#The story of 10 children in one delivery

[bremser]

Robert Frank on Ocean Boulevard

The late afternoon light, palm trees, their shadows and a covered car are elements so classic to LA and Southern California that Robert Frank's "Covered car -- Long Beach, California" could have been taken anywhere from San Diego to Santa Barbara.

I’ve been living in Long Beach for a handful of years and the photograph lives in my head rent free, in a good way, considering how much the prints can hammer for. I was out doing errands recently, stuck behind a delivery truck on Ximeno Ave, saw a covered car next to a palm tree for the 100th time and decided to find out where this was. The actual location is not obvious, Long Beach isn't a small city, without a street sign or house number, you can spend a lot of hours on Google maps.

In 1955 Frank was awarded a Guggenheim grant to document America through a road trip. He drove 10,000 miles, took 767 rolls off film, made 1,000 work prints from those selections. And edited those down to the 83 photographs of "The Americans," which became one of most influential photo books of the 20th century. (A signed, first edition can sell for $10-25,000.)

In the final edit of "The Americans," Frank pairs the covered car in a devastating way with a covered body ("Car accident—U.S. 66, between Winslow and Flagstaff, Arizona") on the following page. The sequence is a classic example of the art of photography in book form.  

work print for "Covered car -- Long Beach, California" with related contact sheet number in red pencil

A big 2009 exhibit about "The Americans" displayed many of Frank's work prints, contact sheets, along with prints for every page in “The Americans.” The exhaustively researched catalog included each contact sheet for those 83 final prints. The Frank archive is at the National Gallery of Art and they have over 600 contact sheets from the project online. In the contact sheets, you can see frames Frank shot before and after the frame that ended up in the book. The Long Beach visit occurs in contact sheets 537-540.

10 Frames from Contact Sheet 537 related to Ocean Blvd, Long Beach

Contact sheet 537 has the sequence with “Covered Car -- Long Beach.” It combines two different rolls of film, ten frames are from Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach (made famous by LBC’s 2023 poet laureate, Lana del Rey). The other twenty frames are from a roll of film shot at a recreation center or school auditorium, of a marionette show for children.

Robert Frank, frame 5 on contact sheet 537, facing south, 13th Place, Long Beach

Seven of the ten frames feature the covered car. Frame 1 is missing, possibly a throwaway while loading film. In the first five frames, Frank shoots the covered car at the end of the street, you can tell he's interested in the scene. He could have parked his car and got out, or shot these frames from his car window. The photos show a dead end, leading to … white sky. Living here, I immediately had an idea of where this might be. 

On the west side of Long Beach along the bluff overlooking the beach, there's a series of half block streets named "place" that jut south from Ocean Boulevard. Each dead-ends at the bluff, allowing beach access and real estate with water views. Some still have the “end” signs you can see in Frank’s frames. So, which one was it? In 68 years the bluff has experienced a lot of development, large towers built, original Craftsman-era homes torn down.

The details help identify the location: low slung garages (frames 2-6), the space carved out in the sidewalk for the palms, the glimpse of a two story building in the frame (frame 7), with a vent in a particular location. When you overexpose the MOMA jpeg, you can see a number: 20. 

(left) 13th Place, Long Beach 1956, (right) December, 2024

Frank’s covered car was located at 20 13th Place. The garages there still have the number 20, though some have been rebuilt. The two-story building, built 1917, still has the vent in the same location. Interestingly, after taking five shots of the dead end, he only takes one frame of the covered car framed by the palm trees.

The next frames were taken further down Ocean Boulevard, about a half mile. A man, woman and child walk towards Frank, while on the right side of the frame the beach is visible. A woman is on a bench facing the beach.

Robert Frank contact sheet 537: Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, (left) facing east, (right) facing north

He stops and takes a portrait of her. She’s near the corner of Ocean and Lindero - a house and bus stop are visible in the background, that (infrequently arriving) bus stop is still in that location. The angle of the shadows from the palms indicates very late afternoon.

(left): Woman seated on bench--Los Angeles [sic], 1956, (right) Ocean & Lindero, 2024

In between “Covered Car” and “Woman seated on a Bench” is the Municipal Art Center (now called Long Beach Museum of Art). If Frank had stopped there, the 1955 Long Beach Juried Art Show was up, a show of mostly local painters. The museum was housed in a distinctive historic mansion on the bluff that would have been impossible for Frank to miss on foot or even if he had driven the half mile.

Robert Frank contact sheet 537: the marionette show

The remaining question about contact sheet 537 is: where is the location of the marionette show? There's a park one block north of Ocean Boulevard that had a recreation center with a stage. It's possible Frank skipped the art museum for the rec center.

Besides identifying the location of the covered car, the other question I had: What was Robert Frank doing in Long Beach? He didn’t just drive down to look for cars and palm trees. The other contact sheets (538-540) and work prints answer this. In a follow-up post we'll look at the rest of Frank's day in Long Beach and give it an exact date.

Related to the topic of locating places and people in "The Americans":

"Robert Frank Goes to Bunker Hill" - a 2021 investigation to find the location of Frank's photo of a building on Bunker Hill, downtown Los Angeles. Deliciously deep dive that involves building permits for the neon sign in the photo and a tour of Bunker Hill via the contact sheet.

In Search of the Places in Robert Frank's "The Americans" - Nicholas Dawidoff, 2022, locates a handful of photos

"Elevators, Americans, Missed Connections" at the SFMOMA version of the 2009 exhibit, a woman (the elevator operator) recognized herself in one of the photos!

Alamo Square, San Francisco - my 2008 photo of the spot Frank's portrait of the couple was taken (he said this was his favorite photo in the book). He was probably using a wider 28 or 35mm lens to take the portrait.

[matttgirlies]

Matt & Me🎀

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

a story heavily based on Priscilla Presley’s Book “Elvis & Me” based in the 1950’s - 1970’s.

fem! reader x singer! matt

disclaimer!! - in no way am i saying matt would ever support or do these kind of things, for the sake of the book certain unethical things do happen at times.

warnings - none

y/nn = your nickname for any confusion🩷

Chapter 19

Matt and I often talked of having children, but we certainly weren’t planning on having them right away. Then one day we were at the ranch. It was early afternoon and Matt was still asleep. I lay in bed and felt a strange sensation in my stomach, a sensation I’d never felt before. I lay staring at the ceiling. No—it couldn’t be. Again, the same feeling. I slid out of bed. I’ll call Patsy, I thought. She’d know. I went to the phone in the next room.

“Patsy, when you found out you were pregnant, did you feel strange?”

“Strange like what?”

“You know. I mean, what did you feel?”

“Well, I missed my period.”

“But didn’t you feel something in your body, something strange?”

“I really don’t remember, y/n. Why?”

“Because I think I’m pregnant. I know I am. I’ve never felt this before.”

“Maybe it’s nerves.”

“No—I just have a funny feeling. I’ll talk to you later.”

I didn’t tell Matt right away: I couldn’t. But he saw that I was quiet and preoccupied.

If I were pregnant, I knew that our plans to travel would have to be postponed. I wouldn’t be able to head off to some exotic locale and leave my child with nurses and maids. For the first year, I truly wanted to be alone with Matt, without any responsibilities or obligations.

For a few days I was angry with Matt. Before the wedding I asked him if I should start taking birth-control pills, but he had been adamantly against it.

“They’re not good for you. I really don’t want you taking them. They’re not perfected yet, Baby. There’s all kinds of side effects.”

A week passed before I told Matt my suspicions. I expected him to react with the same mixed emotions I’d felt, but he was ecstatic. He made arrangements for me to see a doctor right away, accompanied me to the doctor’s office, and sat anxiously in the waiting room while I was examined.

When I came out I put my arms around him and said, “Guess what?”

“What? What?” He was barely able to contain himself.

“You’re going to be a dad.”

He couldn’t believe it and immediately wanted to tell everyone. Just then his father, who had driven over with us, came into the room. Matt grabbed him.

“Dad, you won’t believe this. y/nn’s gonna have a baby. You’re gonna be a grandad.”

“Good Lord Almighty,” James said, stunned. “You’re kiddin’ me.”

“No, Dad. We’re telling you the truth.” Then Matt teased him, saying, “You’re going to be a gray-headed granddaddy.”

I loved seeing Matt happy, but I was still uncertain about how my unexpected pregnancy would affect our marriage. This was supposed to have been our time alone. I wanted to be beautiful for him; instead, my debut as Matt’s bride was going to be spoiled by a fat stomach, puffy face, and swollen feet.

As far as I was concerned, the less people mentioned about my looking pregnant, the better. I intended to prove that a pregnant woman did not have to get fat. I wanted to refute Matt’s claim that “women use the excuse of their pregnancy to let themselves go.” Although the doctor said that a twenty five-pound gain would be fine, I immediately dropped from my normal one hundred ten pounds to one hundred. During the next four months, I regained just five pounds, and only nine more by the time of delivery. Eating one meal a day and snacking on apples and hardboiled eggs, I prided myself on never needing to buy a maternity outfit. My doctor advised that in addition to taking multiple vitamins I should consume plenty of dairy products. Being vain, I amended my doctor’s instructions and lessened my intake of dairy products. I did not want to gain weight and get stretch marks. As a further precaution I resolved to slather myself with cocoa butter for the next eight months.

A few days after I learned I was pregnant, we left Boston for L.A., where Matt was to begin preproduction on a new film, Speedway. It was to be the last drive in our customized bus before it was sold. During the trip, Matt and the guys had a ball, punching each other and playing practical jokes. I played photographer, clicking away at everyone. But when I kept smiling and laughing I still felt very ambivalent about my pregnancy. I wanted a baby, just not so soon.

Matt was extremely sensitive to my moods. He missed his little girl’s “twinkling eyes,” her “bright, smiling face.” Finally, in Flagstaff, Arizona, at a small roadside inn, he sat me down and said, “What do you want to do, Little One?”

I broke down and answered, “I don’t know. What can I do?”

“What do you think?” he said. “I’ll back you up whatever you want to do.”

