia attacks him multiple times in attempts to force him to "get over" what has happened to him. A while later, Salem manipulates his friends and enhances their negative emotions, which causes Canada to strike America across the face with enough force that he is nearly knocked out and is left with purplish bruises on his cheek. America retreats and runs into Salem, who tries to force Grimm essence into his body. Since he escaped her, Salem attacks the town of Frontier, blinding America in one eye and killing Qrow, Ruby's uncle.

Ozpin betrays and tries to murder America to get more power. He fights him off but his trust in his mentor-like figure is irreparably broken. Then the Warden Grimm is sent to capture him. It snaps his leg (breaking the bone through the skin), captures Canada, and kills Blake (who dies protecting Yang). Ruby blames America for Blake and Qrow's deaths and tells him You Should Have Died Instead.

His response?

At first, America is able to keep a lid on his trauma and keeps it hidden. He buries it so far down he is able to deny it is there even to himself. He suffers from the occasional flashback and nightmare but little else at the beginning. After Neo, Roman, and Mercury's betrayal, he becomes extremely uncertain about the stability of his family and friend relationships and worries people will abandon him. This makes him attempt to hide his trauma and the other things "wrong" with him even more.

However, America cannot keep his trauma in forever and suffers from panic attacks and breakdowns. He goes to therapy to try to recover and confides in Canada or Pyrrha but is afraid to ask for help from anyone else since (again) he worries his family and friends will leave him if he does not act like "the old America." Just as he's regaining confidence and begins trusting people again, England tries to manipulate him and he runs. Again and again, he puts the pieces back together and keeps fighting but his experiences wear him down.

America also gains the habit of letting his allies harm him (either physically, emotionally, or verbally). For example, if they insult him, he remains quiet and does not disagree with any of their insults. If they make as if to attack him, he braces himself instead of fighting back. This comes from two things: his fear of being abandoned, and his genuine belief that their lives and happiness is more important than his own. He will quietly be their punching bag if it makes them feel better. America acknowledges that this mentality is not healthy but cannot help himself. The constant barrage of "you are unimportant and should be willing to sacrifice yourself for everyone else" (which went on for almost a year) has gone to the point where he subconsciously believes that is true.

He crosses the despair line when he tries to talk about his trauma with France and everything hits him at once. He falls into a disturbingly realistic depression (feelings of worthlessness, lack of interest, breakdowns, sleeping too much or too little, feeling cold, lack of energy, unwilling to eat, etc.) and spends days curled up in bed while feeling guilty for "letting" his trauma get to him. He picks himself up enough to function and pretends everything is fine but is subconsciously plagued by thoughts about his experiences and approaching death.

He's haunted by Salem's attempt to force the Grimm essence into him via the mouth and (when that failed) cutting him open and suffers from further nightmares about the attempt. By the time Ozpin tries to kill him, he's so used to being betrayed he's more resigned than scared or upset.

After Canada is captured, Blake killed, and Ruby blames him, America shuts down and goes mute for a few days. He leaves the group and considers killing himself so Salem can never win. In actuality, he's so tired of living that he's on the verge of giving up. England and Australia catch up to him and manage to talk him down.

America admits he doesn't think he wants to die, but he also isn't sure if he wants to live anymore. He's tired of fighting but knows he can't give up (other than "sacrificing" himself) or everyone else will die. He openly wishes Vale's Aura had never been forced into him, but is grateful no one else was burdened with it instead. He'd rather be the one suffering so others do not have to. He just wants the conflict to end so his loved ones can live in peace. He secretly believes he will not survive the war though he's not sure if he is okay with that yet.

Sympathetic qualities?

America cares deeply for his family and friends. He willingly offers himself up for experimentation in order to keep Canada safe and always wants to do what is right, even if others do not want him to. He is also very forgiving, often to the point of self-detriment. He used to hide his softer side under an obnoxious and oblivious exterior, but becomes willing to show a caring, patient, and considerate side during the time at the lab. He always had that side, but kept it mostly hidden (except from family and close friends) in order to protect himself since (as a Superpower) he has to keep a strong and unflappable front or risk causing conflict between nations on Earth. He is also Adorkable and squeals over things like cool weapons, cute animals, and comic books.

Despite all the betrayals, he is willing to see the good in people and believe they can change. He even offers redemption to the likes of Ironwood, who has personally hurt him in the past. He did not ask to become Vale or Remnant's savior and he does not want to be. That burden was forced on him, and caused him a lot of pain. Despite that, he keeps fighting for the world and the people in it because it is the right thing to do. He does this past the point of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion. (There is a reason the phrase "Give America therapy and hugs" is often found in reviews.)

