#Because that's all I've seen in kids cartoons in the last decade.

[just-a-little-moth]

I wonder how we can celebrate transgender wins in media when transgender cartoon characters are all drawn or referred to as AFAB and no transfems are drawn as AMAB. Yeah, I went through male puberty and finished it before finding out. Yeah, I do sometimes want the fantasy of a perfect transition. Yeah, I know that's unrealistic and want to see that outside of Drag Race. Maybe I'm just missing it but it seems like gender non-conformance or transgenderism is depicted as "Girls" (who may have been guys) dying their hair.

And YES I am fucking TERRIBLE at conferring what I mean for an English major.

[poindexters-labratory]

Thinking a lot about Bill Watterson again.

'Calvin and Hobbes' was one of my first special interests while I was growing up, right after dinosaurs, and it say that it navigated me through my life would be an understatement. I collected all of the compilations of the comics, I've read all of them, my personality in elementary school revolved around my odd obsession with these comics, that turned out not to be so odd looking back as a late-diagnosed autistic. That's where my art journey started was with eight-year-old fanart, and my love of reading. The idea of imagination, I didn't have much of an imagination as a child, but Calvin had an imagination, so I tried to have one too.

'Calvin and Hobbes' was so important to me as an autistic kid growing up. It may have unlocked the abilities that I have now. My storytelling, my art, especially my comic style that I've been struggling to find. The way I draw to exaggerate facial expressions, situational comedy (sitcom) that I put a lot of characters in, and the simplicity of it all.

Bill Watterson, because of how fast and cheap he had to produce a comic strip would only use black and white. There were times that he used very beautiful colors and complex shapes, I have fond memories of his backgrounds and landscapes, sometimes the sublime nature of his pieces of work. He could draw in both realism and cartoon, poked and prodded at his modern world through satire, spoke through a six-year-old boy about the conundrums of philosophy and it would make sense!

There was a sort of absurdism to those comic strips that the world was a big place, the universe was drawn out on those strips with God's hand holding it, but there was still a punchline in that final panel that brought you back to sit in place within that universe. Bill Watterson speaking through Calvin to explain that the view on comics was indeed not fair. A piece of literature and a piece of quality art could be considered 'high art' separate, but a comic, a mix of the two weren't held that same standard.

During Bill Watterson's time, the late 80s, early 90s, there was rampant consumerism, a trend that may have gotten worse over the last three decades. He was very against the commercialization of his art, his characters. You can find all of the comic strips and Sunday pages for free online, by the way. He was extremely talented as an artist and writer, he didn't do it for money, he hates public notoriety, he's only been seen at a few public events for his work, the art and stories that I was so entranced by during the early stages of my life, my childhood was made simply for the love of doing it.

I love Calvin and Hobbes. I always have. There was nothing that pointed me into writing all this out, I just love it. I love and I care so deeply about the narrative that didn't make much sense, but really does anything?

[popculturebuffet]

Finally on Adult Swim originals, favorite character from the originals from 2019 - onward era (notably, live action slowed down at this point and shows reduced to just 1-2 premiering per year now): Tigtone, Lazor Wulf, Momma Named Me Sheriff, Beef House, Three Busy Debras, YOLO, Birdgirl, Tuca & Bertie, Teenage Euthanasia, Smiling Friends, Royal Crackers, Rick & Morty the Anime, and Invincible Super Girl (okay, it just came out but still)? Skipping Primal, Unicorns Warriors Eternal, and JJ Villard's Fairy Tales since the CN Studios miscellanous ask covers them. Also skipped My Adventures with Superman since WB Animation ask covered it. I know this is a lot but I'm positive you haven't seen a good amount of those so I got more comfortable just lumping all of 2019 onward in one era.

Also noticing by 2023, Adult Swim got more preferred between Cartoon Network losing their primetime hours of 5-8 PM to Adult Swim that year (meaning there's more Adult Swim hours than Cartoon Network hours now), stuff intended for Cartoon Network moving to Adult Swim such as My Adventures with Superman, Unicorns Warriors Eternal, and Invincible Super Girl, and even the nostagic blocks such as Checkered Past (showcasting the big CN originals from the Cartoon Cartoons era) and Toonami Rewind (throwback to the original Toonami from 1997-2008 with Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z Kai, and Naruto on the block) landing on Adult Swim over Cartoon Network.

ON the latter thing, yeah. I think Adult Swim is slowly eating CN, airing content that's fine for kids too, simply because WBD is carring less and less about cartoon network and children's cartoons in general. So it makes more sense to pivot to something that in their greasy eyes is making money. It's not all bad as checkered past and the shows mentioned are still fine for kids, but it is noticable.

Just going with what I did last time and wish I'd done sooner: If I don't mention something, I didn't see it. ALONSY!

Beef House: I loved this one. Genuinely loved it. I don't have a faviorite character as it's been a while but Tim and Eric parodying a stock sitcom with a WACCKKKKYYYY premise is perfect. IT's a real shame this didn't get a season 2. It was funny, offputting and just my kind of nonsense.

Three Busy Debras: I like what i've seen, a bizzare series about three women all named debra and a stepford suburb. It's bizzarely perfect. I need to see more.

YOLO: YOLO is great, and it's not a huge suprise given it comes from smiling friends co creator micheal cusak. Season 1 is decent and it has this weirdly specific feel that makes for the best adult swim shows: it fits in well with weird cahos for the sake of it and what not, but is distinctly australian, and uses it's ugly animation perfectly. Like Smiling Friends after/alongside it, it LOOKS like it was made cheap but is actually incredibly intricately crafted. It's good fun.

Birdgirl: Was a disappointment. Paget Brewster was already having a hell ofa day voice acting wise with Ducktales, so having her return to this early role was a great idea in theory. In concept.. it didn't really work. Trying to do a sequel to harvey birdman but throwing all it's hannah barbera characters out was a mistake. Judy is more likeable here as she had about two gags in the original, but the show itself never really seems to come together all that well from the few eps i've seen. I just could not get into it.

Tuca and Bertie: Speckle. He's the best boy.

Tuca and Bertie is sadly done, but it remains one of adult swims best shows ever. I might have to list my faviorites when this is over. While WBD didn't keep it going as long as they should have, unlike a LOT of shows under their tyranny they at least gave it the second chance it deserved after Netflix cancelled it in less than a month, a trend that's continued and continues to make no sense.

So as a result of this monumentally dumb decision Adult Swim picked the show up and thus one of the best shows of the decade got a proper run. What we got was fantastic, a show that's creative and adult, but in a nuanced way tackling issues like sexual assault and workplace abuse with grace. The show feels like the warmer compliment to Bojack, the series sister show thanks to both having designs by LIsa Hanawalt.

While Bojack focuses on a more broken world with a seriously flawed main character, Tuca and Bertie is more optimistic. It won't hestitate to punch you in the gut repeatedly, but ther'es a light at the end of the tunnel. Things CAN get better. And given the truly awful shit that just happened, it's a message we need: things can suck: breakups happen, abuse happens, your world can be dark.. but you are loved and we can get through it together. It's also really fucking funny and has creative worldbuilding, taking the simple design choice of having plant people and playing around with as they go to the point Tuca is eventaully vociing a tree voiced by Matthew Rhys.. which is distracting and was for @jess-the-vampire as he uses the same voice for both characters. It's diffrent enough to still be good voice acting, but it's weird hearing that voice as a supportive loving boyfriend with a drinking problem.

Teenage Euthnasia; I could not get into this one.

Smiling Friends: Whenever I see your smiling face, I have to smile myself because I love youuuuu... yes I do. Alan, though Jombo is a close second

Smiling Friends is a masterpiece. I'm still mildly sore about this season due to the doug walker cameo as.. come on guys. Come the fuck on. You know what he's done. Come on. Come onn. But otherwise this season just made a great show greater and both seasons are some of adult swims best.

