#animatics are such a pain to actually finish

[octonerd]

I made this animatic (very very rough) like uhhh 3 months ago? it was when i first started to really get into ISAT so take it <3 This song is so Siffrin core and no one can tell me otherwise

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

required listening for today i guess:

rule 21 memento mori immediately followed by primitive state immediately followed by snitches and talkers get stitches and walkers. its like spotify shuffle is trying to beat me to death with nhw flavored ball peen hammers

[tornoleander]

Finally Ironed out some ninja designs! I Usually don’t share references but with the behind the scenes stuff I’m doing on my Skybound project I don’t have much else I can share yet.

There is a few headcanon/ Fic stuff in references and powers and the all ninja shot is for first part of Skybound project.

I can share Skybound project Updates! I’m making lots of progress! Trying to focus on p1 stuff so I can put full force into the p2 stuff!

|

V

P1 may be ready Summer? 2025

My Skybound talk Video:

* God I have so much to ramble about just when I think I covered something a new angle gets me

* How TF am I supposed to sanely transition from the wholesome reasons I love this season into the horribly problem stuff. Sigh*

* Actually studying videos covering serious topics to navigate how to word things.

* I have to stop drawing so much art for everything or no one will ever see this video.

* The desire to animate my character lipsinking to me is an evolutionary disadvantage I will resist.

Cannon compliant Animatic:

* Song is Ironed out fought a while adding voice lines and I’m way more excited than I thought I’d be for this animatic because I thought it would be overshadowed by how strongly I feel about the other 2. But damn.

* I’m storyboarding after like my life depends on it rn

* Really trying to capture Nya’s character Ark which sent me right back to the video script because I remembered that one reddit post calling her a bitch and rage wrote for 2 hours.

* I am determined to make people see how good her character arc actually is.

* Throwing Jay shade in this one lol he was kinda awful even with being manipulated.

* Trying to convey clear Ideas and story through art is pain but also addicting.

* This is meant as a leading to both part two animatics, but bbnb Kai is shorter than wytyaa Kai. The difference is significant everything else pre dinner with Nadakhan is the same. The other head cannons are almost aligned as far as I know. It’s JUST Kai. What do I do with him?!? Lmao Might just distance him from the other ninja so you can’t tell how tall he is. Thank goodness he is the most gullible and first to wish it all away

P2 out like December if I’M lucky TT

Even though I should focus on first things first, I can’t help myself. these fics have lived rent free in my brain for like 2 years and despite plans shifting the excitement of drawing the story I read and put to music in my head is a force of nature. Thanks Adhd

Wytyaa:

* I storyboarded about half the scenes I want to. Songs are decided but a few parts I’m waiting for the rest of the story for.

* I think I’m going to mess with color palette. I really want to capture the emotion and intensity. I’m learning the full potential of my art and

* I need Final ch released for maping out the second half.

* BUT I AM NOT READY TO READ IT @mondothebombo And from what you told me I don’t think I’ll be able to finish P1 by then. cries*

* I wanna capture the feeling reading wytyaa.

* May make my wytyaa specific refs so I can make animatic art I can post early.

Bbnb

* It’s all storyboarded and half animated

* Thinking about redoing most the earlier stuff, consistency has been a problem

* Also was to mess with colors, dark backgrounds and intense colors.

* I fought with my ref forever to find good enough lightning scar colors cause figuring out the right amount of contrast is pain.

* So now I want to redraw my bbnb scar references a third time.

* May draw other bbnb specific refs so I can make some art for the animatic I can post here early or on on my old A03 book

If you have Any questions feel free to leave an ask! I answer all eventually sometimes I do save em up though so if I didn’t answer something yet, Sorry I will get to you.

[purpdrawsthings]

Uhhhh yeah managed to speedrun this in less than a week don't ask

TW : EYES AND UHHHHHHH SPIRAL ILLUSION THING!!

