𝒊 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆, d̲e̲v̲o̲u̲r̲e̲r̲

i’m not here to excuse that; nor will the focus be on explaining it. my intent, as an indigenous/jewish writer, is to challenge those prejudiced beliefs and depict—through creative writing—how a character like jack (white, male, and privileged) can be shaped by his environment (ie. his own complicated experiences as a metahuman in a human world) and still be wrong. how he can be a superhero and still a flawed man, subject to the same preconceived opinions and biases that exist in the rest of us mere mortals. 

and jack is no outlier. within the context of his own source material, there are several characters who express the belief that superhumans are indeed “better-than” their human counterparts. jack is a prejudiced character, yes—but so, too, is the universe of the incredibles a prejudiced universe. mr. incredible himself alludes to this opinion on more than one occasion—and, of course, the narrative challenges this conception by pitting him against the very human and “powerless” syndrome, who, despite his supposed inferiority, effectively solos every single metahuman he comes across (jack included). 

stupid tumblr blog or not, i am committed to challenging the concept of superhuman elitism by examining jack’s flaws rather than harping on his virtues. i am depicting him as an antihero rather than a hero because that’s what he is: a character of moral failing who struggles to move beyond his deeply ingrained (and societally tolerated, if not overtly manufactured) prejudices. 

superhero media has always explored human biases, both explicitly (as in the x-men, where prejudice is a major and recurrent theme) and implicitly (the overwhelming emphasis on criminality and punitive justice—or rather, the concept that villains [typically anyone operating on the other side of the law] are unequivocally deserving of punishment and even death). this character study, regardless of whether it’s done on tumblr or whether i go and submit an apa-style paper, is no different. i have things to say—not character flaws to excuse.

GENERAL URBAN FANTASY. re-imagines curses as demons and jujutsu sorcerers as demon-hunters with supernatural abilities. cornerstones remain the same (the zen'in clan is one of three influential families with political influence in japan's supernatural community. there are a lot of zen'ins out there. it's chronic).

dude who is part of his shitty family's elite demon-hunting militia. mostly the tracker and support. occasionally in charge of missions requiring diplomacy—with varying degrees of success.

the zen'ins are in possession of an impressive collection of cursed objects, and always looking to add more! the hei are dispatched wherever they're needed—or, more accurately, wherever the zen'in clan wants them. they're sent out to recruit, retrieve, recover, and exorcise. theoretically the good guys, insofar as they hunt demons. in reality? it's a little grayer than that.

allows for interactions anywhere in the world. gege's always sending characters on trips; now i will do the same.

SUPERNATURAL. affiliated with preveils. the same as urban fantasy, but now we're in supernatural—a show i have not seen! japanese hunters are called "sorcerers" and retain some supernatural abilities from when their ancestors from hundreds of years ago had children with various demons and supernatural beings. the hei are dispatched to pursue a particularly powerful demon that fled japan and across the world, eventually settling somewhere in america. in order to maximize efficiency, the hei split up to cover more ground and track down their bounty.

SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL, SPEAK NO EVIL: THE MAXIM OF IGNORANCE. ranta is an elite jujutsu sorcerer from the notorious zen'in clan—one of japan's most prominent and dogmatic sorcerer families. a polite and mild-mannered hunting dog who refuses to bite the hand that feeds. a case study in moral complicity, silent privilege, and the transition from victim to enabler.

CONTENT WARNING. explorations of the zen'in clan (and, by extension, ranta's character) deal with topics of abuse, misogyny, and elitism. fanon woobification dies with me. i do not write ranta as a good person; the phrase "innocent bystander" does not exist. he cannot be innocent precisely because he is a bystander. he is a victim of abuse, yes. but he is also an enabler of that same abuse: he fails to challenge or to stand against his family because doing so would threaten his (comfortable) position—as well as his safety. this is a critique of abusive family dynamics, misogyny and patriarchal institutions, and complicit masculinity. this isn't ranta glazing. there is no au in which he survives. he dies at the end of every verse because that's what should and needs to happen. PS. i do write him in a way that reflects the inherently misogynistic opinions of the clan (and jujutsu society) he grew up in. but i sure hope you can tell that i'm doing so with the knowledge that his thoughts on women are wrong, and that i'm doing it in a way that's meant to be critiqued by you, the reader. i do think he should get his shit rocked!! yeah!!!!! and i write every thread hoping that it will happen!!!!

DIRECTORY: VERSES. PINTEREST. DEVELOPMENT.