Smiling Friends was helpful in my growth as an animation fan as it showed things like how to use animation frames to make characters feel just slightly off, and is a wonderful blend of styles. Like I said witH YOLO the show looks like a cheap adult cartoon, and budget isn't everything as a lot of adult swims earliest shows were made on a paperclip an da piece of string and still are amazing, but uses every inch of it's budget in creative ways. It's weird as hell and you never know what to expect with an episode. The two leads are perfectly fleshed out: Pim being optimstic and naive, CHarlie being a mess with a messier extended family and a drinking problem, and the cast is perfectly supported by Alan and Mr Boss (And Glep but he's more of an accsorry), an uptight unplesant but hilarious type a asshole, and a weird goof.

The show is a near perfect string of jokes, creative concepts and punches to the face of black comedy and real genuine depth. It also gave us this gag

Which is so sadly relevant and useful and comes off twice as great coming from the same company that does this the worst and i'm damn certain Cusak and Hadel know that. A masterpiece I only hope gets better... just keep doug walker out of it.

Rick and Morty the Anime: I tried the first ep, didn't really gel with it and have too much piled up to really be intrested in going back

INvincible Fight Girl: I've only seen an episode and a half of this but DAMN do I love it. A wonderful tribute to shonen anime and wrestling, two things I dearly love perfectly smushed together. It fills the void in my heart left by OK KO , having that same nice mix of genine characters and a batshit insane world. I mean I already heaar ther'es a character named MBrandon. It presents this weird hyper world in it's own way, taking it, like ok ko did for the most part, earnestly, whcih adds to the comedy and allows us to feel for andy as she goes on her journey. This one has all the makings of a true classic

Overally I think the networks in a good place: it';s got some stacked shows, is doing renewals and like the dc sid eof things seems to be better than anything should be under WBD's thumb. There's still some bullshit like the uzumaki fiasco, but so far adult swim seems far safer than it has any right to be in this horrifying climate for animation and I welcome that and pray to god it dosen't change.

[thewanderingmask]

oh hey is it time to go watch old media until the writer's strike is over

welp here's my list, i highly recommend adding onto it or making your own

sit-coms

Better Off Ted (office comedy about a pretty decent guy who manages the R&D department of your standard big capitalist (evil) company. absurd, sincere, and blessedly not nihilistic.)

Golden Girls (four older women living together. openly touched upon topics like gay people are human beings actually and so are people without houses. and this was in the 80s.)

Murphy Brown (Reporter/news presenter workplace comedy. i like eldin)

WKRP (set in a radio station, this one is a pain to find unedited anywhere because of music licensing nonsense)

Designing Women (i haven't actually watched much of this yet but i heard it's pretty good so i'm listing it here in hopes i'll remember to check it out)

british panel / comedy shows (ok so they're like game shows, except the prizes range from useless to nonexistent, all the contestants are comedians, and nobody really cares that much who wins. ,fair warning though, these are british. so you're just gonna get a certain amount of jokes that are like "yup an old cishet white dude sure did write that")

Would I Lie to You (contestants make ridiculous claims and the opposing team has to guess if it's real or not)

8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown (not "8 out of 10 Cats". not "Countdown". specifically "8 out of 10 cats does countdown". yes this is important)

Taskmaster (five contestants perform a series of increasingly silly tasks to try to score points)

Big Fat Quiz of the Year / Decade (a series of long quiz specials where comedians often fail, intentionally or otherwise, to answer questions)

crime/detective/spy shows (cw copaganda. bc that's the entire genre)

Columbo (did you know it's ALL on the internet archive? for FREE?)

Simon and Simon (private investigators who are also brothers, a bit more on the fun side. pretty good for the 80s, but be warned you're still gonna get some dopey tropes like ableism in certain episodes.)

Rockford Files (ex-convict PI. doesn't like guns, friends with his dad. cynical but can't help helping people most of the time. we love to see it. like the two above, it's older but it holds up)

Brooklyn 99 (much like columbo, everybody already knows this one)

Burn Notice (recent ex-spy stuck in miami tries to get his job back. an unfortunate amount of ogle-y filler shots. I liked the first 4 seasons and low key recommend stopping after it, but everybody's mileage varies.)

and finally, because i know who i a:

cartoons

Motorcity (what if the only answer to an oppressive conformist society was UNDERGROUND TEENS WITH CARS and it looked AMAZING and it was KILLED AFTER 20 EPISODES BECAUSE THERE IS NO GOD)

Storm Hawks (what if the only answer to a returning evil empire was SKY TEENS WITH AIRPLANE MOTORCYCLES, side note this is like the only time i've ever seen stylized 3D animation in a way that just looks? good?? i would love to see more stuff try this kind of direction instead of aiming for anime or realism)

Generator Rex (a teen with TRANSFORMING MUTANT MACHINE POWERS fights alongside a kinda sus organization to try to save others who have transformed into dangerous mutants. i haven't finished this one and im not a fan of the monkey character but dam this show kinda slaps)

Teen Titans (TEEN SUPERHEROES. i have a soft spot for this show. it was my first superhero show as a kid and still mostly holds up as good fun)

Spectacular Spider-Man (spider-man has a lotta cartoons by now but this is up there near the top i feel)

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (it's PRETTY it's CUTE it's FUNNY and only has a few episodes i would outright skip. i stopped enjoying it by the last couple seasons but i still think it's worth a watch if you haven't yet)

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THIS WORLD WATCH THIS SHOW DEAR GODS IT LOOKS INCREDIBLE IT'S SO MUCH FUN AND I LOVE MY IDIOT SONS SO MUCH AND THEN IT PUNCHES YOU RIGHT IN THE EMOTIONS WHEN YOU AREN'T EXPECTING IT-)

and Bluey. watch Bluey.

AIGHT THAT'S IT FOR NOW honestly i could add more to this but my memory ain't that good

✨enjoy✨

[thesparkwhowalks]

OK, I wrote a whole-ass blog post about this for work last year (to celebrate Power Rangers' 30th anniversary) but that's tied to my real name and employer so here's the anonymyized, me-centric version: I am very much the person that I am today thanks to this woman:

That is Margaret Loesch. Buckle up, this one's a long-ass history lesson.

To start, we have to go all the way back to 1978. Japanese film studio Toei partnered with Marvel to create Spiderman, an adaptation of Marvel's de-facto mascot. To say it departed from the source material is an understatement: hip young motorcyclist Takuya Yamashiro gains spider powers and a giant, kaiju fighting robot from a dying alien and protects Japan from the invading Professor Monster and his Iron Cross Army.

It came out the same year as an American live action Spider-Man TV show. The Japanese one was a hit, the American one flopped. Moreover, Stan fucking Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, preferred the Japanese one. So the Marvel/Toei partnership continued. They co-produced three seasons of Toei's Sentai series, renamed Super Sentai thanks to the addition of giant robots. And Stan Lee liked that too, and pitched an American adaptation to TV networks. Well, he and his second in command at Marvel Productions: Margaret Loesch.

There were no takers. It just wasn't what the Saturday Morning TV market was looking for. So Stan and Margaret started working on their next big pitch: an X-Men cartoon! The team had gone from an also-ran to Marvel Comics' top seller in the previous decade, so it made sense to them to bring it to TV screens alongside the likes of Spider-Man and The Hulk.

A few abortive attempts, including a couple of backdoor pilots on Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends, were made. The most famous was the "Pryde of the X-Men" TV special (executive producer: Margaret Loesch) that the company self-produced and aired sometimes with their syndicated Marvel Action Universe block.