Instantly I knew what he was talking about. He was leaving the decision up to me. “It’s our baby,” I said, sobbing. “I could never live with myself, neither could you.”

There were no words, only his smile of approval; he held me tightly in his arms as I cried. The two of us, bound by love, accepted our new little creation wholeheartedly.

When I first felt my baby move I suddenly understood the full joy of carrying our child. My smile returned when Matt delicately placed his hand on my slightly swollen stomach and said, “How can such a little person carry another little person?” The pregnancy was bringing us closer. He would call me from the studio every day, just to say hello and make sure I was fine. It was because of the baby that we decided to buy our first home in Los Angeles instead of leasing as we’d done in the past. While he was filming I searched the Beverly Hills-Bel Air area for a place that would suit us.

Later that fall, when we were in Arizona for location filming on “Stay Away, Joe”, I saw an advertisement in Variety for a house that sounded perfect: a beautiful home in Trousdale Estates, completely furnished, three bedrooms, a guest cottage, pool, and good security.

I flew back to L.A. The house was owned by a prominent landowner who was recently divorced. With a built-in bar, antique furnishings, and collectors’ art, it was a far cry from Rocca Place, where each room was decorated to each employee’s specification—a different carpet, a different color, a different style in each room. Unfortunately, I’d tried to satisfy everyone’s taste, and architectural indigestion was the result. This time I would be able to live with everything the way I liked.

As soon as Matt returned from Arizona we moved into our new home and began preparing a room for our baby. All I could think about was how happy I was, how wonderful life was.

Naturally, I got a lot of advice about what I should and shouldn’t do while I was pregnant. Steeped in her Southern superstitions, Grandma was especially solicitous, telling me I couldn’t brush my hair over my head or else I would wrap the umbilical cord around the baby. She also said I shouldn’t stand on my feet too long or my legs would swell and I wouldn’t be able to walk again. She was as concerned as any doting mother and some of my activities gave her reason to worry. I still kept up with my ballet, rode my motorcycle and my horse Domino, right up until the eighth month of pregnancy. Matt thought I was absolutely incredible to keep up with him in every way. That made me happy. I was pleasing him and still by his side every day.

Then I began hearing rumors about Matt and Madison Beer, the same rumors that I had read about in Germany: that she had a passionate crush on him, that they were having an affair. I was extremely sensitive and quick to cry. Matt assured me that I was just being oversensitive because of my condition. I agreed. Six months into my pregnancy Madison called and said she’d like to give me a baby shower. I didn’t know her that well and thought it a little strange that she was so accommodating. But Matt assured me that she was very nice and that I should get to know her. It was agreed that I would go to the shower under one condition, which Colonel suggested: All the pictures that were taken that day were to be handed over to me. That way, there’d be no shots popping up in the national movie magazines. It turned out quite nicely. Madison was very friendly and very supportive. I found that I liked her and I decided to ignore the rumors.

Life takes such surprising turns. Just when you’re getting confident, along comes the unexpected. I was upstairs at Graceland when Matt called me to his office, the one adjoining my dressing room. “y/nn, I have to have time to think. Things just aren’t going right. It’ll be good for the two of us to take a little time off, like a trial separation. Be apart from one another for a while.”

I wanted to die. I was seven months along and could not believe what I was hearing. It had to be a joke. “What are you saying? What did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything, Baby. You don’t understand. It’s not you. It’s just that I’m going through some things. I think it’d be better if we took a little break.”

I looked at him in silence, feeling a new strength. If he excluded me at this time, then he didn’t deserve me at all. I stood up and said, “You’ve got it. Just tell me when to leave.” I went into my dressing room and closed the door.

I was numb. This was not the man I knew. I instinctively withdrew, my affection numbed, my thoughts suspicious, my heart aching.

I don’t think Matt really intended to leave me. It wasn’t his style. I later realized he too had questions about how a baby would affect his life. Would his public accept him as a father? He wasn’t even sure if his fans had adapted to his becoming a husband. How loyal would they be?

Within a short time Matt’s sensitive nature brought him back to his senses. Two days had passed. The idea of a trial separation was never mentioned again. We both acted as if nothing had been said. It was at times like this that I wished Matt and I had the ability to truly communicate with each other, to confront our insecurities, fears, and frustrations instead of pretending these feelings weren’t there. We probably would have been surprised at how much understanding we both really had. I could not escape the impact his words had on me, leaving me with a sense of doubt.

As my pregnancy progressed, we still played hard. I wanted to be included in everything that everyone else did. That Christmas we went to the ranch and rode horses, had snowball fights and went on hayrides. Matt would sit up front in the wagon and call out to me, “How you doing, y/nn? That’s my girl. How’s she doing back there?”

I’d call back, “She’s doing pretty good. I’m okay.”

If we’d go horseback riding, he’d always ask me, “Are you sure you can do this? Did the doctor say you could?”

“Yes,” I’d answer. “I can do it.”

I was determined not to ask for special treatment.

It was only in the last month or so that I slowed down at all. Instead of sitting through two or three films a night, Matt would take me home after just one.

He arranged his schedule so that he could be home with me at Graceland during the final month. To be absolutely prepared for the big day, we even performed practice drills for the trip to Baptist Memorial Hospital. As my time drew near, Matt became more and more nervous.

On February 1, 1968, I awoke about eight o’clock and found the bed beneath me soaking wet. Frightened, I called my mother in New Jersey and she suggested I ring the doctor immediately. He told me to head straight for the hospital. I gently woke Matt up and told him the big day had arrived. Matt groggily asked me if I was sure. When I said yes, he called James and told him to notify everyone, then yelled downstairs, “She’s ready! y/nn is going to have the baby!”

Ignoring his frenzy, I disappeared calmly into the bathroom and applied my ever-so-black mascara and teased my ever-so-black hair. Later at the hospital I requested special permission to keep on my double set of lashes.

Downstairs there was pandemonium. As planned, the decoy cars raced off first, Steven and Nate frantically waving for the fans to follow them. Then we took off, but despite the rehearsals we headed straight for the wrong hospital. We had changed hospitals, but obviously Jerry, who was driving, hadn’t been informed. Charlie Hodge saved the day, convincing Jerry it was Baptist Memorial, not Methodist. Luckily we arrived in time.

Our daughter, Charlotte Grace, was born at 5:01 that afternoon. The nurse brought her into my room and I cradled her in my arms. I couldn’t believe she was mine, that I had borne this child. She was so tiny, so beautiful. Matt came into the room and kissed me, thrilled that we had a perfectly normal, healthy baby. He was already in love with her. He watched me holding her and his eyes misted with happiness. Then he took us both in his arms and held us.

“Baby,” he whispered, “We have a little baby girl.”

“I know,” I whispered back.

I asked if he wanted to hold her. He looked petrified at first, but then he started to touch her. He played with her hands, her feet. He was in awe, saying, “I can’t believe that I made part of this beautiful child.” Matt knew that I had wanted the baby to have dark hair like his, and Charlotte had been born with lots of silky black hair. “She’s so perfect,” he said, “even the color of her hair is right.”

We stayed in each other’s arms for a long time, caressing our infant and each other, a young couple sharing the first pleasures of parenthood.

The man in my hospital room that day was the man I loved, and will always love. He didn’t have to try to be strong and decisive or sexy, he wasn’t afraid to show his warmth or vulnerability. He didn’t have to act the part of Matt Sturniolo, superstar. He was just a man, my husband.

Excerpt from: "Elvis and Me" by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley. Scribd. This material may be protected by copyright.

a/n - this is the cutest chapter ill write i swear its so so cute🎀

[homestuckreplay]

Webcomics at Day 100 #7: Achewood

Pages read: 10/1/2001 – 12/5/2002 & 4/13/2009 – 12/5/2009 (about 370 strips)

Reason for selection: Achewood is the webcomic that cultural institutions took seriously. Celebrated by Time, The New Yorker and Rolling Stone, the comic was wildly popular in the 2000s, with some of its strips – such as ‘Here Comes A Special Boy’ – still passed around the internet today without context.

Current status: Originally ran from October 1, 2001 to December 25, 2016, beginning with updates every weekday and becoming more sporadic over time including multiple hiatuses. Returned in 2023 and currently updates every Friday only for Patreon donors. Creator Chris Onstad is experimenting with use of AI in the artistic process.

Content warnings: frequent sexual content, heavy alcohol and drug use, slurs (especially the R slur), anti-Chinese racism, gender essentialism, occasional homophobia, sexism and fatphobia, suicide jokes, Harry Potter.

In 2002, Onstad states that his wife is Chinese in an effort to justify a strip that makes fun of a Chinese speaking character’s accent and name, suggesting that even in 2002 he already faced criticism for this portrayal, or felt he might.

Overall thoughts:

Achewood’s opening strip perfectly establishes the comic. It looks professional from day one, with crisp lines, recognizable character designs and an art style which would stay remarkably consistent throughout its run. But the humor of ‘Philippe is standing on it’ with its straight-faced delivery and lack of a punchline is really the defining feature of Achewood. It’s a type of humor that’s massively influenced the internet and persists to this day – some Achewood strips from 2002 feel like they could’ve been written this year.

The first few months of Achewood detail the lives of four of Onstad’s real stuffed animals in a fictionalized version of his own house, ’62 Achewood Court’. While they have remained major characters, two cats from the Achewood neighborhood, Ray and Roast Beef, became the true leads in 2002. Clicking ‘New to Achewood?’ on the comic’s website leads to the strip from March 21, 2002, but the site doesn’t make it clear that this is not the first strip. However, it is a good jumping in point – characters Téodor and Roast Beef state their names in this strip, and it comes shortly before a strip where character Mr Bear discusses his background as a children’s book author, which is the first time a character has had an in-depth backstory. It’s also partway into the comic’s first continuous story arc, the 26-strip ‘The Party’ arc – so it’s a time where Achewood is beginning to take itself seriously.  