OMFG THAT TOOK WAY TOO LONG THAN EXPECTED 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Enjoy this uh... First ever animation for my new Circus Showman AU =D [ technically not really my first animation for the AU more like the first finished one cuz the actual first on is that To The Other Side animatic I'm working on rn as of now =3 ]

Y'ALL DON'T UNDERSTAND THE PAIN I WENT THROUGH EXPORTING ALL THE GODDAMN IMAGES 😭😭😭😭💀💀💀💀

Anyways I'mma go break my fingers again and work on the next animation, YEETUS CHAT

[bluedeedeedoop]

Baby gay Barrissoka my loves

anyways yeah i started this not too long ago and is this the first time i actually technically finished an animatic idk but here ya go im drugged up on antibiotics and pain meds okay bye

[thestrongestjewel]

when the hyperfixation is so strong it hurts to think about it omfg its over ya'll ITS OVER i have like 3 or 4 animatic ideas i can't do because when i think of them i get too excited like THIS IS AWFUL

i mean its not awful i love thinking about my blorblos BUT I WANNA ACTUALLY MAKE THE THINGS IM THINKIN OFF BUT I CANT

I MEAN I COULD TRY BUT ILL GET TOO EXCITED AND START RUSHING THRU IT TO FINISH IT,,, pain this is actual pain /silly

[crooked-wasteland]

Oops: Rushing to Catharsis, Dodging Accountability

There is much to be said about the latest episode of Helluva Boss, and it is a bit of a tragedy that the animatic release felt like a more complete version of the episode than the actual finished product. From losing out on the visual intensity of Fizzarolli's injuries to the complete erasure of Barbie in the background of the disaster, it feels like these small changes removed the visceral intensity of the scene and its repercussions. Especially as Barbie is now the obvious point of conflict in Blitz's storyline, it feels like the impact of that part of the story is now devalued by her absence.

But that is hardly the end of the issues at play.

Medrano and her team rushed this story arc.

There are clear parallels to Bojack's two major story beats of Bojack abandoning Herb and the Sugarman Summer Home season arc. It is obvious that Blitz and Fizzarolli have a relationship paralleling that of Herb and Bojack in season one. However, Medrano pulls back in a multitude of ways and fails to commit the plot to a natural conclusion. While Herb rejects Bojack due to the fact that the latter never came to check up on him following his public disgrace and outing, Blitz is absolved of even that.

In the Bojack episode, Herb makes it clear that he doesn't blame his old friend for not standing with him when he was removed from Horsing Around. While he may have been upset at one time, he had cooled off and recognized that if the studio had let them both go, that would have been terrible for both of them.

Rather, it was Bojack assuming Herb's desires and thus avoiding his best friend for years under the belief that he had betrayed Herb so completely that the other wouldn't want to see him anyway. Bojack's insecurity was his own undoing in that relationship, even though it showed that both Herb and Bojack were still very compatible friends. Bojack's background of conditional relationships from his own parents set the groundwork for his hyperavoidant personality and how allowing generational trauma to dictate your relationships in life is a good way to lose everyone you ever hope to keep.

Here, Blitz didn't abandon Fizzarolli. Skipping to the end, Blitz was kept from seeing Fizz in the hospital by a currently unknown third party. Which removes his flaws on a fundamental level. While one could argue ripping off the storyline wholesale would have been just as bad, at least it wouldn't feel like a fanfiction retelling of that Bojack episode. It feels like Medrano had a very negative opinion of Herb and how he rejected Bojack and that this reiteration with her own characters is her way of "fixing" that relationship. At the same time, what Blitz ended up doing is far and above worse than Bojack simply not risking his career.

The episode takes the sequence as dark as they'd dare, Fizzarolli crawling out of the explosion as his body burns and disintegrates. The show really does want to bank itself on the emotional impact this sequence should have, picturing how afraid Fizz must be. The amount of pain he would be in as his mangled body turns to ash as he forces himself from the fire. His flesh melted, his horns seared red and glowing like it would if they were made of real keratin, his bones themselves falling apart as he forced his body to escape the disaster. And he calls out to the one person he held such admiration for, his best friend since they were kids, who turns his back on him and runs.

And somehow, that is not the reason the relationship has become so bitter and vile. Not because Fizzarolli, most likely believing he was going to die, watched his best friend run away and "save himself" (from Fizz's perspective), leaving him to die alone in this calamity. It's because Blitz never came to talk to him. And even then, it wasn't Blitz's fault.

