With The Pride Of A Tiger
Apr. 22nd, 2018 07:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thebestcomesecond𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚
Tygra is normally seen as a mature, calm, and level-headed young man, is often admired for his qualities as an ideal king, and is considered the preferred son and prince by many of Thundera. He displays focus during his missions, has an amazing sense of self-confidence in his abilities, holds a good deal of respect for his elders, prioritizes the peace and prosperity of his people, obeys the rules laid out, and is mature enough toeventually follow the orders given to him if they’re not to his liking. Admittedly, Tygra can be cocky and arrogant at times, occasionally claiming to be “right about everything” (though he has the strength and skills to back up these claims), but these qualities only serve to make him that much cooler and almost everyone sees him as the pinnacle of Thundera’s youth.
Capitalizing on both his prowess and popularity, he can be an outright flirtatious ladies’ man when he feels like it, giving winks to guards in a more-than-friendly manner and shrugging it off when confronted about it. Despite his boisterous traits, Tygra is quite well-mannered to those he respects and cares for; he’s rarely rude in his behaviors to other Cats and is capable of displaying touching kindness to others. He’s also not above having some fun during his efforts, taunting his foes to distract them, encouraging those he wants to succeed, and showcasing his own abilities when taking his place during adventure or battle. Tygra also has quite the mouth on him and can be as sarcastic as he can be charming, though he regularly enjoys his dry humor or playful banter at Lion-O’s expense.
While he does what he can to protect the peace his people enjoy, and despite his adherence to his adoptive family’s thoughts, Tygra remains his own person, capable of making his own decisions even if they’re contrary to his previous ones. For example, though initially dismissive to the plights of some captive Lizzards (the Cats’ mortal enemies), once his brother Lion-O took a stand against a mob of citizens to defend the prisoners’ dignity and safety, Tygra put aside his hostilities and backed his brother’s decision up without hesitation, even threatening the mob itself to rethink their actions because he had his brother’s back. Tygra’s loyalty to his family and friends is unquestionable, and while he may have his doubts about some of them, he’ll always be there to support them.
Though he’s a prince, he has shown a somewhat sympathetic nature towards people in worse straights than him, specifically exemplified when he urged Lion-O to let the orphan Thunderkittens, WilyKit and WilyKat, join them. However, it’s rare that he lets this little chink in his poise come out, since he prefers to keep his deeper, more “vulnerable” emotions bottled up. Similarly, though Tygra expressed sorrow over his adoptive father’s death, he kept the bulk of his rage over the fall of Thundera, his hero’s betrayal and his King’s death, inside and muted, unlike Lion-O letting his anger initially clouded his judgement, much to Tygra’s frustration.
He also holds a strong belief that people should earn what is given to them, despising when people are granted reward, position, or honor when they did not work to achieve it. This is due to his experience with Lion-O and his inability to become king after his birth.
Cynical and competitive
He has his hothead moments, such as wagering the ThunderCats two stones on an impromptu race with the Vultures after losing his temper over perceived insults to the Cats.
On the other side of things, because of his pride, Tygra has shown to be quite stubborn in his opinions and decisions, attributes which affect his judgement. He appears to defer to maturity and proven-experience (oftentimes meaning his own) and is cautious about stepping out into new, uncharted waters. Due to his past where everyone always looked up to his qualities, Tygra doesn’t handle it well when he’s proven wrong. Ironically, his maturity wanes when he’s caught by his own weakness or mistakes and stubbornly refuses to budge when it’s in his best interest to give up in a fight or let someone else tell him where to go. For example, he refused to run away from an approaching enemy despite being at an extreme disadvantage, determined not to show weakness by retreating, and—more amusingly—argued with Lion-O that he never gets lost when it was obvious he had no idea where they were going.
Another glaring flaw is that, unlike his more trusting brother, Tygra possesses extreme xenophobia and has a hard time trusting or welcoming “alien” anything, from people to technology. Which is understandable since it was alien technology and an outside race that wiped out Thundera. However, his inherent racism and species superiority sometimes rears its ugly head, as he still holds onto the belief that the Cats should retain the ability to wield superior authority over the other animals. Again, however, this is due to his belief that such is the most peaceful way for everyone to co-exist. Finally, comically, Tygra appears to get seasick, hanging over the railing of the ship and almost unable to stand. Obviously, this is something he prefers to keep to himself.
