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The Woobie Cleanup

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Bullman Enid Sinclair Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
TheUnsquished Filthy Casual from A youngun between two oldies Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Filthy Casual
#652: Feb 22nd 2019 at 2:20:59 AM

[tdown] Neo.

(Annoyed grunt)
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#653: Feb 22nd 2019 at 12:05:03 PM

100% agree with Emerald's assessment: [tdown] Neo.

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
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
#654: Feb 23rd 2019 at 7:17:37 PM

Found these on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, it may be time for Law & Order to have its own woobie page:

  • Jerkass Woobie:
  • Though he could be annoying and ultimately became a spree killer, Dale Stuckey did have moments when the abuse heaped on him seemed greatly disproportionate such as when he explained how a teen used spoofing to threaten another girl only for O'Halloran to dismiss it as Stuckey wasting their time or in his final appearance when Stabler physically assaulted him, Stuckey demanded that Cragen write Stabler up for it, and Cragen outright told him that Stuckey's completely valid complaint which would have gotten a real life detective fired or even brought up on charges wasn't worth the trouble.
    • Valerie Sennet in the episode “Burned”. She denies her ex-husband Miles who is struggling to recover from alcohol and drug addiction, any time with their daughter, who it is implied is a Morality Pet and is inspiring him to clean himself up. She then does it with some private investigator, but then uses the evidence of recent penetrative activity to file a rape charge against Miles, then tries to move out of the city, cutting him off from his kid for good. We then learn that Miles was a Domestic Abuser when in the throes of addiction. What cements her into woo is status is what Miles does to her in retaliation - he ‘’burns her alive’’ and we get to hear her scream in agony before she eventually succumbs to her immolation.
    • The killer in "Wrath" was wrongly convicted of rape and abused by other inmates for years, so it's unsurprising that he finally snapped and sought Revenge by Proxy on his arresting officer: Benson. However, she rightfully points out that he's not so innocent anymore due to killing others just to hurt her (though it's still possible to feel somewhat sympathetic toward him when he corrects her: he only made the Asshole Victim suffer, whereas the others were quickly and painlessly Mercy Killed).

  • The Woobie: Almost everyone.
    • Olivia Benson was conceived through a rape, grew up abused by her alcoholic mother, wrestled with fears of being like him, has been the victim of Attempted Rape three times, two of which were by the same man in the span of a year and included brutal torture, and was abandoned by her partner, who was the only family she had at the time and has trust issues as a result.
    • Elliot Stabler grew up with an abusive father and bipolar mother who nearly killed him, has struggled with anger issues, has issues with his family and seems unloved at times by his wife and kids, and finally had to leave the force after he was forced to shoot a teenage girl.
    • Odafin Tututola's son and wife are estranged, his nephew who is the product of incestuous rape on said wife commits murder and gets off scot-free, his former partner got shot protecting him which led to his daughter shooting his current partner, and his current partner betrayed his trust.
    • Nick Amaro grew up in an abusive household and has struggled with anger issues, which cost him his marriage. His wife and daughter have been the target of The Villain Knows Where You Live more than once (perhaps most creepily when he discovers his daughter Zara innocently talking on the phone to a representative of that week's Big Bad), and his daughter and mother were nearly killed by vigilantes shooting at Amaro's house. Padre Sandunguero takes this Up To Eleven, showing Nick having to testify against his father for assaulting his fiancee, having to admit in open court that his father abused him and that he still has nightmares about it, the rest of the Amaro family taking his father's side and gaslighting the hell out of Nick like he's the one who's crazy and emotional, his father being found not guilty, and his father successfully making one last power grab against Nick.
    • Amanda Rollins is from a Big, Screwed-Up Family. Her dad gambled until their mom kicked him out, her mom went through a series of abusive boyfriends, her sister tried to frame her for murder to get insurance money and later cleared out with everything Amanda owned. Amanda also gets beaten up by some loan sharks she owed money to and two years after that, relapses after her current boyfriend is revealed to have been cheating on her on the stand. She was also shot by someone with a grudge against Fin.
    • Rafael Barba grew up in extreme poverty in a barrio, was bullied, and was never believed in by his mom as much as his best friend was. Said best friend, Alex, also married the woman Barba loved and still loves, Yelina. He comes back while campaigning for mayor and asks for help with their other best friend, Eddie, who has been accused of rape. Barba risks his career to help Eddie and then Alex when suspicion turns to him. In the end, though, he must report Alex. End result: Barba loses Alex and Yelina's friendship, gets called a sellout on national television, turned against by the people of New York City, probably ruining his political future, and is left questioning whether he really did go against Alex because of jealousy. The penultimate scene shows him Drowning My Sorrows. Then there's Padre Sandunguero, where he reveals that his father is deceased, and hints that he may have been abusive as well. Then, in December Solstice, he has to put his sick, injured grandma in a nursing home, but before they can move her in, she dies. And he tells his mom it was his fault.
    • The little girl, April, from season 4 episode, "Sick". Even for all of the episode's Narm and funny aneurysm moments, her own storyline is pretty sad. She had no father, her mother was addicted to drugs and wasn't part of her life, she had cancer and, according to her grandmother and guardian, she was molested by the Michael Jackson Expy. Only thing is, she never had cancer, nor was she molested; her grandmother made up the story and was poisoning her with mercury all along, telling her she was sick with cancer just to get money and sympathy out of everyone. Even as she was talking to Olivia in the end, she said, "I didn't want to do it. I just didn't want to die. How can my gram love me when she made me sick?"
    • Chelsea Maddox from "Reasonable Doubt". It's left ambiguous if whether her father did sexually abuse her or if her mother coached her to say that he did. Either way her life is still tragic with whatever scenario really happened — She will have to live with the intense guilt over indirectly causing her father to flee the U.S. because her selfish mother couldn't stand him or face the trauma of her father's sexual abuse and come to the haunting realization that her mother probably saw her daughter's abuse as a way to get rid of him. Olivia's last line in the episode is even "God help that child".