While that reveal worked for Bojack and Herb, it doesn't actually work for when a character almost actually loses their life. The figurative end of the world that comes with losing a job you love and a creative passion project stolen and bastardized can not begin to amount to the physical act of dying. That is actually the entire point of Herb's story as well, why Bojack's initial betrayal is forgivable, but his avoidance was not. It's because what felt like the end of life in the moment didn't actually end anything substantial for Herb. He still lived a full and complete life, minus his best friend who left him to rebuild on his own. And you can not, in fact, make up for lost time.

Speaking of comparisons, the dialogue of this sequence in particular feels quite off-putting. Blitz's line of "You have e no idea what I lost in that fire" is accusatory and draws up a direct comparison to what each character lost. Fizzarolli is physically scarred by the events as well as mentally and emotionally. Horns are shown to be a source of social pride for imps, adding self-esteem and identity to the list of things Fizz lost in the disaster. But because it is implied that Blitz's mother actually did die in the fire, that is a tragedy somehow beyond belief for someone like Fizzarolli. It would be safe to assume that Tilla's death would have been felt by everyone who survived the circus, or at the least for the kids. The dialogue sets up a divide that somehow Blitz watching how his careless moodiness almost killed his crush is not at the top of the list of traumas Blitz has to sort through from this sequence is hard to believe.

Speaking of crush.

And that gets to why this episode as a whole fails to work on a fundamental level. For what it is, what it wants to be, and what it is trying to set up, this episode consistently drops the ball. It is confounding to think that Medrano believed that the relationship for Stolas and Blitz was for more necessary to show than this.

This episode should have been a flashback.

The entire episode should have been the lead up to the disaster. Show us the relationship of Blitz and Barbie and Fizzarolli. Show us the way Blitz is treated by others at the circus even as he ages.

Show us Tilla for five minutes for the love of everything meaningful. It's so hard to believe this should be important to the characters or story when we are given nothing concrete about who Tilla was as a person or mother. We lived the flashbacks of Bojack, no matter how short a snippet they were. We experienced Beatrice's callous nature or his father's self-centered abuse. For as important as she is implied to be, Tilla is not so important as to be an active participant in the story.

At the end of all this, I believe that the greatest issues boil down to a set list

- Characters do not have any lasting responsibility to the situation, their actions or the outcome.

- Somehow a character like Tilla who has never been seen and lacks any personality outside of early Steven Universe Rose Quartz perfection is a loss that is elevated over the trauma we are allowed to very distantly experience in Fizzarolli's monologue.

- The fact that we still have no idea about who any of these characters were to appreciate the sense of loss that this episode was supposed to supply.

- Fizzarolli and Blitz make up completely by the end of a single episode.

- The lack of buildup to the disaster causes confusion as to why it ever happens. Blitz throwing the confession letter on the ground and walking away has no rhyme or reason to it.

This episode is a literal laundry list of bad choices and poor structuring. When a school teacher writes in the margin, "Show, don't tell," this is what they are talking about.

[smoreboi]

Well, I'm a little late to the post (randomly popped up on my fyp) How would you rank your enjoyment of the different life series and why? Also are smores your favourite food or not, if not, I will be mad (jk jk)

hard question, I love them all, but here’s my attempt at an answer. also, I am in the group of folks who tries to keep up with multiple pov’s, but im also very busy, so mostly I just end up watching grian’s, so that will effect my answers

third life - the og, if i hear any hate for third life, i will rip and tear and bite, twas the beginning of something so fantastic. There’s a reason Desert Duo and Flower Husbands and RenWood and such are still terms that get thrown around in fan discussions today, an icon of a season. 10/10

last life - if I’m ever to forget the major occurrences of any of the life series’, it would be last life, it’s probably the lowest on my list because of that, there are tons of great moments, and the introduction of the boogeyman was great, it just stuck with me less than the others 7/10

double life - YES YES 1000X YES. I’m not brave enough to say it’s my favorite, but just. Watch the Everen animatic for double life on repeat for 13 hours and try to come back to me telling me you’re normal about double life. You can’t. If you can, you’re lying. The angst factor was up to 100 when they decided to make double life. And every pairing in there was iconic. 100/10