Still, no takers. It would prove to be Loesch's last big project with Marvel, as she was offered a new job as the head of the brand-new Fox Kids network.

One of her first acts in office was commissioning the creation of an X-Men animated series. Not only did she genuinely see the potential in what she'd spent so many years developing, Marvel's nascent partnership with Toy Biz meant the X-Men were already a hit on toy store shelves.

The show was a hit (hence the revival starting next week) and the network's programming kept expanding. Haim Saban, whose company had been hired to produce XTAS, pitched her an idea he'd been working on since the mid-80s: an American adaptation of Toei's Super Sentai TV series.

Needless to say, Loesch saw the value in that too and took a chance on the idea. The result was Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, which was in nearly constant production for thirty full years.

Batman: Animated Series, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and The Tick all debuted during her tenure at Fox Kids. I don't know that I've ever seen it articulated this way, but the woman clearly believed that superheroes could be profitable again (the Smurfs/Snorks style kinda ruled the roost in children's programming at the end of the 80s) if they were done properly. And she was right.

My love of Batman, The X-Men, and the Power Rangers are the result of this woman's choices in shaping my childhood. Though she's not going to get any official credit, it's pretty appropriate that X-Men '97 is set to debut in Women's History Month because the original show was the leading edge of a wave of boy's action television that defined the childhoods of millions of millennials and it was put on the air by a woman.

[familyofpaladins]

1, 8, 17, 22 :)

Hi anon, thanks for the ask!!! :D

1. How did you get into tmnt?

SO. When I was little, at my babysitter's we sometimes got to watch tv/cartoonsand everyone once in a while it worked out that I got to watch the 2003 series! I liked it a lot! Then i got old enough to not need to go to the babysitter, and we didnt have cable like my babysitter, (and we only got one channel at our house) so I wasnt able to see it anymore.

Cue a few years later when we moved and were able to get more channels. I was channel surfing for saturday morning cartoons and saw some familar characters, it was the turtles! So I started watching that channel as the aired the last season of the 2003 series and also got to watch the Turtles Forever movie on tv! They started to do reruns of the beginning of the show and then replaced its time slot with a new show.

I proceeded to mostly forget about it. About a decade later i see a few of my mutuals posting about the Rise series, get bored and decide to watch it. I love it. I read some fanfiction and then go about with other shows. Then the rise movie came out last year and I rewatched the series again. Then I was like. Hey I really liked the 2003 series when I was younger, but I dont remember much of it now. I should watch it again. so I did.

Read some fanfiction and then was entranced with Lego Monkie kid for a few months. My monkie obsession faded and I started reading fanfiction for tmnt again.

And then.... idk I just got more involved with the fandom and started watching the 87 series then bought a 5 movie set (the three movies from the 90's, the 2007 TMNT movie, and the batman one) from Walmart and now I'm suddenly collecting whatever media I can and have actually written my very first ever fanfic for the Rise movie.

TLDR: watched the 03 series when I was little. Then watched the Rise series out of college and then rewatched 03 and now I'm obsessed with all turtles lol

8. Favorite villain/antagonist?

Oh man that's hard. There's so many good ones. Ones I love to hate and ones I hate to love. I think 2003 Karai is pretty cool as an antagonist. She's so loyal to her father and wants to please him, but she's also honorable and that clashes with his methods sometimes so she has this struggle with that and then she fights the turtles in loyal vengeance of her father but then she ends up helping them because it's for the greater good and I just... I like characters who start out bad but have a change of heart and are dragged to the good side. (Baron draxum is also pretty cool both as a bad guy and as a "Dragged to the good side" guy lol).

17. What's your favorite pizza topping(s)?

I love pizza, but I'm such a picky eater, so theres a lot I dont like lol. But I love ground hamburger and bacon! Theres this one pizza place that has a "bacon cheeseburger" pizza that has hamburger, extra cheddar cheese I think, onion, and a garlic butter crust! I dont like big hunks of onion. but other than that it's my favorite kind of pizza! (I also like ham as a topping!)

22. Have you watched/read any of the iterations more than once?

As I mentioned above, I watched the 2003 series twice (but really could almost count it as once since I only remembered about 5% of it lol). I've seen the Rise series twice now and the movie 3 . No wait 4 times now (watched it twice as I was writing my fic).

And I've seen the Batman vs the tmnt movie 3 times :D (I really like that movie, I'm so happy i have it on DVD)

[survey--s]

639.

Did you ever used to make cookies, cakes or pie with your grandma? No. One of them was in her eighties by the time I was old enough to cook/bake with her, and the other was a raging alcoholic who didn't even know who I was half the time, ha.

Do you burn incense? No, but I do burn scented candles.

Do you smoke weed? Nope. The smell is awful.

Have you actually been through a devastating natural disaster before? No, thankfully not. England is pretty "safe" in that respect. We do get floods most years but nothing serious thankfully. Occasionally I need a day off work due to road closures but otherwise life carries on as normal for the most part. What fast food place, in your opinion, has the best french fries? McDonald's or KFC.

Do you believe one day aliens might take over Planet Earth? No. I don't think aliens would have any interest in this dumpster fire of a planet, lol.

Do you like soda pop? If so, which is your favorite and least favorite? Yeah - lately it's been Dr Pepper but I do like Pepsi Max and Tango as well, depending on my mood.

Does it bother you when people burp around you or do you do it too? It depends? I mean, if close friends/family do it it's just kind of normal to me, but I wouldn't want to be with someone who burped in a cinema or fancy restaurant or something.

When is the next time you’ll talk to the cousin you’re closest to? I'm not close to any of my cousins.

When was the last time you saw a bird? What kind of bird was this? I have no idea, there are birds everywhere around here. It was probably a pigeon, blackbird or seagull.

How old were you when you had the chicken pox? I was about six.

Ever had a friend named Alex or John? Alex, yes. I've actually never known a John my age before.

When was the last time you painted a picture? Years ago. It's been at least a decade if not more.

What kind of stuff do you like on your hot dogs? I'm not a fan of hot dogs.

Where did you kiss the last person you kissed? In the kitchen.

What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? It depends on my mood, honestly. I have a few favourites.

Has someone seen you naked in the past month? Yeah.

How many concerts have you been to? Maybe 8-10 overall, but not for a long time now.

Do you think it’s right for straight guys to get their tongue pierced? What wouldn't be right about it?

Last thing you drank? Dr Pepper.

Have you ever thought about getting your nose pierced? I've had my nose pierced for 13 years now.

Would you ever donate blood? I can't donate blood. They've never been able to find a vein.

Have you ever driven without a license? No.

Are you ticklish? Yep, extremely.

What are you listening to? The final Lord of the Rings is playing but I'm really not paying it much attention, it's just background noise really. I might even put something else on.

Describe the main problem with your last relationship? He was a compulsive liar.

What’s on your shower curtain? It's just plain glass door.

What cartoon/anime character can you most relate to? None of them really.

Do you have any pictures of celebs saved to your computer? No.

Do you like turtleneck sweaters/shirts? No. I love the look but they make me itch and sweat so badly, lol.

Do you find hands attractive? Not especially.

Do you think it is silly to give names to vehicles, or other inanimate objects? No.

Do you ever wear a robe? When it's really cold in the winter, yeah.

Is there a hair color/style you really like but don’t think you could pull off? Blonde hair.

Out of all the Disney/Pixar animal “sidekicks”, which one is your favorite? Maximus from Tangled! <--- yes! Or Sven from Frozen.

If your mom was a teacher, would you want to be in her class? Nope.

As a kid, did you love playing on Neopets? I never played Neopets or anything like that, really.

Would you ever get a pet turtle? Why or why not? No, just because I have no idea how to care for them.

