i had a choice between sleep and being furious on the internet

[dudski]

WARNING FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S FUCKING TERRIBLE PACIFIC RIM OPINIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

So this happened:

how is it that the characters who barely speak at all in this movie are ten thousand times more compelling than Chuck and Raleigh put together like geez guys

SHORT REACTION: AND THAT'S THE STORY OF HOW I UNFOLLOWED GINGERHAZE!

LONG VERSION:

Comments

[dudski]

However, I don't entirely agree with gingerhaze's assessment that they're more compelling than Raleigh, either, because I think people might be confusing "interesting characters with untapped potential" with "compelling characters".

This is pretty much what I was going for, and the major intellectual issue I had with her post [vs my obvious gut reaction "DON'T BE MEAN TO RALEIGH" issue with it]. I love the things fandom does to elevate minor characters and the culture of making something out of next to nothing. (In particular, I can't believe there isn't any Caitlin Lightcap fic yet. GIVE IT TO ME.) But like I said, thinking you'd prefer the Wei triplets movie to the movie we got doesn't make them, within the movie as it exists, "more compelling than Chuck and Raleigh put together" or even Chuck on his own.

Then there's the fact that my entire interpretation of/investment in the movie hinges on Mako and Raleigh as a package deal, so I honestly can't comprehend finding him useless.

[I haven't read any of it, but there definitely is both Herc/Chuck and Raleigh/Yancy on AO3!]

[disco_vendetta]

I love the things fandom does to elevate minor characters and the culture of making something out of next to nothing. (In particular, I can't believe there isn't any Caitlin Lightcap fic yet. GIVE IT TO ME.) But like I said, thinking you'd prefer the Wei triplets movie to the movie we got doesn't make them, within the movie as it exists, "more compelling than Chuck and Raleigh put together" or even Chuck on his own.

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss, YOU CAN BLAISE ZAMBINI THE FUCK OUTTA THE RUSSIANS AND STILL LOVE RALEIGH BECKET, SAINT GUILLERMO IS ALL ABOUT THE BOTH/AND GUYS, "BOTH/AND" IS ACTUALLY HIS GIVEN NAME, BOTH/AND DEL TORO. But also it's just SO STUPID to try to apply theory that DOESN'T ACTUALLY APPLY TO RALEIGH BECKET? Like that amazeballs post about emotional intelligence, how Raleigh is actually filling in the emotional/teaching role that would normally be filled by The Girlfriend. Raleigh Becket is not only better with people, he's also just really fucking good at people? He GETS the people around him, most especially Mako forever and ever, because the movie gives him the emotion equipment necessary to unpackage them??????? RALEIGH BECKET SPENDS A MILLION HOURS TELLING A WOMAN AND EVERYONE ELSE AROUND HIM HOW IMPORTANT LOVE AND TRUST AND EMOTIONAL HONESTY ARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Raleigh Becket EXISTS specifically to subvert traditional scifi/Western views of the rebel without a cause hero, SO DON'T FUCKING TELL ME HE'S NOT INTERESTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dudski]

I'VE PROBABLY YELLED AT YOU ABOUT THIS ALREADY, but someone reblogged that emotional intelligence post and added some commentary of their own along the lines of "I like this about Raleigh's character because it makes it easier to ignore him in favor of the people who MATTER" AND I WANTED TO TAKE THE POST/THE MOVIE/THE INTERNET AWAY FROM THEM BECAUSE THEY DON'T DESERVE ANY OF IT!!!!!!!!! IF YOU CAN'T APPRECIATE ALL THE PARTS YOU CAN FUCK OFF AND GET AWAY FROM THE WHOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!