#2024 has been a great year for Gravity Falls

[hkthatgffan]

The image used in the background of the Gravity Falls logo HAS BEEN FOUND!!

It's located in France!!

I made a thread on Twitter explaining the full story and how I even asked Ian Worrel and Alex Hirsch about it, but lemme run down quickly how it was found and where it is!

After 3 years of searching with some friends on and off, we had no real luck. I've been working on a video about it for a while but decided to try one more time. My friend @trickengf suggested looking at international logos as they may have more of the image available and sure enough...we found logos like the Japanese and Russian GF logo had more visible detail of the image.

From that, Tricken made a remake of the image and used it to find it. He ended up finding the source at about 3AM for me, lol!

My friend Fried Oreos then confirmed the image was old enough to fit the criteria of pre GF pilot, by determining the image was on the Textures website it was sourced from since 2008!

Then, my friend Alex M managed to buy the HD image and we were able to analyze its metadata for more info!

Turns out, the image, called "LandscapeMountains0009," was taken by a Nikon D70 camera on April 18, 2007!

THE GRAVITY FALLS LOGO IMAGE IS ALMOST 18 YEARS OLD!!

From there, we began looking for the location. The meta data had no location, but other images taken around the same time showed signs of maybe the location being in Europe.

After over a day of searching, Tricken, Alex M and Oreos FOUND IT!!

The location of the image is a mountain range near the town of Sers, France...near the border with Spain.

Exact coordinates of the closest viewable angle of the image is 42°54'23.2"N 0°06'05.6"E

This is a major discovery and one I cannot believe we did. While this search was started by me in 2021 with some friends, it was TrickenGF, Alex M and Fried Oreos who deserve all the credit for this discovery! They were the geniuses who tracked all of this down and were able to connect the dots to get to this point.

You guys are amazing and I am beyond grateful for all of this.

Finding this image means that fans can now recreate the Gravity Falls logo as they want with anything they want. For example, Tricken made this for me using the image :D

Or, you can do this, lol

We now have it!

For 12 years as we looked at the Gravity Falls logo...we were in reality looking at a mountain in France...NOT Oregon!

So, I guess this is a major W for France but sorry, Pacific Northwest, Gravity Falls is actually French, lol!

I still can't believe we found this. I'm so happy :P

[selinakylesupremacy]

Favourite Batcat quotes in comics:

Bruce to Selina:

There exists such a thing as longing, for two hearts beating across time, space, and dimension, then perhaps she helped provide a beacon. A reason to return. Someone to come back to. - Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Catwoman #1 (2010)

When we kiss the pain goes away - Batman #12 (2020)

Her smell. Chanel. Wet leather. And sweat. I want to get lost in that smell. - Detective Comics #800 (2005)

Nothing matters as long as we're together - Batman Chronicles #11 (2014)

In any world, I love her - Batman #132 (2023)

There has only been one woman who has really held my heart - Heart of Hush (2009)

All I can think about is Selina. Beautiful, fascinating Selina Kyle. - Batman: Black and White #6 (2016)

When I first met you on that boat, the diamond you stole, after I got it back. I bought it. I've had it for years. I knew, even at the beginning. I knew I'd need it. I... I needed it. Just like... I need you. - Batman #24 (2017)

I'd do anything for you. - Catwoman #51 (2023)

She's more important than the galaxies. - Batman #68 (2019)

She's the only one who...who understands what... she knows who I am. What I am. And she loves me anyway. - Batman #15 (2017)

I love you Cat. I always will. - Batman #85 (2019)

Something passed between us - a spark of electricity. The shock of recognition. It was as if I'd suddenly found a part of myself that I never knew was missing. - Batman Chronicles #11 (2014)

Without you, I'm lost - Batman/Catwoman #6 (2020)

When I do let myself dream, Selina...in that life. I'm with you. - Catwoman: Lonely City #3 (2022)

Even in the middle of death and madness she makes my heart skip - Batman #143 (2024)

My world is dust without you - Batman #78 (2019)

Selina to Bruce:

By now we both know we can't stop it. This. Might as well try to stop the planets orbiting the sun. It's more than love. It's gravity. - Catwoman #1 (2023)

You and me. The Bat and the Cat. In the dark making sparks - Batman #392 (1986)

When the world blows up around us we reach out for one another. - Catwoman #58 (2023)

The Bat and the Cat. We are forever. - Batman #85 (2019)

You are part of the night, just like me. We're not afraid of the dark - we come alive in it. - Catwoman #40 (1996)

I'd rather die with you than live without you. - JLA: The Nail (1998)

When I fall he catches me - Batman #37 (2017)

Just for today don't be Batman. Don't be the mask. It's okay to let it go, just for today. You can fall apart, I'll hold you together. - Injustice: Gods Among Us #17 (2013)

I hope somewhere deep down you know I will never let you fall - Detective Comics # 1077 (2023)

I liked the smell of him - leather and sweat - Batman #66 (2019)

I liked how he held me, like he could do anything, but he couldn't let go - Batman #66 (2019)

I love you too, Bruce. Just like a fairy tale, I could live with you in your castle forever. - Batman Returns Comic (1992)

His love is my great escape - Catwoman #58 (2023)

I love you, Bat. I love you so much - Batman #85 (2019)

[tinfoil-jones]

Gravity Falls: For Your Own Good, Ch. 10

Summary: A few years after moving to Gravity Falls and having his lab built, Stanford Pines happens upon his estranged twin brother, Stanley. He mentally prepared himself to be suffocated by his brothers neediness all over again - what he wasn't prepared for was Stanley walking right past him like he didn't even notice him.

Rating: M for language, violence, and adult implications

Preface: Dialogue only, but some actions will be annotated for clarity. Cross-Posted on AO3 Here

WARNING: This is a long chapter

First - Prev - Next

Ch.10

“Do you remember how you came to Gravity Falls in the first place?”

“I was just passing by.”

“Yes, but this town is isolated, and you have no means of transportation.”

“Trainhopping, I was hiding on a train for two days I think, maybe three? Decided to jump off here.”

“Do you know why you decided to do that here, and not anywhere else?”

“...”

“Stan?”

“It’s funny, specs - a couple months back, I’d already been with my pal Rick for a while, right? Just one heist, escapade, or criminal venture after another, for seven months straight. And it was great while it lasted, but then he asked me if I wanted to stay with him in another dim- someplace far away. And I wanted to, ya know? There’s always been this itch in the back of my mind that I wanted to go around the world on some grand adventure, and he was offering that to me on a silver platter. But I told him no.”

“And why was that, Stan?”

“...It’s stupid.”

“I wouldn’t call any of your reasoning stupid, I’m not here to judge you.”

“...I always wanted to go on an adventure- but something was missing. It’s like- I dunno if it’s intuition or some spiritual mumbo jumbo, it’s like I’m looking for something. But I don’t know what I’m looking for.”

“Do you have an idea what it could be?”

“A part of… me? I’m missing something. Not just my memories- but something else. I think I might have made a promise, I just… don’t remember what it was, or who I promised to. I guess I’ve been drifting around trying to find it.”

“And you felt it was in Gravity Falls?”

“I don’t… I don’t know. There’s something weird here… I just wanted to check this place out, is all.”

“I see. What did you say your relationship with this Rick was like?”

“You don’t need to be jealous, F. We were just friends. Okay, maybe we were kind of an item for a week at most, but that guy isn’t just self-destructive; he’s like a train that wrecks onto a freeway, he can never just destroy himself, he has to wreck the people around him too and create an absolute shit show. Even I have a limit with that shit.”

“You really need to stop putting yourself down like that, Stan. You only ever seem to say negative things about yourself, it ain’t good for you.”

“There isn’t anything good to say, stretch.”

“Don’t sell yourself one egg short of a basket, now. Y’know, your-. Uh, Stanford was telling me that you’re quite clever. He used a trick to get you down here in the first place, but he also said that he wouldn’t be able to trick you again.”

“I should have seen his fake-out coming… I’ll give it to him, it was a good one. But I’m not going to underestimate him, because crazy like his should never be underestimated. What’s he up to anyways? He went to that room that’s always locked.”

“That’s his private study. I believe he goes there when he wants to be alone.”

“...Didn’t he live by himself? Why did he already have that?”

“Can’t say, maybe it’s a quiet and calm space for him.”

(...)

“HE HAS RISEN BABY GIRL.”

“Bill, please stop calling me that. It’s unprofessional.”

