#I've never really done a tweeting animation before-

[benetnvsch]

nasty dog kunikida wip #2 :> refined sketch. next few days will be clean lining coloring and tweening yipppeee

[amysgiantbees]

Dead Boy Detectives Cat King Spoilers

I ADORE the Cat King and I'm really fascinated by him and I just love how detailed everything about him is.

A few thoughts on him...

I love that he's living at Empire fish company to harken to his royal status.

I adore the head-cannon that he's Desire's child. With his golden eyes that remain no matter his form. Desire's actor even tweeted about it!

He asked which boy put the spell on his cat. Also, the cat's comment in the murder house ep that "the Cat king won't like this" and the implied rest of that sentence I feel is "when he finds out, when we report back." But at the end of the Dragons ep we can see the cat's eyes glow, implying he's magically looking through them. I know I'm assuming a lot but he seems to let the cats do their thing most of the time and report to him if they feel like it. It might even be a two way thing where they allow him to look through their eyes, he can't force it. I just think it's interesting what powers he has. Also it's interesting how his relationship with the cats work. Knowing cats, they have to want to report back. They don't just do it out of obligation. So, I'd like to think he's a pretty decent ruler. Or even my head-cannon that he doesn't really rule them more protects and acts as their go between, between themselves and other creatures.

His powers so far: Personal resurrection. Teleportation (but maybe just to pocket dimensions). Shapeshifting. Binding spells or just magic in general much like Edwin can practice magic from books. All very indirect kinds of magic which really suit his trickster spirit vibes.

I love that his loneliness is tied in to almost every interaction he has with Edwin. From insisting that he likes to keep things consensual then putting a spell that forces them to be closer. To watching out for/stalking Edwin with his cats. To forcing him to tell the truth but only a little bit in a kind of desperate attempt to get Edwin to see he cares about him and embraces him for who he is. Edwin calling him lonely really doesn't come from nowhere to humanize him which I love. It's great that even the minor character's motivations are well thought through in the show.

I feel like he took to Edwin so quick possibly just out of pure desire. But also people love to say animals are great judges of character, especially cats, they're discerning. So I love the idea that even if Thomas was repressing the fact that he is lonely a part of him knew it and recognized that loneliness in Edwin. As well as what his actor's mentioned in interviews that Thomas is so free and has so few inhibitions and thus just enjoys messing with stuffy old Edwin so much.

Me enjoying Thomas' moral greyness does not mean I'm condoning his behaivour. But it certainly doesn't bother me for multiple reasons. Firstly, his actor is SO charismatic. It really does make a difference that he's just SO fun to watch. Also, not that I've never been harassed by a queer guy before, but him being not straight does help beat the creep vibes in my mind. Also, the way that he will push a boundary but say or do something that softens what he's done helps. Like ranting and raving in the woods that Edwin will regret this but instead continuing to try to protect him from Esther. I think he clearly cares enough about Edwin that if Edwin was REALLY that uninterested in him and uncomfortable he would of just have given him a different punishment. Also, it's a fair punishment. He binds Edwin just like Edwin bound that cat. He's an ambiguous trickster fantasy creature, I'm willing to let a lot slide due to the fact that he clearly has an important role in the story and people's lives as a disrupting and mischievous influence.

I also am not particularly bothered by any potential creepiness from the Cat King as the way in interviews everyone talks about him is that he had a very specific role to play. He was made to be Edwin's sexual awakening. Yes he could have just been a guy that like always seems to be obliviously shirtless going on runs or something like that and it would have been less problematic. But, for one, I'm sure Edwin's seen that before and just looks away when it happens. Two, Edwin is SO repressed I think it makes a lot of narrative sense that he needs someone SO pushy and desperate in return to wake him up. And also he then contrasts against the purity and sweetness of Edwin's love for Charles. I don't see this as condoning this behaivour because real people aren't deeply repressed Edwardian ghosts that couldn't access therapy even if they wanted to on account of being dead.

Furthermore, as I'm sure many people have seen in recent popular discourses media does not need to be morally pure. I don't think that should be a get out of jail free card though. Or that creatives should be allowed to make whatever offensive shit they want and then say but "it's art" or "it's satire". Context matters. It's important how you frame something. And sure the Cat King is not punished for his bad behaivour but he is framed in such a way that I feel like he is not supported for it either. He doesn't get "rewarded" with Edwin in the end. He's not even guaranteed to have his company in even a platonic way since they're heading back to London and he, presumably, has to stay in his kingdom (he calls himself A cat king so I'm assuming there's others elsewhere so he probably can't go to London and intrude on another's territory. Or maybe he's A cat king in that there's just one at a time but there's a history of them).

Also, I've seen some people be uncomfortable at the age gap between Edwin and the Cat King, but to quote one of my favourite YouTubers Kennie J.D. "They're brooding hot 25 year old teenagers". They're both actors in their 20's. They could both theoretically be playing immortals frozen in their teens. I get that Thomas looks older but none of them look like teens. Edwin's actor has a 5 o'clock shadow. The most info we get about Thomas' age that he's meant to be appearing as is that he says "he's not a daddy type" according to him. Admittedly his actor says that when he was imagining a backstory for him part it was that he thought he and Esther were ex's. So that does lend to the idea of him being frozen as an adult. So I'd definitely say it's a grey area. But also people arguing it's not weird because they're all kind of ageless anyway, I do disagree with. As a TikToker, Babbity Kate, I like pointed out just because Edward is over 100 years old doesn't mean Bella dating him isn't less weird than her dating Carlisle. There's a difference, it matter's a person's maturity.

I just hope we get a Season 2 and the Cat King sticks around for it. Hope Edwin misses him XD

Other people with great takes on him: https://www.tumblr.com/weareinastormoffuck/749853517024559104?source=share

[thecrazygamingzombie]

How Viviziepop kickstarted the third wave of indie animation.

Okay, I've been seeing a lot of people talk about the tweet below and how Viv doesn't deserve to take credit for the success of other indie animation projects online but the fact of the matter is...she does, in an indirect way at least.

First, let's start off with a brief history of indie animation:

everything started out on a site called newgrounds, I'm sure you've all heard of it. Created by Tom Fulp in the 90s to show case some of his half baked game ideas. Which eventually evolved into a place where indie creators could post anything they wanted without fear of censorship; the rating system that automatically removed any posts that dropped too low being the only source of quality control.

This gave indie animation it's initial foothold online but without any way of obtaining a revenue stream it never really moved beyond a fun hobby done to practice one's art/coding skills or just screw around with friends online.

This problem got more significant as time went on and many of the teenage artists that gave newgrounds it's inital success, such as RicePirate and Tom Fulp, grew into young adults who needed a revenue stream. Luckily they found one in the form of youtube.

With these monetization policies, many indie animators were actually able to go into animation practically full time. Their pre-existing income bolstered by that of youtube and what followed was a golden era of animation, just an explosion of content across the board. You had stuff like Eddsworld, Salad Fingers, ASDF movie, and tons of other creators bursting onto the scene.

all putting their content out there on Youtube for the world to see. All bolstered by revenue coming in from Youtube...but the good times never last

See, back then youtube's monetization policies were pretty simple: the more views your channel got, the more money you'd make. Great for short form animators and also great for clickbait youtubers who abused the system with deceiving thumbnails and titles!

To combat this, Youtube changed it's monetization policies in March of 2012: instead of being rewarded on view count, monetization would instead reward the time watched during a video. Which created a system where longer videos with frequent uploads were rewarded

In theory this was supposed to stop clickbait videos as people would just watch for a few seconds and leave. But in practice? It meant that animators were put at a heavy disadvantage as now they'd have to put in significantly more work for the same result.

This caused a complete and total crash of indie animation online. Between an unfair algorithm and the rise of gaming channels, most indie animators couldn't gather the same level of funding they could before and had to either quit or scale back.

Only the big name animators who could coast by on brand recognition such as Harry Partridge and TomSka among several others, or larger channels with dedicated teams similar to tv studios such as Mondo Media and Rooster Teeth. Were able to keep going.

This started a brief dark age for online animation until the advent of story time animators. People like Jaiden Animations, Swoozie, and TheOdd1sOut who relied on simplistic art styles with minimalist animation that focused on content reminiscent of old vlogs where the animators simply share stories from their everyday lives that allowed them to put out longer videos faster; thus working around the monetization system that had put so many animators out in the cold.

While they didn't solve the problem, in some ways they made it worse by starting a trend that attracted countless copycats, they did help sustain an interest in indie animation online and ensure there was a consistent audience for such a medium.

Now it wasn't a total wasteland mind you, as I said there were still plenty of animators who survived the purge. There were even a few channels such as Shut Up Cartoons and Mondo Media, again, that helped produce dozens of animated series from indie creators.

But even at it's best, these series were still very amateurish. The passion was obviously there but these were still very simplistic flash or stop motion animations with low budgets and small teams, focusing more on episodic skits than any sort of overarching plot

This environment of amateur passion projects, where animated series were usually very small scale and never really escaped from the limited sphere of youtube, went on for several years and kept the animation community alive. Until Viv posted Hazbin Hotel and brought about the third wave of indie animation.

Unlike the previous examples, Hazbin Hotel was a VERY different beast from most indie animation. Not only did it have an extremely distinct visual style but the animation was so fluid, so professionally made, it felt like something you'd see out of a mainstream studio. It felt leagues above the average indie project in terms of quality.

Now Viv had already a decent audience from her Zoophobia webcomic, her speed draws, and the die young video. So it wasn't like she was starting from nothing. But there was no denying that this new form of animation caught people's attention and caught it FAST.

You all can probably recall the explosion of discussion that surrounded the original pilot and how it was all the internet was talking about for awhile. Viv road that wave and used the momentum to launch 'Helluva Boss' another indie production with a similar style.

This made her even more popular, especially when she started cranking out new episodes of the latter series with the same high quality as before, and soon her fanbase swelled to millions. A fanbase that was more than happy to crowdfund Viv's work through patreon and merch sales. Then other animators saw this and realized that there was a sizable audience for animated content; one that could not only sustain professional level animation, but was desperate for more content of this scale. Soon several other series started cropping up like MurderDrones, Lackadaisy, Monkey Wrench, and the Amazing Digital Circus. All of which followed Viv's lead of producing high quality, fluid animation with overarching plots that drew funding entirely from legions of online fans.

