#there are absolutely no flaws here

[numum]

very self indulgent doodle of an old fav 💜

#tmnt #tmnt 2012 #donatello #hamato donatello #teenage mutant ninja turtles #my art #myart #i wonder if anyone from my tmnt days still follows me and is still active on here… #from literally 8-10 years ago adkfndjjs #the 2012 show was terribly flawed but it holds a special place in my heart #i was soooo obsessed with donnie #and um. #apritello #please forgive me i know it was written horribly i was 13!!! #the version of them that exists in my head is absolutely perfect though >:] #slow burn angst fest apritello is real to me‼️ #squishy purple turd #was my old tag for him :’) #i know nobody gaf abt him anymore but drawing him made me so happy #mytmntart

[milfcamilanoceda]

I feel like a lot of "Camila shouldnt have been a nerd, it should have been Manny and Camila should have been the neurotypical one." Criticism fail to take into account the inter generational trauma that exists in POC families especially POC neurodivergent families. Like the criticism boils down to this- "Luz comes across more of a jerk as she wasnt That lonely. Camila would have been more understanding of Luz if she was actually neurodivergent and would not have try and send her to the camp" and i am like no, no she wouldnt have. Neurodivergency in people of colour often goes undiagnosed especially if they are women of colour and especially if they are from older generation. And often times these older folks grow up to believe that the neurodivergent issues that they dealt with was a failure on their part rather than you know, them being neurodivergent. Which is how we get adult parents who say shit like, "Oh everybody has [a very specific symptom of a neurodivergent brain]. You just got to go through it [aka i did not get any support growing up and had to deal with this on my own]."

And this to me fits Camila and Luz. The way i interpret the problem was that it was never that Camila didnt understand Luz, but rather that she did understand her while not understanding herself. She saw her own self in Luz, her own isolation and years dealing with bullying and treated as an outcast but never stopped to examine WHY it happened to her. She didnt want Luz to go through what she went through so she turned to what worked for her, trying to change yourself to fit even if it meant hiding parts of herself. And this is ultimately what caused their relationship to falter. Add Manny's death and them being new in town further resulted in both of them, especially Luz being isolated and outcast, from the town and from each other. And ultimately them coming to an understanding, with Camila admitting her nerdy side to Luz and to herself was what helped their relationship and truly let Luz to discover what she truly want and thus hatching her palisman.

Should toh have had explored Luz's loneliness and isolation better? Absolutely! Did Camila try her best especially as a single mother? Yes! Has Camila contributed to said loneliness and isolation? Also yes! Camila to me is the opposite of Eda. Where Eda was the neurodivergent kid who grew up fighting the system to be herself, Camila was the neurodivergent kid who grew up to accept the system thus rejecting herself. Which was why Luz flourished much more and felt more accepted under Eda's tutelege than she did with Camila, and i wish this is the angle toh explored more.

And look i dont want to begrudge anyone who feels the other way and doesnt agree with me. They have the right to their own interpretation which are based on their own valid experiences. But i prefer this interpretation a lot more to theirs.

#Anyway this is just my take #Toh has A LOT to say about institutions using isolation to exploit people #And how even if there are people who can understand and care about you cant do it because ultimately they too are part of said system #Luz's loneliness absolutely should have been explored much more i 100% agree with that #and it still annoys me that we got so much more deeply into Eda's Hunter's and Amity's backstories than we did with Luz #But i feel taking away Camila's secret nerdy side takes away from a canonically an incredibly layered relationship #Especially cause to me Camila and Luz's relationship and their misunderstandings was the driving force of toh's plot #They are all flawed!!! They are all flawed because they are traumatized by the system!!! #Anywat here's my hot take #camila noceda #luz noceda #the owl house #the owl house spoilers #toh spoilers #Does this count as toh crit? #I do think the show do have certain problems and no the shortening wasnt the only problem #toh #eda clawthorne #It was still a good show. Not perfect but good #toh critical #toh criticism #(I guess i'll tag it anyway)

[inkblackorchid]

*cradles his face in my hands, kissing his forehead softly* You absolute IDIOT MY GOD YOU'RE A DISASTER

YOU UTTER BUFFOON YOUR FRIENDS CARE ABOUT YOU DAMN IT

Surprised Pikachu Face

This guy, I swear.

#yugioh 5ds #yusei fudo #aki izayoi #akiza izinski #jack atlas #*bonks Yusei on the head* #this boy has So Many Issues!!!! #see this here? #this is yusei's fatal flaw #he fundamentally doesn't understand how important to people he is #worse yet you could extrapolate from that that he doesn't think he's important Period. #this guy is an absolute mess I love him so much #LEARN. THAT PEOPLE. CARE ABOUT YOU. DUMBASS! #I wanted to make this post yesterday already but ended up being so tired that I forgot #anyway #orchid rambles #orchid watches 5ds (again) #episode 138 #screencaps

[james-stark-the-writer]

started watching A Murder At The End of the World and i'm only like 4 minutes in rn but oh my fucking god, they already did the impossible, they made synthesizing a literal audience not only not annoying but actually intriguing and effective. holy shit.

