2021-05-21 19:33![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
redthedragon
redthedragonso my first introduction to characters being called "pure" all by itself was the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, which has like white supremacist owls that consider themselves more pure than the other owls. That was a weird book, for me, because there was like weird magic and also I hadn't read any of the other books in the series and started on like number five so it was very much a "you've been dropped in the middle of a story, no context, Figure It Out Or Die" kind of book experience. But the racist owls were extremely important to the plot, and they left an impact on me.
Someone else I follow has been talking a bit about how much they hate characters being called "pure" (in the fannish sense of the word, ie, a pure innocent cinnamon roll who knows no evil and can do no wrong) and to be fair i do understand that version of its usage. I've undoubtedly used it before myself. But to me, like...
Pure is a modifier. And it has a pretty negative connotation, that of a member of a racist religious cult who firmly believes in it despite all reasonable opposition. It is a marker of devotion and fervor, really. Like the same way "zealous" or "ardent" might get used.
All this to say that I think IDW Prowl is the purest (derogatory) character in Transformers. If you put his brain in a distiller it'd come out about the same strength as it went in. Whereas people like, dunno, Whirl would go in a jumble of contradictions and come out much "clearer" if less interesting. And I love IDW Prowl, but his depth largely comes from the fact that his beehavior is strange compared to the people around him, rather than his actual persona having any hidden quirks or contradictions that he doesn't kind of lay on the table and/or act out constantly enough that it's obvious to everyone around him in some way or another
Someone else I follow has been talking a bit about how much they hate characters being called "pure" (in the fannish sense of the word, ie, a pure innocent cinnamon roll who knows no evil and can do no wrong) and to be fair i do understand that version of its usage. I've undoubtedly used it before myself. But to me, like...
Pure is a modifier. And it has a pretty negative connotation, that of a member of a racist religious cult who firmly believes in it despite all reasonable opposition. It is a marker of devotion and fervor, really. Like the same way "zealous" or "ardent" might get used.
All this to say that I think IDW Prowl is the purest (derogatory) character in Transformers. If you put his brain in a distiller it'd come out about the same strength as it went in. Whereas people like, dunno, Whirl would go in a jumble of contradictions and come out much "clearer" if less interesting. And I love IDW Prowl, but his depth largely comes from the fact that his beehavior is strange compared to the people around him, rather than his actual persona having any hidden quirks or contradictions that he doesn't kind of lay on the table and/or act out constantly enough that it's obvious to everyone around him in some way or another
◾ Tags:
