#atp 'X is a ray of sunshine' has begone to feel like code for 'I don't actually care about this character very much nor do I understand

[myimaginationplain]

I've come to the conclusion that being assigned the fandom-mandated "sunshine character" is the worst possible fate a character could face

#maybe I'm just biased because the characters that this happens to tend to be some of my favorites but I think I'm onto something #these characters aren't allowed depth of emotion or complex inner worlds. once a character is fanonized as the 'ray of sunsine' #or the 'cinnamon roll' they cease to occupy any space outside of that role in fanon content. they're happy & silly & not much else #no matter how much depth they may actually have in canon. #popular fanon has a tendency to treat happiness & goodness like states without any emotional complexity. #emotional complexity is reserved for the anti-heroes & jerks-with-a-heart-of-gold you see. #atp 'X is a ray of sunshine' has begone to feel like code for 'I don't actually care about this character very much nor do I understand #their canon narrative so I'm just gonna ignore them 98% of the time. but hey they're really nice! that's something! anyways—' #this is about many characters but I particularly want to call out aang & nightcrawler / kurt wagner as two who get this the worst. #because christ the mischaracterization they get from people who never think about them outside of the 'uwu small bean' box is infuriating #also steven universe & miles morales. although it's not so bad for steven after suf #fandom bs #please pretend I typed 'begun' a few tags back