Rambling Some Thoughts about Portia Chip (pronounced like Tortilla Chip)
I never really formed an opinion on Portia. I thought she was fine I guess, but nothing about her really clicked with me like it did for the other characters. She was kinda just this sad, angsty little woobie character with a traumatic backstory and lore, and her flaws were often sanded down a lot or ignored in favor of “what a sad girl she is” and “everyone is so mean to her” (nothin' wrong with that, just kinda made her boring to me). On toppa that, a Dogwater experience with a chunk of the fandom left me feeling real negative about her for a long time by association, which sucked, coz I really wanted to figure out and sort my thoughts about her. But after a while, I’m BACK baby. I realized that everyone who tells me to *shut up* can’t really stop me haha, so who cares?! I’m FREEEEEEEEE!!!
So with that, I went back and looked at her character, really took in and processed her dialogue after all this time, and holy SHIT, I get it now. I really like Portia as a character, but not for the reason most probably would. In all honesty, she’s such a weird little FREAK
What do you mean “I think Quincy’s mind was poisoned by his butler and now he tries to avoid me”?! What do you mean after multiple people INCLUDING QUINCY told you to stop you’re still following him? She’s sick a kooky little oodelally and I’m so glad for that.
The most fascinating bit is that we don’t even know *why* she' does it's enraptured by Quincy. Does she have a crush on him, Marinette Dupain-Cheng style? Or is she fascinated with him, kinda like Norma with Pauline from Paranormal Park? Do her strong emotions stem from her sad and abusive life, or is she just that much of a Deredere? What about this close-hearted goober fascinates her so much, so much to the point that she risks harsh punishment?? You can’t argue she was never taught any better, she’s been told not to at least TWICE now (even having her team confiscated because of it and having to promise Teneson she wouldn’t stalk Quincy again). You could argue she’s lonely, which definitely tracks a little, but she also refers to people she’s never met before as “Quincy’s friends” or how they relate to Quincy. Even then, there’s no real other way to explain her pure happiness when Quincy asks for her help *scheduling a meeting*. No other moment has Portia been happier than Quincy asking her for help, she’s so infatuated by him it’s insane.
It’s so interesting that Wish has taken such a recognizable trope, the Childhood Friend obsessed with a boy, and given her an interesting backstory and other interesting things going on on top of that. Plus, there’s *so* many directions her obsession could go in! I vented a while ago about the possibility of a Love Triangle between her, Suzie, and Quincy, but honestly it would be really interesting to explore Portia’s feelings on that. How does she react when the object of her admiration falls for someone else? Does Suzie get absorbed into the obsession, with Portia becoming fascinated with her too by proxy? Or does she have to grapple with the feelings that come with an unrequited love? How does she respond to that kinda emotional tragedy, and how does it reflect her reactions to previous traumatic events? How has the ability to teleport warped both her and her stepfather’s perceptions when it comes to boundaries, personal space, and the people you care about? The parallels between Riffraff and Portia both stalking the people they care about go crazy bruh, are they both scared to let others go? Or has the power of teleportation, the ability to go wherever they want, gone to their heads?
Honestly I wish more people talked about this aspect of Portia (though I understand something like that is probably hard to convey or draw). Because in a series of interesting characters and stories, Portia being this quirky, obsessive goober is such a unique breath of fresh air, like a pinch of strong Cilantro after a week of Apple Juice and Toast. I hope this trait isn’t forgotten about or tossed aside amidst all the angst and drama in Ambasa, and at some point Portia gets to move on or get some kind of closure with Quincy.
