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lesbianrobin · 1 year

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Seeing as it's Black History Month, I'm gonna take a break from your regularly scheduled girlblogging to be a film nerd and beg every single person reading this post to go and watch Within Our Gates (1920).

Within Our Gates is a feature-length silent film written and directed by black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux and it is a miracle that we have it today. The film was believed to be lost for years until a SINGLE surviving print was found in Spain, translated back into English, and recut to match the original as closely as possible. (This is actually not uncommon in the realm of old film a lot of lost films get found in random closets but ANYWAY.) The film tells the story of Sylvia, a southern schoolteacher who travels up north to raise money to keep her school open. It explores how her life and family have been affected by racism, abuse, and sexual violence, as she falls in love, works to save her school, and grapples with her place as a black woman in the antebellum south. If that's not enough to get you interested, the film is also kinda batshit. There are shootouts! Affairs! Someone gets hit by a car! It's wild and dramatic and incredibly engaging.

You've heard of Birth of a Nation, right? Maybe you've even seen it. That insanely racist piece of film history premiered in 1915. Oftentimes people will defend D.W. Griffith and the film itself as being "a product of its time." Well, Within Our Gates premiered in 1920, and it is a product of its time. It depicts white mob violence against black Americans, and how that violence destroys innocent lives and rips families apart. It is written and directed by a black man. All of its lead actors are black. It is an absolutely heart-wrenching, moving, and intelligent film, produced on a shoestring budget, that explores what it meant not only to be a black American in 1920, but what it meant to be a black woman. Different characters have different approaches to coping with racism and strategies for protecting themselves. It's complicated, and upsetting, and one of the most impactful films I've ever seen.

If you can spare an hour and twenty minutes, if you happen to have access to the film through a streaming service (in addition to being FREE ON YOUTUBE, I believe it's on Amazon Prime, Paramount+, MGM+, and some Hulu plans) or an institution (you may have access to Kanopy or a similar platform via your local library or university), it's worth a watch. Play whatever music you want in the background if your version doesn't have any added! Even if you can't watch it for whatever reason, I'd encourage all of you to look into Oscar Micheaux and the history of "race films," films created outside of the Hollywood studio system by and for black Americans.

Don't buy into the false narrative that the only black representation in historical film was minstrelsy and Griffith-style garbage.

#em talks #history #film history #black history #i hope it's like ok for me to make this post as a white lady i'm just very passionate ab film history #and within our gates is an incredible film that deserves so much more noteriety than it has #i feel like people try to act like The Past was uniformly racist and that's just how things were #when the reality is that just like today people fought for their rights and made art and debated different philosophies of liberation #oh also the film can be very disturbing like many many trigger warnings for various forms of violence and assault #but that's part of what makes it so meaningful the fact that it does not shy away from reality yknow #and for 1920... god it's just so so good

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hoyatype · 11 months

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Discipline is not a lack of freedom, it is a harmonious relationship with time. Managing your schedule and daily habits well is a necessary component to free up the practical and creative capacity to make great art.

rick rubin, the creative act

#i’ll settle for making mediocre or even bad art tbh!#love to discipline the self in service of some meaningful project #i’ve also been thinking about what a trusting relationship with the passage of time looks like #and for me it’s treating each day with great seriousness and reverence so that all the days of my life add up to something i’m proud of #quotes #the creative act

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restlesshush · 5 months

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I do think that while overemphasis on the idea of Jack as a child (/refusal to engage with any other aspects of him as a character) is a significant factor in widespread failure to take him seriously, it is also not possible to have a complete picture of him without taking into account that he is a kid. Obviously his experiences are harrowing regardless, but the way he navigates them and his responds to them are inextricable from the fact he is very young, vulnerable and inexperienced.

While the show doesn’t have a clear answer as to exactly what human age Jack should be treated as corresponding to, but it does consistently use “kid” terminology around him, so I think it’s reasonable to treat this designation as meaningful even while still nebulous. We know he has the cognitive capacity presumably roughly equivalent to a human teenager, allowing him to participate in hunts etc, while also having a significant dearth of experience compared to humans of his physical age, so I think it’s fair to handle him as an extremely vulnerable young adult at most, for which “kid” is a reasonable shorthand. There is a significant emotional/psychological/maturity power imbalance between him and all of the adults he’s regularly interacting with, and a failure to take that into account makes things look very different.

