#i could go on forever about the drifter and also how the fandom treats him

[thefirstknife]

100% true, definitely needs to be said.

A lot of people in fandom spaces HATE when characters grow and change. They get attached to a certain version of a character that appeals to them the most, and if the character grows or changes in anyway, these people will become upset and go as far as to claim things are being retconned or whatever (especially if they change against their headcanons and like I'm sorry but sometimes your headcanons are wrong).

Drifter literally just had a character arc, and an excellent one at that. We know so much about his life. We know where he came from, how he lived at the start of being a Lightbearer, we know what he went through. We know what he lost and how, we know how much it traumatised him. His trauma caused him to close off and isolate, to keep people at bay because if he gets close to them, he will lose them again. He resented the Light and searched for other ways, leading him into schemes and unsavoury company and experimenting with the Darkness back when that was much more frowned upon and more dangerous.

He didn't want connections because he didn't trust them. He didn't trust that they would last and that he wouldn't be hurt again. Everyone who dismisses Drifter's trauma or treats it as just some cool aspect of his character is immediately suspect to me, not gonna lie. Like, yes, unhinged Drifter is interesting as a character and I enjoy that part of his life as well, but I ultimately want him to heal and get better.

It's always been presented that he wanted to do good and to help people and save them, but given his circumstances, he either couldn't or, later, he started distancing from them because he believed that his presence would make it worse. Drifter always cared, deeply. The name chosen for him even as a Dredgen was "Hope." His arc was always moving in the direction of him accepting his helpful nature and coming to terms of working with other people, having a community, and having trusted friends. That's the natural conclusion of his story. He overcomes his trauma.

Which he did! And it took years. And it started with us. Arguably, you can say it also started with Shin and the Gambit setup with the Vanguard, but we, the YW, were the true first catalyst. We didn't have any baggage around him, so we accepted who he was and we trusted him. And we were one of the people who he wouldn't lose. We stayed with him through everything so far. Through us, he realised that there's more to connection with other people than simply losing them.

Drifter's arc from someone who saw no hope for survival and was ready to leave it all behind and try his luck out there all alone to someone who gradually realised that there's strength in the pack and that there are people who care and who will help him and protect him has genuinely been one of the best parts of the Destiny story. Way too many people view Drifter superficially and have never engaged with any of his story.

This is particularly baffling when it comes from people who are allegedly fans of him. Why do you want him to suffer forever? Because, as a fan of the Drifter, I want him to have a character arc and to heal from trauma. I want him to feel safe. I want him to never be hungry again. I want him not to worry about people he cares about dying in his arms.

I feel like a lot of people just want to be able to write edgy angst fanfics. And I want a narrative: I want characters to evolve over time and respond to the changes in their circumstances.

Sorry for going off on your post, you're completely correct and this is one of those pet peeves that I have, specifically about the Drifter and how the fandom treats him and how many times I've seen the fandom rejecting his arc and his healing from trauma. Anti-recovery website, I guess. Idk, the borderline obsession with the Drifter from 5 years ago who was going through immense suffering and isolation out of fear and paranoia is kinda uncomfortable to me in the context of people saying that this Drifter was better.

It was a great start to his character! It made him really interesting and compelling! Knowing where he came from and how he started is what makes the rest of his story stand out and encapsulate the core of the Destiny's theme. He chose to change. He chose to overcome his fears and anxiety and to try. And there's plenty of characters who refused to do this; those stories are also compelling. But the Drifter was never pointed in that direction. From the very start, he was shown to be a man of hope, and care, and need to protect. He just didn't get a chance to fulfil his purpose until much later. And I'm glad he got that chance. I love seeing him enjoying his time with people and helping everyone out. It's what he always wanted.

mildly unpopular drifter opinion that nobody asked for: he hasn't been "defanged" he's grown closer to the guardian + most of the characters we see him interact with in lore, and dropped enough of his act to resign to his usual bullshit without the exaggeration he's shown to use to keep people at bay. I definitely enjoy unhinged drifter but I enjoy character development more. send post