On Characterization and Red Alert...

[casusfere]

Okie... Cas is bored, and thus is getting verbose. :P Time to dig out a soapbox and start blabbing!

The subject of the moment: Red Alert. G1, not Armada. He's twitchy, he's paranoid, he's a complete workaholic, and he's difficult to keep in character.

Comments

[konora]

... I think I love you for this. I mean, reading some hurt/comfort featuring Red Alert is always a guilty pleasure, but as far as regarding that kind of hyper-paranoid behavior as canon... no.

Given what the fandom has been pumping out lately, I rather think he's been turned into another "woobie" character like fandom Perceptor. Which is a shame, because I find his canon personality a lot more interesting.

[casusfere]

And the really horrible part is that Red would be a great character for hurt/comfort, if they'd just keep him in character! I mean really, how many characters get to actually say that they don't deserve to be an Autobot? No characterization mangling needed. Red does not need to be emo or childlike to be pathetic and in need of a hug.

...Don't get me started on what's been done to Perceptor. -.-;

[ink_in_hand]

Yes! Yes! Thank you, it's good to know I'm not the only one who thinks this way. The Autobots are an army, they're not going to have mechs who are more of a hindrance to them than helpful and making it harder to stop the Decepticons by keeping someone who is clearly not fit for duty with them. Especially not a mech as a lot of fanfiction tends to portray Red Alert.

So yeah, I agree with you completely.

[casusfere]

And they certainly wouldn't be giving said unfit person major responsibilities, like oh, say... making them the security director. :P But the war tends to get shoved aside in fanfiction, to the point where I wonder if some of these writers are even aware there is a war.

...And you've got me curious, since I don't recognize your name. Where'd you come in from?

[ink_in_hand]

Exactly, it gets me when they do forget that rather crucial detail. And Red Alert may be a paranoid, over-the-top, and psychotic security director. But he is a competent paranoid, over-the-top, and psychotic security director.

It was the TF Bunny Farm I came in from. I look at it's friend page from time to time to see if there's anything interesting. Usually there's nothing, but there have been a few here and there that makes looking worth it.

And I really should know better than to comment when tired, my communication skills tend to suffer. >_< But having Red Alert act like that is something that always bothers me whenever I see it. And having seen it recently rather horribly, I couldn't help but put my two cents in.

[cath]

Cracking point well made, fandom does tend to massacre characters quite spectacularly sometimes, if I had a quid for every fic that had any of them crying like whiney anime heroines I'd own a stable of racehorses by now.

Think if I could hear everything going on in the madhouse the 'bots call a base I'd be slightly irritable most of the time too, nevermind the number of times Laserbeak manages to sneak in.

[dinogrrl]

Catching up on old posts!

Ah yes...I love ranting about fandom's characterization of Red (and the other two Autobot Lamborghinis, which in fact I just ranted about recently >D). He's a very interesting character in his own right, so it's a shame people choose to focus on that one episode without actually thinking about his character and how that episode fits into things.

So, long comment short, totally agreed.

[shi_koi]

Thank you! --glomps-- You are awesome for writing this. --huggles essay--