This is especially interesting to me in the context of his relationships with tfw: the treatment he receives from them is specifically treatment he is processing through the lens of coming from his caregiver/parental figures. Obviously Dean’s treatment of him would be bad regardless, but the way that Jack responds to this with persistent approval seeking in the face of cruelty, and unquestioning forgiveness are not the responses of an adult to someone they’re on anything resembling an equal footing with. Him not holding anything against Dean long term shouldn’t be seen as the responses of a mature individual, and the ways in which it impacts him long term need to be seen in that light also.

Similarly, this does position him as someone in need to protection: not to imply he has no agency at all in his situation, but he is not equipped to recognise mistreatment and remove himself from situations where appropriate, or indeed just to see where too much is being asked of him and push back against that in any way. The responsibilities that he’s subjected to should be seen as a tragedy rather than a sign of maturity. A tragedy very much in keeping with the rest of the show, including how the other characters would behave, but still a tragedy first and foremost.

A lot of the failure in fandom to take Jack seriously as a character essentially boils down to not really engaging with him as being affected by the things that happened to him. Reducing him to a child and then ignoring everything else is the most common way that this happens, but ignoring the significance of the fact that he is a child can very much play into this also. He is very damaged by what happens to him during the show, and his extreme youth and emotional vulnerability are very important factors in how that plays out.

#idk you just lose a lot if you're going to act like 'adult' in an unqualified sense is a meaningful designation to apply to him #the way he interfaces with everything around him (including his refusal to be seen as a child!)#is steeped in the fact that he's a very young person in that situation #jack kline #spn meta #spn #worded thoughts

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grantwilsonenjoyer · 2 months

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why did i just see someone complaining abt ppl headcanoning dndads characters being neurodivergent. And technically they only mentioned ocd and autism specifically. But i suspect it is not just those (although ppl Were also talking about adhd and they didnt seem to have any problem with that! Hm. Wonder Why!)

dog consider that this is a Nonissue. "But but 😭. why are you talking about this in context of a dnd podcast and making them seem like fun character quirks" my brother in christ they literally said they relate to this character and ALSO have that so u KNOW why + even if they didnt it doesnt MATTER as long as they r not being weird abt it

As long as people are respectful (and the ppl theyre referring to Were!) there is quite literally nothing wrong with saying "hey i have xyz disorder and this character shows traits and has relationships that strongly imitate xyz disorder". OR EVEN "hey this character who has been through this traumatic thing probavly has xyz trauma related disorder." Or perhaps "Hey this character meets the criteria for/shows symptoms of xyz and interpreting them as such is a way to explore their character in a new light"

I would argue in fact that it is an issue to say "you arent allowed to talk about any of these in reference to characters because it's making a joke of them" or whatever. Dude people with ocd Exist. And.! people with literally anything else!. it is absurd to imply that mental illnesses/disorders cannot be considered and explored when interpreting stories. Like that is ridiculous

#dndads #dungeons and daddies #AND ALSOOO not to mention!#the players have literally brought up autism hcs. they support people making them. who CARES #+ the literal podcast is about generational trauma what do u mean they are making light of issues #if you only listen to the pod as fun background noise that is Fine but do not act like it can't have meaningful interpretations 😭#idk . even in media that's not particularly “serious” u can still have these hcs. its like saying u cant make gay or trans hcs #like i do hate to break it to u but those people just Exist . it is bot absurd to say that they may Also exist in a piece of media #we need critical thinking skills BACK

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puhpandas · 8 months

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Stuck in the Loop

(2,764 words)

(Gregory convinces Evan to go on the biggest, scariest roller coaster in Hurricane. It goes just about how'd you expect.)

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"With sprinkles on top?"

"No!" Evan insists.

"Oh, come on!" Gregory deflates, running in front of Evan when he tries to get away from Gregory and getting in his face. "Go on the Red Death with me!"

Evan rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "No, Gregory. It's literally called the Red Death! Theres absolutely nothing you could do to make me get on that death trap!"