IPP Wick Check created.
Snowy66 Since: May, 2012
#655: Feb 23rd 2019 at 9:34:07 PM

Question, do other forms of Woobie like Jerkass Woobie and Iron Woobie need to go through this thread as well?

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
#656: Feb 23rd 2019 at 9:39:25 PM

[up]Yes.

And try to vote on whatever Effort Post you read.

Also try to keep the entries under 300 words(Possibly even shorter).

I think the pothole limit should be 5-6 too.

Almost forgot, all entries should be put in the drafts.

Edited by MasterJoseph on Feb 23rd 2019 at 9:41:09 AM

IPP Wick Check created.
Snowy66 Since: May, 2012
#657: Feb 23rd 2019 at 9:52:59 PM

Ok thank you. I'm still in the process of understanding the new restrictions for the trope, but I'll join the votes at some point

Brainulator9 Short-Term Projects herald from US Since: Aug, 2018 Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
Short-Term Projects herald
#658: Feb 24th 2019 at 9:38:38 AM

I'm new here, and I'll ask for rewrites for a couple of things in Woobie.Other:

  • Advertising
    • "PC in the Mac vs. PC commercials. If you're thinking of the commercials in a plot-based kind of way, he seems to have gotten progressively desperate. One can only guess that he'll end the commercial runs Lucky Channel-style."
      • Which Mac vs. PC commericials? As in, who is running the ad campaign? Apple? Microsoft? A third person? As with Zero Context Examples, I should not have to look this up to answer my question.
      • What does "plot-based kind of way" mean? What actions are progressively desparate?
      • What does "Lucky Channel-style" mean? This makes no sense to anyone who is unfamiliar with the work in question since anime and manga are not on that page anyway. This needless reference to another work shouldn't be here anyway.
        • Even then, as someone who only came across this entry after finding the Woobie.Other page acting as an index for the Manga.Lucky Star page, I have even less of a clue what this means. The Lucky Channel segments in that show do feature an Animated Actor who frequently flip-flops between her normal, pessimistic, rude self and her perky, cutesy, kind character that she's supposed to be in. Said character does not warrant sympathy so much as laughs.
    • ""Nobody ever pays me in gum!" Complete with "Aww..." from the other characters in the commercial."
      • Which commercial is this?
      • Why should we pity this person?
  • Comic Strips
    • "Wade Duck from U.S. Acres. He's just a senseless Chew Toy who always gets hurt "for the lulz". And later in the strips it feels as though the writers didn't even know what in the world to with the character other then to have him get hurt for no reason. And as Mr.Enter said, it's an admission of laziness creating such a shallow character. Charlie Brown and Linus would feel sorry for this Duck. Thankfully, it was toned down in the cartoon version and they even gave Wade more character. "
      • Does he count as a Woobie if he's a Chew Toy, as mentioned by the first sentence?
      • What other writers? I get that Paws, Inc. has multiple staff members work on the associated strips, but this is only because I know the work. This will make no sense if you read the work's page, which only list Jim Davis and Brett Koth as the sole contributors.
      • "for no reason" Besides the comedic intent?
      • "And as Mr.Enter said, it's an admission of laziness creating such a shallow character."
        • Reviewer shilling as if they are the gospel. This is even worse given that the critic in question reaches Flame Bait levels of polarizing opinions.
        • When did he say this? Was it in reference to U.S. Acres at all? Bear in mind that he only focuses on animation, so the comic strip would be out of his territory and the cartoon would, by this entry's admission, makes him not a woobie.
        • This goes against the page for Flat Character saying that Tropes Are Tools. Sure, Wade has enough prominence in the work to seemingly warrant this, but you also have to understand that a gag-a-day format for a comedic children's comic strip isn't quite conducive to character development in the first place.
      • "Charlie Brown and Linus would feel sorry for this Duck." Again, such references to other works are not necessary. This is Word Cruft at best.
    • "Pig from Pearls Before Swine."

