Didi

The Kane Chronicles

Sadie > Carter.

I love Sadie and Carter is fine ,but one of Rick’s weakest protagonist. When I was reading the series , Sadie came off ,as more likable and Carter is good ,but sometimes I found him so boring. He was supposed to be the smart one ,and one with the of history ,since he spend time with his dad who took him all over the world. But where in the book series. Sadie just took it and made it better. Sadie had getten somewhat smarter and seem smarter too. And yes it is debatable who actually stronger. I feel like she carries the series sometimes. Yes Carter’s backstory is more sympathetic. I mean have no place to call home and have no friends at all. Ha that sounds familiar for some reason cough Leo, cough Annabeth when she was kid and run away , cough Nico and cough Thalia. Rick just did it better with them. Sadie’s isn’t that sad. At least she had friends and a normal upbringing. In that universe she was pretty lucky. And yes I get Carter character development and progression. Stepping out of the shadow of the person that you admirer and find something or someone truly precious and important with all your heart and soul. Plus learning that you don’t have to afraid of becoming a leader. In theory he should be a better character , since Sadie character development and character progression is getting over yourself and becoming more serious. Also somewhat learning that appearances don’t matter. I don’t know about you ,but Carter’s sounds way better. Yet somehow Sadie became a better character in my opinion. But I could be wrong. I would love to hear your opinion.

Okay, so since you piqued my interest with opening a discussion about the Kane kids, lets talk the Kane kids. *rubs hands together*

Who of the two siblings resonates with you the most is completely subjective. I’ve seen some people lean more towards Carter (mostly older siblings, I don’t think this is a coincidence) and others lean towards Sadie as their favorite or the one they find the most compelling of the two protagonists. Both are equally compelling, but for vastly different reasons, and the reason one of them might be compelling to some might be offputting to another.

Since the crux of this conversation seems to be Carter, let’s start with him. Why does he come off as boring to some people? I can’t answer that definitively because I am not one of the people who find him boring, but I certainly can postulate as to why, and this is my answer: because of his upbringing, ironically enough, and how that’s shaped him to the core as a character.

Carter Kane is repressed as hell. Ever since he was around 8-10 years old he’s had to be the “rock” for other people. He felt like he had to be that for his father after his mother died and Sadie was taken away, since he was aware that he was all his dad had left. After that, he had to be Sadie’s rock as her older brother. After that, he was one of the leaders of the 21st Nome, in charge of a bunch of younger children. And after that, he was made pharaoh of the entire House of Life. All of these relationships have people depending on Carter, or him feeling like he’s being depended upon, which is a lot of pressure for any one kid to have to consistently shoulder in a row. The only relationship here that is somewhat balanced to ease Carter’s burden is his relationship with Sadie, because she supports him as his sister and isn’t so young that she can’t act as his peer when he needs it. But most of the time, Carter is not free to express his anger, frustration, or sadness because he’s so used to being the one people depend on. He’s not comparable to characters like Thalia, Nico, Leo, and Annabeth because those characters either had a fellow peer to depend on in kind (Thalia with Luke) or were depending on others/alone (Nico, Leo, Annabeth).

This is only further exacerbated by racism, and how his dad taught him to deal with it. In that, Carter was taught to watch everything he does from a young age, all the way down to how he dresses. As a biracial kid who looks most like his African American father, he has to be impeccable to have some semblance of control in how he is perceived, especially by white people. Carter cannot afford for them to have something to use against him, so he has to essentially step back and take a second before doing anything in his life. At the point where we meet him as readers, it’s so ingrained into his personality that it’s easily one of his core character traits and affects everything he does. He never gets the chance to relax and even test expressing himself until the end of The Red Pyramid, where he stops dressing in such formal clothing.

While this is one of the major reasons he is compelling as his own character, it could be one of the reasons some find him “boring”, especially if the core reason of why he’s like this doesn’t interest you. He can come off as dry and stiff, especially compared to his sister, and his sense of humor crops up less often and more subtly than hers. The latter point is a bit of a disadvantage for him since TKC and PJO share a lot of their fanbase, so newcoming fans to TKC often have the tone of RR’s main characters set by Percy whose trademark is his snark. Carter is far lighter in his snark, which can be offputting to some new readers.