#james talks #james watches stuff #a murder at the end of the world #if you're new here or have never consumed any media: synthesizing a literal audience is one of the most annoying things anything can do #it is at best distracting and at worst condescending and grating bc it assumes and assigns audience reactions and interpretations #and it also REEKS of a lack of faith in the material itself to be able to speak for itself #most of the time it's done for no real purpose and the few times it has a narrative purpose it's done awfully #even a movie i ADORE like SCREAM (1996) was not immune to this. #the one single flaw in that movie to me is Kenny repeating the 'behind you' joke. not only is it not funny the second time but it's— #synthesizing the audience by making the characters an audience to the same movie as us and telling us how we should be reacting. #another movie that tries to do this and fails miserably is like Halloween: Resurrection which tries to make some commentary— #on media as exploitative entertainment and the audience as willing participants and equally culpable in the continuation of trauma but the— #execution of it is absolutely horrible and that's even beyond how bad the rest of the movie is. #every time the characters are watching the same media or there's an actual audience in the media it's literally never gone well— #at least as far as i have experienced. but this is the first time a literal audience in anything has actually worked bc it's like— #right in the opening and it's the audience actually getting invested in the story so THAT audience responding the same way actually WORKS #actually borderline genius tbh

[starflungwaddledee]

Hey got a question, is it normal for your heartbeat to beat rapidly wherever you look at really tense or angsty scenes?

It's Just a question I had in mind

putting these together because they're clearly related. i admit these have me a little bit stumped, but i'll take this in good faith and do my best! under the cut because of length.

topics include: physiological reactions to fiction, emotional reactions/empathy of creators, and finally addressing the unspoken question present in asks like this.

"is it normal to have a physiological reaction (heart beat, jitters, excitement, sadness, etc) to fiction"

absolutely! i cannot overstate how common it is to have reactions of any wide variety to fiction. the whole point of storytelling is to make you feel things! the reactions you have, their intensity, and the specific media or genre you'll have those reactions to will vary person to person. in regards to angst in particular, like i've said on this topic before: reactions will vary. some people might get excited, others might get sad, others might feel it like a gut punch but in a really good and cathartic way. none of these are better or worse or more normal or more abnormal than the other.

"do i as a creator have an emotional reaction to the work i'm creating?"

i personally do, sure. i was actually quite explicit in the tags of the comic that came right before this ask that i found it hard to draw, because seeing kirby so sad was emotionally pulverising to me. do all creators? no. do i feel a strong emotional reaction to all scenes? no. or all types of content creation? no. for me, prose is actually much easier to tackle than illustration; i can write trauma and suffering and psychological devastation until the cows come home, but drawing it is a different matter. consuming the work of others is different again. and this is different for everybody. am i somehow morally better or more empathetic than an artist that doesn't struggle to draw characters sad? hell no! being able to represent- in fiction- a strong emotion generally requires that you empathise with or at least understand that emotion. sometimes creators actually have to be able to turn this off to be able to create the content we make; the way we turn off strict adherence to reality in order to write fantasy. if we couldn't do this, content across the board- art, movies, novels- would be flattened to nothing but the cheeriest and most mediocre parts of our day to day lives. no fun monsters (because those aren't real). no challenges to rise above (because those make us sad). no characters who have different experiences to us (because how could we imagine or feel for that). and it would be okay for like... twenty minutes of all books containing 'the sun was shining and i woke up on time and had a yummy breakfast', but then it would suck, sorry. conflict and imagination are the root of content.

"it's just a question I had in mind".

a way to think about this might be; would you ask these questions about genres that aren't angst? would you ask "is it normal to be happy when these characters finally reunite" or "is it normal to feel resolution in response to a happy ending" or "is it normal to feel excitement when a character has their cool hero moment". perhaps it's because your reaction to angst is something you construe as negative, but if you wouldn't doubt your reactions to cheerful content, then there's no reason to doubt the reactions you have to angst either; these are just reactions! fiction is designed to make us feel things, but what you feel will be up to you. no one feeling or response is better or worse than any others.

lastly, i feel like there is an unspoken question here that i don't like.

and maybe you didn't intend it. i'm going to extend that grace to you, and because you seem to need reassurance about this (though i will not be reassuring about this further. i do not like reassurance seeking from strangers and this is a boundary i am setting right now), this is not an attack or even a criticism. your questions are fine if they are coming from a place of curiosity and- i simply assume- that these are new or difficult concepts to you that you have yet to have explored or explained.

but on the good faith assumption you didn't intend it, and wouldn't want to do this again (especially if you message other creators), i think you should be aware.