Contains 20% less fat than the leading value brand!
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
#659: Feb 24th 2019 at 11:05:02 AM

[up]I think it's possible for the Chew Toy to be a woobie of sort.

That being said, Wade the Duck does seem too nice to be a Jerkass Woobie.

IPP Wick Check created.
Brainulator9 Short-Term Projects herald from US Since: Aug, 2018 Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
Short-Term Projects herald
#660: Feb 24th 2019 at 11:08:30 AM

[up] He's listed under the vanilla Woobie trope, not Jerkass Woobie.

Contains 20% less fat than the leading value brand!
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
#661: Feb 24th 2019 at 11:12:25 AM

[up]He'd only be a Jerkass Woobie if he's constantly a jerkass, which isn't the case with him.

IPP Wick Check created.
11111001011 11111001011 from Peachtree City, GA Since: Dec, 2018 Relationship Status: Abstaining
11111001011
#662: Feb 24th 2019 at 11:33:55 AM

What about these entries from Les Nombrils?

  • Jerkass Woobie: Vicky in later albums. Volume 7 pushes Jenny there to, though its almost entirely her own fault.

  • The Woobie: Karine

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
Frolaytia X Qwenthur of Heavy Object
#663: Feb 24th 2019 at 11:38:08 AM

[up]Just put them in the re-evaluation box.

IPP Wick Check created.
11111001011 11111001011 from Peachtree City, GA Since: Dec, 2018 Relationship Status: Abstaining
11111001011
#664: Feb 24th 2019 at 11:44:58 AM

Could you send me a link?

Help me!
Silverblade2 Since: Jan, 2013
#665: Mar 1st 2019 at 12:36:11 AM

Karine definitely counts IMO. I could try to EP her but it will take a while.

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
#666: Mar 1st 2019 at 12:57:58 AM

[up]Go on mate.

IPP Wick Check created.
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
#667: Mar 2nd 2019 at 5:30:37 PM

Anyone interested in checking through the Animal Crossing franchise?

IPP Wick Check created.
AustinDR Lizzid people! (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Lizzid people!
#668: Mar 2nd 2019 at 5:32:09 PM

If you want to evaluate any examples, go for it.

Tyk5919 Your friendly neighborhood stank goblin Since: Mar, 2011 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
Your friendly neighborhood stank goblin
#669: Mar 2nd 2019 at 5:37:37 PM

Okay, since it still hasn't been done yet, I made a To-Do Lists page. I know a couple people have been asking for it, so it's been made noooooooooowwwwwwww.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.

-explodes confetti poppers everywhere-

I write stories and shiz. You can read them here.
Klavice (Elder Troper)
#670: Mar 4th 2019 at 6:56:00 AM

Considering I added most of the examples and they were all groups of people (aside from Isabelle, Nook, Resetti, Phyllis, Shrunk, and Sable) I'll do it.