Tygra’s biggest character point lies in his relationship with his adoptive brother, Lion-O. Originally, Tygra was the crown prince of Thundera, despite being adopted into the royal family, and was supposed to succeed his father, King Claudus, as Lord of the ThunderCats. At least until Lion-O was born. Being the biological son of Claudus and the Queen, Lion-O inherited the throne, the right to be the next lord, and thus became the next heir with his birth. This greatly dismayed and angered Tygra; even though he was still a Thunderian prince, he was passed over from crown to second in line and was forced to admit he would never succeed his adoptive parents as the ruler of Thundera, a position he’d been grooming and training himself for. This loss resulted in Tygra developing an intense jealousy towards Lion-O and secretly hating his brother for things beyond Lion-O's control, ultimately leading to a sibling rivalry that would last even when they were grown up
To make matters worse, tragedy struck when the Queen died giving birth to Lion-O; the news broke the pride-wounded Tygra’s heart even more. He blamed his brother as the reason for his loss of both the right to succeed his foster father and the only mother he ever knew. In his resentment, Tygra began working to prove Lion-O wasn't worthy to succeed Claudus as the King of Thundera by constantly outperforming Lion-O over and over. This revenge layered atop his long-standing assumption that, as an adopted orphan, he had to prove himself worthy to be a part of the Royal Family. Fractured between affection and jealousy, Tygra moved forward, all the while hiding his pained feelings under the guise of sibling rivalry and tough love towards his brother.
Because of his past, Tygra developed a combo inferiority/superiority complex, working hard to ensure that he remains the best of the best, yet dreading that no matter what peak he achieves, his brother will eventually outshine him due to his birthright. This complex, combined with Tygra’s pride and arrogance, causes a great deal of friction between the brothers. Tygra’s arrogance is normally focused on Lion-O, whether he’s casually making gentle-but-backhanded remarks or teases about his brother, such as once telling his father not to ask for the impossible when the King lamented Lion-O’s inability to be like Tygra, or trying to curb Lion-O’s stranger tendencies by telling him the kingdom is concerned about Lion-O’s sanity and ability to rule.
He’s even indirectly insulted their friend, Cheetara on numerous occasions in attempts to belittle his brother. His surface-level perfection is deeply undermined by his displayed feelings of jealousy and resentment toward his younger brother and Tygra constantly wrestles with his loyalty to following his brother’s rule as Lord of the ThunderCats and the life-long feeling that he is better suited to be king of Thundera. His treatment of Lion-O and his attitude (both superficial and deeper), doesn’t go unnoticed by his younger brother however, and Tygra was simultaneously quite offended and humiliated when Lion-O vocally declared that when he became king, he hoped he’d be nothing like his adoptive brother.
But even if he secretly harbors ill-will towards Lion-O, Tygra is unable to shake his maturity and his loyalty towards his family. When Lion-O became Lord of the ThunderCats, Tygra obeyed his brother’s orders without disrespect. Questioned him and doubted him, yes, but ultimately obeyed. Similarly, he displays both a dependence on and inescapable affection for his younger brother; he once knocked Lion-O into the Forbidden Ruins when they were children but was immediately guilt-stricken and ran to get help. When Lion-O faced the mob of citizens against his decision, Tygra put his brother’s safety above even his people and stood by his side. While he sometimes chafes and bucks under Lion-O’s command, it’s shown at random times that Tygra truly does care about his younger brother. Over the course of time and through the experiences he has with Lion-O, the adoptive prince ends up developing a greater respect and appreciation for his brother, though he still advises Lion-O on what he thinks is the better option (and calls it tough love).
In one particular event, Lion-O was believed dead, and Tygra became the new king. However, despite achieving what he thought he wanted, Tygra failed to retrieve the ThunderCats’ lost Sword of Omens and the tiger was forced to confront his own shortcomings. He finally admitted that while he always questioned Lion-O's decisions, they always worked out in the end, unlike his first experience under the crown where he only succeeded in getting everyone captured and didn't know what to do. After Lion-O rescued them, Tygra acknowledged his errors and stated he would follow him anywhere. But future trials would only force him to confront himself over and over. As it is, he continues to bounce back and forth between the two states. On the one side, Tygra wants to finally love his brother and make peace with him, even realizing that Lion-O is much better at being the King than he himself is and vowing to follow him anywhere. But on the other, his wounded pride refuses to submit to his personal “usurper” and he even lashes out at Lion-O for trying to steal his family from him, while also falling trap to his own racism and species superiority.
