#literally the only media i've ever accepted this dynamic is arcane and supernatural

[renrooked]

i need to get this off my chest otherwise i'll explode but i am so unbelievably tired of the "older sibling who takes care of everyone" narrative

give me more youngest siblings who fill the oldest sibling stereotype, youngest siblings who mediate, who take care of everyone, who are reserved and more oldest siblings who are actively independent, who aren’t caretakers, who are stubborn, who are "the trouble makers"

every time i’m introduced to an eldest sibling and expected to respect them because the writer thinks it’s assumed that by making them the older sibling they were a selfless mini-adult who was forced to grow up in the family (and no one else) it takes so many years off my life

not every oldest sibling is going to be a parent figure with a sense of duty

not every oldest sibling shows they care openly/communicates well

not every oldest sibling is easy going

you can write well liked and relatable eldest siblings without making them a wise mini-adult

and their problems and struggles can extend past the side effects of being an oldest/older sibling

also, you can create a character that knows the burden of having to take care of someone without having to make them an older sibling at all!

and you can create younger siblings who aren’t selfish and sporadic. i promise, not every younger sibling is chaotic and causes a scene in order for their needs to be tended to

you can create a character that has the flaw of being brash and codependent without making them the youngest

not all younger siblings are wild and reckless

not all younger siblings are spoiled by their parents/put on pedestals

not all younger siblings are attention seeking

you can write flawed younger siblings without making them forever-children

personally my older sister never filled the whole “i’m meant to take care of you” role. she actively made it clear she didn’t want me around well into adulthood, and would often actively ignore any time i was hurt or upset to make a point for me not to bother her

and she near constantly got into arguments when we were younger that i had to mediate (mind you, she's 6 years older than me) and would make a habit of smacking me on the arm out of annoyance/frustration if i was doing something she didn't like

so sorry, but i just find it lazy a lot of the time when entire personalities are implied of "older sibling so obviously wise second parent and younger sibling so obviously messy selfish baby" and i don't think people realize how absolutely constant this dynamic is implied as an inherent fact in media

anyway, this is all probably doing nothing more than just revealing deep rooted familial trauma but i'm tired of being expected to just believe your oldest is the genuine kind hearted caretaker and youngest is the loose cannon, show me!

make me believe that it’s a natural progression of their personalities! why did the oldest decide to take on that role rather than reject it! what about their situation made the youngest feel the need to be so rebellious!