Vivian James

OP: [...] [W]hat's our custom character going to be?
[...]
Anonymous: Just an average female gamer to troll everyone.
All the tards in the media will expect some sort of pedocrap or LOLSORANDOM shit and we will just give them a simple average girl.

—4chan /v/ board, "4chan's custom character" (Image source)

Vivian James is in essence what happens when you combine Memetic Mutation, Image Boards, video games and controversy into one character. Although she's inevitably linked with Gamergate, her origins can be traced back to 2014, when 4chan's /v/ board and indie developer group The Fine Young Capitalists collaborated to design a character for a game jam (later revealed to be for the indie game Afterlife Empire) in the wake of the image board's donations. Since then however, she's taken a life all of her own.

Generally depicted as a red-haired, freckled female gamer wearing jeans and a striped sweater, Vivian at first glance seems like an unlikely figure to attract so much attention (for good or ill). Still, she's seen as many things. Most notably, a symbol of Gamergate. But she's also an embodiment of both 4chan and 8chan's /v/ boards. A representative of modern gamers - and gaming at large - as they are, rather than what certain elements wish them to be. A legitimate gamer girl who's not afraid to be who she is or fight for what she believes in, be it ethics in games journalism or video games in general.

In addition to Vivian's originally intended game, she has appeared in various image albums, fan/webcomics[1] and even cosplay. Over time, she's also been accompanied by a growing, colorful cast of characters. And is slated to be a major character in an upcoming game called Project SOCJUS and a playable character in a Game Mod-in-progress for XCOM 2.[2]

Vivian James provides examples of the following tropes:
  • A Girl and Her Sea Lion: How her and Ethics are oft portrayed.
  • Anthropomorphic Personification: After a fashion. Aside from being associated with the /v/ boards in both 4chan and 8chan, she's sometimes affectionately used to symbolize modern gaming. And sometimes used as a Straw Character by anti-GG, corrupting her established carefree personality.
  • Art Shift: The art styles used for her and others varies considerably, ranging from Macha-inspired portraits to photorealistic to Animesque.
  • Ascended Meme:
    • Vivian's outfit was given a nod in the anime Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry in 2015.
    • In addition to having taken a life of her own, Vivian even has a film award named in her honor by The Fine Young Capitalists in 2016, to coincide with her "birthday" and indirectly with Gamergate's second year anniversary.
    • She's grown popular enough to have attracted fanart from Japanese artist and game designer Ko Takeuchi.
  • Badass: Sometimes portrayed as one, often of the Action Girl variety.
  • The Bechdel Test: Not only do Vivian and pals mock the test, but they even pass it.
  • Berserk Button: For Vivian, it's anything that slanders gamers, detrimental to gaming and otherwise patronizing to women like her. Also, scrubs and "filthy casuals."
    • She's also this in real life to certain (primarily anti-GG) individuals and groups, who view her as offensive, misogynistic and reactionary.
  • Best Her to Bed Her: Vivian is sometimes portrayed as this even in NSFW works, stemming from her rather competitive nature and hardcore gamer streak.
  • Big Name Fan:
    • While not exactly "big," KiteTales is slated to voice Vivian in Project SOCJUS.
    • Ko Takeuchi of Nintendo fame has also made fanart of her.
  • Boobs of Steel:
    • Both DeepFreeze sisters are usually shown as very well-endowed.
    • While not to the same degree as the DeepFreeze siblings, Vivian is sometimes depicted as being somewhat large-chested as well, Depending On the Author.
  • Breakout Character: Originally intended for the indie game Afterlife Empire, Vivian has since taken on a life of her own, along a number of other personified characters. To the point that cosplay exists based on her.
  • The Cameo: Hulk Hogan has gotten a few cameos in Vivian comics as his Real Life legal battle with Gawker intersected with Gamergate's contempt of Gawker and its videogaming vertical Kotaku.
