#they also have terrible sense of direction

[erinwantstowrite]

What do you think about Jason and Tim relationship? I know that fans are split between hatred for each other or the best brothers. But what do you think?

i fully believe that the writers dropped the ball on what to do with them.

i disagree with what they did with Jason coming back- they didn't have any direction for his character besides that they wanted a huge dramatic twist and Jason has stagnated because of it. him coming back as pretty much nothing like himself but then having zero good writing to convince me of his tragedy?? it's why a lot of people just ignore canon. if they were gonna bring him back, they should have gone in another direction.

if i HAD to keep jason as an anti hero, i would have written him to have a compulsion to protect Robin. a deep rooted fear where he projects his own time, experience, and feelings as Robin onto Tim (and even Stephanie!!) because of the damage that was done to him mentally. jason had long lasting brain damage. he was in a coma for months after he was suddenly revived, he was catatonic when Talia was taking care of him. the Lazarus pit might have healed that, but there would still be residual affects. Jason would feel younger than he is, he'd feel like a stranger in his own body. add on to that with severe cpstd, and you have a recipe for a kid (he was what, 18? 19? physically? when he got to Gotham?) who has a warped perception of his life and relationships. he would have memories that were forgotten to him, not just in his recovery stage but in the time before he died. he would have the feelings of a kid who wanted his dad to save him, who was angry at his mom for hurting him, who now has to struggle with why he ever came back at all. i'm sure he would be angry at everyone. he'd be confused and hurt and he wouldn't have a means to understanding his own feelings. but at his heart, jason was always a good kid, and he protected people, especially people who couldn't protect themselves

it makes no sense that jason came back wanting to hurt robin

so yeah, i'd have written him to be angry and volatile like a teen lashing out at a safe parent to be angry with, but when Tim or Steph were there, he'd dial it back immediately. at first it would be about not wanting to scare them, wanting to keep them safe as a way to help the kid that did die in that costume, somehow and someway. but eventually it would be about Jason seeing them, seeing how capable they are, and feeling protective over them, not just Robin.

but that isn't what happened, because the writers couldn't care less about how trauma actually effects people. they had him attack tim and become basically a sociopath and it felt like a cheap "gotcha!" twist that no one asked for

that being said, their canon relationship isn't terrible. in the beginning they didn't get along at all, obviously. but now, they have a respect for each other. they act like siblings. Tim has said multiple times that he doesn't hate Jason nor holds a grudge. Jason said that he should, but Tim didn't care. sometimes when I read them, I think about how well they might have gotten along if Jason never died. because let's be real, Tim was always headed for the Batfam with or without Jason's death. that's why fics where he's adopted earlier and Jason doesn't die are pretty popular. though in my opinion, they often overshadow that Dick and Tim are also brothers

i think they have a complicated history and relationship but they are siblings. they aren't texting each other everything (Dick and Tim, i fear) or having emotional conversations more than once every seven months but they'll play video games with each other, drop by unannounced to the other's house to eat their food and complain about something, and they work together well. they have a lot in common and they're both previously only children who became second children and eventually middle children. they both experienced neglect though it was very different versions.

in one universe where Tim had died, Jason mourned him. i think that says a lot about how they care about each other

if only the writers would let it STAY that way and not have Jason regress over and over just because they're terrified of character development

[sevenkittensinatrenchcoat]

There's a pattern here. All the productions that have Munkustrap sort of send Misto to deal with Tugger are London-based but after the original London production closed.

The thing with the "terrible bore" line is that the reason that Misto, and just Misto, says it, got lost over time and space. Originally, early in the London production, Misto sings lead in Gumbie Cat, right before Tugger shows up. Misto says the line because he's been upstaged.

Bust, if Misto wasn't the center of attention right before Tugger crashes the party, it doesn't quite work the same. This is why the Broadway production, which first but Munkustrap as the lead in Gumbie Cat, also added him to the "terrible bore" line. Broadway-based productions, depending on the era and sub-category, usually had some combination of Munkustrap, Alonzo, and Misto say the line. But Munkustrap would be consistently included. There are variations where he says the line by himself.