Does this make him a weaker character or a weak protagonist? No. He’s just more noticeably a change of pace than the common trend of RR’s POV characters, which is not a bad thing. Personally, Carter for me is highly comforting as a character. But let’s move on to Sadie very briefly. Sadie is not necessarily smarter than Carter, she’s just more comfortable with thinking on her feet which happens to be better suited for battles. Carter’s more book smart and better at drawing from his preexisting knowledge. As for who is stronger... well it depends on “stronger” in what exactly, since that could easily tip the answer either way. Neither one of them is intended to be objectively “better” than the other, on the contrary, Carter and Sadie are at their best when they’re together. Point being, I can potentially see why you found Carter boring even if I don’t agree that he is. However, I cannot agree that it makes him a weaker protagonist, he’s a perfectly strong, solid character on his own. But at the same time, like with every character, that doesn’t mean he appeals to everyone which is okay.

No one asked but I will give my opinion because I feel like it and because I rarely see TKC discourse.

A thing I noticed in general is that people tend to love the extrovert, blatantly sassy, characters who act "badass" or make funny jokes.

Most times the characters that aren't real loved are the introvert ones, the one who prioritize everyone over them, who always act responsible and rarely get mad, the ones who will try to make everyone happy and feel like a failure if they don't success.

The reason usually people hate this kind of characters (or at least that's what they said) is that "they aren't realistic" "they are too perfect"

Because they are selfless, success at everything and are always there for everyone, and people say that irl no one is so perfect.

As an older sibling you called me out on the Carter one lol

But jokes apart, people tend to love the characters they relate to, and it's not easy to relate to characters like Carter if you're not an older sibling /mom friend /responsible kid.

They don't understand the feeling of wanting to BE always perfect, feeling like you need to help everyone and feeling guilty if you can't manage to.

So yeah, in general only people who are like this can find appealing and interesting these characters, because it feels very realistic to them.

@the-kiwi-is-not-a-pewee

Yo thanks for you point. I appreciate it. I see what you mean. When you brought up the point of in how he perceived himself, and other people too. That kind off remind me, of when he was playing basketball with Khufu and his friends. And when he made fool of himself to prove that he’s the true son of Julius Kane and, felt that he was not good enough. So he fake like things that his dad loved. And try to the children that he thought his father always wanted. But in the end he realize with the help with his sister. Is that it okay to be your self you don’t have to pretend. Don’t get wrong me. Stay like Sadie more ,but I see him a better light.

sksksk don’t worry I wasn’t tryna change your mind in that regard, you’re entitled to like a character over another just because they vibe with you better. I was just trying to help shed some light on him and his characterization, glad I could help with that.

Thanks for the feedback.

@liperbicons

I can also, you are hear where coming too. I have a similar relationship with one of my family members like Carter and Sadie have. I mean that I never could see them that often them too. I was the older one too. And love characters that are somewhat realistic or realistic. I never try to be perfect , because I’m self-aware of my personality and character. I’m far from being perfect .Maybe have when I try to be perfect once when I was kid. But as a teenager never try that . So I’ve been in his shoes ,yet I like him less than Sadie . I’ve been a role model, when there was younger kids around me it’s harder ,but I could just can’t really relate to him. For some reason. And yet I stay like him. So I can see what people like Carter ,but I just appreciate Sadie more.

oh sorry if it seemed like I was forcing you to like Carter, I didn't want it to come out in that way. I was talking in general about people, and sometimes when I talk about a character I like I get too passionate, especially when I kin them. I also love Sadie tho, you are totally valid.

#the kane chronicles #Sadie Kane #carter kane #rick riordan

@Liperbicons

Sorry if I came off as being to forceful and defensive. I didn’t mean to be like that . I just like both characters and I happy you like them too. And I was trying to validate and justify my reasons. Yet again I’m sorry.

The Kane Chronicles

Sadie > Carter.