For the first time in a long time, indie animation was breaking out of it's original platform and reaching far more mainstream audiences than it ever has in the past on a scale never before seen and it's all because Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss kicked off this new animation renaissance!

Now I'm not gonna say Viv was solely responsible, the series we enjoy now have thrived primarily on their own merits and the creative minds behind them.

But as it stands, her work played a big role in setting the stage for other indie animation projects and creating the perfect conditions for them to thrive amidst the current digital landscape. Like it or not, Viv is the catalyst for modern indie animation. To deny Viv her rightful place in history out of spite is nothing short of historical revisionism.

Give the gal her due, she's done some amazing things for this crazy world we live in.

Here's the videos I got most of my info from, it's important to cite one's sources after all!

[dragon-ball-meta]

Akio Iyoku And The Future Of Dragon Ball

Got a huge news drop last night, courtesy of @SupaChronicles on Twitter. I've linked the full tweet if you want to read his translation of the original article sans editorializing, but I wanted to attempt to explain a few things here. This is unprecedented for the franchise, and we're in untested, but very exciting times right now. The short version is this: Akio Iyoku and Capsule Corporation Tokyo have succeeded in gaining control of the rights to the Dragon Ball Franchise, in all but the manga side of things, for the next ten years. DAIMA is actually their first project. Now, some excerpts from the translated article: "Indomitable Dragon Ball, Inheriting the Mission: A Global Strategy to Reach the Next Generation" featuring Akio Iyoku, the President of Capsule Corporation Tokyo 'Dragon Ball' will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024. Dragon Ball is a unique and amazing work. Rather than thinking of the work in relative or uniform terms, the keynote is to think about how it should be done as a work of art. As the Executive Producer of a work with unprecedented longevity, my mission is to expand and convey what the original creator, Akira Toriyama, has created. I will continue to produce works, such as anime series, movies, and games, over the next 10 years. (...) Adopting what is popular at the moment does not increase the probability of success. I will not be swayed by the current trends, but will create works that I feel will be 'good enough'."

Iyoku is saying that, in his new capacity as the executive producer of Dragon Ball, he's doing this as a means of protecting the Dragon Ball IP as a work of art, and wants to release content that he feels upholds that integrity, rather than trying to use the IP simply to chase current trends and try to cling to relevancy. He says he also wants to keep the spirit of the series Toriyama intended. Now what's especially interesting to ME is this bit. He stops short of making any sort of direct confirmation, but this really, REALLY seems to lend credence to the reports that Shueisha was deliberately leaving Dragon Ball out to dry in favor of One Piece. "There was a time when the Dragon Ball craze, which had spread around the world over the past 40 years, had died down. When I became the head of Shueisha's Dragon Ball Room in 2016, I could not visualize what was really happening. 7-8 years ago, I went to a huge event in Brazil called "CCXP." I was told that Japanese anime were popular in South America, but there was a discrepancy from what I was told. The feedback from fans was weak. It may have been at the peak of its popularity when it was on-air in South America. (...) I also thought it was the result of relying on old-fashioned zeal. Therefore, starting with the 'Dragon Ball Super Broly' movie in 2018, we took steps such as actively participating in events. I felt concerned that Dragon Ball has not been expanded worldwide. Originally, we didn't see the strength and diffusion power of the work. We need to take a closer look at this and see if we can do more. We are not looking for a "one-size-fits-all" approach, but rather, we are looking for events such as the Dragon Ball World Championships, the expansion of games, creating facilities, and anything else that we can do. We will work on them in parallel."

And this bit: "Never before was there such a simultaneous worldwide reception of anime. (...) It can be said that we are now able to do things that we had not even considered before. From the beginning, I began to think about the overseas expansion of Dragon Ball. With 'Dragon Ball DAIMA,' which will be released in Fall 2024, we are taking on the challenge of creating an anime series with a completely original story. I am glad that all our works have been well-received overseas. 'DAIMA' was announced at New York Comic Con. The 'Dragon Ball' series is recognized around the world. It makes no sense to announce it somewhere domestic. Comic-Con is a great place to announce your work. People who understand the value of the culture are gathered there, to begin with, and we chose Comic-Con because of its ability to spread our work throughout the world. Overseas expansion is currently being considered as a necessary means of spreading the word about our work. If we compare the flow of manga titles selling in book format and then finally becoming anime to a river, the overseas developments were the ones that followed the river, meaning that in the past it was a "fan" (in the sense that the overseas expansion followed later.) I am convinced that Dragon Ball has pioneered many things as a Japanese anime. I have a sense of mission that if there is something that no one else has done, I must continue to challenge it." That sounds to me as if this was done at least in part because he felt the series was being mishandled, both on a promotional and quality control front. He also feels that there needs to be content created at least semi-regularly to keep the franchise relevant, as opposed to announcing something and then leaving long gaps of nothing, as almost happened after the Super anime went on hiatus. There's also some more implication about the series not being promoted to its fullest. "- The industry is over-competitive. It is tough to see the competition among anime (due to the emergence of streaming sites, etc.). Competition has become excessive. We must not create a situation where a manga becomes anime, and when the anime is over, the content ends as is. The ideal situation is to create a situation where the average viewer sees the content. We are in a cycle of consumption, and in some aspects, the cycle is becoming short-lived. I don't think it's good at all to have a boom that builds up and then burns down, which can be a factor in the content not lasting long. It will be tough if we do not create a place to compete differently from anime as content. It is advisable for works that are popular now to be distributed simultaneously around the world to repeat generations and reach the next stage of popularity. (...) In order to bring in overseas strength, a leading role is needed. In order for a producer to take on this role, they must transcend the boundaries of the corporate organization. There must be someone who has a "birds-eye view" of the work and is in a position to say to each company, "I think you should do this." I push myself to be a catalyst for this through various discussions. For Japanese content to continue, it is necessary to have someone who can say, "The status quo is not good enough."" So essentially, we're going to see more content. We're going to see more quality control ON said content. Both are being done to respect Toriyama's work, and to actually try to be competitive as opposed to simply relying on the legacy and the baked-in fandom to carry it in the sea of anime and manga franchises out there. He also feels that they shouldn't try to solely rely on adapting things, and create original content as well, while keeping it in line with the spirit of the series as opposed to just chasing whatever's popular. That's the intent, at least. Now we just need to wait and see how this all shakes out.

[hankbot0-9]

Disappointment and frustration

Hellop. Never done something like this before, but here we go. This is going to be basically a large splurge of disappointment and frustration on one, particular person, Vivienne Medrano.

So to start this off, I've known about, and have been a fan, of Viv for a long while, ever since the Hazbin Polit. I've followed her work, been inspired by it, and found great fun with the characters and world.

Without Viv, I would not be a furry (debatable if this is good or bad), I would not have found characters I've found comfort in (Jackson Wells, Zoophobia), or other creators in the indie community. However, for a while now I've been seeing how Viv and her works have greatly fallen from there highs, and how Viv has, really dropped the ball in being professional.

Her tweets and general attitude have given off all the wrong vibes, and show a person who could care less about being professional. From the whole "Cain, I am your bitch" situation, how she handles ANY form of criticism that is even slightly negative, the way she tweets and responds to others etc. It all just compounds on her image, basically holding up a mirror.

Her show (or shows, Hazbis quality is to be debated when it releases), started out, in my opinion, rough yet charming, clearly having passion behind it and a fun time to watch, has degraded to a point of being a bland, misguided and unplanned mess where the main character now feels like a side character to another character who's derailed the premise and show as a whole. Don't get me started on the inconsistent animation quality, cause holy shit.

There is also the leaked, behind the scenes, screenshots stuff that, yes should be looked at skeptically, is slowly, and in some cases basically confirmed, to be true. Largely owing to her on twitter and some behind the scenes stuff that should make you do a double take. I.e. Treatment of female characters, the constant hiring of new employees, etc.

This also ties into how the Fandom treats these characters and situations, and is where a lot of my frustrations come into play. To explain, the Fandom surrounding Viv and her works is one of the most apparent toxic fandoms I have ever seen, all it takes for them to turn on you is a couple of tweets or posts about something you disagree with or being slightly critical of Viv, and they turn on you. The amount of harassment and death threats flung around is concerning to a high degree and Viv, doesn't do anything about it, not even an ask to stop, largely because she encourages it. Sure, it's not a tweet saying to attack someone, but all the likes she gives to her fans on any post talking about what someone said or done that didn't align with the greater fandom opinion, it encourages them because they see it, they see that the person they look up to has liked what they said and so they keep doing it, so they get more likes form her. It's, sad to see really. The Fandom treats these characters above people really, holding them up and parading them around like they can do no wrong, and the same is for Viv.

There's more I could say, but many have already said it before and will continue to say it until, Viv basically fades away, because the way Viv handles herself, the Fandom that surrounds her and much more, wont survive the fact that when Hazbin drops, and is reviewed, and those critical comments and reviews come about it that are even slightly negative, the Fandoms going to get bloodthirsty and destroy any good will left or they would've had with the general public.

Sincerely, Hankbot0-9... tired of, alot.