But, then the London version switched to having Munkustrap sing Gumbie Cat, while still having Misto say the "terrible bore" line by himself. They had to come up with other reasons for Misto to say the line when he wasn't the one being upstaged.

I think the version 1998 VHS went with was what was generally being done in the later years of the London production. Tugger kicks a ball in Misto's direction and this pisses him off, so he retaliates by crashing his number.

Jacob Brent has said that he was supposed to catch the ball, but the editors used the one take where he messed up and didn't catch it. This actually makes sense. Misto is caught off-guard and looks awkward. It adds to Misto's motivation to say the line.

But, apparently post-London, starting around the time of the Berlin production, they switched things up again. Munkustrap is the one being upstaged but he, for whatever reason, doesn't want to confront Tugger personally, so he sends Misto to deal with him, and the "terrible bore" line is what Misto thinks dealing with him means.

recently there was a video uploaded to youtube of cats, oasis of the seas 2014, and there's just the funniest interaction during rum tum tugger where munkustrap visibly calls mistofelees over to whisper in his ear, and then misto goes over to the front to say the 'terrible bore' line, and when tugger fails to react negatively in any way, munkustrap doubles over in exasperation. absolutely hilarious but do u know if this happens in any other productions too,,

I heard about that video getting posted! Though I haven't watched it yet-- but what you're describing sounds like what you see in other Oasis boots, so I have to assume it's a bit from that production. You can see something similar in this 2022 performance.

I know of a few other productions that can feature Munk sending Misto into the Trenches™ but most don't play it up for laughs with Misto being reluctant or Munk being exasperated; Munk in particular usually doesn't have any reaction at all to Misto's failure.

You've got:

Moscow 2005

Fifth UK Tour 2013-03-30

German Tent Tour 2013-06-16

Berlin 2003-10-26

[isthoughts]

The Black family doesn't bother with geography. They don't know *anything*. You could show Sirius a map of Narnia, tell him it's England, and he would 100% believe you. Bellatrix burns maps on sight. Regulus probably didn't know if he was drowning in a lake or sea, or in England or Scotland for that matter. The only one I can be kinda convinced knows something geography is Narcissa and that's only because she wanted to know why she couldn't fly to France.

[neonhellscape]

The towering creature comprised primarily of metal spikes looks at you with its nine optics.

[femmefitz]

When Fitz actually engages with her kids she's not a TERRIBLE parent. It's just that her biggest parenting flaw is neglect and she never ended up correcting that.

[worm-in-a-trenchcoat]

Has anyone else heard about the Monster High celebration event happening at St. Pete’s Comic-con in January??

Garret Sander wil be there doing free doll signings, and him and a couple voice actors from the OG show are going to be there doing guest panels!!

And the Con itself is having a MH event with a cosplay competition/fashion show, doll sales, a MH scavenger hunt and there’s going to be makeup artists doing MH character/cosplay makeovers!

I found out about it a week ago and it’s all I’ve been thinking about since 😭

I’m trying my best to save up so I can go, the only real issue is I’ll most likely be going by myself and that’s absolutely terrifying as an autistic person with anxiety who’s never been out of the city with out someone I know- let alone out of the state 😅.

But this is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity for me (or at least a rare one) and I’ve already prepared a cosplay and taken time off work for it sooo I think I’m kinda obligated to go at this point lol.

-

If anyone is going and wants to maybe meet up, let me know! It’s always fun meeting mutuals in person!

[gammija]

i keep constructing elaborate political speeches in my mind. as if somehow if i could just talk to pvv-voters compellingly enough, explain to all of em why this is moronic on every level, they'd all suddenly find out that they're actually leftists at heart who just heard a few facts wrong

[incoherent-orca]

💭

🐳

[chaos-utopia]

QOTD: If you could change one aspect of the world without anyone noticing (no matter how dramatic of a change), what would you do?

Less polluted and equal wealth distribution 👾

[velvetbunniie-archive]

one thing abt me is that i will never reference a map in a book ever. i’m jst smiling and nodding until we get to a different location.