Not only does the name do nothing to make Evan want to get on it, but it's the scariest looking coaster in the park. Evan doesnt like coasters, or even rides in general, but when Gregory had heard about the complete lack of rides Evan had gotten on an at amusement park, he hadn't stopped bugging him about it.

But Vanessa is off somewhere with Freddy, probably getting snacks, and Evan is left to Gregory's pestering alone.

"But doesnt the name sound cool?" Gregory asks, grinning. "They say a kid who got on it got his brain turned to mush because it went so fast and that's why they called it the Red Death."

Evan quirks a brow, finally stopping in his tracks so Gregory doesn't have to chase him anymore. "Wh-- what does that even have to do with the name though?"

"Um, because it was red and bloody and the kid died?" Gregory says like its obvious, shrugging at him.

"And that's what's supposed to make me want to get on it?"

Gregory sweatdrops, looking to the side. "Uh, well--"

"No thanks." Evan says, briskly walking past Gregory and gripping his cotton candy. "I dont really want to die on a roller coaster today. Much less to a head injury."

"Oh, come on!" Gregory whines, chasing behind Evan and gripping his bag. He has to yell over the sound of a coaster when Evan's walking caused them to get too close to it. "It'll be fun! I promise!"

"Not for me!" Evan yells. "I hate roller coasters!"

And its true. Last time Evan had gotten on a roller coaster, it had been a few years back, and it was because his parents hadn't cared enough to sit with him while Michael got on one of the big, scary coasters, with loopety loops and straight vertical drops, but he couldnt be left alone. So when he was forced to get on the coaster with Michael, he had thrown up all over his older brother.

That wasnt a fun day for Evan.

"I'm plenty content just looking at the sights and pretty lights." Evan says. "Better than getting a headache all day."

"Okay, look." Gregory starts, holding out his hands, and Evan knows this means hes going to offer a deal that isnt really fair enough to be considered a deal. "How about this."

Evan sighs. "Oh, boy."

"Hear me out!" Gregory insists with placating hands. "You go on the Red Death with me," Gregory begins, pointing at Evan, and then himself. "and I wont bug you about a ride again all day."

To Evan's surprise, Gregory's proposal actually gets his attention. "Really?" He asks with wide eyes.

Gregory grins. "Yep!" he says. "This one coaster, and I wont even mention the Ferris Wheel."

That causes Evan to perk up. The Ferris Wheel is the bane of his existence. Not since he'd gotten on one as a younger kid and been stuck at the top for what felt like hours, scared out of his mind of the heights with his Father of all people. Michael would tease him, but his Father had barely a drop of humor in his body, and everything he'd said about Evan's fear was cold, harsh, and brutal.

Now Evan likes the blinking and flashing neon lights, that are always present on the Ferris Wheel, and always spottable from anywhere in the park. Especially when it gets dark and they shine all pretty like. But he's only been able to enjoy those from the ground, never on a high enough coaster with his eyes open and not squeezed shut with fear of plummeting down a two hundred foot drop, so it's not enough to stave off his hatred for the ride.

"Not once? Wont try to force me on it?" Evan ventures.

Gregory almost looks offended. "I would never force you on a ride. What do you take me for, a monster?" He furrows his brows, then holds out his hand to shake. "No mention of the wheel, or any other rides you dont want, and I'll buy you a funnel cake."

Evan's eyes sparkle, and he grasps Gregory's hand and shakes it at the promise of a funnel cake. "Deal."

Gregory grins almost as bright as the flashing lights at the prize games, and Evan doesnt actually realize what he agreed to until they're standing in line, and he can see just how far the Red Death travels high into the sky.

Evan feels queasy as the line moves forward, and the sight of the straight down vertical drop and loopity loops vanish from sight after entering the boarding area. "Oh, no..."

Gregory just claps him on the shoulder, and smiles. "Exciting, huh?"

Evan shakes his head and trembles as he watches a group in front of them be sent off on the coaster. "If you call feeling like you're gonna throw up exciting."