Achewood doesn’t have an overarching story, instead placing a group of well defined characters with distinctive voices into a sandbox for a variety of story arcs. Most of these characters grow older and reach life milestones, developing slowly and organically. The plot follows no such guidelines – in June of 2002, Pat the cat reveals his newly built rocket ship, even though it’s never previously established that cats in this world can have engineering knowledge or technology, and in November of 2002, Ray the cat sells his soul to the devil in exchange for piano playing abilities in a strip that comes out of nowhere and impacts the rest of the comic’s run. When violence appears in the comic, it’s similarly out of nowhere, and a character getting shot or getting into a car accident happens unexpectedly with no foreshadowing, which gives a real sense that anything could happen when scrolling to the next strip.

Despite occasional experiments with color and promises for one full-color strip a week, Achewood stays monochrome for its full run. Its black, white and gray palette might contribute to Achewood’s being seen as serious literature. The comic tries hard to be intelligent in other areas, too – it educates the reader on the Roman poet Catullus (March 8, 2002), archaic felted wool terminology (June 2, 2009), and plants that cause neurological damage (the comic’s title), drawing attention to its knowledge each time. Sharing obscure facts, and knowing a lot of obscure facts as a sign of intelligence, is definitely something I associate with the internet.

Given its acclaim, I was surprised at how little scholarly work has been written on Achewood. I did find one conference paper on multimedia masculinity in the comic, which feels appropriate, as it’s very much a story about men. The characters are stuffed animals, cats, robots and occasionally squirrels, but they are very pointedly almost all men, who recreate the ideas that men and women are two disconnected categories with almost no common ground. I do think the comic explores masculinity in interesting ways, such as when the spirit of Billy Idol enters Philippe’s body in July 2002. However, Onstad’s clear capability of taking an absurd character and giving them complex humanity makes me wish this was applied to a female character, too – it’s glaring that the strip’s first woman, Penny, is contrived to always be off screen.

Between 2002 and 2009, Achewood’s strips evolved from a few panels on average to a full page, allowing for more complex stories and art in each update. There might be three or four panels that show the minutiae of a character opening a door, which years earlier would have happened in a single panel. There’s more use of shading and dark colors, and a sense that Onstad is still trying to stretch himself artistically, working with more complex themes such as the karmic cycle (August 31, 2009) and the morality of giving modern technology to historical people (April to May 2009). It feels like Onstad is trying to make the Oscar bait movie of webcomics, while keeping the Internet spirit of nacho based humor. It’s a hard balance to strike so I’m really impressed that it works.

During its original run, Achewood featured fanart on its website, which seems relatively common for webcomics and highlights how the internet broke barriers between fans and creators from its early days. Onstad has also spoken publicly about creator burnout, holding himself to impossibly high standards of both quantity and quality, and experiencing negativity from a large internet fanbase.

Achewood has been very well preserved, with all its strips easily available on a fast loading, ad free, mobile optimized website. The site is very well made, but it does use infinite scroll, which didn’t exist during Achewood’s original run, can’t be turned off, and really changes the reading experience. The active choice to click to the next page is part of webcomics for me, it increases my focus and investment when I have to make that decision each time instead of letting the strips scroll past. Infinite scroll takes the old-internet nostalgia out of the experience, too.

Finally, I think Philippe might be my favorite character from any non-Homestuck webcomic I’ve ever read. He’s a wide-eyed stuffed otter who is eternally five years old and I would tear the world apart for him.

Relevance to Homestuck: [ooc – contains spoilers for Act 5]

Achewood experiments with the webcomic form and meta layers in some ways that are similar to Homestuck and some that are different. Andrew Hussie links to Achewood in MSPA’s ‘No Shortage of Good Websites’ section, so where Hussie employs the same techniques as Achewood, it could be direct reference or inspiration.

From the start, strips can be three horizontal panels, four panels in a square, six panels in two lines, depending on what the day’s story needs. More complex formats including strips of 12 or more panels and strips with differently sized panels appear intermittently. Onstad is aware that he’s not working within the constraints of a newspaper or book layout and is using that freedom.

‘Cutting Room Floor #1’ (January 18, 2002) contains six panels, each with no context, supposedly from strips that never materialized. They’re arranged as if scattered on a table, a visual move that Homestuck will directly replicate. ‘Bloopers and outtakes’ (December 10, 2001) contains alternate panels from previous strips where the characters made mistakes or forgot their lines. ‘The unfinished strip’ (December 26, 2001) has five panels of story followed by a final panel reading ‘The cartoonist is too tired to finish this strip because his inlaws’ sofa-bed afforded him no sleep on Christmas’.

‘An ad’ (February 15, 2002) is an Achewood strip that doubles as an advertisement for the comic itself, and ‘En Espanol’ (April 25, 2002) and ‘Auf Deutsch (April 26, 2002) are strips in other languages. Interestingly, the German strip includes a translation while the Spanish does not. ‘The Making Of’ (May 29, 2002) details Onstad’s process of creating an Achewood comic from start to finish, presented as a strip in itself. ‘Thanatos Has Left the Building’ (September 15, 2009) is a newspaper-style wrap-up of the most recent story arc, featuring ‘loose ends, unanswered questions & exciting trivia’ presented up front instead of revealed organically in the story; Homestuck will also use recap and clarification as tools. Achewood characters write both original fiction (June 30, 2009) and fanfiction (August 2005) within the story, paralleling (among other things) Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff.

But my favorite example of playing with form is ‘Roast Beef’s Tone Poem’ (April 20, 2009), a 20-panel monologue from character Roast Beef with the alt text ‘Mix and match any four panels for instant *almost-works* inscrutability!’ I love this mix and match, create your own comic strip ethos, so I decided to create my own tone poem by rolling 4d20. Here’s the result.

Achewood quickly expands beyond the confines of the strip, just as Homestuck does. Achewood begins employing alt text on every strip in January 2002, with Onstad pretending for some months that somebody besides him is writing the text. Sometimes, the text announces what the comic will feature tomorrow, which is generally a lie – for example, alt text for May 30, 2002 reads ‘Mr. Bear tries to play chess with Todd but Todd has a cocaine problem – TOMORROW!’ while May 31’s strip does not feature Mr. Bear, Todd, chess, or cocaine. Alt text for September 8, 2009 reads ‘Meanwhile, even though he is supposed to be asleep, Philippe is using a flashlight to read a slender volume entitled, How Come a Bird Can Die?’ Philippe does not appear in the day’s strip, but we still get his story. Including a side story outside of the main panel is another technique Homestuck will use.

In a notable difference to Homestuck, alt text for September 30, 2002 reads ‘To-day is the 364-day anniversary of Achewood!’  while alt text for October 1, 2002 reads ‘I finished my soda!’ The true first anniversary is not acknowledged within the strip, and any celebration of it has not survived. This appears to be Onstad’s trolling, as future anniversaries do have dedicated strips.

On July 2, 2004, Onstad launched nine Blogspot blogs, eight for the comic’s main characters and one for himself, all of which received regular updates for the rest of Achewood’s run. Six zines, two novellas, a cookbook and an advice column all add new material to the canon, and it seems that Achewood outgrew the webcomic format altogether, as its final entry on December 25, 2016 is not a comic strip, but a post on Onstad’s blog. It includes the line ‘The blogs are where I personally think the heart and soul of that universe live… in words I haven't had to maddeningly jockey into tiny speech bubbles.’

In a final and wonderful parallel, for a brief period in 2009, Achewood becomes an adventure game. While nothing is interactive, strips from October 9 to November 7, 2009 are mostly written in Homestuck’s command-narrative text format. In the final adventure game strip, we even see the mechanisms behind the narrative prompt, a complicated system of pulleys and levers hooked up to a reel of paper. This is shown in three dimensions while other, two-dimensional Achewood panels happen around it. It’s one of the comic’s most experimental strips, and would not feel out of place in Homestuck.

Continue reading? Yeah, I had a blast reading this. I can imagine wanting to check this every day in 2002 for a momentary bright spot during work, and in the modern day, infinite scrolling the Achewood archives is probably a more enriching way to spend time than infinite scrolling on social media. Because of its sprawling format, lack of plot and current paywall, I don’t feel like I need to ‘complete’ Achewood, but I definitely want to see more of it.

[unfortunatetheorist]

*Joint Theory 6 - @unfortunatetheorist & @snicketstrange*:

-The Truthful Time Period-

When EXACTLY do the events of ASOUE (Netflix & Book) occur?

Firstly:

*Happy New Year, wherever you are celebrating from!*

(This post debuts on my, @unfortunatetheorist's, blog; 00:00 GMT)

The subject of time has been one of great debate throughout the ASOUE fandom, especially with references such as the Baudelaires' favourite film being the 1938 version of Dawn Patrol and Olaf saying he bought the hourglass from TBB online.

In this theory, @snicketstrange and I have come up with what we believe to be a definitive answer, for each case - Netflix Canon and Book Canon.

A firm starting point is this line from TBB:

"In the years since, I've inquired what became of the Brothers Poe. One followed his father into the world of banking. The other lives in a cave and talks to sheep. They each think the other has it better."

This means that the time between the main events of ASOUE and the release of the first season of the series on Netflix in the ASOUE universe is enough for Mr. Poe's children to grow up and one of them to become a banker. We can assume that it would be reasonable to think about at least 10 years. This should be approximately the age difference between Lemony who appears in TSS and Lemony who narrates.

Also, Violet's line from TRR:

"Um, Dawn Patrol, the 1938 version."

This implies 2 things: there was a later remake of Dawn Patrol (hence, "version") and the Baudelaire parents must have been at the suitable age rating to watch the movie when it came out, as:

Monty: "It was your parents' favourite too."

Let's estimate to see how accurate we can be. In 1938 the film was released. Bertrand probably saw this film when he was a teenager, but perhaps not at the premiere. But maybe. (Favourite films when we are adults often arise when we watch these films in [pre-]adolescence).

So, Bertrand in 1938 could have been 12 years old. Let's put this scenario as the oldest. If he was 12 years old in 1938, he must having got married and fathered Violet at around 28 (estimate based on all of Beatrice's history with Lemony prior to her marriage to Bertrand, and Bertrand's appearance in TE). In this case Violet would have been born in 1954, and the series' main events would have been 14 years later in 1968. Lemony would be narrating the story in about 1978.