Finally, Tygra also possesses a deep-seeded fear that he is destined to lose the things he cares for. He lost his adoptive father to war, his mother to Lion-O’s birth, his future to his brother’s birthright, his hero to betrayal, and later finds out he had already lost the remnants of his own clan, the Tiger Clan, since his birth. As Tygra watches his biological father and the spirits of his clansmen pass on, he laments his fears to Lion-O, asking if he’ll always lose the things he cares about. Lion-O promises Tygra he’ll never lose him, prompting the tiger’s relief, but afterwards, it’s shown that he still retains his fears and doubts regarding his ability to prevent the ones closest to him from disappearing.
This fear is one of the reasons he sticks close with the people he already has and is fiercely protective of them, albeit sometimes in his own abrasive way. Tygra prefers to keep the status quo around him, he’s not all that fond of change or the “new” if he suspects it could be dangerous, and doesn’t readily open to new, potential connections as easily as his younger brother, Lion-O. With the loss of Thundera and the advent of his adventures with the other ThunderCats, Tygra finds himself clashing with this aspect of his personality rather frequently, often getting dragged by Lion-O into situations outside his comfort and control and being forced to adapt. It’s a growing experience for him.
All said, Tygra is a very complex young man, trying to balance a host of weights in his life as a prince, a warrior, a son, a brother, an avenger, a friend, a protector, a stranger, a victim, a survivor, and more. On the positive side, his maturity and pride combine with his deep love for his family to give him a guardian role, though his attitude can leave him coming off as arrogant or sarcastic. On the negative side, his stubbornness and egotism combine with his inferiority/superiority complex and get him into trouble as he wrestles with his inner hatred, doubts, and distrust, aspects he has to face about himself at times in uncomfortable light
*Note* Unfortunately, since the show ended after only a single season, Tygra remains stuck in this uncomfortable personality limbo, with him possibly making improvements and repairing his relationship with Lion-O or falling deeper into his jealousy complex and leading towards a foretold betrayal.
𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔
"Now you see me, now you don't!" ~ Tygra's phrase the first time he went invisible, while fighting alongside Lion-o and Cheetara for the lizzard captives.
"And you never act your age." ~ Tygra's response to Lion-O's remark that he never admits when he's wrong.
"When it comes to everything except the crown, you're always going to be second place. When are you gonna learn, little brother?" ~ Tygra’s taunt to Lion-O’s for failing to beat him in a gladiatorial game.
Tygra is normally seen as a mature, calm, and level-headed young man, is often admired for his qualities as an ideal king, and is considered the preferred son and prince by many of Thundera. He displays focus during his missions, has an amazing sense of self-confidence in his abilities, holds a good deal of respect for his elders, prioritizes the peace and prosperity of his people, obeys the rules laid out, and is mature enough to
Capitalizing on both his prowess and popularity, he can be an outright flirtatious ladies’ man when he feels like it, giving winks to guards in a more-than-friendly manner and shrugging it off when confronted about it. Despite his boisterous traits, Tygra is quite well-mannered to those he respects and cares for; he’s rarely rude in his behaviors to other Cats and is capable of displaying touching kindness to others. He’s also not above having some fun during his efforts, taunting his foes to distract them, encouraging those he wants to succeed, and showcasing his own abilities when taking his place during adventure or battle. Tygra also has quite the mouth on him and can be as sarcastic as he can be charming, though he regularly enjoys his dry humor or playful banter at Lion-O’s expense.
While he does what he can to protect the peace his people enjoy, and despite his adherence to his adoptive family’s thoughts, Tygra remains his own person, capable of making his own decisions even if they’re contrary to his previous ones. For example, though initially dismissive to the plights of some captive Lizzards (the Cats’ mortal enemies), once his brother Lion-O took a stand against a mob of citizens to defend the prisoners’ dignity and safety, Tygra put aside his hostilities and backed his brother’s decision up without hesitation, even threatening the mob itself to rethink their actions because he had his brother’s back. Tygra’s loyalty to his family and friends is unquestionable, and while he may have his doubts about some of them, he’ll always be there to support them.
Though he’s a prince, he has shown a somewhat sympathetic nature towards people in worse straights than him, specifically exemplified when he urged Lion-O to let the orphan Thunderkittens, WilyKit and WilyKat, join them. However, it’s rare that he lets this little chink in his poise come out, since he prefers to keep his deeper, more “vulnerable” emotions bottled up. Similarly, though Tygra expressed sorrow over his adoptive father’s death, he kept the bulk of his rage over the fall of Thundera, his hero’s betrayal and his King’s death, inside and muted, unlike Lion-O letting his anger initially clouded his judgement, much to Tygra’s frustration.