"Itll be fun." Gregory insists, but then meets Evan's eyes and gets serious, voice hushed over the excited chatter of the guests they share the line with. "Hey, you get on this coaster with me and dont like it, I wont ask you to get on another one, okay?"

Evan furrows his brows. "I thought that was already the deal."

"I mean it, though. Seriously." Gregory pushes, smiling. "I want this to be fun. And if it isnt, then I won't suggest doing something you didnt like again."

Evan just stares, and definitely doesnt tear up a bit when Gregory is nothing but sincere. "I-- Um-- Alright." Evan stutters, wiping at his eyes. "I'll try it, okay? I'm just... not that into feeling scared for fun. I already feel that way on my own enough."

"I get it." Gregory tells him, and holds him in a side hug when it's their turn to step up to the weird cart sculpted like a dragon. "Oh! Looks like we're next!"

Evan feels any sense of peace drain out of his body, replaced with anxiety now that its actually happening. "Oh, um-- Well, I--"

Gregory just steers him to a seat near the middle, and hands their bags to the attendant. "Nope. Too late. It's already happening." Gregory says good naturedly.

"Oh my god." Evan chokes out when hes strapped in, tight, secure, and pressed up against Gregory's shoulder. "Oh my god."

"It hasn't even started yet." Gregory laughs. And as if on queue, the ride pops and lurches, and Evan is only half aware of the embarrassment that colors his cheeks when he shrieks.

"Oh my god!" Evan says more forcefully this time, when the attendant says something Evan wasnt listening to, and the ride starts moving. "Gregory!"

Gregory just cackles when Evan is already pushing himself into the seat of the coaster before it's even gotten going. "Red Death! Red Death! Red Death!"

Gregory's chanting is joined in by others on the coaster, and Evan shakes his head when Gregory looks at him expectantly, a grin on his face.

"Look, you can see Vanessa from here!" Gregory says, looking over the edge of his side and waving.

It's only now that Evan un-fuses himself with the seat, and leans forwards to catch sight of Vanessa and wave, too.

But he'd chosen the exact same time that the coaster begins the drop.

The coaster lurches, and Evan only has enough time to look forward before Gregory is raising his hands in the air, and Evan is left grappling for purchase when the coaster leans forward, and begins to drop.

The nearest solid object turns out to be Gregory's arm, and Evan's stomach does flips when hes thrown downwards, down a completely vertical drop.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" Evan shrieks, barely heard over the wind whipping around his ears and through his hair. Evan feels his heart jump into his throat, and his gut into his ribcage when their cart sails towards the ground. Evan can barely see what's going on around him, too busy trying to hide his face in the event that it may teleport him off and deliver him straight to solid ground.

Through Evan's own screaming, he can hear Gregory cackling and whopping, and when he finally peels his eyes open, Gregory has one arm in the air, the other being clutched by Evan, and Gregory turns to him.

"Isnt this fuuun!!" Gregory screams through the noise of other guests shrieking, and the coaster rattling along the rails.

"I--" Evan goes to speak, but the coaster lurching again throws him forward, and he shrieks again, grabbing Gregory's arm with his other and wrapping his ankles around Gregory's calf. "I'm gonna die!"

Gregory screams with laughter at that, and he let's Evan cling to him like hes the only thing standing in between Evan and death.

Evan thinks that this is it, his soul has left his body and is heading to heaven when the coaster flips them upside down.

Gregory whoops with joy, but he grips Evan a little tighter. "This is the best part!"

Evan begs to differ, but he can't say so because hes too busy screaming his voice out.

Evan squeezes his eyes shut when he can see the sky beneath him and the ground above him, and he feels nausea crawl up his throat when the coaster lurches, and knocks him and Gregory against the protective railing.

He and Gregory Oomf! when they slam against the solid object, and Gregory makes an upset noise when the coaster slows down.

To Evan's horror, the coaster squeals against the rails, and slows to a stop.

Gregory doesnt say a word. The only sounds are other guests conversing in disappointment and the coaster popping and letting out steam.

Evan gapes as the coaster stills completely, and leaves him and Gregory hanging upside down, on the highest point of the coaster, stranded.

Evan holds his breath, completely frozen in shock, and Gregory gapes as well.

"Um." Is all Gregory can say. "Um. I think. I think we're um."