  • Character Derailment: Anti-GG portrayals of Vivian have a tendency to do this in various ways, be it reducing her into a Straw Character or making her a megaphone to mock those supporting GG.
  • Character Filibuster: Vivian in Kukuruyo's comics does this occasionally. Though this more or less fits in with her character, not to mention Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped.
  • Color Motif: Her striped sweater/sweatshirt is green and purple, a partial nod to an old 4chan meme involving Dragonball Z.
  • Cool Big Sis: Both Danielle and Freya Frost like to see themselves as this. While some gamers and fans tend to see Vivian herself as either this or a daughter.
    • Ellie Tess James, an ardent defender of comics and hater of censorship, is this for Vivian. Especially given how she's inspired by Connie Brooks.[5]
  • Deadpan Snarker: Vivian's usual manner of speaking tends to be this.
  • The Ditz: Gilda Mars is usually shown as this, being almost perpetually happy and absent-minded. Sometimes overlaps with The Pollyanna.
  • Enemy Mine:
    • Vivian's relationship with Erika is portrayed as either this or Vitriolic Best Buds, owing to the peculiar nature of /pol/.
    • While Lillian and Vivian don't get along most of the time, they both put aside their differences over the topic of watching Gawker getting its comeuppance.
  • Everyone Has Standards: Not even Lillian can stand Gawker.
  • Fan Nickname:
    • The 8chan version of /v/ tends to be called "Punished /v/" or "/v/enom Snake" as a nod to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, complete with mechanical arm and eyepatch.
    • Erika Polina originally was just called Polina before she got her actual name, in reference to /pol/.
  • Fiery Redhead: Vivian's personality has strong shades of this.
  • From Nobody to Nightmare: It's in the realm of possibility that few in that 4chan thread in 2014 really expected her to take off the way she has.
  • Gamer Chick:
    • Vivian in spades, and is sometimes shown holding a video game controller. On the other hand, it's averting the usual media and ideological stereotypes by portraying her as nerdy and rough as any other gamer.
    • Lillian meanwhile tends to play closer to the "conventional" stereotypes associated with the trope, although she does show a few similarities with Vivian.
  • Generation Xerox: Sort of. Vivian takes quite a bit after her father, /v/, though she isn't quite as cynical or bitter as him. While Erika Polina is basically a female version of her dad, /pol/.
  • Generic Cuteness: As Vivian's meant to look like an ordinary gamer girl, she's not "attractive" in the cliched sense but has a charm of her own. This is further lampshaded in the ironically titled Everybody Is Beautiful by Kevin Bolk, which also points out the hypocrisy of those preaching about "diversity."
  • Godwin's Law: "Uncle" /pol/ and his daughter, Erika Polina, who both look like Nazis in all but name, which is a nod to /pol/'s irreverent notoriety. Erika herself was originally a parody of Lillian Woods with the unintentionally Aryan elements taken Up to Eleven to the point of even dressing like she walked straight out of the League of German Girls.[6]
  • Hair Decorations: A rather unusual example. Vivian's headband is actually there to identify either her origins on 4chan or her transplanting to 8chan, depending on whether the hair dec in question depicts a 4 leaf clover or an infinity symbol respectively.
  • Hidden Depths:
    • Vivian's usually shown to be rather knowledgeable, despite seemingly disinterested at times on anything not related to playing video games.
    • Gilda Mars, despite her ditziness and Pollyanna tendencies, isn't afraid to speak her mind or use her upvote/downvote judgements when push comes to shove.[7]
    • Lillian shows occasional signs of self-awareness regarding her hypocrisy and views, in addition to how even she has standards, especially with regard to the likes of Gawker.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight: Some like to point out in jest how not even The Wizard was spared from Vivian's influence. Though this also partially serves as a Take That to attempts by some to blame certain historical events on Gamergate.
  • Hot Librarian: Danielle Frost gives this impression, given her much more modest outfit and intellectual mindset compared to her sister Freya.