because it sounds like this: "do the people who make sad/angsty/dark content care at all or are you heartless to the suffering (of these characters). is angst/dark content made by bad people?" i felt it the previous time i got a question like this too when it explicitly stated "you seem like a nice person", as if being a nice person was in contrast with what i was creating.

please. we are just people. the relative light or darkness of the content you make says absolutely nothing about your morals, your real life attitudes, or your ability to be an empath.

someone making cute animal art could be a school yard bully. someone writing a complex sci-fi warhorror fic could be the most altruistic and compassionate soul in the world.

in my experience, creators are some of the most empathetic people i have ever met, and many of them know their craft intimately. these are people capable of stepping into the shoes of others as easily as breathing. of sitting down at their work station every day and finding inside themselves a way to answer "how would this really feel?" so clearly and honestly that they can put it onto the paper for you to feel it too.

#being able to storytell in such a way that the reader feels something is a skill!! it is a Skill and not an accident or a moral failing. #if what someone's work makes you feel is not something you like; don't consume that work! #again... if angst is not for you you can block it from my work with this tag: cw angst #if it really hurts you my work may not be for you! this is a niche i am interested in and am *very grateful* to find others here are as wel #have seen this surprise expressed by other kirby angst/dark creators. it's a seemingly unlikely place but also the most likely place. #lastly: unempathetic creators also exist and are no better or worse than empathetic creators. #because lacking empathy is not a flaw and it also forms absolutely NOTHING about your morals. okay anyway. #once more: i will not be offering anymore reassurance to reassurance seeking. it makes me deeply uncomfortable. thanks. #also not to toot my own horn but that was a banger ending line. if you read to the end that's your reward. #replies

[crimeronan]

trying so hard not to lose my temper over various viral posts i make but sometimes..... puts my head in my hands.

Sometimes. People Test Me .

someone just left these tags on my tongue-in-cheek guy in your MFA screenshot about how some authors are afraid to write women with flaws:

and i jsut.

THE FUCKINTG.

THE FUCKING AUDACITY????

#YOU ARE LITERALLY JUST A MISOGYNIST??? KISS MY COMPLEX WOMAN WRITING AND READING DYKE ASS???? GET BENT??? ETC??? #GOOD FUCKING CHRIST!! NOT TODAY SATAN!! #NOT ON A POST WHOSE OP'S DESCRIPTION REFERENCES NOT JUST ONE BUT TWO WILDLY DIFFERENT WILDLY FLAWED FICTIONAL GIRLS/WOMEN #ABSOLUTELY NOT. GET OUTTA HERE. #BITE ME. FUCKING CHRIST. #i blocked them instantly instead of picking a fight i'm just. FLABBERGASTED. #YOU TYPED THAT AND THOUGHT IT SOUNDED REASONABLE?? SHUT THE HELL UP FOREVER??? #negative

[jaguarys]

Hello! I don't know if someone already asked, but if not, please tell us you thoughts about Danaël?

Thank you for asking! On a real note I super appreciate all the LL asks that people have been sending, I LOVE to yell about this series.

In a lot of ways, he's really the straight man of the series, but I honestly think that's sort of what makes him so great. He's the one who the rest of the group revolves around, not just because he's their leader, but he's also just their focal point. He's the one who brought them together; he's the one they follow. I think in a lot of ways he's the one they aspire to and model themselves after, and I do firmly believe he's the best of them.

He's also truly the definition of haunting the narrative. His absence is more acute than his presence in a lot of ways, and I think narratively it's a lot more important. I'm genuinely obsessed with the way the series shifts after his death–– it's a tangible absence, and no matter how much they try to cover the gap he leaves, there's just no way for them to.

Of course, the series post-Anathos becomes a lot darker, but I also think it's just more... bleak. They've really and truly lost their core, and they don't ever regain the sense of family their group had before. They scattered during their recovering period following vol 10, and they never fully reconverge much as they might want to.

I don't think it would be impossible, had they had the time. They're focused on trying to rebuild what they had, when I think what would have been best would be to create something new. And, I think, being that he was the glue, they never really learned to fill those gaps (and actually communicate. I think he was the one who made them talk to each other, holy shit (affectionately, they're dumbasses)).

I absolutely adore him. I won't get into his Dynameïs version here but I think about that a lot too... really depends on how you want to interpret Kalandre's hold over their group (are they still themselves? Are they entirely other people? Is it full control or just influence? I'm obsessed.)