What shop/store/brand would you model for, if given the choice? No thanks.

If I search your room will I find birth control? No.

Have you ever witnessed a birth? Only on television.

Have you ever been told you were a good writer? Yes, in school.

Is the last person of the opposite sex you texted single? No, we're married.

Which Scooby-Doo character are you most like (Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, Fred, Velma, the monster, Scrappy?) I've never watched much Scooby-Doo.

Describe your dream wedding where money is no option. I'm happily married already, I have no real desire to spend loads of money on what is basically just one day.

Do you have a birth mark? Where? Does it look like anything? Yeah, on my chin. It looks like spilled food, lol.

If you were blind for the rest of your life… what would you miss seeing the most? Sunsets, the sea, my family and my animals.

What is the most outrageous thing you’ve done for God? You're asking the wrong person, I've never been interested in religion and I've certainly never believed in any kind of God. What person in the Bible do you most closely identify with? Nobody.

If you were to write a book what would it be about? I have no real desire to write a book.

Who do you admire the most? I don’t really get the concept of admiring people. < Same, I always struggle when faced with this question. Idk…I just don’t care enough about anyone to hold this kind of lasting feeling for them. <--- yep.

Who was your hero when you were a child, and what did you do to be like them? I didn’t have any heroes.

If you could rid the world of one thing, what would it be? Poverty.

The last piece of roadkill you saw, what kind of animal was it? A fox I think, or a squirrel.

Has anyone ever cheated on their boyfriend/girlfriend with you? Yes. I didn't know he was in a relationship at the time, though.

Who/what is the last thing you kicked? The kitten's little furry ball toy thing. List 5 things that have happened in the last 7 days. (They can be anything at all, anything that’s happened involving you, or your family, friends, partner) I saw my mum on Friday and we spent the day together. All the cats went off their food so we had to find a new brand they'd all eat and that wouldn't give them the shits. I finalised my plans for next weekend when we go to Manchester. I rediscovered my love of Dr Pepper. We finally got round to ordering a new bed.

Do you like The Hunger Games? The books were okay but I wasn't really a fan of the films.

Random fact about the person you love/like? He loves fishing.

What would you do if your ex contacted you? Block the number. How many pets do you want? And of what? We have three cats and a dog which is plenty for us. In an ideal world I'd have a horse but there's no way I could afford it or have the time for it right now, to be honest.

Have you ever asked someone out? Yeah.

Is the last person you kissed a virgin? No.

Who makes you the happiest? My family and my animals.

Has someone smacked your butt in the past week? Yeah.

Was your last kiss standing up, sitting down, or laying down? Standing up. What are your views on spontaneous human combustion? It's pretty freaky to think about.

What was the last zoo/aquarium you went to? Uh, just the local one. It's pretty crap, really.

What does the last message in your Facebook inbox concern? Angela, Reena, and I were discussing the alcohol options we can have tonight when we have our sleepover at my place.

Who is your closest friend of the opposite sex? What’s the best thing about him? Probably Hans. He’s funny and has got great advice for everything. 

How did you meet the person you fell hardest for? Online dating.

What was the last alcoholic drink you had? I think it was just white wine.

What did you last take medication for? A headache. What was your favourite thing about the person you fell hardest for? His overall personality.

Are you a strong swimmer? I'm not a bad swimmer but I wouldn't say I was strong. I haven't really swum properly in years, to be honest.

What is your favorite combination of colors? Purple, green, grey and black.

When was the last time you screamed out loud and what were the circumstances? I can't remember.

Can you describe your father in one word? Stubborn.

What’s the first movie you ever recall seeing? Pocahontas or Lion King.

Do you still watch movies intended for children? Of course, all the time.

What was your worst fear as a child? Have you overcame that fear? Bears. And I mean, I'm not exactly going to come across bears in rural England, lol.

What’s your younger sibling’s name? I don't have any siblings.

Have you ever had a churro? Yeah, I love them.

How is/was your chemistry class in high school? I hated chemistry.

What was the first thing you ate today? Peanut butter and banana on toast.

[mdhwrites]

Can we still send toh related asks even after the show is over?

Can we also send asks about other medias you're familiar with?

Absolutely yes to the first question. If TOH had stayed solidly in my heart, you'd probably still have me writing for this fandom for years to come because I'm stubborn like that. I am not the sort to join a fandom only while it's airing. Things I write as much fanfiction as I have for TOH aren't fleeting fancies for me. Hell, just because I love Luz, Amity and Boscha so much from my early days of writing them, I'll likely still keep making fanfiction of them or having my original works inspired by them going forward. It's who I am. As for other media: OF COURSE! You can honestly ask me asks of anything. I am admittedly slowing a little to doing one large ask a day I think, in part to just let some of the statements get to be seen more easily by more people. Also because I still don't get that many asks. I would also encourage not to just ask about media I'm familiar with because unfortunately that amount is pretty small, especially in the past decade effectively. But if people let me know they're interested in my thoughts on a property, it can help motivated me to watch it. Frankly, I'm just bad about watching scripted content because it makes my brain go brrrrr in ways that things like Youtube videos or livestreams don't and that can be... Rough sometimes. I have so many ideas already that I'd love to work on and getting more inspiration can be painful when I'm stuck in a slump like I am now where I'm struggling to write. Hell, despite wanting to be able to claim I did a chapter of a thing on an ask tomorrow (which does mean tomorrow's blog got changed by a new ask that I immediately wanted to answer), I'm answering this because my brain doesn't want to let me write still despite the fact that I am getting my energy back. Just need to do more than take walks with it. But yeah, after I moved out of my parent's house eight years ago now, I kind of stopped watching most television. One of the last cartoons I really kept up with before The Owl House was Randy Cunningham Ninth Grade Ninja (good show. Not perfect but a TON of fun and great for kids). Voltron, She-Ra, Paranormal Undead Park, etc. like that have just skipped over me. If not for my nephew, I'd likely have never started watching The Owl House and even then, I stopped somewhere around Adventure in the Elements with him. It took THE Lumity animatic for Little Miss Perfect (which the animator later took down... just like the creator of the popular Ordinary listed hers as private... Boy were those not fun moments for me as I started losing my ability to write again) to get me into the fandom and into the show proper. Honestly, one of these days, and probably sooner rather than later, I should do a Post Mortem on The Power of Love to talk about what inspired that story, what the goal was, all of its twists and turns, etc. like that because that story means SO MUCH to me and it could be fun to gush about it. Anyways: Yeah, send me your asks on anything, I don't care much about spoilers as I'm still enjoying Amphibia despite knowing how it ends and the like (my next episode is The First Temple and honestly there's a few blogs I could already do about how great Amphibia's writing is) and maybe it'll finally get me to watch some of these great shows I've missed!

[dans-den]

Fairly Odder Review

Hey what's going on guys?! Dan here and today I'm going to be giving you a review of Paramount Plus's new show, The Fairly OddParents! Fairly Odder

Now what more can be said other than this show is a masterpiece! I mean come on, best show on Paramount Plus!

10/10 baby! that's all I have to say, see ya!

......

April Fools Bitch!

Like I'd ever give this garbage a 10/10, hell nah! There is so much to dislike about this show that this post will probably run pass the word count on newgrounds and possibly even tumblr despite it not having one, so I'm gonna do my best to be as brief and concise as I can about this and why this is literally the worst reboot or revival I've seen in a long time.

