Garbage boy stinkman belongs in the toilet

They're adults about things.

ROUND 1 — Match 274 of 276

Michael Distortion (The Magnus Archives)

Problematic because: "eats people" Propaganda: "he's supposed to be the embodiment of lies and yet! he's surprisingly honest"

vs. Handsome Jack (Borderlands)

Problematic because: "Basically a corporate dictator with a hero complex. He takes over Hyperion, declares himself the saviour of Pandora, and then uses that as an excuse to bomb settlements, kill employees, wipe out anyone he labels a “bandit,” and generally treat an entire planet like his personal cleanup project. He’s also holding his daughter Angel in a control core and using her powers to charge a Vault Key, which is the big magical/sci-fi key he needs to wake up an ancient monster called the Warrior and use it to take over Pandora properly. So he’s using his own daughter, running a violent corporate regime, and trying to justify mass murder because he thinks he’s the good guy. He also kills Roland, captures Lilith so he can use her powers after Angel dies, betrays Claptrap after getting what he needs from him, kills Mordecais pet bird, and has a whole casino later revealed to be a rigged trap that leaves people stuck there losing everything. A lot of the appeal is that he’s funny, but the actual list is like... dictatorship, child imprisonment/exploitation, murder, corporate violence, mass surveillance, revenge killings, and an insane amount of propaganda" Propaganda: 1. "Handsome Jack is awful, but he’s one of the best awful characters in games. He’s funny enough that you understand why people remember every other line he says, but the game also keeps making it worse until the jokes stop covering how terrifying he actually is. He genuinely thinks he’s the hero, and that makes him so much more interesting than if he were just doing evil things for no reason. He’s petty, cruel, charismatic, pathetic, and dangerous, usually all in the same conversation. Vote Jack because sometimes the villain is iconic for a reason." 2. "THE problematic fave for me. like yes he’s a dictator, yes he uses his daughter as a battery, yes he keeps calling everyone bandits so he can feel better about killing them, but unfortunately he is also really really funny. every time he calls you just to say something insane i’m like okay i hate you but keep talking. he’s horrible in a way that actually matters to the story, and he’s entertaining enough that you get why borderlands kept dragging his ghost back into things. terrible man. excellent villain. awful father. 10/10" 3. "this man has committed every crime available in the sci-fi capitalism starter pack and still finds time to make jokes about pretzels. he’s a dictator, a terrible boss, a terrible dad, a worse boyfriend, and somehow still the funniest person on the echo. would i trust him with literally anything? no. would i listen to him monologue for twenty minutes while everything exploded behind him? unfortunately yes" 4. "There's a reason he's in most of the games in the series. Like he's undoubtedly a bad guy but he's very entertaining to watch. He'll call you up and play violin badly and then tell you you're a bitch, canonically. The series wouldn't have got this far without him." 5. "Annoyingly charming and funny. Good yaoi ship(s)."

Guess what! More sketches, I need to figure out how to draw this Handsome Jackass. He sure has a face! Two in fact!

I'm on team Jack would think Rarity is best pony (I'm also on team Rarity is best pony)

ROUND 1 — Match 149 of 276

Emma Mountebank (The Quarry)

Problematic because: "She’s Jacob’s summer fling, makes it clear she doesn’t want it to continue, which is fair enough, but then at the bonfire she makes out with Nick during Truth or Dare even though Nick and Abi clearly have a thing and Abi is her best friend. Kaitlyn is the one who dares her to kiss either Jacob or Nick, but Emma still chooses Nick and goes further than she needed to with it, and it upsets both Abi and Jacob enough that they leave the fire. She can also be very performative and self-centred, especially with the whole influencer/documentarian thing. That doesn’t make her evil, and honestly Jacob is the one who sabotages the van because he can’t accept the summer fling ending, so she is not the sole problem in that relationship at all. But Emma does have a habit of treating other people’s feelings like material for drama until things get serious." Propaganda: "People are too hard on her about Jacob. She told him the summer thing was over. She didn’t owe him a relationship just because he wanted one badly enough to sabotage the van. Her kissing Nick was messy and hurtful, especially to Abi, but Jacob’s reaction being sad doesn’t automatically make Emma the villain of their breakup. I like her because she’s selfish and theatrical and sometimes cruel, but when the actual danger starts, she’s also smart, brave, and way more capable than people give her credit for."

