#Like don’t get me wrong I love Lirin but saying he did nothing wrong kinda gets rid of the most interesting aspect of his arc

[humantea]

I mean, while Lirin is absolutely not the monster that a lot of the fandom makes him out to be, I think there are absolutely fair critiques of how he treated Kaladin throughout ROW. Like, it’s true that his strict moral code is understandable, even admirable in many cases. It is also true that because of his rigid pacifism, he ended up telling Kaladin, his traumatized son who, up until a few weeks prior, he had thought was dead, that he shouldn’t have fought his enslavement and should have instead “proven [himself] to [his] masters” and, that because he fought back against the fused taking people away, he was a monster. I would argue that that degree of cruelty, whether or not it was just motivated by fear, definitely counts as him having done something wrong.

Lirin’s arc is absolutely one of growth, of accepting hope, of choosing to act, but a major part of that growth is his reconciliation with Kaladin, reconciliation that could not happen without the rift his rigidity led to. The narrative acknowledges this, with many of the major scenes of his arc revolving around him coming to understand Kaladin, his impact, and the flaws within his own worldview. Take his conversation with Noril, for example. Before talking to the man, he describes the caregivers who have painted shash glyphs on their foreheads as “Fools… refusing to accept the truth. Resisting, when they’ll just get crushed.” When he speaks to Noril, it becomes clear that he views the people wearing the glyphs as fools twice over, both for having hope and, almost more importantly, for gaining that hope from his son. He is so blinded by his stubbornness that he struggles to even admit that Kaladin has done some good. After he and Hesina finish speaking to Noril, she urges him to speak to the rest of them, to actually attempt to understand them and, by extension, his son. His growth, in this scene and others, then, is fundamentally tied then to mending the cracks his stubbornness put in his relationship with Kaladin.

To be clear, I’m not saying that Lirin is some heartless monster, in fact, I would argue that his most defining trait, and the trait he shares most with his son, is his desire to protect those around him. That’s why, when Hesina leaves him to his conversation with the glyph-wearers, the narration doesn’t describe her as hoping he’ll change, instead, it says that she trusts him to be the man she knows he is. That man has been weighed down by decades of fear and stubbornness, but fundamentally he is a good person. His arc, then, which culminates in his apology to and reconciliation with Kaladin after his fall, revolves around his rediscovery of that man that Hesina knows.

I think that there’s an idea in fandom that for a character’s story to be a redemption arc, they have to start out as a mustache-twirling villain who then grows into a hero, but I think that that fails to account for so much potential interesting nuance in characters’ stories. Lirin was never evil, but he absolutely hurt the people around him with his actions. His story, and arguably the story of the Stormlight Archive as a whole, is one of growing from those actions and finding redemption in that growth. Lirin did several things wrong, but without said wrongdoing, his deeply fascinating story simply wouldn’t work.

(Plus in that one chapter where he called Kaladin a monster he said “because I will take responsibility for what I have done!” So basically what I’m saying is Lirin bondsmith when? /j)

Keep seeing people say/imply that Lirin’s arc in row was a redemption arc. And don’t get me wrong he has a phenomenal arc in row! The way he chooses to take action and believe in hope despite everything he’s been through for the past several years is remarkable! But it’s a growth arc not a redemption arc because he DIDN’T DO ANYTHING FUCKING WRONG

[sonnets-and-snowdrops]

Bleach and/or Saiyuki

Already did Bleach, so gonna do Saiyuki! (Also just so y’all know, I’m garbage and still haven’t read Ibun. I promise, I’ll get around to that one of these days.)

The first character I first fell in love with:

Hakkai. Sweet, poor, tortured, visually impaired Hakkai. I have a type

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now:

Goujun. He showed up, and he seemed okay? And then I spent more time thinking about him - and I wrote about him, just a little - and I found that he was also a good, poor, tortured boy just tryna do the right thing. I have a type

The character everyone else loves that I don’t:

Goku. There’s nothing about him I dislike in particular, but I know folks for whom Goku is everything, and I’ve never quite gotten that. Don’t get me wrong - he’s such a good kid, and he’s a wonderful friend, and he has a heart of gold. He’s an invaluable member of the party. I totally see all of that. He’s just not the kind of character I’m drawn to, and I don’t think I ever will be.

The character I love that everyone else hates:

Huhhhhh. I dunno. It’s actually pretty rare to see straight-up hate in this fandom, now that I think about it.

Like, I hate Li Touten, but doesn’t everyone hate Li Touten?? On that note, I guess I don’t find Nataku particularly annoying. Do people find Nataku annoying, ever?? Idk.

Maybe - I don’t hate manga Hazel?? He’s goofy af in the anime, but manga Hazel has some heft. I guess. Or do I just love Even A Worm? HOT TAKE Even A Worm is great I know I know lololol

The character I used to love but don’t any longer:

Haaaaa. Sanzo, actually. Or, rather - the way I love Sanzo has changed. Initially, I was thirsty for Sanzo. As time went on, that went away because I got mad thirsty for Hakkai sorry not sorry and now, I love Sanzo in a wholesome, you’re-a-good-dude-and-I-see-that kinda way.

The character I would totally smooch:

Hakkai or Kenren. (Sorry, Tenpou. I love you dearly, but I just have no way of knowing how well you maintain your hygiene.)

The character I’d want to be like:

Sharak. Good head on her shoulders, expert in badass vibes, and good at everything. If not her, then possibly Konzen? Talk about determination. Jesus fuck.

The character I’d slap:

I’d say Ukoku, but he’d make it weird. Also, I can’t help but feel for the guy, even though I know that’s problematic.

So, maybe Doku?? Slap some sense into him, and make him say the words “I’m not the worst brother ever” until he really believes them??

OH and Chin Yisou. I hate that guy.

A pairing that I love

585858585858585858585858585858585858585

And also 10K

Legit not always in that order

A pairing that I despise:

Goku x Anyone. I know he’s grown up a lot over the course of the series, and I know, he’s actually like a billion years old, but I don’t like shipping kids. So, on that note - Lirin x Anyone, too. But that’s not nearly as commonly seen, I don’t think.

Thanks for the ask, Anon-san!!

SEND ME A FANDOM and I’ll tell you…