#i also won't get into his and jadina's relationship here. but i am OBSESSEDDDDD #i think he was the most emotionally intelligent of them by far (which doesn't mean he was always perfect. he ABSOLUTELY had his flaws) #vol 8 and his argument with kel-cha comes to mind (he fucked that up. but of course he does apologize) #and of course in his origines he's a lot less mature #razzia's also REALLY emotionally intelligent but he's also not as forthcoming. he's not gonna call people out when they're being assholes #which danaël was definitely better at and it was why he was best as leader #but yeah. they just don't TALK about his absence but it's ever-present #they deserved to break down and scream about it a little #UGH love them. they're so dysfunctional <3 #type: mail #type: meta #fandom: les légendaires #les légendaires #les legendaires #danaël les légendaires

[mobius-m-mobius]

Thank you for posting all those gifs of Mobius being kind and supportive together. I've seen some takes about Mobius deserving it, but logically it doesn't make sense. He's already doing everything he can to save the timelines. He doesn't want to know his past, nor does he need to know to be motivated to save the timeliness, because he's already been doing since ep 1. Even if we make the argument he has no real free will until he sees his past, this argument is disingenuous because he's using his free will NOT to see it. From a narrative and character development standpoint, he will be forced to see it for the audience's entertainment, because he is a fictional character with no free will-- the screenwriters are the gods (Time Authors, if you will).

In-narrative, you could make a case he should see his timeline if he were actively trying to keep the TVA the way it was, but that's not the case with him. Sylvie's accusations this fall flat.

Mind, I'm not against Sylvie's proposition to start from scratch. Revolutions are important and serve that function. But the TVA is the only organization with people who know how the Loom and timespace work. It's not unreasonable for them to try to stabilize the situation, save the lives of as many timeliness as they can, and consider dismantling the TVA entirely and starting from scratch later.

Since we're dealing with time paradoxes, it's possible that the collapse of the Loom is what causes Loki to recruit Mobius, B-15, and Casey (I'm not sure what kind of entity OB is?) from their timelines. If they all accept, then Loki was the original creator of the Heart of the TVA. It's possible HWR took over at some point in the future and wiped everyone's memories then. The future influenced the past, thus closing the time loop. If this is the case, then Sylvie also contributed to the creation of the TVA, because killing HWR triggered the destruction of the Loom, which will force Loki to recruit, which will create the TVA, which will monitor the multiverse, which at some point will be taken over by HWR to create the Sacred Timeline, which become the multiverse one again after Sylvie kills him, which will destroy the Loom, which will cause Loki to recruit.

Of course!!! Always a delight to and on that note we're truly seeing eye to eye on every single point you raised so thank you for such an amazing ask! Exactly the conversation I was craving after making those gifs just to get some things off my chest about how Mobius gets treated since as you said, he's already been doing everything possible to protect the timelines while clearly under incomprehensible pressure yet has never hesitated to evaluate and change his worldview accordingly to better serve the whole.

Honestly confused by those insisting he HAS to see his past and is in the wrong for not having done so because isn't that up to him?? Doesn't matter what his reasons are, he's entitled to his choices and I can honestly say without hesitation if I were in his shoes my decision would be the same. He enjoys his job, he's incredibly good at the work (people seem to forget he's facilitated the progression of basically every plot point), and has recently built more connections he appreciates and wants to grow than in the entirety of his life combined so why is he not allowed to make a single decision in his own interest when neither his approach to changing the TVA nor any other person is being impacted? But you're exactly right about how regardless he'll be made to have the experience anyway and while I'd be perfectly happy with that never happening I accept the advancement of narrative as a given and can only hope whatever cards he's dealt are ones that only bring him peace of mind about the work he's done so far and in the future.

(adding a read more here because I've got a feeling this is gonna be a long one, lol)

Have also seen many people saying Sylvie blowing up at Mobius was necessary or that he needed to hear it but that logic is completely missed on me? For example Ravonna did the same but considering the amount of history between them her reaction is fully understandable even if I don't agree with the points she made about his compassion being a weakness. Mentioned this to a friend earlier but I truly wish it had been some random character besides Sylvie who yelled at him simply because she doesn't have the kind of personal connection to make judgements and because I don't want any ship war elements at play or anything when my take is solely based around wanting Mobius to be recognized as someone who has been good and kind from the start? Watching him be put down for that as if it's fact in basically every episode is getting exhausting 😔

To that point I also agree with the importance and necessity of revolution but not sure starting from scratch is necessary when the TVA does have a solid base and plenty of people willing to stay and help the cause? In reality there's no time for anyone there to stay currently focused on anything but stabilizing the situation when the alternative is the end of every timeline, burning things to the ground only really counts if there's any ground left to build on which is yet another reason Mobius and the others switched to preservation. For example, O.B's quip about Sylvie ruining his life by killing He Who Remains was complete fact and while I don't have any hate towards her character at all and certainly don't want any mirrored scene of someone yelling at her, etc, it's driving me crazy how she refuses to admit they've actively been saving lives and scrambling to accommodate these unexpected branches while she was at a MCDONALD'S.