"Stuck? Stranded? Trapped?" Evan finishes for him.

Gregory scratches behind his head, hair hanging above his head. "Yeah. That."

"What's going on?" Evan can hear some others murmer. "Are they gonna fix it? When are they coming to get us?"

"How long are we gonna be stuck here for?" Evan asks Gregory, trembling when he can feel himself hanging off of the seat and his iron grip on Gregory's arm and the protective railing.

"...I don't know." Gregory says after a moment, sounding dejected.

Evan sighs out shakily, not daring to look above him, lest he see exactly how high up he actually is. "Oh boy."

Gregory turns to him, cheek pressed up against his shoulder. "Evan, I'm-- I'm so sorry--"

"Its okay." Evan cuts him off, and ignores the brewing anger inside of him, because this is exactly why he doesnt like roller coasters, and he'd told Gregory so. He sighs, and tries to be kind for his friend, who doesn't deserve any malice. "Its okay, Gregory."

"No, its not." Gregory insists, swinging forward to try to get in Evan's line of sight better, and Evan tries to ignore the bolt of fear shooting through his stomach when Gregory is displaced for a moment. "Its not okay, Evan. You said you didnt want to get on, and that you hated roller coasters, and I still forced you to get on one."

Evan squeezes his eyes shut, mouth dry. "I said that its okay, Gregory."

"I just wanted you to actually have a chance of having fun at an amusement park." Gregory continues, and when Evan opens his eyes at the emotion lacing his friends voice, he can see Gregory's upset face. "You've only ever been with your dumb family, and they suck too bad to let you be comfortable at a place like this."

Evan shuts his mouth, staring at Gregory with misty eyes when he keeps going.

"Every time you've gotten on a ride, you've always had Michael making you as scared as possible, and your Father ridicules you and makes you feel terrible." Gregory's voice cracks, and to Evans horror, he can see a twist in Gregory's lip, and his friend looks at the ground, er, well, the sky.

"I just wanted to give you a good experience. I just wanted you to have the opportunity to decide what you do and don't like, without your family breathing down your neck about it."

Evan's eyes swim with tears, and Gregory laughs humorlessly, neck twisting around and face scrunched up when the setting sun gets in his eyes. "Look where that got us."

"No." Evan mutters, voice thick. "This isnt your fault, Gregory. It's bad luck, sure, but..." He trails off. "I'm not angry at you. I could never. I've already had more fun with you than I ever did with my family. Please, just..." He wipes a tear away with his sweater. "Dont feel bad. You did nothing wrong."

Gregory smiles softly, but still shifts in discomfort. "...Thanks. But were still hanging upside down on the highest coaster in the park with no clear sign of rescue any time soon."

Evan nods at that, because its true. "Freddy's probably freaking out." Evan points out.

A laugh bursts out of Gregory, and he twists his head, as if he could see Freddys malfunctioning head from all the way up here. "Ness probably is too. I wouldnt be suprised if shes giving the employees a piece of her mind right now."

A laugh rips itself out of Evan, too, real and genuine, and his cheeks hurt from how much hes smiling (probably from how much he screamed, too), despite the situation they're in.

Eventually, of course, Evan gets a headache, and all Gregory can do is try to distract Evan from it while the employees take their sweet time rescuing them.

The sun, at some point, had begun to set, and right as Evan has resulted to resting his eyes all while trying to ignore the pounding in his head from the blood rush, Gregory slaps his arm repeatedly.

"Hey, Evan. Check this out." Gregory says, soft in awareness of Evans headache. Evan peels his eyes open, squinting at the bright light, but looks to where Gregory is pointing.

Evan's eyes open fully when he sees the sight in front of him.

Just over Gregory's shoulder, the sun has set over the park, casting a dark shadow across the attractions, but the sky itself is a beautiful painting of pinks, purples, and yellows, the sun at the center of it all.

The lights of the park glow and flash, the neon lights accentuated in the dark. From where Evan's sitting, he can see kids trailing after their parents as the guests file out of the park, some skipping and jumping, some holding giant prizes, and some asleep on their parents backs.