limited life - I feel like when I finally get around to watching martyns pov for limited life, I’ll be able to enjoy it more, for now, it’s still highly ranked, it’s just not as highly ranked bc the gimmick wasn’t as gripping from a them actually playing stance. Loved all the timepieces and symbolism in the artwork, and I mean, bad boys, ties, nosey neighbors, the family, the mean gills, all icons in their own right, just. There wasn’t much change to the gameplay imo. 8/10

secret life - so I have been able to watch scars pov for this one and just. 😭😭😭😭the ending, with the “she’s dead, scar. you won” and the “how did the guy with no friends win” and just. AAAAAHHHHH I wanted to eat my own teeth it would’ve been less painful than that. You’ll note that the ones with more angst factor are higher rated in this list, it just gets all the creative folks going feral and I love seeing it and occasionally trying to be a part of it, anyways, yea, we’ll say 50/10

wild life - not a fully formed opinion yet because the series isn’t finished, but this is the most gimmick we’ve ever gotten and I am soo here for it! Put these creatures into situations!! I have been consistently watch both grian and rens POVs for this one since grian uploads a lot later than most of the others (+ I keep up w sarez and jimmy’s reactions to sarez (keep the nickels coming, reddit folks, I ain’t there, but I support you)) and really just. I need to watch more of ren is what I’ve learned from this, he makes everything fun. We’ll say 9/10, subject to change as the series progresses

bonus: real life - such a good April fools episode, 10/10 for being hilarious and putting them folks in funny little situations (this is separate from my other ratings, I still like actual canon seasons more than real life)

and for the second question, s’mores are fantastic, definitely in the top, but I don’t think I can say they’re my number one favorite food, just because there’s so many foods out there. the blog name came from the first friend I ever came out to saying that my chosen name reminded them of a smore and then proceeding to call me smore friend around folks I wasn’t comfortable being out to as a way to not deadname while still keeping stuff under wraps.

[nwarrior777]

Martin, Papers, Fire. And Knife

a little draft I wrote laying in bed as coping mechanism today in the morning. writing my fav character smashing someone to blood pile is therapy

inspired by that 9 minutes animatic of that moment of canon burning statements.

...

- is it really so hard to believe that i hate you as much as others

- no but it's hard to believe that you will act up about it

...

[he acted about it]

...

- what are you doing martin

- just walking i guess. i can't act up against you right. so what's bad can happen if i will come closer

- *chuckle*

- hard to believe i can act up. huh. why? can you tell me why. it's interesting to hear the reason

- martin you are worthless, pathetic-

- mhm mhm mhm yeah yeah yeah. i asked why. why do you think i am like this

- *chuckle*

- i know the answer i just want to hear it

- oh really

- yeah

- you think you ready to hear it

- oh i am so ready Elias

- phh. okay

- your look. your voice. gestures, behavior. everything. it's everything martin. entire you are the reason

- you such a shithead Elias

- ahah-

- you couldn't even tell this straight.

- i am very fat guy in glasses, quiet mostly, with eye tic, trembling voice, bring tea to coworkers. that's that you mean by "pathetic" right?

- you said it

- and you mean it.

- * slow claps * very cool performance martin. cool. you are so cool martin. now lets finish it

- i didn't get yet to the best part

- enough. i don't have time for your kindergarden theater. and you talk too much today. but this [ burning paper sound ] i don't like it martin. and you will stop doing it right now

- if you didn't notice i am not sitting on table burning anything. i am in front of you. Standing right. In front of you

- good. but i am assuming you will come back to it as soon as i leave the room

- you will not leave this room Elias

- ...oookay. your attempts to whatever you doing bored me. not very exquisite way to shut you down, but, quick one.

*clears throat* [eye sound] your mother-

- [eye sound stops] hates me? oh i know. her eyes told me long before your

- ...

- ...[eye sound] but you don't know why-

- [eye sound stops] i know exactly why. father face. which i have sticked to mine. had. father face we didn't see near by - she - for years, me never, well, at least not enough time to remember his face by myself. and yes, she destroyed photoes. but what do you think, i didn't try to find him? you think i couldn't find images on internet? of course i did, Elias

[ steps closer ]

- of course i did.

what was it Elias? a try to make me not able to look in the mirror? me bursting in tears about it? i did it long time ago yeah. but i went through. I added something. Elias, i *Looove* looking in mirror, now *especially*. This fucker vanished after some pounds on, new haircut and glasses. He also wasn't into dandy poetic fashion, you know. more into dirty all in beer and chips shirt and shorts

so its not. a bother

- .... very cute family story martin but-

....

