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...
Redditoru/tonaleowants 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 GIFGiphy"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 GIFGiphy"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 GIFGiphy"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 FriendsGiphy"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!
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"What is a NOT fun fact?"
Consdider Putting A Newspaper Down First...
"Bus seats are designed so that you cannot tell how dirty they really are."- SmallAndScarred
Alone in The Ocean...
"There is a whale called 52 Blue that only sings at their frequency meaning it can't communicate with other whales."
"It is nicknamed the loneliest whale on the planet."- TheLegendaryJet
Definitely Not Dry As a Bone...
"Your skeleton is w e t."- Genesis-Bae
Dance Halloween GIF by aurelGiphyPuts The Movement in Bowel Movement
"Your intestines will 'wriggle' themselves back into the correct position."
"Doctors who do any type of intestinal surgery don’t have to worry, too much, about how they put the intestines back in."-H010CR0N
Body And Soul Is An Understatement
"A certain type of angler fish reproduce via the Male burrowing into the side of the female, eventually fusing."
"The Male life is lost in the process."- Allceleatial
Never Actually Free
"People who survived the Holocaust and get Alzheimer's often think they are back in the camps."
"So they escape one of humanity's greatest horrors only to die in it 50 years later."- digitaldavegordon
One And The Same
"If you are an identical twin it is possible that you and your siblings identity’s were swapped and your parents never caught it."- m00n-b4b3
shining stanley kubrick GIFGiphyYou're Not Fooling Anyone
"Sometimes you're the bad guy."- StrenuouslySexy
Worth The Pain And Discomfort?
"When you get a sunburn, it's actually your cells dying so they don't get tumorous." - Reddit
Lasting A Long Time Might Be Cause For Concern...
"The reason you’re supposed to contact a doctor if you have an erection lasting longer than four hours is because prolonged priapism can lead to gangrene of the penis."
"Blood goes in, deoxygenates, but can’t leave, so there’s no way for fresh oxygenated blood to come in, causing the tissue to turn black and die."
"Don’t worry, though!"
"This can be treated by using a big syringe to suck the trapped blood out."- boopbaboop·
someone erection GIFGiphyWhen sharing a "fun fact" with a friend, it might be worthwhile to think about the information you're about to share.
And whether or not it is, in fact, "fun".
Instead, maybe share a tidbit, or "info"?
Even if neither roll of the tongue quite as easily...
"What’s an industry secret in the field you work in?"
Literal Money Grabbing Machines
"I design slot machines for casinos."
"Don’t play slots."- psychfan5
Speak When Spoken To!
"I'm an attorney."
"The secret is shut the f*ck up."- --IIII--------IIII--
They Are In Good Hands
"Managed boarding and grooming kennels for 8 years."
"The secret is that the employees actually do love your pets too."
"Even the difficult ones, most of us realize they just miss their people."
"The number of times I’ve weeped when a pet died, or spent way too many hours comforting a dog with separation anxiety, or spent hours off the clock with a boarder who needed to be rushed to a vet office, wouldn’t trade it for the world."
"Some pets just suck though, not gonna lie."- breadandbirds
Dogs Stripping GIF by Artero Professional LineGiphyThey Just Want To Go Home!
"I'm a server."
"No matter how much we insist it's 'okay' that you are keeping the entire restaurant open after we've closed, please know we are 100% lying."
"We will get fired if we deviate from anything other than pure delight that you are keeping us from going home."
"We dread it."
"Please don't believe us."- MorddSith187
Don't Be Fooled By The Price
"I used to work in jewelry."
"Most of the prettiest gemstones are also very affordable."
"Tanzanite is a beautiful purple and looks nicer than amethyst."
"Topaz comes in lots of colors, including a pretty blue color which can be as nice as aquamarine."
"Opals aren't as brightly rainbow hued as they look in pictures."- rubicks56
What Are You Looking At?!?!
"Almost every hairstylist gets the heebie jeebies when we shampoo your hair and you just stare up at us."
"CLOSE. YOUR. DAMN. EYES at the shampoo bowl!"- picklemetimberzz
Hair Wash GIF by ALLBLK (formerly known as UMC)GiphyYou're More Qualified Than You Think!