  • Hot Scoop/Intrepid Reporter: The DeepFreeze sisters in general, which is based on the actual DeepFreeze's purpose as a media ethics watchdog.
    • The XCOM 2 mod Dragonpunk suggests that a somewhat older Vivian James eventually became one herself.
  • Hypocrite: Lillian is usually shown to be this. Given her tendency to flaunt her supposed moral superiority and sanctimony against Vivian, while proving herself to have much lower standards.
  • Insult Backfire:
    • Lillian Woods was originally created as a Vivian James knock-off by anti-GG to both mock Gamergate supporters and create a "proper" representation of female gamers. Not only did it ironically result in Lillian looking very much like a veritable Aryan girl, blond hair, blue eyes and all, but she was ultimately embraced by pro-GG as both Vivian's "rival" and a caricature of anti-GG.
    • Ethics, the Sea Lion is a direct result of this as well, being a Take That to accusations of "sealioning."
    • Attempts by various individuals, including publications like Vice to frame her as an anti-feminist, reactionary symbol have done little more than serve as unintentional promotion for her.
  • Image Boards: Aside from Vivian originating from them (more specifically, she's associated with both 4chan and 8chan), the personifications of /v/ and /pol/ are known to pop up.
  • Ironic Echo: Among the logos displayed on the pro-GG KotakuInAction subreddit is Vivian done in the style of Kotaku's original logo and mascot, highlighting just how hypocritical that particular site is.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: How she's commonly shown to be, given how friendly and tolerant she can be once people get to know her. Cross her or push her Berserk Buttons however, and she becomes merciless.
  • Jumped At the Call: Sort of. As much as she would very much rather "play vidya," she doesn't hesitate to call out nonsense or defend herself.
  • Limited Wardrobe: Downplayed, but her usual outfit generally consists of jeans and a striped sweater/sweatshirt. Though her color scheme is rather consistent regardless of what she has on.
  • Loads and Loads of Characters: Over time, other personifications have emerged, including:
    • Gilda Mars, meant to embody Reddit.
    • Freya and Danielle Frost, the DeepFreeze siblings[8]
    • Lillian Woods, originally a knock-off of Vivian James meant to mock GG has since come to be associated with the anti-GG Gamerghazi subreddit and anti-GG in general
    • Ethics, the Sea Lion, who's sometimes seen accompanying Vivian
  • Mascot: In addition to her association with Gamergate, Vivian is the defacto mascot of the KotakuInAction subreddit, alongside Ethics, the Sea Lion.
  • Memetic Mutation: One of the reasons why she really took off.
  • Moral Guardians: Lillian acts like a self appointed version. Both "Uncle /pol/" and Polina assume this role in their own interpretation of this, often to Vivian's apathetic indifference.
  • Ms. Fanservice: Subverted. Her conception deliberately thwarted expectations of what people thought 4chan's /v/ board would do, though that hasn't stopped fanservice if not Rule 34 of her either way.
  • One of the Boys: How Vivian tends to be depicted, though she doesn't really care either way about how boyish or feminine she is.
  • Perpetual Frowner: Her default appearance has her frowning, either out of apathy, intense concentration, or annoyance.
  • Political Correctness Gone Mad: Vivian was created in part as a response to this. Which also shows in how she speaks and generally conducts herself.
  • The Pollyanna: Gilda Mars tends to show signs of this, her obliviousness at times reflecting the disconnect between Reddit's users and its mods as well as the ones running the site itself.
  • Punny Name: Vivian James is a play on "Video Games." While Lillian Woods is a play on the term "Literally Who."
  • Reality Subtext: Depending on the artist, the hair dec Vivian wears is either the clover associated with 4chan or the infinity logo of 8chan. Which stems from schisms in 4chan over censorship and a subsequent migration of certain anons to 8chan.
  • Resigned to the Call: Played with. Vivian would rather play video games than confront corrupt journos or a culture war, but nonetheless won't back down from defending her passion and fellow gamers.