Now I grew up as a fan of the Fairly Oddparents series, I remember as far back as 1999 and 2000 when the show was in it's "Oh Yeah! Cartoons!" phase before it was greenlit for its own series and even those early phases (which is far better than this travesty here). So I wont let too much of my Bias judge how I see this show. Understandably a sequel, revival or reboot won't always live up to the original's standards and should be treated as its own thing. That said, this show even on its own standing, is just awful. Nothing about it is funny, nothing about it is charming, nothing about it is memorable. To be honest I don't know why this show was conceptualized, if you took the Fairly Oddparents name out of this, it would be the most generic Nick sitcom out there. To be honest, this show looks like it didn't start out as Fairly Odder, looks like an average Nick Sitcom then last minute decided to slap the Fairly Oddparents name to the show for marketing. They should have just left the series name alone, they could have just made a new IP. If they had done that I wouldn't be this harsh on my review hell I wouldn't have made this review in the first place! This goes to show that they didn't have any faith in the show and just relying on brand recognition rather than putting effort into an actual show. Fucking Marvin Marvin starring Lucas Cruikshank (aka Fred) was a more memorable and enjoyable show than Fairly Odder.

Now last week I watch an 8 minute sneak peek video of the first episode that was uploaded by Nick on their YouTube channel and this was to meant to build hype and excitement for the shows release. However, I watched the clip and instantly regretted it. Everything I feared about the show, was in the clip therefore would be in the show. It had a god damn laugh track just like every other Nick sitcom, the characters were extremely generic, painfully awkward, annoyingly goofy or down right creepy, and the setting was just like every other setting in a nick sitcom. It honestly looked like asset flips like the background looked like it was used from the Thundermans show, nothing about the setting indicates that they were in Dimmsdale other than some little Easter eggs here and there.

The characters as I mentioned are all generic Nick sitcom characters, the main cast are your standard child protagonists with Viv as the awkward girl who can't socially interact to save her life, Roy her step brother whos the popular kid everyone loves and he's not quite the brightest, Zina who's the friend of Viv and has a crush on Roy but she's like stalking him and taking pics of him from the corner which is super creepy and I'd argue isn't really funny, and the parents who are high school sweethearts and are all wacky and lovey dovey but neglects their own kids feelings sometimes because they're narcissist's. They also have live action portrayals of Timmy Turner and Vicky who are probably the worst portrayals of the characters I've ever seen and it's not just in regards to the animated series, this is also compared to the live action movies made a decade ago. If you don't know, there were three live action Fairly Oddparent movies starring Drake Bell as Timmy Turner in the early 2010's and in that movie, the fairy's were done with CGI rather than being 2D like in this show. The movies weren't perfect because bringing 2D to 3D or any realism will always be a challenge, however I feel those three live action movies stayed more faithful to the source material rather than this show that has completely abandoned the Fairly Oddparents lore and the charm that made this show amazing. Timmy is now a supporting character which is to be expected in this show but Vicky is now a creepy teacher who acts more like a Harley Quinn sidekick who loves Mr. Crocker a bit too much instead of the Tyrant she use to be.

As I mentioned, the show does the live action Nick sitcom formula, but also adds in 2D animation as well and to be honest that's a great idea on paper, but the execution is something that requires time and effort. This blend of animation and realism can be done right if done with proper care and passion, the best example of this is the classic movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". Even more recent examples of this can be seen in "Smiling Friends" which is one of my favorite shows at this moment in time. Smiling Friends has a variety of animation and realism that blends well because its all done with proper care and passion. There's 2D, 3D, Claymation, hand drawn, real people in it and so much more and nothing ever feels out of place, its all done beautifully. Fairly Odder just puts a green screen and computer generates the animation and it looks so terrible and out of place. The animation is so rough and rigid and doesn't fit at all with the realism of the show. This tells me that they didn't put any passion or proper care into this show, this was meant to be a shameless cash grab and it seemed to be rushed to meet a deadline.

They brought back Butch Hartman to Co-produce the show and to be honest, I'm not surprised that he's behind the show. Butch Hartman use to be one of the most beloved artists and animators in the entertainment industry and I loved a lot of his shows growing up. I loved Fairly Oddparents, Danny Phantom and even Tuff Puppy which was argued as one of his worse shows but I honestly thought it was funny and entertaining. However, Butch hasn't been seen positively lately due to a couple scandals and accusations. There was his whole Oaxis Kickstarter which was out of touch and sounded like a real scam. Then there was the scandal almost a year ago where he was accused of plagiarizing and selling someone else's art for hundreds of dollars on commissions. To me it seems he decided to do this as yet another blatant cash grab for him which I understand he wants to get paid and needs to work, but it's just disappointing that he's just cashing in the most shameless way possible. He was an artist we all loved and now he's just a shell of his former self.

Now some of you might be wondering why they didn't they bring Drake Bell back as live action Timmy and for those who don't know, Drake Bell was arrested and pleaded guilty for attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles back in June of 2021 so right now he's in some serious hot water and Nick wants nothing to do with him obviously. So with Nickelodeon not having their golden boy, they had to find someone else for the role and Caleb Pierce the actor for Timmy got the job. I'm sure he'll do fine, but he doesn't really pull off the best Timmy Turner and Drake Bell's portrayal was at least more believable as a grown up Timmy Turner.

They did get the original voice cast for Cosmo, Wanda, Jorgen and Mr. Crocker which is literally the only positive thing I can say about this show but even that's being generous here because the fairies are all animated poorly. Mr. Crocker is animated too because he's in a jail cell in what I imagine is Fairy World since Jorgen is the warden there. So I guess you're only animated when you're in Fairy World? I guess that's why Crocker is the only human animated in this show.

Overall, this show is just a lazy cash grab at what was once one of the best shows on Nickelodeon and the Kids animation as a whole. I couldn't even bare through the first episode because it was just awful and boring and I'm not gonna watch the other 12 episode on Paramount. I said back in my Turning Red Review that I don't like when movies or shows are exclusive to the streaming service because not everyone has access to it, but in this case, it's better it stays on paramount and never branches out anywhere else other than the occasional YouTube clips. They should have just scrapped this project and never released it because this is the worst show I've seen not only this year but of all time.

plugging this into my rating I give it:

1/10.

Just save yourselves the time and binge watch anything else because this garbage reminded me to just binge watch the original animated series on Paramount Plus. I would never recommend this to anyone unless it was for a joke but even that's too cruel and inhumane.

That's about it, see ya!

[theangrypokemaniac]

There's a sneering attitude that the dub is inherently inferior solely for being a dub, and when I say 'dub' I mean the American one. No one attacks the South American interpretation, funnily enough, or the variety that exist globally.

Why not if foreign languages are so abhorrent?  Do you think it's kewl to hate America?

That's so original you know.

If the moan centres on the dub changing certain things, well that's a pointless stance, because it's impossible to do otherwise.

What's accepted in one country is not always permitted elsewhere, so either you make those alterations or it's never shown. I'd prefer seeing a slightly toned down version rather than have it never reach the West at all.

This is without considering the technical obstacles that a direct translation brings. The words do have to fit the mouth movements, and if they don't, truncation must follow.

America and Japan are different; the population of the former are not going to comprehend the references to the latter's history and culture, which necessitates some divergence from the original to give it mass appeal.

Anime is a branch of entertainment. It has to attract the public's good will to stay in business. If impenetrable, it'll fail, with all the resulting unemployment and finacial losses that brings.

Those in charge of dubbing understandably think they're on safer ground promoting familiarity rather than the strange, but that's not to say Pokémon was stripped of its identity. On the contrary, it was like nothing I'd ever encountered before.

I may have watched Western cartoons then, but the idea of doing so now is silly. I won't give time to any modern animation unless it's Japanese. Growing up on the dub has not produced an ephemeral fan less serious or 'true'.

The 4Kids dub had wit, humour, deep emotion, suggestive comments and flights of fancy. The voices fitted the characters well.