But the Ferris Wheel is what really grabs his attention. The lights stand out and glow against everything else like it's a beacon, and they flash in patterns and colors that captivate him from the beauty. Evan is able to see it in all its glory from his spot on top of the coaster.

Not to mention the unusual circumstances of being able to see this view upside down.

Evan gapes at the sight of it all, not uttering a word as he just absorbs it. Gregory is quiet as well.

Its peaceful. Just watching the sun set. Watching the lights glow. Watching the result of families heading home after a long day of fun, filled with love.

"You were right about preferring the sights." Gregory mutters after a while, some of the final remnants of the sun peeking through his hair and forming a halo around him. "This is awesome."

For some reason, Evan splutters a laugh at that, and it only intensifies when Gregory grins at him.

Maybe they are stranded on the scariest coaster in the state, thousands of feet off the ground and hanging upside down with no indication of a rescue coming soon, but it isnt so bad when Evan has Gregory.

ao3 link

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zxal · 1 year

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let's meet again

#kingdom hearts #kh #kingdom hearts dark road #khdr #xehanort #young xehanort #baldr #xehabaldr #quadratum au #(shaking you by the shoulders) BALDR IN QUADRATUM!!!!!!!!!#and he gets a ponytail because. well look at him #idr who i saw say 'i knew he had bakura vibes' when the finale dropped but i was definitely channeling that here #i've been resisting the urge to ramble abt baldr in the tags. because. i am insane #but. BUT #i dont think that there's a meaningful difference between baldr and darkness. like i think 'possessed' baldr IS baldr #and that he's always been Like That. but i also think it's a mask #like he is cruel because of hatred and anger but also because of grief. and also because he's miserable and -#- because he needs to feel like he deserves it. deserves to be miserable #like it's about punishing himself. that's what it is at its core. he is vile and so he will act vile #but it's an act. he's putting on a show. it's a performance #'i win. you lose. the end'#so he tries to drag xehanort into the performance by goading him into being hurt and angry and vengeful towards him (like he deserves)#but the second xehanort refuses to play along the facade comes crashing down #all that to say. i remembered this bit of dialogue from days and felt like drawing something self indulgent. again #happy valentines day to unwell people <3 #my art #kh art

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lgbtiwtv · 2 years

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one of my favorite hobbies is in fact making fun of lestat because let’s be honest he does deserve it 99% of the time but then i start rereading tvl and suddenly I’m like….man he really went through so much, huh? he was really traumatized and taken advantage of over and over by both strangers and people he loved….like man he really was stalked, kidnapped, and forcefully made into a vampire against his will….he faced years of abuse from his father and brothers…..he witnessed the death of his only lover and before that his resentment and eventual madness….he really cries every other page and has 10 existential crises before he even becomes a vampire but he wants to be good he wants to be happy he tried to run away to the church he tried to run away with the theatre troupe he just wanted to act and love and be loved and at every turn he was done wrong and hurt and abandoned and nobody ever really helped him and I—

#like. not to be a lestat apologist on main but oh my god the horrors he experienced…..all alone……#I just kept thinking about the scene where he’s turned and he’s so scared and alone and he still chooses to say no and die human #he didn’t want this!!! and then he’s left all alone again and he’s dying and he’s in pain and #literally screaming and crying and then he has to see a pile of bodies that all look like him and then what????#he’s supposed to be the same person after all that?? like of course he’s got ptsd of course he’s got terrible coping mechanisms of cours #he acts the way he does because like how do you live with all that unless you turn it into something meaningful in any way you can #and for him that manifests as a god complex and controlling nature and enjoying all of life’s pleasures to mask #his crippling self loathing and fear of abandonment and intense intense trauma.#um. ….anyway…..sorry for lestat posting like this do you guys still think I’m cool #obvs not excusing the bad things he’s done but like……..it still hurts…….#to quote that one post I’ll always taking louis’ side in the divorce but….sometimes I stop and really thing about everything lestat has #been thru and like….I care him…..😔#iwtv #interview with the vampire #iwtv spoilers #lestat de lioncourt #the vampire chronicles #the vampire lestat #m watches iwtv

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windsymphony · 16 days

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I feel like such a bad partner and my partner is so great it makes me want to crawl into a hole lol