“Come on Sixer, at least let the Goo Goo Dolls soundtrack play.”

“The what?”

“Ooop! My bad, it’s not 1998 or 2024 yet. How can I help you today, Fordsy? You haven’t called me in a few weeks.”

“There’s a mindscape I need to access.”

“Oh boy, it’s not usually you who wants to poke around other humans' brains, always prattling on about ethics and consent. What’s the occasion?”

“...You know everything I know when we’re in the mindscape, you already know the answer.”

“Yes, but I still want you to say it out loud. Clearly and concisely, so your dialogue can be read on screen.”

“... I need to get into the mind of my brother, Stanley. He has amnesia, and our leading theory is that it’s due to psychological trauma. But he has been through so much trauma we’re having trouble isolating the definitive event that would have started this.”

“And why wouldn’t he just share that with his beloved twin brother?”

“He does not remember me.”

“Oooh, then he is just like you! Isn't it just precious when twins are twinning?”

“I never forgot about him.”

“Oh Sixer… You might as well have.”

“Just take me to his mind, Cipher… Please.”

“Anything for you, baby boy!”

SNAP

(...)

“So your memories are only clear to a certain point?”

“Yeah. Rick found me wandering around the woods in a ‘catatonic state’, and snapped me out of it. Everything before that… I can remember being on the street, I can remember all the stuff I did, maybe out to a decade? But there’s a lot of holes, lotsa different names I used. And before the streets? Nothing.”

“And when did Rick find you in the woods?”

“What month is it?”

“June.”

“Last May - so about 13 months?”

(...)

“Okay Fordsy he hasn’t made a deal with me so we can’t go too deep, or his mental defenses are just gonna shove us out.”

“Bill, I already know that, why are you explaining it to me?”

“You know; doesn’t mean they know. Unless this is a re-read. In which case; welcome back. Glad you loved or hated it the first time.”

“You are… Beyond comprehension, Bill Cipher.”

“That’s what you love about me though.”

“You have my begrudging, professional respect.”

“From your aspec ass, that’s practically love.”

“Aspe-”

“Oooh! Lookie here, a memory door opened up. He must be opening up to someone right now. Let's barge in haphazardly.”

(...)

“Okay Stan, this might be difficult. But if you ever feel distressed, let me know and we can try grounding techniques okay?’

“You got it, F.”

“Now close your eyes, think back to when you and Rick parted ways.”

(...)

“Sanchez?! How does Stan know-.”

“You know this hilarious crossover character? I already know the answer, but for no particular reason I need you to tell me out loud how you know him.”

“His wife Diane was part one of my PhD programs. She was always so bright and pleasant, but her husband was a nightmare when she brought him around. He was always saying that school wasn’t for smart people, and rubbed his inventions and intelligence in our face.”

“And how is she these days?”

“She passed away from a garage fire a few years ago, her and her little girl. I almost sent him a condolences, but he was such an unpleasant slimebucket I could not make myself do so.”

“Come on Stan- think about it! You, me, Bird Person, Squanchy-  sci-fi adventures, drugs, bitches. Whattaya say? Let’s ditch this dimension, there isn’t anything for us here anymore.”

“Dimension-?”

“Shh, Fordsy, just let it play out.”

“I… I can’t Rick.”

“Why not?”

“There’s… something here.”

“Did you remember something?”

“I don’t remember who, but I think I’m looking for someone.”

“Stanny-Boy, we’ve been through this before. No one knows you, everywhere we’ve been, ‘cept for the fake names. You should just cut your losses.”

“Wherever we go, we go together.”

“What was that-?”

“Just the distorted voice of his subconscious. It’s probably not important.”

“I’m sorry. But there’s a piece of me missing, and I think it’s still here in this dimension somewhere.”

“You know your credits don’t have monetary value here.”

“I know.”

“And I can’t leave you a space cruiser. You’ll have to walk or steal a car.”

“Either is fine. I’ve done it before.”

“Stan… Are you sure?”

“Here. Take all my credits, you’ll get more out of it than me.”

“You want your dusters back?”

“Trade me.”

“Wait, you don’t want your transdimensional watch anymore?”

“If the pigs catch me, I don’t need them asking too many questions.”

“You know that doesn’t just give you dimensional coordinates and time zones, right? There’s a pulse wave in it that can shatter force fields.”

“Pft, what are the chances I’d ever need that?”

“Ooof, he really fumbled the bag there.”

“My muse, please.”

*Rick takes the watch and gives Stan a pair of brass knuckles*

“Thanks Rick… Hey, it was nice while it lasted.”

“Hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“I hope you find that bastard, Prime. Give him the hell he deserves.”

“...Stan?”

“Yeah?”

“Fuck you.”

“I’ll miss you too, pal.”

(...)

“Alright, how are you feeling Stan?”

“So far so good.”

“Okay, now let’s go further back. You said your first clear memory is when you met him, let’s go back to that.”

“I was in the back of his shi- iiitty car, I felt like I’d just smoked an entire carton of cigarettes, but in a bad way..”

(...)

“It just- stopped?”

“He’s remembering something else. Just look for another door.”

“Here we go.”

“Wha- where…?”

“Oh hey you’re awake.”

“-’re, you?”

“You’re one tough son of a bitch, y’know? Most of the people I tase end up dead, but you just passed out.”

“You… tased me? Are you a cop?”

“Hell no. I tased you because you attacked me in the woods. Damn near ripped my head off.”

“The woods..?”

“You were wandering around in a catatonic state, can’t tell you how long.”

“A what state?”

“This isn’t going anywhere. Can you tell me your name?”

“It’s…? I... Malone. Wait. It’s- Stan.”

“Stan Malone huh? My name’s Rick Sanchez.”

(...)

“Stan keep your eyes closed. I want you to try to remember what happened before this.”

“Alright…”

“What’s something you can remember? Something you saw, felt, heard?”

“My chest felt really tight…”

(...)

“What is this?”

“Ahh. A pit memory. This is something his brain wants to forget, but can’t permanently delete.”

“So it is a repressed memory?”

“Yes. He’s trying to think about it… but unconsciously, he really doesn’t want to.”

“What happens if we jump in?”

“Sixer, where's your sense of adventure? If it gets too dangerous I’ll just pull us out.”

“Do you swear?”

“Just gimme the word.”

“Which word?”

“Let’s go with ‘defenestrate’ this time.”

‘W̷̷H̷̷Y̷ ̷I̷̷S̷̷N̷'̷T̷ ̷I̷̷T̷ ̷W̷̷O̷̷R̷̷K̷̷I̷̷N̷̷G̷?! ̷W̷̷H̷̷Y̷-?’

S̷̷C̷̷R̷̷E̷̷E̷̷C̷̷H̷

‘̷C̷̷a̷̷n̷’̷t̷-’  

‘̷t̷̷r̷̷a̷̷p̷̷p̷̷e̷̷d̷’  

‘̷c̷̷a̷̷n̷’̷t̷ ̷b̷̷r̷̷e̷̷a̷̷t̷̷h̷̷e̷-’

*brief flash of a pile of burnt paper ash in Stan’s hands, which are shaking*

“We can’t stay here Fordsy, he’s closing up again.”

“Just one more second-!”

“Might as well, it’s [--- ---- ------ - ---].”

“[--- ---] going to die here. Stan[--- -------- -----], if you don’t [---- - ---- ---- --] in the next minute you will die.”

“That voice-?”

“We’re leaving now, Sixer! DEFENESTRATE!”

SNAP

(...)

“Stan? Stan calm down-! It’s okay! Remember where you are.”

“C-Can’t breathe-”

“Yes you can, just breathe with me. In- out. In- out. Just like that. There we go.”

“I’m sorry Fiddleford, I can’t do it. I can’t. I can’t. ”

To be continued…

[eregyrn-falls]

Gravity Falls Revival Prospects Teased by Disney TV Boss (Exclusive)

By Russ Milheim Posted: June 05, 2024

(From "The Direct", original article linked above.) While Gravity Falls may have ended in 2014 on the Disney Channel, fans are still hoping for a revival—thankfully, that doesn't look too far out of reach, at least according to an update from a top Disney executive. The series may have ended in 2014, but since then, creator Alex Hirsch has published several books in the universe. This included Gravity Falls: Tales of the Strange and Unexplained, Lost Legends, and Journal 3. In fact, another book is even coming out later this year, called The Book of Bill, which tells the story of the show from the perspective of the big bad. However, while books are great and all, a continuation of the show would absolutely thrill the franchise’s fanbase. In an exclusive interview with The Direct’s Russ Milheim while promoting the release of Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation, Executive Vice President of Television Animation and Disney Branded Television Meredith Roberts gave a hopeful update on a possible Gravity Falls revival. She confirmed that they’re “in conversations with [creator] Alex [Hirsch]” before ending with an encouraging “never say never:” “You know, we're in conversations with Alex. He's about to publish a book with Disney on his project. And we also do some shorts. So never say never.”