Now, thinking about the upper limit, we would have the case where the premiere of the Netflix series in our universe happened in the same year as in Lemony's universe. In this case, 2017 would be the year of Lemony's narration, and then 2007 would be the year of ASOUE's main events. So, to date, our estimate is between 1968 and 2007 (book + Netflix).

The main problem is that ASOUE in the books is quite anachronistic. Despite the aesthetics Netflix exists within the universe. But, in contrast, we can argue that Netflix at the time was a video home delivery service, as was the original Netflix. (We don't see people with internet at home in ASOUE, and a computer like in Prufrock Prep was quite rare, hence it being called 'Advanced').

[And apparently something not connected to the internet.]

And this is very interesting. ASOUE's Netflix series is meant to be a video delivery service. After all, we see in THH that there are video delivery services in the library and devices for showing videos.

The first type of Home Video to exist in our world was Betamax in 1975.

And the first microcomputer for personal use was also launched in 1975, the Altair 8800.

And if we look at a detail in LSTUA.

They are separate universes, but this photographic record is the only one dated in the entire Unfortunate universe: October 1977. It wouldn't be surprising if the series' writers (who are fans of the books) had this enigmatic date in mind, and made ASOUE take place in the 1970s.

And 2 years after the launch of home video and after the launch of microcomputers would be exactly the time needed for a newly launched technology to have spread enough to suggest services like Netflix in the world of ASOUE.

Long enough for some people to buy video cassettes and even cameras.

Here's the full picture:

So the answer to our original question:

JOINT THEORY: ASOUE is set in the 1970s.

[coopigeoncoo]

{Name: Pigeon} {Pronouns: she/her} {Ao3: CooPigeonCoo} {Original Icon Art by Felicia Chiao}

Masterlist of published works, organized by series and pairing.

Hazbin Hotel

Multi-Chapter, Works in Progress

[Alastor x Reader]

Meat Cute: Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 In which Alastor decides to entangle himself with a butcher, but he may have bitten off more than he can chew. (Female Reader Insert, Dark Romantic Comedy)

My Hero Academia

One Shots

[Hawks x Reader]

The Cardinal Rule: A story where Hawks learns that while humans might be awed by his flying skill, the bird population is decidedly less impressed. (Gender Neutral Reader Insert, Romantic Comedy)

[Shouto x Reader]

The Whole Dang Zoo: In which Shouto learns that all animal-based nicknames are not created equal. (Female Reader Insert, Romantic Comedy, Fluff)

Bottle Episode: A late night meal delivery to Pro Hero Shouto goes terribly wrong, leaving you trapped in a room together with no obvious means of escape. (Gender Neutral Reader Insert, Comedic Drama with a Happy Ending) Burnt Offerings: You had a solid plan for how your night would go. Your boyfriend, however, had other ideas. (Female Reader Insert, Romantic Comedy, Fluff)

[Twice x Reader]

The Space Between Stars: Accidentally interrupting a burglary in process sets off a series of questionable decisions you probably should have thought Twice about. (Gender Neutral Reader Insert, Comedic Meet-Ugly turned Domestic Fluff)

Multi-Chapter, Completed Works

[Shigaraki x Reader]

Hot Dish: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 Down on his luck and scrambling for survival, Shigaraki Tomura was just looking for a place to score a hot meal. Instead, he ended up scoring a hot date. (Female Reader Insert, 18+ Romance)

[Kirishima x Reader]

An Itch to Scratch: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 Kirishima Eijiro is everything you never thought you'd find when you packed up your car and moved to a dilapidated fishing town.  He was handsome, funny, and kind; the sort of man who took your breath away.   And that might actually be a bit of a problem. (Female Reader Insert, 18+ Romance, MerMay)

[Shouto x Reader]

A Persistent Lack of Follow Through: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 Shouto had learned a lot from his Father; how to take a hit, how to pull himself back up, and how to hold a grudge. But one thing Endeavor could never teach his children was how to be a good partner. Shouto had to learn that particular skill the hard way. (Female Reader Insert, 18+, Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Multi-Chapter, Works in Progress

[Eventual Bakugou x Reader]

The 3-Cs of 3-A: Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, Mineta Minoru is a perverted misogynist whose antics should have had him expelled from UA long ago. But he wasn’t. And now it’s your job to fix him. May God have mercy on your soul. (Female Reader Insert, 18+, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Mineta Redemption)

I do not give approval for my stories to be posted anywhere than my personal pages on Ao3 and Tumblr. Do not create any translations, videos, or recordings (podfics) of my stories without permission.

And PLEASE, do not feed my work into any AI or computer learning programs.

[gryffindorkxdraws]

Hello, thank you for drawing jackunzel <3

I've got a question: do you have any jackunzel fanfic recommendations?

I'd love to read more about Jack and Rapunzel together <3 I trust your taste 👀😄

Oh and in what app/program did you edit your recent jackunzel videos? They are fun to watch, haha

I wish you great day/night 💕

hi anon!! hehe you're welcome 💙 i'm always game to draw my OTP 💙 for my jackunzel videos, i use capcut! its free to download. and i'm gonna be honest, i haven't read fics in a while 🫠 but i was able to gather a few for you!! hopefully, you'll enjoy them 😭💙

firstly, here are the oneshots

The Sun & Moon Children (oneshot): When the daughter of the sun fell in love with the son of the moon, the earth watched in anticipation for what would undoubtedly be a tragedy.

READ HERE: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9616560/1/The-Sun-Moon-Children

2. Murals of Winter (oneshot): After all, she is a girl locked in a tower with hair more than twice the length of her room. Why wouldn’t there be a boy who wears winter on his sleeves and stirs up snowstorms in her heart?

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20289766

3. January Wedding (oneshot): Jack Frost and Rapunzel Corona get married in January. Or, The story of how Rapunzel Corona became Rapunzel Frost.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22325986

4. We're Not Good, We're Super (oneshot) (this is my work!): Jack likes to think of himself as the one guy who might just uncover who exactly Spider-Woman is. What he fails to realize is that she might just be closer to him than he thinks.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41070603

5. This Night Is Sparkling, Don't You Let It Go (oneshot) (this is also my work hehe): Rapunzel feels distant. Like she’s there, but at the same time she’s not. Something about having a disconnection with herself in the party. That is until her eyes landed on him. or an AU where they decide to see where the night would take them

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46529908

6. Jackunzel Coming Of Age Prompt (oneshot)

READ HERE: https://www.tumblr.com/hiccanna-tidbits/735307559599292416/okay-can-i-look-now-not-yet-the-kitchen-is?source=share

7. Are We Out Of The Woods? (oneshot): Ever the dutiful daughter, Rapunzel agrees to make a delivery to someone her parents owe an old favor. But she knows she must beware, for many dangerous creatures roam the heart of the forest. Perhaps even the ones that once claimed her best friend.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42718821

8. Bloody Valentine (oneshot + extra chapter): Superhero AU It's easy to become cynical when you see the darkest side of humanity every night. It's easy to lose sight of what truly matters, and let it go in a moment of fear. For Jack, the hard part is either coming to grips with the fact he let Rapunzel go, or figuring out a way to get her back.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5220320/chapters/12037064

now these below are a series if ever you're up for longer stories

9. An Essay of Love (series): Jackson Overland moves to a new city and gets the job of teaching history to a bunch of annoying teens every day. The one thing keeping him from handing in his two-week notice as soon as he arrives is the sunshiney, optimistic art teacher who unlocks not only his classroom but his heart.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25597147/chapters/62125681

10. Dusk Till Dawn (series): Jackson Overland travels far and wide to find the lost people of Corona to seek vengeance for his fallen home, Luna. Fiercely driven by the memories of his family, he meets a mysterious feral young woman named Rapunzel Flores. Two opposites, forge an unlikely alliance that is destined to change the course of the future.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25257757/chapters/61231741

11. Among The Stars (series): SCI-FI AU The crew of the Night Fury - Hiccup Haddock (captain), Merida Haddock (first mate), and Jack Frost (Pilot) - have a habit of getting into trouble. Accidentally rescuing Princess Rapunzel of the planet Corona puts them in more trouble than they can deal with... unless Jack can admit he was wrong.

READ HERE: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5149355/chapters/11854694

[jobrookekarev]

Chapter Four: Long Story Short, We Survived

Words: 2,063

Chapter Summary: Carina and Station 19 arrive and the kids meet the new baby before they finally go to the hospital.

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy.

Relationship: Alex Karev/Jo Wilson.

Characters: Alex Karev, Jo Wilson, Helena Karev, Luna Wilson, Meredith Grey, Zola Grey-Shepherd, Bailey Grey-Shepherd, Ellis Grey-Shepherd, Carina DeLuca, Maya Bishop, and Ben Warren.

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences General Audiences.

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Angst, Relationship(s), Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Friendship, Humor, Family, Love, Kissing, Light-Hearted, One Shot, Happy Ending, Drama, Slow Build, Domestic, Marriage, Parenthood, Pregnancy, Labor, Childbirth, Newborn, Medical, Children, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Background Relationships, Birth, Labor.

Read at AO3

Read at FFN

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their quiet moment together didn’t last long as half of Station 19 rushed into the room a few minutes later. However, they paused when they saw her lying in bed with the baby in her arms. Jo looked up to see Carina and Maya standing in the entryway with wide eyes and open jaws before Carina walked over to the three of them. 

“Well Jo it seems as if you've had your baby already,” Carina said with a laugh as she stared down at them. “How is the little bambino and their Mama?”

“Her APGAR score is a perfect 10 and Jo’s been amazing!” Alex said with pride as he smiled down at them, she didn’t think he would stop smiling, and neither could she.

“They're doing great. Jo delivered about ten minutes ago so it hasn't been long,” Meredith said as she got up and stepped to the side as Carina came over to her. “Her heart rate was high and a little unsteady during delivery, but it's back to normal and steady, and the baby’s doing well, but Jo also tore and she hasn’t delivered the placenta, so I've been doing a fundal massage.”