Unlike the current one, where everyone sounds on the verge of vomiting, but then they're clearly working with substandard material on a miserly budget. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear after all.

Dubs can be bad, but the very state of being a dub doesn't confer worthlessness automatically. Considering the work gone into them, attempting to gain your favour, it seems rude not to appreciate the time and energy spent in production.

Knowing a little about history, sub-only fanatics remind me of the kind of folk who opposed an English Bible, because it was too good for the oiks to read the word of God.

Of course it was alright for them, rich enough to be taught Latin, but not so much the ordinary man.

It amuses me how dozens dismiss the dub, but see no hypocrisy in using its evidence to further their ship or anti-ship arguments, so it can't be that revolting.

It's also bizarre that so many hold sacred the sub of a series currently in a frenzy to shed every aspect of its anime and Japanese origins, leaving a vague, rootless ghost, supposedly making it easier to slip down the gullet of the masses.

Pokémon I've seen referred to as a 'gateway drug', as in the anime that introduced a generation to the entire concept. This means the dub. You would not have got enough kids in the late Nineties to read a screen rather than watch it, and even today most would lose interest rapidly.

Where would you be without that dub? Unless you're Japanese, your first experience of Pokémon will have been a dub, and if not the American, the one where you live, which was only made because there was the funds available.

You may have then progressed to watching the sub, but only because that dub stirred love in your soul.

Where would the franchise be without that dub? You think Pokémon would've grown to be a world-wide obsession raking in billions by itself? No, it'd still be a solely Japanese phenomena, and most likely never lasted this long.

Its decades of supremacy rests on the quality of that dub. It sold games and merchandise to kids by the ton, giving an incentive to keep the series going. If you're not a fan from the first wave, then your favourite era would have never existed had it not been financially attractive carrying on.

The team who wrote the first film actually preferred the dub, moved to tears by its emotive use of music, therefore they aren't so precious as the fans.

Where would anime be without that dub? Pokémon brought it to the West. A handful slipped through previously, but made minor impression.

To those who would dismiss Pokémon entirely in favour of more 'worthy' output such as Studio Ghibli, I would say that Pokémon, first the games, then the programme they inspired, must have an integral quality to have caught on in Japan, which isn't exactly short on similar concepts.

To have gained popularity in a crowded market, and so fervently a dub became an option, can only have come about because it held a certain magic.

It was the dub that smashed a hole in the cultural barrier, setting free the tidal wave to engulf the world. In Pokémon's trail followed Digimon, Cardcaptors, Monster Rancher, Yu-Gi-Oh! et cetera.

Without Pokémon, I doubt they'd have been translated, and definitely never broadcast on mainstream television. That came about as channels desperately hunted down anything Japanese to serve as the next craze.

I really appreciated the effort made by 4Kids in converting every aspect of the series to suit American tastes, including changing text on signs, letters and books into English. I assumed this was standard practice until I watched others.

I could never be as involved in them as I was Pokémon because of that block. It was like being denied access to the deeper waters, fenced into the shallows, and implied a rushed dub, with little care shown but to chase the same crowd and money.

If personified, the dub 'n' sub wouldn't be one human being, but rather identical twins: the same to a casual observer, but easy to tell apart by the more attentive.

It's like the games: Red and Blue are versions of a single adventure, but not totally one. Take the dub and the sub the same way. They are parallel dimensions running on separate rails, and beyond reconciliation, and that's before we consider that, sub and dub alike, each generation has only a faint relation to its predecessor, working on its own whims.

Everyone has a favourite, or can like both, and there's nothing wrong in that, but so many are proud of the fact they hate the dub, as if it conveys a revered status of supremacy.

When Disney films are shown abroad, they too are translated, and I'm sure references and jokes are redesigned to make sense to the locals. It's no use selling yourself as a comedy then being surprised when the audience refuses to laugh, having no idea what you mean.

If people prefer that one, for being what introduced them to Disney as a whole, or as a fond memory of childhood, then so what?

I don't mind if their view of a character is minutely at odds with mine, having seen the original, because what they think is canon to their version, so can't be wrong.

I don't go round declaring every Disney dub to be pathetic by its nature, that viewers of them are of a lesser breed of fan for preferring their own tongue, even though more of the world's population understand English than they do Japanese.

If you enjoy one tailored to your country there's no crime in it, just as I like one at least comprehensible to mine. It's not even my culture, but I pick it up mostly.

The choice must be made on which to follow, and this blog runs on dub canon, as that has a claim on my heart. Just because I don't acknowledge what takes place in the sub doesn't mean I'm unaware of it, but it has no bearing on what I write.

The idea that the dub alters things willy-nilly without rhyme nor reason is also mistaken. Often it does it because the original does not make sense.

In the sub, I know Nanny and Pop-Pop are just a couple of old duffers taken at random and dropped in to a castle, supposedly as James's far away nannies.

Oh yeah, that's a cushy position. You doing a lot of child care from miles off?

Mind you, it used to describe 'em as 'caretakers' on Bulbapædia, as if Nan serves as housekeeper whilst Pop tends to the garden.

That's right. Ma and Pa finally got some work out of this pair of freeloaders.

They're not related, remember? No, no, absolutely not, no way. Of course their style reflects that. They just gave Pop a 'tache, thick eyebrows and a bigger nose, and Nan got a bun and lines in her hair, but there's certainly no connection. Oh no. Such a thing is ridiculous.

They're NOT family. No. Yet Hoenn James still panics they might learn he's joined Team Rocket, spending the whole episode trying to hide the truth.

Why? Who are servants to criticise the son of their employers? Why should their opinion be of any consequence to Hoenn James, especially when his parents, fiancée and butler are cognizant of reality?

Children of aristocrats are usually brought up by governesses, thus develop a stronger attachment to these figures rather than their parents, but that isn't the case here.

James lived with Ma and Pa, not the codgers minding the castle. He would have very little contact with distant employees compared to those who waited on him daily, so why seek out their approval?

Hoenn James apparently was permitted visits to Nan 'n' Pop, which is strange considering they're not relatives. Why them and not any other house-stters?

That's right, Ma and Pa sent their son to one of their properties without them, entrusting him to the care of two shrivelled pensioners of his size that he barely knew, and who could keel over at any minute. There are no other servants present. Apparently Nan and Pop clean an entire castle by themselves.

Oh, and they run a makeshift Pokémon sanctuary, but since it's not their home it has to be done with Ma and Pa's blessing, who also have to pay for it, but they're eevul aren't they?

The idea that somehow Nanny and Pop-Pop have not cottoned on to James's occupation by now is risible.

Servants gossip about their masters. I bet the entire household of his home know, and so in turn does the county. That Nan and Pop remain oblivious proves how isolated they are, for no one's thought to inform them.

When it came to dubbing it, they were made his grandparents, removing all the above nonsense. Of course he visits his nan and granddad, it's their gaff and their money funding the place, and it is likely his mother or father would keep James's job a secret, for fear the shock would finish 'em off.

It should do really. If they're not bothered by it that's a sign of where his rapscallion ways were inherited.

They aren't facially akin to Ma and Pa, but display the same additions, so if staff it's bloody lazy, as if nannies have to resemble your parents, but inventing a blood link excuses the slothful characterisation.

Every reference I've seen on Tumblr relating to the coffin-dodgers calls them Nanny and Pop-Pop. Apparently the dub decision is met with universal approval. It does have redeeming aspects then.

Now the sub writers, rather than ignore this development, took to it too. They aren't exactly bursting with ideas these days and are probably grateful for the lifelines offered.

Remembering James had parents, they forced a likeness between them and Nanny and Pop-Pop. How else do you explain the inexplicable ageing, even when Sinnoh Ma and Sinnoh Pa are younger than Ma and Pa?