What Could Be Next for Gravity Falls? While the update is a small one, plenty of fans will be thrilled to see even a slight glimmer of home. Sure, the new book releases are exciting, but not nearly as much as having the show back. If the show were to return, creator Alex Hirsch would likely want to introduce a new threat other than Bill. Admittedly, that's a high bar to clear. Perhaps a continuation would also age its leading characters, Dipper and Mabel. However, having older leads could transform Gravity Falls into a much different, more adult-based narrative. Either way, there's plenty of demand from fans to see the world of Gravity Falls again. Hopefully, that's something Disney can capitalize on sooner rather than later.

Since this is going around, and I haven't seen it posted here... well, here you go. What does it mean? Nobody knows! It may not mean anything. It's hard to tell whether this is just a Disney exec making noises for promotional purposes or what. I honestly would take this with a grain of salt until or unless Alex himself posts or tweets about it.

(My own thoughts: to be worthwhile, I strongly feel that any new Gravity Falls content would need to have the involvement of Alex Hirsch AND a good chunk of the other folks who worked on the show. People like Rob Renzetti, and others like Matt Braly, Alonso Ramirez Ramos, Emmy Ciceriega, Dana Terrace, Matt Chapman, Jeff Rowe, etc. etc. It would probably be difficult to impossible to get everyone back, unless it was for a very limited project, like a TV-movie or something.

I'm not saying they would ALL need to be back, and I do also think you could find some new folks to work on the project who would be very good replacements for some of the original crew who might not be able to come back. But, I've said many, many times: Gravity Falls was not the work of only one man. I respect the hell out of Alex Hirsch, but, the show that we love had contributions from a lot of other people that went into creating the final product. If what we want is something as good as the original show, then I think it would need input from those people.

And even then, we still have to keep in mind that it can be difficult to recapture lightning in a bottle. Even if they got back a majority of the original team, it's 10 years later (ish), and all of those folks have been through a lot, and most haven't been working with each other. There's a groove that the crew of the show got into at the time, and they'd have to recapture that groove. It would be different in at least SOME ways. Maybe a GOOD different! A lot would depend on the enthusiasm they had for doing it.)

So, we'll see! Keep an eye out, though, for more news.

[alex31624]

2024 is almost done. It has been a weird year for me, there was personal stuff that went wrong, but it also was the year of me joining a fandom.

Being in the Ducktales fandom has been a great experience that helped me recover my passion for writing and gave me the chance to draw.

For that, I'm thankful.

Anyway, is time to check the top ten post of this year. Let's see what's on the list.

10. It's PK!

222 notes for PK debut on Ducktales. He needed to be there for real.

09. Dad...

Yeah, in Ducktales, uncle and dad is almost the same. 238 notes confirm it.

08. Happy birthday Ducktales!

With 239 notes, the 7th anniversary post is my most popular piece of art of the year.

07. Angry birds

241 notes for the lamest joke ever.

06. The gang finally together

I love this edit. A 10 kid adventure would have been the best episode on Ducktales season 4. 242 notes think the same.

05. Webby in Lorcana

We all lost our minds when the Webby card was revealed, as the 282 notes said.

04. Webby and Louie, the siblings ever

Webby and Louie are my favorite characters and I love how real their bond feels. They truly are sister and brother, and they got 312 notes.

03. Comics covers!

The collection of IDW Ducktales covers was well received, looking at the 563 notes it got.

02. To the seas!

I think it was a missoportunity to not have HDL showing more of their marine life. 644 notes agree with me.

01. Dipcifica

Is so funny that a Gravity Falls post is the top post from a Ducktales blog. I had just finished watching GF and I was totally into Dipcifica (I'm still in). I think they made a great couple. And with 645 notes, is my top post from 2024.

There you have it, the top ten post of this year. I hope the next year would be even better.

[ifwebefriends]

Tumblr Moments 2024

January

Steamboat Willie goes into the public domain

Luca x Alberto (Luberto) fanart from the story lead and co-director of Ciao Alberto dropped

Talking about the Percy Jackson TV show

TF2 Heavymedic is canon

MatPat announces his retirement from hosting Game Theory

The Hbomberguy death note post

Confused Ryan Gosling at the critics choice awards

Talking about Hazbin Hotel

Star Trek Threshold Day

The Elmo Twitter ask comic

Sonic X Shadow Generations Trailer Drop

February

Sonic 3 film teaser trailer drop

King Charles III gets diagnosed with cancer

Knuckles series trailer dropped

Deadpool and Wolverine trailer dropped

QSMP at the streamer awards

David Tennant at BAFTA 2024

Nimona drops on YouTube for free with subtitles

Photomatt being transphobic and people talking about it/making jokes about it

Pokémon Z is announced

James Somerton releases his response to Hbomberguy

March

Marijuana-induced tragedy prediction tweet

Dune part two came out

Minecraft wolf update

Roosterteeth shut down

Celebrating Akira Toriyama

Cursed cat Alastor

The entire FNAF movie on Spotify

The Bride and the Ugly Ass Groom

Waiting for ConcernedApe to finish his coffee for the Stardew Valley update

Avatar the last airbender started trending for seemingly no reason

April

The Great Boopening of 2024

Dan and Phil Crafts comes back for April Fools after seven years

Smosh Shourtney WeddingGate

Buck on ABC’s 911 is bisexual

20th anniversary Dannypocalypse

10-year-anniversary of Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The Solar Eclipse

1-year anniversary of the Owl House Finale

The Magnus Protocal episode drops

Keanu Reeves revealed to be playing Shadow in the Sonic 3 Movie

Friendpilled visitmaxxer

Yuri On Ice movie cancelled

Watcher paywall controversy

Beta The Owl House Bible dropped

Dungeon Meshi boobs gif

Helluva Boss Season 2B trailer dropped

Destiel would have been “balls deep” if CW hadn’t blocked it

Arizona Diamondbacks game is delayed due to bees

It’s Gonna Be May

May

Fighting off spam bots invading the #asexual tag

The Amazing Digital Circus episode 2

Classic tumblr star @justgirlythings got married to her girlfriend now wife

Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef unexpectedly gets onto tumblr

FaceTiming fan at a concert meme

Tears of the Kingdom 1-year anniversary

First look at The Last of Us Season 2

Supernatural actors DJ Qualls and Ty Ollson announce their engagement to each other

The King Charles portrait

Slurpy faggi, the first AI generated gay Star Wars character

Death of Kabosu, the dog from the Doge meme

Jensen Ackles talks about Destiel at purcon and says the confession scene was clearly romantic

Pope calls everyone a faggot by accident

Phil Lester goes blonde

Rebecca Sugar posts pearlrose art of Pearl shapeshifting into Greg at some point

Donald Trump found guilty of 34 felony charges

Helluva Boss Full Moon drop

June

Venom: The Last Dance trailer dropped

Jason Todd from the DC universe died again but was brought back quickly

Dragon Age: The Veilguard drop

House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 release

Nintendo Direct that announced various games including but not limited to: a new Mario&Luigi game, a new Legend of Zelda game where you can play as Zelda, and an official translation of Ace Attorney Investigations 2 that has been region locked for 13 years

Doctor Who sutekh

Helluva Boss Apology Tour dropped

Presidential Debate

Urusei Yatsura opening parodies

Old unuploaded Technoblade video was uploaded to the Technoblade channel, mcyt fandom reacts