He knows and admits he is struggling and does his best to recover, but the bad things just keep on happening to him just because people want Vale's Aura, want to take advantage of/use him, or blame him for things that aren't his fault.

Is he a jerk? Any jerk moves?

No. Even when he was acting oblivious, he never acts superior or mean. He just pretends to be a happy-go-lucky idiot who does not to notice things and is too "dumb" to take offense to things.

Verdict?

Woobie.

11111001011 11111001011 from Peachtree City, GA Since: Dec, 2018 Relationship Status: Abstaining
11111001011
#564: Feb 1st 2019 at 10:15:58 AM

[tup]🇺🇸

Help me!
MasterJoseph Frolaytia X Qwenthur of Heavy Object from Not telling. Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: All I Want for Christmas is a Girlfriend
Bullman Enid Sinclair Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
Enid Sinclair
#566: Feb 1st 2019 at 11:21:29 AM

Yes to America.

Edited by Bullman on Feb 1st 2019 at 2:38:10 PM

Fan-Preferred Couple cleanup thread
MasterJoseph Frolaytia X Qwenthur of Heavy Object from Not telling. Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: All I Want for Christmas is a Girlfriend
Frolaytia X Qwenthur of Heavy Object
#568: Feb 1st 2019 at 3:50:55 PM

[up]Business was already taken care of.

IPP Wick Check created.
Bullman Enid Sinclair Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
Enid Sinclair
#569: Feb 1st 2019 at 5:52:02 PM

Hey I'm going take a break for a while as my grandfather just passed. I'll try to be back soon though.

Fan-Preferred Couple cleanup thread
MasterJoseph Frolaytia X Qwenthur of Heavy Object from Not telling. Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: All I Want for Christmas is a Girlfriend
Frolaytia X Qwenthur of Heavy Object
#570: Feb 1st 2019 at 9:38:50 PM

[up]Best of luck, now for a Shield Hero Cut or Keep Proposal:

MasterJoseph: Tell me about Raphtalia and her predicament.

Aoneko: Raphtalia is a demi human who used to live in a small village in Melromarc. At a young age, her village was attacked by monsters that came from the very first Wave, and her parents and many villagers perished. She was captured afterwards by slavers, and spent a period of time living under one owner to the next. All treated her horribly. After a while, she was bought by a slaver, and kept with the rest of his slaves until she was finally purchased by Naofumi. From then on, she served as his right hand, attacking while he defends.

Joseph: Is she sympathetic by the standards of the story?

Aoneko: Indeed. She lost her home and her family, and spent quite some time as other people's property. She fights against the waves in order to prevent what happened to her from happening to anyone else. She does her best to help and serve Naofumi, as well as being a benevolent sister figure among their younger allies.

Joseph: Another question in case she ends up staying, is there any possibility she could be classified as any other type of Woobie?

Aoneko: If I had to guess, I'd say she's more suited to be an iron woobie, for simlar reasons for Naofumi. Y'know the whole beat down and get back up kind of thing.

Joseph: Can she defend herself?

Aoneko: She can defend herself quite well, her specialty being illusion magic as well as swordsmanship. And unless I missed something in the web novel, I don't think she ever seriously lost a fight.

Joseph: Conclusion? We may let readers judge.

Aoneko: In conclusion, while I personally believe that Raphtalia should not be considered a woobie, I understand if the general consensus sways that way. Everything about her must be evaluated, though. Both her backstory and where she stands right now. So, the final decision lies with all of you.

Edited by MasterJoseph on Feb 1st 2019 at 9:39:08 AM

IPP Wick Check created.
KazuyaProta Shin Megami Tensei IV from A Industrial Farm Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
11111001011 11111001011 from Peachtree City, GA Since: Dec, 2018 Relationship Status: Abstaining
11111001011
#572: Feb 2nd 2019 at 8:39:56 AM

[tup] Raphtalia.

Help me!
TheUnsquished Filthy Casual from A youngun between two oldies Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Filthy Casual
#573: Feb 2nd 2019 at 8:52:16 AM

[tup] Raphtalia.

(Annoyed grunt)
dood9780 Half-Demon Dude In A Bizarre World from The Vortex World Since: Mar, 2014
Half-Demon Dude In A Bizarre World
#574: Feb 2nd 2019 at 9:16:34 AM

[tup] to Raphtalia.

"Death's vastness holds no peace. I come at the end of the long road—neither human, nor devil... All bends to my will." -Demifiend.

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