My ep 5-6 theory matches yours regarding about the collapse of the Loom being the cause of Mobius, B-15, and Casey ending up at the TVA because their Nexus event technically isn't one, it's them choosing to leave with Loki of their own free will and the good of existence. I'm also not sure if O.B. was ever a variant so he could possibly be the key to figuring out where Loki can find everyone's original self? Psyched to learn more about him and how he ended up in such a vital position! Hundred percent think the series is ending with Loki as the founder and probable ruler of the TVA but can't quite figure out where the switch to He Who Remains entering the picture fits in, and your point about Sylvie also contributing to the creation of the TVA in an infinite loop is a fascinating one that's going to leave me thinking for a long while so thanks for that as well and of everything I have to admit the possibility of Loki and Mobius being their own ouroboros in creating just the right person to intrigue and change themselves into who they always wanted to be has been giving me life, them as timekeepers along with B-15 has been my hope since the first episode of season 2 and is probably the most incredible place I could imagine leaving everyone if we don't get another season.

#mobius #loki spoilers #apologies in advance for talking your head off a bit but this is what happens when i'm left to ramble and why i don't do it that often 😂 #i'll fully admit to likely going into conversations regarding mobius with bias bc of how much i love him BUT #it's not about him not being flawed of COURSE he has flaws it's about him being judged for kindness regardless of those flaws #he's a massive reason why everyone in existence is alive rn and not once expects thanks while others congratulate themselves for running #he's just the most important character and person i've ever come across in media and always will be #ty again for truly one of the best asks i've gotten! absolutely here for some grounded discussion of what's become an incredible show #lots of love to you and hope your weekend's been a great one 💖 #ask

[getvalentined]

Thinking about Angeal in DFFOO apparently throwing himself in front of a sword to protect Sephiroth, even knowing that he's unrepentantly evil at that point and has no goal except to hurt people and fuck with Cloud, because he just cares about him so much—

But in CC, Angeal is only upset about Genesis' alleged death because he didn't manage to kill him before Zack did. Even though he's completely aware that Genesis is doing all this in an attempt to either 1. not literally rot to death, or 2. take the company down with him in recompense for ruining all their lives from conception.

The only point that he gets genuinely upset after Genesis "dies" is when Hollander calls Gillian by name. That is more upsetting to him than the death of someone who he's known basically since birth. The only issue with his oldest childhood friend being dead is that Angeal didn't get to kill him.

But Sephiroth, openly malicious, violent, abusive—he is worth defending. He's worth protecting. He deserves every possible chance to prove that he's better than he was made, even when he's stated outright that he made his choice and doesn't intend to change.

Absolutely mindboggling that so few people seem to realize the extreme difference in how he feels about them, even when it's on full display.

(Also, I feel like it's more proof for my theory that Angeal is in love with Sephiroth too and the reason he treated Genesis the way he did is because if he wasn't good enough, then Genesis certainly wasn't, and couldn't be allowed to think otherwise. I don't think this was intentionally malicious, but I think Angeal was actually extremely immature and so self-righteous he'd rather they all be miserable than see someone he loved find support from someone he found unworthy.)

#fandom vent #angeal critical #I'm not even talking shit about the character here mind you #this is what happens #this is the canon #this is how he ACTUALLY behaves IN GAME #he's brilliantly flawed #he's a WONDERFUL character #but fandom doesn't see that #do I think he cared about his friends? yeah #do I think he cared about the oldest one as much as fandom thinks he did? #absolutely the fuck not #you don't lament that you didn't get to kill your best friend #who was trying to SURVIVE #who TOLD YOU THE TRUTH when NO ONE ELSE DID #who ALLOWED YOU TO MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS #and then risk your own life defending your other friend #against people he has LITERALLY MURDERED #and he is TRYING TO MURDER AGAIN #FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN HIS OWN FUN #if you ACTUALLY LOVE BOTH OF YOUR FRIENDS EQUALLY #but fandom refuses to see that #there is so much about this character that could be explored #he could be brilliant #grey and greyer morality #facades of nobility covering up deep insecurity #he's SO well-written in-canon #but fandom goes 'oh he said he's good so he is' #YEAH HE ALSO SAID THAT STEALING FROM EVERYONE BUT HIS RICH FRIEND WAS HONORABLE #HE IS VERY VERY WRONG ABOUT MANY MANY THINGS

[c0l0re]

Every time I see a post about Jonmartin being toxic I get just a little bit closer to commiting arson

#colore speaks #not main tagging this because i genuinely do not want this to become A Thing but god #im not going to get into all of it here because i have already spent a frankly embarrassing amount of time discussing this with friends #i have gone point by point. season by season. i have looked at this from so many fucking angles man #istg i will write an actual analysis post on these two eventually #is their relationship perfect? fuck no it is absolutely not #is it toxic? also no #like. their relationship is flawed and theyve both got a lot of issues but that does not equal toxicity #also id like to remind people: we dont see what happens off tape. we only see what the Web deemed as important or necessary #in other words: we only see them when they are suffering and tensions are running higher than normal #we dont see their lunches together in season two. we dont see their time at the safehouse. we dont see them when they arent suffering #this is one of those things about tma that i am so passionate about and am so certain on #i have spent way too long analyzing these fuckers both seperately as characters and also together as a couple #they have issues. im not denying that whatsoever #but to say that theyre toxic or that their relationship could never work or whatever else is just not true and i will die on that hill #nuance people. please. this is not a black and white thing #(not getting into this either but: this is also coming from someone whos been in toxic and abusive relationships) #(i know what that shit looks like and this is not it)