July

Ao3 down for maintenance for 10 hours

An Extremely Goofy Movie trends because of Maxley

Crowdstrike worldwide Bluescreen day

Moon Landing Day

Biden dropping out of the race Supernatural trending

“I’m not calling you a good boy” meme

Gravity Falls the Book of Bill drops

August

Olympics Chocolate Muffin guy

Deadpool and Wolverine releases

Why dis [____] look so mad? Meme

Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom second trailer drop

Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart at the Olympics

Christmas trends for some reason

Drawing Hatsune Miku from different cultures

Sonic movie 3 trailer drops

Helluva Boss short Weaboo boo drop

September

Our Flag Means Death September 1st dickwads gif

Aftermath of Hatsune Miku’s birthday

Minecraft movie trailer drop

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection drop

Dracula Daily September 8th entry

Taylor Swift at the VMAs

Venom: The Last Dance Final Trailer drop

Friday the 13th

Dead Boy Detectives gets canceled by Netflix

Undertale 9th anniversary

Steven Universe Pearl x Greg art comes out that may or may not be by Rebecca Sugar themselves

October

Spooky month begins once again 🎃

October 3rd, a special day in many fan circles including Mean Girls, Full Metal Alchemist, Dracula Daily, Milo Murphy’s Law, and the nation of Germany

The Amazing Digital Circus episode 3

Out of Touch Thursday Friday

Minecraft Live new update

Digital Circus 1st anniversary

Sunrise on the Reaping cover drop

Rickrolling Wikipedia article poll

Sonic x Shadow Generations drop

Vatican reveals anime girl mascot Luce

Boops return for Halloween

November

Election anniversary of November 5th 2020

Arcane season 2 drop

My Chemical Romance announces new tour

DreamSMP world download drop

Spirk became canon

Sonic and Shadow twitter takeover reactions

Sonic 3 poster drop

Arcane season finale with three ship kisses

Helluva Boss Mastermind drops

December

Luigi Mangione

Dan and Phil won an RPF poll against Jesus Christ and Judas Escariot

Okami sequel gets announced at Game Awards 2024

Helluva Boss Sinsmas drop

Sonic 3 movie drop

Hazbin Hotel Abel drop

[adventuremaker21]

Trix Week 2024 appreciation (1, 5, and 6)

This AU is from my crossover fanfiction, Gravity Winx (Gravity Falls/Winx Club crossover), So expect some bonus names. Takes place after the great split between the three ancestors and their descendants plus Pacifica Northwest, the witch of metal. While this may showcase one day, this is in fact representing the whole week because I don't have individual; days planned. ------------------------------------------------------------- The deed has been done. Thanks to brave actions, and a stupid plan, the eight Winx club fairies, the six specialists, Pacifica, and the three headmasters have successfully split Icy, Darcy, and Stormy from their horrible ancestors Belladonna, Liliss, and Tharma. They were puppets on strings, but now they were free from their vile influence. The words that were said earlier in the night still echo through their minds. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO US!!" Belladonna roared at Pacifica. "I hope looking for the dragon's flame was worth it BECAUSE YOU JUST BURNT YOUR BDIRGE WITH YOUR DECEDENTS!!" Pacifica roared back at them while standing in front of Icy, Darcy, and Stormy, shielding them from their awful family members. But at the dorm itself, Icy, Darcy, and Stormy were just lying on the couch together, thinking for themselves for the first time in over a year. Pacifica was looking at the three of them while she was in the kitchen trying to get some drinks for the four of them. "It's been an hour, and I still can't believe it," Darcy said as she looked at her hands. "I can't hear or feel Tharma's presence in me." "Yeah, no kidding," Stormy said, agreeing with her. "My lightning is now free to roam wherever it may please. Even without Liliss's presence." As for Icy, she remembered what Griffin told her about why she made a deal with Belladonna. Why she did what she thought was right. To free her blood sister Sapphy from her frozen curse. Now that she knew Belladonna was the cause of it, Icy snapped and went after her ancestor. She would have died if it were not for the fairies, specialists, the teachers, and even Pacifica's interference. Thanks to them, they're free. Thanks to Pacifica, they're free. "It was pretty nice for Headwitchstress Griffin to let you three stay here," Pacifica said as she came back to them with some Pitt Cola. "Pacifica..." Icy said as she saw Pacifica come to her and looked away. "Why..." "The soda?" Pacifica asked. "It was all we had." "Why did you save us?" Icy said as she looked at her. "I'm sorry?" Pacifica asked as she saw them sitting up. "Pacifica, witches are meant to betray," Darcy said to her. "Friends, students, teachers, figures of authority. Witches betray witches."

"You should have left us to our fates," Stormy said, feeling sorry for herself. At that moment, Pacifica came over to her and gave her a pretty tight hug. "DO NOT!! EVER!! SAY THAT AGAIN!!" Pacifica yelled at Stormy. Stormy was confused at Pacifica's actions to them. Icy, Darcy, and Stormy lied, cheated, threatened, fought, and tricked their way up here. Sure, they had their ancestors, but Darcy was right. They were witches. They betray. Pacifica, however, did not do that. "Why do you care so much about us?" Darcy asked Pacifica. "We're mean. We trick people. We're witches." "You three saved my life from my awful parents," Pacifica said as she used her metallic scarf to bring Icy and Darcy closer to the hug. "I just want to save you from your awful ancestors in return." "Why?" Icy asked her. "Because, sisters," Pacifica said as she started tearing up. "I love all of you. You've been a family to me since my parents tossed me to the wolves. You gave me magic, a home, more classes, safety." Pacifica then hugged them even tighter. "You gave me life." Icy, Darcy, and Stormy were all shocked at this. Pacifica, at any time, could have said or done anything to knock them down a few pegs. But instead, she stayed by their side and made sure they were free, just like how they freed her from Preston and Priscilla. At that moment, all three of the older witches started bawling their eyes out. They were loved by their sister, and in return, their sister loved them. Freed from familial influence, they found sisterhood in one another. They were the Trix. Isabella "Icy" Everfrost. Darcy Void. Stormy Tempest. Pacifica Northwest.

[psionotic]

My Favorite Culture 2024

Another year, another reminder that it is art that makes life worth living. Here are a few (dozen) of my favorite things.

—Film—

I saw over 40 films this year, most of them for the first time. My favorites were:

I Saw the TV Glow: The best movie of the year is a queer, Lynch-ian, love letter to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and ‘90’s adolescent television. I can’t say that I enjoyed this movie—it’s consistently horrifying and has one of the most depressingly downbeat endings I’ve ever seen—but I’ve thought about it constantly for months afterwards. A real accomplishment.

Anatomy of a Fall: Not a perfect film—a couple of unlikely late twists bruise the peach—but a fascinating exploration of how language, nationality, and gender inform our personal and legal relationships and battles. An all-time performance by Sandra Hüller.

Inside Out 2: Who has two hemispheres and was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder (twice) and ADHD this year? This guy, who loves the hell out of these movies.

Dune part 2: This adaptation is more willing than previous ones to take the novel’s critique of fundamentalism seriously, and—I think bravely, for a big studio picture—to make everyone’s favorite boy-changeling into a monster, all while demanding audiences pay double price for the double bill. Villeneuve is in a class with Bong Joon-ho among my favorite working directors.

I also enjoyed: Love Lies Bleeding, Wicked part I, The Green Knight, A Quiet Place: Day One, Lady Bird, Will & Harper, Mad Max: Furiosa, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Baby Driver, Deadpool & Wolverine, Catherine Called Birdy.

Classics I watched for the first time include The Raid, Looper, Gravity, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Starship Troopers, Suspiria, Possession (WHY HAD I NEVER HEARD OF THIS INCREDIBLE FUCKED UP THING!), Blow Out, Die Hard, Michael Clayton, Baby Driver, the recent-ish Planet of the Apes trilogy, Her, Prisoners (Villeneuve again).

—Books—

This was the year that I discovered sad/funny audiobooks performed by their author, which I love because they do the voices and pronounce the foreign words correctly. Am I becoming one of those sad nonfiction dads? There are no Civil War or WWII books here, so looks like I’m safe for now.

The Anthropocene Reviewed: The internet’s favorite co-dad reviews everything. Thought provoking and hilarious (audiobook read by author).

I’m Glad My Mom Died: This is very funny and very sad and very angering and very funny and very sad (audiobook read by author).

The Measure: A delicious high-concept premise—one night every adult in the world receives a box with a string inside, indicating exactly how much life they have left. The world is subsequently transformed in both wonderful and worrisome ways. I don’t think this is a great book, but it hit at the right time for me: I turned 50 this year, and have been thinking a lot about how much time I have left, how much time my loved ones have, and what to do with however much string we have remaining. I’ve also been thinking about how our world can be made more nurturing and less rapacious, and the election and recent assassination of an insurance CEO (as well as the subsequent cheering) suggest that many other people want the old liberal order to end (again, for better and for worse), a theme that is explored in some (not always satisfactory!) ways in this novel. Serendipity Spoiler!: this book includes a scene where a reactionary presidential candidate is nearly-assassinated, a scene that I read—coincidentally or kismet-ically—the very same day that a reactionary presidential candidate was nearly assassinated. Books, man.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow: A cosmos-crossing story of revenge and reconciliation written by Tom King and gorgeously illustrated by Bilquis Evely. Too big and bold for the cinema.