[steakout-05]

various sketches and doodles ft. craig <3

i haven't posted any drawings in a while so here are some doodles i've done in my sketchbook from yesterday :D

this one is based off that one tweet that says "some people really need a hug, a forehead kiss and a grilled cheese cut diagonally" and it really reminded me of Salesman Barry for some reason so here he is in a hugged, kissed and grilled-cheese-cut-diagonally-enjoying state :) (also that is a little love-heart shaped kiss mark on his forehead but it looks odd because of the angle i was drawing at lol. i should fix it maybe)

i did a couple of doodles of my hc Craig design too and updated his hair a bit to be more defined and less messy :D it kinds looks like some vaguely apple-shaped hairstyle now which i find oddly appealing. someone in the HB discord said that one of the scientists in the new 4th of July JJ2 art looked like Craig wearing a hawaiian shirt so behold.... a man

i should make an actual ref sheet for Craig some time, i need to fully solidify his design so i can draw him consistently lmao. he's fun to draw :)

ahh Dook Larue my beloved <3 he's one of my favourite RAE characters, he's so silly and his voice is absolutely beautiful!! he has an april in his melt :) (also yes that is an Antioch doodle up in the corner) (i should post that later)

convict this man he's DRUNK!!! i have not drawn Peppino in quite a while that my entire way of drawing him changed completely holy moly. this is a reference to that one Neil Cicierega shitpost song from Mouth Dreams called "Aammoorree" and it is literally one of the funniest fucking things i have heard. it's like Everywhere At the End Of Time except you're a horribly drunk italian. bells

(this is just how he lives day to day honestly)

here's a character i haven't drawn in literal years before now! good ol Dan Mandel from Dan Vs. :D i've always known about this show in passing for years from watching those old Fluffle Puff animations, but i never really properly got into it until it suddenly got a resurgence in popularity around 2021, and i, to this day, still think it is so funny how this show managed to air alongside My Little Pony and Littlest Pet Shop. this man almost said whore out loud in one of the episodes and it got through the censors. not even kidding it's from the wedding episode it's so funny. he's such a grimy little man <3

also bonus Peppina doodle. she is so silly

[teeth-cable]

Helluva boss fandom is turn into a cult that is very true. Fandom can be turn into a cult so whenever someone bring up some of the problematic thing that has done by certain individual the fans get defensive instead of holding accountable they infantilized the individual

When somebody bring up about how vivziepop is antisemitic, racist, the fans will always bring she doesn't know. Really giving a bad look it show how they don't care about valid concern and criticism surrounding helluva boss & it's creator

When a fandom grows in popularity and size, there is alway a belief it's now a cult. I don't believe Helluva Boss has hit peak cult status but it's bordering. Out of all the fandoms I've been in, Helluva Boss takes the cake for toxicity because instead of dumb kids being toxic to each other, it's grown ass adults who think it is totally fine to harass each other and children because they had criticism about the show or are against Stotliz.

This is a true story, a popular artist in the fandom @NOT_THE_BEEEES QT a tweet expressing their disappointment at the show for making Stolas, the damsel in the distress for shipping purposes (Stolas being tied up by Striker, this was before the EP aired) and then they RT their tweet with their own version of an evil Stolas and the fandom flipped. Adult fans were angry, spamming harassment towards them, insulting them, and being happy that a 17 year old was getting dogpiled because they criticized the show. Also during this, fans started to believe they straight-washed Stolas because their AU design for evil Stolas wasn't stereotypically gay. Bee had been critiquing the show and Stotliz for a while before then so the majority of the fandom hated them and were waiting for them to slip up, but they never thought to block them.

Same grown ass adults are also very blinded to Vivzie's past and the current valid criticisms around her but you know, damn well if someone else who wasn't Viv had the same controversial past as her and they slipped up, the fans would criticize them.

But to be fair the critical side of the fandom isn't free from this either. Some "critics'" advice is to ignore the show's good traits and the impact it has on indie animation to just stomp and complain how terrible Viv and the show is. People who clearly hate the show get easily work up and can't even write a cohesive critique without exploding from rage and critics forget Viv isn't the only one working on Helluva. Yes, Viv has more power as the directer of the show but they are still other people responsible for the bad writing, Adam and Brandon. Also we should focus more on how Viv's friends are toxic too. We tend to forget Viv's close friends, Sam, Sam Haft, Morgana Ignis etc are all as toxic and insufferable as she is.

[anti-spop]

What are your personal thoughts on the idea of Catra acting/being treated like an animal as a latina-coded character?

Some other SPoP criticals say that this is a terrible stereotype (Idk if they're latina or not, tho), but I'd like to hear your thoughts on this since you're a brown latina yourself

Oh, I agree with them, I think it's terrible mainly because it was not planned out. It doesn't make any sense, either. Catra doesn't have brown skin, she has fur. She doesn't have a latina voice actress when other characters of color, as far as I'm concerned, do. Even Adora has a latina VA, so I don't get why they couldn't get one for Catra if they really wanted her to be a WOC.

While I don't think it was intentional, Catra does allude to some stereotypes against latina women, such as her being abusive, sexualized and, of course, animalized. There's also the fact she needs to be calmed down by her white savior girlfriend.

But honestly, I doubt it was planned from the beginning. Personally, it felt that Nate just wanted to make fans happy so he made Catra a WOC without any supporting material. He said, "she's absolutely a WOC", but literally WHERE? Based on WHAT? Nate also sums Catra up as a literal cat plenty of times, so to me it's pretty distasteful. He should really have thought over it before making it "official".

Again, I don't think this was done in bad faith, but Nate is just painfully white (once he even considered himself latino because... his grandmother was latina?). Even then, at the very least Nate acknowledges it was never confirmed in the show, so he said in the same tweet, "it doesn't feel right to take credit for it." But of course, the fandom uncritically made this canon, because stans will call you racist if you criticize Catra, when in reality they could not care less about the ACTUAL POC of SPOP. (Besides, I've seen fans making "la chancla" jokes with Catra and I don't have to explain why those jokes are awful, right)

Anyway, I think latina Catra should've remained a headcanon. I know some fans of color relate to Catra and I don't want to take that away from them. But some POC, including myself, have the right to be uncomfortable with how latina Catra is handled. She should've just been a cat like she was always meant to be.

[idollandhero]

MMM37 hosted a poll on Twitter that got over 2000 responses; they asked about people who are/were playing Idol Land.

(note this post is translated from Japanese to English using Google translate, you can see the original here)

Only 10% of respondents are still playing the game, where as the majority of respondents either never installed it at all, or have uninstalled since starting.

Likewise, after they removed name changing, I've come across multiple long tweet threads in Japanese or Korean that consist of people complaining about Idol Land. From things like it's buggy and unfinished, to I wish they cancelled the game and just gave us the anime, or they're trying to replace King of Prism with this [DanPri] and it isn't working, and this game goes EOS next July. I don't know if it's just who the algorithm has decided to show me, but from what I'm seeing now some opinions have changed from unhappy but hopeful, to upset and done. One person even called for the company who made the game to go bankrupt.

I'm sure the majority of players don't hold opinions that extreme, and again the Twitter algorithm really really likes showing people posts that are negative because of engagement or something :) but in general only a few months after launch these aren't good things to have being shared around about your new game.

I don't hold opinions that negative about the game, but I have spoken out against its weak points before, and still continue to. I'm not sure what the future holds for Idol Land, but I hope they do something to win back the good will of the PriPara fans. This is a mobile game though, they could just cater to whales and leave it to float for as long as they'd like. We'll see. If anything I don't see EOS before all 12 episodes of the anime premiere (and the tweets I've been seeing share that sentiment.)

[gaystan]

well dear gaystan i have seen maybe 10 episodes total, actually maybe closer to 20. i know about a lot more though i observe.. i listen....! Also i have a mutual who's kinda into the show but not a part of the fandom exactly and he's provided some insight but to be honest, the answer to the million dollar question, to why am i here, is this: once i read a fic on ao3 that really touched me, like made me cry and stare up at the ceiling and genuinely think about my life and about who i am, real catharsis, it was fucked up and beautiful etc and with tears literally still streaming down my face i checked the author's profile and, i never do this i really don't i don't know why i would but this time i checked their bookmarks. and what did i find there. south park rpf. the south park guys having a DIVORCE i was flabbergasted i couldn't conceptualize something like south park rpf before. and i found it through an author i was ready to become a fan, nay, a devotee of. that immediately snapped me out of whatever i was doing previously ngl i laughed so hard.. still find this a wee bit funny. ever since then i've been fascinated with whatever gay tumblr users are doing and have done with south park

that tweet that's like im probably nonbinary but i have a job so idrc about that rn. that's me with south park i'm drawn to it i've always liked controversy and getting to hate parts of the things i love and i like animation for adults in general and at some point i started having a positive attitude towards it but i honestly don't have time for this shit rn i'm busy almost dropping out of college. maybe when i'm more stable i'll be able to take a blow in personal development like "becoming a south park fan". or rather a hostage of south park and/or trey parker as that is the vibe i'm picking up <3

this is SOOOO fascinating love you man continue on your journey namaste. what was the fic

[allthefujoshiunite]

Hi, first of all this is my first ask to you (sorry if it sounds weird, cause I'm nervous while writing this).... I'm your fan (have followed your twitter and tumblr) and really love your reviews and recs, thanks to you I know which BL manga/manhwa to read next and because of you they also become few of my favorite BL manga/manhwa/manhua....

Can i ask, why do you love BL romance better than het romance? What makes them better? I did not mean anything negative, and I know everyone have their own like and dislike but I want to know your thoughts....

Also what do you think that made Asian MLM (BL manga/manhwa/manhua) romances better than western MLM romances?

Before I found your blog, I already love anime and manga but have never tried watching or reading BL, and then I found danmei novel and fell in love with them.....after that, I start reading BL manga and still continue.....Funny thing is, since I was younger I love reading novels (especially romance het western) and suddenly I lost interest....But after found MLM romamce I start love reading again...

Sorry for this long ask and rant of myself, feel free if you want to ignore it....just want to let you know, that most of the BL manga that I read until now are thanks to you.....I can't thank you enough.....Thanks for your hard work on your blog...

Okay, this is going to get long and at times, personal so... idk maybe you'd like to get a cup of hot bevarage of your choice? Buckle up!

First of all, I hope you don't apologize for sending asks in the future because I don't get them often anyway, and respond when I have time. Plus, I find great joy in answering them, and your words have made me incredibly happy. I intend to write a lengthy post about it one day but I write with the hopes that other people read them, my blog is not my personal diary. And over the years, I came to detest the so-called-advice "Just do it for yourself!". 

To be honest, I've been feeling frustrated and lost about my blog & my social media accounts, especially Twitter, for a while now. I love the small circle of mutuals I have and am grateful for them. Because, when you boil it down, I'm not entitled to their time, attention, likes/RTs/RBs, in short, their support. Just because they have been, let's say, liking my tweets at one point doesn't mean they now have an obligation to fulfill. This is the reason why I've never voiced my frustrations on Twitter, the least I'd want is to seem like I'm accusing others of something they aren't obligated to do. Still, it doesn't change the fact that there's been a sharp decline in my engagement there and I feel invisible. Or ignored. But at the same time, my blog post tweets still get 2-3 likes and I can't help but feel I'm ungrateful towards them.

