#and also likely to be written in a cartoony way that I have little interest in

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Tbf canon did forcibly remove Norman and Emma from the trio for roughly two years </3 Not to detract from the point you're making though.

Also feel like @thedoodlenoodlesuniverse's trio dynamics graph is still fairly accurate (original deleted, reblog here)

Eternally grateful I've never come across jealous/spiteful Norman and Ray fighting over Emma, or jealous/spiteful Emma and Ray fighting over Norman.

(although I do subscribe to the headcanon of Norman having a pang of jealousy over how much time RE got to spend together before their reunion in the Paradise Hideout with how he tends to navigate extremes at that age, but it’s of a very specific variety. Seeing how close the Grace Field escapees have become during their near two years out in demon world and how that shared trauma brought them together could be a mixed bag for him, with the aching reminder that he wasn’t there with them, didn’t share those memories with them after a lifetime of being together, and the initial flare of jealously turns into shame over thinking it in the first place when 1) he’s mad at not being able to have been there with them‚ not at them, 2) how selfish it is to still want that when they already went through his death once and now will have to go through that a second time, and 3) he spent so long isolated and effectively helpless in his immediate circumstances while at Lambda and suffered for no justifiable reason that it manifests in a festering internal rage, which heartbreakingly can never be given a satisfactory answer…so basically banana_slug_army’s Interwoven lol)

full score trio 😔

[mrstsung]

Shang tsung's and why i love them:

1995 shang tsung: Cary Hiroyuki Mofo Tagawa. Nuff said! That movie is a Klassic and you can't hold a candle to it. Cary still got it after many years in my opinion. And still can do shang's voice or even old man shang now that he's now a fine older gentleman. Either way. I love classic 95 shang.

Mk: shaolin monks: my childhood,ok look he's special to me. Mk2 shang is still badass,and difficult af to fight but also fun to fight as. Still love him. Bearded shang ftw.

Mk:legends: look old man shang tsung can get it any day but i love the legends animated movies. He has just enough swag,charm,and charisma like always but subtle. Unfortunately,it's so fast paced and i wish he had more fight scenes and was written with a little more grace.

Mk:11: oh boy tagawa ages like a fine wine. But his voice got better. More intimidating. More charm. Unf. Good shit right there. Besides,tagawa IS shang tsung,you can't top that. But mk11 wasn't bad,not the best. But not bad. Tagawa saved it imho.

Mk12/mk1: now i don't like everything. And despite my gripes with the poor execution of the story and pacing and all the unnecessary changes and crap. I can't lie. Shang tsung there is sexy af. But i just wish people weren't so weird about him. And i wish they'd stop comparing him to other characters that honestly,have nothing in common with him other than magic and cunning. When no offense,shang runs circles around them. Plus he's his own character and should be treated with respect. I'm sick of him being treated like someones designer dog instead of an interesting,and important character. Like damn. But anyways. Mk12/mk1 shang, alan Lee's shang tsung suffers the same problem that art butler's shang tsung did. Poor writing,fast paced,sloppy script,and little to no payoff. Nothing of significance changed. Shang's still treated like shit and if not worse. An accessory to buy instead of an integral part of lore like he's supposed to be. (Im sorry shang you gotta be treated like this) so god damn much potential.

Honorable mentions Mk9 and mk:conquest: ok still got me after many years. I'd be a piss liar if i didn't say i miss this shang tsung. I do miss sleazy,cheesy,and bearded shang tsung. However i still say he needs more grace,respect,and love just as much. And i don't mind the more cartoony aspects. Hell anyone whos been around long enough with mk knows that's where it started. But yeah. I miss him dearly. I mean that's what i grew up on.

So yeah shang is shang to me. But not all shang's are equal. Some i love more than others.

[ottiliere]

hello! ur posts on the vagus nerve and its connections to digestions have encouraged me to do a lil mini dissertation thingy kinda focused on it/around it, ur big thread on PVT and everything really piqued my interest when i read it and i just held onto it for like a year or smthing until like last week when i started the project. Ik u said recently in one of ur posts i believe that ur not going to post the big dirk PVT post and im not here to be like yo post it because i also think u said that ur kinda moving away from like hs/dirky stuff rn ?? (im forgetting if i saw that sorry) but yeah i just wanted to say thank u etc etc, like ive never done an ask before so sorry if this is phrased weirdly but ur blog is just like one of those blogs that fundamentally changed how i view certain things in life for the better lol, like whether its ur beautiful representations / depictions of mental health in like just beautifully painted art (seriously the way u make it look like idk how to word it cartoony/really 2d but then it stands out against the background + if u zoom in and see the tiny pixel details == it makes me mad) or just like the huggeee long form posts that i like to chew on and save cuz theres so many details that AFFAAT like the way you talk abt the topics u portray has made me concious of how i would want to do so in the same way ig u get me. anyway this got really long and idk if i come across coherently, but ur just a random person on the internet whos art and written thoughts that u decide to share makes me happy when i see it == makes me pace around my room and distract me from this fat essay lmao so tldr: i really appreciate what u do + i hope like that ur doing well and that u keep arting and thoughting no matter what it is that u choose to focus on

(uve made me comitted to reading jthm, playing psychonauts and giving jjba w/ dio another go lmao) 🫶🫶

Hello! I’m sorry this reply is coming so late, this ask in particular is very sweet and has stuck out to me.

I’m really happy to have introduced you to PVT, this is something I’ve heard from a few different people on here and it’s very sweet… I did my thesis on it in college and the time really flew by while working on it, things you don't think could possibly attributed to "nerve issues" being nerve issues is always an eye-opener, isn't it? being able to research things that interest you & access information in general really is a privilege in this day and age.

“The topics [I] portray” are very important to me, so it’s heartening when others take interest in spite of the obvious deterrents. A lot of what I love making art about is unpalatable to most, and while I do understand the reasons for that on principle, it can make things feel a little insular. I genuinely believe there’s a lot of value in depicting tableaus of misery.

The last year has brought a lot of very unforeseen changes, and my life is quite different from when I initially made this blog to post about him! That’s also part of why I’ve been so sparse here…though I’m working to change that quite soon. I love sharing my work, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting some truly wonderful people through this website. That said…with where I’m at now, I’m not sure I’ll be posting the Dirk essay anytime soon, I’m afraid.

I’ve undertaken a few ongoing projects, one of which in particular is an original project I plan on sharing publicly here hopefully within the next month or so. I hope it’s something you & anyone else who’s stuck around with me here will enjoy, but failing that, I’ve really enjoyed working on it thus far.

Thank you for the sweet ask, take care, and good luck with your project!

[lunar-years]

Ngl when I see ppl shipping Jamie and Dr. O'Sullivan I think they're at least a little homophobic and very straight.

well, i disagree with a blanket accusation of homophobia, but I do think it's an opinion that holds a very ~straight appeal~, definitely, lol.

there are honestly a boat load of reasons i hate it but they boil down to:

i kind of get why people (esp. a segment of the general audience) might be attracted to it because it's soooo something (bad) shows/sitcoms would do. Like, my god is it TRITE. Predictable, formulaic...boring as all hell! Of course he's going to get with the nameless sister who has less than five minutes total of screen time, just for a little added spice and drama, sure. That's what happens in (bad) shows. But luckily for the rest of us, Ted Lasso even at its worst is not that brand of bad, lol.

it's completely baseless? Nothing wrong with a baseless ship i guess, but at the same time...literally why this one? lol. Like, Jamie and Roy's sister share one scene together in which I don't believe they even say anything to one another directly? There is no chemistry, no...anything? The entire premise for the ship seems to be Jamie telling Roy his sister is hot. Which was very clearly intended as a way for Jamie to get under Roy's skin. Nothing about the scene makes me want to see those two dating.

the big proponents of it i've seen (often, definitely not always) seem to fit into one of two categories 1) people who don't really like Jamie and/or are upset Jamie "got in the way" of their ship, and thus want him to be written into a corner that pulls him away from their preferred couple/inherently shuffles up their dynamic. they don't actually care to watch a plot between Jamie & Roy's sister, they just want Jamie firmly categorized as Taken and thus Not Interested in Roy and/or Keeley, and this is a convenient and predictable(y stupid) way to do it. lol.