vs. Rhys (Tales from the Borderlands)

Problematic because: "he works for hyperion, which is basically the huge militarised company that has been making pandora worse for years, and his big early plan is stealing a briefcase of company money so he can buy a vault key before his boss does and use it to climb the ladder himself. he also spends a lot of the story being tempted by handsome jack, the dead dictator ceo whose ai ends up in his head (who rhys is implied to have a crush on), and depending on player choices he can accept jack’s offer of power and betray his friends. so he’s not super EVIL like jack, but he is absolutely a self-serving corporate idiot for a decent chunk of the game, and his bad decisions put a lot of people in danger." Propaganda: "rhys is so funny because he begins tales like “i am going to win capitalism” and then within about five minutes he is being scammed, shot at, haunted by handsome jack, and emotionally bullied by everyone on pandora. he’s absolutely a hyperion weasel at first and i will not defend him from that, but he’s MY hyperion weasel. i love that he’s pathetic and ambitious and trying so hard to look cool while constantly failing. vote rhys because character development is funnier when the character starts as a linkedin villain."

ROUND 1 — Match 145 of 276

Nisha Kadam (Borderlands)

Problematic because: "she’s jack’s girlfriend/enforcer and later the sheriff of lynchwood, where she rules the town like a tiny death-penalty dictatorship. she apparently has over 200 laws and every single one is punishable by death, which is honestly so ridiculous it loops back around to being horrifying. she also helps jack after the pre-sequel, is involved in the fall of new haven, captures brick, kills his puppy, and generally seems to enjoy violence way past the point of “well, it’s pandora.” like, borderlands is full of murder gremlins, but nisha really made it her personal brand." Propaganda: 1. "nisha is so bad but she’s SO fun. like yes she runs lynchwood like a murder theme park and yes every law is apparently punishable by death because she’s insane, but also she’s a gunslinger cowgirl with zero chill and i respect the commitment. she’s one of those characters where you’re like wow you are making every possible wrong choice and somehow i still want to hear what you say next. awful sheriff. great vault hunter. terrible person to date unless you are also handsome jack, which is already a warning sign." 2. "she’s hot, she’s mean, she shoots people for a living, she dated handsome jack on purpose"

vs. Mei Mei (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Problematic because: "She has a really freaky attitude towards her little brother, Ui Ui. Also, she's obsessed with money." Propaganda: "Her cursed technique is kinda cool, and she has a near looking weapon."

ROUND 2 — Match 76 of 143

Toshiko Sato (Torchwood)

Identity: Bi/Pansexual, explicit Notes: Has feelings for Owen (a man) throughout the show, and at one point is in a relationship with Mary (a woman). Propaganda: "Tosh is the one I end up caring about the most on the show because she’s competent in a way that nobody fully respects until it’s convenient for them. She’s doing the work that keeps everyone alive, she’s solving problems faster than anyone else in the room, and she still gets treated like she’s optional sometimes. And she just… keeps going. She keeps being useful. She keeps trying. There’s also something really specific about her loneliness that the show doesn’t sugarcoat. She’s not written as the cool, detached genius. She’s awkward, she’s earnest, she wants to be included, and she still shows up even when she’s clearly the one left out. That’s the kind of character I get overly protective about, because it’s so easy to watch her get underestimated or ignored and just want to reach through the screen and shake everyone. And when she does get a moment to be happy or excited, it’s always so bright because it’s rare. Tosh deserved a life that wasn’t just work and sacrifice, and that’s exactly why she stays with people - because she feels like someone who gave everything and got too little back."

vs. Rhys (Tales from the Borderlands)