I also enjoyed Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, ADHD 2.0, Hello Molly! A Memoir, A Study in Drowning (my first go at ‘romantasy’), Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood.

Classics I read for the first time include The Eyre Affair, Hearts in Atlantis, Children of Men, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Dispossessed, The Martian Chronicles, Foundation, Driven to Distraction, Guitar Zero, Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead, Born a Crime, Between the World and Me, The Sirens of Titan, Stories of Your Life and Others.

—Games—

This wasn’t a great year for AAA studios, one where the industry faced a series of brutal layoffs and cancellations. It was, however, an excellent year for indies. My favorite plays:

Balatro: A poker-themed puzzler perfect for 5 minutes on the bus or 5 hours while the rest of your life slips amiably away. A great game for those who don’t play games, now available on phones.

Tactical Breach Wizards: A grid-based tactics/puzzle game, with really delightful characters and a timely story about repression and revolution. Surprisingly touching.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree: The expansion to the best game of 2022. I’ll play it again and again, and there’s a new multiplayer spinoff thing-y to look forward to in 2025. FromSoftware’s conquering of the world was really the best thing that could have happened to everyone, and by everyone I mean me.

Silent Hill 2 (2024): I never played a Silent Hill game until this year, but bloody hell I get it now, I do. This thing scared the pants, shirt, and increasingly-worn beanie off me; and yet the ending (that I got, I’ve heard there are several?) was surprisingly touching.

I also enjoyed Neon White, Helldivers 2, Brotato, No Man’s Sky, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Fallout 76, Lies of P, Another Crab’s Treasure, Rise of the Ronin.

—Music—

This is the year that I became both Bey- and Tay- pilled, I guess? (Though you’d never know it by my Wrapped-Thingy, which is dominated by the one album my neurodivergent son demands we listen to on every car ride.) Anyway, my favorite albums of the year were:

The Cure: Songs of a Lost World. 16-years-in-the making, the new Cure record is devastatingly somber and downbeat. The easy compare-and-critique is that it's another run at the glory days of Disintegration. But the instrumentation (crunchier guitar tones, softly struck piano keys instead of sustained synths) here is very different, and while lyrically Disintegration is angst-y and depressive, the new record is much more ruminative—it’s an elegy, not a Munch scream. Songs of a Lost World is an old man’s record, and I mean this in the best possible way.

Lin-Manuel Miranda & Eisa Davis: Warriors. Miranda will always be mostly known for the second thing he ever did, and so he could have been excused for sitting on his millions and churning out Disney songs for the rest of his life. Instead he decided to stealth drop a… gender-flipped musical theater (for ears) adaptation of a 70’s cult-classic youth-gangs-will-take-over-the-world exploitation film? It’s a big swing, and it really connects: every song is great, there is a delightful mix of musical styles as our heroes cross the five boroughs, and Miranda and Davis somehow coaxed Lauryn Hill out of retirement for “Can You Dig It?”, a standout. Kim Dracula’s glam-y take on the villain is delightfully unhinged and the featured love song “A Light or Somethin’” is really lovely. I could go on and on but I have a bus to catch.

Beyoncé: Cowboy Carter: Ignore the debate over whether or not this is ‘really’ a country album: that’s a trap that she has set for the skeptical. However you classify it, this thing kills. I’d never listened to a whole Beyoncé album previous to this (I was one of those heretics who preferred Destiny’s Child to the solo offerings, don’t shoot me!), but Cowboy Carter came out in March and I’m STILL listening to it (I started it up again this morning before coming to write this!). A celebration of the Black contributors to and creators of country music, and a really strong collection of genre-exemplifying and -subverting songs.

I also enjoyed St. Vincent: Born Screaming, Kim Deal: Nobody Loves You More, Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department, Chappel Roan: The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Original Soundtrack: Wicked part I, Original Soundtrack: I Saw the TV Glow.

Bonus! Favorite musical moments: Taking my daughter to her first show (Melanie Martinez in Oakland), and a summer roadtrip that included three tween girls in the backseat scream-singing the entire Chappel Roan album. The kids are all right.

—Television—

Fallout: The best way to describe this show is to quote Jack Black, staggeringly out of context: “It’s just so funny and violent, and the soundtrack kicks fucking ass”. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy were able to take what makes the games great—their satire of American capitalism and exceptionalism, their environmental storytelling—and added what the games don’t do well—interesting, relatable characters. They were clearly given an enormous, expensive sandbox to just go nuts with. And they did. I’ve watched it twice, and will be revisiting it again before the second season drops. Of course, the same creative team started strong with Westworld, like this a gonzo sci-fi western with literary pretensions, but they kinda lost their way after the first season there. If this happens with Fallout I will ghoul-ify them both, but in the meantime, I for one welcome our new Ella Purnell (also in Arcane and Yellowjackets) overlord.

Blue Eye Samurai: There is a lot of very good animation for adults being produced right now. This show has some of the best fight scenes around, but also is able to tell a very human story about empire, (not-) belonging, justice vs/and revenge. It’s also a visual feast.

True Detective: Night Country: This was better than the first season--incredible cast, claustrophobic atmosphere, featuring a case that starts small and personal but comes to stand in for larger forces both economic and (possibly) supernatural. I find myself in the strange position of, after many years of this not being the case, wanting more TD.

Agatha All Along: Is this a Marvel spinoff show, or a hallucinatory musical romp about gay witches? Oh, both, excellent. Kathryn Hahn is an American treasure. So is Aubrey Plaza. They play snippy ex-lovers. That’s all you gotta know.

Delicious in Dungeon: What if anime Dungeons & Dragons but the party includes a chef who cooks all of the monsters they kill? And—in some ways like last year’s under-seen Scavenger’s Reign—it includes ruminations on ecology and our place in the natural order? Then this show, basically. Also, for an offering whose premise sounds like a Saturday Night Live sketch, it gets surprisingly dark.

SHOGUN: The quintessential Dad Book gets a cross-cultural adaptation so good, it manages to make translation thrilling television.

The Beyoncé Bowl: Forget the Super Bowl halftime or the Oscars or sporting events or Trump sleep-farting his way through the debate, this was the best live TV event of the year. Luckily it’s on Netflix so you can watch it even if you missed the game it instantly eclipsed, and then (if you’re anything like me) you’ll immediately restart it and watch it again and then probably a third time and then….

Interview with the Vampire: I'm gonna say it. This show is better than the books. Don't throw me into a pit with a sun hole overhead.

I also enjoyed Resident Alien, Taylor Tomlinson: Have it All, Rachel Bloom: Death Let Me Do My Show, St. Denis Medical, Cabinet of Curiosities, Make Some Noise, probably other stuff I’m forgetting: there’s a lot of TV out there!

—Streaming—

New-to-me YT channels that I devoured this year include Jenny Nicholson (whose 4-hour opus on the aborted Star Wars hotel dominated the culture for a month), The Elephant Graveyard (a series of hate letters to the worst in stand-up, with memorable videos on the new Joe Rogan special and Jerry Seinfeld’s atom-thin skin), How to ADHD (which is what it says on the tin, winningly hosted by former child almost-star Jessica McCabe), and Bobby Fingers (who makes disturbingly lifelike dioramas of the world’s most horrible people and then buries them, all while pleasantly swearing in a thick Irish Brogue).

[bangers2]

Weekly Music Roundup 28/6/24 :)

Heya! I've had a lot more free time lately to listen to some new music, so I'm going to be sharing what I listen to each week through a Friday Tumblr post. I'm aiming to listen to an album (or EP, compilation, DJ mix, etc etc) a day, and this week my schedule wasn't perfect, but I found a lot of great stuff nonetheless and want to talk about it!

