Funny, a little irreverent, and sarcastic. An ode to Jake the Dog and the sidekick character archetype
I remember when Adventure Time came out; it was so revolutionary, and it was like the show had changed the rules of what cartoons were supposed to feel like. It was radical, and it led with absurdity; the characters and the plots did not follow a traditional storytelling pattern, and they could begin and end without a rational conclusion.
To me, and to many more, this felt like a breath of fresh air. When you've watched too many shows and read too many stories that follow the same strict rules, you start being able to predict where the stories will go, and it all becomes very boring. Thankfully, shows like Adventure Time came to challenge those strict patterns.
Ever since the show came out, I have been attracted to the very unserious yet somehow profoundly wise personality of Jake the Dog, and as I was reflecting on that to write this piece, I realized there is a pattern to what characters I feel mostly identified with in every series or TV show I watch.
Let's see: I love Jake from Adventure Time, Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and I love Kero from Sakura Card Capture. And I've come to realize they represent pretty much the same thing. They don't drive action, and they don't participate in the human world as the protagonist does, yet they have a remarkably deep understanding of every situation that sometimes gets clouded by their tendency to be very theatrical and unserious.
None of them are perfect moral examples like the heroes or main characters often are; they're often very selfish or whimsical, but they're lovable and loyal nonetheless. I love the juxtaposition of great virtues and ugly traits because I feel it makes them very human-like.
Characters like this show us you can be loved just for existing, or for having a memorable personality, and not necessarily for being the sole carrier of a big transformation or journey supposed to save the world or something.
Plus, I believe they are very loyal and loving creatures, without the need to paint them as morally perfect or simply 'good'. Behind all their sarcasm, selfishness, and ridiculous demands, they are great companions who will go with their friends or familiars to the end of the world if that's what they have to do, and I think that's a perfect depiction of what I believe friendship is.
Heroes are defined by their objectives, and companions are defined by their way of existing in the world. Also, sincerely, at this point in life I'd much rather be a companion than a hero, but even more so, what's a hero without a ridiculous, sarcastic companion who complains all the way about how hungry he is, making the hero forget how long the road actually was.
So, for those who are very loving but hide it behind jokes, and whose intelligence has made them not take life too seriously, this meme list is for you!