OR 2) people who DO really like Jamie and in fact really like Roy & Jamie, but in a very "no homo" way, who want to see more of their dynamic and have a way to define/further explore their closeness, whilst also justifying their own enjoyment of it, that's well set apart from "they have homoerotic tension." Jamie & Roy's sister dating holds an appeal because it more explicitly puts their relationship into firm "brotherly" territory. And I unabashedly loathe that for the same reason i loathe "Roy is Jamie's father figure!" ...foremost because no really, they can just be best friends!! Even if you do not want to ship roy-jamie romantically, you do not need to slap different familial labels on them (or put them into random other pairings) to make their relationship "more." Their relationship is already "more"...they are canonically best friends!! idk if I'm explaining this in the best way but the mindset behind it often feels very rooted in ~the nuclear family is the most important relationship a person can achieve~ and thus a need to fit everyone into traditional family roles (and in some cases that PLUS blatant homophobia) and it gives me a personal ick. Ew.

If you want to see quirky jamie & phoebe antics or roy and jamie bickering, Jamie x Roy's sister getting it on is in fact not actually necessary for any of that? (and imo doesn't add anything to anyone's arc) Going back to point one...using that pairing to get there feels TO ME very boring and sitcom cartoony.

(i also obviously dislike it for my personal shippy reasons and must acknowledge my bias. 🫡 Jamie dating his best friend's sister when he clearly has a crush on said best friend is a relationship-based mental low point/cry for help i do not actually want him to go through as my fav character, LOL.)

(disclaimer: people can of course feel differently and are entitled to ship whoever they want without even needing a clear reason or explanation! that's totally valid! i want to reiterate I don't think it's inherently problematic as a ship. I just personally think it's a rotten tomato of a plot point and i'm so beyond glad the show didn't waste time entertaining it.)

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Tbf canon did forcibly remove Norman and Emma from the trio for roughly two years </3 Not to detract from the point you're making though.

Also feel like @thedoodlenoodlesuniverse's trio dynamics graph is still fairly accurate (original deleted, reblog here)

Eternally grateful I have never come across jealous/spiteful Norman and Ray fighting over Emma, or jealous/spiteful Emma and Ray fighting over Norman.

(although I do subscribe to the headcanon of Norman having a pang of jealousy over how much time RE got to spend together before their reunion in the Paradise Hideout with how he tends to navigate extremes at that age, but it’s of a very specific variety. Seeing how close the Grace Field escapees have become during their near two years out in demon world and how that shared trauma brought them together could be a mixed bag for him, with the aching reminder that he wasn’t there with them, didn’t share those memories with them after a lifetime of being together, and the initial flare of jealously turns into shame over thinking it in the first place when 1) he’s mad at not being able to have been there with them‚ not at them, 2) how selfish it is to still want that when they already went through his death once and now will have to go through that a second time, and 3) he spent so long isolated and effectively helpless in his immediate circumstances while at Lambda and suffered for no justifiable reason that it manifests in a festering internal rage, which heartbreakingly can never be given a satisfactory answer…so basically banana_slug_army’s Interwoven lol)

These thingys from tiktok and the characters i Think match

YUE !!! also jet !

JET JET JET JET

diff fandom lmao but ray emma and Norman

also Honestly many many other trios

Credit to moony_the_wolf on tiktok

[cookieblobber]

The Strength of Knuckles in Sonic Frontiers

After seeing how so much better the writing and characterization has been through Amy, it only leads one to wonder:

What are they gonna do with Tails and Knuckles?

By now you’ve probably already gotten the idea of what’s the issue with Knuckles. Once a fascinating, unique character who was the only one left in his species and isn’t very familiar or accustomed to the rest of the world due to the burden he has to carry of protecting the Master Emerald/Angel Island full of his ancestors’ history, to a big goober who talks about how much he is so strong and can do anything, yet gets easily shoved aside for comic relief (ala Gens and Lost World; also I don’t wanna really bring up Boom Knuckles since it is a whole different interpretation of the character and as we all know, he can be pretty funny).

Imo he was probably at his worst in Forces. Sure the idea of him leading the resistance makes sense since you know, ancestors being warriors and all, but…the motherfucker KILLED 80% of his troops doing “Operation Big Wave” …and it’s just kinda brushed aside too??? Like this isn’t even brought up as like a devastating emotional scene where Knuckles realizes he fucked up and nearly wiped out a whole army, or shows the whole resistance is losing hope or anything, it’s just a random text box told by Amy during a level…but we can’t focus on that as we have an Infinite fight with the Avatar coming up!

Ok ok I’m straying off topic; Frontiers Knuckles is beautifully written and the story takes his shit with the severity it needs

———————

Knuckles

was surprisingly given his own little animated short before the game came out, acting as a prologue (there was also a little comic featuring what the rest of the cast was doing before the events of the game but, it’s nothing noteworthy. Just kinda shows how they got interested into heading to Starfall Islands). After watching the little cartoon….

That was some of the best animated Sonic content I’ve ever seen.

The animated short establishes Knuckles’ character and background so fucking marvelously. A lot of past animated shorts from the official Sonic YouTube channel/Powerhouse Studios usually went for more slice of life, silly and cartoony stuff (which is fine and dandy, I like them too), so it was surprising how they went for a more serious and quiet route with this short.

We see Knuckles finally back guarding the Emerald again. He ponders once again about his ancestors, monologues about preferring to do things on his own while doing his job guarding the Master Emerald. He begins though to question about where did the emeralds even come from, why is it so important for him to guard what is essentially a burden to him? Tikal’s light shows up and guides him to somewhere through Sky Sanctuary, and along the way we see such beautiful animation of him gliding around (pretty sure this is the first time in 2D animation he’s shown to glide) and helping out Chao that inhabit the area.

After some exploring, Knuckles finds a Chao trying to retrieve a stone mask (eerily appearing to be the face of a Koco) buried under a pile of rocks. He smashes the pile, gives the mask, but notices a teal green gear on the ground obviously ripping off Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and a whole newly opened ruin…older than anything on Angel Island. At the end of it is presumably a Cyber Space structure, with a gear slot that he puts the gear in, transporting him to what, honestly seemed like Chaos Island; enemies show up, and a massive beatdown happens, showing just how fucking amazing Powerhouse Animation Studios’ can be and only blue balling every fan watching from the idea of a 2D animated Sonic tv show to happen one day.

Sage though shows up with Asura and defeats Knuckles. We then see Knuckles contained in Ares Island, no way to come out on his own. He begins to monologue again

“I don’t need anyone to get by…

“but sometimes…”

———————

In just 6 minutes, Knuckles has been redeemed. Yes he’s a bit clumsy, he can be hotheaded, but it’s clear he has his reasons for his flaws than just being the silly character who is that way for the sake of jokes. The red echidna is capable of having more serious thoughts, thinking about his family and his current position, how unfortunate things are. And regardless, it’s shown he really can do things on his own, he’s able to run the island by himself and be a strong presence any creature that lives on the island can rely on. He’s shown to be capable of putting up a good fight and taking out a whole group of enemies, he’s finally showing to be more than just all talk no game; out of all of the friends in Sonic’s group, he’s the one we’ve wanted to see again for so damn long considering his first ever introduction was being Sonic’s main rival who runs this floating mysterious land. Sonic works best with his legs, Knuckles works best with his fists.

I mean the motherfucker PUNCHED the Super out of Sonic, I think it’s reasonable people would have their expectations of the character to be somewhat high.

