Board Thread:News and Announcements/@comment-98.247.168.42-20181122042639/@comment-32987979-20190428034008

Characters are supposed to have flaws, but they're supposed to be things that aren't physical (like her being weak.) And I personally don't think that a lack of confidence is a good flaw. A good character has flaws that make them unlikable, but are still able to be likable despite them. For example, Tony Stark is arrogant and has problems committing to his loved ones. But everyone still loves him, because he's an awesome character. His arrogance and lack of commitment, however, impact other characters negatively. Sophie's lack of confidence and anxiety makes her relatable, not unlikable. She doesn't have any BAD traits. Anxiety issues aren't good character flaws, because nobody can say that your anxiety issues are dislikable traits. Her lack of confidence obstacle she should get over, not a defining trait. That leads me to my next point.

Another thing characters should have is personality obstacles. These obstacles are different from flaws because they're supposed to be something the character gets over. Using Iron Man as an example again, originally he was irresponsible, immature, took what he had for granted, and didn't think about the consequences of his actions. He got over these personality obstacles, but the arrogance and hesitance still remained because that's his personality. Flaws are something the character doesn't change, but stick with them because nobody is perfect. Obstacles are the things characters have to get over throughout the course of their respective series. But Sophie never gets over these hurdles! I mean, I think Shannon was meaning to have her leave them behind at the start of Neverseen, but kept them around because, hey, easy plot device. To me, reading about her constant worrying has lost my interest. It's just old at this point. Characters are supposed to develop but it feels like Sophie hasn't changed for the better at all.

Sophie has too many good qualities. She's polite, a genius, loyal, always does what she believes is right. Her only "flaw" is her anxiety and lack of physical strength, which as I've said before, are personality obstacles, not real flaws. Sophie rarely gets angry, and when she does it's short-lived. Her only physical strengths are given to her purely by luck, because she's just special. That's not inspiring at all, and I don't want to read about a character who is only important because she's the "special Moonlark." I want her to earn her respect, to prove herself, and to be a strong, empowering character. She just lacks the essential traits that a strong, independent heroine needs to be a good character, and lacks the flaws as well. Overall, she's just not a very good character in my opinion.

Obviously, this is just my opinion. If you like Sophie, I'm glad that her character makes you happy, but personally, she just frustrates me. I liked her at the beginning of the series because she had so much potential, but now that we're near the end, I hold out very little hope that Sophie will gain the character development that she so desperately needs. Anyways, thanks for reading my character rant if you've made it this far.