Relatability - Tumblr Posts
One of my favorite complaints that *those* white readers, movie, and tv watchers have is that there is too much represnetation in media now. That they don’t see themselves in media anymore, and therefore cannot relate.
(Which is such a load bc white ppl have literally created a system where it’s just them, them, them. You can find a full white casted movie, tv show, and book much easier than you can with marginalized group rep. At least rep that is truthful to our lives and not romanticized and dramatized to spare white feelings.)
And this complaint is so funny to me as if I, a black girl in america, didn’t grow up watching and reading white stories over and over again. Stories I didn’t relate to or see myself in.
Now that’s not to say there wasn’t any representation. Of course there were the token poc characters that got three lines if they were lucky. And those token poc characters were written only to help the main white characters realize that the world isn’t as it seems. And “yes Jennifer, my skin color does in fact affect the way people perceive and treat me. Even you!”
The point isn’t about relatability. It is about the lesson. That’s what stories are. But with actually casting, hiring writers, directors, and producers who are from marginalized groups the lessons become life and it makes it real.
Ladies and gentlemen the next musical act is ME *starts screeching*
when brains r like "today i will not brain" my brother in christ you are a brain
this got Numbers on twitter so i’m posting here cause i literally have nothing else going on but working on my webcomic which you can read here and support here
there is an IMAGE in my HEAD and i cannot DRAW IT. hatred and rage.
I literally planned and freed up my Wednesday so I could catch up with my 3d modeling class…and then proceeded to do anything but my homework all day and waited until like 11 pm to start . It’s now 5 am I can’t keep doing this 💥💥💥💥
What's the weirdest thing your adhd made you forget?
I'll go first: I couldn't remember Marilyn Monroe's name, and I kept coming back to Beyonce and Celine Dion...
I'm tired as fuck and about to fall asleep where I'm sitting, but my leg is still doing the jiggle jiggle thing because I still for some reason I need to move...
Writing Advice On: Relatability
Hot Take: Make you characters relatable, not like that!
When people hear the world "relatable", a certain image comes to mind of the early to mid 2000s where the most important thing for a celebrity to be was "authentic" and "down to earth" in the most superfluous and superficial way possible.
Using this jumping off point, I will talk about what I hear when people advise to write "relatable characters" and what naysayers for relatability hear! Because it isn't the same thing.
When people read stories, they are looking for an immersive experience into the lives and emotions of others with the word "other" highlighted in order to make a point against relatability. Most naysayers of relability think that "relatable" means:
"has all of my superficial personality traits and life"
Obviously, the most popular characters in western media such as drug lord Walter White in Breaking Bad or disabled Ryan in Special aren't relatable to the majority of people.
And with that last paragraph, I have already pointed out a problem in "relatability is pointless". Walter White and Ryan are relatable.
Walter White is the story of corruption as his lust for power drives him further away from the man he once was. While this isn't the trajectory most follow, many can relate to being or knowing someone who went down a bad path paved with good intentions.
Ryan is the relatable "coming of age" story of a gay man with cerebral palsy who decides to go after the happier life he has always wanted. Ryan is the relatable protagonist who is awkwardly going after what he wants which is something that all of us have either tried or wanted to do.
These characters are relatable, not because of their specificity, but universality which is a made-up word probably.
"Sympathy Is Caused By Relatability And Understanding"
We sympathize with people not because we always relate to the individual circumstances but because we relate to stories about personal suffering which is universal.
It the belief that characters are only relatable when they have superficial traits that are similar to our own superficial traits that has prevented minorities such as Ryan O'Connell and Walter Jr. from taking the spotlight!
It comes from the belief that being a white cishet neurotypical abled-bodied man is the default and everything else diverse should be marketed toward a specific member of the populus.
Women protagonist = Woman story
Disabled protagonist = Disabled story
Etc. Etc.
But because people are learning simultaneously that "universal relatability is important" and "human stories are human stories which are universally relatable" which has allowed movies such as Barbie and shows such as Special to be such hits.
Obviously, Barbie is steeped in the existence of womanhood and Special is dedicated to representing disable existence BUT this doesn't remove their non-disabled and non-female audiences.
TL;DR: Relatability is important in the sense that relatability is not the "stories of people who look and act exactly like me" but instead "stories of people who live, thrive, and struggle just like me"
sometimes I wonder, what if I was selfless and giving, at least then I wouldn't care about what people were taking from me
no one will ever watch or relate to a story/movie/series the way you do because they have not lived or experienced life, the way you have
everything is about love, a love that I could never have
Yall I have been sick for around two weeks almost now-
I keep going back to school for one day and then I’m out the next (throwing up almost constantly)
…….ISTG IT’S THE FUCKIN SCHOOL AIR COMBINED WITH FLU SEASON
Like omgggggggg, I was walking down the staircase with my friend and I smell this really good floral fresh perfume (like so nice) and in that same breath, I just turn my nose slightly and get hit with fart and STANKY body odor 🤢
I mean you add all that into this time of year where eeeeeveryyones getting sick, and kids are rubbing up on eachother trynna get to class or get out and goddamn-..I ain’t never recovering-🙂↕️😟
U guys ever annoyed ur self into annoyance, cause that shit is so annoying.
it really makes my day whenever i see someone in public with a stuffed animal. the simple fact that someone else cares about a little plushie so much to bring them everywhere always warms my heart. does it have a name, a backstory? i get to see a peek inside this person's world... that's so wonderful!