He also holds a strong belief that people should earn what is given to them, despising when people are granted reward, position, or honor when they did not work to achieve it. This is due to his experience with Lion-O and his inability to become king after his birth.
Cynical and competitive
He has his hothead moments, such as wagering the ThunderCats two stones on an impromptu race with the Vultures after losing his temper over perceived insults to the Cats.
On the other side of things, because of his pride, Tygra has shown to be quite stubborn in his opinions and decisions, attributes which affect his judgement. He appears to defer to maturity and proven-experience (oftentimes meaning his own) and is cautious about stepping out into new, uncharted waters. Due to his past where everyone always looked up to his qualities, Tygra doesn’t handle it well when he’s proven wrong. Ironically, his maturity wanes when he’s caught by his own weakness or mistakes and stubbornly refuses to budge when it’s in his best interest to give up in a fight or let someone else tell him where to go. For example, he refused to run away from an approaching enemy despite being at an extreme disadvantage, determined not to show weakness by retreating, and—more amusingly—argued with Lion-O that he never gets lost when it was obvious he had no idea where they were going.
Another glaring flaw is that, unlike his more trusting brother, Tygra possesses extreme xenophobia and has a hard time trusting or welcoming “alien” anything, from people to technology. Which is understandable since it was alien technology and an outside race that wiped out Thundera. However, his inherent racism and species superiority sometimes rears its ugly head, as he still holds onto the belief that the Cats should retain the ability to wield superior authority over the other animals. Again, however, this is due to his belief that such is the most peaceful way for everyone to co-exist. Finally, comically, Tygra appears to get seasick, hanging over the railing of the ship and almost unable to stand. Obviously, this is something he prefers to keep to himself.
Tygra’s biggest character point lies in his relationship with his adoptive brother, Lion-O. Originally, Tygra was the crown prince of Thundera, despite being adopted into the royal family, and was supposed to succeed his father, King Claudus, as Lord of the ThunderCats. At least until Lion-O was born. Being the biological son of Claudus and the Queen, Lion-O inherited the throne, the right to be the next lord, and thus became the next heir with his birth. This greatly dismayed and angered Tygra; even though he was still a Thunderian prince, he was passed over from crown to second in line and was forced to admit he would never succeed his adoptive parents as the ruler of Thundera, a position he’d been grooming and training himself for. This loss resulted in Tygra developing an intense jealousy towards Lion-O and secretly hating his brother for things beyond Lion-O's control, ultimately leading to a sibling rivalry that would last even when they were grown up
To make matters worse, tragedy struck when the Queen died giving birth to Lion-O; the news broke the pride-wounded Tygra’s heart even more. He blamed his brother as the reason for his loss of both the right to succeed his foster father and the only mother he ever knew. In his resentment, Tygra began working to prove Lion-O wasn't worthy to succeed Claudus as the King of Thundera by constantly outperforming Lion-O over and over. This revenge layered atop his long-standing assumption that, as an adopted orphan, he had to prove himself worthy to be a part of the Royal Family. Fractured between affection and jealousy, Tygra moved forward, all the while hiding his pained feelings under the guise of sibling rivalry and tough love towards his brother.
Because of his past, Tygra developed a combo inferiority/superiority complex, working hard to ensure that he remains the best of the best, yet dreading that no matter what peak he achieves, his brother will eventually outshine him due to his birthright. This complex, combined with Tygra’s pride and arrogance, causes a great deal of friction between the brothers. Tygra’s arrogance is normally focused on Lion-O, whether he’s casually making gentle-but-backhanded remarks or teases about his brother, such as once telling his father not to ask for the impossible when the King lamented Lion-O’s inability to be like Tygra, or trying to curb Lion-O’s stranger tendencies by telling him the kingdom is concerned about Lion-O’s sanity and ability to rule.
He’s even indirectly insulted their friend, Cheetara on numerous occasions in attempts to belittle his brother. His surface-level perfection is deeply undermined by his displayed feelings of jealousy and resentment toward his younger brother and Tygra constantly wrestles with his loyalty to following his brother’s rule as Lord of the ThunderCats and the life-long feeling that he is better suited to be king of Thundera. His treatment of Lion-O and his attitude (both superficial and deeper), doesn’t go unnoticed by his younger brother however, and Tygra was simultaneously quite offended and humiliated when Lion-O vocally declared that when he became king, he hoped he’d be nothing like his adoptive brother.
