#and it if wasn’t for that

[mareastrorum]

Hi I just saw that you have the same 'why am I watching XMen (derogatory)' feeling! Same hat!

Yeah, and it’s like, theoretically, I should love the X-men. I’m mixed race, grew up in shitty circumstances, dealt with a lot of -isms and violence, and did well in school despite intense challenges on multiple fronts. But they just don’t appeal to me. There’s some novelty and entertainment value, but it gets old quick. It’s similar with other superhero stories, but the X-men story depends on the status quo not changing. Once mutants are accepted and the goal is achieved, that’s a different story. The narrative posture depends on never meaningfully moving toward that goal. That’s alright in short form, but any long term stuff loses my interest.

Campaign 3 feels similarly to me. I tune in every Thursday to watch, but the characters’ arcs just haven’t hooked me. They could TPK tomorrow and I wouldn’t feel a thing—except maybe Braius because he’s a lying liar who lies, and those are fun. I don’t dislike any of them; I just don’t concern myself with how their stories will end because they don’t have any interesting goals in mind.

I like characters with ambition, ruthlessness, and/or competitiveness. Of course, that means I often adore villains, and I’ve embraced that. Characters don’t need to cave to the negative impacts of those traits for me to enjoy them. Unfortunately, the Hells don’t really have strong facets of those. They can get into the right mood, but generally, that isn’t their vibe. Braius is the only one that comes close, but he’s still so new that I don’t know if there’s even enough time for me to get invested.

Caleb’s arc was wonderful. Insane, obsessive ambition to change reality that eventually was pushed aside by love for his friends and the life he built with them. The potential of their future mattered more than correcting his past. That dedication wasn’t thrown away; just redirected. Percy had a similar arc in C1.

I liked Beau and Fjord for the same reasons: directionless and abandoned in the beginning, then deciding upon a purpose and persistently moving toward it. They stumbled, suffered loss, but eventually came into their own. Fjord was more ruthless than the rest when he made decisions, and Beau had a wonderful competitive streak.

I like characters with goals, dreams, or plans. Better if they’re insane. Wonderful if they fail. Fantastic if they succeed. Make it a spectacle. Make it hurt. Add fanfare and pizazz.

But there has to be some kind of end point for that character in mind. Not dying and preventing the apocalypse are good motivations, but they don’t compel me as an audience member to pay attention to a character arc. That’s a plot hook, not a reason to give a shit about who the story has focused on. Like, Vox Machina’s and the Mighty Nein’s character arcs are done, and I still would have enjoyed following them through the C3 plot more than Bell’s Hells. At least those teams have a vision for their own futures beyond their immediate needs. The Hells are just (un)happy to be here.

It’s like the Matron’s speech in the last episode: if you don’t want to do this, leave. I’m too far along in my own life experience to care about characters who are paralyzed by the fear of consequences. Make a choice or make way for someone who will. Even better, get crushed by someone with a spine. Villains fill that role so well, and I adore when I get to see that play out.

Unfortunately, the Hells are just the X-men: they don’t have a purpose other than dealing with a shitty situation. They don’t achieve goals; the most they accomplish is interfering with others’ goals. Maybe they could have come up with personal goals more easily in a different plot arrangement, but it wasn’t impossible to achieve here. They just didn’t do it.

[goldensunset]

you! tumblr user!

[raychleadele]

“Why did you follow this person ? uwu”

I’ve been here for fourteen years, do you think I remember? I don’t know who any of these people are anymore. I don’t know why they’re on my dash. I allow them to stay because they haven’t pissed me off enough to unfollow them yet. “Why did you follow this person?” I’m not sure I ever did. They’re just part of my ecosystem now.

[aliendeity]

the man who owns and runs the thai restaurant in my town knows me by name. he is one of the kindest and most thoughtful men i know. i started ordering from his place back in january, which was when i got my fibromyalgia diagnosis. back then i was using a walker, had limited mobility in my entire body but especially my hands, and was very visibly in pain. i always ordered the same thing: yellow curry with no meat, potatoes and carrots only (i have texture and other dietary issues). he always made it a point to make sure i could get out the door and carry the food safely. he had his workers package the food so that it was easier for me to open. as i kept coming back and i told him a little bit about my health status, he would always encourage me to keep going. he told me about how the spices he used were good for inflammation and began to edit the recipe just for me so that spices that were even better for fighting inflammation were used. he’d give me extra portions and despite the fact that i would tip every time, i realized later that he never charged my card for them. as time went on and my condition began to get better, especially with the help of a physical therapist, he would make encouraging remarks and tell me how happy he was for me. the day i came in without my walker, he practically jumped for joy, and despite my insistence, he gave me my meal for free that day. i continue to make progress with my conditions and i continue to go to the thai place. this man who does not know me personally and who i hardly know anything about is one of my favorite people. it’s interactions with humans like these that make loving life easier. and his curry really does help my chronic condition. it’s comfort food taken to the next level.

[juno-infernal]

[covered in blood, with tears in my eyes] I AM VERY YOUNG AND I AM LEARNING HOW TO LIVE

[baristabomb]

...weird amount of dunmeshi fans have been saying being a caretaker in a relationship is the worst thing ever..marcille must want to killl everyone soo bad because doing things for people suuuucks sooo muchh

it's an act of love, not just a job i promise. we all want someone who's willing to take care of us in some way, just like how senshi shows care for others by cooking for them :'|

[mioakem]

the imagery in this part of the ep was actually insane like this is genuinely beautiful

[traumatizeddfox]

“but it wasn’t that bad”

did it hurt? did you feel scared? unsafe? were you embarrassed? humiliated? terrified? did you feel confused on why? does it keep you up at night? do you avoid being in a similar situation? did you cry? did you want to cry? who told you it wasn’t that bad?

[riverside-lavender]

found this on my monthly tiktok scroll. i think we should add murder too.

[thatrandomblogsays]

Annabeth: I, a child, had to earn Thalia’s love, that’s how the world works! I have to earn my moms love. Love is transactional, you gotta be worthy of it first silly :)

Percy, listening to this on the train

[glitchedcosmos]

I’m ace, aro and tired

Reblog if you are also LGBT+ and tired

[thatskindarough]

Ice cream parlor (December 2023)

[goldensunset]

can you reblog a two-part post in the correct order?

[l-just-want-to-see]

hey guys

[chewchuck]

dungeon meshi // abbey - mitski

[theethoslab]