Look at this pic I took omg. just wanted 2 share ^_^

Tinashe - BB/ANG3L (2023)

I'd always been aware of Tinashe, but hadn't taken the time to deep dive into her discography until she dropped the Nasty remix EP (JANE REMOVER REMIX????). "Nasty" is a banger obviously, but a lot of stuff on BB/ANG3L is excellent as well! She traverses so many genres with ease and excels at each of them. This is such a diverse showing, and it's very concise as well, having a runtime of just 20 minutes. I feel like anyone can find something they vibe with on here. Personally, my favourite track was "Gravity," a song with gentle vocals juxtaposed with a bit of a breakbeat moment. I always love a breakbeat and was shocked to hear one on here. Overall, BB/ANG3L was short enough to leave me wanting more, but in a good way. I hope that she builds upon this sound and vibe with her next album! I'm super excited to listen to Quantum Baby and listen to the rest of Nashe's discography.

Jane Remover - jane_remover_heatwave.zip [NTS Radio] (2024)

Real ones know that I am Jane Remover's no.1 fan. That is a vast exaggeration, but I love her music to bits and greatly enjoy these DJ sets she does. Each one has a different vibe and the ones she's been doing lately have been my favourites ever. The mixing is immaculate and the tracks she mashes up are always so unexpected but go so well together. I really loved heatwave, especially the mashup between her song "Lips" and the Carti song "Different Day." So damn hard. These sets are always the highlight of my month and always become mainstays in my DJ mix rotation. Give it a listen!

Mk.gee - Two Star & the Dream Police (2024)

I was a little intimidated to listen to Mk.gee (Mike Gordon), since I've heard so many great things about him. However, I heard "Are You Looking Up" in Jane Remover's new DJ mix and fell in love with it instantly. The guitar playing intrigued me since it sounded so...different to what I'm used to. The control Mike has over his instrument is phenomenal and allows him to create these really unique sounds and textures. There's a wonderful energy to all of these songs that I can't quite place. Due in part to the interesting guitar sounds, but also the really distant-sounding vocals, nostalgic melodies, and bits of noise peppered about, this album vaguely reminds me of something that would be heard in an empty building. Not the backrooms or anything, but like...a quiet mall in the suburbs. Is that weird? Probably. On songs like "Candy" the melodies sound really 80s to me for whatever reason, and...I don't know. The nostalgia? Regardless of whether I've placed the vibe or not, Two Star is a wonderful collection of hopeful, sweet guitar melodies interspersed with little bits of noise. I need more people to get on the Mk.gee train RIGHT NOW. What are you even doing with your life if you haven't listened to this? I can seriously see Mike becoming an all-time great.

lil hero - pawwwfect! (EP) (2023)

Okay, this is another one I found from Jane's set. "big flirt" is such a bop, and it sounds kind of familiar to me (upon further research, the song went viral in 2022 ish...I have no recollection of that year tbh.). It's a song that instantly puts a smile on your face with its sweet bubblegum production and wonderful vocals. This whole EP sounds like bright pink. There are pitched-up samples, bouncy uptempo grooves, and cute lyrics about falling in love all across pawwwfect, and I eat that shit up. I need lil hero and PinkPantheress to collab; I feel like that could change my life. All in all, it's a great 16-minute project that makes me feel like a...chihuahua in a pink purse. Which is exactly how I want to feel. Excited to hear what lil hero does next! :3

Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)

I've definitely listened to In Rainbows before but I don't think I ever properly digested it. It's an overwhelming album to take in upon first listen. I revisited it a couple days ago after not really liking it the first time I listened to it, and needless to say it clicked for me. I still need to listen to this a couple thousand more times to really get it, but as of right now I think In Rainbows is an excellent and innovative record that is as thought-provoking lyrically as it is gorgeous sonically. The whole album made me feel like I was spinning. I don't know why or how, but I physically felt sort of dizzy, like the world was trembling around me. Strange how music can do that. It's magic.

Not on free Soundcloud smh

Jelani Aryeh - The Sweater Club (2024)

I got this album in my Apple Music (do NOT judge me or you're BLOCKED. STOP IT.) recommended before it came out and was really drawn to the album art. As the no.1 "person lying on grass" fan and president of "person lying on grass" NATION I was intrigued, but also had absolutely no idea who Jelani Aryeh was hahah. I presaved but didn't listen to any of his discography and just listened to it when I realized it was out. The Sweater Club is a wonderful collection of indie pop jams that are warm and summery. The art matches the music super well - I felt like I was lying in the grass on a breezy summer morning as I listened, and am definitely turned on to more of Jelani's music now. Holy shit this was such a gorgeous record.

Kevin Abstract - Blanket (2023)

I listened to this at like...2 am and have no recollection of it, other than that it was filled with jams. I really liked "The Greys." Will probably have more to say about it after another listen hahaha.

Couldn't find this on Soundcloud, sorry!

Okayyyy and that was every album I listened to this week! (minus the relistens...which there were many of lol.) I hope you enjoyed reading my little ramblings and I hope you have a great week to come :)

Now i am going to sleep. In the morning i will listen to tonight's new releases. Today is stacked tbh

[liesonthefloordramatically]

A wild 2024 recap post appears!

Stuff I made this year:

Fiction: Nope. Did write like 13k but none of it is ready to be publicly read and I haven't written anything since, like, June or July. Someday I will write and post things again. Unfortunately, The Exhaustion.

Playlists: It looks like I only finished/posted publicly three playlists this year: Amber (a playlist for my Wickedness character), Vyv (a playlist for my yumgeon character--cc referred to this as "chuuni music," which is correct), and watch the new day rise (a playlist for when you are watching the sun rise immediately after bawling your eyes out).

Knitting: Made a huge blanket. Am now making a second huge blanket.

Other stuff: Had two academic pieces published! Was a discussant at an academic conference for the first time! Did too much fieldwork! Taught 5 classes, 3 of which were new preps! Passed my mid-point review for tenure! Got COVID-19 twice despite masking everywhere and got extremely ill both times! Cultivated a truly wild reputation with my uni's library staff! Have somehow wound up with a devoted fan club of students??? Had a truly emotionally and physically exhausting fall semester, to the extent that I've done basically nothing the last two weeks in an attempt to recuperate.

Media I enjoyed this year:

Books: I read a lot this year--I think the most for fun since I started college (58 books). Favorites of the year, in no particular order: Teixcalaan series (PLEASE read this), The Broken Earth Trilogy, The Spear Cuts Through Water, The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher, Bury Your Gays, Someone You Can Build a Nest In, and Wind and Truth. Special category is "books that are good on their own merits but due to what was going on in my life when I read them they absolutely shredded me": Somewhere Beyond the Sea and Something That Will Shock and Discredit You.

TTRPG: yumgeon is the winner, but unfortunately since that's homebrew there is no way for anyone outside our group play it. We just played Doing the Job and it rules, but unfortunately has extremely janky formatting (since it's early access). I am also one session into a game of Mothership, and it's very fun so far, although there have only been two rolls so far, so can't speak too much to the mechanics.

Video games: The only new game I personally played this year is Hades 2, which is good but also is early access. I am partway through a (long-distance) group playthrough of Metaphor: ReFantazio, which is shockingly good so far.

Manga/comics: Have read a bunch of Witch Hat Atelier and it is great! Also enjoyed X-Gender and My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness.

Fanfic: Really did not read a ton this year, due to reading a lot of books. Some recs: The Bone That Has No Marrow (CR: Echoes of the Solstice), Gravity, and all that's born within (CR C2), ForTheRepublic.mp4 (Star Wars Prequel Trilogy), john doe (JJBA: VA), write a line, erase a line (CR C2), how will the morning find you (CR C2), there are many benefits to attending marine biology classes at florida international university (ostensibly) (JJBA).

Films: I watched The Green Knight on a plane; it was good but a plane is not where you should watch it. Otherwise, I think the only new movies I watched this year were documentaries that I was teaching--favorites: The Departure and Who Killed Vincent Chin?

TV: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, although...still not done with it... Also finished season 2 of TGCF with Rowan and it was a delight.

Podcasts:  Listened to an obscene number of these again this year--apparently 44 days worth, and that's just the ones through my podcast app. Top picks: The Silt Verses and Midst. It's not even close. PLEASE listen to them. Also recs: Midnight Burger, Unwell, Unend, Worlds Beyond Number, Neon Inkwell: The Pit Below Paradise, and World Gone Wrong. Special category is "musical podcasts that made me feel mildly unhinged despite being as different from each other as you can get": 36 Questions and The Fall of the House of Sunshine.

