Tone Deaf? Yes But Still Not Meant To Be Deep - Tumblr Posts

Hi! I've been following your tumblr for a little while now, and I think your different takes on the characters are so interesting! Especially your stuff on Zenkichi and Maruki (Your phantom thief! Maruki is a personal favorite). I was wondering what your thoughts on our boy Joker are since I haven't seen a lot with him specifically. I was also curious if you could ever see him developing a palace a la Maruki or Zenkichi in your Prison of Grief story. If so, what would it be about and how do you think it would trigger?

Hello and thank you! I am actually thinking about doing a small redesign with PT Maruki at some point so keep an eye out for that!

As for Joker, I don't really talk much about him because of the different ways his character can be intrepreted (toxic or otherwise) but yeah, I can see him developing a Palace somehow like in me and CreepyMarsh's fic. The trigger and look for it I'm not exactly sure on though (the most common idea is a theater though).

But my takeaway for him as a character is this since it makes the rounds very often: I personally think his own traumas should have been addressed for certain but I feel like it's more prominent in the base game and manga adaptations with Strikers having him recovering and going through Post Traumatic Growth as opposed to full on PTSD like people would frequently do. It's there but he's getting better. It helps that Mona was staying with him at home too so he had someone to talk to or even vent. Plus I feel like he was more expressive and being more himself in Strikers as well. As I put it on my Twitter: He's like a feral cat that would go, "fight me" on occasion.

A lot of his dialogue options with Zenkichi is interesting too because they can range from snarky to neutral to concerned and then welcoming when he joined when he had every right to turn him away and not show sympathy due to his ties with law enforcement. Same with Maruki, the man even asked for Joker's consent to vent when the fist fight phase happened and all of his options were accepting and even understanding.

And that's a core aspect Joker that I feel like people overlook: He is kind and can be forgiving but not to the point of naivete. Even to those who wronged him (unless they go way too far) like Maruki, Zenkichi, Akechi, hell some of the other Thieves who blackmailed him before joining. Also, he DOES go apeshit. His case is just more calm and subtle and that's honestly much more intimidating than outright screaming like Akechi. Hell, there have been moments where he ended intimidating someone without even trying unless he states otherwise. He's a dork but can be scary if you piss him off.

The boy went through a lot but his trauma alone isn't his whole character. If anything, he's accomplished so much despite it and is slowly healing. It helps that he has a strong and stable support system in the form of the group and his confidants, something that antagonists like Akechi, Maruki, and the Monarchs lacked which contributed to their trauma and pain worsening. Even Zenkichi lacked one since Akane hated him and he could hardly trust anyone in the force until meeting the group. That could contribute as to why Joker sympathized with him, Akechi, and Maruki because he knows what it's like and wants to help.

Bottom line since I'm rambling: He's traumatized by what he went through but that's not his core personality as that would undermine his accomplishments despite it and can even come off as infantilizing if one takes it too far (there should be a balance there). He's also kind, even to those he had every right to hate (especially if they wronged him specifically) but he's also not dumb either and will go into protective mode when people he cares about are threatened. Especially those he considers his family. But he can be a little shit sometimes too. He can even act/come off as guarded or cold due to past experiences but is the sweetest soul when he lowers his guard. Like I said, he's kind but not dumb and can even be cautious due to what he experienced.

Joker is a precious occasionally feral cat but isn't a "uwu soft delicate traumatized boi" either. He's someone who was in a fucked up situation but rose above it despite all the pain. He can handled himself sometimes. Sure he may have potentially bottled it all up to avoid disappointing his friends but based on his behavior in Strikers, he's gotten better about it (again, Mona stayed with him so there might have been venting prior). His friends seeing and protecting him no doubt reassured him and cleared his own doubts and he's happy. That's all that matters there. I love this kid and the depth he has and how he can be inspiring for some. Especially in regards to trauma. ^_^