In the end, there's no way of pinpointing what's "wrong". Is it the way I write my posts? Is it the content in them? Is it the Twitter algorithm? According to the view count, my tweets are seen, so am I being ignored now? I have no idea. I've been considering leaving the platform for a while now, the only reason I haven't done so is because the short tweeting format is something I really like and it suits me. But with the way things are, I'll just leave it as an update account as my Tumblr once was. Tl;dr, long asks where people talk about themselves, the questions they have in mind, and what they think about the stuff I write (positive or negative, as long as there's courtesy), that exchange is the reason I write. No need to apologize for doing something that I've been wanting others to do. : )

And if my posts had contributed to helping you find something you enjoy, no matter how small, I couldn't be happier.

As for your questions, I hope you don't mind me answering them in a separate post. Because 1. my answer will be long, and 2. I'd like it to stay as a post itself instead of being buried under my personal social media rant. It'll be better if someone wants to RB it in the future as well.

Once again, thank you so much for sending me this lovely message, it made my night! See you around ~

[stachehand]

My My Little Pony Episode Opinions (Part 1)

Ever since the beginning of this year, i've been rewatching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, though have been extremely slow in getting to the seasons past the third. I mean, the year's almost over and I still have four more to watch. On Twitter, i've made a thread dedicated to opining about each episode I revisit, which is to include not only the main show, but also all of the Equestria Girls films and specials, the 2017 theatrical film, and the Christmas and Rainbow Roadtrip specials. Currently, I have done everything up to the end of Season 5. Also, I should note that i'm leaving out shorts and music videos for the sake of keeping things streamlined.

Anyway, here's my long list of thoughts i've constructed so far in the tweets, with the character limit Twitter allowed:

Season 1, Episode 1: Friendship is Magic, Part 1

The humble beginnings. It doesn't waste time in providing the foundations of our main characters, and is also an informative preview of what can be expected out of the show besides world-threatening conflicts. Ideal start point.

Season 1, Episode 2: Friendship is Magic, Part 2

Everyone contributes organically to the climax setup, and none of it feels rushed despite the time limit. I can also give Nightmare Moon props for her proactivity. Too bad about Spike being mostly sidelined at the end, though.

Season 1, Episode 3: The Ticket Master

Cute seasonal setup episode with fun visuals, though my favourite part is how one character has the end goal of financially supporting her folks in mind for attending, while the others have reasons more hedonistic or thirsty as F in nature.

Season 1, Episode 4: Applebuck Season

This episode speaks to me louder now than it did way back then. I have to question how much it was going to take for Applejack's friends (besides Twilight) to notice how out of it she clearly was by her actions, but it's a barrel of laughs.

Season 1, Episode 5: Griffon the Brush Off

Pinkie Pie in top form. New person got poisonous attitude? Use a party! Although, I wonder if her "she might give it back" comment about Gilda stealing that apple (and then eating it) was made because Gilda's a bird. Imagine THAT scene.

Season 1, Episode 6: Boast Busters

Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity's attempts to upstage Trixie feel like natural end results, though the episode SORELY overlooks Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy in the matter. Also, Spike gets repetitive. Trixie? Delightfully theatrical entrance!

Season 1, Episode 7: Dragonshy

As our first exposure to dragon mannerisms and power outside of little Spike, it's pretty intriguing. Even better, it took the first big steps in the right direction for Fluttershy's character. Sadly, Angel Bunny's would only get worse from here.

Season 1, Episode 8: Look Before You Sleep

Gotta have an episode to remind me what kind of cartoon i'm rewatching. Seriously though, it never gets too sickly sweet, thanks to the entertaining antagonism. But was staying at Twilight's house REALLY the only option for BOTH ponies?

Season 1, Episode 9: Bridle Gossip

The effects of the Poison Joke flower were the REAL stars of this episode. Also pre-Cutie Mark Crusaders Apple Bloom. I think most of us can agree it's odd how Twilight is skeptical for most of it, then changes her tune at surface-level stuff.

Season 1, Episode 10: Swarm of the Century

Parasprites are terrifying and gross creatures that shouldn't exist. Pretty darn convenient that the Andrea Libman-voiced pony who ISN'T the animal caretaker knows about these things and how to remove them. Proves her intellect well.

Season 1, Episode 11: Winter Wrap Up

The song is still lovely, and the resolution plays to one of Twilight's greatest strengths. Nice use of Chekhov's Gun. However, I can't help thinking the disaster could've been avoided if a moment was taken to remember "Oh yeah, telekinesis."

Season 1, Episode 12: Call of the Cutie

Someone needed to call out Twist for her betrayal. Where's the justice? That aside, this episode makes one thing perfectly clear about Apple Bloom: she ain't her sister, and this road of self-discovery begins by stepping out of her shadow.

Season 1, Episode 13: Fall Weather Friends

A case where Applejack and Rainbow Dash butt heads in the heat of competition, and fun stuff is done with it. I love how it has a dash of The Tortoise and the Hare at the end, just because they could do it. All they need is a rematch.

Season 1, Episode 14: Suited For Success

Art of the Dress is still a masterwork. Twilight and the others are lucky that Rarity didn't hold their "looking the gift horse in the mouth" (as the ending lesson put it) against them. Also, I guess Spike's a ghost here. Do NOT miss out!

Season 1, Episode 15: Feeling Pinkie Keen

I enjoy me a round of cartoon slapstick, and this episode doesn't disappoint there, though I feel the Pinkie Sense could've been handled a bit differently in hindsight. Like, imagine it's a condition Pinkie has that's cured by "doozies"?

Season 1, Episode 16: Sonic Rainboom

It demonstrates one of the fantastical feats one of the heroines can pull off outside of cartoon logic. And Libman's acting chops. One thing i'll say is that you can probably get to the competition with about half the scenes leading up to it.

Season 1, Episode 17: Stare Master

I think Twilight's motivations could've been ANYTHING to get her in the petrified state, but the Cutie Mark Crusaders, like the children they are, are likable in their never-ending activity bouncing off Fluttershy. The Stare's quite an anomaly.

Season 1, Episode 18: The Show Stoppers

An unfortunate aftereffect of this episode is the running gag it'd attach to the Cutie Mark Crusaders for a good while to come. Within the episode itself, the talent show kind of comes off as an element as random as the montage escapades.

Season 1, Episode 19: A Dog and Pony Show

Seriously, what MLP fan doesn't love Rarity getting under the Diamond Dogs' skin with her squeaky whining? One part I find a bit nonsense was Twilight going "But only Rarity finds gems.", and one second later: "Wait, Rarity taught me."

Season 1, Episode 20: Green Isn't Your Color

FUN FACT: this was the first FiM episode I properly watched, so I have a bias in calling it one of my absolute favourites. Fluttershy's situation is why I never want to have celebrity status, but I also identify with Rarity's plight.

Season 1, Episode 21: Over a Barrel

Now Applejack and Rainbow Dash deny others their chance to speak for themselves in a potential compromise, and they aren't called out for it as much as they SHOULD be. Worse: one of the earliest examples of Pinkie being outright brain-dead.

Season 1, Episode 22: A Bird in the Hoof

For a molting bird, Philomena was quite a crafty little stinker, wasn't she? Sure produced some good laughs in the climax. I appreciate the ending revelation making sense of Celestia leaving her sickly pet behind, the conflict's catalyst.

Season 1, Episode 23: The Cutie Mark Chronicles

A wholesome anthology-type episode where everything meets up neatly in the middle. The circumstances are very conveniently coincidental, yet they still defy the whole common "it was your destiny" trope in a strange sort of way.

Season 1, Episode 24: Owl's Well That Ends Well

The beginning's on the nose, and you'd swear that Owlowiscious WAS threatening Spike's position with his 24-hour presence. It gets pretty ridiculous thanks to a lack of desperately-needed communication. Also, this image here, man!

Season 1, Episode 25: Party of One

The story mixes brilliantly deceptive foreshadowing in the prologue, a believable insecurity in Pinkie, a hilarious demonstration of vocal range from Libman, and a great moral on knowing your best friends like the back of your hand. Perfection!

Season 1, Episode 26: The Best Night Ever

Strong start, then it swerves into nonsense country. First season finale: main protagonist is barely in the plot. Fluttershy gave us a funny freakout, make no mistake, but at what cost? Finally, the ending is depressing in numerous ways.

Season 2, Episode 1: The Return of Harmony, Part 1

A magnificent introduction to Discord. What made his plan to corrupt the heroes brilliant is that he did it while their friendship was still young, and they organically behave like how they characteristically would on bad days.

Season 2, Episode 2: The Return of Harmony, Part 2

Spike got to be a plot convenience. Now, one thing I think could've been tweaked in this episode is the memory spell deal. Twilight's friends may have easily had their true selves restored by their unity in the last few minutes.

Season 2, Episode 3: Lesson Zero

Still a hilarious episode, and the funniest Twilight's freak-outs ever got. But besides it's humour, the show wouldn't have moved forward as much without it. Also, those ponies are totally jealous of Spike's purple unicorn friendship seniority.

Season 2, Episode 4: Luna Eclipsed

One has to wonder how much of a break Luna was taking since her previous appearance to have this out-of-touch position here. No matter, though. This episode is interesting for how it shows Twilight, a student, becoming the master for a night.

Season 2, Episode 5: Sisterhooves Social

It's not only cute, but important. First, it goes to show that cutting someone out of your life doesn't simply begin with a declaration. Second, it's essentially every good sibling's childhood fabrication of a good guy & bad guy scenario.

Season 2, Episode 6: The Cutie Pox

Here's a good message: there's no reward in taking the easy way out, because the easy way out doesn't really exist (or at least doesn't have to). Although, if the titular disease is that widely known, shouldn't the signs have been seen sooner?

Season 2, Episode 7: May the Best Pet Win!

I do not get why Fluttershy doesn't object more to Rainbow's snubbing of Tank. He's a good boy, that tortoise. With how present he was, it would've been a plot twist to NOT have him get the win. Pretty strange episode here, I must say.