And coupled with the stellar animation and choreography, it’s some of the best 6 minutes for any Sonic fan to enjoy and revive their appreciation for the franchise, reminding them why they’re invested in it all these years later with all of it’s ups and downs.

———————

Sonic crash lands into the desert-y Ares Island, and see he has to hunt down the emeralds once again

Unrelated, but something I’ve noticed is that mostly each island in this game kinda acts like…it’s own Sonic game? If that makes sense???

Like, you look back on the classic games, specifically Sonic 3, right. You find a character and get a gist of their personality, throughout the new island you’ve landed on however, you go through levels and obstacles, entering special stages to retrieve emeralds, collect all 7 to take down the final massive boss in this epic Super Sonic showdown.

What do you do in an island in Sonic Frontiers: You find a character, get a gist of their personality, throughout the new island you’ve landed on however, you go through random separated obstacles, enter special stages Cyber Space portals to retrieve keys to unvault emeralds, collect all 7 to take down what many consider to be on par to a final massive boss in this epic Super Sonic showdown.

Specifically in Ares Island, you’re shooting back the missiles the boss is firing to be able to weaken and attack them…hmmmmmmmmm

Fascinating parallels if I do say so myself.

Sonic immediately starts investigating and to his surprise, Knuckles is trapped here. Freeing him starts some dialogue, and once again Ian Flynn showing off his skills and giving us quite possibly some of the best interactions between the two characters the franchise has ever seen. Sonic usually keeps teasing Knuckles and making jokes at him to of course get a reaction out of him; both are at bit of playful odds with each other, like genuine bros just handing out teasing each other and having a good time and bantering, and it’s just so wholesome to watch. Admittedly, probably cliche to say at this point but, some moments lead to slight homo energy, especially with how Sonic keeps looking at him 💀

Sega isn’t making things any less subtle 🫢🫢🫢

————————

What I like the most about Knuckles’ writing here is that he barely boasts about how strong he is an all akin to Generations and Lost World. In Gens and LW, it’s usually really played up where he says, “I could’ve done better, you know!” but then something overly comical happens to him that might make you think he’s just talking to look good and make you eye roll, that he’s a bit of a fraud overhyping himself up. Here in Frontiers: he definitely still tries to keep up a tough demeanor, but it’s not immediately met with him looking weak and powerless. Around the end of the boss fight, he claims about Super Knuckles could’ve done better, but it’s obviously just bantering with Sonic like how they’ve been doing throughout the whole story. And even then, it’s already been shown he really is capable of putting up a fight, shown in the prologue video and a scene in this game where he was about to fight Sage for attacking Sonic. There’s a level of respect still done to the character instead of being there for the sake of comic relief.

Like Amy, he’s helping his own Koco, that being soldiers of some sort of army. It turns out through a sort of interactive flashback, the Ancients that inhabited the islands had created massive walls of defenses of some kind. Unfortunately, some random powerful being immediately wiped it all out in an instant. This leads to Knuckles approaching the Koco that brought him to these defenses and noticed it’s still, signifying that the Ancients were killed in that sudden attack (since the ancients’ souls seem to be related to the Koco). A moment of silence is given for the fallen Koco, who’s soul has been now laid to rest.

Later, we see Knuckles trying to round up an army of Koco soldiers, cowering in fear of what happened to one of then, to head to their bunkers to protect themselves. Essentially it’s just Knuckles playing along to help the souls of the ancients within the Kocos be laid to rest as well. Sonic helps out, and in the middle of it, Knuckles notices the ruins around them seem similar to the ones on Angel Island, theorizing if the Ancients that have survived whatever attack on Starfall Islands have once inhabited Angel Island. It clearly resonates with him as it shows there could be a more noticeable connection between his people and the Ancients than he thinks (after all the ancients seem to look a lot like Chaos, the water god who protected the Master Emerald).

Suddenly, giant towers launch an attack on the ruins, and in this case, Knuckles is unable to fight due to his cyber form (he could only do so with Sage as she was able to interact with whatever happens in Cyber Space and Starfall Islands). He starts to worry about another sudden attack ruining the Ancients home, so it’s up to Sonic to stop it.

This helps put the rest of the Koco army finally to rest as whatever unfinished business they had has finally been settled.

———————

After everything is settled, Knuckles is seen sitting down, pondering again. The scene is silent, gloomy, and gentle. Sonic approaches him, attempts to say something but, realizes he’d just ruin his little moment thinking alone.

With him being alone with Sonic, he shows a rare moment of vulnerability: a fear of being alone. Knuckles starts to monologue about his ancestors and what they’ve done, and the consequences of their actions; being the last of his species. Seeing in the flashback how the Ancients were wiped out by an unknown powerful force, and seeing them be attacked at random by another unknown force, it reminded him of his own generational trauma.

Sonic, as optimistic and cheerful as always, reminds him he may be the only echidna, but it doesn’t mean he’s the only living person, as he got other people. Knuckles admits he’s into Sonic’s freedom lifestyle, which Sonic encourages him to pursue as well, of course once things are back to normal.

———————

As mentioned in my essay on Amy Rose, it’s gentle, quiet moments like these that sell the unique tone of Frontiers. Moments like these showcase why even after all these years later, no matter how these characters are made out to be in all these stories, there’s a good reason to be in love with them and invested with their personalities and goals. This franchise may be all about running around and going fast, but it doesn’t hurt to take a step back and sit down; these moments we haven’t seen since I guess, Sonic Unleashed, and moments that could’ve benefited games like Sonic Forces.

It’s so nice to just have characters taking a moment to talk things out and show appreciation for one another. It’s such a breath of fresh air to see them show to be more than just background characters that tag along Sonic; they have their own goals and wants in life. And at the time of me writing all of this, it makes me more excited to see what Update 3 does to these characters.

———————

Knuckles is a very special character, where the fact he has this very specific burden he has to put up with that no one he knows might ever be able to relate to or fully understand…oddly makes him relatable. We all have some problem in our lives that may feel like no one else will ever get: certain trauma, mental issues, just things that we just have to accept will be a part of us for the rest of our lives whether we like it or not. Said problem may never have a proper solution or a way out, it’s the unfortunate truth.

But, like Sonic, there will always be people around to keep you on your feet and show you why you should always put up with said issues and do what’s right. They may not fully know what’s going on, but they will always try to help you find a work around to your problems and other ways to enjoy life regardless of the issues that may hold you back.

You may be the only one who may go through a certain dilemma, but you’re not the only one in the world who can help you deal with it. There’s always people out in the world to turn to when times get tough.

[fregata-magnificens]

I recently finished Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and, after digesting a little, want to share some of my (disorganized) thoughts.

I'm coming to Veilguard as a casual Dragon Age fan: someone who's played and enjoyed all of the previous DA installments, but who's also not super invested in what's going on outside of the story that's explicitly told in the games themselves. What follows is from that perspective.

Mild spoilers ahead.

Here's what I liked:

The visuals. The art design as a whole was bright, appealing, and cohesive. Each character was visually distinctive. I really enjoyed the change from the more "photorealistic" palette and animation of Inquisition to something more vivid, and almost cartoony.

The level design. I appreciated the more linear nature of each environment, especially after playing so many huge and desolate-feeling open world games. Even though exploration was limited, there were still plenty of nooks and crannies to poke around in.

The voice acting and dialogue. The talent for most of the main cast and much of the supporting characters felt like a step up from previous Dragon Age games. Conversations (for the most part) felt more natural, and dialogue that sounded stilted or (inappropriately) hammy was few and far between. I chose the British Male voice for my Rook, and he was nice to listen to for my whole playthrough.

The character creator, and the ability to tweak your Rook's appearance right out of the gate. When my Rook ended up with cheeks that were way too puffy, I was able to go right back and fix his face without losing my progress or spending any resources.

Assan and Manfred!

