I love stories and storytelling. Film, television, theatre, literature and music all fill our lives with warmth and thrills. Why are so engrossed in great stories? What makes us feel so bonded to a tale or two? Character.
Without great characters, there is no great story. And not just the lead characters. All of the characters are important, and it can be surprising by which ones leave lasting impressions.
More often than not, a great villain or anti-hero tugs at our hearts and we find the connection through them. So let's talk about some unforgettable voices in story...
Redditor u/tonaleo wants to chat about the characters from the arts that we feel connected to and why, by asking:
What fictional character do you feel bad for?
Can you imagine "The Wizard of Oz" without the witch? Or Toto? I always felt bonded with them first. I'm back and forth with Dorothy Gale.
Work Woes
This Too Shall Pass Advice GIF
Giphy
"Benson from Regular Show. Poor dude was just trying to do his job."
Sunk
"That one guy from Titanic. You know, propeller guy."
"I watched titanic as a kid when it came out on VHS with my cousins, we were all teary eyed until that moment and I laughed my butt off and my whole family looked at me like I was a psychopath."
Creature Discomfort
"The Creature from Frankenstein. All he needed was a little guidance and a little caring, but all Frankenstein ever did for him was turn him away (the coward). Well that and Guts. Geeze, did the dude lead a hard life."
"Yeah that book was awesome but Victor made no sense. Like, how ya gonna freak out at the sight of your creation when you are the one who made it look like that? He's always sh*tting on the creature for being so hideous and acts surprised about it. Didn't you spend months staring at the damn thing as you cobbled it together from dead body parts? What were you expecting, George Clooney?"
Poor kid...
"Barb from Stranger Things. They just moved her car to a bus stop and told everyone she ran away, and everyone just accepted it no questions asked (except for Nancy, but even she didn't seem too upset). Poor kid."
"Nancy was devastated, though. The second season revolves around her PTSD surrounding the fallout of death she blamed herself for."
Chewy Pain
star wars GIF
Giphy
"Obviously, Chewbacca. His best friend, road dog, partner in crime and in battle, Han Solo was murdered by his tormented flesh and blood right before Chewies eyes. I cried. Chewie cried. Kylo cried. Han didn't cry. He died."
I think about horror movies in this light sometimes. Many of the victims who get offed along the way can be remembered. I'm still traumatized by some.
Blue
walt disney GIF
Giphy
"Eeyore from Winnie Pooh. He tries so hard being a part of the others while at the other side he doesn't believe in his self."
Classics
"Zelda and Link from breath of the wild those guys just lost everything close to them."
"I feel bad for Mipha too. Poor girl was in love with Link since they were children, but she's too nervous to confess. Right when she builds up the courage to admit it, Ganon shows up and kills everyone. And her ghost had to hang out inside that giant robot elephant for a century not knowing what happened to him."
Be our guest...
"All the servers and butlers in Beauty and the Beast. THE HECK DID THEY DO WRONG YOU WEIRD OLD HOT CURSE LADY?"
The Prince who wouldn't let her in could hardly be blamed either. He was a child and was probably taught about "stranger danger" and probably thought he was doing the right thing by not letting in a complete stranger. It's unclear why he would personally answer the door himself anyway given the impressive number of servants and staff he has."
Oh Cappy
"Probably Captain Rex. He spent three years fighting for the wrong side without even knowing until it was too late, then all his brothers turned on him, and his one friend through it all was Ahsoka, who he had to say goodbye to, not knowing Anakin or Obi-Wan's fate, but knowing that all of his clone friends had turned evil, or died."
'one who got away'
Season 9 Fighting GIF by Friends
Giphy
"David (Hank Azaria) from friends. Built up as phoebes 'one who got away' for almost all of the show, only to get awkwardly dumped while proposing to her. After which he kind of just walks away."
"There's a lot of things in the last season I don't like. It's like they tried to wrap everything up so fast they didn't stop to think if they were good ideas or not."
Poor Kid
"Helga from Hey Arnold. The episode focusing on her mother really hit hard for me back then."