I'm not joking, every single villager type has woobie elements to them, but for keepers especially the lazy villagers due to being the target of gossip, child-like Momma's Boy, and having a sort of Friendless Background and the Cranky and Snooty villagers due to being Jerk with a Heart of Gold for having a Friendless Background, and when they get sick they are Death Seeker. As for Isabelle, I would say she's a keeper due to being incredibly clumsy and while the setting is goofy, she tries so hard for you even only getting an hour of sleep a day. Plus she's a woobie out of universe too for not being a popular choice for Smash and essentially taking a spot from a more popular character. Sable and Nook are definite keepers for Iron Woobie though. Shrunk's awful wedded life and jokes about being the chew toy are played for laughs and he hardly seems affected by it. Phyllis is kinda hard to judge as while she does have a sympathetic backstory, it's more she lost at love and has to work a thankless job while getting almost nothing in return. If people think that's enough for a Woobie she can stay.

I also think Resetti is a keep because the dude lost his job due to an incompetent mayor. Give him some sympathy.

I mean if we can have examples from My Little Pony I don't think Animal Crossing is too much of a stretch.

Edited by Klavice on Mar 4th 2019 at 7:10:32 AM

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
#671: Mar 4th 2019 at 7:50:55 AM

[up]BTW, maybe you can reserve the new Animal Crossing game coming out on the Nintendo Switch.

There's also Pocket Camp on mobile phones right now.

IPP Wick Check created.
infernape612 (Green Sprout) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
#672: Mar 4th 2019 at 4:04:44 PM

So I took a quick glance at Woobie.Fire Emblem, and a lot of the examples given are Zero Context Examples.

Note that the following comments are my personal opinion, and I've never played Genealogy nor read most of the supports for the Elibe duology or Path of Radiance.

Probably a Woobie, but needs context added

  • Nyna (her family is killed by Dolhrian forces, her lover sacrifices himself to save her from execution, her lover cannot be with her because of his loyalty to his country, her lover is defeated and presumed killed in battle, she is forced into a political marriage with a man she doesn't love, she is kidnapped and brainwashed by said husband after he himself is corrupted, her lover ends up with someone else, and she finally throws up her hands in the air, leaves her kingdom in Marth's hands, and vanishes)
  • Hardin (he is forced to deal with jealousy issues throughout the War of Shadows, he finds out that the wife he loves doesn't love him in return, he gets brainwashed and corrupted by Gharnef, he is manipulated into starting a world war, killing many innocents, and resurrecting the Big Bad, and he only comes to his senses as he's dying, lamenting in horror at all of the suffering he caused)
  • Idunn (had her soul ripped out, lost all capacity for emotion and free will, was forcibly turned into a living weapon of war, only survived because Hartmut and later Roy took pity on her, and the Nabata elder is worried she may never recover)
  • Pelleas (duped into believing he was Ashnard's orphan, forced to take the Daein throne despite being wholly unsuited for the role, backstabbed in thirty-seven different ways by a man he trusted, duped into signing a Blood Pact with Begnion that drags his country into a bloody war on pain of total annihilation if he refuses, can potentially sacrifice his own life to end the Blood Pact and accomplish absolutely nothing in doing so, reduced to outright puking when he learns his role in the true Big Bad's plans) (possibly reaches Iron Woobie status if he survives since he joins the front lines and can personally kill several of the men responsible for his suffering)

Doubtful as to Woobie status, unless someone else can provide better context

  • Tiki, Maria, Yuliya, Jubelo, Azelle, Midir, Wolt, Lugh, Raigh, Sophia, Fae, Guy (commented out), Myrrh, Artur, Neimi, Amelia, Selena, Ilyana, Reyson, Rolf, Rafiel, Dheginsea, Yune

Klavice (Elder Troper)
#673: Mar 5th 2019 at 10:32:18 PM

Today, I'll be proposing two Woobie. One Iron and one Regular from Final Fantasy IX. I'd love to propose Vivi as well, but I'll get to him.

Who is Freya Crescent and what is her predicament?

Freya is a Burmecian (anthropomorphic rat with dragoon attributes who studies the art of war) warrior and is 21 years old according to both the Steam and Switch releases of Final Fantasy IX. She is the fifth party member you get after Lindblum's Festival of the Hunt and knows Zidane from three years prior to the game's events. It's implied her parents died shortly after she joined the dragoon knights.

