ugh ppl get james so wrong
they either make him this pinkie pie sunshine golden retriever who’s the pinnacle of purity culture or they make him horrendously cruel to everybody and a sex-addicted alpha dom daddy.
james is overall a good, upstanding person. he believes in what’s right. he fights for those who can’t fight for themselves. he’s clever and curious and passionate.
but he’s also mean. he bullies snape because it makes sirius laugh, he does what he wants when he wants without much regard for consequences, and his offhanded remarks can sting.
he’s not a perfect person but he’s also not evil. and the main thing about james that people don’t do right is his devotion.
everyone always makes james so obsessed with his romantic partners but that’s not how james’ devotion is. it’s not obsession. it’s tender, it’s rich, it’s gentle. james isn’t like this with everyone, but he’s clearly kind to those he loves, and the closer he gets to them, the more gentle he becomes. he loves so deeply, but this doesn’t erase or take away from his own personality and nuance. it only ENHANCES these details. he’ll fight tooth and nail for lily even if it means hanging snape upside down for hours. but he also beats himself up when he feels like he lost his temper when somebody didn’t deserve it.
james is his own person. he doesn’t need a romantic partner to be interesting, and his personality shouldn’t be how obsessed he is with his partner, nor how perfect he is, nor how much of a senseless bully he is, and those are the only characterizations of him i tend to see. it pisses me off.