Season 2, Episode 8: The Mysterious Mare Do Well

My god, the staggering lack of self-awareness of one simple fact they demonstrate: EVERYONE'S got an ego, just in differing sizes. I think they wanted too much for Rainbow Dash to be seen in the wrong by the lengths of her idiocy.

Season 2, Episode 9: Sweet and Elite

I need to pay my respects to this episode for playing with the old "liar is a liar who's revealed as a liar in the end" type of story a little. We got a genuinely charming minor character out of it. Pure wholesomeness permeates the runtime.

Season 2, Episode 10: Secret of My Excess

Growing pains ahoy! Spike got a well-told lesson about giving from the heart over taking because of temptation, but since his species is mysterious at this point, bit of a time waster to consult the local PONY healthcare first, Twilight.

Season 2, Episode 11: Hearth's Warming Eve

Always a good watch around Christmas. It's history lesson on the show's main setting is easily digestible, yet a bit complex, and the in-universe casting is perfect. I think all that's missing is an appearance from Twilight's parents.

Season 2, Episode 12: Family Appreciation Day

So, the entire town of Ponyville, not just that one big apple orchard, owes it's existence to magic fruit? That's oddly specific. Also odd how a more direct rescheduling method stares at everyone right in the face, and no one saw it.

Season 2, Episode 13: Baby Cakes

Isn't it weird how Pinkie seems to have realizations of how in over her head she is, yet basically proceeds with her old strategy anyway, and just never uses what she learns as she goes along for the sake of the obvious end episode moral? Crazy.

Season 2, Episode 14: The Last Roundup

Applejack had a pretty realistic reaction to her failure, and what's more, her skill in loophole exploitation is a devious dimension to her honesty streak. Cartoon antics aside, it's mature writing. Also, something something Derpy's voice.

Season 2, Episode 15: The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000

The fact nobody in town got to know what the Flim Flam Brothers' cider tasted like BEFORE the quality control cancellation lessens their threat a bit. Nonetheless, the ending deconstructed the lesson formula hilariously.

Season 2, Episode 16: Read It and Weep

If you ever need an episode of this show that's a confidence booster when you don't know how to come out about something you've grown smitten with, this is the one. Or just watch Rainbow be likeable while trying to maintain her street cred.

Season 2, Episode 17: Hearts and Hooves Day

Besides how the conflict came about from someone neglecting to mention an important detail to the CMC, and maybe too much of the sugary lover names, this is a funny step outside the Cutie Mark obsession comfort zone. A cute song, too.

Season 2, Episode 18: A Friend in Deed

The Smile Song is still the ultimate feel-good song. The story that follows it has a heartwarming Chekhov's Gun payoff, but the lesson Pinkie should've learned was the importance of minding her personality around someone new and unfamiliar.

Season 2, Episode 19: Putting Your Hoof Down

By the end, i'm left puzzled as to why they'd overlook the detail where assertiveness turned into needless aggression. It should have some slightly bigger repercussions than what happens, as hilarious as Fluttershy's loud rampage is.

Season 2, Episode 20: It's About Time

This is an episode of it's time. The audacity to poke fun at all the bogus doomsday predictions that used to run rampant, and put Twilight in the position of an overanxious believer. So much she forgot that she lived in the royal city once.

Season 2, Episode 21: Dragon Quest

If this episode just had a few elements added on to it, like some female dragon characters, and interactions with the seasoned adults, it'd come off less like a "cute and girly good, rad and boyish bad" story mixed in with the intended message.

Season 2, Episode 22: Hurricane Fluttershy

You can tell the show's beard is growing here. They tactfully handled the childhood bullying trauma and fit it seamlessly into a lesson about even the tiniest things having difference-making potential. Fluttershy really defined courage.

Season 2, Episode 23: Ponyville Confidential

What's admirable about this story is that regardless of anything that compels the CMC to go through with their hurtful journalism, they are still accountable for their actions and need to earn forgiveness. And voice-of-reason Rarity.

Season 2, Episode 24: MMMystery on the Friendship Express

This was specifically written and drawn to give us dessert cravings, I swear. Besides the fun film homages, if they wanted the mystery factor, it was hurt by both the nighttime silhouettes having the distinct pony shape.

Season 2, Episode 25: A Canterlot Wedding, Part 1

There were quite a handful of questions that Twilight could've easily brought up if she were to have any chance of helping her case about "Cadance". Shining Armor needed better explaining, too. But dang, does it strike the heart.

Season 2, Episode 26: A Canterlot Wedding, Part 2

The second half of this two-parter went hard. The song, This Day Aria, went hard. The villain, Chrysalis, went hard. The action went hard. Lastly, it opened the gateway for villain returns and other family stories. What a finish.

Season 3, Episode 1: The Crystal Empire, Part 1

It gets off to a slow start, not helped by a song number, but they nicely pulled off the long-lost kingdom angle with traumatized amnesia victims clashing against the eye candy environment. Nobody feels out-of-character, either.

Season 3, Episode 2: The Crystal Empire, Part 2

King Sombra, for his limited screen time, is a believable threat, like a smart cross between a posthumous antagonist and a cataclysmic force. That aside, parts of this episode play out like novel narration, and it's kind of funny.

Season 3, Episode 3: Too Many Pinkie Pies

Goes to show there's only room for one of any iconic character. They earned points for making not an episode with Flanderization, but an episode that fires a shot at Flanderization. Then points are lost for an overly-elaborate solution.

Season 3, Episode 4: One Bad Apple

Someone I know put it best about the CMC's revenge stunt, long ago: "That's not bullying, that's retribution." The song's serviceable, but what's bothersome in this story is the surprising lack of adult presence, and some bits of underreacting.

Season 3, Episode 5: Magic Duel

There was more smoke & mirrors magicianry than in Trixie's debut, oddly. It's an overall good time with a spectacular antagonist comeback, except for that uncharacteristic display of cowardice from Fluttershy when her friend's life depends on her.

Season 3, Episode 6: Sleepless in Ponyville

Hey, it's an animated look into a child's patterns and emotional weakness, topped with an unofficial adoption on the spot. This is why Scootaloo is my favourite CMC. One note: I never saw Sweetie Belle's sour note as a continuity fail.

Season 3, Episode 7: Wonderbolts Academy

The academy scenes are great, Lightning Dust is a fun foil to Rainbow, but the stuff with Pinkie and co. needed to be shortened, as the ending's a little rushed. Twilight or Applejack could've quickly come up with the care package idea.

Season 3, Episode 8: Apple Family Reunion

I doubt it was at all intentional, but the way I see it, there's a bit of dark comedy to the overtones of Applejack's reunion arrangements, and that's got me feeling uneasy. Worse, not enough Babs Seed time to warrant her reappearance.

Season 3, Episode 9: Spike at Your Service

Many fans hate this episode, but I can't. It's so bad, it's great. Although, it'd be funnier if the Dragon Code was just a shopping list, and nobody realized it. Speaking of what-ifs, surprised Rarity didn't have a big fit of jealousy.

Season 3, Episode 10: Keep Calm and Flutter On

I always found the pacing in this episode fine for such a big shake-up to a character. It worked because Discord had a believable layer added to his chaotic nature, but also, in the end, everyone knows his redemption has just begun.

Season 3, Episode 11: Just for Sidekicks

If Spike was reminded that he could always go digging for more gems, and Angel Bunny wasn't portrayed as unaccountable, despite his clear sentience, I wouldn't scratch my head at this. At least Zecora remembers the threat greed poses.

Season 3, Episode 12: Games Ponies Play

It's too convenient that nothing about inspecting the games or the name "Ms. Harshwhinny" manages to leave anyone's mouth around the excitable visitor they mistake for the inspector, until near the end. Said visitor's likeable, good thing.

Season 3, Episode 13: Magical Mystery Cure

Sure, it feels like there's a missing episode to this plot, but the song numbers are beautiful and Twilight is properly rewarded for her initiative and knowledge. If you can call this an amnesia episode, it actually gets amnesia right.

Film 1: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls

If it isn't dragging it's feet because of obligatory world-building or Twilight forgetting obvious concepts, it's got me questioning some of the characters' awareness. Bop of a song, cute interactions, messy story. Less ideal start point.

Season 4, Episode 1: Princess Twilight Sparkle, Part 1

The episode draws you into the mystery it's setting up, and pulls cunning misdirection. But, something I thought about now: why don't they use Spike's letter-sending fire to try getting a lock on where the Royal Sisters are?

Season 4, Episode 2: Princess Twilight Sparkle, Part 2

Cons: undercooked Nightmare Moon background, and Twilight's friends deciding to send her home too easily. Pros: Discord being a fun stinker in mentor tactics, and the lesson of a friendship lasting beyond where it started.

Season 4, Episode 3: Castle Mane-ia

A serviceable episode that provides a logical follow-up to the retired formula of the past seasons, but otherwise it doesn't do anything of interest with this historical setting but the golden age horror homages as obligatory as the title pun.

Season 4, Episode 4: Daring Don't

The twist in this episode makes sense with the compact in-universe lore of the character in question, and what it comes with is a subversive, but still relatable take on the "never meet your heroes" cliché. Just one thing: remember it for later.

Season 4, Episode 5: Flight to the Finish

This undoubtedly went some personal. psychological places for kids, because for all the right reasons, this is pretty sad to watch, comical bits aside. Nothing to complain about, other than the status quo blatantly butting in at the end.

Season 4, Episode 6: Power Ponies

You gotta laugh at Fluttershy having a rage fit, but if you're gonna paint your story like Spike's friends aren't taking his comic knowledge or instructions very seriously, make more use of that leeway you have with an enchanted book's powers.

Season 4, Episode 7: Bats!

The very real dangers of peer pressure and the very real problem of pest infestations and how to control them, all in one episode. Dang, what a juggling act. That impresses me. Though, you'd expect a balance in the characters seeing sides at the start.

Season 4, Episode 8: Rarity Takes Manehattan

A smart piece of commentary on switching environments and giving out trust. It's easy to understand Rarity almost sacrificing her ethics and devolving into one of the dog-eat-dog city folk, after simple goodness came back to bite her.

Season 4, Episode 9: Pinkie Apple Pie

It exemplifies the best of a family dynamic. When they drive each other up the wall, but nobody gets hurt in any fashion and they resolve the tension on their own, they're functional. Additionally, Pinkie was funny and smart this go-around.

