i do not want to dig a hole but i am too much of a laura bailey pc enjoyer to not make this post so:
selfishness ≠ a lack of kindness
selfishness is a theme that has come up with all of laura's main campaign pcs. that doesn't mean that her characters are always making selfish choices or that they don't care about the rest of the people they're with or that they're not good. it's just that, for the most part, the first thing they're thinking of when they take action or make choices is themselves.
in jester and vex both it is more typical and obvious selfishness. vex's developed because she needed it to keep herself and vax alive and as safe as possible and it grew into a behaviour that she had to actively work to avoid. it's evident in her greed, her theft of the broom, her reaction to her own death which relied heavily on i'm okay/i survived to which keyleth reminded her that she wasn't the only one who had to witness and reckon with her death. in jester's case, she grew up in an environment that literally trained her to make every decision based on two things - her mother's opinion and her own. so, when she's out in the world without marion for the first time, her choices are those that will benefit her and her actions are those that consider her own thoughts and not really many others' (aside from the traveler's).
it isn't a criticism of either vex or jester to say that they are characters who act selfishly. in fact, i'd argue that to claim otherwise does a great disservice to exactly how immense both of their character arcs are. because the nuance of both jester and vex is that they are selfish, and they also hold extreme room for self-sacrifice and empathy. vex is much more brash than jester is, and jester is much more trusting than vex, but both of them are characters who begin with selfish impulses who grow with them. neither ever truly shed those impulses, but they use them in new ways, typically transforming them into impulses towards things that are in the best interest of the party.
you may have noticed the lack of imogen in this post about laura bailey pcs and that's because of two reasons. one, we are an unknown amount of time into her story, i can't analyse her development the same way i can vex and jester's. two, imogen's selfishness isn't the blatant quasi-self-aware selfishness that we see in things like jester complaining about her lack of money to caleb or vex stealing a broom. instead, imogen's is very internal, like a lot of laura's character work with imogen. it is a bit similar to jester’s in the sense that it comes from a lack of awareness moreso than vex’s practiced behaviour, but imogen’s is a lot more tied to inherent beliefs she has about the world and the people in it.
as a consequence of her powers, imogen sees people's thoughts as their entirety, she holds it above their actions to be the truth of who they are - to act against what they think or to say something that doesn’t cohere with what they’ve thought is akin to lying, so for her to act empathetically is to act in tandem with what someone else’s thoughts are, not how they act, which is typically not all that wanted. the same as vex’s greed and jester’s naivety, this is a trait that makes narrative sense and it’s one i find quite compelling, especially when read in the vein of someone struggling through trauma that has made them assume that the world is against them. imogen’s cynicism is coherent cynicism, i can’t say that in a similar situation i wouldn’t have the same predisposition towards the world.
the part that is particularly self-interested comes in if you look at how imogen has actually been treated in the campaign (quite well) in comparison to the cynicism that she’s developed from her past (something that speaks to a world out to get her). certainly, a bunch of shitty things have happened to imogen in the time we’ve known her, but the same can be said for everyone in bell’s hells and pretty much everyone in exandria at this point in time. but, in a fight to save the aforementioned world, imogen’s focus was getting her mother back on her side. which, while very consistent with her character and a choice that i enjoy, is a very selfish one. the fun thing (to me, obviously) about imogen is that she has, more than most, an insight into the opinions of others and she also tends to seek others’ opinions out and genuinely engages with them and supports their choices. but she still very much acts towards what she thinks is best. it’s one reason i enjoy looking at the dynamic between her and orym as one between foils, as orym tends to be stalwart in his beliefs and doesn’t care too much for other’s opinions if he’s already sure of his own, but his actions tend to favour collaboration and protecting others.
as i mentioned earlier, imogen is a harder case to look at because she is still in the process of her story. however, the circlet is clearly influencing how she interacts with the world and in the wake of the solstice, the hostile reaction towards ruidusborn people has started to become more and more apparent and i’m interested to see what route that ends up leading imogen down and how it will influence her relationship with the rest of bell’s hells. (for better, i think, based on recent conversations, but if it's for worse i will be just as seated and excited).
all of this is just to say, please stop assuming that claiming a character has a trait you think is a bad one is criticism or a hate post. in light of the fact that i know that people who don’t believe this will continue to not believe this, i’ll encourage anyone confused about the ability of a character to be good and kind and selfish all at once to look to what the text itself says, specifically scanlan’s words to pelor when asked what vex means to him:
“Her name is Vex, and she is greedy and mean sometimes, and she can steal a lot. She’s a little bit not the greatest person, but her flaws highlight everything that is right about her, which is she does all these things to protect her friends and her family. She would give her life for any of us and for anyone who was truly in need. And she’s not perfect but she’s the most perfect of all of us.”
would you look at that... an ability to be a multitude of things, some in conflict with one another. i know that's hard for fandoms to believe, especially about female characters with agency, but i promise its true!