I love Sadie and Carter is fine ,but one of Rick’s weakest protagonist. When I was reading the series , Sadie came off ,as more likable and Carter is good ,but sometimes I found him so boring. He was supposed to be the smart one ,and one with the of history ,since he spend time with his dad who took him all over the world. But where in the book series. Sadie just took it and made it better. Sadie had getten somewhat smarter and seem smarter too. And yes it is debatable who actually stronger. I feel like she carries the series sometimes. Yes Carter’s backstory is more sympathetic. I mean have no place to call home and have no friends at all. Ha that sounds familiar for some reason cough Leo, cough Annabeth when she was kid and run away , cough Nico and cough Thalia. Rick just did it better with them. Sadie’s isn’t that sad. At least she had friends and a normal upbringing. In that universe she was pretty lucky. And yes I get Carter character development and progression. Stepping out of the shadow of the person that you admirer and find something or someone truly precious and important with all your heart and soul. Plus learning that you don’t have to afraid of becoming a leader. In theory he should be a better character , since Sadie character development and character progression is getting over yourself and becoming more serious. Also somewhat learning that appearances don’t matter. I don’t know about you ,but Carter’s sounds way better. Yet somehow Sadie became a better character in my opinion. But I could be wrong. I would love to hear your opinion.

Okay, so since you piqued my interest with opening a discussion about the Kane kids, lets talk the Kane kids. *rubs hands together*

Who of the two siblings resonates with you the most is completely subjective. I’ve seen some people lean more towards Carter (mostly older siblings, I don’t think this is a coincidence) and others lean towards Sadie as their favorite or the one they find the most compelling of the two protagonists. Both are equally compelling, but for vastly different reasons, and the reason one of them might be compelling to some might be offputting to another.

Since the crux of this conversation seems to be Carter, let’s start with him. Why does he come off as boring to some people? I can’t answer that definitively because I am not one of the people who find him boring, but I certainly can postulate as to why, and this is my answer: because of his upbringing, ironically enough, and how that’s shaped him to the core as a character.

Carter Kane is repressed as hell. Ever since he was around 8-10 years old he’s had to be the “rock” for other people. He felt like he had to be that for his father after his mother died and Sadie was taken away, since he was aware that he was all his dad had left. After that, he had to be Sadie’s rock as her older brother. After that, he was one of the leaders of the 21st Nome, in charge of a bunch of younger children. And after that, he was made pharaoh of the entire House of Life. All of these relationships have people depending on Carter, or him feeling like he’s being depended upon, which is a lot of pressure for any one kid to have to consistently shoulder in a row. The only relationship here that is somewhat balanced to ease Carter’s burden is his relationship with Sadie, because she supports him as his sister and isn’t so young that she can’t act as his peer when he needs it. But most of the time, Carter is not free to express his anger, frustration, or sadness because he’s so used to being the one people depend on. He’s not comparable to characters like Thalia, Nico, Leo, and Annabeth because those characters either had a fellow peer to depend on in kind (Thalia with Luke) or were depending on others/alone (Nico, Leo, Annabeth).

This is only further exacerbated by racism, and how his dad taught him to deal with it. In that, Carter was taught to watch everything he does from a young age, all the way down to how he dresses. As a biracial kid who looks most like his African American father, he has to be impeccable to have some semblance of control in how he is perceived, especially by white people. Carter cannot afford for them to have something to use against him, so he has to essentially step back and take a second before doing anything in his life. At the point where we meet him as readers, it’s so ingrained into his personality that it’s easily one of his core character traits and affects everything he does. He never gets the chance to relax and even test expressing himself until the end of The Red Pyramid, where he stops dressing in such formal clothing.

While this is one of the major reasons he is compelling as his own character, it could be one of the reasons some find him “boring”, especially if the core reason of why he’s like this doesn’t interest you. He can come off as dry and stiff, especially compared to his sister, and his sense of humor crops up less often and more subtly than hers. The latter point is a bit of a disadvantage for him since TKC and PJO share a lot of their fanbase, so newcoming fans to TKC often have the tone of RR’s main characters set by Percy whose trademark is his snark. Carter is far lighter in his snark, which can be offputting to some new readers.

Does this make him a weaker character or a weak protagonist? No. He’s just more noticeably a change of pace than the common trend of RR’s POV characters, which is not a bad thing. Personally, Carter for me is highly comforting as a character. But let’s move on to Sadie very briefly. Sadie is not necessarily smarter than Carter, she’s just more comfortable with thinking on her feet which happens to be better suited for battles. Carter’s more book smart and better at drawing from his preexisting knowledge. As for who is stronger... well it depends on “stronger” in what exactly, since that could easily tip the answer either way. Neither one of them is intended to be objectively “better” than the other, on the contrary, Carter and Sadie are at their best when they’re together. Point being, I can potentially see why you found Carter boring even if I don’t agree that he is. However, I cannot agree that it makes him a weaker protagonist, he’s a perfectly strong, solid character on his own. But at the same time, like with every character, that doesn’t mean he appeals to everyone which is okay.