Carina nodded as she came over and sat on the bed next to her. Jo popped up her legs again and Carina pulled the blankets up to examine her. The extra paramedics left the room and the ones that stayed averted their eyes and Jo was thankful for the privacy. 

“It looks like just a simple second degree tear and it's already stopped bleeding and hopefully the placenta is on its way, thanks to Dr. Gray here,” Carina said as she pulled back but continued to massage Jo’s belly to try and get the placenta to detach. “Still, we should get you to the hospital.”

“Do I have to go to the hospital? I’ve already had the baby and everything, and you can just stitch me up here,” Jo asked looking up at all of them with a pout.

“Yes!” Alex, Meredith, and Carina all said forcefully.

They were a little worried that she would protest, but Jo just sighed and looked down at her baby girl, tracing the dark hairs on her forehead. Besides, the worst part was over and she had her baby. She was too tired to argue with them, no matter how much she wanted to stay and sleep in her own bed. She knew realistically that wouldn't be a possibility, since her bed was currently covered in blood and amniotic fluid. They might have to get a new mattress. 

“You guys got a diaper and a car seat for the baby?” Maya asked as she unpacked some supplies for Carina. 

“Yeah, there's a car seat in the car and I guess you can just grab a onesie and diaper from the nursery,” Alex said with an affectionate smile, not daring to take his eyes off Jo or the baby. 

“I'll go grab it,” Meredith said with a shake of her head as she stripped off her gloves. 

She walked down the hall to the nursery, opening the top dresser drawer to grab a diaper and a regular white onesie and hat that was probably going to get stained with meconium and blood. However, she knew they wouldn't mind. She also grabbed a robe for Jo, knowing she wouldn't want to travel to the hospital naked. Then she returned to the room. Alex was sitting on the bed next to Jo and both of them were staring at their baby girl. 

They were completely enamored with their daughter. Carina worked around them and was between Jo's legs, making sure she wasn't bleeding out. Maya was next to her, handing her the things she needed, and Montgomery was placing an IV in Jo’s arm. They were all chit-chatting a bit, but Jo and Alex only had eyes for their daughter. 

“How does it feel to officially be a girl dad, Alex,” Meredith said as she handed him the diaper and onesie. 

“It feels good,” Alex said as Jo handed the baby over to him and he held his daughter for the first time. 

His eyes held profound love for his daughter as he picked her up in such a tender cradle. Her long legs kicked out and she cried in protest of being removed from her mother. But with a gentle pat and a soft sway, Alex soothed her again as she curled up in his arms. The baby was the length of his forearm, although she was quite chubby and Meredith guessed she weighed as much as Helena did, if not more. 

Looking at him, Meredith was suddenly reminded of Derek. Alex had the same look on his face that Derek had when he first held Zola and asked Meredith to adopt her; it was one of pure devotion and delight. She pulled out her phone, taking a picture of him and the baby. The picture also captured Jo, looking up at them with as much adoration for her husband and daughter. 

“We're about ready to get going,” Montgomery said to her as Meredith nodded and put her phone away before she went to get the car seat. 

Running down the stairs, Meredith intended to quickly get the car seat but was ambushed by all five kids at the bottom of the stairs. 

“What happened to Aunt Jo and the baby?!” Zola demanded as all the kids started talking at the same time, while Luna started to cry.

“Did she have the baby?” 

“I want Mama!” 

“Is Aunt Jo going to the hospital?”

“Baby ‘ere?” 

“Why was Uncle Alex so scared?”

“Is Aunt Jo gonna die?”

“Mama!”

Meredith held up her hands and took Luna from Zola’s arms. “Nobody is going to die! Your Mama, Aunt Jo, and the baby are okay. Your Daddy, Uncle Alex was just scared because Aunt Jo was in labor. In fact, she was so far along that by the time we got here, I had just enough time to put on a pair of gloves and call Alex back in the room before the baby was born.”

“Aunt Jo had her baby?” Ellis asked, as all their faces lit up. 

“Yes, and that means, you two,” Meredith said, looking at Helena and Luna. “Have a new baby sister.”

“I h’ve a baby!” Helena said as she danced and wiggled excitedly.

“I wan’ Mama,” Luna said with a pout. 

“I know baby, and your Mama is going to come see you in a minute, but then she is going to the hospital for a few days,” Meredith said, kissing her cheek and holding her close. 

“Are they going to name the baby after me?” Ellis asked as she bounced up and down.

“I don’t know, but I need to grab the car seat from the car?” Meredith said, handing Luna back to Zola as Luna protested. 

She ran out and grabbed the car seat and ran back inside. Her kids had settled the girls with another movie, although Luna looked over Zola’s shoulder at her with a pout and her sad big blue eyes. Meredith gave her a little wave and knew it would be tough for her with Jo in the hospital again, but she would be okay all right. 

When she got back upstairs, a few of the Station 19 crew, including Maya, walked past her and told her they were headed back to the station while Warren, Carina, and Hughes would be taking Jo and the baby to the hospital. Alex smiled as he came over and Meredith put the car seat on the footrest of the recliner as Alex carefully strapped the baby in. She fussed a little bit, but Alex was able to soothe her again as he tucked the emergency blanket around her, making sure she was warm. Jo was also wrapped in an emergency blanket again as she was looking a little more pale than before. 

Although she still smiled, Jo looked like she could fall asleep at any moment and Meredith wasn't sure that was just the result of her hard labor. “How are the girls? I heard Luna crying?”

“I think she's just tired because she hasn't gotten a nap yet, but Helena was very happy to hear that her baby was here,” Meredith said as they all shared a laugh. “Are you still doing okay?”

“She's delivered the placenta with ease, but her heart rate is a little elevated again so I'd like to get going,” Carina said with a sure nod that told her Jo was stable for now.

Warren and Hughes stepped up to her with the stretcher, but Alex was quicker and held up his hands to stop them. “I got her.” 

“Are you sure?” Jo asked him as he put his arms under her back and knees. 

“I got you,” Alex quietly reassured her as he kissed her forehead before he picked her up.

Carefully, Alex stood up with Jo in his arms and walked over to the stretcher. He set her down before tucking the emergency blankets around her and making sure she was comfortable. Then Warren buckled Jo in and Carina hung her IVs and they were ready to go. After Jo and the baby were secure, everyone carefully made their way downstairs. Warren and Hughes held the stretcher as they brought Jo down first while Alex and Meredith followed with the baby. 

The kids were again waiting at the bottom of the stairs, but they moved away for the stretcher. Zola was still holding Luna and Bailey had picked up Helena, while Ellis stood next to them. 

“Mama,” Luna reached out for her, but Jo only waved. 

“Hi baby, I’m sorry I can't hold you right now,” Jo said as she waved at Luna who still reached for her and tried to wiggle out of Zola’s arms.

“How are you doing Aunt Jo?” Zola asked as she readjusted to hold Luna better.

“I'm okay,” Jo smiled at her as Zola let out a breath and smiled too.

“Did you really have a baby upstairs in your bedroom?” Bailey asked with disbelief.

“Yep and she's right here,” Alex said as he stepped down and showed off the baby to them. Their baby looked so tiny curled up in their car seat and had a familiar grumpy look as she stared at the people in front of her.

“She looks like Uncle Alex,” Bailey said as all the kids smiled and came closer to coo at the baby. 

“She’s so cute!” Ellis exclaimed as Helena leaned forward to look at the baby. 

“D’at my baby,” Helena said, reaching out and giving the baby a hug as Alex smiled and nodded. 

Meredith captured a few more pictures as Luna hugged the baby too, but still reached out for her Mama. Jo gave in and motioned for Zola to bring her close so she could hug and kiss her. Jo whispered something into her ear and Luna nodded. Alex kissed both of the girls before they all went out to the ambulance. Meredith stayed back with the kids but held Jo's foot as she was getting loaded up. 

“Thank you for delivering my baby, Meredith,” Jo said, giving her a sleepy smile. 

“Of course, I'm just glad you're both safe,” Meredith said, as Jo smiled Meredith realized she was still holding her breath and let it out as she knew Jo was in safe hands. 

They all got into the ambulance and waved her goodbye. Everybody got settled as Carina and Maya sat next to her and Warren drove. Jo looked over at him as Alex put the seat belt strap over the car seat and made sure it was secure next to him.

“Alex,” Jo said, looking up at him, the smile gone from her face as she put a hand over her heart. “My chest hurts.”

Alex reached out to hold her hand as his smile dropped too. His eyes glanced up to the heart monitor checking the rise and fall of the heart line, it was still steady, but slower than it should have been. “We'll be at the hospital soon.” 

“Alright boys, let's light it up and get to the hospital quickly but safely. We got precious cargo,” Ben said as he flipped on the lights and they left the driveway.