Season 4, Episode 10: Rainbow Falls

Fundamentally awkward story for Rainbow Dash's "key". It shouldn't be that exciting for her to fly with the Wonderbolts. She already does! Yet despite the repeated continuity nod, that detail is conveniently ignored. Plus: that's not Spitfire!

Season 4, Episode 11: Three's A Crowd

If they didn't spend so much time saying Discord had a (fake) problem, Twilight and Cadance's bonding could've been more interesting. Why WOULDN'T Cadance want a fully peaceful day with Twilight after the craziness in the past two seasons?!

Season 4, Episode 12: Pinkie Pride

What an episode to air on my 20th birthday! Cheese Sandwich steals the show, and we see a case of a prideful person who doesn't aim to upstage anybody. The live-action shots are gags straight out of SpongeBob, and I love them for that. Perfect!

Season 4, Episode 13: Simple Ways

Goofy, but meaningful. Goes to show that when you think you can change yourself to someone else, you need an accident for your true character to re-emerge. A love triangle was a useful plot device, even. You wouldn't expect that normally. LOL

Season 4, Episode 14: Filli Vanilli

Plot convenient continuity nodding and a realistic take on facing your fears for the win! As for Pinkie's bit, I can say it was fine for one time, but when it's repeated, especially in succession, it's just writing her as a brain-dead babbler.

Season 4, Episode 15: Twilight Time

And there's our special lesson on how association can possibly be a curse, even if, for a short time, it looks like a blessing. It just could've been heavier on the show over the tell. On another note: how about some justice for Randolph, huh?

Season 4, Episode 16: It Ain't Easy Being Breezies

I find it fascinating to see how an act of goodwill can still come from someone betraying their biggest moral trait. That's a strong message. That said, the ending solution feels comically convenient, and the problem puzzling.

Season 4, Episode 17: Somepony to Watch Over Me

Oh, you poor idiot plot. Applejack can't be bothered to remember outside helpers until the worst moment, and I don't get why they bothered characterizing the chimera. That song cancellation gag and action scene were good, though.

Season 4, Episode 18: Maud Pie

I love Maud. Absolutely adorable in her monotone, and a positive example of how emotions and opinions can come from different reactions than the expected. A few nitpicks in character and scenario writing, but otherwise a lovely, must-see episode.

Season 4, Episode 19: For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils

Once again, Rarity and Sweetie Belle carry an important story. It's a familiar feeling, seeing the older sibling as a villain, leading to a touching revelation by the perspective shift. An anti-revenge note also don't hurt.

Season 4, Episode 20: Leap of Faith

A balanced take on the matter of well-meant lies versus difficult truths, because while everyone obviously needed to hear the latter, the former brought vital details of body and spirit to light which might've been forgotten about otherwise.

Season 4, Episode 21: Testing Testing 1, 2, 3

I'm all for them passing down THIS kind of knowledge. The idea of how one can achieve it without consciously trying to exercise their intelligence. Not so much for most things that pay off starting as spells of incompetence. Oh well.

Season 4, Episode 22: Trade Ya!

It goes pretty swimmingly for a bit. I'd say the setting had some amusing escalation. But then one subplot seems to skip a beat, and the ending conflict feels too last-minute and easily avoidable to get invested in. Now, who wants chicken dippers?

Season 4, Episode 23: Inspiration Manifestation

The moral of Spike's journey: if you are friends with someone, even love them, and you're willing to call them out for their mistakes (which they recognize), that's a testament of a true bond. The lesson's progression was on point.

Season 4, Episode 24: Equestria Games

Did we necessarily need an Olympics backdrop and episodes building up to the event to tell THIS story? It's simply a (fine) lesson on expectation and celebrity mortality. Also, that dumb, long gag should've had a comedic (and quick) cutaway.

Season 4, Episode 25: Twilight's Kingdom, Part 1

It gets so much right as a first part. It presents the reality of pep talks being great, but not always certain to heal an insecurity immediately, creatively utilizes Chekhov's Gun, and establishes Tirek as a cool force of nature.

Season 4, Episode 26: Twilight's Kingdom, Part 2

The fight had no reason to go that anime, and I love it! Icing on a cake layered by a show-stealing villain, two congruent arc conclusions, thrilling stakes, and how it ends with an unapologetic, radical restructuring! Fecking! A!

Film 2: Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks

What can I say besides that Sunset had a realistic and rewarding redemption, I laughed, they cohesively built drama off a wound from the original's conflict, the villain songs are the sickest beats in this franchise, and more?! It's… ART!

Season 5, Episode 1: The Cutie Map, Part 1

You wouldn't think MLP would use it's cute image to thinly disguise a light psycho-thriller. Pinkie's uncharacteristic behaviour actually works to a pretty humorous benefit. Though I scratch my head at the town's self-sustainment means.

Season 5, Episode 2: The Cutie Map, Part 2

The heroes pulled some airtight manipulation and deception, and Starlight Glimmer's self-interest reveal is an effective spot to leave her in for what's to come. Her secret is revealed by an odd convenience, but nothing story-breaking.

Season 5, Episode 3: Castle Sweet Castle

Massively poignant episode that respectfully handles the pains of leaving home forever and adapting to a new place of residence, paired with a heartfelt tribute to the show's continuity and previous status quo. Ingenious resolution there.

Season 5, Episode 4: Bloom & Gloom

The first nightmare sequence captures the eerie similarity to reality real dreams have to a T. Babs Seed being mentioned, but absent is strongly felt, though. Like, "should've probably had physical presence" (in dreamland) felt. That's just me.

Season 5, Episode 5: Tanks for the Memories

While I respect this children's cartoon's creative take on the 5 Stages of Grief, they egregiously overplay how much of a change Tank's hibernation really is. "This isn't good-bye. It's just good-bye 'til next time." - remember that?

Season 5, Episode 6: Appleoosa's Most Wanted

Everyone's pointed out how the writer forgot what makes a Cutie Mark manifest, but I found it rather annoying that the CMC weren't quick to stand up for the poor alleged criminal. Also, i'm lost on the comedy of his self-harm. Yipes.

Season 5, Episode 7: Make New Friends but Keep Discord

Following from Discord's redemption arc, it highlights just how little he's been offered a hand in friendship to react how he does. Spoiled, close-minded, and still a fun scene stealer. But, Smooze is gross and superfluous.

Season 5, Episode 8: The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone

Quite a bold twist to take former friends who couldn't possibly ever restore the goodwill between each other, but manage to because of a little hidden nostalgia for happiness they never stopped valuing. Gold among the junk.

Season 5, Episode 9: Slice of Life

It's an insane train ride of fan service, not much motivation behind it but that, but dang does it demonstrate the setting's inherent goofiness and cement it as a lived-in place. Part of me thinks the Mane 6 characters should've been excluded.

Season 5, Episode 10: Princess Spike

Spike really doesn't just come off as a kid enjoying getting cool stuff in this, but uncomfortably tyrannical. Adding on, Twilight being treated as the center of the kingdom, the one with all the answers, is ludicrously sudden and incredible.

Season 5, Episode 11: Party Pooped

I see the aim of the moral, how the journey can mean more than the destination, but I think another message is to be taken away from this episode. That is insanity. Constant, predictable actions leading to predictable, and repetitious, results.

Season 5, Episode 12: Amending Fences

They did a great job resolving the loose end of Twilight's forgotten friends, and stating that the mistake of one shouldn't make others tied to that person accomplices in hurting somebody. If Twilight just wasn't so forward, it'd be perfect.

Season 5, Episode 13: Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?

Besides how creepy it is that Luna's been secretly doing this self-punishment thing ever since she reformed, the reveal behind the Tantabus's origin is handled in such a blasé manner. Points for creative action, though.

Season 5, Episode 14: Canterlot Boutique

The rejected altered dress deserved a happy ending, damn it! I thought that Sassy Saddles was such a self-centered, callous person, her turn at the end was too little, too late. They even confused workplace depression with pride. So dumb.

Season 5, Episode 15: Rarity Investigates!

This is definitely something you watch more for the fun film noir homages than the actual mystery, but it does have value in teaching the importance of heeding details. Very smart use of Rarity's character, and her dynamic with Rainbow.

Season 5, Episode 16: Made in Manehattan

It's hilarious that the problem they needed to mend literally stumbles into them from the sky. Prime plot convenience. But hey, I can respect when they pay respects to the simpler ways to help people. Also Coco Pommel, that cinnamon bun.

Season 5, Episode 17: Brotherhooves Social

The ending makes for a genuine and heartwarming sibling moment. I know that sense of inferiority born from a relation to someone with great achievements. But why put minutes of generic, awkwardness-peppered comedy in front of it, guys?

Season 5, Episode 18: Crusaders of the Lost Mark

They pulled off the most original way they could've closed out the CMC's longest-running plotline. I don't find that Diamond Tiara's abrupt shift in sympathy eliciting hurts that story too much. The songs won me over on it easily.

Season 5, Episode 19: The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows

Boy, was this a heavy allegory for spoilers, and what joys in the world are worth not having spoiled for you. Surprisingly, a scene lasting seconds effectively humanized Shining Armor more than his wife. Hobbies give you life.

Season 5, Episode 20: Hearthbreakers

A good moral on how the important thing about someone's yearly traditions is that they're happy with them, and what does the same for you should harmonize with them. What thwarts it a bit is Applejack's uncharacteristic disregard for consent.

Season 5, Episode 21: Scare Master

Now that's a twist, to say that if you don't want any part in an activity, even if it reveals talent you didn't know you had, you're under no obligation to regularly invest your time in it, even for friends. Also, relevant episode is relevant.

Season 5, Episode 22: What About Discord?

Did this episode WANT things to be left up to viewer interpretation? Whatever the case, it sure paints the ponies (not named Twilight) as oblivious to the comedic Rule of Three, and somehow, Twilight is insane AND sympathetic. Awkward.

Season 5, Episode 23: The Hooffields and McColts

It feels weird to have an environmentalism story sneak up on you when the focus has been so hard on a petty conflict over minor annoyances, but I can roll with it here. What's more odd is a big cake is baked without Pinkie Pie.