What I disliked:

The slow start. Right off the bat, the stakes are so comically high that I had trouble really buying in. Plus, the game is never really clear on why Rook is there, or qualified to lead a team of experts. Yes, I know that all that information is explained or implied in your character background, but I feel like such an important piece of the story shouldn't be buried in the character creator. I didn't feel invested in my Rook's story, which at times led to me becoming disengaged from the narrative as a whole.

Character interactions. "Eavesdropping" on my party was cute, but I otherwise found the relationships between the characters kind of flat. There was definitely potential that wasn't realized. I felt a lot like the characters were written separately, like the writers didn't actually get to talk outside of a few meetings during production.

Grinding. Sure, there was limited level grinding, as most story-relevant enemies scaled to your Rook's level, but completing small quests and selling items for favor with your allied factions felt like a chore.

The handling of nonbinary identity (mostly). Queerness in the Dragon Age universe is mostly unremarkable: even outside of Rook's ability to date any of their party members, the game references multiple queer relationships, and at least one minor they/them character. So why, in 2024, did the writers feel the need to explain nonbinary identity as if the audience had never heard of it before? Nearly every time the word came up, I felt like I was in a Very Special Episode of a children's TV show.

Dragon fights. For being the game's title monster, dragons were boring enemies. Once you fought one of them, you've fought all of them.

Lucanis's romance arc. I wasn't initially sure which character I wanted my Rook to date, so I went through the trouble of having each of them ask him out one by one. In the end it came down to a choice between Lucanis and Emmrich, because that's what I felt like he'd be most into. I weighed my options and chose what I thought would be a more robust and interesting romance; Lucanis seemed like he was custom-designed for Bioware fans. But his romance arc consisted of maybe a few extra lines of dialogue and one sex scene. It was so disappointing that shortly after I finished the game, I loaded an old save so my Rook could romance Emmrich instead; I'm finding it to be way more satisfying already.

Other random thoughts:

I want a scented candle that smells like the Rivain coast environment: warm sandstone, ocean air, and pine.

I wish there were more reason to hang out in the Crossroads; it was visually one of my favorite environments.

It would have been so cool if each type of combo detonation looked different.

[practically-an-x-man]

What visual medium would your fics be best represented by? (i.e. TV or Movie, live-action, traditional cartoon, anime, 3D animation, etc)

Oooh thank you!! This is super interesting!

So the short answer is that I tend to write my fics with the intent for them to "fit in" with the tone of their canon media - even in writing, I try to match the tone of whatever it is I'm writing about, so it really feels like a part of the established universe. My goal in writing is usually to make the reader forget that my OCs aren't canon characters and really to envelop them in that world as if they're reading something that belongs to canon.

That being said:

A Love Once New (Rae): I would say a movie to match the rest of the X-Men movies, but so much happens in this fics that I feel like it would be better represented by a TV show - I wouldn't want to miss the details or try to cram everything into a movie, so a TV show would help with that pacing. Live-action with practical effects and some CGI

Symphony in Silver (Robin): Live-action movie like the other X-Men movies, fit in somewhere between Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix.

Smoke and Mirrors (Madison): I could see this as a TV show, and honestly could go either way on live action vs animated. Live-action would fit the way I've imagined it more, but I think it could also be fun to see an animation similar to the classic X-Men cartoon (and animation would be better for Madison's mutations, since there are a lot of them and CGI could make it look a little wonky)

Catch and Release (Ophelia): I'd want the main thing to be a live-action movie (you're gonna hear this a lot... like I said, I generally try to match the tone/pace to canon), but Hobie's cameo would still be animated like he is in the ATSV.

Gia's fics: I don't have much written for her yet, but I could see her added to the Hawkeye TV show!

Heartstrings (Jasper): Live-action TV show, I've basically just added Jasper to AHS Coven

Taking Flight (Kestrel): This is an interesting one... a fic based on a book series, with no real visual components. I've heard Fablehaven may be getting a live-action reboot, but I honestly think Taking Flight would look best as a series of animated movies - either tradition 2D animation a la Brother Bear or Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, with painted landscapes and expressive but realistically-drawn animals; or a stylized 3D animation like we see in The Wild Robot. Either way, animation would complement the magic and natural themes of the fic, and be stylistic but not overly cartoony.

Who Waits Forever Anyway? (Katherine): I'd love to see a blended live-action and animated movie, where the main story is told in live-action but Katherine's interactions with the gods are a sort of artistic, stylized hand-drawn animation in the style of historic art (like the opening scene in Hercules with the Muses on the amphora, the flashbacks in Kung Fu Panda 2 that are like traditional Chinese paintings, the scene in Prince of Egypt with the hieroglyphs, etc.)

Desert Song (Quinn): All of my 6 Underground fics are based on the fact that 6 Underground was set up for sequels that then got cancelled, so it would be a big-budget live-action sequel like the first movie.

Eris' fics: Hm... Again, I'd go a little stylistic with it. In the main timeline, they do effectively fit into the 2021 Suicide Squad movie, so I see those as scenes implanted into the movie. But AU fics like Years Ahead or This Phantom Life, I could honestly see as animated in different styles - basically just give the script to a different animator each time and see what they come up with, like Star Wars: Visions.

Nikoletta's fics: Similar to Eris, I see some of her fics just being implanted scenes into The Suicide Squad, but I think I'd go the route of a spinoff TV show (a la Peacemaker) for the others. Her story's a bit more linear than Eris, so a traditional TV show would work better than an anthology for her.

Heart in Your Hands (Jimmy): Live-action movie! It follows the plot of Frozen Empire with the inclusion of Jimmy, anyway.

Vivienne's fics: This one's tough. Yes, it's based on a horror movie and will incorporate the plot of that horror movie, but I'm honestly writing it a bit more like the book! I'd definitely want it to be live-action, and go strictly practical effects for things like Vivienne's siren traits (maybe a little CGI for her eyes, like they do in The Shape of Water, but everything else should be makeup), but whether the pacing would be better with a movie (or series of movies) or a TV show is what I'm still not sure about.

Spider's fics: I'd want a live-action movie with a few "game-ified" elements, like Scott Pilgrim or Guns Akimbo - overlays up on the screen as Spider's categorizing his tapes, animated flairs or sparks surrounding his tape recorder, "+1 can of soup" as he picks up resources for survival, things like that. Basically, I'd want it to be live-action but with a focus on Spider's point of view, and his point of view is inspired by a lot of other movies and games. Oh, and the sound design had better be KILLER!

Terra & Pluto's fics: 3D animated TV, in line with Arcane itself. I mean, I designed the characters that way, I even made my best efforts to try and draw them in the Arcane style, and it would just fit best as part of that world.

Prometheus' Fics: Here's the thing... we're not supposed to SEE Prometheus. They don't have an established physical appearance beyond their clothing, and I want to keep it that way. They're meant to reflect the reader, and I wouldn't want that to be ruined by casting an actor and having people then imagine that actor when they think of the character. The solution... how about a first-person video game? It's about the only visual media I can think of that's commonly in a first-person perspective, and I think it could be interesting to give the players a level of control in Prometheus' story - that's the point, the first fic even has two endings so people can choose which they want to focus on!

Bolts and Blasters (Indigo): Live-action TV show - going back to ALON and S&M, there's a lot of plot to cover and a TV show would just help with the pacing more than a movie would. Plus, Star Wars has already done some high-quality TV shows, so I think a "spinoff" from the sequel movies would work here.