[ashclouds366]

going to cry perhaps... you have a whole pinterest board dedicated to me??

Do you ever wanna bond with someone so bad you’re like “damn i wish we were knights on a dangerous quest”

[perilegs]

if someone has a crush on you how would you react? just as a hypothetical situation ha ha

[jadenvargen]

free online james baldwin stories, essays, videos, and other resources

**edit

James baldwin online archive with his articles and photo archives.

---NOVELS---

Giovanni's room"When David meets the sensual Giovanni in a bohemian bar, he is swept into a passionate love affair. But his girlfriend's return to Paris destroys everything. Unable to admit to the truth, David pretends the liaison never happened - while Giovanni's life descends into tragedy. This book introduces love's fascinating possibilities and extremities."

Go Tell It On The Mountain"(...)Baldwin's first major work, a semi-autobiographical novel that has established itself as an American classic. With lyrical precision, psychological directness, resonating symbolic power, and a rage that is at once unrelenting and compassionate, Baldwin chronicles a fourteen-year-old boy's discovery of the terms of his identity as the stepson of the minister of a storefront Pentecostal church in Harlem one Saturday in March of 1935. Baldwin's rendering of his protagonist's spiritual, sexual, and moral struggle of self-invention opened new possibilities in the American language and in the way Americans understand themselves."

+bonus: film adaptation on youtube. (if you’re a giancarlo esposito fan, you’ll be delighted to see him in an early preacher role)

Another Country and Going to Meet the Man Another country: "James Baldwin's masterly story of desire, hatred and violence opens with the unforgettable character of Rufus Scott, a scavenging Harlem jazz musician adrift in New York. Self-destructive, bad and brilliant, he draws us into a Bohemian underworld pulsing with heat, music and sex, where desperate and dangerous characters betray, love and test each other to the limit." Going to meet the Man: " collection of eight short stories by American writer James Baldwin. The book, dedicated "for Beauford Delaney", covers many topics related to anti-Black racism in American society, as well as African-American–Jewish relations, childhood, the creative process, criminal justice, drug addiction, family relationships, jazz, lynching, sexuality, and white supremacy."

Just Above My Head"Here, in a monumental saga of love and rage, Baldwin goes back to Harlem, to the church of his groundbreaking novel Go Tell It on the Mountain, to the homosexual passion of Giovanni's Room, and to the political fire that enflames his nonfiction work. Here, too, the story of gospel singer Arthur Hall and his family becomes both a journey into another country of the soul and senses--and a living contemporary history of black struggle in this land."

If Beale Street Could Talk"Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin's story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions-affection, despair, and hope. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche."

also has a film adaptation by moonlight's barry jenkins

Tell Me How Long the Train's been gone At the height of his theatrical career, the actor Leo Proudhammer is nearly felled by a heart attack. As he hovers between life and death, Baldwin shows the choices that have made him enviably famous and terrifyingly vulnerable. For between Leo's childhood on the streets of Harlem and his arrival into the intoxicating world of the theater lies a wilderness of desire and loss, shame and rage. An adored older brother vanishes into prison. There are love affairs with a white woman and a younger black man, each of whom will make irresistible claims on Leo's loyalty. 

---ESSAYS---

Baldwin essay collection. Including most famously: notes of a native son, nobody knows my name, the fire next time, no name in the street, the devil finds work- baldwin on film

--DOCUMENTARIES--

Take this hammer, a tour of san Francisco.

Meeting the man

--DEBATES:--

Debate with Malcolm x, 1963 ( on integration, the nation of islam, and other topics. )

Debate with William Buckley, 1965. ( historic debate in america. )

Heavily moderated debate with Malcolm x, Charles Eric Lincoln, and Samuel Schyle 1961. (Primarily Malcolm X's debate on behalf of the nation of islam, with Baldwin giving occassional inputs.)

----

apart from themes obvious in the book's descriptions, a general heads up for themes of incest and sexual assault throughout his works.