[clowndensation]

wait explain to me the destiel hatred i’m curious what abt it angers u that doesn’t apply to the other two ships

great question! the answer would unfortunately require 3 hours and a powerpoint presentation, so i will try to do a brief summary:

a ship sucking only ever has about 25% to do with the ship itself. destiel is bad in the sense that i think dean winchester is an annoying character that gets treated with kiddie gloves by the narrative, which makes him irritating to see on screen, because i personally dislike it when "men are angry and abusive because they just love too strongly, and don't know how to express it :(" is played straight as a character's primary internal conflict. especially over 15 seasons. it's boring, he's boring, and 35 year old men shouldn't be going to colleges trying to figure out which freshman girls are legal or not. hate him.

however the real sin of destiel, beyond the fact that dean winchester and i have beef that will only ever resolve when i get to reincarnate as the rusty nail that kills him, is that the fans are so so so fucking annoying. like yes the narrative frames dean as a golden boy who can either do no wrong, or "well, i guess he did wrong there, but what about how tortured he is :(" but good god. at least the show isn't trying to convince me that destiel is some groundbreaking lifechanging love story, complete with "omg this moment" montages where they romanticize scenes that feature dean either insulting, threatening, or humiliating cas. like this entire show (post season 5) is dean chronically either infantillizing and attempting to keep cas under his control, or holding him up as the only person he can rely on, thus giving cas expectations that are impossible to fulfill.

and don't get me wrong! people can like a shitty person and a fucked up ship. that's basically everything i enjoy on here. but at least like. acknowledge it. aldfkjalka. and if you're gonna like a shitty person and a fucked up ship, at least write about it in an interesting way. 90% of fic and posts written about destiel aren't even about destiel as presented in canon, they're about two generic men with generic personalities who suffer from the world's most generic tropey problems. cookie cutter ass basic relationship. the high school au of ships. boring.

#like johnlock is boring and moffat makes all his characters suck ass but whatever. sherlock will never be as bad as dean so i don't care #wincest's key flaw is that it's incest. which does make me uncomfortable to read! i don't care for it! #but once again. disliking a ship only has 25% to do with the ship itself. #i don't see wincest shippers telling me that wincest is groundbreaking queer cinema so at worst it's just a ship i prefer not to see #people mention destiel and i'm forced to ask: #'do you actually find the ship compelling or is jackles just a tall man with green eyes. answer quickly.' #while they shout about how sam is useless and shouldn't be in the show and how everything would be better if every character just did #as dean said and stopped disagreeing with him #like the absolute dissonance of people hating john winchester and then claiming dean is a good person. lol. lmao even. #anti destiel #destiel critical #<- trying to cover my bases here. this is all quite mean i realize #what you have to understand is that dean is my number 2 least favorite character of all time #this is as nice as i can get. there are drafts of this post where i'm meaner.

[dukeofriven]

This Pride I want us all to take a minute to reflect on those brave but forgotten queer souls who worked on The Epilogues and Homestuck 2 with the goal of seeing Homestuck with queer content 'done right' and fucked it up so much worse than anyone thought humanly possible.

#they fucked up so bad I challenge you to find five fans in 2023 who still consider anything they did canon #even by the incredibly loose standards of Homestuck - a webcomic about how canon as a concept is meaningless #the webcomic whose entire driving philosophy is 'anything can be canon' #'anything can be canon' except very specifically these things which are absolutely not no way in hell #let's take only the elements of The Epilogues that people despised and double-down on them that's a risk that'll pay off #Barty's Brew-Ha-Ha is more a part of Homestuck canon in fandom consciousness than Homestuck 2 and I'm the only person who's ever watched it #Homestuck 2 the DmC: Devil May Cry 2013 of webcomics #who were these souls? #literally impossible to know #for none now live who remember them #homestuck #queer #Pride #coming back to add to the notes here that their very premise was wrong #homestuck in some sense is a journey of a straight cis author into a queer nonbinary persona and I find it faintly... #repugnant that this obvious journey was considered flawed because it didn't meet the standards we thought were iron-clad in 2019 #which is why H2 is less that four years old but feels sp dated compared to Homestuck classic #absolute hubris #and frankly kind of awful taht Hussie wasn't thought 'queer enough' to tell a queer story correctly

[sailforvalinor]

The Little Women musical is one of my favorite musicals and Jo is one of my dream roles, but at the same time I can’t forgive it for committing character assassination by making Laurie a weird awkward dork just to give Professor Bhaer a leg up as a love interest