NAME. zen’in ranta. AGE. twenty-four—and he’s not getting any older, on account of being dead! BIRTHPLACE. zen’in clan estate, in the mountains of west tokyo. NATIONALITY. japanese. FAMILY. seven siblings (two older, five younger). two half-siblings (younger). zen’in rento (father), zen’in yume (mother). extended zen’in clan, including maki, toji, and megumi (all cousins of varying degrees).

EDUCATION. homeschooled. and it shows. LANGUAGES. japanese. speaks english but not incredibly well because 1) homeschooled, and 2) the home-school is conservative and doesn’t believe in teaching foreign languages. PROFESSION. jujutsu sorcerer and member of the hei (the zen’in clan’s group of elite sorcerers). SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS. in possession of the zen’in clan credit card. (very wealthy but there are strings attached, such as complete and blind loyalty to the worst family in the world). AFFILIATION. zen’in clan. the hei (currently), the kukuru (formerly). CLASSIFICATION. grade one sorcerer. TECHNIQUE. paralysis inducement + regenerative healing.

EYES. nearly black, but more blue than brown. strikingly large eyes and unnaturally dilated pupils. doesn’t blink (seriously. not ever). while using his abilities, ranta’s irises turn red. HEIGHT & BUILD. 6’0”, slim-athletic, long legs. sleeper build. strong but physically overshadowed by several other members of the hei, who command more power and presence. HAIR. black. shaggy, mid-length layers + a braid, typically wrapped with strips of traditional sarashi cloth, that falls past his shoulders. NOTABLE FEATURES. large eyes. looks younger than he is. deceptively innocuous appearance. one crooked canine tooth on the right.

DRESSING STYLE. traditional, conservative japanese garments and sandals coupled with modern, long-sleeved undershirts. away from the zen’in compound, he still wears traditional hakama pants and kimono cardigans—but with modern t- or long-sleeved shirts, sneakers, and unwrapped, occasionally unbraided hair. forever unable and unwilling to truly shirk zen’in orthodoxy.

MORALITY. ranta’s morality—or lack thereof—hinges on passive acceptance vs. active harm. while he himself does not overtly act out the zen’in clan's abuse, he is complicit in it by staying silent. ranta is not a good person. he sees horrible shit going on around him and chooses to turn the other cheek. his power is literally “the power to stop people”, and he does not do it.

and yet, at the same time, he behaves like any other morally upstanding citizen. he helps the younger boys in the clan, he protects those he loves, he follows the law. he puts himself in harms way to benefit others. yes, he’s bringing the shopping cart back to the corral; he’s letting people merge into his lane on the highway; he’s handing back extra change when the cashier miscounts. he’s a “””good guy””. AND he is a bad person.

PERSONALITY TYPE. isfj—the defender ( introverted, observant, feeling, judging ) DEFINING TRAITS. ignorant, insecure, loyal, well-mannered, persistent, diligent, perceptive, meek, polite.

the most reasonable person in the hei, but the bar is literally on the floor.

selfless in some ways. selfish in others. willing to sacrifice himself to help his family; not willing to put himself in harms way to stand up to his family.

nice but not kind. polite but not necessarily respectful.

likeable! and that's the problem.

ranta’s technique is a support technique, typically used in tandem with the offensive capabilities of the other members of the hei. paralyzing gaze: the technique ab being a bystander and enabling other zen’ins to punch down on people.

PARALYZING GAZE. the ability to paralyze any living creature(s) he lays eyes on, rendering them completely immobile. targets do not have to be looking at him; he just has to be looking at them. multiple targets can be paralyzed at once. requires concentration. used in conjunction with:

VISION PROJECTION. the power to essentially “project” a big ass version of his eyes into the sky, giving him an aerial view of his surroundings. yes this is as weird and ominous as it sounds—but also a very effective way to target-lock people that he can’t see with his physical body.

ENHANCED VISION. ranta can see details, distances, and colours beyond the scope of regular human vision. he can also see in the dark.

REVERSE CURSED TECHNIQUE. the ability to heal himself and regenerate his own eyes.

SWORDSMANSHIP AND MARTIAL COMBAT. because of his years spent training with the kukuru, ranta is an extremely effective swordsman and martial artist.

WEAKNESSES.

exceedingly powerful individuals (ie. zen’in maki) can break free of paralysis, but you really gotta be on some terminator mode shit to do it. or be satoru gojo, of course.

the strain of maintaining paralysis damages his eyes. damage is equivalent to time + strength of opponent. this is, in part, what results in his death: overexertion ruptured his eyes (and lungs) and he bled out.

cannot use reverse curse technique while using paralyzing gaze. has to choose between holding opponents in place and healing himself.

cannot defend himself physically without breaking his concentration and, consequently, his technique. this makes him vulnerable to oncoming attacks. his best bet is to paralyze anyone and everyone within range; this, however, leads to the eye-strain debacle of 2026.