[rollercoasterwords]

hiiiiiii!! i don't have the brain to do or watch anything atm but i would LOVE some movie recs please 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

YAY ok assuming this is coming from the 80s movie post so. here r some of my favorite 80s movies:

ridiculous campy fun:

earth girls are easy (1988) - fucking LOVE this movie!!! such a fun time. horny aliens crash their spaceship on earth + get taken in by a human woman. also it's a musical comedy + the aliens are played by jeff goldblum jim carrey and damon wayans

hell comes to frogtown (1988) - also. obsessed w this one. post-apocalyptic world where society is a matriarchy + humans need 2 repopulate. protagonist is a Manly Man who has been discovered to have a Mega-High Sperm Count, making him a government asset so a sexy military doctor locks him up in a chastity cage 2 conserve his precious sperm. also there are mutated frog people + they kidnapped a bunch of ~fertile~ human women to keep as sex slaves so Manly Man needs 2 accompany sexy military doctor + sexy soldier to go rescue the ladies from Frogtown so he can fuck them <3 also his name is Sam Hell. hence. 'hell comes to frogtown'

clue (1985) - based on the board game!! murder mystery comedy w wacky characters + an ending that is oh-so-fun

weird dark fantasy:

the company of wolves (1984) - the movie that inspired my 80s movie post 2nite <3 creepy fairytale retelling of red riding hood w a bunch of stories-within-a-story so that it ends up feeling like some sort of fever dream matryoshka doll

labyrinth (1986) - one of my FAVORITE movies of all time!!!!! david bowie is a goblin king who kidnaps the protagonist's baby brother as a favor 2 her + then when she's like actually i want him back he's like ok solve my maze then <3

return to oz (1985) - sequel to 'the wizard of oz' that is like. 10 times darker + weirder + creepier + definitely scarred me + my twin when we watched it as children lol. dorothy won't stop talking abt oz so she's taken 2 a mental institution for electroshock therapy. queue dramatic storm + sudden return to oz except the city is in ruins + dorothy needs 2 save the day

horror:

aliens (1986) - sequel to alien (1979) which just missed the cutoff for making this list + i also recommend--but u don't NEED 2 watch it 2 watch this movie. outer space creature feature meets slasher survival horror. xenomorph i love u <3

the thing (1982) - another sci-fi alien horror but this time it follows a group of researchers in the arctic who encounter an alien that can change shape 2 look like any of them. queue paranoia. there's also a more modern remake of this movie if i'm not mistaken

day of the dead (1985) - probably romero's least well-known zombie movie lol but a fun one nonetheless! good if u like 80s movies + zombie movies which. i do <3

the shining (1980) - oooh artsy spooky hotel horror.....a classic to be honest....

animated:

the last unicorn (1982) - ANOTHER favorite movie of all time for me!!!! unicorn who lives in isolation in a forest overhears two humans talking about how there are no more unicorns in the world + is like what i can't be the only one left...so she sets out on an adventure 2 try and find out what happened 2 all the unicorns <3 another movie that scarred me as a child bc of how creepy + dark it was

nausicaa of the valley of the wind (1984) - studio ghibli <3 this is one of my fave ghibli films. post-apocalyptic wasteland where giant bugs roam the earth....amazing

castle in the sky (1986) - more ghibli! girl w mysterious magic necklace meets boy who is searching for castle in the sky. also they are being chased by pirates + creepy government agents. FUN

kiki's delivery service (1989) - aaaaand more ghibli. teenage witch sets out 2 make her way in the world + encounters existential dread <3

classics:

heathers (1988) - veronica decides that she's sick of her mean-girl popular friendgroup + at the same time meets Mysterious New Boy. when she complains 2 him abt her friends he starts killing them <3

the princess bride (1987) - based on the book (which i also recommend!!); i feel like everyone knows this movie but. basically fairytale-esque romance abt a girl named buttercup who falls in love w a farmboy named wesley but then wesley gets murdered by pirates...or so it seems....

ferris bueller's day off (1986) - teenagers decide 2 skip school + run amok in chicago. wahoo!!

[sometimes-men-need-help-too]

1 in 10 dads experience postpartum depression, anxiety: How to spot the signs

Subjects surrounding mental health and well-being are being more widely discussed today than ever before. This includes postpartum depression – but not just for women. Studies show that 1 in 10 dads struggle with postpartum depression and anxiety as well. Their symptoms are slowly becoming more recognized, diagnosed, and treated. A mom recently shared the story of her husband’s postpartum depression in The New York Times, and health care providers are encouraging pediatricians to incorporate postpartum depression screenings of fathers as well as mothers during well-child visits. Parents’ mental health greatly affects the well-being of a child. Research has shown that depression in fathers is associated with:

Less attention to baby’s health and well-check visits

Higher risk of behavioral problems in preschool-age children

Children with more physical and mental health problems

Poor family and marital relationships

The stakes are high – fortunately, treatment and support are available when we recognize prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety in any parent.

Paternal depression can set in before or after birth

As with women, men can experience depression at any time – including before a baby is born.

Women often show symptoms of postpartum depression within four to six weeks after delivery, but signs can appear as late as three months after birth.

A 2019 meta-analysis of studies found that the highest risk of depression during pregnancy for expecting fathers occurred during the first trimester. The study also showed that postpartum depression was highest among men when the baby was 3- to 6-months-old.

A variety of factors can play a role in dad developing prenatal or postpartum depression, including:

Hormones: Research has shown that fathers experience hormonal changes during and after their partner’s pregnancy, particularly declines in testosterone.

Partner’s depression: Up to half of men with depressed partners show signs of depression as well.

Feeling disconnected from mom and baby: Dads want to be part of the newborn experience, but often they feel as if they’re on the “outside.” Moms may not always realize they’re excluding dad from caring for the baby. Or they may be so caught up in bonding with the baby, they fail to recognize dad wants time with the little one, too.

Personal or family history of depression: Any history of depression or other mental illness raises the risk of prenatal or postpartum depression.

Psychological adjustment to parenthood: Becoming a parent requires significant coping skills. This can be overwhelming for moms and dads.

Sleep deprivation: Most new parents underestimate the role a lack of sleep can play in developing symptoms of anxiety and depression. They also often underestimate just how sleep deprived they are!

Other factors that may contribute to paternal postpartum depression include having a colicky or premature baby, financial stress, relationship problems, recent loss or trauma, and lack of social support for parenting, such as not having parental leave at work.

Watch for signs of paternal depression and anxiety

Prenatal and postpartum depression can look different in men than it does in women. Men may experience some “traditional” symptoms – fatigue and changes in sleep or appetite – but they often exhibit fewer outwardly emotional expressions, such as crying.

Common symptoms for paternal prenatal or postpartum depression include:

Anger, sudden outbursts, or violent behavior

Increase in impulsive or risk-taking behavior, including turning to substances such as alcohol or prescription drugs

Irritability

Low motivation

Physical symptoms such as headaches, muscle aches, stomach, or digestion issues

Poor concentration

Suicidal thoughts

Withdrawing from relationships

Working a lot more or a lot less

Anxiety is also common in men during and after pregnancy. A 2021 study showed that 1 in 10 men experience prenatal and postpartum anxiety. In the general population, approximately 14.3 percent of men have anxiety – approximately 9 percent less than women.

Anxiety can cause:

Persistent, excessive worry about life in general

Nervousness or a sense of impending doom

Trouble concentrating

Panic attacks

Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder

If you or a loved one experience prenatal or postpartum anxiety or depression symptoms that intensify or last longer than two weeks, talk with your doctor about possible treatment options.

Future screening for paternal postpartum depression

Most Ob/Gyns check new moms for depression and anxiety symptoms during a postpartum visit. But there is no such check-up for men.

In 2019, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that postpartum depression screenings not be solely the responsibility of obstetricians. They urged pediatricians to incorporate maternal postpartum depression screenings and referrals for treatment during well-child visits.

In 2020, an editorial in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics called on pediatricians to assess the mental health of all new parents, regardless of gender, and to make appropriate referrals when necessary.

Don’t be surprised if your partner’s Ob/Gyn or baby’s pediatrician asks about your mental health during a visit. This evaluation could range from engaging in an informal discussion to filling out the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), a simple screening tool consisting of 10 questions. Prioritizing the mental well-being of moms and dads is not only good for them, but for the baby.

https://utswmed.org/medblog/paternal-postpartum-depression/

[leonhorn]

In 2054 Capitalism Dies in Space | In 20xx Scifi and Futurism by In 20xx Futurism When people in space are cut off from Earth an imbalance of owner vs. customers comes to a breaking point. The people in space believe no one is left alive on Earth. As far as they know, the (around) 12,000 in space is all that's left of humanity. Those living on and near the moon form Luna Nation. Space refugees scattered near Earth must find a way to insure a future for themselves and their children. AI that in many ways exceed human intelligence play a part in a skirmish for resources. What does it take to outsmart an AI that can make you think you're having a video call with a co-conspirator when it's the AI you are talking to? An finally, if AI can make a six part miniseries staring Drew Barrymore and Crispin Glover about using DNA banks to spawn a new human race, what parts would the two actors play? Here's a list of the technology mentioned in the story: 1. Orbital stations and space habitats 2. Micro-gravity adapting robots (e.g., vacuum bots) 3. Smart glass walls 4. Satellite cameras 5. AI assistants (e.g., Butler AI) 6. Augmented Reality (AR) glasses 7. Canal links (brain-computer interfaces) 8. Virtual Reality (VR) equipment 9. Life support systems for space 10. Automated mining and manufacturing in space 11. Fusion-powered spaceships 12. Electric thrusters for spacecraft 13. Legacy tracking systems for spacecraft 14. Ejection systems for spacecraft 15. Motion stabilizers for space suits 16. Emergency beacons in space suits 17. Artificial wombs 18. DNA banks 19. Brain scanning and digital copying technology 20. Robots capable of performing complex tasks 21. Centrifuges for simulating gravity 22. Terraforming technology (theoretical, for Venus) 23. Advanced medical automation 24. Custom cell cultivators 25. Organ printing technology 26. Stasis technology for long space journeys 27. Laser tight-beam communication 28. Rockets and missiles (mentioned as being disabled) 29. Closed-circuit TVs in spacecraft 30. Space construction vehicles (e.g., "spider") 31. Delivery cruisers 32. Research ships 33. Hologram-producing screens Many of the characters in this project appear in future episodes. Using storytelling to place you in a time period, this series takes you, year by year, into the future. If you like emerging tech, eco-tech, futurism, perma-culture, apocalyptic survival scenarios, and disruptive science, sit back and enjoy short stories that showcase my research into how the future may play out. This is Episode 56 of the podcast "In 20xx Scifi and Futurism." The companion site is https://in20xx.com where you can find a timeline of the future, descriptions of future development, and printed fiction. These are works of fiction. Characters and groups are made-up and influenced by current events but not reporting facts about people or groups in the real world. Copyright © Leon Horn 2024. All rights reserved. Episode link: https://ift.tt/k06LA7S (video made with https://ift.tt/pO3bjSh) via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tFJVPfQw2k

[nicos-w101-liveblog]

Had too many classes and too much homework today so have some Nico ask game answers because I don't wanna wait for people to ask.

1. what is their song?

I may have to say "The Seed" by AURORA. I've been obsessed with her Sky: Children of the Light concert, recently, and that song goes hard lol.

