One last question: how do you pass complex strings to functions in native Python?

In Python, strings are immutable objects. When you pass a string to a function, the function receives a reference to the same string object, not a copy. Because the string cannot be modified in place, any "change" you make inside the function actually creates a new string and rebinds the local variable. For example:

def append_exclamation(s):
    s += '!'  # creates a new string
    return s

original = "hello"
new = append_exclamation(original)
print(original)  # still "hello"
print(new)       # "hello!"

If you need to modify a string-like object in place, use a mutable container such as a list of characters or a bytearray. You can also return the modified string and reassign it at the call site. For very large strings, consider streaming or chunking to avoid high memory usage. In summary, pass the string as an argument; the function will receive a reference, but any modifications will produce a new string unless you use a mutable type.