Music: Apparently my top song of the year on Spotify was 「忘れてください」 which sure says...something about my mental state. As usual, most of my top tracks on Spotify were songs I listened to on loop while in a fugue state (grading). Albums I listened to a lot this year: USA by Petey, Expert in a Dying Field by The Beths, The Birdwatcher's Guide to Atrocity by Seeming, The Dancefloor at the End of the Universe by Tom Cardy, and yorushika's entire discography. Single song I listened to the most while seething on public transit was 「だから僕は音楽を辞めた」, naturally.

Anyway, あけおめ！！！ 良いお年をお迎え下さいますようお祈り申し上げます。(maybe if I use 丁寧 enough 敬語 2025 won't completely flatten us all)

[taiblogcomics]

'Til Voodeath Dew We Part

Hey there, mighty mutanimals. It's a Saturday upload, and you know what that means. Hopefully this'll be better than the last one we covered. Coz, like, these ones haven't missed yet. Yeah, it's that time of year again~

Mountain Dew VooDew 2024

It's our mystery flavour of the year, as usual! Finally, our spooky hooded mascot has run out of fingers. So unless they want to do a tie-in with Gravity Falls, I guess we have to settle for a six-shaped eyeball in his palm. Otherwise, I love that they keep remixing this art concept with different spooky colours. Can't really see it on this image, but the art on the other side is tentacles. So I hope this isn't octopus- or Cthulhu-flavoured~

A mystery flavour doesn't leave us with much to speculate or ramble about, so let's just crack this one open~

Ooh. Real nice hit on this one. I use this comparison a lot, but it really has that powdery "Jell-O/Kool-Aid before mixing" smell. Maybe Pixy Stix? I think they've done that one before. Very distinct, though, and a good scent.

Flavour's great, too! Pretty sure they've also done Skittles before, but this really has that taste of, like, the grape Skittles. Like, that moment when you crack the outer shell and taste the shattered parts and inner flavour at the same time? Somehow they have managed to capture that as a Mountain Dew flavour.

I've espoused before that Pitch Black has always been my very favourite Mountain Dew, and grape is a great soda flavour in general. This isn't exactly like Pitch Black, but it's good. This one's definitely worth your time, and it'll be worth my time to get more of this. Definitely more treat than trick~

[hkthatgffan]

The Gravity Falls logo is iconic. But within it is an image that for years has left fans wondering if it is real or not. Over the past 3 years, me and some friends have been searching for it and at long last...it's been FOUND!

This is the story of how we did it!

My original post on the discovery!

A Special Thanks to @trickengf, Alex M, Fried_Oreos, innerlmnt, PhizzyBear, Lynn the Lynn, N7Spongy and everyone who helped us along the way on Reddit, Twitter, Discord and more. Thank you also to SalC1 for inspiring this whole search!

That GF FAN in Gravity Falls logo style created by TrickenGF for me. Thanks, bro :)

[talenlee]

Story Pile: 2024 In Review

Few days have less of a ‘well, I’ll do it later’ energy than the 30th of December. It is a day where every problem is a January problem and people in my culture at least are recovering from the heavy weight of a holiday season. It is a day where most places aren’t open, most of your needs are met, and if you’re not going out there to do something neat like donating time at a charity, you’re probably at home, scrolling on your phone. You might even be looking for something to check out and asking yourself:

Hey.

What has Talen watched this year?

What’s his best of year list?

You, probably

Well, friend, let’s talk about that.

Not Talking About Anime

First of all, let’s grab everything I wrote about this year that I lump under ‘anime and manga,’ because that’s going to be part of a reflection I do next year, with Fox. It’ll be like our roundups, and it’ll be a shared conversation about them with someone who has been watching the same things with me. This isn’t to say that’s all that’s going to be here – after all, a bunch of the anime I wrote about this year isn’t new or timely at all, and some of the stuff was covered in last year’s conversation. Point is, if you are interested in anime, that is a conversation about anime for people who like anime. I’m not about to convince you to get into a hobby beloved by weirdoes and freaks, with a bunch of cultural buy-in.

Basically, me writing about and analysing anime is a different form of entertainment to actually watching that same anime and they’re for different audiences.

Not Talking about the Positronic Collection

Also, there’s the Positronic Collection, which is twelve movies that my friend Rachel gave me to watch. This isn’t because they don’t deserve attention but because hey, there’s a whole article presenting a book report on those movies. They’re good movies, they make a meaningful sense in relationship to one another, they provide a varied style of movies?

It’s a cool practice, you should make mix tapes of movies for your friends, do that. But they’re all good movies selected by someone who wanted me to watch some good movies she liked.

Long Form Series

I watched a few series this year. I rewatched the first four seasons of Dexter, for example, which I did as a sort of aggressive hate-watch, sped up to double speed to get through it quickly. That show is so much more bad parts than good, it’s hilarious, the cops are the worst. This year I also watched a lot of Lower Decks with a friend, enjoying the way that series finished its run, and I did a full rewatch of Gravity Falls with another friend which is a great testimony to just how good that series is.

As for new stuff that got into the Story Pile, I watched Arcane, season 1. Then I watched it again with a friend. Then I watched it again with Fox. It’s a really enjoyable series, and part of what makes it enjoyable is how it takes characters that basically don’t exist and reimagines them as people you can tell a story about. It’s a series that takes the vibes they found in the characters and tries to find scenes to express those vibes.

I also watched all of Helluva Boss (which is pretty good) and Hazbin Hotel (which is really good) this year. These were both fun shows with different vibes but a common root, and I like the overall frame of the kinds of stories they’re trying to tell. Plus when they play with music they both do a great job. You Will Be Okay is still a genuinely wonderful song, and I listen along to the Hazbin Hotel songs I definitely bought legally from Amazon Dot Ca regularly. These were also both watched with a friend, and while I’m in the same space, that’s why I watched Galavant, and I really enjoyed that, but we also watched X-Men 97, a series whose existence confuses me. Oh, and Harley Quinn has a great TV series, I watched three seasons of that and thought that it was great fun. Same as Star Trek Prodigy, which I finished up watching, and like, I don’t recommend it but I do recommend watching it with someone you love.

In each case: Watching with someone you love makes anything good.

Well, almost anything. I found I hit my limit on Bluey shockingly fast, considering how light impact and how praiseworthy it is, and wound up checking out of that series, even though Fox was delighted by it and watched everything it had to offer. I did wind up watching a few key episodes, but I didn’t have a great impression of it. I think fundamentally, a lot of the ideas of Bluey are about encouraging joy and whimsy in children and a good relationship with parents and my own damage makes that feel alienating, not aspirational.

Not that that’s all I watched! I watched Barry on my own, finishing a very good series with a perfectly good last season. In hindsight, though, you could hypothetically just not watch the last season and still have an excellent conclusion to that show. Not to say ‘the last season is bad,’ just it’s shocking how good the finale of the third season is.

I watched The Terror on my own, all in one night, thought it was really good. It’s prestige historical fiction, and it’s glum and grim, but you know, if you just want something that’s well made and going to creepy you the hell out and give you a cold feeling while the world is so warm, it’s a good one. Similarly, if you’re looking into something that’s all cold and chilly but has more and more fun swearing, you could check out Deadloch, which I also watched in a single night. Thought it was really good.

I did watch The Sopranos at the tail of last year and posted about it this year, but like… it’s fine. It’s fine!

Reading Material

I know I say I don’t read a lot, but that’s a kind of lie. I do read quite a bit but most of what I read is academic books and papers, which aren’t tons of fun to write about for entertainment purposes, but I also read a lot of manga. Just this year, I’ve read some or all of A Raven For All Seasons , Astro Boy, Catch These Hands, City, Dandadan, Dogsred, Dororo, Gleipnir, Gokurakugai, Heavenly Delusion, Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable, Inu-Yasha, Jujutsu Kaisen, Legend Of Dororo And Hyakkimaru, Love Flops, Marriagetoxin, Mashle, My Hero Academia, Neru: Way Of The Martial Artist, No More Loser Heroines, Ranma 1/2, Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunnygirl Senpai, Ron Kamonohashi, Rust-Eater Bisco, Sakamoto Days, Set It And Forget It, Show-Ha Shoten, Sign Of Affection, The Elusive Samurai, The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All, The Hunter’s Guild: Red Hood, Wind Breaker, and Witch Hat Atelier. Some of those I’ve talked about on conversational podcasts with Fox, some got into this year’s Story Piles, but a lot of them are just… things I read and maybe I’ll write about them later. This isn’t even counting the one-shot fanservice and genderswap manga I’ve checked out because for some reason I don’t have bookmarks for them? I must have cleared them up when I finished reading them.