[naughtynoodle056]

hi it won't let me dm you or comment on any of your posts so I'm gonna try and do it here. As someone with an ED and a recovering anorexic with not a feederism kink, but like a stuffing/bloating kink (and I'm into chubbier people but that's less of a kink and more of a preference I think?). Your recent post about making that series sounds genuinely interesting. Especially as someone whose trying to get into kink spaces more after a lifetime of not only fat-phobic media, but outwardly.. idk, thin-phelic(???) media trying to unlearn a lot of stuff and also let myself enjoy eating and gaining weight, even if for me personally it's only a little bit.

aaaa thank you omg 🥹🥹🥹 , I have yet to finish the comic yet embarrasingly BUT I have been touching on it in written story form starting in this chapter but obviously obligatory I DO have a feedism kink warning so while there's definitely a lot of stuffing there's weight gain too, it's just more... tame I guess? xD Despite the cartooniness of my art style and this kink community in general, I like to fill that niche of more soft feedism content or just like. Kink art of characters just enjoying eating and gaining a bit of weight. I'd be lying if I said I ONLY liked slight weight gain, but admittedly I DO think the slight gains are a slightly underrated treat as one who kind of only avoided developing a full blown ED because I had a stuffing kink and preference for chubbier people <3 I tend to prefer kink art of characters that have personalities and feel like human ya know? And what better way to humanize a character of mine than to explore the concept of him finding comfort in this kink after struggling with his weight? It feels like the kind of compassionate piece that could maybe help other people feel less alone in their more complex emotions regarding this sort of thing. Especially because if I'm being honest, a lot of this series is coming from some personal experiences, albeit not all of it. It may take some tie to clean up the sketches into a formal comic but I'm committed to doing so 🫡

also of course I like the fact that the protag of the story is black because I will draw black characters into my kink art forever and ever and ever it's my god given right as a black NSFW artist xDD

[thegeminisage]

Hmm. 20-22 inclusive …. making you be negative 😈 I’m assuming you’ll do zelda but as a scholar I’m also interested in your spn thoughts so you pick mwah

oooh dealer's choice this is so tough...what if i just answer for both LMAO im so sorry ok Lets Go

20. part of canon you found tedious or boring

for zelda: i really, really wish i liked wind waker. i wanna like wind waker so fucking bad. i love wind waker's story. i love wind waker's ganondorf. i love how bright and cheerful the graphics are contrasted with how solemn it is underground. i love the dungeons and the gameplay. but god i HATE the cartoony little balloon heads. it takes me right out of those serious moments. i don't mind stylization but if it could have been just a LITTLE BIT. less stylized. just a LITTLE LESS like animal crossing characters. it's beautiful to look at but for a game with such serious hidden elements WHICH I LOVE i find trouble taking it seriously.

for spn: god, all of crowley's little arcs. he was almost never interesting, and while you can excuse bad writing for cas because it's cas, you can't make crowley happen. fetch is never gonna happen! you can show me his fun hot mom and his dead son and it still isn't happening! he's just the walking talking embodiment of the "angels and demons are just like OFFICE WORKERS" trope which i hate so fucking deeply because it's the least sexy direction they ever took and the exact opposite of what i want from my angels and demons. all of the middle seasons suffered deeply from this. crowley COULD have been interesting, but tbh, i liked him best in the season they killed him off.

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

for zelda: i could do wind waker again but actually i completely understand the hype, bc wind waker is a great game even if i can't deal with it like a normal person. same with botw - i found most of the joy thru exploration, so it just didnt Hit on replays the way other zeldas do, but its influence cannot be understated and the hype is deserved. what if everybody is right all the time to hype any and everything about zelda?? oh wait actually. sorry. twilight princess ilia. idk if people hype her but if they do theyre wrong. love and light to her, she's Fine, but it feels kind of like a knockoff of malon (superior) and i generally dislike when link has romantic interests besides zelda, even if the love interest gets amnesia (wistful sigh). this sin was especially egregious bc zelda barely has any screentime at all, but i forgive tp for this because what screentime she DOES have is spent being in lesbians with midna. so it works out just this once due to the power of gay people, but that's some thin fucking ice. anyway, sorry to ilia and ilia fans for being a misogynist

for spn: i hate canon claire. i can't get into it in depth but like...sorry, even without the issue of My Own Claire Ideas, i still don't know if i could do it. being gay does not save her from having the exact same "damaged but spunky teen girl" personality given to almost EVERY OTHER TEENAGE GIRL (or young woman) on the show. to some extent she, krissy, mary from the winchesters, charlie, jo, alex, etc etc all have the same personality with a few defining quirks tacked on as an afterthought. do i love some of these characters? yes, of course. are they well-written? absolutely not <3

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

for zelda: in general, i think skyward sword gets a bad rap despite lanayru desert's entire (waves hand vaguely) and zelda being a fucked up evil goddess who canonically manipulates link's love for her. AND GROOSE. never forget groose. more specifically i think not enough people have acknowledged 1. the champions corpses are definitely still in those cockpits 2. oot link essentially became a stalfos by walking into the lost woods without navi and never came back. hello?? generally those dark little implications that u have read between the lines to get <3

for spn: oh baby its michael!dean. i waited so long and i only really got what i wanted for one episode but it was so good. it was SO good. no one else is as hype about the fact that it took nine REAL LIFE YEARS to get there. a DECADE of my finite time on earth. but ohhh was it ever worth the wait. what else could i possibly write 100k+ about

[ASK MEME]

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Lotta Stuff

The Annecy cool-news train keeps a-rollin', while I'm still reeling in from the delight that is ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

Speaking of SPIDER-VERSE, more on Sony Animation's 2D animated Genndy Tartakovsky adult comedy FIXED was unleashed, though still no release date or how it'll be released - despite strong implication that it's bound for... The big screen! It's going to be completed in September, too. Right around the corner. I wouldn't be surprised if this dog takes BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE's 3/29/2024 release date, giving the crew the time they need to perfect the closer to this multiverse-spanning spider trilogy.

We got some of the major cast (such as Adam Devine, Idris Elba, and Olivia "Liv" Octavius herself, Kathryn Hahn), and Tartakovsky continues to describe it as more classic-like, an R-rated LADY AND THE TRAMP and ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS. "A very sweet, charming, sincere story of friendship and romance.” Basically, everything they revealed and everything they've been saying make this sound like a winner. Plus it's Tartakovsky, you can't go wrong. We get this - and possibly his action movie BLACK KNIGHT later on down the line - instead of his POPEYE... It's been hinted that some legendary animators have been brought to this project, too. Ones that the crew didn't think they'd get... Intriguing...

Also, it could be the first major-release theatrical 2D animated movie that isn't based on a beloved property or a sequel since... THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG? Because since then... It's been films like WINNIE THE POOH, TV series-based fare like SPONGE OUT OF WATER (mixed media) and MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE. KLAUS was a Netflix film, though it did have a few screenings in theaters.

If it goes to theaters, and does pretty well relative to the budget (I'd imagine this didn't cost more than, say, $30m to make?)... Well, I don't know if it'd move the needle on more 2D films being made, let alone more adult 2D films being made... But it'd be notable and quite nice for this type of film.

In the world of streaming comes a Netflix-exclusive DreamWorks animated film written by Charlie Kaufman, of all people! (He did do uncredited rewrites on KUNG FU PANDA 2, to be fair, one of my all-time favorites.) Directed by Sean Charmatz, in his feature directorial debut, ORION AND THE DARK (based on the book of the same name) sounds like - seemingly - a whole-hog meditation on fear and the dark and the beauty the night can be... Wait why is this a streaming movie, then? I get that it's being produced up at Mikros, like the studio's CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS was, but I feel it should be a theatrical release. Sounds every bit as worthy of big screens as RUBY GILLMAN is. Either way, it's interesting to see DreamWorks having two theatrical titles a year (a sequel and a non-sequel), and also beefing up the slate with smaller, quirkier Netflix pictures. As expected, the look of the film is stylized and cartoony.

The teaser for Pixar's ELIO is finally here, from COCO co-director Adrian Molina. Just in time for ELEMENTAL's release. It looks like the colorful and fun-looking space adventure that was promised at this past D23, with neat environment and creature design, and alien humor to spare. I'm here for more space adventure animated movies. There's something rather amusing about this trailer debuting when virtually everything else on Disney's whole slate of live-action/VFX-heavy pictures got shuffled... Like almost aggressively so. AVATAR 5 pushed all the way back to 2031 (what the hell are our lives gonna look like at the end of this year alone??), STAR WARS here, Marvel there... Meanwhile, the animated pictures remain in place... Pixars in March and June, WDASes in November... Quite something.

