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watched the wild robot recently, it was a very pretty movie and i liked the design of the robot. i went into it with bigger ideals than i should have for a big brand childrens movie, but i just think that they opened too many doors on big topics and didnt follow up.

complaining under the cut, i mostly just want to write my thoughts down. obvious spoiler warning for the movie

i KNOWWW its a childrens movie i KNOWWWW its a big brand name of COUUURSE it isnt going to be all that i hoped i KNOWWW i shouldnt be looking this deep into it and i KNOWWWW i shouldnt have gone into it with the (externally caused) attitude i did.

but it was disappointing mannn it was disappointing. im going to watch it again in theaters to try and introduce more joy into my heart and change my thoughts but this is all first-pass emotions.

they open too many topic doors without properly exploring them.

duck that is a runt but ends up still being accepted by the flock? Awesome, great! when that duck is an allegory for minority kids, varying as both rep for physically disabled or neurodivergent, and the way he gets accepted by the flock is by going above and beyond and ultimately learning to behave the way they do? baddd. doesn't address that no, sometimes people CANT do things that other people can. almost had "sometimes you have to find a different way that works for you" which wouldve been great but as far as i can tell that was only a transitional point and he DID end up behaving just as everyone else did.

robot that doesnt know how to connect with nature ultimately learning to become one with it?? cool, fun!! when that robot is a metaphor for a minority individual having to drop its original personality in order to survive and become accepted by the community? bad, although i cant weigh in on this too much. loses the fun bits of being a robot. i guess the "original culture" was weirdly intertwined with obtuse capitalism advertising but augh. good to unlearn advertising propaganda, bad to have to almost completely remake who you are just to fit in and give your kid a fighting chance?

expressing that animals have to survive and that means hunting each other? cool moment!!! later saying that you CAN unite them and writing hunting with a negative moral weight and later implying that they can just eat fish and live happily together? aughhhh mannn MANNN. like, okay, animals CAN form really interesting pairbonds. but also hibernation is NATURAL. animals dying is NATURAL. they almost went for it in the beginning but towards the end they backed out. rgh.

it just feels to me like if theyre going for a disabled/minority/neurodivergent metaphor, then those characters that are disabled/minority/neurodivergent are shown as having to Save Everyone to be Liked. The robot has to almost completely Sacrifice Herself for people to end up liking her. They wanted to do too many things and it ended up being a real big tangle all around.

designs are pretty cool. i sorta liked how roz resurrected and named rummage. they couldve done more with the fox and saying "violent raising begets more violent raising" but they Really Already Had a Lot on their Plate. i didnt like the evil robot who was a blatant bait character that didnt even have much "robot" in the personality. i didn't like how they handled robots, i didn't like how they handled animals, and when those are the Two Big Main Bits of the movie, WELL,

im sure that i could be swayed into liking it by someone who does like it a lot and ill probably change my thoughts when i go rewatch it. but i needed to nail down and articulate why it rubbed me the wrong way, as a known robot liker and nature liker.

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!! TRICK OR TREAT!!!! PLEASE SAY TREAT PLEASE

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!! TRICK OR TREAT!!!! PLEASE SAY TREAT PLEASE

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Paranoid Intervals / Body Dysmorphia

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I redesigned all of Gen's designs. The first was how he was made: a particular beautiful Sand Construct, made to farm in a city. He was obsolete, life made only to show his creator's prowess with sculpture.

The second design is his old design, this is what he's resculpted himself into to live on land. He wore this for most of his existence.

The third design is him currently. He's dedicated himself to reviving the ancient mer magic, and wears recreated traditional robes. He covers his face to distance himself, he's now learned the immortal heartbreak of outliving even those you thought were the same as you.

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My attacks from this year's art fight! MOSTLY phighting ocs. It was really fun! TEAM SEAFOAM!!!

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bh bomb perchance …

(This ask is referring to my Phighting OC, BH Bomb! I have them uploaded on Art Fight)

This ask got me thinking about BH Bomb during work, so here's some doodles I did! Was mostly thinking about their younger years, back before they were experimented on. Typed up all the notes I wrote on the doodles for easier readability, and I'm going to elaborate more under the read more!

BH Bomb would have had a large interest in space. I don't actually think that space, as we know it, even EXISTS in the Phighting universe, but whatever IS there is what BH Bomb would have been interested in. He'd have used he/him pronouns when he was younger, so I'll use he/him pronouns to refer to young Black Hole as opposed to BH Bomb as they are currently.