(Look out for Gleipnir, and hopefully Wind Breaker and Gokurakugai in the new year, depending on how they handle their ongoing publication time. Like I think Wind Breaker might not be over but it sure feels like it should be?)

Still, I also did read (and reread) some fiction this year. Particularly, I read the Bee and Puppycat comics, I reread Lords & Ladies by Sir Terry Pratchett, and I even read a new thing entirely, with The Traitor Baru Cormorant. It didn’t sing to me but I was glad I tried it! Also, I devoured the comic series Something Is Killing The Children, which I enjoyed a great deal. Tell you what, just after October is not a great time for me to read some horror media since its got to wait until next October to get onto a Story Pile!

Movies!

Setting aside the movies that I watched for the Positronic Collection, I did watch some movies this year, including Her, a surprisingly good show about a hypothetical AI-driven future where the AI decides to just fuck off and leave us behind (good move imho). I also spent some time watching A Very Corgi Christmas and A Tail of Love with Fox, which were both dire movies, in a very funny way. Those weren’t good, but watching them with Fox was great.

I also watched Hoot this year, which wound up being a properly fun movie made with an ideology I find myself fond of and an earnestness I find very enjoyable. While we’re talking about earnestness and ideological appreciation, I also really enjoyed Nimona, which I think came out last year, but y’know, whatever, new to me.

I know I wanted to watch Hundreds Of Beavers because it sounded funny and novel, but I haven’t gotten around to it. I’ve relistened to the Disney Animated Canonball a few times now and realise how much I enjoy that kind of movie analysis and thought about doing something like it with Fox again (but y’know, only so many hours in the day).

Summary

I think this year, I could have done more to read more, or reconciled the fact that reading manga is reading. It is, clearly, it has to be, but I have to get my head around being okay with the fact that I love reading comics when my brain is full and that’s still reading or I have to find some other way to think about my problem of ‘I don’t read enough.’

Because I still feel like, despite having gone through multiple books this year including some real doorstoppers like The Traitor Baru Cormorant and Lords and Ladies that I’m you know, I’m not reading enough.

Might just be protestant guilt.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[charlottejacksonfineart]

Max Cole, "Twilight," 2023 acrylic on linen, 39 x 33 inches

Max Cole, "Silver," 2024, acrylic on linen, 39 x 33 inches

Max Cole, "Red Rock," 2023, acrylic on linen, 39 x 33 inches

Max Cole: Jacob's Ladder

November 8 - December 13, 2024

Artist's Reception: Friday, November 8, 5-7 PM

Black, soft and seamless as a midnight polar sky. The smooth gray of slick-washed river stones. Fine precise lines in tonal gray, taupe, brown – the colors of dust, of raincloud, and granite, the blackened patinas of desert varnish on rock. The slender slice of a bright white line across the dark – as of an impossible white bird sewing a line across a stormy sky.

These paintings, with their painstaking precision of geometric shapes and intricate lines, feel like compositions of time: some meeting place between the geological evolution of mountains and the centuries long generational construction of cathedrals. They have the affect of stones, relics, or ruins. Solid. Freighted with a weight of memory and existence. These works appear as antidotes to a common state of fleeting, depthless, ethereal, soap bubble contemporary life, an opposite and remedy of the Gertrude Stein idiom, “There is no there, there.” Max Cole’s paintings, most assuredly, are filled with thereness.

Too often works of such minimal geometric abstraction might read as mechanical. A hard edge produced through tools or machines. But Max Cole’s precision is human, hand drawn. There is a breathing quality, a quality of touch, that emanates from even its most exact lines. This quality of essences, of Platonic forms, is achieved rather from care, from time, from practice, and from a life lived in ascetic service to art.

The paintings included in Max Cole’s new exhibition, Jacob’s Ladder, continue a process of breaking open the Greek Cross forms which she began exploring in 2015. Here the cruciform structure is apparent but broken into and interrupted by tonal and linear blocks. In a deep, moody piece like Nightfall the form seems to sink away, falling into its dark background. This experience contrasts with Redrock, where the form pops out at us, with its banded blocks of earth-toned lines, which seem to rise three-dimensionally off the canvas.

The naming of the exhibition is not incidental. For Cole, the story of Jacob’s Ladder provides both a personal and philosophical/spiritual touchstone. The story, of a great ladder in the sky appearing to Jacob, appears in all the Abrahamic religions. Cole recounts a vivid memory from her childhood of singing the old spiritual, We are climbing Jacob’s Ladder, at the top of her lungs with a group of her friends. For Cole, the story is important as a parable for the ascetic life which provides a pathway to heaven. She writes, “In this case, the art itself becomes the deed. In a large sense, art is the same journey... the painting itself becomes a step up the ladder. In my opinion, this is a component of all good art. A search for a way to get beyond the purely emotional, intellectual or decorative and which has always been my goal. This has been a lifelong journey.”

It is easy to understand then how these paintings, with their inherent depth and gravity, could only be what they are as the result of years of focus, study, and attention. Each gesture, each stroke, is the result of lived experience, is a kinetic expression of a life lived in pursuit of art as spiritual endeavor, simultaneously purposeful and joyous. 

[mystery-twin-mystery-bags]

NEW FAQ HERE

Calling all Gravity Falls fan artists for a charity project benefiting Palestine!

[EDIT 8/30/2024: We have been overwhelmed with some AMAZING support! Due to the large, unexpectedly high number of applications we've already received, we decided to close applications at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sept. 1st, so we can have ample time to review everyone's submissions. Thank you, all!]

Hello, Hana Hyperfixates here! I’m a YouTuber with videos focusing mainly on Gravity Falls and fandom culture. But I’m also a Palestinian person who has been heartbroken watching the violence unfold in Gaza. So far more than 40,000 people have been killed, and countless more have been injured, starved, displaced and oppressed under the threat of genocide.

I want to do something about it, and if this fandom is what I know it to be, I’m sure others do, too. 

The Gravity Falls fandom has had no shortage of wonderful, generous efforts to extend aid to various charities and to those in need. Through my ten years in this fandom I’ve seen calendars and zines and similar projects be sold, with hundreds of dollars being raised.

So I am happy to announce a new fundraising effort: Mystery Twin Mystery Bags. 

The idea: bring in artists from across the fandom to design pins, stickers, charms, posters and more. These items would be pre-ordered, purchased, randomly assorted into mystery bags and shipped out to fans like you!  Options would exist at differently-priced tiers, for you to buy anything from a handful of random stickers, to a big box of everything, and the funds would all go to a great cause!

After shipping out items, 100% of the profits for this project would be split 50/50 between these two funds for aid and relief in Gaza.

Watermelon Relief: Aid for Displaced Families in Gaza 

The Sameer Project - Tents for Palestine refugees

[Edit: As Watermelon Relief is no longer accepting donations, all proceeds will go to the Sameer Project)

As the situation in the Gaza is ever-evolving and needs change, we might add other charities onto this roster. We will be transparent if this ever happens. The most important thing is getting the money where it is needed the most.

We need artists and graphic designers with a wide range: Remember, the plan is to make everything from stickers to posters! 

If you would like to be a part of this project, either as an artist, as a manufacturing manager, or as a mod, please apply with this link:

Before you apply, I also want to make something clear: Our ability to extend compassion and aid to Palestinian refugees is not at all at odds with our commitment against antisemitism. We condemn any antisemitic rhetoric in our space, in our replies, in our askbox and (once established) in our Discord, and that rhetoric is not welcome here. 

Our condemnation of the horrific actions of the government of Israel does NOT mean that we can’t protect and stand with our Jewish friends and community members. Likewise, us standing against antisemitism does not mean we can’t extend empathy and funding to the refugees of Palestine. People are dying, to help them is to be human. 

So do your part to help! Apply above to be an organizer (bonus points if you have experience managing a large fandom project), as an artist (bonus points if you’ve made art for a big fandom project before), or as a manufacturing manager (bonus points if you have experience with selling stickers/pins/etc.)! 

And if you can’t apply, please reblog this to give us a boost! Spread the word! And follow this account for more updates!

Application link

Thank you!

[EDIT 8/30/2024: We have been overwhelmed with some AMAZING support! Due to the large, unexpectedly high number of applications we've already received, we decided to close applications at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sept. 1st, so we can have ample time to review everyone's submissions. Thank you, all!]