Season 5, Episode 24: The Mane Attraction

Rara made me want to joyfully cry, and I would give her all my love and protection! Seamless transition from an extravagant concert parody to a number straight from the heart. Top-tier, without question! BTW, send Svengallop to Tartarus.

Season 5, Episode 25: The Cutie Re-Mark, Part 1

And Starlight's revealed self-interest is brought to the forefront, bringing a finely executed strategy. Aside from that, the exposition gets annoyingly on the nose and long-winded. Could've spared some details. This image, though.

Season 5, Episode 26: The Cutie Re-Mark, Part 2

No point to exploring more than one alternate future when there are no obstacles. It's padding, exacerbated by Twilight being so slow and her telekinesis neglect. And why did young Starlight just stand there all glum? The nonsense!

Film 3: Equestria Girls: Friendship Games

Human Twilight differed from the pony version enough to justify her story. The Shadowbolts are fine rivals, though a few seem to come from a little underuse of the pre-existing character roster, and they get shafted hard at the very end.

[mellowgoop]

I hope tumblr is different enough from twitter in that I won't be found and shot if my thoughts on subculture are a little inaccurate here while I am (checks notes) learning and voicing thoughts and feelings from my own life so far

I've been looking at more fashion stuff less in a like "damn I really want to wear these fancy edgy pants I never knew it was ok to wear" and more wanting to know about how subculture is getting dragged out and aestheticized, its not something that I've ever actively read about or studied as a concept but rather something that interests me on a case by case basis (I started doing research wanting to know more about gyaru subculture and having a vague background interest in subculture because of lgbt stuff and anime fandom)

I'm not exactly looking for an answer (I will find one soon) but at this point I think my understanding of subculture is very confused and I like my confusion... I think when I was a kid, I microdosed on belonging (very lonely/ hid in the back of the class in a hoodie with headphones/ called emo even though i was Not brave or gender enough to be enjoying the thrill of 2011 scene culture like some kids were) because in my small town the only people who were visibly "into anime" were my best friends older sister's Gay Friend Group. They were like... The Gay Ones in middle school and super into FMA and Black Butler and stuff so when I got into anime it was this very sneaky thing I had to know a guy to know a guy about, and the medium itself has always done So Much for my gender as a nb person that there was definitely something going on there. I think I was conflating LGBT spaces and anime fan spaces for sure because thats all I knew before my cooler friends got loudly and visibly into shounen in 2015

What really did it though was anime twitter in 2013... I talk a lot about this because it gave me a lot of my sense of humor and worldview honestly. I followed these anonymous accounts who were some radical leftist transfeminine people in their late twenties (I later mathed out) tweeting all day long about anime, games, crazy ass politics and definitely some of my first sights openly gay horsing around... even if there was nothing that actually made anime fandom a subculture at this point (again I have not really read up on this yet, I imagine me wandering in on twitter signaled the death of it if it was ever one) again, the mix of LGBT leftists finding a place nobody would look for them to talk while also getting so passionately into something that was then just a little bit off from mainstream gave me a taste of what it was like to kinda... sneak out the back door and belong someplace else where your other friends who don't super get you don't

These days, I'm actually friends with a pretty relevant hyperpop DJ guy making a living off of that anime aesthetic stuff and its a ton of fun having more people than ever to talk about anime with. I'm also realizing I lived in a huge bubble growing up and for some people anime/manga were already super mainstream by the time I was finding it around 2009. But when people talk about their subculture dying and the meaning going away as gen Z turns the visual indicators as just fashion (I may well be part of this problem, its quite a bit wave) I do feel like I got some budget version of that feeling put in me as the people who joke about kinning and kissing anime girls become less and less emotionally invested in the fact that they even folks to talk to about it.

Not ok to reblog LOL i sound like a half-assed gatekeeper here

[pumpkin-spike18]

✨Weekly Progress #51-52✨ +Happy New Year 2024✨

I've been thinking about the past year for the last few days and struggled with how to talk about it.

But, let's start with the weekly progress reports, before I miss the ability to do it for 2023.

Weekly Progress #51

Linearted 4 SYVNH BGs

Answered more BWOBK edit comments

Yes, it's the same image as last time since... the 4 linearts were done by the time I posted the last update.

Weekly Progress #52

Scripted BWOBK S1-S3

Submitted the demo for The Beauty Which Only Beast Knows to Winter VN Jam and Once Upon a Time VN Jam

The demo is now available for download here!

...Oh my god, I forgot I start my weeks on Mondays. My brain got really confused for the twitter version of this update 😅

I'll be making a separate post for it tomorrow (or Akua would), but BWOBK is finally out! ...Well, the demo for it anyways. The last week has been a blur of editing, scripting, and final playtesting. I was working quite frantically so I didn't record all of my tasks for the past week.

...Which, to be fair, didn't amount to much other than working on BWOBK. Our team wanted to accomplish a lot for this jam, but as the final week approached, we knew we had to cut back a bit if we wanted to submit anything to the two jams so we discussed and agreed to submit a demo.

Please look forward to a full release in January 2024!

Looking Back at 2023 ⏳

Visual Novel Development

Last year I made this tweet to celebrate what I accomplished in 2022.

A total of 5 VNs was an amazing feat I didn't think I'd accomplish. I was prepared to never beat this record again. Yet, lo and behold...

This year, I submitted nine projects.

1 Updated Demo:

I counted this as a submission since my update was about 50k new words, all new BGs, and like 14 CGs (I forgot the exact number). Sadly, I couldn't make it to the finish line of a full game. That'll be 2024!

4 Solo Projects:

These are four short visual novels I did for a variety of jams (three of them were for about week long game jams). They're all playable in browser and shouldn't take longer than 20 minutes each to play.

one last time. is a standalone entry.

kill your feelings., spirit killing curse, and Exorcist Killing Lie are separate stories set in the same world of ghosts, unreliable gods, and exorcists. I've been calling it the Kill Series and I hope to work on it more in 2024.

4 Team Projects:

I participated in another four visual novel projects this year! Two of which were demos, and one even won second place in the Spooktober Visual Novel Game Jam!! That was a real surprise! Although everyone in the team worked super hard, I don't think any of us expected it. So it was really a great and amazing surprise that had all of us shocked with happiness!

The Beauty Which Only Beast Knows is a demo I'm the main writer for. I also wrote one of the routes for The Final Prize is Soup, which is the second place Spooktober 2023 winner!

I provided the art for For the First Time.

And I did the programming for Saintess Alasdair is Dead.

All of these visual novels (plus more from previous years!) can be found free to play on my itch profile!

I think, next year, I won't be able to beat this record 😂 In fact, I hope I don't... As happy as I am to have performed such a feat, it was very exhausting and took a lot of energy out of me. I just hope to finish my ongoing projects in 2024.

Other Creative Goals

Here is another tweet from early 2023:

I wasn't able to spend a lot more time animating, and it's hard to gauge improvement on my own, but...

I did it! I completed 24 illustrations!

This has been a mix of OC art, fanart, a couple gifts, and a couple commissions. Hopefully, next year I'll be able to not "cheat" by adding commissions to the mix... 😂 I'm very proud of my commission works, but I did say it was supposed to be personal art.

I actually spend the last three months drawing 10 of the illustrations. To be exact, I drew 14/24 drawings in the second half of 2023... This was alongside working on a variety of CGs and BGs for games, a couple fancomics, and some design work that didn't feel quite "illustration" worthy.

Other

As a number of you might have noticed, or if you're one of my closer friends in devtalk... I quit my job!! Which, may sound like a bad thing, but I'm actually quite relieved. I finally freed myself from something that felt like it had been chaining me down for years.

I did it with no plans, just enough savings for a short while. Hopefully, this will be the wake up call I need to improve my life and find a job I enjoy. I took a few months off so I'm ready and back for the job hunt in 2024! (...So in about an hour from me writing this, haha)

Speaking of the job hunt... I also started accepting commissions on vgen! I don't know if I want to pursue a creative career, but it isn't out of the question.

If you're interested, I'll be opening for a week or so in 2024 before I close to work on projects again until June or something. (wink wonk 😉😉)

Finally, I'm really happy to have joined the Ace Attorney fandom this year. I started replaying the games around September and searched for a fandom discord on a whim. I've met some really great writers and artists since! Everyday getting to talk about gay lawyers have been great and reminded me of an almost lost fun from my childhood.

So if any of you from there see this post, hello! Thank you for giving me such a warm welcome! I really enjoy spending time with you all!

And someday, I WILL kidnap you guys into making a visual novel with me.

I participated in my first online fan event thanks to everyone there and it was a lot of fun. I hope to do more with everyone soon!

Well, that's all! If you made it all the way down here, thank you for reading! 2023 has been an interesting ride and I look forward to 2024.

It's currently 11:12PM for me here (I made it, I finished writing before midnight!) but, this is probably as close as I can get before getting distracted by a video or other work so...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[salvatoreren]

Eren appreciation post

Before this day ends, I'd like to share my history in loving and stanning Eren Yeager

I have read Eren Yeager fanfictions even before I started the series because for some reason I was attracted to this character whom I've only seen once because of my sister. Because of that, I started to watch AoT

Despite Eren acting like what people claim to be a total little shit in the first season, I never found him annoying for strange reasons, this character had obviously became my favorite and i've been attached to him unknowingly. And I'm gonna be honest with all of you. I was the desperate little shit I was when I tried so hard to find for Eren Yeager x readers in wattpad (yes i have an account there) there were only a few because man bun eren wasn't released in the anime yet so that totally sucks

and oh god the listeners, i tried to find them, though only finding a few as well they were a treasure to me, I literally went on a hunting spree for any good eren yeager fics, i went here, to quotev then deviantart, i was not aware of ao3's existence at all, when i found several fics in deviantart i settled and oof there were so many fics that i stored in my favorites lmao

I was crazy for this character and I wasn't even done with season 1 and 3.

