#askpoll

Totally valid reason, though I don't know if it's fair to call Zov a "rapist". I mean, yes, that is literally what he did to a lot of women, but it wasn't his choice to do so. I would say he's a victim of sexual assault himself by being forced to commit these acts against his will.

Does it count if another entity is forcing him to do it? I actually don't know the legal answer to that, but morally I would consider Zov clear of wrongdoing here. Canonically, he is actually repulsed by sex and would prefer not to touch people at all, so I don't feel rape is something he would do on his own volition.

Dorzlaf, though...that is something he would do, and he used Zov as a proxy to do it. He's a nasty little freak.

Sorry for the ramble, I just gotta jump in and give my two cents about this because I know it's a sensitive subject. Labeling Zov an aggressor rather than a victim feels wrong to me so I have to speak up, though I respect that everyone will have their own opinions on this and that's okay! I always welcome different perspectives, I'm just giving mine here.

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You know, I never thought of it that way, but that's a really good point!

Personally I chose Mr. Ocean because I thought he would have the most potential to make the world a better place if he was free...then I remembered that he actually made the world worse by enslaving a bunch of dorikori and red elves, and now I regret my choice lol. This is such a tough one!

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(Translated by Google Translator)

To vote I was between Olof and Gwyneth, and I voted for Gwyneth, since being from a country with such a bad economy (#Argentina) the most important economy (although I dislike Gwyneth)

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I think that's totally valid! A healthy economy is important for a good quality of life.

Quality of life can be questionable in the Hollow. Villagers have no plumbing, no electricity, and only primitive medical care. There is only one teacher and she's part-time, so nobody is getting a high quality education. The village's only defense is the Freelance Good Guys, but they don't have a real military. No government, no welfare system, no community luxuries.

Under Gwyneth's leadership, I think Drifter's Hollow would grow very quickly. She would make business deals with other cities and get the money flowing all throughout the village, expanding her market into a mall with other businesses within it. Currently, the nymphs won't let her do this because the village is under Flora's leadership.

Gwyneth might be a bitch, but she does know how to multiply a coin!

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kid-az Undeniably Moswen given she was in complete complete control of her actions and crimes, (Also the fact it drove one of her sons to kill her) but Oggsa takes 2nd place due to the sheer scope of her actions affecting not just her kids but people outside of her village. Moswen was godawful but she atleast put out a charitable front. Moswen is the worst parent and Oggsa is the worst person.

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Imagine being such a shitastic mother that your son chooses literal slavery over living with you. Then when he returns like 20 years later, it's only to put your ass in the ground lmao. #LukasDidNothingWrong

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These are all excellent points!

>"Sofia being a slave owner doesn't really have anything to do with her parenting imo. Like, yeah, it's awful but this isn't a Evilest Character Poll, it's for Worst Mom, which she imo isn't."

I would argue that she's setting a bad example for her children by owning slaves, essentially teaching them, "it's okay to dehumanize other people, as long as they're this people or that people". Not all Evangelites own slaves. In fact, some are disgusted by the concept and refuse to engage with that cultural practice at all. If Sofia had better critical thinking skills, she could be one of them. But I think she is too narrow-minded and intellectually lazy to get more perspective on this. She's open minded about some things (like lycanthropy), and set in her ways on others (like slavery).

>"Yeah, she could've and should've divorced Foster, but what would she have done then? Evangeline doesn't seem like a single mother friendly place."

Very true! Evangelite women are encouraged to stay at home and take care of their kids while their husbands work. There are few business that will hire women, and when they do get hired, they only earn a fraction of a man's wage. It's almost impossible for single women to support themselves in this kingdom, but some manage by living with groups of other women and sharing expenses. It's difficult, but not impossible. In "Lost and Found", Sofia also expresses fear that the courts would grant custody of her kids to Foster. In Evangeline Kingdom, this is a totally reasonable fear to have because it's most likely what would happen. Divorce would have been a huge risk in her case, and may have just made the situation worse.

"Now, who we should really talk about is Elskas mom! Aka, the centauress who abandoned her newborn!"

Now that's an interesting point! Her actions seem pretty rotten on the surface, and I can confidently say it wasn't the smartest decision Jorun could have made...Though in her mind, she chased those wolves into the fog for the "greater good".

Apparently the local ecosystem was becoming destabilized (which we would later find out was due to Evangeline Kingdom's interference) and this was causing wolves to encroach into Loreham, emerging from the fog and snatching centaurs away--especially children. Jorun was afraid that Elska would get snatched one day if she didn't take action, so she began to hunt them.

But like Elska, Jorun's rage often got the best of her, which is exactly what happened when she saw one of her hunting buddies get dragged into the fog. Jorun leapt into action to save her fellow tribesman, but met an unknown fate in the mist.

I think Jorun's biggest flaws were her arrogance and lack of self-awareness. Not the sharpest knife in the block, that one...and unfortunately, her daughter suffered the consequences of her foolishness the most.