#it seriously made it almost seem like Jo was friends with him out of pity at times and I HATE IT #the point is that Laurie is supposed to be the desirable rich romantic a touch Byronic love interest??? like that’s the point?? he’s #supposed to be the ideal (albeit a flawed ideal he is still a round character) so that it seems absolutely NUTS when Jo rejects him!!! it’s #a tragedy that she doesn’t love him and that they wouldn’t work out!!! #in the musical he kisses her almost unprompted (in the book he had been dropping all sorts of hints and Jo was pretending not to notice but #here it seems to come out of absolutely nowhere) and the audience is supposed to think ‘well of COURSE she rejected him. what a weirdo.’ #like!!! have y’all heard of character complexity??? arghfhdhhrh #little women #little women musical

[trainforanother1000years]

everyday i thank god for making me a tumblr user and not a twitter user

#went through this shit with dsmp. mcc. it fucking sucks but unfortunately im unsurprised to hear qsmp twt is a shitfest #NOT that the community here is without any flaws #bc i think we can always do more to lift each other up as fans and create a positive internet space #but jfc hearing from friends/mutuals about how poorly people act on twitter my impression of the app is basically #just that its an echo chamber for absolutely cesspool behavior #anyone who sees this thats been affected by the racism on twitter my heart goes out to you #there is never any excuse for it and in no world do you deserve to be treated like that simply for voicing your opinions and criticisms

[saltytearsofjoy]

There’s something so visceral about the only heroes who thought to save the villains being children. They don’t have the same corrupt system that the adult heroes have drilled into their head yet, they may have had faith in it at the beginning of the year, but after being put through a war and seeing how much both sides suffer under the system their mindset has evolved. The way Hori is using the new generation of both heroes and villains to demonstrate how the way society functioned for hundreds of years is just wrong and needs to be fixed is incredible.

#i cant put it into words but..both the heroes and villains are kids in this situation #(yeah the villains are legally adults but they’re still v young) #and the fact that they are the ones who not only recognize the flaws in society but actually try doing something about it is so amazing #the villains have known the whole story how fucked society is #they believe it’s built to reject them and in a way their absolutely correct. and now their are people who actually want to listen to them #and they’re kids #i just love it #uraraka ochako #midoriya izuku #todoroki shouto #shigaraki tomura #toga himiko #dabi #todoroki touya #i wanna put bakugou in here but he hasn’t shown much interest in understanding villains so far

[sparring-spirals]

This might sound like it’s straying into RPF territory, but thoughts on each of the players’ (including Matt’s dm style) playing style (ie: how they play their characters.)

Hmmm. Tbh, I don't think I'm knowledgable enough about actual game mechanics/playstyles to provide super meaningful analysis on that front, but I do like characters and how they're created and played and grown. So. I'll cheat a little and talk a little about that?

(To avoid straying into weird territory I'll be trying to keep this as speculation-free as possible and focus on some particular character elements I've noticed and appreciate, but it'll include cast appreciation too.)

this got SO FUCKING LONG because I was having a good time. sorry. enjoy?

Ive spoken about this before, but Marisha's characters often have arcs that are deeply self contained and circle around personal growth and triumph and healing in ways I really enjoy. Her characters do tend to be very powerful, which- nice- but more often than not the biggest factor for growth- and her characters always have phenomenal growth arcs- is about overcoming internal stumbling blocks and demons, improving as a person and settling into it. Which. Spells exciting things for Laudna. 👀 I also love how much she physically embodies each of her characters. Delightful to see. Post-nap Beau, mildly delirious Beau, Laudna drunk-and-woozy-from-blood-loss, Laudna hiding behind her hair.... fantastic.

Liam's characters are so fucking full of love, and passion, in ways that wrap around and shape them, both good and bad. And like yes, fantastic and distinct explorations of grief, yes, thoughtful and nuanced portrayals of loss and trauma and upheaval. But- honestly, looking at Caleb, looking at Vax, looking at Orym. They're all just Lads With Feels, yknow? Good lads who love people so damn much, and feel things so strongly and fully, for better or for worse. He also embodies his characters so fully that you feel that fullness to your core. Method acting.

Taliesin's characters are firstly, aesthetic as hell. He also does something really neat with characters and pride and inflexible or presumptous worldviews. And alongside that, each of his characters can beautifully demonstrate points about people who speak well and charismatically and reassuringly and how that really correlates so little about how much they should be trusted. (Cad, this includes you.) There's pages and pages of analysis that can be done about each of his characters and themes about authority, and pride, and self assurance, and judgements and assumptions that feels very intentional, but his characters also feel very human with it all. There are layers there. And the characters manage to not feel overburdened with it! Masterful. And Taliesin is consistent as hell with it, even if he's not always In character like Liam might be.

