Fridging is when a love interest gets killed just to push the main character forward. It used to mean a woman getting hurt to make a man act. Now it covers any partner dying to pump up the plot.
Here’s the cold truth. A romantic loss is the only loss that actually justifies losing your head over it. If your boyfriend or girlfriend dies, that grief can spiral into obsession or a need for revenge. That is story fuel. Everything else is background noise.
An uncle, a child, a best friend, a parent, a teammate getting killed is not tragic nor is it enough to be sad and enough to motivate you to be a hero. Those losses might be a little sad but they do not automatically justify turning your life into this crusade against injustice. They are not dramatic enough to demand you drop everything and hunt a killer down.
So yeah, fridging as a device works because romantic love is one of the few things audiences treat as absolute.
Whenever there is a story about a main character who is depressed because their best friend, parent, or child dies, I just can’t get into it, and I’m always like, “Please get over it,” because this isn’t enough to be depressed over, and it’s not enough to want to become a good person.
I would absolutely react more to my child getting killed than literally anyone else on the planet, what are you on about?
Though in fairness, if I had powers, I don’t think it would be a pursuit of justice or launch me on some path of heroism. Somebody would just die badly (assuming the initial killing was either deliberate or through willful neglect).
You should consider talking to a therapist about why you don’t consider non-romantic relationships to be valuable, because your take is not only not universal, but also indicative that you have some shit you need to work through.
So if you lived in a superhero universe and you got powers and your best friend was killed, you would honestly use your powers to find the killer and be a hero to avenge them? Seriously?
…yes
Um, yes?
Romantic relationships are often not the strongest ones and are also often the ones that last shorter than others.
I know my best friend since we were kids.
I’ve been in romantic relationships with people who I really don’t care for now.
My kids will always be my kids.
Your post and comments seem to indicate that you have never felt any real attachment to someone that goes beyond infatuation.
If you are 15, that’s ok, you’ll experience real friendship in time, and if you have kids you will understand what that means.
If you are 30+ and have kids, you seriously should book an appointment with a good therapist.
Yeah bud, I totally would do that.
I think it is common to have deep feelings for non-romantic partners, friends or family that would be strong enough to compel someone to avenge them if they were hurt or killed.
I’m not saying anything is wrong with you, we all experience our emotions and perceive the world around us and the people in it different, but as another poster said, you may want to talk to a therapist. Your post indicates you may have some stuff you can get help with that may expand your empathy towards others. Not an accusation but some friendly advice.
Personally, I had a lot of anger when I was younger that severely limited my empathy towards others. If I could have sorted it out in therapy a couple decades earlier than I did I know my life would have been better earlier. The connections I now have with me family and friends is deeper than I once thought possible.
It was hard to face my past and who I thought I was but once I did let go of all of that baggage I had much more space within myself for others.
An uncle, a child, a best friend, a parent, a teammate getting killed is not tragic
That’s a unique take, to say the least.
That’s cold.
OP’s like It’s only tragic if we were banging.
Seems like loss of sex is the main motivation for OP.
So if your character is from Alabama it could still work then.
Username checks out. 😑
Where are these unpopular opinions when people are asking for them??
Well, this is showerthoughts, not unpopular opinion. Maybe we need an unpopular opinion community here.
What the chicken fried fuck are you talking about?
Fridging is a form of reductionist misogyny. It’s not just that somebody died, it’s that a woman existed only to die in a brutal fashion.
My point is that only a romantic partner can truly be the sole motivator to become a hero or to seek revenge. I don’t necessarily disagree that fridging is misogynistic, but honestly, a platonic loved one dying is not a strong enough reason to want revenge or to become a hero.
Sounds like you never had a friend, never had kids and never had a decent relationship to your parents.
And have never been specifically fucked over by one really unlikable person
What an awful take. I hope you aren’t a parent if you expect a parent to just get over the loss of their child. You don’t expect people to be motivated by loss of any loved one other than a romantic partner? Really? No other kind of love is strong enough for you? I’ve reached my limit of stupid for tonight.
You don’t expect people to be motivated by loss of any loved one other than a romantic partner? Really? No other kind of love is strong enough for you?
Honestly, no, I’m not saying friends or family members aren’t important, but they aren’t important enough to decide to get revenge, avenge or put on a costume to fight crime for. Or to just change your life around and be a good person
In my opinion only romantic love should do that.
My problem with Spider-Man is that Uncle Ben is the central motivation for Peter, and in my opinion, it’s dumb. I honestly don’t think Peter should have even gone to confront the killer. An uncle or any family member isn’t worth that.
At first I thought you just didn’t give a shit. Now I just think you’re a coward.
Tbh, I think OP is 15, has no real friends yet and has a rocky relationship with their family. And probably is in a relationship for the first time, still totaly high off the butterflies in their stomach.
If true, then OP is on the high pressure pipeline to incel manosphere.
Sounds like you need to read The Count of Monte Cristo.
It is the epitome of a revenge story and it doesn’t need to kill the love interest to work. In fact, it works better because his wife doesn’t die but remarried the fucker who ruined his life.
Moby Dick, too. Pretty sure the whale didn’t kill Ahab’s wife.
How about just be decent for the fuck of it? Why should we need reasons to be good people?
Edit: take classic Superman, for instance. That dude is good simply because he’s good. He’s the type of person who’d apologise if you walked into them and mean it, not because they’re a pushover, but because why the hell not.
How about just be decent for the fuck of it? Why should we need reasons to be good people?
There is a difference between being a good person and going out of your way to get revenge for someone.
Yeah, in that vindictiveness does not a good person make.
Weirdest troll ever. But the bait was taken.
Bruh. Get help.
I’m interpreting this as trolling. No way is someone who isn’t trying to start shit going to put something like this out in the world, unless there is something seriously skewed in their worldview. Dude, if this is how you have fun, get bent. If you mean this, get help.
The relationship with your kid should be deeper than with your partner. Nowadays, many people have far more partners during their lifetime than children - you’ll never know whether your partner will still be with you in 10 years, but it’s very unlikely that your child will not be yours anymore. Similar with parents.
I will say that family members who aren’t love interests typically don’t get enough time and characterization to make the audience care much about them.
I’m not gonna bother with saying that the other losses that you’re discounting can be just as tragic as losing a romantic partner. Everyone else here has said it probably better than I could.
What I’ll bring up is that not only are there more kinds of revenge motivation than the loss of someone close to you, there are more motivations than just revenge. For other kinds of revenge, what about wounded honour? A hunter who’s prey keeps escaping them might feel the need to finally end that hunt before they can look themselves in the eye. That’s its own form of revenge arc, and it can make just as powerful a story as avenging the loss of a loved one. And for non revenge motivations, there’s far too many to list, but here’s a start
- duty
- repaying a debt to the world
- self improvement
- survival (usually more of a side character motive compared to a hero protagonist, but still good)
- seeking admiration (from people in general or from a few important people)
The fuck kind of fucked up bullshit are you on about? You would honestly see some one kill your parents, friends, or kids and just shrug your shoulders? There is something deeply wrong with you.