She starts off a little standoffish but quickly warms up to Zidane and his team. After the festival, a messenger from her hometown of Burmecia shows up at Lindblum castle and tells Regent Cid that Queen Brahne and her army are attacking Burmecia. The messenger dies, and Freya heads to the grotto of Burmecian Guardian Gizamaluke who has turned insane due to Kuja's sinister magic. She sees her country men toppled by the black mage army and thus when she gets to Burmecia, the realm of eternal rain, she finds out it has been overrun by Brahne's army. After finding out the King has fled to the nearby peace loving settlement of Cleyra, she heads there with Zidane and co. Once there, the desert gem, keeping the place protected by a fierce sand tornado, breaks and the Alexandrian army storms Cleyra, and just as she meets her boyfriend who she thought had died, turns out he forgot about her due to amnesia. But thanks to his sense of justice, he protects the Burmecians, at least until Brahne summons Odin to destroy Cleyra causing Freya to lose everything that was important to her. Fortunately her boyfriend and the Prince survive according to Word of God but it's still pretty devestating to her thinking she had lost everything and manages to keep it together, even risking her own life to save Princess Garnet/Dagger from Zorn and Thorn alongside former adversary Beatrix. So yeah, she's been through a lot.

Is she sympathetic by the standards of the story?

While most of the party has their own woobie moments, Freya's comes first right after Vivi's and therefore is able to sink in more. So I would say yes she is.

Can she defend herself?

Absolutely she can defend herself, but while she may be sort of a Tsundere, she's hardly a jerk. In fact, she's one of the nicer party members along with Dagger, Vivi, and Zidane.

Verdict?

Keep for Iron Woobie.

Next is Zidane Tribal the main protagonist.

Who is Zidane?

Zidane is the Kid-anova hero of the game. Older than he looks at 16, he's a Chivalrous Pervert and love interest of the young princess Garnet "Dagger" Til Alexandros who is also quite a woobie. Ordered by his boss and father figure Baku to kidnap the Princess, it turns out she wanted to escape the whole time. He's actually an orphan to boot and his parents are nameless until the final two discs.

What is his predicament?

Zidane is one of the four orphans looked after by the thief leader Baku. Turns out that he's not actually a thief but similar to Locke, a treasure hunter. Turns out Zidane was left on the planet Gaia by his own brother Kuja who originally wanted to kill him to prevent Zidane from usurping him. Both Zidane and Kuja are members of an Artificial Human race known as Genomes who come from the neighboring planet of Terra. Built for conquest of Gaia, Zidane had next to no memory of his birth on Terra, aside from the blue light he saw in dreams. He wandered away from his foster father Baku, thinking he could find it, but since it wasn't on Gaia, he didn't. He grew up next to fellow teenage orphans Marcus, Cinna, and Blank. Upon the game starting he kidnaps Dagger in an attempt to please his boss after getting beaten up by Baku. While the abuse from Baku to him and the other Tantalus Boys and Ruby the sole girl is played for laughs, Zidane's suffering most certainly isn't. Poor Zidane has to watch his hometown get ravaged by Black Mages and Atomos, his friends giving their lives to protect him. He's a sweet young man and utterly breaks in Disc 3 when Garland, his creator, gives him a "The Reason You Suck" Speech through breaking him by talking causing Zidane for the first time in the game, to have an existential crisis. He even shows his heart is willing to forgive Kuja as he risks his life to save his brother, despite all the hell Kuja put him and his friends through, showing his Incorruptible Pure Pureness. Despite being a ray of sunshine throughout the game, by the end Zidane is broken and barely got back together by the end.

Can he defend himself?

In battle, yes. Outside of that, not really. He talks big, but he breaks easily, and only puts on a brave face for Dagger and Vivi. And considering how much of a Nice Guy he is even compared to other Final Fantasy protagonists, he is not a Jerkass.

Verdict?

Keep for regular Woobie.

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
#674: Mar 5th 2019 at 11:08:07 PM

[tup]Freya and Zidane

IPP Wick Check created.
EmeraldSky (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded)
#675: Mar 6th 2019 at 2:30:02 PM

[tup] Freya and Zidane.

Edited by EmeraldSky on Mar 6th 2019 at 2:30:17 AM


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