His gear would've been pretty powerful already, that's why weapons department wanted to use him, but he was a BAD PHIGHTER. He was bad at strategy, and even worse with teamwork. His gear would be a ranged action where he throws the bomb somewhere, and then it would pull in whoever is in its radius, like Subspace's tripmine. The difference is that its radius was much bigger, and it effected teammates too. This means it would be incredibly good as a positioning tactic. Black Hole, however, would ONLY use it to propel HIMSELF forward: He'd throw it where he wanted to go and then the pull would bring him there. He wouldn't care much that every time he used it it would mess up all his team's positions, and that any range would be pulled off their perch, and any weaker phighters would be pulled into all their enemies at once. This means that all ranged and movement-based phighters would HATEEE phighting with Black Hole.

(This means that when G Balloon coaches them into becoming a phighter, all their prowess with strategy and teamwork and Actually Being Good At Phighting, IS BECAUSE G Balloon taught them that. As silly as she is, G is an incredible strategist and a good coach.)

To be clear, as much as the experiments hurt BH Bomb and terrified them, and as much as they THINK they'd have been better off never being transferred, if they had never been transferred they actually wouldn't have been all that happy either. If they had never been transferred, they never would have stopped to think about their gender identity and would still be going by he/him and would feel stifled in presenting masculine. They'd be swamped with work and never have a moment to themself, being basically a NASA scientist, and while they do like space, they'd never have time feel happy. Certainly they'd be way better off than being a weapon, but they think their life would have been wonderful if not for the experiments and theyre wrong about that.

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Changing pfp! Updated sona design

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For prep this year for Art Fight, I uploaded three new characters! Duckie is a revamp of an old oc I've never posted, turned into a Phighting character. G Balloon is a Phighting character based off of last year's oc, BH Bomb. And finally, Vinny! Who's going to be a pretty prominent npc in the object show-themed campaign I'm running right now.

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That's Ramona Badwolf, the actual canon character! Neiji has a little bit of a oc x canon, wherein he and Ramona date for a short period.

Neijiderick (Nay-jer-ick) Fang and Maisie (maze-ee) Towers

Neiji and Maisie are not children of a Named Myth. instead, they are children of a fairy tale in that they are to inherit archetypes.

Maisie Towers is the daughter of a Maiden in the Tower. Her family, once, was an inherited *Princess* in the Tower, but Maisie will quite firmly correct anyone who calls her a princess. Her story is thus: She will be locked in a tower, with her only company being The Dragon guarding her. She will be trapped until a Dragonslayer saves her. She will also correct anyone on this-- it is not a PRINCE who saves her. In fact, her story has NEVER been a Prince! Her story has always had a Dragonslayer instead. Because the crown inherited patriarchically, and it was always princesses who inherited the Tower myth, her family lost more and more of their inherited wealth. A few generations back they were poor enough that they had to sell their title, and having lost their nobility, neither Maisie nor her mother were born princesses.

Neijiderick Fang is the dragon who will guard her. heres where my ocs get quite far from canon: obviously, ever after high has gone the direction of "dragons are pets/mounts" and "dragonriders are a concept". This means that INHERENTLY, dragons are less of a threat to anyone whose story involves killing a dragon, or being trapped by a dragon. In the story that I'm telling with these characters, I imagine there are two types of dragons: a divergent evolutionary line. Im calling the CANON dragons "dragons" and im calling my dragons "wyverns". Dragons were what terrorized villages, interacted with people more, and eventually were domesticated. Wyverns had overall less interaction with humans, were not domesticated, and have become more akin to canon eah's Magical Beast: wherein, like the Big Bad Wolf, a magical beast with a clear enough Story can become an inherited title, and, eventually, become no different than any other person.

SO, Neiji is a dragon the same way Professor Badwolf is a wolf.

Maisie's mom raised her alone, n she was an only child. Neiji's mom died before he was born, obvs on account of the story. She had laid Neiji's egg n left it with Maisie's mom in the tower. before maisie was born, egg started hatching, and she sent it off to a wizard tower, where a wizard and a different dragon hatched and raised Neiji. The wizard saw it as a job n quickly left, and neiji doesn't consider him a parent. the dragon who raised him left him with Maisie a lot and basically had him on weekends.

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After attending Once Upon an Elemntary together, and surviving Highs And Lows School (which everyone really just shortens to Middle School), they spent freshman year of highschool in different schools. Maisie went to Ever After High, and Neijiderick attended Beanstalk High, wanting to practice flying in the clouds. ...Not being a giant, he was ostracized and transferred to Ever After.