  • The Rival: Lillian Woods, reflecting the animosity between pro-GG and anti-GG.
  • Rule 34: She and others aren't exempt from this either.
  • Rule 63: Vivian has one in the form of James Vivian, who resembles a reclusive Bishonen.
  • Shoddy Knockoff Product:
    • How Lillian Woods was originally conceived by anti-GG, being a ripoff of Vivian.
    • Some of the satire and mocking portrayals of Vivian herself by anti-GG tend to result in this.
  • Shout-Out:
    • The peculiar diamond the DeepFreeze siblings have is a reference to DeepFreeze's actual logo, itself a nod to Ramiel from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
    • This image of Vivian in particular is a direct homage to Kotaku's original mascot, and a sly Take That to Kotaku's (and Gawker's) hypocrisy.[9]
    • In some pictures, Vivian is shown riding a motorcycle not too dissimilar from the one Takeda uses in Akira.
    • The premise and atmosphere of Project SOCJUS are a nod to Nineteen Eighty Four, with a dash of Shimoneta and Demolition Man.
  • Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: Vivian, with some speculating that she might even be of Irish descent.
  • Straw Character: How some anti-GG critics and certain others view Vivian, though such opinions tend to be more projection and hypocrisy than anything else. Some anti-GG portrayals of Vivian also tend to reduce her personality and characteristics to that of a killjoy, stereotypical Gamer Girl or more in line to their own ideological preferences.
  • Straw Feminist: Lillian Woods, whose views tend to be based on social justice warriors and radical feminists. Though it's somewhat subverted, given how even she starts realising how she might not be as superior or enlightened as she likes to believe.
  • Streisand Effect: Another reason why Vivian really took off. With the attempts by some to either co-opt her to suit their agenda or paint her as being symptomatic of all that's problematic or reactionary in modern gaming or gamers at large failing.
  • Stripperiffic:
    • Defied in Vivian's case, as her general appearance was partially 4chan's /v/ trolling everyone and partly intended to highlight how she's really made in the image of actual gamers.
    • Freya Frost is usually shown wearing little more than a bikini under her fancy winter coat, in contrast to her more conservatively-dressed sister.
  • Sibling Yin-Yang: The DeepFreeze sisters. With Freya as the cocky, brash and confrontational sibling and Danielle as the more modestly-dressed, intellectual and almost motherly one.
  • Take That: In addition to Vivian's Gamergate associations making her one to anti-GG, she's also one big Take That to both the media and social justice warriors.
  • This Is for Emphasis, Bitch: She tends to do this as well.
  • Trolling Creator: One of the motivations behind Vivian's creation, as it goes against what people tend to expect from 4chan's /v/ board. Since then however, she's gone well beyond that.
  • Tsundere: She has some shades of this, compared to her father /v/.
  • Unkempt Beauty: How Vivian is sometimes portrayed, meant to emphasise how beautiful she in spite of her appearance.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: Vivian and Lillian on a really good day. Occasionally applies to both "Crazy Uncle /pol/" and Erika Polina as well.
  • When She Smiles: Whenever she smiles, and it's one that isn't a sarcastic grin, something significant just happened.
  1. ↑ Most notably, Gamergate Life by Spanish artist Kukuruyo.
  2. ↑ Dragonpunk, the mod in question, is still slated for a 2018 release.
  3. ↑ A personification of Christianity and evangelicalism, not too unlike the medieval Ecclesia.
  4. ↑ Exactly What it Says on the Tin.
  5. ↑ The Mascot for the Comic Book Legal Defence Fund.
  6. ↑ The female branch of the infamous Hitler Youth.
  7. ↑ In reference to Reddit's upvote/downvoting system.
  8. ↑ In reference to DeepFreeze, a journalistic ethics site based in Italy that was established in light of Gamergate.
  9. ↑ Another version of that picture appears rather prominently on the KotakuInAction subreddit.
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