"Helga's therapy episode made me cry when I was a little kid. Being so neglected as a five-year-old that you walk yourself to preschool in a dark ghetto, getting attacked by dogs and covered in rain, is such a traumatic thing for anyone to go through. Meanwhile, your narcissistic father and alcoholic mother are at your house, drowning the other child in love and attention while they can't even be f*cked to remember your name. Her parents should have been in jail tbh. Poor Helga."
That's quite a list. Poor Eeyore. And how lucky was Pheobe? Too have Hank Azaria AND Paul Rudd fighting over you? Check please!
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Ticket scalpers. How do you the audacity to say that's a job?
Actual burglars have more empathy.
Disrespectful
Out Of Office Summer GIF by Merge MansionGiphy"There are debt collectors who call relatives of the deceased to pay off their debts when they are not legally obligated to."
Top_Gun_2021
Shady. Shady.
"Australian Real Estate Agents. Laws don't seem to apply to them. Just as dodgy in sales and rentals alike. Never seen anything like it overseas."
snave_
"I'm in the US, it can vary state by state but my state is pretty strict on realtor laws. Some states require attorney review and there are definitely penalties for being reported for shady sh*t. It does require consumer reporting though."
ilostmytaco
Etransfer
"Where I live, tax info was leaked and now scammers are targeting low income individuals/families (people earning under 30,000 per year) with etransfer scams. I got one the other day that was an etransfer warning that 240$ 'a family member sent me' was about to expire."
SnowyInuk
"That’s disgusting. The scammers know what they’re doing, they know the harm they cause people and yet they don’t care."
surelysandwitch
Should be illegal...
"MLM managers. Not the low level idiots that get suckered into it, they suck too for trying to bring new people into that sh*tshow, but the people who create them know exactly what they are doing and are pretty much the only ones who profit off of it. Should be illegal. Pyramid schemes are illegal. None of them ever get the just desserts except occasionally by vigilantes I assume."
Wereno
I hate debt collectors. Yeah, you calling me one hundred times a week is going to miraculously make money appear.
Animals
Giphy"Paparazzi."
VictorBlimpmuscle
"I met Jack Gleeson (King Joffrey from Game of Thrones) at a bus stop in Dublin. Really nice guy but he said he quit acting due to people being nasty online and constant hounding from paparrazi. He's happier now but it sucks that he was pushed away from a career he was quite good at."
goobi94
Scumbags
"The pastors at mega churches whom ask their followers for money for private jets. Absolute scum to abuse others faith for your own greed."
ichancho
"Brian Tamaki is a greedy freaking pig, he takes advantage of so many people who are already struggling. Every time he’s in the local news (which btw is often) I get more and more pissed off at him and his wife. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tamaki "
surelysandwitch
it’s a thing???
“'Dating Expert.' Sadly it’s a thing. It’s basically a self appointed title that requires no training or qualifications. What’s worse, is that I have a female friend who uses one. It’s very much a blind leading the blind situation."
Mean_Manufacturer_61
"Most of the self proclaimed “dating coaches” I know are women in their late 30s or early 40s who have never been married or had a longer relationship."
ipozgaj
EVIL
"Poachers. Especially big game poachers who purposefully hunt nearly extinct animals from species they know they are on the brink."
"I know there are poachers that come from rural villages who are trying to just put food on the table, which has my sympathy but poachers who come from money and hunt down animals minding their business in most shelters or restricted areas just to put a head on their wall as a trophy are absolutely heinous."
GetterdoneObiwan
I See It All
miss cleo fraud GIFGiphy"Psychic Mediums. Specifically those who prey on the grieving."
JamesDeadite
"I've always found it interesting how many magicians go after people like this. I think it's because they know what it takes to trick people for the art. The slight of hand and mentalism. And they abhor people who use these tactics for such sh*tty purposes."
34HoldOn
I want so bad to believe in psychics and mediums. What say we on that topic?
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
fire burning GIFGiphy"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
Drag Racing Vegas GIF by Don Schumacher RacingGiphy"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
Johnny Depp Drinking GIFGiphy"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
Smell It Season 6 GIF by This Is UsGiphy"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
