I've gained another reason to hate this fuckass fandom...
Apparently, as if it wasn't enough for them to hate Pomni just for associating with Jax, now they're calling her a "bad character" thanks to some trivia from Gooseworx.
So Pomni was originally written as a character with anger issues, but when her actress Lizzie Freeman was cast, Pomni's personality was changed into the jester we see in the final product.
Knowing this fandom, I can already hear the people decrying Pomni and going "we were robbed!"
Even moreso, I fear that Lizzie is being scapegoated for "ruining" Pomni's character...
Point 1: Actors have influence over their characters
First of all, don't you dare bully Lizzie Freeman! The other actors already had to face a bunch of crap from this fandom, especially poor Michael and Marissa, leave Lizzie alone!
Second off, this isn't even the first time in entertainment history a character was changed thanks to the influence of their actor. Examples:
Fresh Prince of Bel Air had cousin Carlton as an arrogant, stuck-up douche in the first few episodes, but Alfonso Ribeiro's performance eventually changed Carlton into the more likeable dork beloved by audiences to this day.
Similarly, the show Friends had the character of Joey as a skeevy womanizer early on, but Matt LeBlanc brought so much heart to him that Joey became more of a lovable doof who happens to be a charmer.
In the movie Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldblum suggested having his character Ian Malcolm distract a threatening T Rex in a sacrificial move, rather than turn tail like a coward in the original script, the former of which is seen in the final product.
So Pomni's personality being changed thanks to Lizzie should be more of a testament to how sweet she is. I should know--I've met her three times, and she was very nice to talk to.
Point 2: Pomni still gets angry
Pomni might not have anger issues in the series proper, but there are still moments where her patience is stretched thin.
For example, "They All Get Guns", which has her get pissed at Jax for denying their growing friendship, and when he keeps getting nonchalant, Pomni straight-up throws hands with him.
And then "Beach Episode" and "hjsakdfhl", both of which had Caine at his worst--first, Pomni is furious at the end when Caine reveals the alleged "escape" was an elaborate prank, as well as the implications of him doing something nasty to her and the rest of the players.
She's still not over it the next episode, which has her call out Caine in her angriest moment.
"You're a horrible host! You don't care about us at all! You care more about stroking your own ego than giving us anything we'd actually enjoy!"
First of all, Lizzie delivered those lines amazingly, so she deserves her flowers. But also, considering how patient Pomni is shown otherwise, that should make the above moments much more special--if Jax and Caine can provoke the wrath of someone like Pomni, that means that they've definitely screwed up big-time.
And yet between Eps 8 and 9, people bashed on Pomni for calling out Caine, rather than trying to find merit to her argument against him. Which makes the sudden clamoring for "anger issues Pomni" feel super hollow.
Let me say, if you hate Pomni for getting mad at Caine, you don't even deserve an angrier version of her.
An "angrier" Pomni wouldn't just get mad at the likes of Jax or Caine--what if she blew up on someone like Ragatha, Gangle, or Kinger? What if she said something incredibly hurtful, like "no wonder your mother hates you, you're annoying!"
...I seriously can't envision someone like Pomni saying that. That's more of a Jax-esque line. Even if she wouldn't say it maliciously, that would be such a low-blow for Pomni.
Another thing to keep in mind is that when it comes to the idea of characters snapping, it's not always a "reasonable crash out".
Avatar the Last Airbender had Katara coldly shoot down her brother Sokka, who was only trying to stop her from enacting revenge on their mother's killer. "You didn't love her the way I did!" Katara's cruelest moment in the series.
Hazbin Hotel has an especially infamous moment of Charlie Morningstar getting upset at her girlfriend Vaggi and father Lucifer for trying and failing to stop Vox behind her back. There is some nuance to the scene, but it's commonly viewed as Charlie's lowest point thus far.
Also, consider the mixed reception of the "tsundere" archetype; Sometimes, these kinds of characters are too "tsun/harsh" and not enough "dere/sweet", which can make their anger very annoying, maybe even downright abusive.
All things considered, characters with anger issues--whether male or female--aren't always right in their fury.
Point 5: Other characters
Also, it's not like Digital Circus is lacking in characters with implied anger problems.
What about Zooble, an irritable grouch who regularly clashes with both Caine and Jax, and got pissed at Pomni in Ep. 6 (for finishing them off alongside Jax) and 7 (for hesitating at the buttons)?
What about Ragatha, a neurotic wannabe who regularly gets frustrated with Jax throughout the first half of the series and is shown in the epilogue to have a berserker class in a DnD-esque adventure?
What about Caine, who steadily loses his sanity until Ep. 8 over the players' disapproval of him and his adventures and threw five of them into their own personal hells for criticizing him?
Forget Pomni for a moment and think about these three, all of which might as well have had the worst temperament out of the seven main characters.
Of course, in another moment of hypocrisy, only Caine evades criticism for his freakout, while both Zooble and Ragatha got raked over the coals for their respective moments of losing their temper. Misogyny/sexism much, anybody?
Especially in Ragatha's case, what with her having a barbarian class not just in canon, but in a full-cast DnD stream last year, so much can be made from that little tidbit.
Point 6: Pomni is not a bad character
Even if she may lack a bad temper in canon, that doesn't damage the quality of Pomni's character. In fact, from a different perspective, it may seem like patience is one of her stronger qualities. It allowed her to get as close to Jax as she did, gaining an understanding of him beyond her bullying demeanor. Of course, the bunny still pushed her away, but Pomni didn't write her off as a lost cause. She still tried her best to make Jax feel wanted and loved to the end, as was the one to give Jax closure in her final moments.
And outside of her empathy and calmness, Pomni does have her own quirks--she has moments of being anxious and awkward, perhaps best demonstrated in her body and facial language.
Even as she grows throughout the show, Pomni never loses that touch of relatability. She can be snarky and exhausted just as she is kind and patient.
To end with, Goose's original plans for Pomni should not be held against the character. We've spent almost three years worth of episodes watching this silly jester woman adapt to her surroundings and grow as a person, so for us to suddenly do a 180 on her just because of some trivia from the creator is an incredibly petty move. Plus, with how long we've spent with Pomni, it would be jarring if she was made into a more ill-tempered character. Unpopular take incoming, I probably wouldn't even register her as Pomni just because of how much it clashes with her canon character.
If you're that hung-up about "Pomni with anger issues", make some fanfic or create an AU. Don't decry the show for not going in a direction you wanted it to go. And also, take note of the characters who do have their ill-tempered moments in canon--Zooble, Ragatha, and Caine.
And please no bashing on Lizzie Freeman, or you're automatically getting the boot!
She may not be my favorite character, but I love and respect the jester woman.
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