#he’s so considerate and patient and conscientious and I feel like I never communicate in a way that is meaningful in any way #he’ll say something kind and thoughtful and profound and I’ll just say…yeah :)…and then mumble a few words in response #and I don’t know how to act any differently

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shorthaltsjester · 8 months

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taliesin and laura remain truly so fantastic at making characters who… don’t necessarily have something extremely and inherently in common but do have experiences that were caused by similar sources and that lead them to have quite different opinions/ideas about things but in ways that are typically very reconcilable? which is a lot of qualifiers but it’s a through line of vex/percy with nobility, jester & cad with loneliness (and also god stuff but in a different post maybe someday i’ll talk about how actually their god stuff is intensely related to their different experiences of loneliness), and now imogen & ashton with being left behind.

like vex was this character who technically had a claim to nobility due to her blood but at the same time was burdened because of that same claim. and percy who was born into and raised by nobility but that nobility ended up making his family the targets of a massacre. and then vex who lets down her walls and Do I Look Like I Come From Money? and percy giving her the title grand mistress of the grey hunt because it has nothing to do with blood, or his love for her, or anything aside from the fact that it’s something she can prove herself worthy of simply by virtue of who she Is, not who someone makes her. and percy and vex’s conversation about forgiveness and it’s necessity for growth as probably two of the characters most inclined to hold grudges.

and caduceus clay who gets left behind with nothing but his Belief while his family goes off into the world. and jester lavorre who gets shut inside with no company except her Belief as her mother protects her from the world. and they both get the burden of loneliness and the understanding of love’s nonmalicious imperfection. and caduceus having a panic attack on a ship and jester telling him that the world is a lot bigger than his cemetery and that means he has to break out of his comfort zone to find his path. and caduceus telling jester that he doesn’t think she gets as much credit as she ought to and she deserves more pastries. and jester thanking caduceus for showing her how cool it is to actually heal people and caduceus asking if she wants to use his shield while he doesn’t need it.

and ashton who was left broken and dying on the ground and was given inescapable pain as their means of survival. and imogen who was left behind by the only person who could provide true understanding of the pain she’d one day come to feel. and ashton who’s a barbarian, who wields their rage casually and unapologetically and who sees the Shittiness of the world but is unrelenting in his version of optimism. and imogen who is weighed down by pessimism she doesn’t Want to have but hasn’t cracked how to undo and who doesn’t admit her anger until it comes up again and again and again and carries it like a burden or like guilt, who we only see really Grasp and feel Confidence about her anger being something good in front of others when she has those conversations with ashton. and like. ashton who looks at imogen and sees a superhero. imogen venturing through ashton’s mind and holding his bleeding and exhausted head and saying i’m sorry. i’m sorry. and imogen who looks at ashton and sees someone special. and fucking “we got him killed.” and “no, we didn’t. don’t you dare. […] we are not what fucking killed that man. […] we are his eventual victory. we are his fucking revenge.” and “i’ll be his revenge.” and “i have no fucking doubt.”

and in general rp wise they both tend to make some of my favourite characters (also typically the ones i find most frustrating) because they both tend to make flaws that are easy to hate and they make those flaws very central to their characters but i think that’s also what makes their character interactions so deeply compelling because so frequently it’s like. yes yes these two characters have like. a helix of things they have in common but also things they deeply disagree on but they’re going to spider-man point at the things that are the same and they’re going to honour their differences while doing so. and it’s just. i always enjoy it so much and i was psyched when i heard about an imogen and ashton side pit stop in last nights episode and i was not let down when i watched the episode today.

