#smth smth framing rose as a badass and nothing more waters down her more nuanced traits

[whamss]

I honestly maintain that people who insist on framing Rose as a badass and nothing more are sleeping on SO much undertapped nuance with her. Classic fandom beat where people go, "I can only care about this female character if she's an untouchable badass." Which like, she isn't, but I think that's so much of her charm? The fact that Rose is a girl with chronic "I'm always right" syndrome who's actually painfully gullible. "Rebelling" against her quest by blowing her land apart, the land just so happening to be full secrets, betraying that she could very well be playing into Sburb's mechanisms all along (and like, I don't know if she ever catches onto this? That she just so happens to be stumbling across very useful information might very well be by design). I mean, the fact that Rose puts way too much faith in herself is something that's poked at by Kanaya even in Act 6, when Rose is deep in the throes of alcoholism and trying to convince herself that this is fine, she's got this! Everything is going to work out!

There's something so endearing about the fact that Rose is emotionally driven and impulsive while trying to maintain this facade that she's somebody who's intellectual and strategic. And like, it isn't like Rose's confidence comes from nowhere, she is right a lot of the time, it's just that her means of coming to those conclusions are usually the result of throwing herself at a situation. And like the fact that even her most successful plans usually come at some cost to herself, that Rose's idea of a "successful" mission usually involves destroying herself in the process, or otherwise throwing herself in harm's way. That Rose's hubris is often the direct result of her own self-destructive impulses. The heroic instinct to save your friends by sacrificing yourself... I don't know if that should be missed either.

people will really write rose as a badass girlboss as if her main character trait isn’t hubris. as if her main story arc wasn’t her fucking things over for everyone time and time again by assuming she was better and wiser. oh you think rose is a girlboss? rose who intentionally allowed herself to be corrupted by morally ambiguous terrors because she thought it might give her a slight mental advantage on the game? rose who willingly went along with the manipulation of a groomer because she thought his idea of putting a tumor into the universe was smart? THAT rose? that rose??? why don’t you ask her where the green sun is. since she’s such a competent and intelligent boss bitch