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randomhedgehog asked: In regards to the Worst Dad Poll, I feel like Foster or Ekwame is the only real option. Sebastion and Ojio both loved/love their families alot. Knowing Sebastions background, I'm willing to give him a pass on the Hoarding. Likewise, Ohio gets a pass on the Workaholicism since he was literally raised in Workaholic City where if he wasn't, he and his family would be in deep trouble. And! He's unlearning the Trans/Homophobia that's been shoved in his ear since his conception! He definitely scores points for that! Vingevar is literally just, there ig? His wrongdoings seem pretty average compared to Foster and Ekwame. Darshaan was trying to give Isaac the life he never got! Growing up a Child Soldier probably doesn't make you a cautious adult, either. Foster is a product of his environment, but that still doesn't excuse how he treated Evan, Abigail and Sofia! Not to mention he literally owned slaves. If someone thinks of a redeeming quality that he has, I'm waiting to hear it. Ekwame literally married a teenager. And impregnated said Teenager. I know we all hate Moswen, but I feel so bad for her thinking of what happened. Speaking of Moswen- Ekwame didn't even notice she was abusing Lukas and Jelani!!!! And If he did, then that's even worse!

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Anonymous asked: I think Ojio is a good dad actually! At least he was in that one story (can't remember the title rn sorry)

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These are all such great and thoughtful points to consider! I'm seeing good arguments on all sides!

In regards to Ekwame, @randomhedgehog raised an interesting question: did he even know about Moswen abusing his kids? The narrative says he barely acknowledged his sons' existence, and Moswen was very good at hiding her abuse. Still, he would have to be pretty damn dense (or perhaps senile) not to notice how scared they acted around their own mother, not to mention all the injuries they must have had. Moswen insults his intelligence a lot, so I think it's likely that he genuinely didn't realize what she was doing to them. However, even if he did know, something tells me he wouldn't care that much anyway. He would view it as good old fashioned corporal punishment and nothing more.

Anon also brought up a great point about the morality of marrying a teenager when he was raised in a culture that sees no harm in that. I think if Ekwame was a smarter, more empathetic man, he would be able to see how miserable Moswen was and refuse to marry her. But we get the impression that he doesn't think very hard about anything, and doesn't really view women and children as fully-realized people. This guy's misogynistic culture was really working against him, but I think half of the problem is just his own mental laziness.

He's not exactly malicious, he's just...kind of a dumb, privileged guy who bumbles through life and doesn't care about much beyond his own comfort. For this reason, I personally side with @randomhedgehog on this. I think he a bad father, a bad husband, and a pretty crummy person in general. Not because he's mean per se, but because he's so damn selfish and apathetic. Although not as overt as Moswen's abuse, his neglect still had a profound negative effect on his family.

Now, Foster...Anon brought up a good point about him staying faithful to his wife and consistently putting food on the table. That's true! He may have been a raging jerk, but to his credit, he worked hard and he never let his family go without. Evan actually brings this up in one story. He had enough sense not to physically harm his wife or kids, even at his drunkest, so the guy must have had some kind of love for them. He even has a few heartfelt moments with Evan in "Monster by Moonlight" after Evan's health improved. So, he's not totally incapable of warmth.

Foster strikes me as a guy who was totally sabotaged by his upbringing. If his own parents weren't so dysfunctional, I feel like he'd actually be a pretty good dad. Unfortunately his family tree was riddled with problems like alcoholism, incest, and poverty among other things, and this really worked against Foster. He was not strong enough to overcome his demons, and he didn't really have access to therapy or anything to help him out. All he had to turn to was a shitty, bigoted religion that just reinforced his bad behaviors. He never stood a chance.

I'm not saying I give Foster a pass for his abuse--because I don't. He clearly knew the difference between right and wrong, and he chose to do wrong by his family. I'm just saying that between him and Ekwame, I think I would choose Ekwame as the worse father. Ekwame wasn't mean to his kids like Foster was, but only because he didn't care enough to spend even a shred of emotional energy on them. Foster was mean because he cared, he just had no idea how to express things like fear or anger properly, so it came out as verbal abuse.

As for Vingevar, yes, it was awful of him to cheat on his pregnant wife and abandon his family for some side chick. Imagine how his kids must have felt when he disappeared! On the other hand, there are two sides of every story, and Vingevar hasn't appeared in person to tell his side yet. We know how aggressive Oggsa is, and there may be a whole other facet to this situation we don't yet know about. For this reason, I will hold my judgment on Vingevar until more is revealed.

I do agree that Darshaan, Ojio, and Sebastian all meant well and did the best they could with what they had. Maybe they weren't perfect, maybe they made some mistakes, but I don't believe for a second that these men meant their kids harm at any point. I think their worst crimes were just being misguided or not thinking things through very well.

I love to hear all these takes, it really gets me thinking!

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