I Don't Want To Know What I'm Capable Of

[redbrunja]

So, the combination of reading Side Jobs while my mom is reading Dragon Bones made me realize another one of my bulletproof kinks: people who are LEGITIMATELY* afraid of what they're capable of and struggle with where their moral lines are.

Examples would be: Harry  Dresden; Ward of Hurog; Alexandra Udinov, daughter of Nikolai Udinov (BANG. BANG.) (I'm on the fence about The Doctor.)

What do you think of this trope? Who are your favorite characters who embody it? Tell me in the comments.

*By which I mean, it's not just that these characters have moral qualms but have to actively safeguard themselves against being as bad as the people they're fighting. So I would argue that Sarah Coner wouldn't apply but Raylan Givens is SO MUCH THIS. And yes, I have noticed that it is a VERY male-dominated trope.

Comments

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm. Katniss doesn't quite work for me but Katara DEFINTELY does. Damn, I love 'The Puppetmaster.'

I'll have to check out The Thirteenth Child. I've heard mixed things.

[meitah.livejournal.com]

Thinking with a slightly clearer head, I can see how Katniss doesn't quite fit this trope. It get mentioned a bit, but there were other things to deal with in her story.

Thirteenth Child can be kind of hard to read, but part of that is because of how painfully right Wrede got the child's mindset. As the supposedly unlucky thirteenth child, Eff blames herself for everything. That gets old quickly, but it hits harder once you get that that's how kids actually think. When things go wrong, a child's response is to think that it's their fault, especially if they've been constantly told that they're the source of all evil, like Eff was. A lot of the plot of the book is her figuring out that she's not bad or even unlucky, and that she doesn't have to be afraid of herself.

For added bonus, the book has woolly mammoths and dragons. How much more awesome can it get?