Elsewhere, Jorge Gutierrez expands on MAYA AND THE THREE and, surprisingly, his THE BOOK OF LIFE... A new story set in the same universe, perhaps a new dynamic way of doing a shared universe that won't feel as complicated and tried-and-true as other ones out there? Good to see him getting to play around with that world of his, in addition to other projects he has lined up, including an adult dog cartoon of his own: I, CHIHUAHUA!

THE SPIDER WITHIN also sounds great: Horror and an abstract portrayal of anxiety attacks by way of the SPIDER-VERSE series, and one that I - an anxiety-sufferer - am game to check out. I'm guessing they'll put this on the Blu-ray/4K set of ACROSS... I mean I hope. That they didn't say where it'll be released colors me skeptical.

New WDAS short ONCE UPON A TIME UPON A STUDIO could either be a fun tribute to the studio's 100-year legacy, or just a cynical self-congratulatory cameo stew. I like that they're using hand-drawn for this, but there's something kind of... I don't know... Off-putting? About a studio celebrating its legacy in hand-drawn animation while... Actively not pursuing hand-drawn animation for feature films in the foreseeable future... It's only used for maybe shorts and Disney+ projects. I know they keep saying "We're gonna do 2D!" or "The director chooses CG or 2D", but I also know that that's bunk... Until an actual 2D feature is greenlit and is actually in production, then I'll believe it. Also... Making use of previously-unused audio of Robin Williams recorded during production of ALADDIN... Given what hell Disney put Williams through with that film, and since it's been almost a decade since Williams' death... I'm also a bit struck by that. I like the premise of this short fine, and it's cool to see characters spanning over 60 films and a plethora of shorts, but... given how Disney can be a little excessive in their self-congratulations and such, on their centennial year? We'll see. What I want to hear about is what WDAS is releasing Thanksgiving 2024... That's where my mind's at.

[taiblogcomics]

They're Tiny, They're Toony, They're ALL a Little Loony

Hey there, amber spyglasses and subtle knives. We're getting own to the end on this one, huh? Eager to see where it goes? I hope so, coz I'm eager to show it to you~

Here's the cover:

I think this might be the most exciting and interesting one so far. First, you get a look at Zee and Uncle, she's the blonde and he's the other guy. It's got our characters running in peril, which seems to be a recurring theme. And to top it off, big ominous shadow of danger, which also promises some of the cartoony threats that have eluded the main cast so far. I like the high contrast and flat colours used for it. Additionally, Dick's moustache is also coming in nicely, as you can see. Good cover! If the final issue keeps it up, we may go out on a high note next time~

So what's the scoop? Dick and Mutt, on the run from their own government due to their involvement in a radioactive incident with rogue drone War Pig One, are slowly being transformed by the rainbow gas leaking from said drone. Mutt's been getting more dog-like, and Dick's personality and vocabulary are shifting. They were hunted by, then teamed up with, their Air Force allies Zee and Uncle. Zee's also having transformation troubles, but Uncle's unaffecte so far. And just when they set their differences aside and decide to meet the General, someone drops a nuke on Washington. Ain't that always the way~

We open with a squad of armed guys in hazmat suits. They're reading their equipment, and radiation and electromagnetic levels are normal. All the buildings and structures are intact. The explosion had visual characteristics of a nuclear weapon, but there's no known weapon that can do that without leaving any traces. Curiously, there's no sign of people--at first. And then they make contact. Out of the Capitol building swarm a bunch of cartoon monkeys in suits chasing a raccoon in a general's uniform. That Congress meeting has ended with the senators going ape~

Meanwhile, our protags have wandered into the Pentagon, since everything seems deserted. Zee takes a moment to note that she's undergone some further changes--namely, that instead of the reasonable, realistic build she had for an Air Force officer she had before, she's now got an exaggeratedly voluptuous, feminine build. She's not a fan, but Uncle can't help but admire it. Dick tells them all to shut up, leading them into a particular office. Inside is that same cartoon raccoon we saw moments ago: General Harrier, transformed into a toon by the explosion, standing on his desk attempting to burn some evidence.

They tie the general to his own desk chair, then go looking through the notes he was trying to burn. Among them are the research tapes left by Professor Dubious, and Harrier protests that they shouldn't watch them, as they might not like the answers they find. With that kind of warning, I hope it's not his sex tape. Thankfully not, though I'd hardly put it past Garth Ennis. Instead, it appears to be inside of a cave. The Professor, here still calling himself DuBois, is narrating what appears to be some kind of archaeology expedition. To some, this may be more horrifying.

So we're deep in a cave, and the professor is looking for some ruins he believes to exist due to his readings in the ancient book, the Looneytunicon. Written by the great magician Chuck Jonescraft, I'm sure. First he finds some heiroglyphs. Not only are they grawlixes, but they match the symbols War Pig One has been spewing in its rainbow mist. Then he discovers statues: the Buggoth, the Quacker in the Dark, Scoob Niggurath, Wileathotep… And they all sit at the feet of the dread starspawn himself: Cthluto. It's fair, trying to figure out the relationship between Pluto and Goofy does lead to madness.

Also among these statues, DuBois finds a chest with a latch on the front. Opening it, he finds a set of perfectly-made ingots of a clear material, glowing with power. He muses that perhaps this might be incredibly dangerous. And then he starts getting an idea as the element begins affecting him… Our four protagonists watch in horror, realising what's going on. So yeah, the ultimate secret of this series: cartoons descend from eldritch entities that Man Was Not Meant To Know, and Professor DuBois doomed us all by unleashing it.

General Harrier manages to escape from his bindings while they're reacting to the tape, and they decide to let him go. How much harm can a cartoon raccoon do? This is played parallel with him finding a telephone, implying he can do a lot of damage. Speaking of parallels, Mutt also takes the time to go find a phone of his own, putting in a call to his family. Or at least he tries. In a tragic scene, as soon as his wife answers the phone, he suddenly starts barking again, distressing her further. Dick first yells for him to shut up, but when he realises the situation, both of them break into mutual sobs of how they don't want to be what they're becoming.

They return together as the tapes go on, showing the Professor's further experiments, eventually catching up to when he prepares to introduce it to Unliklistan and renames himself Professor Dubious. Uncle also sorts through the various printed notes and files, discovering some further notes on how Unstablium works. It can be introduced to other elements, where it will react, but it will also gradually build up energy and react on its own. On its own the explosion is clean, while when combined, it amplifies other elements. That's why Unliklistan is a crater, while the explosion in D.C. oly affected the population.

There's another effect as well. If introduced to a sample of its own self, the explosions will cancel out and render the samples inert. So that's our current status: the sample in War Pig One is active, and caused the explosion here. If introduced to another sample, it'll probably cancel this whole thing out. And even the whole source is suspect. Was it really made by dark elder gods? Or did it just affect some natives long ago, causing them to go mad as well, inventing the statues and writings in reverence? It might just be some naturally occurring element in that case.

So they've got a plan! Unfortunately, they've also got a problem. The General has finished his phonecall, getting a bunch of special ops guys into the base. As the General gloats how this will advance his career and make him a hero, one of the soldiers receives a call and confirms his orders. General Harrier pays no attention, caught in his monologue. He wraps it up and commands the troops to fire when ready. They do so--shooting General Harrier into dust, and telling the four Air Force folks that the President would like to see them.

They quickly meet with President Clooney (the vice president who was sworn in earlier in the story), who is now a small cartoon fox. But he's not content to remain such, and he realises the four of them are much more valuable alive. The world's rapidly changing from the Unstablium, and he aims to stop it before everything goes nutty. Dick tells them he has a plan, outlining what they learned from the professor's notes. And the further he gets, the more enthused he becomes. As the comic ends, he's outright twirling his moustache and declaring this to be a job best suited for the four of them: Zilly, Klunk, Muttley, and Dick Dastardly! The rest of them have no idea who he's talking about...