Eren Yeager made my 2020, those eren hunting fics day were the greatest experience i had in the aot and I bask in shame that I've only discovered this series when it was this close to ending. But I liked those posts even for a shitty community as reddit about Eren being a chad, I was aware that he was not exactly a loved character and I was so glad to see, here people were basically worshipping him lol

Then I found a glorious Eren fanfic, i read it nonstop which is saying something because i don't have the ability to do that anymore lol, the fic is called cupcake and its on wattpad so yeah, do what you will with that information

Anddd I lowk left the fandom, but I was pretty sure I still loved Eren. I literally freaked out when I saw animated hobo eren, ughhh, Then that's when i went to ao3

My first read and bookmark in ao3 was literally an eren fic who hasn't been updated in almost a year [take your time tho author] it was so good just like with the cupcake i read it nonstop as well. then the rest was me reading eren fics. I kept up with the manga instead to savor its remaining chapters lmao savor, yeah and I too was desperate to seen an eren pov which we never got.

Moving on now I totally left the fandom since i got into different shit, i didn't felt as strongly as i did during his birthday, but i retweeted every single shit i saw about eren

Then april 8 came [english translation]. i need to stop with using then. whatever, I literally cried when i saw eren's decapacitated head god, i cried even more when armin cried for him full on sobbing, that was the only thing i felt, eren yeager was such a close character in my heart. I knew at that moment I still was attached to this character.

Oh and how could i forget, all those eren tweets about him being a jerk, an incel, and his character assassination [I did not agree with those yet; the character assassination part] so yeah that was painful

Because of my love for eren yeager, I wanted to start a fanfic about him, a storyline in my head, but yk im an awful writer so i postponed that shit up then really left the fandom like really but the eren fic still comes in to my mind

Few months later i rewatched the series again, became even more attached to eren yeager as attached as that hallucigenia on ymir, literally threatened when someone insults him a bad trait of mine. so yeah I cooked that shit storyline up, carefully planned, now its published and all i can say is its decent ig

But I did consider just giving up the fic since it was so hard and i had other priorities to think about and to fix myself but i just couldn't since i wanted so bad to show my appreciation, love and portrayal for eren that i just went ah fuck it fine

Eren Yeager changed my life and he was the greatest thing that happened to me not exaggerating, i love him so much, i literally cried when i knew he wasn't real lmao, He is such a complex, misunderstood and tragic character as people had claimed to be and i believed it and i have cried about him being called like that, he deserves every damn thing so fucking much. This is his last where the anime is still ongoing so im glad i went back into the aot fandom inspite of a few morons and celebrated his birthday like it was the second coming of christ yeah

Happy Birthday Eren Yeager; protagonist of attack on titan, suicidal bastard, humanity's hope, the coordinate, attack titan, founding titan, kruger, usurper, the boy who sought freedom, best boy, the absolute love of my stupid life, if you were a real person I'd totally love and hug you lol, I have never felt this strong for a character

[ivory-sunflower]

Arty Art Things ✨

Hellooo!

I've decided to post some of the arty things I've done either recently or in the last few years, well the pieces I'm somewhat proud of at least. All my posts tend to be a lot more wordy than they need to be but hey it's what I do here!

Conchúr White

Anyone one who's been on this blog for a bit will have probably have seen me talk about this lovely Irish fella. The pencil drawing is actually a year old as of yesterday, I only know that because screenshots of me flipping out about Conchúr following me on twitter popped up in my memories yesterday. I think I'd sent it to him at about 3 in the morning (I was not in a good head space at that point in time), so probably not what he was expecting to see when he opened his phone in the morning aha

The biro version is much more recent: I got bored while sat at my desk and doing research about university courses, saw a biro, saw my old drawing of Conchúr, had an idea. I revisited my GCSE art techniques and here we are. Again, I put this up on Twitter and now (at the the time I'm writing this) when you google "Conchúr White" it's the third top image of him which is a bit mad really. I think I spent all of about 20 minutes on Conchúr but another 45 minutes on the words behind him. The words are the names of the songs on his EP 'Bikini Crops', he doesn't just really love the idea of Channing Tatum driving him around at night in a daisy print bikini... Well maybe he does but what he does in his spare time is none of my business...

TechDif

So I mentioned that the pencil drawing of Conchúr came from a rough patch in my mental health and this one is no different! In fact this one came from an even worse circumstance so we love to see it. I had a bad, bad time in July and this started as a way of distracting myself from what was going on in my head. Without it, I can't honestly say I'd still be here so even if the final product of this had been a terrible mess I would still love it for keeping me alive. However, it did not turn out to be a terrible mess!

Now that the origin of this is out the way, where do I start with TechDif? Unlike Conchúr, I haven't really talked about them on here (unless you count one brief post about Citation Needed) before so I guess I'll do it here. The Technical Difficulties are a wonderful group of 4 British fellas who have had their fair share of fun online and even before. They did a radio show at university together, which went on to become their Reverse Trivia Podcast, later moving on to a panel show called 'Citation Needed': and a game called 'Two of These People Are Lying'. All of which I would thoroughly reccomend, they're one of my go to things when I'm having a rough time. All 4 of them are excellent! Tom Scott (red top, blue jeans on the picture) has his own YouTube channel which does content aside from TechDif. If you're quite nerdy and like science, linguistics, computers, or any number of other things you may enjoy Tom's channel. He is probably best described as "The Moderator" of the group, much like a tired teacher he tries desperately to keep everyone on track with what they're meant to be doing, but usually it does not end well for him. Then we have Matt Gray (space top, holding an ice cream) who also has a channel away from TechDif stuff, he does techy electronic things and has a series called 'Will it Soft Serve?' where he puts all kinds of strange things through a soft serve machine. Matt brings a very specific energy to TechDif and I can't fully describe what that vibe is but I love it. Matt and Tom also share a YouTube channel where TOTPAL is posted and they had a series called 'The Park Bench'. Moving on to everybody's favourite Gary Brannan: Gary Brannan (SATIRE hoodie, glasses) and can I just say, what a fella he is! He's just excellent! He is the one that will argue and rip into Tom the most (not in a malicious way) and hilarity ensues. There are some episodes where he is absolutely on it, getting all the points and others where he very clearly has no idea and that's where some of his funniest quotes come from. Given how badly I was doing at the time I made this, his response to it on Twitter was so so lovely. I specifically remember one tweet where he said I'd made him happy and although it was probably a flippant comment, it just made feel alright for a bit. Yeah I might be feeling awful right now, but I've made someone else happy so that's a nice feeling. Then last but certainly not least, we have Chris Joel (buffalo check shirt, beard)! I would be lying if I said he isn’t my favourite... His sense of humor is the one I vibe with most, he can get rather dramatic in parts and can chat bollocks like a champion. He has absolutely no online presence away from TechDif and, like Rens from Temples, I fully believe he’s a cryptid and lives off in a tree somewhere. 

The picture took me about 4 days to complete, well 4 nights because I did most of it between the hours of 12 a.m. and 7a.m. - I remember watching the sun come through my window each morning. It’s made up of lots of little pieces, all cut out and stuck on; even the sky and hills are made of separate pieces of paper. Nothing was actually drawn on the piece of paper it’s all stuck on, it’s not how I usually do things but if I messed up one little but I could just redraw it rather than ruining the whole thing. The most tedious parts to make were Chris’ shirt because I had to draw each square individually and then join the as well, and cutting out the ban-hammer in the bottom right was surprisingly hard. Every single detail of the picture is a reference to the podcast/shows, I still have the plan sketch and reference list knocking about somewhere. I listened to a lot of true crime videos while making it to the point that certain parts remind me of different cases: the brandy now reminds me of Peter Tobin, and the big spiral thing reminds me of Tim McLean (very harrowing case) - sorry that fact is a bit morbid but interesting nonetheless. 

I did post this for a little bit back in July, but I received some rather awful messages so I took it down. Generally, Tom Scott/TechDif fans are lovely but there’s been a few that have taken a disliking to me for some reason so I’m hoping they don’t resurface again. I’m in a better head space now though, so even if they do I’m more equipped to deal with it this time.

Hozier

This was a quick sketch I did in April, I was getting bored with lockdown and decided to summon the bog man himself. There’s not really much more backstory than that, no poor mental health story, no fun twitter story - he’s just here. He’s vibing. I will say I’m particularly proud of his nose, I just think it’s one of the best noses I’ve ever drawn. His hand is okay, but I think that the hands on my Conchúr drawings are better. So there is the Hozi-Boi...

The Corpse Bry

I’ve talked about Bry on here before as well, I love him, he’s excellent, top lad. He is a living Tim Burton character, he’s 6′6, very skinny, and his legs are longer than my will to live. I was watching ‘The Corpse Bride’ a few weeks ago and suddenly had an idea and so ‘The Corpse Bry’ came to be. I gave him a little panda friend because the panda has always been his animal - he used to wear a panda beanie all the time and his album had a panda on the cover. Again, there’s not really a fun story behind this one, I guess it’s somewhat fun because it’s the first art I made after finishing my psychology exams in October so it was nice to actually have the time to draw.

James Bagshaw

Ginger talking about Temples for the third post in a row? it’s more likely than you think! I did this one last week, I’d had a bit of a wobbly day and had group therapy on Teams in the evening and I just couldn’t concentrate on what was going on and I ended up doodling Mr James E. Bagshaw, the glitter crying fraggle man himself. It’s a bare-bones drawing that I could definitely work into more but I’m happy with it as it is to be honest. I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit and add the individual bits of fringe to his jacket, just thinking about doing that makes me tired. Maybe I’ll get around to drawing the whole band at some point...

Alice in “Wonderland”

This one is from about 5(?) years ago, it’s not my typical style and was a “study” based on another artists work (basically i just had to copy this fellas work). I’ll be honest, this one has a sketchy backstory that I won’t go in to because it’s not exactly a nice one, and because of that I also won’t say who the artist is that it’s based on. Despite this, I’m still really proud of this one and I’m so sad that I never got this piece back after I got taken out the class. I’ve considered trying this style again, I’ve even joked about doing another Conchúr drawing in this style as a nod to my progression through GCSE art, eventually leading to Conchúr drawn in ink on music manuscript and stained with neon paint and dyes - it would be quite the project!

So this has been quite a lengthy post so apologies about that but life goes on. Similar to the vinyl post, I’ll probably add to this as and when I make more art. Even if no one is reading these posts, I’m enjoying making them so that’s the main thing. It’s just nice to document things and the feelings that go with them. 💕

~ Love Ginger xx 

29/11/2020