Ask Lemmy

I get you pard, there are some creative works that I still hold on to as well despite learning disappointing things about their creators. Others I've let go.

I love Silk as well, he's such a fun character. Belgarath I generally like except when he goes all in on mocking the stupidity of everyone around him, and when he starts dumping on Garion. The latter feels like a betrayal because otherwise he's very supportive of the kid. Being a kindly grandfather-figure to Garion is a big part of his role in the story so it's difficult when he acts otherwise. Durnik was always my favorite because I have a soft spot for the solid, practical, dependable types, likely based on my great relationship with my grandpa when I was young.

You have a point with the ancient characters being tired and jaded by all this, since they've been through all this type of stuff before many times, and having been around so long they do have an exceptional accumulation of experience and wisdom and knowledge, so I can see them getting frustrated more often with having to deal with their lessers. Still though: We see Belgarath fail. We see him be unsure of himself sometimes, we see him fall on his face, and even if begrudgingly, we see him own it. Same with Silk - he's recruited largely because he's the clever and witty one, but on more than one occasion we see him get bested and importantly (to me at least), he also owns it. Even Mandorallen, the guy whose whole shtick is being absurdly self-confident and self-assured, has his moments where he falters and struggles, and he owns it.

Polgara, though? Oh, no. Polgara is never wrong. If you ever question her, you had better be prepared for some mockery and intense cold shoulder and judgment by everyone else for even thinking of doubting her. And this will only end when you finally "realize" that you were wrong and apologize to her, at which point she oh-so-benevolently welcomes you back in now that you've admitted to her that you were wrong and sorry for ever thinking she was anything less than perfect. She feels like the type of character a narcissist would write as their self-insert.

Upon thinking about all this, I do also wonder about the fact that the humblest of the main characters end up getting together with the two most spoiled and self-satisfied ones. Given how I feel about Polgara, I was pretty bummed out when my guy Durnik never got over being smitten with her and they ended up together. But hey, there might be some evidence there that maybe he'll be good for her, at least.

Oh, and on the note of Durnik and Polgara getting together ... the one time she might have actually had to lose something, to really sacrifice something ... nope! Just kidding, what a twist! She actually has to give up nothing, and instead Durnik is elevated to sorcererhood solely to give her the loophole she needs to continue on being just perfectly amazing in every way and capability! Even the friggin rules of the cosmos bend to accommodate her!

Yeah yeah, I'm ranting. But people typically rant about things they care about. I loved these books, and I'm not just ranting out of grumpiness but out of being bummed out that I can't manage to love them anymore. Because I still want to. In any case, not trying to convince you to stop liking them, just venting and wanting these thoughts to be heard by someone. Thanks for the opportunity and take it easy out there.