HISTORY.

fugly boring bullet points. cheers

descends from an offshoot of the main zen’in lineage. ranta is the son of the son of the brother of the 23rd clan head. yeah. he has no standing whatsoever in succession politics. eldest sons of his branch have always served in the hei.

father was obsessed with reintroducing the ancestral "ten shadows technique" into the clan and was using his wife to do it. that's why this guy has a ludicrous amount of siblings. after ranta's mother died during childbirth, rento remarried and continued having children until the clan learned that megumi had inherited the technique, at which point he discarded his second wife.

ranta's technique manifested late, shortly before his thirteenth birthday. until then, he was raised into the kukuru unit (the zen'in clan fighting force. male members of the clan who do not have cursed techniques are required to enlist and undergo grueling martial arts training).

manifested his technique on the same day as his mother died. rento turned on his children. he blamed them for yume's death, claiming that she wouldn't have (had to have) died if any of them had manifested the "ten shadows technique"—or even any technique at all. ranta manifested "paralyzing gaze" as a means to physically stop his father from beating his siblings. first and last time he ever used his powers to put a stop to zen'in abuse tbh.

went from a clan nobody to a clan somebody. father suddenly began doting on him. spent two years honing his technique. joined the hei at fifteen.

note. for interactions with characters based outside of japan, let's just say that ino's completing an exchange program at a university in [your muse's country]. okay? okay.

URBAN FANTASY. ino is a medium with the power to summon spirits and channel their respective abilities. while he originally treats these as a party-trick of sorts (à la talk to me), he eventually comes to harness them as a force for good. he's a part-time university student who daylights as a skateshop employee and moonlights as a vigilante with an unconventional set of abilities, living life with one foot in reality and the other in the spirit realm. ino could probably do more good than he does—have a greater impact against the evils of the world than he does—but he tends toward minimizing his own potential and settling for less.

MERITOCRACY IS A LIE. STOP WORKING HARDER, START WORKING SMARTER! ENTER: JAVELIN—an archetypal villain-of-the-week. forget weaponized incompetence; this man is weaponizing his competence. he's really good at track and field, and by god he is going to make it everybody else's problem. you know what they say: if being a professional athlete doesn't work out for you, become a professional criminal!

NOTE. well i'll be honest and say i'm not a comic person. i don't read them. i don't watch every show and movie that comes out. my depiction is vibes~ based. i'm making shit up. it's all camp and fun and occasional commentary (the quintessential graveflwers dot tumblr dot com brand). and anyway: javelin is a non-character—a throwaway villain who is literally killed and resurrected whenever plot demands it. he is nothing to dc and dc is nothing to me.

NAME. HANNES BRAUN [ hah-ness brown ]. ALIAS. (THE) JAVELIN. AGE. mid-to-late 30s. BORN. ELSTRA, EAST GERMANY, 1980s.

SPOKEN LANGUAGES. GERMAN, RUSSIAN, POLISH, ENGLISH. thick, discernibly german accent. often speaks in direct, word-for-word translations. emotionally committed to german syntax.

OCCUPATION. mercenary and supervillain [ current ]; professional athlete [ former ]; ksk (german special forces) soldier [ former ]. AFFILIATION. TASK FORCE X: THE SUICIDE SQUAD.

ATHLETIC RECORD. two time olympic gold medalist. three time world champion. medals and titles stripped following conviction. CRIMINAL RECORD. officially, he's in prison for destruction of property and conspiracy to murder. unofficially, he's done more than conspire. in germany, he has armed robbery and manslaughter convictions from the early 2000s.

FAMILY. THEADORA BRAUN [ ESTRANGED WIFE, MID-LATE 30s ]. you think you know someone—and then they start wearing spandex and being evil. never legally divorced but divorced nonetheless. you get it. ANTONIA BRAUN [ ESTRANGED DAUGHTER, MID-LATE TEENS. ] lost visitation privileges around the same time that he started killing people for money. which is probably fair.

HEIGHT & BUILD. 6'6", or 198cm. muscular-athletic. “you can’t knock that boy over with a pail of water” or whatever. diligently maintains a fit physique, even in prison. not like he's got anything better to do. HAIR. blond. puts beach waves to shame. cropped short during his athletic career, worn mid-length during his extra-legal era. i personally am committed to the fuckass suicide squad 2021 wig. what a choice! EYES. blue. always looking down on people—literally and figuratively.

WARDROBE. oh, you mean outside of the supervillain clown suit? ralph lauren aesthetic. formal and preppy. neutral colours. likes a knit sweater. wears boots with every outfit bc you just never know when you're going to have to step on something—or someone.