This one's really fun. The cartoon shit's really hit the fan at this point, and we are in full apocalypse mode. I bet that's an apocalypse you didn't have on your bingo card: world doomed to become wacky cartoons. I like how it sets up a bizarre backstory, and then throws even that possibility out the window. Maybe it's true, or maybe it's madness. Either is likely at this point. And in between all the backstory and zaniness breaking out, there's some real character moments. Even in the middle of goofy toon antics and exposition, there's real tragedy happening. Next week, we'll see how this all concludes~

[lagt-duck]

To me it's so interesting how Avatar (tla) manages his villains

Zuko by all accounts looks at first like a classic kid show villain

Always shouting, not extremely threatening and with scars to make him look more evil

And then the show does a 180 and is like "yeah but getting that scar wouldn't have been painful viewer?" And the viewer who has no real reason to hate Zuko beside him being a normal villain is like "oh shit"

Iroh is that classic side kick of the villain, to make him look funnier to the kids

But then the show kinda hits you with a bat when you realize that this guy loves the other like a son and like aaaahhh despite all the shit he did in life (let's not forget he was complacent in the war) he is such a good force that a lot of people FORGET THAT

Azula.... Azula is fucking terryfing and that's perfect! She in more ways then one follows Zuko steps of the evil guy, just a little less cartoony but still pretty basic, like she is ruthless and doesn't stop

Then the show is like "i mean yeah but she is also a very fragile teenager with the worst father in the world as only parent" and that is so so fucking painful? Like the final Agni Kai to me NEVER really felt like a triumphant Victory but more like... A sad relief? Like it's finally over and they can all heal now

Ozai... Ozai fucking sucks and that's amazing

Because.

A story needs a villain that the viewer needs to root against

Ozai is pretty one dimensional, but he thrives as a villain because EVERYONE ELSE in his (current alive) family is so well written!

It doesn't matter why Ozai is such a megalomaniac abusive piece of shit

Because the only thing we need to hate him it's provided and justified since episode 1

But. I think as a kid it really surprised me how... "Refined" he looked.

He isn't burly or his face is in a permanent scowl

He is by all standards a pretty boy. (Which is funny to think about)

But then he smiles and you realize that oh. This bitch is the creepiest bastard we have seen so far

(i personally think Zhao was a prototype, they share *a lot* of characteristics)

Anyway i just though it was neat.

[doodlestab]

Omgg recently I’ve been obsessing over CQ and deep-diving into a bunch of accounts to find out more stuff about it because there’s just so many characters! The world seems so vivid and alive, with a bunch of interesting concepts that I’m rlly interested in :000

But ahh, I’m still struggling to find out exactly how it came to be and what’s the whole idea behind it and such. If you feel up to it I would absolutely hear your own explanation of it, you as the creator, but only if you can obviously <33

Oh this is a dangerous question to ask me, because I could go on and on forever. I'm gonna write everything under a read-more and come back up top if I can summarize it all in a paragraph afterwards.

Okay I came back up like 6 paragraphs in. there is no way I will be able to summarize this so if you're really interested, prepare for the read.

So the concept of CQ sprouted first when I was probably about 11 or 12. I had nothing to do, I was often sick and stuck in bed at home, all I had was time on my hands. It was all conceptual for a while, until Adventure Time came out in 2010. That really inspired me to start drawing and developing my own universe because I remember being so fascinated with such an expansive world like the Land of Ooo. I was 13 at that point, and started drawing more too, so I had a laptop, a dinky little tablet, and still tons of free time.

The concept started out like this: I love bright colors, I love tons of characters, and I love silly antics. So I'll make a bunch of bright colors into characters, and make them be silly. In my mind they were always stick people, 2D abstractions, cartoony, etc. Those characters are what I call the mimes, which are the pale white skinned, single-color oriented characters you see me post all the time. Since the idea sprouted, they've become more than just 2D cartoons and sort of just their own physical characters.

After I'd curated that concept, I went on to flesh out the world. Made some "main characters" which were really just some of my first attempts at character designs that weren't weird animal creature thingamabobs. Tim, Gary, Samantha, Hannah, and Michael were the ones I believe I made first. That's sort of why Tim especially seems soooooo... bland. The average cis white dude with a silly T shirt. But as basic of a guy as he may be, he still is my guy and I love him so much and he will never not be my guy and also never not be the face of CQ. Even if he adds almost nothing extra to the group (ability wise), he will always be in the story just to be everybody's friend.

This feels like it's getting a little over descriptive, but really the concepts of characters and world building all came together in bits and pieces over the next couple years while I actually figured out a cohesive plot. I knew what I wanted but I wasn't sure how to communicate it, so I wrote out a sort of play-type script for it. I just slapped down dialogue, threw notes in on the side to remind myself what was going on in any given scene, and just went. I rarely looked back while I wrote, and it went on to be about 700 or 800k words of pure mess.

At this point, I was in a voice acting circle with a lot of good friends. So I gave the characters voices too!!! Because it was fun to see the characters come to life and I could tell my friends had a lot of fun with them too. The voices and talking to other people about the characters really helped me flesh them out even more. So I went back and revised the script to make it easier to be acted out.

I also got into animating around that time, too. So all together I was like holy cow. It's all written out, my friends have some awesome voices, I can animate... I could make this a little web series or something!!! And that failed. Cause I was like ambitiously 15 with really flimsy writing and a poor grasp on the flow of animation.

BUT! It was still a very exciting and developmental time for CQ. A lot of characters had been created, the concept of the mimes finally got fully fleshed out. It's much more of a spectrum now because of my love of character design, but at first I'm pretty sure the original mimes were Uppsulka (Red), Foxglove (Orange), Maggie (Yellow), Twiddle Niddle (Green), Holly (Cyan), TyV (Blue), and N & O (Purple).

I made more pretty quickly but those were the ones I'd had in my heart for a couple of years at that point. This was also around the time that my thinking got very very compartmental. As in, my OCD got the better of me. There had to be an be an opposite equal to everything. Not a bad thing, but ultimately something that would just make the world a little too complex for me to handle. Each mime had to have a living counterpart, it just felt like it had to be like that. So for every living person, there was always a new mime being designed alongside it. There was also the mimes concept themselves-- they're the concept of light. So of course, now I have to have a concept of dark, too. Weird creepy shadowy creatures were almost a thing.

Those shadowy beings still actually exist lore wise, but over time I melded that concept into the past of the plot. Light beat dark, dark is no more, influx of light (mimes), efflux of dark (shadowy dudes). It was right around here that I feel like I'd solidified what I really wanted to do with CQ? I think? I mean of course I'm still developing it all even now at 25, but right around then was like. Ah! Okay. Now I have a workable story.

Light beats dark, light rains into the physical land, the people that were already living in the physical land are like wtf get out? But these beings of light are like wtf we JUST got here. And also we're like way stronger and more abstract and creepy than you so *kills you*. And thus a band of heroes has to inevitably rise and resolve this issue.

So now at this point I have like 16 or 17 mimes and living people, so thats like wow over 30 characters. Also not to mention all of the side bit characters I'd made for side plots along the way. I love an expansive world, a huge roster of characters, and diversity in design and interaction... but I really had to settle on a limit for main focus characters. I still struggle with that. I still consider all of the characters you see me draw often as main characters. Now there's just more *mainlier* characters. Or rather, they've gotten their own story and development in groups. But whatever, because this is sort of getting too far from the topic to even be justifiable x_x

Basically the story is about concepts from a different plain of existence come to the physical realm, and everybody scrambles to figure out what the fuck is going on and how to get things back to normal. I don't call it an alien invasion story but it kind of is that. Just like. An accidental invasion that they can't reverse. Woops!!!