[vadlings]

Represention of Autistic Frustration in Laios Dungeon Meshi

Like many other autistic people, I related strongly to Laios Touden while reading Dungeon Meshi. This post isn't going to spend time disputing whether he displays autistic traits or not—while I could do that, I want to focus on why specifically his portrayal struck a chord with me in a way the writing of most other autistic-coded characters has not.

Disclaimer: as the above suggests, this post is strongly informed by my own experiences as an autistic person, as well as the experiences of my neurodivergent friends with whom I have spoken about this subject. I want to clarify that in no way am I asserting my personal experience to be some Universal Autistic Experience. This post is about why Laios' character feels distinct and significant to me in regard to autistic representation, and while I'm at it, I do feel that I have interesting things to say about autistic representation in media generally. This also got a bit long, so I'm sticking it under a read more. Spoilers for up to the end of chapter 88 below.

The thing that stands out most to me in regard to Laios' characterisation is the open anger he displays when someone points out his inability to read other people. This comes up prominently in his interactions with "Shuro" (Toshiro Nakamoto):

The frustration pictured above (Laios continuing to physically tussle with Toshiro, using crude language toward him) becomes even more notable when you remember that this is Laios, who, outside of these interactions, is not easily fazed and often exists as a lighthearted contrast to the rest of the cast. Then we get to Laios' nightmare.

In Falin's words: "Nightmares love emotional wounds. Wounds you hold in your heart. Things that give you stress, or things that were traumatic for you. They aggravate memories like that and cause the dreamer to have terrible dreams." (chapter 42, page 10.) (damn. i'm properly citing for this post and everything.)

Thus, Laios' nightmare establishes an important fact: even if he is unable to recognise social blunders while he's making them, he's at least subconsciously aware that other people operate on a different wavelength to him, and that he's an outsider in many of his social circles (both past and present). His dream-father's disparaging words stress the impact this has had upon his ability to live up to the expectations set out for him, and we also get a panel of kids who smirk at him (presumably former bullies to some degree). Toshiro's appearance only hammers home how much Laios is still both humiliated and angered by his misunderstanding of their relationship.

I've thought a lot about anger as concomitant to the autistic experience. When autistic representation portrays ostracization, it's generally from an angle of the autistic character being upset at how conforming to neurotypical norms doesn't come easily to them; as a result, they express a desire to 'get better' at meeting neurotypical standards, a desire to become more 'normal' (whether the writing implies this is a good thing or not). In contrast, not once does Laios go, "I need to perform better in my social interactions, and try to care less about monsters, because that's what other people find weird." His frustration is directed outward rather than inward, and as a result, it's the people around him who are framed as nonsensical.

The Winged Lion starts delineating Laios' anger, and Laios' reaction is to think to himself, "It can sense all my thoughts, huh?" (chapter 88, page 16.) This is the scene that really resonated with me. I'm not saying I have never felt the desire to conform to neurotypical norms that is borne from insecurity, but primarily, I know that I don't want to work toward becoming 'normal'—I don't want to change myself for people who follow rules I find nonsensical. It's the difference between, "Oh god, why can't I get it," and, "WHY CAN'T YOU GET IT?" (phrasing here courtesy of my friend Miles @dogwoodbite). And for me personally, Dungeon Meshi is the first time I've seen this frustration and the resultant voluntary isolation from other people portrayed in media so candidly. Laios' anger is not downplayed or written to be easily palatable, either.

The culmination of Laios' frustrations in this scene wherein we learn that Laios has fantasised about "a pack of monsters attacking a village" drives home just how alienated he really feels. I need not go into his wish to become a monster himself, redolent of how many autistic people identify/have identified with non-humans to some degree as a result of a percieved disconnect from society (when I was younger, I wanted to be a robot. I still kind of do.)