I've also known for years that the sub has this woman as Jessie's foster mother, not Ma Jess, but that's stupid.

I can grasp the idea that Jessie and Ma might have endured extreme deprivation, considering that's what Team Rocket has brought to Jessie anyway, and that they may have lived at the bottom of Mew's mountain prior to Ma's death.

What I find difficult to take in is that social services (or as they're known where I live, the S.S.), however notoriously awful they are, would give a child to a mad bitch in a shack with no running water.

Come on, they have to at least pretend to be concerned for Jessie's welfare.

As Jessie is very young, bereavement can't have befallen her in the distant past, so how can she be happy this soon after becoming an orphan? How could the grieving period be a cherished memory?

If that woman's creaming off the money, why hasn't she fixed the place up by now? Where do the payments go, sniffing glue?

Then there's the depiction. If this is just some daft bint never to be mentioned again, why do they conceal her face? Who cares what she looks like when she's unimportant?

Here's another figure from Jessie's past. She isn't disguised, and why not when she too briefly appears and is then forgotten?

Who was she?

The only sort of characters they tended to hide were other members of Team Rocket:

During the early scenes featuring Giovanni, he was enveloped in shadow, adding both intrigue and a sense of menace.

Madame Boss also got this treatment, even though there was probably no intention to ever feature her in the anime. What's the use in keeping an appearance a mystery if it'll remain masked?

With that pattern, it implies this woman is in the same category, like Ma Jess.

When it came to animation, it definitely was intended to be a foster mother. Not her real one. No.

What did they do?

They gave her Jessie's skin tone and purple hair hanging down her back!

You know, like Ma Jess?

Any colour would've done. Any at all, and being anime I do mean any colour, but no. The choice was made to give her the looks of the exact person she's not meant to be!

Is it that surprising the dub simplified things?

I don't mind if you like the dub, sub, both, or any from around the world, but I'm tired of the smug condescension, as if we all agree the sub is the only one that counts, and that dub fans are grunting troglodytes, or not 'proper' aficionados.

None of us would be here were it not for the dub. Pokémon would not be here. I think it deserves some respect for how much of a difference it made, to my life and to yours.

[gayfanboyfred]

I've been seeing a lot of Be Cool Scooby Doo stuff on my dash recently and it's kinda made me realize why me and so many other classic Scooby Doo fans were so instinctively turned off by it. It's a much more drastic modernization than the series of the early 2000s, the last official installment of the gang. It makes sense because the world of young people has changed a lot since then but that doesn't make it any less jarring.

Scooby Doo first aired in 1969 and set the stage for children's cartoons throughout the 70s. Almost every cartoon from the decade was a Scooby Doo knock off and most only lasted a couple of years. I don't know what it is that has made Scooby Doo so timeless but it has been a constant of American animation ever since.

I personally stopped watching after What's New Scooby Doo. Shaggy & Scooby Get A Clue seemed to be a horrible bastardization of the previous versions but in hindsight A Pup Named Scooby Doo could be considered the same and I loved that show growing up.

And perhaps that's the root of the issue? It's not what I grew up with. It's drastically different. There's no 70s disco of early 2000s rock. The mood feels like everything else marketed to kids now. Scooby Doo has always tried to make its jokes on the level of the twenty-somethings making it. It's for kids but it never punches down.

Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated continued to miss the mark for me, perhaps due to the shoehorned romances and how overall all the characters seemed to have new personalities.

From the clips people have been posting, Be Cool Scooby Doo still struggles with the characters original personalities. For example Shaggy is a legitimate bad ass, doing things previous iterations would wet themselves over, but it seems less drastic when you take into account how much he's grown since 1969. He's always done whatever it took to protect his friends but now he's seen all kinds of crazy ass shit so his coping has gotten better.

I don't really know what the whole point of this post was other than to work through my own thoughts and feelings about the subject. But I think I might start watching Be Cool Scooby Doo. It seems like the series is back on track.

[kunt-dracula]

If I Were In ‘Vikings’ Headcanon~ Part 1??🤔

║Okay so I’m not as caught up on Vikings as I used to be. I might watch every few episodes and that’s if I watch it at all. Some of it’s because school is back in session and I’m at school 3 times a week from 8am to 8pm because I also work on my campus. The other reason is because my sister is getting her home renovated and so her and her 4 kids (whom are all under the age of 7) are living with me so my tvs are playing cartoons 24/7.

What I’m getting at is, if it’s inaccurate or seems highly unlikely due to events or character personality, I don’t know😂😂 but I wanted to try it so I am.║

Also

There will be quite a few changes to the storyline of the show. To simply put it, my baby Ragnar ain't dead and him and his kids get along just fine.🤣

➖

(Cartoon-ishly edited just for the occasion🤣👍🏾)

𝒦𝒾𝓎𝒶𝓉 (ky-yaht)

/I didn’t feel that my own name (Raine) would make a suitable ancient Egyptian name/

(My Attire during my teen years in Egypt)

⚜️Daughter of Pharoah Wahkare Khety III and Hetepheres.

⚜️ I didn’t have much a relationship with my mother due to the fact that she died merely a few years after my birth.

⚜️My father did what he could, but he wouldn’t stay around me much due to how much my physical likeness to my mother pained him.

⚜️I ended up spending more time with a caretaker that was assigned to me.

⚜️Around the time I was 12, he had wed another; a priestess named Ioja.

⚜️Soon after her crowning, it became sure to me what her true intentions were. Getting my father to be devoted to her and only her.

⚜️It started with her cutting into our conversations, arranging outings without telling me and making sure I had no knowledge of them at all.

⚜️When that ceased to work, she began spewing lies to my father about my ‘promiscuous’ behavior with male servants and even a few peasants.

⚜️Although I deny the allegations, it's clear to me that he's taking her side over my own.

⚜️After years of nonstop arguing between me and his wife, my father's breaking point was reached when he came upon a set of highly venomous snakes tangled within his bead sheets when he awoke one morning.

⚜️To make matters worse, each snake had a bracelet of mine he had gifted me around its body.

⚜️I was undoubtedly framed by Ioja who then tried to convince my father that I should be executed—in turn, I pointed the finger at her and made the same suggestion.

⚜️Frustrated and unsure, he had us fight one another and the defeated’s fate will be sealed.

⚜️Unfortunately, the odds were not in my favor and I was overpowered.

⚜️Not having the will not heart to slaughter me, he went against his own word and had me exiled—which didn't seem to effect Ioja at all since she had gotten what she wanted still, me out of the hierarchy.

⚜️Seemingly filled with guilt my father offered me an abundance of gifts before my departure.

⚜️I kept my clothing and jewelry and was given more, a fairly large amount of money. And him being disturbed with the idea of me being alone—the female servant that I was closest to was sent to travel with me wherever I settled.

⚜️Opwet—my older companion— had gotten me out of my funk, telling me that she was a firm believer in the concept that everything happens for a reason. [I picture her as a slightly younger Cicely Tyson😄]

⚜️Not sure of where to go, Opwet made the statement that she had not been to her birth village in decades.

⚜️My curiosity and ache for a change of scenery was all the push I needed for us to migrate to Kairouan.

⚜️Once we were settled in a home for the both of us, I had asked Opwet about her history. That was when she informed me that in her younger years she was the best healer in Egypt which led to her working for my family and then she was converted by my selfish father to be a caretaker for my mother during her pregnancy and then me.

⚜️I almost instantly asked her to teach me how to be a healer. It was always something I had wanted to do but was denied because of the written fate that my title held. But now that I was no longer royalty, what was to stop me from fulfilling my desires.