No one asked but I will give my opinion because I feel like it and because I rarely see TKC discourse.

A thing I noticed in general is that people tend to love the extrovert, blatantly sassy, characters who act "badass" or make funny jokes.

Most times the characters that aren't real loved are the introvert ones, the one who prioritize everyone over them, who always act responsible and rarely get mad, the ones who will try to make everyone happy and feel like a failure if they don't success.

The reason usually people hate this kind of characters (or at least that's what they said) is that "they aren't realistic" "they are too perfect"

Because they are selfless, success at everything and are always there for everyone, and people say that irl no one is so perfect.

As an older sibling you called me out on the Carter one lol

But jokes apart, people tend to love the characters they relate to, and it's not easy to relate to characters like Carter if you're not an older sibling /mom friend /responsible kid.

They don't understand the feeling of wanting to BE always perfect, feeling like you need to help everyone and feeling guilty if you can't manage to.

So yeah, in general only people who are like this can find appealing and interesting these characters, because it feels very realistic to them.

@the-kiwi-is-not-a-pewee

Yo thanks for you point. I appreciate it. I see what you mean. When you brought up the point of in how he perceived himself, and other people too. That kind off remind me, of when he was playing basketball with Khufu and his friends. And when he made fool of himself to prove that he’s the true son of Julius Kane and, felt that he was not good enough. So he fake like things that his dad loved. And try to the children that he thought his father always wanted. But in the end he realize with the help with his sister. Is that it okay to be your self you don’t have to pretend. Don’t get wrong me. Stay like Sadie more ,but I see him a better light.

sksksk don’t worry I wasn’t tryna change your mind in that regard, you’re entitled to like a character over another just because they vibe with you better. I was just trying to help shed some light on him and his characterization, glad I could help with that.

#the kane chronicles #Sadie Kane #carter kane #rick riordan

Thanks for the feedback.

@liperbicons

I can also, you are hear where coming too. I have a similar relationship with one of my family members like Carter and Sadie have. I mean that I never could see them that often them too. I was the older one too. And love characters that are somewhat realistic or realistic. I never try to be perfect , because I’m self-aware of my personality and character. I’m far from being perfect .Maybe have when I try to be perfect once when I was kid. But as a teenager never try that . So I’ve been in his shoes ,yet I like him less than Sadie . I’ve been a role model, when there was younger kids around me it’s harder ,but I could just can’t really relate to him. For some reason. And yet I stay like him. So I can see what people like Carter ,but I just appreciate Sadie more.

The Kane Chronicles

Sadie > Carter.

I love Sadie and Carter is fine ,but one of Rick’s weakest protagonist. When I was reading the series , Sadie came off ,as more likable and Carter is good ,but sometimes I found him so boring. He was supposed to be the smart one ,and one with the of history ,since he spend time with his dad who took him all over the world. But where in the book series. Sadie just took it and made it better. Sadie had getten somewhat smarter and seem smarter too. And yes it is debatable who actually stronger. I feel like she carries the series sometimes. Yes Carter’s backstory is more sympathetic. I mean have no place to call home and have no friends at all. Ha that sounds familiar for some reason cough Leo, cough Annabeth when she was kid and run away , cough Nico and cough Thalia. Rick just did it better with them. Sadie’s isn’t that sad. At least she had friends and a normal upbringing. In that universe she was pretty lucky. And yes I get Carter character development and progression. Stepping out of the shadow of the person that you admirer and find something or someone truly precious and important with all your heart and soul. Plus learning that you don’t have to afraid of becoming a leader. In theory he should be a better character , since Sadie character development and character progression is getting over yourself and becoming more serious. Also somewhat learning that appearances don’t matter. I don’t know about you ,but Carter’s sounds way better. Yet somehow Sadie became a better character in my opinion. But I could be wrong. I would love to hear your opinion.

Okay, so since you piqued my interest with opening a discussion about the Kane kids, lets talk the Kane kids. *rubs hands together*

Who of the two siblings resonates with you the most is completely subjective. I’ve seen some people lean more towards Carter (mostly older siblings, I don’t think this is a coincidence) and others lean towards Sadie as their favorite or the one they find the most compelling of the two protagonists. Both are equally compelling, but for vastly different reasons, and the reason one of them might be compelling to some might be offputting to another.