I'm not sure how to end this ramble because I know I could still go on for ever... but I'd probably just stray too far from the original question if I did.

Oh yeah also I did have a few attempts at launching projects for CQ. The really old comic from like 2014... an attempted video game... another comic.......... I've just never been happy with how I start it off. And the preferred method for how to tell the story I want keeps changing. Right now I want to animate it. I don't know how far I'll get. But I'll keep working on CQ until I get everything I want out about it out. (...so to those still interested even now, I'm honored that you enjoy the ramblings!)

[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Call of the Sea

I'm loving this wave of story-driven, first-person, point-n-click games! I'm not BLOWN AWAY by this one in particular, but I'm enjoying it!!

I bought this game with Christmas Money. And I can't remember if it was last year or the year before...either way, it's been sitting in my queue for a while. I knew when I skimmed a few gameplay videos that this is exactly what I've been looking for. Now sure why I've been holding back...

Right at the beginning, I got Titanic: Adventure out of Time vibes (you should play that game, BTW). I also got Bioshock Infinite vibes. It leans more to the latter than the former. The set decoration is great and the graphics are "high end" cartoony--but I noticed a few flaws, like waves of water appearing on dry land cause the designer or artist didn't sculpt the gameobject correctly. Ah-well. We're all human.

The Titanic vibes end quickly. Three levels and a prologue in and I've not directly spoken with any other charters...let alone seen one. So this is much more like Kona and Deliver Us the Moon--which is sad. While the game is story driven, the lack of human interaction is disappointing. I would at least like an AI companion on the level of Uncharted or Bioshock Infinite--or at the least, King Kong.

Wait...never mind--this game is giving me KING KONG VIBES!

Instead of character interaction, there's a near constant voice over from the main character. This is much improved from Kona's random narrator. I can hear the characters feelings through the voice acting, and it's more personal cause it's not narration, but self-reflection. I'm good with it.

But at the beginning it was a bit much. They knew they had about 5 minutes to get the player caught up, and they chose to use cheesy plot dumps via self-reflection. A woman with an unidentified illness has gone to find her husband who has not returned from an uncharted island looking for the cure. Almost immediately we find the husband's camp, and through the things that are left behind--including notes and letters written to the main character, we learn more about him and their backstory. This is an appropriate time to plot dump. You don't have to spill the beans right at the beginning. Just give us little hints that you pay off later.

The levels are surprisingly big. I had expected the game to be open world. It is not. But each level is of fairly decent size when there's not much to do but walk, look, and solve the occasional puzzle. The size does play into the "exploration" side of things--but, as I said, there's not a ton to do yet.

The first area had some things to look at, but there were only about two puzzles. They were fairly straight forward, and didn't seem "big enough" to define the end of a level. But there's some interesting cultural explorations about Polynesian tribes. I assume they're right. Better than how King Kong handled tribal representation at least.

The second level, the Camp, had a little more going for it. I was stumped for a little bit on a puzzle and wished the game had given me a few more hints along the lines of Uncharted. But I got it figured out. I think the struggle was that I was 95% correct in my solution and the only response I got was, "I don't know how this works or what it's for." Thanks game. thanks.

Story wise, it's ok. It's got all the ingredients of a good mystery. But like Kona and Deliver Us the Moon, everything is past-tense. It's all already happened. While it makes for a fun mystery (which I why I love Resident Evil games), there's nothing happening NOW except that I'm solving puzzles (which Resident Evil always has a now-plot). And maybe if there was more to the puzzles that would have helped...

As mentioned, there's few puzzles to solve compared to the level size. I'm nearly halfway through the game already, and I've only solved about 4 puzzles. Resident Evil could get away with this because they had supply scavenging and combat to balance the gameplay. I prefer this game's no-combat rule, but that does mean it needs more puzzles. That's also something I was expecting to see more. I think Kona gets away with fewer "puzzles" because it's an open world. There are few moments that are strictly puzzle--it's about exploring and figuring things out. There's also a survival element. So Call of the Sea just feels a little more barren.

I also learned that I probably wasn't setting my PC to improve performance speed before. I started to notice slowdown on my laptop and got disappointed. This thing is supposed to be as powerful as a Playstation 4 Pro--and that's pretty good. But I think I needed to tell it to go into performance mode, cause it suddenly got better and the fan went into overtime.

Despite some of my dissatisfactions, I am enjoying it. It's similar to the game I made for my wife, here (except I have character interactions). And it's kind of a chill game, so I could see myself playing through it like an afternoon hike, or something...

[princesssarisa]

It obviously won't happen in real life because Disney's next Snow White project will be the live action film remake, but I'd love to see a stage version of Disney's Snow White that combined aspects of the 1979 Radio City Music Hall production with 2004's Snow White: An Enchanting Musical from Disneyland.

Like the Radio City version, it would be full-length, not condensed into a half hour. But the aesthetic would be more like the Disneyland version, with its more sophisticated visual effects (especially the gorgeous animatronic magic mirror) and its richly textured, less cartoony costumes. In particular, as at Disneyland, I'd want the dwarfs to only have prosthetic noses and foreheads (and in Dopey's case, ears), leaving most of their real faces visible, rather than wearing the slightly creepy full-face masks of Radio City. I'd want them to be played by actors with dwarfism as they were at Radio City, though. I'd also like Snow White's animal friends to be portrayed by ballet dancers in elegant stylized costumes, as at Disneyland, though some of the little birds and squirrels could be played by puppets like at Radio City too.

For the opening, I would draw on the Disneyland version and have the magic mirror set the scene as a narrator, then show Snow White working as a scullery maid at the castle (more extensively than the animated version does) and being bullied Cinderella-style by her stepmother. Interesting though it was for the Radio City version to have Snow White's father be still alive and give the Queen an evil lady-in-waiting who secretly takes Snow White to a poor village to force her into hard labor, it's more poignant and creates more sympathy for Snow White to show her as an orphan directly abused by the Queen. If we wanted to expand the opening scenes and prevent them from being too dark, we could add several other castle servants to the cast and show them exchanging some friendly, lighthearted dialogue with Snow White before the Queen sweeps in and sets them all quaking. Other castle maids could serve as a backup chorus for "I'm Wishing" the way the village women did in the Radio City version.

I'm also in favor of both versions' expanded roles for the Prince. I like the Disneyland choice to have him converse for a few minutes with Snow White before breaking into "One Song," giving them at least a tiny bit more space to fall in love, and I also like the Radio City choice to have him come back later in search of Snow White, sing the new song "Will I Ever See Her Again?" when he can't find her, and then meet the Huntsman and learn from him about the Queen's evil plot.

Since this hypothetical production would be staged now, and not in 1937 or 1979, I think I'd be in favor of Snow White's slightly spunkier and less naïve characterization from the Disneyland production. I might even approve of keeping the Disneyland choice to emphasize that Snow White's inner beauty and love are what make her more beautiful than the Queen, even if that rewrite is slightly corny in its political correctness. But I'd hark back to Radio City by keeping Snow White's classic operatic voice and coloratura. That's the kind of voice the songs were written for and it's a part of Disney Snow White's identity. Why get rid of it just to be "modern"?

I wouldn't particularly care whether the Queen's final fall was from a cliff (as in the film and at Radio City) or from a balcony at her castle (as at Disneyland), but since this would be a full-length, full-scale production, I assume there would be space and budget for a cliff.

One departure I'd like to make from both stage versions, though, is to include the film's instrumental "Chorale for Snow White" over a wordless pantomime of the dwarfs mourning at Snow White's coffin. The animated film's portrayal of the dwarfs' grief is the most poignant I've seen in any Snow White adaptation so far, and both the Radio City and Disneyland productions sped over it.

Both the Radio City and Disneyland productions were very good but imperfect. Combining them in this way would create the ideal stage adaptation of Disney's Snow White, at least as far as I'm concerned!

@ariel-seagull-wings, @superkingofpriderock