"Used to screen resumes for small companies."
"Job 'requirements' are more of a wish-list situation."
"Never let some unchecked boxes deter you from applying, you have no idea what the applicant pool is like."
"The biggest boon, especially at small companies, is someone who legitimately cares."- TwoPesetas
If You Wonder What Makes It So Delicious...
"There is way more butter than you think in almost every dish you eat at fancy restaurants, and that is usually the reason you won't see the amount of calories in each dish."
"5 years as a chef in Italian cuisine head chef, 8 years in an Italian kitchen."
" f I could recomend one guide book for you all to have in your kitchen it would be Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat."
"Yes there are a plethora of others but this one is my personal favorite."- BackslashR
That's Why It Smells So Familiar!
"Former bath and body works associate here."
"The scents they 'discontinue' will come back with a different name and new marketing."
"They’re just recycling the scents."- xyenz08
Bath And Body Works Perfume GIF by Bath & Body Works Asia AustraliaGiphyNothing Wrong With A Second Opinion
"Some therapists/counselors are on the wrong side of the couch, so to speak."
"If you feel your mental health provider is unhinged, they may very well be."- FriktionalTales
Hearing secrets about certain industries divulged can be a blessing and a curse.
No one would complain about not wasting their money away on slot machines.
Though, health conscious people might not want to know what really goes into their food when they go out to eat...
"How do you feel about a 4 day work week?"
Improve Mental Health
"Working a 5 day work week just makes life seem so much more pointless."
"By the time I get the other things I need to do, grocery shopping, appointments, etc., done, it's Sunday night."
"A 4 day work week might give me time to play the piano I bought to combat depression."- IHateCarShopping123
It Works, As Long As You Go All Or Nothing...
"My employer gives us every other Friday off."
"We work 80 hours over 9 days (M-F, M-Th)."
"It’s really helpful to have those Fridays to schedule appointments, and I have less desire to burn PTO throughout the year just to take a much-needed Friday off."
"Through the end of October, I had only used 2.5 PTO hours for the year, mostly for doctor’s visit.
"The only real downside is that on the Fridays that we do work, nobody wants to do anything."- MuppetHolocaust
No Downside Whatsoever
"My company switched to 4 10 hour days."
"We are diesel technicians and work 7-5:30."
"Half of us work Monday through Thursday and the other half work Tuesday through Friday."
"We have did this for over two years and we all love it."
"It is so nice to have a three day weekend every week."
"Another thing about it that is nice is if you doctors appointment or something I can make it on a Monday and don’t have to miss any work."
"Plus I forgot to mention having a two month this helps out a ton."
"More time for me to be with my wife and daughter."
"And if there is a lot to do I can just come in on Monday and boom 10 hours of overtime."- skatermofo101
Working For The WeekendGiphyBut Would You Hate Tuesdays?...
"I would probably hate Mondays less."- tonksdc
So Much More Time To Devote To House And Home!
"Life would be that much better."
"I would have somewhere around 50 extra days a year to do all the yard work and home projects that I don't want to spend all weekend doing."- forman98
Yet It Still Hasn't Caught On?
"They talked about this in the 70s."
"Yay everyone said."
"My dad did it."
"He worked 4 12+ hr days and took off Friday."
"Everyone else was like, if I work the 12 hrs the 4 days plus another 12, I can make even more money!"
"Yay!"- implodemode
Excited Jonah Hill GIF by MOODMANGiphyShow Me The Money!
"Provided there's no drop in salary, f*cking brilliant."- PM_ME_CURVES_OR_TOES
A Weekend Could Actually Feel Like A Weekend!
"I would gladly work 4 ten hour days to have an extra day off."
"2 day weekends are too short."
"They’re gone just as soon as you start to feel comfortable."- witdaSlime
When companies and organizations were forced to regroup and restructure when the global pandemic first hit in March of 2020, several companies also took the opportunity to re-evaluate their operations in the long term.
With all the evidence suggesting an overall improvement to everyone's mental and physical well-being that a four day work week provides, one can only hope it becomes more commonplace with each passing year.