Obviously, wishing death upon other people is a weighty thing, but the unfiltered nature of this page is what deeply resonated with me. The Winged Lion is laying Laios' deepest and most transgressive desires bare, and they are desires that are a product of lifelong ostracization by others (whether intentional or unintentional). This is the brand of anger I'm familiar with, and that my neurodivergent friends express being familiar with, but that I haven't seen portrayed in writing so explicitly before—in fact, it surprised me because most well-meaning autistic representation I've experienced veers toward infantilisation in trying make the autistic character's struggles easy for neurotypicals to sympathise with.

Let's also not neglect the symbolism inherent to Laios' daydream. "A pack of monsters attacking a village". Functionally, monsters are Laios' special interest—he percieves everything first and foremost through his passion for monsters. His daydream of monsters attacking—killing—humans, is fundamentally a daydream of the world he understands (monsters) overthrowing the world that is so illogical to him, that has repeatedly shunned him (other people). I joked to my friends that it's an autistic power fantasy, and it actually sort of is. And in it, his identity is aligned with that of the monsters, while his anger manifests in a palpable dissociation from the rest of humanity. This is one manga page. It's brief. It's also very, very raw to me. I think about it often.

To conclude, I love Laios Dungeon Meshi. This portrayal of open frustration in an autistic character meant a lot to me, and I hope I've sufficiently outlined why. Also, feel free to recommend media with autistic representation in the notes if you've read this far—I would really like to see if there is more of this nature. Thank you for reading. I'm very tired and should probably sleep now.

[askshivanulegacy]

At this point if you think that it's a choice between "progress" and genocide then you're not paying attention.

If you think sacrificing US democracy and the lives of millions of people - which will cripple all humanitarian efforts you might like to see - is worth, let's see ... actually failing to do anything helpful for the genocide (which is what would happen if Trump wins), then you are a child.

"We're not free until we are free." We ARE actually. We're free to have the tools and resources we need to help other people be free. If you burn democracy to the ground then you are destroying the tools we need to make any progress anywhere. If you crush the minority populations in the states, which Trump is hoping to do, minorities who are most certainly Palestine's biggest supporters (because the Trump groupies tend to be blind "Christians" who are fangirling over Israel), you might be surprised to learn that it means there will be no more support.

You cannot help anyone if you do not help yourself.

My God. You talk like we should all be wearing blue "vote for genocide!" shirts. Which is terribly funny because those shirts should actually be red, because voting for the Republicans is the real vote for genocide.

You talk like the Republicans are an imaginary monster under the bed. You talk like Biden is scared of losing (he's not, he has a cushy life). You talk like he wants to continue the genocide, as if wiping out a small Middle Eastern population has any relevance to any US strategy (it doesn't). You talk and let the actual perpetrators get off scott-free.

The genocide simply does not have enough relevance to be a meaningful factor in this election. The election is not ABOUT the genocide. There are bigger and more important things that the election is actually about.

But, since the genocide is the only thing you know about, it pays to know one key thing: Trump will support Israel far more than Biden ever did.

I cannot stress enough how important it is that whatever you think of anything else, Trump Cannot Be President Again.

The "rip apart democracy and install an autocrat" group was not Ready for him in 2016. They didn't think he'd win.

They're ready now. They're teeing up for a second Trump president. Whatever your favorite current Thing, it would be worse under Trump, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they're going to try to make sure that they stay in power forever, by any means necessary.

SCOTUS basically just said, "If Trump sends the Army in to murder protestors, that's okay. If Trump assassinates a political rival with the armed forces of which he is the Commander In Chief, that's an official act, and there's no recourse."

Anything he can even vaguely justify as "an official act" - including installing people in the Justice Department to support his coup, including pressuring his VP to support his coup - is no longer a crime.

This isn't just me saying this, btw. Here's Robert Reich, lifelong public servant (and yes, dad of @samreich, since I know what's important to y'all):

Finally, the Republican-appointed justices have given a dangerous amount of discretion to presidents — broad enough, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted in her dissent, to protect presidents from prosecution for bribes and assassinations. A president already has the authority under the Insurrection Act to order troops into American streets. After today’s ruling, those troops would be under the command of a person who would almost certainly enjoy absolute immunity for the orders he gives them.

This is unbelievably terrifying.

[swingingcrab]

Me thinks