But even if he secretly harbors ill-will towards Lion-O, Tygra is unable to shake his maturity and his loyalty towards his family. When Lion-O became Lord of the ThunderCats, Tygra obeyed his brother’s orders without disrespect. Questioned him and doubted him, yes, but ultimately obeyed. Similarly, he displays both a dependence on and inescapable affection for his younger brother; he once knocked Lion-O into the Forbidden Ruins when they were children but was immediately guilt-stricken and ran to get help. When Lion-O faced the mob of citizens against his decision, Tygra put his brother’s safety above even his people and stood by his side. While he sometimes chafes and bucks under Lion-O’s command, it’s shown at random times that Tygra truly does care about his younger brother. Over the course of time and through the experiences he has with Lion-O, the adoptive prince ends up developing a greater respect and appreciation for his brother, though he still advises Lion-O on what he thinks is the better option (and calls it tough love).
In one particular event, Lion-O was believed dead, and Tygra became the new king. However, despite achieving what he thought he wanted, Tygra failed to retrieve the ThunderCats’ lost Sword of Omens and the tiger was forced to confront his own shortcomings. He finally admitted that while he always questioned Lion-O's decisions, they always worked out in the end, unlike his first experience under the crown where he only succeeded in getting everyone captured and didn't know what to do. After Lion-O rescued them, Tygra acknowledged his errors and stated he would follow him anywhere. But future trials would only force him to confront himself over and over. As it is, he continues to bounce back and forth between the two states. On the one side, Tygra wants to finally love his brother and make peace with him, even realizing that Lion-O is much better at being the King than he himself is and vowing to follow him anywhere. But on the other, his wounded pride refuses to submit to his personal “usurper” and he even lashes out at Lion-O for trying to steal his family from him, while also falling trap to his own racism and species superiority.
Finally, Tygra also possesses a deep-seeded fear that he is destined to lose the things he cares for. He lost his adoptive father to war, his mother to Lion-O’s birth, his future to his brother’s birthright, his hero to betrayal, and later finds out he had already lost the remnants of his own clan, the Tiger Clan, since his birth. As Tygra watches his biological father and the spirits of his clansmen pass on, he laments his fears to Lion-O, asking if he’ll always lose the things he cares about. Lion-O promises Tygra he’ll never lose him, prompting the tiger’s relief, but afterwards, it’s shown that he still retains his fears and doubts regarding his ability to prevent the ones closest to him from disappearing.
This fear is one of the reasons he sticks close with the people he already has and is fiercely protective of them, albeit sometimes in his own abrasive way. Tygra prefers to keep the status quo around him, he’s not all that fond of change or the “new” if he suspects it could be dangerous, and doesn’t readily open to new, potential connections as easily as his younger brother, Lion-O. With the loss of Thundera and the advent of his adventures with the other ThunderCats, Tygra finds himself clashing with this aspect of his personality rather frequently, often getting dragged by Lion-O into situations outside his comfort and control and being forced to adapt. It’s a growing experience for him.
All said, Tygra is a very complex young man, trying to balance a host of weights in his life as a prince, a warrior, a son, a brother, an avenger, a friend, a protector, a stranger, a victim, a survivor, and more. On the positive side, his maturity and pride combine with his deep love for his family to give him a guardian role, though his attitude can leave him coming off as arrogant or sarcastic. On the negative side, his stubbornness and egotism combine with his inferiority/superiority complex and get him into trouble as he wrestles with his inner hatred, doubts, and distrust, aspects he has to face about himself at times in uncomfortable light
*Note* Unfortunately, since the show ended after only a single season, Tygra remains stuck in this uncomfortable personality limbo, with him possibly making improvements and repairing his relationship with Lion-O or falling deeper into his jealousy complex and leading towards a foretold betrayal.
𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔
"Now you see me, now you don't!" ~ Tygra's phrase the first time he went invisible, while fighting alongside Lion-o and Cheetara for the lizzard captives.
"And you never act your age." ~ Tygra's response to Lion-O's remark that he never admits when he's wrong.
"When it comes to everything except the crown, you're always going to be second place. When are you gonna learn, little brother?" ~ Tygra’s taunt to Lion-O’s for failing to beat him in a gladiatorial game.