Collected rants on Zexion
Fandom? A small remark about Zexion -
To be honest, it is making me twitch to see him referred to as "boy" in fic.
Okay, yes, physically the matter is arguable. His appearance in pictures varies so much that his physical age could really be anywhere between fifteen and late twenties, and a lot of people go for the fifteen end of the scale. (I tend to imagine him as somewhere 16-22 or thereabouts myself). But, um, mentally? No. Really, no. Even if he's physically fifteen, he's been a Nobody for nearly ten years by CoM; it would really be equally accurate to say he's 15+9=24 years old. Please point out to me any place in canon where he acts as though he weren't an adult or, in fact, any of the rest of the Org treats him as though he weren't an adult.
It's the last bit that's really the important part. You see, despite the ranting I can easily see Zexion being called "boy"... if, say, the pov character is some random person who has seen him for the first time and has no earthly idea what a Nobody is. (As said, physically it's not neccessarily incorrect.)
If the pov character is one of the rest of the Org, though... Xigbar or Saix or Axel or Lexaeus or WHOEVER, the usage makes me go stabbity. Because them using "boy" implies that they think of him as one, this being the fun of having pov characters. You're telling me any of the Org thinks of Zexion as anything other than a fully mature and capable adult? You're telling me Lexaeus does this?
Do I need to point out the wrong here?
On a related note, from all we've seen in the Org physical age is meaningless and it's age-as-Nobody that counts. Therefore, using "the younger XYZ" as an epithet for Zexion in your Zexion/Saix fic /also/ makes me twitch - because in a very real way, and the way they care most about, Zexion is older or as old as anyone else in the Org (or rather, younger than I-V by something like... a day maximum. Gee, big age difference there.)
Finally... I see a lot of contemptuous, bossy, arrogant Zexions these days. This makes me happy, because it's infinitely better than the emo woobie variety. However, something I've noticed is that a lot of people don't let him live up to the way he acts, turning confidence about his power into bluster and making him fold whenever anyone pokes him too hard.Um... can anyone show me where the "acts really tough and thinks highly of himself but has next to no real power and will collapse into crying ukedom when push comes to shove" Zexion is in canon? Because I certainly haven't seen him anywhere, and when "push comes to shove" starts referring to mind games (how can you have missed that mind games are Zexion's /specialty/) I get annoyed.
It is all right to have Zexion confident in his power and Machiavellianity and have that confidence /not/ be misplaced. Promise.
To be honest, it is making me twitch to see him referred to as "boy" in fic.
Okay, yes, physically the matter is arguable. His appearance in pictures varies so much that his physical age could really be anywhere between fifteen and late twenties, and a lot of people go for the fifteen end of the scale. (I tend to imagine him as somewhere 16-22 or thereabouts myself). But, um, mentally? No. Really, no. Even if he's physically fifteen, he's been a Nobody for nearly ten years by CoM; it would really be equally accurate to say he's 15+9=24 years old. Please point out to me any place in canon where he acts as though he weren't an adult or, in fact, any of the rest of the Org treats him as though he weren't an adult.
It's the last bit that's really the important part. You see, despite the ranting I can easily see Zexion being called "boy"... if, say, the pov character is some random person who has seen him for the first time and has no earthly idea what a Nobody is. (As said, physically it's not neccessarily incorrect.)
If the pov character is one of the rest of the Org, though... Xigbar or Saix or Axel or Lexaeus or WHOEVER, the usage makes me go stabbity. Because them using "boy" implies that they think of him as one, this being the fun of having pov characters. You're telling me any of the Org thinks of Zexion as anything other than a fully mature and capable adult? You're telling me Lexaeus does this?
Do I need to point out the wrong here?
On a related note, from all we've seen in the Org physical age is meaningless and it's age-as-Nobody that counts. Therefore, using "the younger XYZ" as an epithet for Zexion in your Zexion/Saix fic /also/ makes me twitch - because in a very real way, and the way they care most about, Zexion is older or as old as anyone else in the Org (or rather, younger than I-V by something like... a day maximum. Gee, big age difference there.)
Finally... I see a lot of contemptuous, bossy, arrogant Zexions these days. This makes me happy, because it's infinitely better than the emo woobie variety. However, something I've noticed is that a lot of people don't let him live up to the way he acts, turning confidence about his power into bluster and making him fold whenever anyone pokes him too hard.Um... can anyone show me where the "acts really tough and thinks highly of himself but has next to no real power and will collapse into crying ukedom when push comes to shove" Zexion is in canon? Because I certainly haven't seen him anywhere, and when "push comes to shove" starts referring to mind games (how can you have missed that mind games are Zexion's /specialty/) I get annoyed.
It is all right to have Zexion confident in his power and Machiavellianity and have that confidence /not/ be misplaced. Promise.