2. what is their cafe order?

Something simple, like hot chocolate with whipped cream and some peppermint. If it's really hot out, though, they'd go for any sort of lemonade. They really like Blue Raspberry flavor.

3. what is their color palette? or what colors do you associate with them?

Purple and Black, and only when it's those two colors together. Otherwise, as a single color, they are so very red. A burgundy, maybe.

4. do they have a favorite food or drink?

Anything chocolate. Except cake/cupcakes. They don't like the texture. They do love a good muffin, though.

5. name a time of day that reminds you of them.

Dusk. As the moon is rising and the sun is setting.

6. sun, moon, or stars?

Stars. They shine and burn. They are admired, but eternally imploding.

7. what other universes would you like to see them in?

My current hyperfixations, obviously. Stardew Valley, where they could heal. Sky: Children of the Light, where they'd get their childhood back. Gravity Falls, maybe. The Owl House. They can fit into many situations.

8. do you ship your oc with canon characters? why or why not?

No. Not only is Nico a child for a good chunk of their story, but they're also very AroAce.

9. do you like to ship your oc with other ocs? or are you open to it?

Also no. They're AroAce. But if someone else thinks their OC and Nico would click well, they can be friends or in a qpp.

10. does your oc have a scent specific to them?

Autumn. Warm and crisp, pumpkin and spice.

11. name 3-5 things that you associate your oc with.

Heavy rain storms (no lightning/thunder) | A flame that you cannot tell whether it's a Pyre or a Bonfire | A peace-tied rapier or scimitar | The galaxy itself | A flower crown.

12. do you have a playlist for your oc?

Not yet, but I'm gonna get started on one sooner rather than later.

13. is there a saying or quote you associate with your oc?

"An eye for an eye and the world goes blind" -Mahatama Gandhi

14. what would their favorite movie be?

They greatly prefer books over movies, because they can read while they walk. But probably something by Studio Ghibli. Like Kiki's Delivery Service.

15. how long have you had them?

I've only had Nico for a day and a half but if anything happened to them I will kill everybody on this site and then myself /reference (it's me, I make the things happen)

16. do you make memes for or of your oc?

Not yet. I do eventually plan to put Nico's name in an incorrect quotes generator.

17. if they don't have one, would your oc have a pet? if so, what kind of pet?

They already have their Familiar, a Blaze Fox. His name is Remy, after their favorite fandom-named character (it's not the rat). Anyone who guesses who it is gets my approval.

18. is your oc afraid of anything?

Not really. Theyre just tired. Bugs/Spiders give them the creeps, though.

19. does your oc have siblings?

They do! A pair of younger twins, five years younger. They were seven when Nico disappeared. I wonder if they even remember their older sibling?

20. is your oc like you in any way?

I kinda base all OCs around myself, so yeah. I imagine we have the same body type and the same life experience up until Nico was summoned to the Spiral.

21. how many ocs do you got?

One for just about every fandom, if not multiple per. So... a lot. Possibly uncountable.

22. do you have an all-time favorite oc or a current favorite?

Obviously, my current favorite is my son Nico.

23. do you have a mood board or a pinterest board for your oc?

Unfortunately, no. And I likely never will.

24. does your oc have a favorite color?

Purple. After so much time, they still love purple.

25. what is their comfort item?

An old jacket that came to the Spiral with them from home. Its a comforting texture and covers their arms when their robe doesn't.

26. do they have a comfort place?

Mortis and Blossom let Nico rest in their branches. They ask for permission every time even though the trees insist they don't need to. Nico also enjoys sitting on the roof of their House and staring into the stars.

27. do you have any AUs for your oc?

My other Death Wizard, Moira. They're the result of being born earlier, and thus being given more time to find themself. They're a high school graduate when Ambrose summons them to Ravenwood. They're able to shoulder the responsibility of holding the fate of the Spiral in their hands. Not that Nico was incapable. But Nico's a child. They never learned healthy coping mechanisms. Basically, Moira is able to keep smiling, while Nico gave up on it.

28. is there an aesthetic for your oc?

Enderman from Minecraft lol.

But on the pseudo-official list, Dark Academia, Alternative (that is, if they weren't basically a celebrity and created fashion trends), Cryptidcore, and other similar ones.

29. does your oc have a self-care routine?

The only self care they perform is knocking back a potion when they're injured. Other than basic hygiene and some magic tricks they learned to prevent acne, they are the worst at taking care of themself.

The only self-care practice they have is reading a book in Mortis' branches

30. what is your favorite thing about your oc?

I've never written a cynical character before. Theyre always optimistic, chaotic and proud, and ever-smiling. I'm excited to try and write a child's whimsical imagination turn into exhaustion and pessimism lol

Credit: oc asks by @justbeingbuck

[daringtiger-creates]

Another GO story idea

So, been watching fairytale movies for old times sake and recently read another Cinderella AU story and just thought “I wonder that I could do”. As it’s been plainly noted, I suck at writing, especially with Crowley and Aziraphale, but I get ideas nonetheless. I’ve already started writing down a skeleton for the story, but I think it’d be kinda fun to write it with someone and bounce more ideas together. Anyhow, here’s just a little teaser of ideas. I’ll post more tomorrow:

- Crowley is a rebellious prince. As a teen, he runs away quite frequently whether just because or he is upset. He does not wish to be king one day. His father, King Lucian, was a fierce but kind ruler in his own way. He loved his 3 children very much, but rarely ever showed it after the queen died after giving birth to Warlock (who was born the same day as Adam. They were switched after the babies were born during an attempted kidnapping, but a story for another time)

- Crowley was a middle child, Beelzebub the oldest and should be the rightful heir to the throne, but ze had fallen ill once and ever since fell ill quite easily, especially during the winter. Until whatever ailment ze fallen into can be cured, Crowley was fated to rule in zer place. King Lucian was harder on Crowley than he was on Beelzebub, sometimes too hard which caused most of the attempted escapes. In all honesty, the king was afraid especially for Crowley. He knew of Crowley’s attraction wasn’t just towards women, but favored men as well. Crowley never admitted to his sexuality nor has ever shown favor to anyone except once. However, the king saw it in the way Crowley admired and looked upon certain beings and he did not want his son to be ridiculed nor shamed.

- Aziraphale is a Dutchess’s son. His father passed away during one of his travels when he was an infant. His mother remarried a man named Sandalphon during one of her own travels.

-His mother passed away from an unknown sickness. Aziraphale’s new step father and step siblings (Micheal and Uriel) had left him alone for a time aside from being removed from his room and shoved into the attic. It wasn’t until Aziraphale became 10 that he was slowly becoming more of a servant and less like young Duke.

- 2 years after his mother’s death, his Uncle Gabriel (Sandalphon’s younger brother) moves in with them and helps ready his step sisters to become young proper ladies. He also helped keep the home afloat. Gabriel mainly ignores Aziraphale, only lecturing him on his gut and his new duties. He only lashed out at the boy after discovering his “fancy” with boys. Gabriel becomes harsher after that.

- Aziraphale was often sent to town with a young delivery boy named Newton who was the closest and only neighbor he had. Newt also slipped Aziraphale information and homework given to him by his old tutor and old family friend, Madame Tracy. She was fired by Sandalphon once his mother died, but she loved the boy too much to stop and did everything she could to help him.

[adventure-showdown]

What is your favourite Doctor Who story?

ROUND 1 MASTERPOST

synopses and propaganda under the cut

The Ghost Monument

Synopsis

Stranded on an alien planet infamously called Desolation, can the Doctor find her way to the TARDIS as she promised her new friends? Will her newest company be of any help when they're also racing against each other? And what exactly is "the Ghost Monument"?

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Arachnids in the UK

Synopsis

The Thirteenth Doctor finally manages to bring her friends home, but with more time alone on the horizon, she soon discovers that something unnatural has happened to the eight-legged population of Sheffield. Why have they converged on an unopened hotel, and why is there a man going around like he owns the place?

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Kerblam!

Synopsis

When the Thirteenth Doctor receives a mysterious call for help packaged with a delivery from Kerb!am, the galaxy's largest retailer, she and her friends get to work in finding out the cause of the distress. However, is the human 10% of the workforce rebelling against the robots, or is there a much more complicated plot going on? She later finds out the system types all the slips, including the one she got. Why is the system needing help?

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Orphan 55

Synopsis

After Graham O'Brien wins Team TARDIS a free holiday at the high-end alien resort Tranquility Spa, it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems — why is the staff so worried about oxygen levels in the Spa when the planet appears to be hospitable to humans? What are the monsters stalking the corridors? And why does the planet on which they're all standing bear the ominous name of "Orphan 55"?

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children

Synopsis

In a galaxy still dealing with the aftermath of the deadly Cyber-Wars, the Thirteenth Doctor and her companions are separated both from each other and from the TARDIS. Banding together with the last dredges of humanity, they must all attempt to find Ko Sharmus and the Boundary before Ashad, or any other remaining Cyberman forces, can locate them. And who is Brendan, the abandoned baby?

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Revolution of the Daleks

Synopsis

As the Thirteenth Doctor marks her days in prison, back on Earth the Daleks are presented on national television. They are the new Defence Drones, designed to protect the British public.

Left behind on Earth, Yaz, Graham and Ryan need their friend more than ever. Now with Daleks on the assembly line, and a familiar face behind their production... What would the Doctor do?

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Once, Upon Time

Synopsis

Atropos has fallen, once again. The Doctor has thrown herself into a time storm in a desperate bid to save her friends. As Time itself comes apart, she finds much more than she bargained for.

All four are lost, together, in memories: past, present, future. So many roles they play. So many choices they have endured. And now, what happened once has come again.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

Survivors of the Flux

Synopsis

For Yaz, Dan, and Jericho, life in the early 20th century is holding more adventure and danger than they could have ever imagined. For Bel, her mission to find her husband has taken a drastic wrong turn. For Vinder, the wrath of the Ravagers awaits. For the Grand Serpent, UNIT is his for the taking. And for the Doctor, nothing may ever be the same again...