In the first year of her life that Maisie had not been locked at the hip with Neiji, she made close friends that werent him. ...And she realized that she wasnt feeling *best friendship* for Neiji, she was feeling *a crush.*

In the summer before Sophomore year started, Maisie confessed to Neiji.

It destroyed their friendship. He rejected her with GREAT vehemence. When they started school again, he completely ignored her in the halls. It was easy to avoid her-- being a villain, he had a completely different schedule than her, and being a Royal, he had completely different friends.

Maisie is an extremely perceptive girl. She may not be remarkable enough to make lasting impressions, but shes happy fading into the background. She does well in classes, but shes never perfect enough to shine. Graceful, elegant, scholarly, she doesnt need to try in her princess classes. Shes happy for that for the same reason-- she can people watch.

She's always been very mature. Perhaps its because she had to grow up too fast, shouldering her mother's emotional weight. This whole argument between royals and rebels all seems very silly to her-- The dramatics, that is. Because the moment she heard other students were planning to change their destiny, she wanted in.

She's never too worried abt Neiji. She *knows* him. She knows him better than he knows himself, shes perceptive and hes been all shes looked at for years. Shed answer his questions before he asked, shed figure out why hes upset before he even had a chance to feel it. She knows he needs time-- and she knows that, eventually, theyll both be in that tower. Alone. for years. And she figures theyll talk it out then.

As much as she retains her composure in most situations, theres one thing shes sensitive about-- her nobility.

Her *Destiny* is being a PRINCESS in a tower. But, generations ago, her family lost their nobility-- they had to sell it, their family too poor, and needing food more than a title. And since her story calls for a *Dragonslayer*, not a *Prince*, her family has never had a chance to regain their title.

A classmate, in an argument during class about who's on what side: Maisie's a Royal, *obviously.*

Maisie: Actually, I'm a Rebel.

Classmate: What? But... youre a princess?

Maisie: I'm a *Maiden*.

Classmate: Well, but you've got a Prince Charming?

Maisie: No. My story has a Dragonslayer.

(She corrects this constantly. everyone thinks shes a princess, and its the one assumption she will never not correct)

Neijiderick had felt growing resentment towards Maisie through all of Middle School. She was better and better at reading him-- and she was a middle schooler, who wanted to show off, and didnt have too much social awareness yet. She doesnt remember doing this, or at least how often, but she would constantly tell him what he was feeling-- "He just ignored you! Even though you waved. You must be angry, and hurt. I think he's going to his friends. I dont think he saw you, Neiji." Which seems benign enough of a thing to say, except she did it Constantly. he wouldnt be able to FEEL THINGS, and certainly he couldnt figure out his own feelings on his own. he felt exposed. He used to be able to take pleasure in sniping back at her when she got something wrong, but that only ever made her better at it.

He chose a different high school than her to get away from it all. That... didnt work out. The giants were cruel, and the teachers didnt notice-- or, they pretended not to. It made him spitting mad!!! But, he didnt know how to handle that anger, because he had always had Maisie-- either she'd help, or she'd try to help and then he'd redirect that anger at her for reading him too easily.

(He knows something about her that she doesnt. He knows shes not *that* good at reading him. Cuz she never read the growing resentment towards her correctly.)

When she confessed-- he ran. he ran immediately, squashed any reaction, left before she could read him-- he needed to figure this out *himself*.

And he did! And hes FUCKING PISSED. She's been hurting him all this time-- but, well, he never told her she was hurting him. She shouldve figured it out! But, well, he's GLAD he can keep SOME secrets. She KNOWS what his destiny is!

And there it is, he thinks. destiny. Hes never once considered that shed like anyone before her Dragonslayer. He thought he'd die before she loved someone. Maybe that was stupid? Plenty of people date in highschool, before signing the book of legend.

But why *him?* She knows more than anyone that he *cant return her affection.* He's got a time limit! And, even then-- He's going to be a DRAGON. dragons dont *kiss princesses.*

Thats right. Dragons dont kiss princesses. Dragons are ruthless, and mean, and *fucking cool*. And HES a dragon. (Wyvern, actually, but semantics.) He's going to sign the book of legends, and then after graduation like all the other magical beast characters, he's going to wake up the next day permanently in beast form.