Identity: Bi/Pansexual, implied Notes: Can optionally enter a relationship with Sasha or express attraction toward Fiona (both women), and is heavily implied to have a crush on Jack (a man), which multiple characters comment on and tease him for. Propaganda: 1. "rhys is such a good protagonist because he’s not built like a typical “cool hero” at all - he’s awkward, he’s trying too hard, he’s constantly overthinking, and he keeps getting shoved into situations where confidence would help and he just… doesn’t have it. but he still goes. he still gets up. and half the time he’s clearly terrified while pretending he’s got a plan, which is painfully relatable. and i love how earnest he is. he wants to be taken seriously so badly, like he’s spent his whole life being looked past and he’s desperate to prove he’s not a joke. he screws up, he says the wrong thing, he gets in his own head, and then he surprises you by actually caring about people and trying to do the right thing even when it would be easier to be selfish. he’s the kind of character where you start out laughing at him a bit and then you’re suddenly defensive of him like “no, that’s my guy, leave him alone.”" 2. "Rhys is a great character because he’s awkward and anxious and out of his depth, but he’s also absolutely power-hungry and that’s what makes him interesting. He doesn’t just want to survive Hyperion, he wants to climb it. He wants status, he wants control, he wants to be the guy people have to listen to, and you can see how badly he wants it even when he’s trying to act like he’s just a regular dude getting pushed around. And I love that it’s not framed as him being some evil mastermind, it’s more like… this is a guy who’s been overlooked, and the second he gets a real shot at power he grabs it with both hands. He’s ambitious in a way that’s sometimes impressive and sometimes alarming, and he makes decisions that are clearly about proving himself, not just “doing the right thing”. He’s also hilarious because half the time he’s trying to look confident and failing, but he still keeps going anyway, still trying to force the world to take him seriously. His whole arc is basically “I want this so badly it’s going to change me,” and that’s why he sticks in my brain."

ROUND 1 — Match 249 of 286

Mateo Torrez (They Both Die at the End)

Identity: MLM, explicit Notes: Enters a relationship with Rufus (a man). Propaganda: "Mateo's a puerto rican boy raised by his dad but having to live life on his own for a while now. He's extremely anxious and doesn't leave his house much, barely talking to anyone, and just being in his room. The journey he has to take in the story, growing into a person, taking risks, doing things he never would (including falling in love). It's a beautiful story and I relate to him so much. He's so well written."

vs. Handsome Jack (Borderlands)

Identity: Bisexual, implied/Word of God Notes: Flirts with characters of multiple genders, and explicitly referred to as “bi” by Anthony Burch on Ask.fm. Propaganda: 1. "okay i know “villain propaganda” is always a bit of a “hear me out” situation but jack is genuinely one of the most entertaining characters in games because he is never normal for even one second. he’s funny in a way that feels like it’s coming out of panic and ego at the same time - he cannot stop talking, he cannot stop trying to control the narrative, and he’s constantly trying to make you agree with him even while he’s doing the worst possible things. he’s the kind of character where you’re like “i hate you” and then he says one more line and you’re laughing again and getting mad at yourself. and what makes him work is that he’s not scary because he’s mysterious. he’s scary because he’s convinced he’s right. he genuinely sees himself as the hero, and he’ll twist any situation until it supports that. he’s also weirdly personal about everything - like it’s not enough to win, he needs you to understand that he won and that you’re wrong and that he’s better than you. i love villains who are obsessed with you as a concept, and jack is THAT. he turns every conflict into a performance and he’s so committed to it that it becomes impossible to ignore. also: the way he can switch from joking to cruel without any warning is what makes him stick in your brain. he’ll be making some stupid comment and then he’ll say something that reminds you he’s fully capable of anything, and you’re like oh right. this guy is dangerous. he’s horrible but he’s compelling and he’s written with so much personality that he basically takes over whatever scene he’s in." 2. "He’s still one of the most entertaining villains Borderlands ever had. Smug, awful, funny, petty, insecure under all that ego, and just absolutely committed to making himself everyone else’s problem. He’s the kind of character who dominates every scene he’s in because the entire game gets more interesting the second he opens his mouth. Him being bi honestly just makes him even better because it fits right in with how messy and strange and deeply off-putting he already is. He’s not nice representation, he’s not wholesome representation, he’s not here to make anyone comfortable - he’s a disaster of a man with way too much charisma and a fandom grip that has lasted for years. Sometimes that is exactly the energy you want."