- *SOUND*

...

- is this cute?

...

- * cough, blood choking *

...

- is this cute Elias? a knife in your guts? going baaaaack

- *blood chocking, try to catch breath* * scream in pain *

- ....and foooorth

- *blood coughing hard choking on blood short breaths in try to catch air interrupted in cought*

- is it? fucking? cute?

( sounds of splashing blood, knife goes in and in and in)

---

- look. LOOK. IN MY EYES

- ---

- actually you know. i don't care what you see in me. i see myself. feel. much more about me, than others will ever tell.

- *blood cough* *unclear voice sound*

- oooh nonono. last word here will be mine

...

(sounds of splashing blood from fast, fast faster going up and in knife smashing meat, bones, skull, going through to the floor)

...

tape cassete click

[eskiinox]

Hi! I really really love your art it’s so pretty and distinct and wonderful!!!

Your ‘Be nice to me’ animatic is really delightful and I’ve watched it a bunch of times! I love how all the frames have a little bit of movement to them and the colours are so nice

I was wondering how you could share how you go about making your animatics (process, programs, etc).

Thanks :DD

THANK YOU LIZARD THAT MEANS THE WORLD <333 im so so so happy that people like that animatic :D and OF COURSE1!!!!!!

so I start by getting obssessed with a song and then making a little storyboard. I have a bunch of these that never get turned into an Actual Animatics but theyre always fun and help just get the idea out of my Head. Ignore the terrible quality of the photo but I managed to find one of the ones for be nice to me! COULD NOT TELL YOU WHAT ANY OF IT MEANS NOW!!!!! giggling my storyboards are just blobs and also this photo is awful i can barely see it BUT I COULD READ IT AT THE TIME SO THATS ALL THAT MATTERS!!!

usually I have a bit more of a plan but for be nice to me i seem to remember lots of the parts got shuffled around. mostly because I wanted to include as many characters as possible. (even if most of it is just mort and family because they're very dear to me )

ANYWAY!!! so I animate bigger things in krita, which (although it does crash somtimes) is easy to use and has nice brushes. I used to use it for all my art :D i also use flipaclip for animations which i dont want to put much detail into beacuse its fun to do higher fps stuff on there. I TRIED USING PROCREATE DREAMS ONCE BUT IT DOENST HAVE A LASSO TOOL???? which is really painful so I gave up. I dont do much editing, but sometimes i use capcut to fix audio or do small camera movements. All of these are free! apart from procreate dreams. i hateyou procreate dreams.

A thing i like doing, is to make multiple lineart frames of a still shot and alternate them every few frames which makes it look more Alive and helps transition into movement nicely :D I didnt really bother to do that in the hfth one though because it was so fast paced. ANOTHER THING TO FAKE MORE MOVEMENT is to use the transform tool to have a frame thats slightly stretched or squished after quick movements which makes them look more bouncy.

COLOUR WISE for long animatics I have a bg colour and a couple of Bright colours that stand out for important details. i think in be nice to me that was mostly red and green. nik and marolmar.... if its just lineart I also sometimes draw background details in a lower opacity or different colour so it looks less cluttered

AND THEN once I've finished sometimes I also throw a texture over the top of everything to make it look more interesting... usually a paper texture i like using those :D

NO IDEA HOW MUCH OF THIS MADE SENSE BUT I ENJOYED RAMBLING!!!!!!!! i hope it answered your question :D

[jimmedicated-jambino]

hiii umm feel free to ignore this if u want. im not really good at words and articulating things and i know the full project and context is still yet to come but i would really like to ask what direction you’re coming from with this… cause im perceiving like, a sort of unempathetic “HA stupid shit idiot loser finally realized he needs therapy and medication to be worth something” undercurrent (yknow not maybe in those exact words but this general vibe) and i would really like to know if im totally wrong about this, cause i like your art plenty and it gets shared in my circle but something still pokes the back of my mind y’know? i hope the rest of your day is good :)

Ok I avoided mentioning this because I really prefer not to share details about my mental health and personal traumatic experiences, but I guess I should've said this sooner:

TW: Depression, su*cide attempt

Note: To be clear, whenever I mention "Jimmy" I am NOT talking about the character from the game. I'm talking about the Jimmy in my AU.

