#like why did ppl get pissed off about stranger things s4 and will byers

[videogamelover99]

Actually really pissed that discourse around stereotyping and bad writing in media turned into "does this character have X,Y,Z traits? Is this character an admirable human being? Are they the good guy?" instead of promoting actual good writing and what that entails.

It's not about the presence of individual traits! It's about if the minority character is treated as a complex human being with believable motivations and who is looked at with an empathetic eye by the story!

If you personally don't like certain traits to be present in a character that has your identity, you have a right to do that, but it's not criticism, it's your opinion. You know what your dislike doesn't do? Make that character a stereotype! Because a stereotype isn't a character with traits commonly assigned to them, it's a character who isn't written as a fully fleshed human being save for those traits. The character isn't treated with dignity by the author because the author does not give them a character.

If they are fully fleshed out and complex with understandable motivations then? They aren't a stereotype. Because people like that exist in real life, and you viewing them as a stereotype says more about you than it does about them.

#its the hot take twitter nature of criticism nowadays #'X character has Y trait so problematic' is ppl using like 5% of their brain when they read the text #if the author wrote them well then theit job?? is done??? and they arent obligated to adhere to your preferences #part of this is the amount of bullshit said about vivziepop's stuff but also #i saw people try to claim catra is a bad character because shes an 'angry lesbian stereotype' #a) her sexuality isnt revealed in canon you just assumed #b) you forgot about all the 500 other things to have happened to her to make her angry #like yes sometimes we find characters falling into similar types and having the same identity and if 1 author does it 50 times #they arent being creative anymore theyre copy-pasting #but a well written character isnt copy pasted they feel original #if this blows up i might have a problem on my hands enough to delete this XD #writing #like why did ppl get pissed off about stranger things s4 and will byers #its not bc hes sad his crush has a gf thats such a universal experience tbh #its because he does things that make no sense #hes not gonna be unconditionally supportive of El and Mike no matter how much he knows they have a right to their happiness #hes a person with limits it would make sense for him to be resentful #it makes zero sense for him to further their relationship in the finale cause no person would do that! #it wasnt given enough justification in the writing and so its bad #this same scene would have worked in a different context if told by a better writer who treats will as a character on equal footing #with everyone else #wow i have a lot of opinions suddenly