Since the crux of this conversation seems to be Carter, let’s start with him. Why does he come off as boring to some people? I can’t answer that definitively because I am not one of the people who find him boring, but I certainly can postulate as to why, and this is my answer: because of his upbringing, ironically enough, and how that’s shaped him to the core as a character.

Carter Kane is repressed as hell. Ever since he was around 8-10 years old he’s had to be the “rock” for other people. He felt like he had to be that for his father after his mother died and Sadie was taken away, since he was aware that he was all his dad had left. After that, he had to be Sadie’s rock as her older brother. After that, he was one of the leaders of the 21st Nome, in charge of a bunch of younger children. And after that, he was made pharaoh of the entire House of Life. All of these relationships have people depending on Carter, or him feeling like he’s being depended upon, which is a lot of pressure for any one kid to have to consistently shoulder in a row. The only relationship here that is somewhat balanced to ease Carter’s burden is his relationship with Sadie, because she supports him as his sister and isn’t so young that she can’t act as his peer when he needs it. But most of the time, Carter is not free to express his anger, frustration, or sadness because he’s so used to being the one people depend on. He’s not comparable to characters like Thalia, Nico, Leo, and Annabeth because those characters either had a fellow peer to depend on in kind (Thalia with Luke) or were depending on others/alone (Nico, Leo, Annabeth).

This is only further exacerbated by racism, and how his dad taught him to deal with it. In that, Carter was taught to watch everything he does from a young age, all the way down to how he dresses. As a biracial kid who looks most like his African American father, he has to be impeccable to have some semblance of control in how he is perceived, especially by white people. Carter cannot afford for them to have something to use against him, so he has to essentially step back and take a second before doing anything in his life. At the point where we meet him as readers, it’s so ingrained into his personality that it’s easily one of his core character traits and affects everything he does. He never gets the chance to relax and even test expressing himself until the end of The Red Pyramid, where he stops dressing in such formal clothing.

While this is one of the major reasons he is compelling as his own character, it could be one of the reasons some find him “boring”, especially if the core reason of why he’s like this doesn’t interest you. He can come off as dry and stiff, especially compared to his sister, and his sense of humor crops up less often and more subtly than hers. The latter point is a bit of a disadvantage for him since TKC and PJO share a lot of their fanbase, so newcoming fans to TKC often have the tone of RR’s main characters set by Percy whose trademark is his snark. Carter is far lighter in his snark, which can be offputting to some new readers.

Does this make him a weaker character or a weak protagonist? No. He’s just more noticeably a change of pace than the common trend of RR’s POV characters, which is not a bad thing. Personally, Carter for me is highly comforting as a character. But let’s move on to Sadie very briefly. Sadie is not necessarily smarter than Carter, she’s just more comfortable with thinking on her feet which happens to be better suited for battles. Carter’s more book smart and better at drawing from his preexisting knowledge. As for who is stronger... well it depends on “stronger” in what exactly, since that could easily tip the answer either way. Neither one of them is intended to be objectively “better” than the other, on the contrary, Carter and Sadie are at their best when they’re together. Point being, I can potentially see why you found Carter boring even if I don’t agree that he is. However, I cannot agree that it makes him a weaker protagonist, he’s a perfectly strong, solid character on his own. But at the same time, like with every character, that doesn’t mean he appeals to everyone which is okay.

No one asked but I will give my opinion because I feel like it and because I rarely see TKC discourse.

A thing I noticed in general is that people tend to love the extrovert, blatantly sassy, characters who act "badass" or make funny jokes.

Most times the characters that aren't real loved are the introvert ones, the one who prioritize everyone over them, who always act responsible and rarely get mad, the ones who will try to make everyone happy and feel like a failure if they don't success.

The reason usually people hate this kind of characters (or at least that's what they said) is that "they aren't realistic" "they are too perfect"

Because they are selfless, success at everything and are always there for everyone, and people say that irl no one is so perfect.

As an older sibling you called me out on the Carter one lol

But jokes apart, people tend to love the characters they relate to, and it's not easy to relate to characters like Carter if you're not an older sibling /mom friend /responsible kid.

They don't understand the feeling of wanting to BE always perfect, feeling like you need to help everyone and feeling guilty if you can't manage to.

So yeah, in general only people who are like this can find appealing and interesting these characters, because it feels very realistic to them.