So he ignores Maisie. Like a proper villain, and to avoid her seeing through him, and because-- look. he doesnt like her back. And, being her friend now would be *weird*. Knowing that every time they joke, every time they hang out, she'd be thinking of.... *romance.*

He changes his nickname. Avoids anything the reminds him of Maisie, actually-- she calls him Neiji,

So he goes by Ricky now. Ricky Fang. And he aces his classes, and he learns cool things like firebreath and attacking knights, and how to hold a Maiden in his claws-- a *princess*, he means, how to hold a *princess* in his claws to fly away with her.

and in his Villain classes, he meets--

Ramona Badwolf. Transferred to the school halfway through the school year. Immediately began gathering extra credit in her classes to make up for missing it, and almost as quickly made herself *known.* She was proud, and she was sly, and she was confident. She had an unwavering strength in herself-- she growled *scram*, and the halls cleared. And she was *incredibly pretty.*

Ricky was very interested in her. And he was even more interested when *she was interested in him*.

Turns out they have a lot in common-- theyre both gonna turn into magical beasts, theyre both going to have to dodge hunters, and they both know that being a msgical beast is going to be so fucking cool that it will all be worth it. Ramona asks him out, and he almost thinks he says yes too fast.

Ramona changes him, but really not by much. He was already punk, she just taught him how to show it. He cut his jacket into a vest, he collected all the shiny baubles he didnt before.

He has cultivated a very specific persona at Ever After High-- he's aloof, and distant, and hes quiet. He HATES the idea of someone being able to read him. And its hard to do, but he painstakingly makes certain he keeps those walls up around Ramona.

They date for a year, and it ends in flames. Literally. Their breakup is known throughout the school because they MADE IT KNOWN. They consistently make it known every time they see each other in the halls.

Ramona had gotten sick and tired of the mysterious facade. Sick of the distance. in their first Big Fight, she told him "I KNOW YOU, Ricky!" She didnt know that it would immediately terrify him, that hed get so defensive.

Ultimately, she knew the problem was this: He didnt see them as "serious" enough to trust her with his secrets.

He knew the problem, too! She seemed to think they were gonna stay together after graduation. can you imagine a WOLF and a DRAGON kissing? obviously not.

really, he was scared. Why else do people hide? if you cant see this part of me, ill never have to see you reject it. and really, she was scared too. She was scared he was hiding from her because he didnt ever actually like her, that she had been vulnerable in front of someone who was laughing at her the whole time.

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Neijiderick (Nay-jer-ick) Fang and Maisie (maze-ee) Towers

Neiji and Maisie are not children of a Named Myth. instead, they are children of a fairy tale in that they are to inherit archetypes.

Maisie Towers is the daughter of a Maiden in the Tower. Her family, once, was an inherited *Princess* in the Tower, but Maisie will quite firmly correct anyone who calls her a princess. Her story is thus: She will be locked in a tower, with her only company being The Dragon guarding her. She will be trapped until a Dragonslayer saves her. She will also correct anyone on this-- it is not a PRINCE who saves her. In fact, her story has NEVER been a Prince! Her story has always had a Dragonslayer instead. Because the crown inherited patriarchically, and it was always princesses who inherited the Tower myth, her family lost more and more of their inherited wealth. A few generations back they were poor enough that they had to sell their title, and having lost their nobility, neither Maisie nor her mother were born princesses.

Neijiderick Fang is the dragon who will guard her. heres where my ocs get quite far from canon: obviously, ever after high has gone the direction of "dragons are pets/mounts" and "dragonriders are a concept". This means that INHERENTLY, dragons are less of a threat to anyone whose story involves killing a dragon, or being trapped by a dragon. In the story that I'm telling with these characters, I imagine there are two types of dragons: a divergent evolutionary line. Im calling the CANON dragons "dragons" and im calling my dragons "wyverns". Dragons were what terrorized villages, interacted with people more, and eventually were domesticated. Wyverns had overall less interaction with humans, were not domesticated, and have become more akin to canon eah's Magical Beast: wherein, like the Big Bad Wolf, a magical beast with a clear enough Story can become an inherited title, and, eventually, become no different than any other person.

SO, Neiji is a dragon the same way Professor Badwolf is a wolf.

Maisie's mom raised her alone, n she was an only child. Neiji's mom died before he was born, obvs on account of the story. She had laid Neiji's egg n left it with Maisie's mom in the tower. before maisie was born, egg started hatching, and she sent it off to a wizard tower, where a wizard and a different dragon hatched and raised Neiji. The wizard saw it as a job n quickly left, and neiji doesn't consider him a parent. the dragon who raised him left him with Maisie a lot and basically had him on weekends.

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I LOVE THE WONDERLANDIANS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!