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

The Vanquishers

Synopsis

Split across three realities, the Thirteenth Doctor has more than one problem to solve. The Division's base, way out in the Void, has been taken. Some unlikely allies have joined together, hoping to find victory in Earth's final hour. The Grand Serpent has been making plans, and the Doctor's oldest enemies hold the key to the Doctor's past, poised on handing her their final retribution.

Tunnels beneath the Earth lead to all kinds of places in space and time. As the final Flux event approaches, which door leads to victory? Last call before the end. It's time for contact.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

[phillipthesims]

Gen One: Chapter 10

Lily was getting Tula ready for bed when the discomfort of early labor set in... while Lupin wasn't here. He was at work, as he often was nowadays.

She tried to hide her discomfort from Tula, hoping she could hold out until Lupin got home to drive her to the hospital. She paused to breathe through the pain a lot while reading her daughter a bedtime story. Tula even as a small, sleepy toddler asked her mommy if she was okay.

Lily smiled, barely, and kissed her child's forehead. "I will be, it's just the baby.... You'll get to meet the baby soon." Tula smiled brightly at the mention of the baby in her mommy's belly. Lily told her that eventually the baby would be big enough to play with Tula. Her toddler would proceed to say that she and the baby would be the best of friends!

Lily said goodnight to her Tula. She waited, alone, for hours in pain for Lupin to come home. The contractions grew closer and more painful to the point even a warm bath did nothing to ease her pain. Tears streamed down her face as she sat on the couch, was he ever coming back? Would she have to do this alone... at home?

No... no, no, she had to get to a hospital, and soon. Now. She knew none of her neighbors as the few times they came to the door, Lupin answered, but she hoped one of them could help her.

Waking up Tula, she told the little one they were going to go on a night walk. Lily didn't want to leave her child alone, even if she was just sleeping. Tula rubbed her bright pink eyes of sleep and followed her mother out of the house.

Both walked slowly, but for different reasons. Lilly knocked on the front door of one of their neighbors... oh- she didn't think about most people being asleep.... The chilled air bit at them as Tula huddled closer, wrapping her small arms around Lily's leg.

"Do you know what time- Oh, Dolores! One moment ma'am." A man answered the door right as another contraction came. He ran back into the house, Tula heard him talking to someone else but her mother was in too much pain to notice. When he came back, he had shoes and a set of car keys. Helping her to his car, even buckling the toddler into his own toddler's car seat.

The ride was anything but quiet as Lily cried through the pain. The neighbor man tried to reassure her, and Tula, for once, was silent as she watched. Her mommy was in so much pain....

Upon getting to the hospital, the man helped get them both into the building where Lily was rushed into a room. Many nurses questioned him on his relations to her and the toddler, to which he explained all he knew. Admittedly it wasn't much.

"Is my mommy going to be okay?" Tula asked the many adults around her. Many tried to reassure the toddler and distract her. Asking her about her life, to which Tula talked about all her toys and the stories her mommy reads to her.

She talked about her mommy and daddy too, how daddy was at something called a job. "He always leaves at night for his job." She showed off the boots she wore over her pajamas and her words started to trail off as she yawned.

One of the nurses brought her over to the children's play area and while she tried to play for a few minutes, sleep won and the little girl curled up her small body onto a small chair. Falling asleep in a few moments.

Meanwhile, Lily's labor progressed quickly. The doctor said she got here right on time. As she was already almost fully dilated when she was first checked.

Soon she was ready to begin pushing... Lupin wouldn't be there with her in the delivery room. A thought she had mixed feelings on, but now was not the moment to dwell nor sort those feelings out.

She had to focus on pushing, on giving birth to her baby. She had to get through this for Tula and the baby. Lupin was not her concern, not right now.

Lily gave birth to another baby girl, who's skin had a pink tint to it. She named this little girl: Lola to match well with Tula's name.

When she got to go home with Lola and Tula, Lupin was home, but said noticeably nothing. He didn't even look at the scrawny baby in her arms. Lily did not have a good feeling... but focused on her new baby. Little Lola.

[animehouse-moe]

Oshi No Ko Episode 1: Overhyped To The Moon, Or, Crucifying An Adaptation

A release schedule that's had the first episode in the works for a month in the making. Ninety minutes of content to start. An Akasaka story. This first episode, and its subsequent reaction, is like throwing a dud of a bomb and everybody pretending that it went off. But why? Well, even though I'm a fan of Akasaka's work, and even if I suggested the license to various publishers through their suggestion channels, I feel like an explanation is owed to the overhyped mess that appeared today.

A Nine Point Three Six on MAL. You know, the website where FMA:B reigns supreme and anything that challenges it is review bombed into oblivion? The site where the next highest rated anime is at a 9.11? Yeah, that MAL.

This is Doga Kobo's highest rated series, by Over One Point Three points. That's the Akasaka Difference™, and it's insane.

Let me dispel any preconceptions you might have about it. It is nowhere near that number. It's nowhere near A-1's adaptation of Love Is War. Oshi No Ko does have an interesting, if not abrasive, story for its first episode. But that can't carry it that high. It's story can't get rid of the limitations that Doga Kobo has, it can't get rid of flaky and flat direction, it can't get rid of shallow work that relies on the individual.

So, allow me to paint a more accurate picture of this first episode, starting at the bottom. Doga Kobo is... a studio. Not a particularly outstanding one, and one that hasn't had any "big" titles in its repertoire for a long time now. Arguably, their most memorable titles such as Plastic Memories, which are the poster children of the studio, are well out of their prime now. The majority of their higher rated series are 5 or even 10+ years old now. Stuff like Yuru Yuri, stuff like Nozaki-Kun, stuff like... stuff like. Would you consider New Game? Or Gabriel Dropout? I guess really, they only have Plastic Memories for the average anime fan.

They're not a studio that you entrust with big projects or names. Not that they can't deliver adaptations that make full use of and more of their source material like Nozaki-Kun, but that was almost a decade ago now. It's been over a year since Doga Kobo had an anime that was over a 7 in score, and I'd be surprised if their average score for the last 5 years could punch above a 7.3 (side note: excluding Oshi No Ko, it can't. It doesn't even break 7, it sits at 6.99).

Alright alright I swear on my life this is the last piece of Doga Kobo/OnK slander before I start getting to the episode itself. That would be the director. A career Doga Kobo in-house man, Hiramaki Daisuke has had forays into other studios for an episode or two and even some storyboarding, but has stayed close to home for his biggest projects. You know, big works like An Angel Flew Down To Me, or Selection Project (which is another Idol Anime), or Koisuru Asteroid... Also, you might be wondering, "Why is the direction so bad at times, and so much better at others?". Well, to the astute and curious people out there that had the same thoughts as me, it's because there's Five people credited with episode direction for it. So, odds are you're picking up on the direction changes that are of issue with the episode. I'd have to find proper time frames and everything to give real answers, but I'd say there's probably two episode directors in this first episode that offer solid direction. Anyways, point made, moving on.

The first half is painful. At a glance you might think "oh this isn't too bad", but when you get into it, in a single sitting, it's hard to get through. The direction and delivery is incredibly flat, and it relies totally on the energy that the quality VAs bring in.

It's a lot of single character and focus frames that suck any originality or uniqueness from the content, and causes it to feel like it's just droning on as we suffer an onslaught of dialogue that's ill-equipped to match the visuals.

I could pull hundreds of these layouts from the first half of the episode alone. Conversation bounces back and forth between incredibly static characters, closeups that can hide detail, and any number of other tricks. Of course, it's not that it's all terrible or lazy, but that the overwhelming direction is of this lazy and flat nature.

And this is where the core issue arises. As a visual adaptation, it's plain rough. The character designs are alright, if not a pretty big overgeneralization of the art of Oshi No Ko, and the art is solid enough, but it has nothing to give itself a leg to stand on. The direction is limp, the animation only in bursts, and the whole appeal is almost nonexistent to the manga.

They use transitions rather than animation or more creative cuts, they reserve everything for a few moments in the episode, it's just something that can't hold a candle to what the manga can do with its medium.

Just look at this stunning animation. Doesn't it just scream quality work? I wish I could give more examples (I could find a good few if I wanted to slog through 90 minutes again), but Doga Kobo is crafty with it. They very rarely show full characters in motion, and hardly is there more than one person moving in a scene.

I've said it a lot, but it really is just bad enough that I have to say it a few times. I wouldn't have to, if people were to take it at face value, but as it closes in on a 9.5 on MAL it's impossible to separate.

Now, I wouldn't say that all of it is bad. The second half of the episode seems to pick up on the fact that it's meant to do something, but that thought only appears... about 35% of the time.

Thankfully, that 35% appears awfully close to each other, and we get stuff like Ai's Idol scenes. They're well choreographed, and incredibly well animated compared to the rest of the episode. It's fluid, it's creative, and there's lots of moving parts to it. I just wish there was more of that quality in the rest of the episode.

Truthfully I think it's a good example of where the talent and ability comes from in the episode. The idol part has a measuring stick. You can find similar direction in real idol performances, and the flair/impact frames are found later on in the episode (most likely from the same animator).

What I can say at the end of it all, is that this clip is as good as it gets, by a pretty large margin. The direction adds emotion to the clip, the animation heightens it, and the anime original aspect of the music and choreography is the icing on the cake. But in reality? I'd say it's good. Not great, not outstanding, and certainly not worth its outrageous score on MAL.

Oshi No Ko has good pieces, but not a good whole. You can take parts of it out and say "yeah, I think the layout for this scene is really solid and makes use of the full frame afforded by an anime vs a manga panel", but you don't watch an anime in pieces, you watch it as an episode, a total experience. So yeah, you'll get some nice pieces like below, but you're trading off everything I've already talked about and then some for it.

Is it really worth it? Is it really worth that insane score that lords it over other entries this season like Heavenly Delusion, Demon Slayer, Hells Paradise, Skip and Loafer, MahoYome or GWitch? I think the obvious answer is no. Akasaka's story certainly has charm and talent within, but as an adaptation, I really had no interest in most of everything that Doga Kobo gave it, especially considering that they dropped content from the first volume still.