This AU is rooted in my own experiences with mental illness, severe depression, and taking medication. I have struggled with depression for the majority of my life and around 4 years ago I reached my lowest point. It got so bad that just being alive hurt. Living hurt. Everything just hurt. From the moment I woke up until the moment I fell asleep all I could feel was just pure pain. Not just emotional pain, it manifested into physical pain. And it was bad. I felt like I was rotting on the inside and my soul was trying to climb out of the torture chamber that my body had become. I was willing to do anything to make the pain and suffering stop. I was prepared to end my life and if I hadn't made the decision to try medication as a last resort, I can say with 100% percent certainty that I would be dead right now. I really couldn't take it anymore. I had reached the absolute bottom. I gave up.

Jimmy in this AU is sort of a projection of myself, both past and present. Good and bad. Not sure why my brain decided to pick this character specifically to project onto. I hated him with a passion when I first finished the game. Idk might have something to do with me having autism and adhd or something or all the jimcurly fanfic I started reading. I'm doing better now, but that experience will always stick with me. Because it's part of me now in a way and I found that using creative outlets to sort of cope really helps. Like taking parts of my trauma, creating something new out of it, and then just putting it out in the world and letting it go. It's not trapped inside my body anymore. It takes some of the weight off my shoulders. It's helped me heal a lot. I also have a tendency to use self-deprecating humor as a coping mechanism. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

Maybe I've been too hyperbolic about Jimmy's traits? I'm not sure. I tend to do that a lot to myself.

But, all of this au stuff isn't just something I pulled out of my ass or made up. It's all based on something real that happened to me. This is built on an actual person's experience. My experience.

Jimmy is also meant to be a lot more nuanced. There's an animation in progress that tells the story a lot better. It's like one of those animatic music video things ppl make and post on YouTube. The song is really important to this AU, honestly it's kinda like the theme song to me?? Idk It's called TENSIONNN by Webcage (such a bop legitimately) it's meant to describe the tail end of the "fallout" and the entirety of the "split" from Jimmy's pov. The most important lyric in that song and probably the lyric that this AU was created around is:

"I won't leave you now, It's too poetic"

It's poetic that Jimmy left with the intention of watching Curly crash and burn without him in his life, only to turn around and watch him succeed and soar. It's a tragedy. But it's ALSO poetic that Jimmy started to heal and worked so hard to get to a place where he could re-enter Curly's life and have a healthy relationship with him. Now they're together again, but this time they're not two impulsive, emotionally immature, 20 year olds. They're two adults that have had time to learn and grow as people. And that is beautifully poetic to me. Also super interesting to explore that concept.

If canon Curly and Jimmy sticking together was what allowed the events of Mouthwashing to happen, then them spending some time apart could be what prevents it from happening. Atleast that was my logic while writing this. I wanted to make a sort of fix-it AU to fill the "wholesome Jimcurly" hole in my heart bc fanfics like that are scarce as fuck (understandable bc of the source). I tried to write this whole thing as a fanfic, but I quickly realized that 1) I'm not good at writing anything longer than 1,000 words and 2) this story requires visuals to properly tell it in the way I intended.

Also, I'm having fun. Drawing and writing all of this makes me happy. Obviously, the story isn't very "fun" (I've cried for hours while writing and drawing the more depressing parts probably 20 times by now), but telling it is. I don't know. I'm just a guy that draws. A depressed guy that draws and is still healing. I'm in no way "cured" by the medication I'm on. I still have depressive episodes, but I've been managing them better. I'm in a much better place mentally rn and I'm proud of myself. I've been fighting an intense mental battle against depression everyday for 10+ years of my life at this point. I'm not like 100% happy, I'm just kinda chillin rn idk.

I'm glad you asked this question! I encourage other people to ask questions! It helps me grow as a beginner writer and storyteller.

I hope that answered your question. I appreciate you.

