[b]DISCLAIMER[/b]: This isn't meant to disrespect anyone who likes Mara or thinks she's hot, I am just expressing my opinion on why I do not like this character. I just needed to get this off my chest in a place where I won't get bombarded with accusations, harrassment, or threats for disliking this character. Mara Sov continously blames anyone she can for Uldren's demise (Jolyon Till the Rachis. our Guardian, the Vanguard, etc). Mara Sov who accuses the guardian of being unable to forgive Crow if he just resembled Uldren just a bit more. Expressing jealousy over his relationship with Glint and our Guardian, etc. This and Mara seems to completely flip between wanting Crow by her side to insulting Uldren. She speaks of Uldren as if he was a child, calls him pathetic, and overall ignored him when he was alive. Despite him literally risking his life to impress her, only to be brushed aside. Not only this, but despite knowing that the garden made him insane and knowing how much he wanted her approval, she questions his loyalty, driving him further into this mentality. She keeps secrets from him, making him double down and come back for more. She created this obsession, yet she speaks of it with utter disgust and continously infantilizes him, portraying him as helpless and hopeless. Her relationship with Crow seems to be a pattern of valuing and devaluing him (and who he used to be). In Astral Alignment it sounds as if she's desperate to have him return to the Dreaming City, yet as stated above--doesn't hesitate to make remarks about his past self behind his back. This leads me to believe one of the following. Mara is either 1. Upset that someone who looks like her brother is not obsessed with her. She misses him when he is gone, but as soon as he (or someone who looks like him) is not by her side, she misses him dearly until he's codependent again. Then she wants nothing to do with him. She does not truly care for him and is only so adament on having him back because seeing him with our guardian, the Vanguard, or Glint kindles a jealous streak. She doesn't view him as a person, but a posession. 2. Sees Uldren/Crow as an extension of herself. She does truly care for him, but only for that reason. This could also explain why her abusive mother, her brother are the people nearest and dearest to her heart with the exception of Sjur Eido being the odd one out. Either way, she currently love bombs him (calling him darling, offering him to stay in the Dreaming City, offering his past self's books from the library) in order to sway him by her side. It's important to note that it's not Crow she wants. It's [i]Uldren[/i]. She doesn't care about what Crow wants or who he would like to be. Crow has stated that he doesn't ever want to know his past self, he no longer wants to be chased by his past, yet Mara is determined to make Crow into Uldren. I've seen arguments that Crow should have a choice in the matter of getting close to Mara. While I agree Crow shouldn't be more stripped of answers and choices than he already is, I ask this. If Crow outright told Mara he didn't want to become her brother--would she accept that? Or would she continue to pull strings from behind the scenes to make him either devoted to her as Uldren was, or make him act more like her brother? As Mara said herself, she sees him as a canvas to shape into anything. She does not see The Crow as a person with his own wants, desires, and personality. Back on the subject of Mara's frequent blaming and shaming, let's go back to her general abusive behavior. Mara plays the victim--A LOT. She does it when she complains about "losing everything" despite her literally throwing people at Oryx and she throws a tantrum when our Ghost criticizes her. Rather make an argument to refute this, she commits a thought terminating cliché AKA "Why don't YOU try to rule, then?" and she acts like (as stated before) in regards to Uldren's death, despite being the ultimate cause of it. Mara claims to have sacrificed so much, but her sacrifices have always been other's sacrifices. She started a civil war to rule the Distributary. She pinned her crimes on Alis Li and had her exiled. She has ruined paradise and started civil wars for her benefit. She is essentially making Petra take part in making Crow become Uldren, something she clearly does not want to do and thinks is a bad idea. But she cannot question Mara when she is present--possibly due to being exiled in the past and Mara's volatile reactions to being questioned. I've heard people call Petra a s¡mp, but I don't actually think this is true. Mara Sov abuses nearly everyone she comes into contact with--the possible only exception being Sjur Eido. Even then, Sjur Eido knew Mara kept many secrets from her and is kind of dead. I know some people will probably argue that Mara is mentally ill or that her mother's abuse and neglect play a part in how she treats others, but truthfully that doesn't absolve her of anything she does. Especially regarding abuse, because being abused doesn't justify shifting it to someone else. But anyway, with all this is mind--I'm glad this season is addressing Mara's actions in the form of Ikora and Crow. She is finally being held accountable for her actions. TL;DR this a long wall of text post about how I don't like Mara. Mara Sov cannot take criticism, puts herself above others, abuses her brother and her wrath, is a war criminal, and I'm glad Bungie is finally addressing her flaws by having characters call her out on it.