325 notes
·
View notes
Lip oils recommendations🍒✨
@gufu-vire I’ve always wanted to this, thanks for the opportunity 😌
From the most expensive to the cheapest…
I. Clarins Lip Comfort Oil - 30$
I’ve tried those two shades (Cherry and Pitaya) for months now and those are simply amazing. 1. The color is so pretty and it absolutely doesn’t get into the lines of your lips. 2. Very hydrating, I have crusty dry lips and I can use this on a daily basis without having my lips dry at the end of the day. Also the container doesn’t leak! Lovely soft candy smell too! My only complain is the price…worth it yes, but so expensive. Wide range of shades. 9.5/10
II. Gisou Honey Infused Hydrating Lip Oil - 28$
I would eat those for breakfast. They are so shiny, so tasty and the colors are beautiful. I’ve only tried those two shades, Mango Passion Punch and Watermelon sugar, and oh my if they have a good taste and smell, never had a lip oil smell THIS good. Also, this is so hydrating, really. Your lips are going to be SO SMOOTH (so comfortable), it works just like the most hydrating lip balm you could possibly find. I am so glad they did this tinted version, because I couldn’t bare the smell of the original one (it smells like fried food and even if that hydrating, I couldn’t use it😭). The best lip oil I’ve ever had (I only had those for a week, but I’ve been using them constantly, but in case something goes wrong in the future, I’ll do an update here). Also very expensive, but shut up and take my money for this. And again, SO SHINY OMG. 10/10
III. CLINIQUE Almost Lipstick - 25$
This is not actually a lip oil, like, not totally, because it is still emollient like an oil and also I wanted to talk about it since it was everywhere last year. The color got me obsessed with berry lip tints, it changed my idea of “ideal color” forever. Still, I expected so much better. I have dry lips, as I mentioned before, and this isn’t hydrating enough and for a product of THAT price it isn’t really acceptable. My lips always crack after not even thirty minutes, the trick is to put underneath a basic transparent lip balm and voilà, but you know…in italy I payed even more than in the us for this product and I was disappointed (30€ which is way more that 25$). The black honey from clique was a cultural reset and I shall try one day the liquid form, hopefully that will be more hydrating. Still, the color on the lips is so beautiful yet natural. Not sentenced. 7/10
IV. Pacifica GLOW STICK Lip Oil - 11$
This is what the Clinique one should’ve been. I originally bought this because I was searching for a dupe of the black honey and, oh my, if I striked right (I bought this one before the og). The effect on the lips is the SAME, you can’t tell them apart, the shade is Crimson Crush. Also, this one really does the job, it is hydrating, not as much as other presented here before, but it works well and the price is good! Not sentenced. There are also other very cute shades. Also I think that a stick lip oil is genius. 9/10
V. NYX FAT OIL LIP DRIP - 9$
This one almost feels like a lip gloss from how glossy it is. Also the shades can be either sheer, a slight tint, or also almost a full color. I have the shades Status Update and That’s Chic and I used them a lot this summer. The color doesn’t last too long, but it a lip oil what do you expect, it’s transferable. Not sentenced. Can get in the lines of your lips. Very pretty overall, very good price and also great shade range (I want to try some more of those uhh). Container doesn’t leak! A very solid 8/10
VI. Essence hydra kiss LIP OIL - like 3-4$
Lovely lip oil, the formula is very comfortable and soooooo hydrating. An awkesome every day lippie and colors are very nice. I have no complains except one: the container leaks. I can’t bring it anymore with me because it has become all sticky on the outside, thankfully we had a long run before this, I’m almost out of it anyway (I ate it gnam😀) . Not sentenced. Otherwise, sooo good! 7.99/10 for the container not the product
VII. Essence Cranberry tinted lip oil - also 3-4$
This lip oil is THAT GIRL. Amazing, so surprised the first time I tried and now look at us, at the second empty bottle, hoping to find another one somewhere, since it is hard to find it in store. So hydrating and you get the cutest tint!! Essence never does one wrong when it comes to shiny lips and I love them for that. The container doesn’t leak!! Not sentenced. 10/10!
Thanks for coming to my ted talk hihi🫶
20 notes
·
View notes