Well trauma does shape a person. There are many reasons why a person turns out the way they do, and most of the time it's based on life experiences. And Thalia's experiences thus far, unfortunately are filled with bad memories and experiences.
She turned out the way she did because her whole enviroment failed her. It's unfortunately sad. Because since childhood on she had no real support, since even her mother wasn't there for her. Without proper support you can't expect someone to grow up proper.
That's basically what I meant. I agree that Talia became the way she is because of her environment and the lack of support in her life. My issue isnt that trauma influenced her, of course it did. It's more that sometimes people reduce every aspect of her character to trauma, as if that's the only thing that defines her.
At a certain point it feels like all her suffering becomes the plot, and every action she takes is explained away solely by her trauma. I think trauma is an important part of her character, but she's still more than just the bad things that happened to her. What bothers me is that people often reduce every criticism of her character to "well, she's traumatized."
A character being traumatized can explain their behavior, but it doesn't automatically make the writing good or put them beyond criticism. My issue is more with the story's writing overall. Sometimes it feels like her suffering becomes the main thing the narrative focuses on, and every flaw or questionable action gets excused rather than examined.You can acknowledge that someone has been through terrible things and still criticize how they're written or the choices they make. Those aren't mutually exclusive
why does this whole story feel so misogynistic? I tried to like it but I’m sorry I can’t. The FL is constantly put through the worst things imaginable for drama while the ML gets endless sympathy and excuses. His trauma explains everything, but hers is just there to make readers feel bad for her. The FL spends the entire story suffering while the ML spends the story being forgiven.
This author never writes fmc with any actual depth. Half the time their entire personality is just their trauma. Every decision they make gets reduced as an action due to a sob story, and we're expected to treat that as complex characterization.
A tragic backstory can explain someone's behavior, but it shouldn't replace their personality. I don't find it deep when a character is reduced to "they do this because they're traumatized” It feels emotionally immature. people are more than the worst thing that ever happened to them, but these stories act like trauma is the only thing that exists about a character.
That's why so many of these stories feel like misery porn to me. The FL can never catch a break because her suffering is essentially the plot. Oh and don’t get me started on the ml, somehow after all that, I'm supposed to root for a couple that has zero chemistry beyond trauma and obsession. ╥﹏╥