⚜️It wasn't easy. Far from it actually. There were a lot of specific procedures, rituals, and concoctions that went along with the role. It wasn't until I turned 21 that I finally got it down.

⚜️By the age of 26, I was a very well known healer throughout the city. The entrance to my home quickly became a revolving door to patients.

⚜️While caring for a pregnant woman who had been weak from it, Opwet was left with the woman while I went out to a fruit stand to purchase more mangoes. [The all natural prenatal vitamin.]

⚜️While at the stand my love for pineapples hit me and I began piling them in my arm.

⚜️One rolled off my arms and tubbles to the ground.

⚜️Contemplating just how I was going to pick it up with my arms full, someone beat me to it.

⚜️Of course, the first thing I noticed was the large pale hand holding the pineapple outstretched towards me.

⚜️The owner was a tall man. Very attractive. A great deal older than me, judging by the white strands of hair peppered his beard. Lips stretched in a crooked smile showcasing teeth that matched his skin, but what really hooked my attention were his almost glowing blue eyes.

⚜️He was someone I had never seen before but judging by his appearance he was no doubt one of the Vikings that word had circulated about through the city.

⚜️ ”Þakka þér fyrir, Viking.” {Thank you, Viking.} I say, shocking him. His shocked expression pulled a smile from me.

⚜️ ”Þú talar tungumál þjóðar minnar?” {You speak the language of my people?}

⚜️ ”aðeins nóg til að halda einfalt samtal. Þú ert ekki sá fyrsti sem ég hef haft ánægju af að hitta.” { Only enough to hold a simple conversation. You're not the first Norseman I've had the pleasure of meeting.}

⚜️I lose my focus on what I'm doing for what had to have been at least 15 minutes. It's not until the frustrated stand owner asks if I was going to pay or not, that I snap back.

⚜️Before parting ways I tell him my name and he tells me his. Ragnar Lothbrok.

⚜️That would not be the last I’d see of Ragnar Lothbrok.

⚜️He showed up at my home to talk but Opwet wasn't having it and told him that he couldn'come in unless he needed medical attention.

⚜️Not even a day later he returned to my home with injuries he had gotten during ’sparing’ but in all honesty, they looked self-inflicted.

⚜️Not a day passed that I was rubbing him down with shea butter to heal his scars. So much that I had to start using my own personal batch that I used daily. I wasn't happy about it.

⚜️Constantly having to fight with my inner ’thot’ and thoughts while doing so.

⚜️He was fascinated and distracted by 3 things: my hair, my skin and mostly my derriere.😒

⚜️Had the nerve to ask if I was I had stolen goods hidden under my dress. 🍑

⚜️”Did you just touch my rear?”

⚜️”Sorry I thought it was—what’s the name of that large fruit? ...Watermelon yes. I simply thought it was a watermelon, especially in that green dress.”

⚜️Opwet: *eating a peach in the corner*

⚜️When it got dark, he would attempt to stay the night. Again Opwet didn't play that and she would make him leave.😆

⚜️In all, he was impressed with my skills and stated that they could really use someone like me in Kattegat and asked if I would consider going back with him. Shocked, I told him I would think about it.

⚜️It was then that he told me about himself. He was in his 50s but obviously very fit for his age being that I thought he was much younger. His son was the current king of Kattegat. A role he had given up once he got older, though he still had authority over the village.

⚜️When it was his last day in Kairouan, I couldn't help but ponder over my dilemma. Opwet only persuaded me to go. She restated her believe that everything happened for a reason and that I was being offered an opportunity that I should take.

⚜️ I did want to go but I didn't want to leave her. She wanted to stay and help the people of Kairouan and kept persuading me to leave for Kattegat to do the same for their people.

⚜️She was nearly relentless and finally got me to leave with Lothbrok. To a new world and a new beginning.

[Near the end I got lazy. I was tired, sorry. 😆

I'm not sure if this is even good or not. I was higher than the clouds when I wrote it.🚬

I'm kinda tempted to do a part 2 on when I'm actually in Kattegat but that all will depend on how y’all react to this.]

[chasingtwentyfour]

Toy Story 4

Before I'm going to dug into my feels, there's a quick disclaimer: Don't read it if you don't want to be spoiled.

To infinity and beyond

Yes.

If there is one line that summarizes the movie, then that would be it.

To Infinity....

And

Beyond...

This year, Disney has given us all our childhood back, from Dumbo, Aladdin, The Lion King which will be out next month, and the anticipated and the unexpected sequel of the Toy Story franchise. It's been 24 years since the first movie came out and we all admit that we grew up watching it and regardless of age, we still waited each year or decade just to refresh and join the journey of woody, buzzlight year and the other toys (and cast)

Toy Story is one of my favorite Disney films that I grew up to. I remember back then it was 2005, when I first watch the two movie franchise of Toy Story ( 1 and 2) and back then, I'll be watching through VHS player that flashes in our television and take note, the technology isn't that hightech yet.

Toy story is also the first cartoon movie that I've never seen before. Technically, I grew up watching 2D disney movies and had no idea that it was a 3D animation which is actually one of the reasons why it hooked me up the most and had no idea that it will be the boom of the high teach animation. Also, Toy story is actually the first 3D animation that was made and after that, multiple cartoon films with 3D animation came out.

The film first out in 1995, followed by 1999 and then the third sequel released on 2010 which I'm most devastated about because I wasn't able to watch it on cinema and waited for the bluray to come out. I was 10 at that time actually. (Hihihi)

When I was watching the third sequel on dvd. It always stuck in my mind that this would be the last franchise of Toy story and they will never ever gonna make a sequel ever again, and let's just admit it guys, we all thought that the third franchise would be the last, am I right?

We are all wrong

Though we heard speculations about the fourth franchise, but we don't know if it's true and if it's true, when will it come out?

Just as last year, my heart is so happy when I watch the teaser of the toy story 4. I had mixed emotions that time and my 5 years old self, is jumping with joy

Now earlier, me and my 8 years old brother watch the toy story 4 in the cinema near us. It's really funny cause when I entered the cinema, there are more ADULTS than the KIDS. I REPEAT. THERE ARE MORE ADULTS THAN THE KIDS. Which I realized, these adults watching grew up watching toy story and wanted to relief their nostalgia.

Honestly, My tears dropped when I heard the " You got a friend in me" intro in the movie. I also enjoyed watching kids and my brother enjoyed every minute of the movie because I could totally relate to them. Those laughter that I heard, the smiles on their faces is what totally I am when I was the same age as them. Looking back, I realized that movies like this are timeless and be passed on to one generation to other because every new generation deserves to experience classic which is one of my realization why Disney keep on doing live actions of the cartoons and keep producing sequels of the classic because it is time for the new generation to experience it and have something to remember about their childhood. Which is one of the reasons why Disney or us, keep retelling the stories. It is timeless, indeed.

Now going to the film, I enjoyed every moment that the cast do especially the Bo and Woody reunion which I totally shipped from the beginning, their journey on their new owner, Bobbie, which was passed on to Andy, itself. It also shows flashback as a backstory and of course, introducing new toys (cast)

I thought that the third film was the saddest among the franchise, this one is the saddest (in my opinion) I honestly can't believe that Woody choose to be liberated and stay with Bo, actually, I'm half sad and happy at the same time, because at least, Woody follows his heart and choose which makes him happy. Though it's kinda sad cause he was now apart with his toy friends that he was with together through years. But in the positive side, they accepted him. Because above everything else, their friendship values the most.

To be honest, I was expecting that Bo and the others will join Woody and their owner, Bobbie.

It is such a whirlwall experience, my childhood has came back and so far, Im satisfied because I waited 9 years for this to happened. My inner self is still wishing that Disney will add another franchise, but I think, it is really impossible for now.

To infinity and beyond