Sam. Fucking Sam Riegel. Bard at heart. His characters always, always, have layers, without fail, and Sam is enough of a jokester that you can't take everything done in character as hard evidence of analysis- but you can definitely take more of it than you think. And if there's a specific detail that is slightly funny but seems almost too specific, you can rest assured it will probably rip your heart out later. (Veth hates water! haha! -ah shit-) There's a nice level of thoughtfulness there with just enough actual jokes thrown in to keep you off balance, which makes some of the analysis hell but damn if they aren't good characters.

Ashley is- first of all, extremely funny, okay, there's an element of Chaos™ that I think was present in both Yasha and Pike to an extent that is truly blossoming in Fearne, it is delightful. Her characters tend to be funny in the way of deeply absurd, unexpected statements said in completely genuine tones. And it's hilarious. It also lends itself very well to the other aspect of her characters I enjoy, which has to do with them feeling deeply genuine. It is not precisely about honesty- especially with Fearne- it is about characters who say things with a sort of earnestness, who present themselves with a levek of honesty they can't quite help, even when they're lying. Its good for a comedic streak- ("Your cat is? Vibrating?" "I lied :)") and then just as easily be completely heartwrenching. (Yasha, wrecked and angry and guilty. Fearne, quietly telling Dorian, "I'll never forget you."). She plays both sides of it so well.

I'll admit I'm less familiar with Grog, but Fjord was, admittedly, one of my favorite characters from C2 and has one of my favorite charscter arcs and growth of all time. Travis is so fucking good at blending humor and heart in his characters. Like, comedic timing and sense off the charts, instinctive slapstick, which I think can distract from how consistently thoughtful his characters can be? I dunno. But also, I'm aware some people thought Fjord was boring at the start of C2 and then I think about how fucking hilarious he was through the latter half of it- falling on his face, making a fool of himself, using healing spells for 1-2 hitpoints. And go absolutely feral thinking about how that was a reflection of his growth as a character, about how his confidence in himself and being comfortable being him and not an imitation of someone else meant he felt more confident in making a fool about himself, and how he balanced that humor so well with Fjord growing into leadership and comfort with his role as a voice of reason and- oops this became Fjord meta.

Travis has really good comedic timing but also can spin that on a dime for the most heartfelt, gentle, thoughtful conversations and it is unfair how good he is at it. We're even seeing it with Chetney already. Incredible.

and. Look. I'm sure anyone following me is unsurprised to know that I have. An extreme love for Laura Bailey characters and how they're constructed. And part of this is definitely verging on like, personal preference- I have a specific weakness for characters who are trying so fucking hard to keep it together and be Good and Kind and charming, and who might be doing it VERY convincingly but are also, in one form or another, white knuckling it and On The Edge. Characters that Smile With Teeth (but are also genuinely Trying Their Best). I DUNNO.

But I think it's a testament to Laura truly thinking things through with her characters and how they would feel and react and also fuck things up, and then 100% committing to them. Strong traits as both strengths and flaws. Vex's charm distilled to an arrow point. Jester's happiness being intentional and powerful and terrifying. Imogen being anxious and empathetic and also ruthless under pressure. Her characters are always impressive and flawed in ways that make so much sense, that line up with each other and fall into place and she commits to them fully. They'll say something or do something bad and you'll be like: OOF but also OF COURSE and like. LIKE. isn't that great.

And as a bonus, we don't get to see Matt as a player often and I think NPC building has a level of worldbuilding integrated that can't be ignired. But whenever I see him as a PC he is often-

1- having such a good time, love that for him.

2- Clearly someone so well associated with the rules and uses all of that knowledge and mastery for tomfoolery or specific purposes.

3- making such Lads™. Good bois.

im mostly thinking about Dariax, actually. Dariax was so good, and so complex while also having no more than 3 thoughts at a time. i miss u dariax. ilu.

Matt's characters are a delight, is what I'm saying.

.....

okay this got unreasonably long i think it can probably be boiled down to I Love Complex Characters Who Act Consistently With Some Level Of Characterization and everyone in the cast works so hard to ensure their characters feel fully realized and act consistently and in ways that make sense. And I love characters who act consistently. my bread and butter. and they're all good at different aspects of it but. 👌

#wow this got WAY off topic. but listen the character building and growth in cr is like. Phenomenal. there are flaws and etc etc but. cmon. #im just a real sucker for when characters are flawed and 3d and Do Shit because Given Who They Are. Ofc they would. #critical role #spar speaks #ask away! #meta #? #cr cast #should i tag the full cast? feels a bit strange. i hooe this answer didnt come off too weird. #this is also like. unreasonably long. i expect a max of like 2 people to get all the way down here. congrats! also sorry. #the cr cast enjoy making characters and sharing stories. i think that's pretty clear. i think they're all pretty good at it. :) #also this post is Absolutely Not COmprehensive and was not intended to be. i slammed this out in one sitting and #now i need to run to pick someone up from the airport. feel free to add on with things you appreciate! but i definitely missed stuff bc this #was just like. personal singular snapshot of stuff off the top of my head h a