DEFINING TRAITS. ARROGANT. PRAGMATIC. PERFECTIONIST. DISCIPLINED. BLUNT. CONFIDENT. SHREWD. STOIC.

he thinks he's better than you. and maybe he is?

being rude is the same thing as joking around. stop being sensitive.

not a team player. keeps finding himself involved in team-playing activities.

MENTAL. low empathy. narcissistic tendencies. golden child syndrome case study.

MORALITY. oh he's principled all right—but principles do not a moral man make. values self-interest above everything else. someone once told him he needs to learn to set boundaries, and so he set a boundary between himself and the world. everyone is expendable; he will harm, exploit, and kill to get his way. his immorality is consistent and intentional. it speaks, perhaps erroneously, to rationality. anti-establishment but not in a fun way.

MOTIVATIONS. german bureaucracy is so insane, it’ll turn a good guy evil. “crime doesn’t pay”—yes the fuck it does. more than rigorous hard work and sacrifice ever did.

POWERS.

none. what are you talking about. this is fundamentally just some guy. he’s in peak physical condition and really good with a javelin. what more do you want?

hand-to-hand combat and martial arts. great aim (pub dart leagues hate to see him coming). superhero media logic: he’s got different souped up, collapsible javelins with different abilities. and i guess he can use a gun. probably proficient with weapons in general. yeah.

VERSES.

ARC I. mercenary. henchman for hire, basically—always on his own terms. he'll sell his body but not his loyalty. never in one place or working with/for one person for too long. internationally wanted in connection to multiple crimes. technically a green lantern villain.

doesn't lack ambition, but has no interest in running his own mercenary group. always the workhorse, never the farmer.

ARC II. task force x, the suicide squad. in exchange for a reduced prison sentence, he enlists in task force x: a black-ops group made up of the worst and most expendable people the american government can get its hands on. sent on missions you wouldn't wish upon your worst enemy. pseudo do-gooder, limited time only. simply cannot escape the military industrial complex.

suicide squad 2021 compliant, insofar as he eats shit and dies during the corto maltese mission. rip kraut.

ARC III. mercenary round two electric boogaloo. yeah, he survived corto maltese. who knows how. the ultimate get-out-of-jail free card: the american government thinks he's dead. now he's back to merc work.

nonsensical shitpost verse paying homage to javelin's comic appearances, where he dies in one issue only to appear in the next—with absolutely no explanation whatsoever.

HISTORY.

TLDR. people-pleasing golden child golden boy compelled into criminality to avoid poverty. honest ambition turns to cynicism turns to outright rejection of socially-contrived morality. took "fuck the system" one step too far and ended up at "fuck everyone" boulevard

shittily written wip because i cannot be formulating this nicely right now:

born in the gdr / east germany (communist, non-democratic state) during the era of partition. polish mother, german father. grows up poor, like everyone else around him. athletic wunderkind. always the biggest kid in the class. sorta just wants to be a farmer—but life has other plans. shoulders the hopes and dreams of his entire impoverished community. everyone pitches in to fund his training, competition fees, and travel costs.

blah blah blah. spends the year following his 18th birthday serving in the kommando spezialkräfte (special forces) due to mandatory conscription policies. the face of pro-military propaganda during his first olympics, at which he wins gold.

leaves the ksk at the end of his year-long conscription. no interest in being a propaganda tool tbh. didn't want to be there in the first place. categorically refuses to be a media shill. loses his military salary—and track and field isn't a money-making enterprise.

marries young, nineteen and fresh out of the military. got a daughter on the way by the time he's twenty. no applicable skills beyond being big and athletic. he's winning titles left and right, but medals aren't exactly paying the bills. have you ever tried getting social assistance in germany? challenge level: impossible.

takes part in a bank heist where shit goes wrong. someone dies—not his fault though. publicly condemned by the same state that exploited his image and abandoned him the second he reclaimed his agency. has his titles and medals stripped. serves time in prison.

gets out. struggles to find steady employment due to his criminal record (thinks he’s Too Good for minimum wage work). his wife’s all rational and reasonable “we don’t need to be rich. we just need to be a family”. and he’s like “no offence but i actually didn’t spend my entire life becoming The Best to settle for the mediocrity of an average life. and poverty”.

NAME. MUAMAR REYES FONSECA. ALIAS. EL CAPITÁN. NICKNAMES. CAP / CAPTAIN; MU. AGE. FORTY-FOUR [ BORN FEBRUARY 16th, 2033 ]. RESIDENCE. SANTO DOMINGO.

OCCUPATION. fixer and car dealer [ current ]; night corp project manager [ former ]; mechanic and street-racer [ former ].