#also gotta emphatically say that i Do Not Mean their characters understand each other better than others or completely #i just think those two consistently have characters that have opinions that would perhaps naturally be the most at odds but then #they always craft these dynamics that like. web together pieces of sameness so that their characters end up having deeply #meaningful relationships with one another.#but like. ashton and imogen really do Not get each other in a lot of ways. cad and jester were very opposite in a lot of ways #percy and vex i think probably had the most in common but also like . they had and have vast differences .#idk this probably is worth a longer post that lingers in my brain about how relationships between characters whether romantic or not #are actually Much more compelling and rewarding when characters Don’t just click and have perfect matching experiences #because. to have to Choose to want to understand someone and what they’ve experiences and why they differ from you #if actually a much stronger act of love than searching for your reflection in everyone you meet.#someday i’ll string together that post but. until then. tal and laura my beloveds. storytelling duo truly #cr3 #cr2 #jester lavorre #imogen temult #vex’ahlia #caduceus clay #ashton greymoore #percy de rolo #cr1 #critical role #cr spoilers #no molly and jester input here because i haven’t watched early m9 in a Long time but. i’m sure there’s similar scenes in there.#honestly even like. jesters Earnestness with her still manipulative trickery vs. mollys much more . not necessarily Cruelness but just. idk #there’s something there with the way that when they meet jester is all in for the tarot cards for the experience that they both get out #of her choosing to believe what molly says vs molly going in to get something out of jester? yk.#but they’re still bestie icons. jester still tears a man in half in the hopes of saving molly. molly still died trying to help get her back.#anyway. beloveds #laura bailey #taliesin jaffe

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fanfic-lover-girl · 4 months

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Zutara Antis Don't Know What a Toxic Relationship Actually Is

I just saw a Vegebul fan Tumblr user say that Vegebul can't be compared to Zutara because Zutara is toxic and Bulma was not trying to fix Vegeta🤡

As a Vegebul fan, I will proudly say without shame that this Tumblr user is an idiot with no brain. I am tired of seeing stupidity on Tumblr. In what world can you say that Zutara is toxic yet spew nonsense that Vegebul of all DBZ ships is healthier! Vegeta is the same man who was willing to let his baby mama and infant son die and nearly killed his wife when he decided family life was making him too soft in the Buu saga. Zuko was never the level of villain Vegeta was and never treated Katara that badly even when he was her effing enemy!!! 🤡

When has Vegeta ever supported Bulma the way Zuko supported Katara???

Unlike Bulma, Katara WOULD NEVER get with Zuko and spread her legs while he was still an antagonist and wanted to capture Aang!

Katara would never get with a guy who threatened to kill her and showed no sign of remorse either!!!

As for Bulma was not trying to fix Vegeta...so true! She gave him free housing, free food, free training equipment and free sex while he was still an egotistical bastard! She never calls him out for his horrible behaviour (eg. letting Cell become perfect and attacking her future son) or being a less-than-decent dad for Trunks. What a woman!

When has Vegeta ever shown any on-screen attempts to reconcile with Bulma for his hurtful actions? Unlike Vegeta, Zuko had to work for it! On-screen!!! For all of us to see Katara chew him out!!!

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

Every day I am amazed at Zutara antis who call Zutara toxic. Here is a guy who wronged and hurt a girl in the past that:

redeems himself and atones

proactively works to earn her forgiveness

provides emotional support and lets her be emotionally vulnerable

willing to be emotionally open with her

never lashes out even when she attacks him

sacrifices himself for her

works hard to redeem his nation that oppressed her people

genuinely cares about her and believes in her abilities

actively befriends and makes amends with all her loved ones whom he also hurt (which includes a possible love interest)

ALL ON SCREEN! No hand-waving his past hurtful actions or having character relationship development off-screen. No enabling of bad behaviour. Vegebul needed almost ten years to be a truly healthy relationship. Zuko only needed a few episodes for him and Katara to become great friends. Zutara >>> Vegebul.

In what world is this TOXIC?? Sounds pretty healthy to me! I want a Zuko for a husband (minus the enemy part lol). Who would choose Vegeta over Zuko for a love interest?? Well, I guess some people dig deadbeat husbands ;)

Both Vegebul and Zutara started off on bad terms and both shows ended with both pairs having a great relationship. The difference is that Vegebul began as a toxic relationship vs Zutara having a healthy dynamic once they became friends when Katara forgave Zuko. Zutara never had any romantic dealings while they were enemies. And even when Katara was rightfully antagonistic towards Zuko, Zutara treated each other better than Vegeta did Bulma. Just compare Katara saving a falling Zuko vs Vegeta who did nothing to save Trunks and Bulma.

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