TLDR: No, that isn't at all what I'm doing here. Jimmy is a reflection of myself and my experience with having severe depression and how I started my healing journey. It's based on very real events and thoughts that I have had. No, I don't have any bad intentions. No, I don't hate mentally ill people. I'm mentally ill and neurodivergent. I'm diagnosed. (We're in this fight together, man why would I do that??) I'm not a mustache-twirling villain with an ulterior motive. I'm a tired, mentally ill college student with audhd that is recovering from severe depression that literally almost killed me and drawing these guys is my current hyperfixation that helps me cope with that. That's it.

Also Jimmy is my favorite character (in this AU!!!!) idk why ppl think I hate him. Don't artists usually dump all their trauma on their ocs and make them suffer incomprehensible horrors bc they love the oc?? I thought we all did that. I did that. That's what I'm doing rn. 💀

[lubotomies]

its really funny how insanely talented paul is in animation but also the end is so hideous like can i just list the issues i have with the end really quick animation wise

their heads are nearly flat.

every shot theyre always cut off in some way and sometimes the very tops of their heads are out of frame. please just move the camera back.

there are no interesting angles or shots whatsoever everything is eye-level medium shot all the time like a wes anderson film if it was bad

this is just a trademark of pauls animation but they always move so fucking slowly its like someone filled the room with marijuana smoke and molasses theyre all in slow motion all the time

transitions are so fucking quick like it borders on johnny test with the way it snaps back and forth with a whiplash sound effect

The colours are so fucking ugly tom is literally a grey yellow in the end it drives me CRAZY

their arms are too short. bear with me. their arms are too short but their fingers are proportionally realistic with all 3 joints but the palms are thin and short so the fingers are too long. typically your fingertips reach just shy of the midway of your thing but pauls style their fingertips literally either reach past their knees or stay right at their waists and its scary.

This is not even getting into the writing because im purely focusing on the art

Despite this the cliff scene devours.

The wind the colours of the sky the angle looking down at the 3 of them and the rubble of the house and his bleeding arm not to mention that in the animatic he had a very prominent limp. The contrast of the mellow yellow and peach pink sky v. the obliterated house and bleeding arm. even the smoke is coloured this relaxing pink

pauls weirdly overly relaxed style actually working to benefit the scene because it makes it ambiguous as to whether tords hand is just hovering, ever so slightly brushing against his scorched arm or if hes gripping it like a lifeline. gritting his teeth, purely in pain or is there emotion behind that too?

the end is SO bad but the ending scene literally carried it to the finish line i have such a love/hate relationship with it this scene lives in my mind from the very moment i saw it to today and it will continue to do so Love it or hate it paul served absolutely DEVASTATING cunt with this 15 second scene.

[aggressivedaikons]

William Miller AU when /silly /nf (not forcing)

:3

Just miss the silly lil purple goober and his boyfriend (/j)

Auuughhh I feel guilty (kinda???) about this a lot.

I will EVENTUALLY continue it. I have idea for the story and I want to get them out.

the main reason I stopped as A. I’m no longer in the fandom, and it’s hard writing for something you don’t care about as much. Maybe I’ll get back into it who knows, but my fixations now don’t quite line up and now it’s really hard to work on it. B. comics are so demotivating. They take SUPER long, and are a little painful to try to get out in a timely fashion. I’m trying, I swear, but I get anxious trying to work on the comic now out of guilt i promised more , and the fact I haven’t put out ANYTHING for MONTHS.

this entire project is being done my me, alone, by myself. And while I’d LOVE to have help with it, I am a HIGHSCHOOLER who has NO IDEA how to conduct a team of people working on it.

knowing people are still interested is SO MOTIVATING let me tell you, and decently close to finishing the current part. The biggest issue I find is that good freaking lord. It takes too long. And this is the longest part, by far, so taken a long time. the future of this project will probably come in mixed media. I think that by limiting myself to the comic format has made it very VERY difficult to enjoy working on it. My plans are art, short comics, mayyybbbeeeee an animatic here or there, but I feel there are two options that are the most idea. - primarily writing, fanfiction I’ll post on AO3, won’t be as visual but dw I’ll make it work somehow I’m a GOOD??? writer allegedly so eh. - comic, but different. I was thinking that if I do a looser/simpler style, that it could make life easier. Again, I’m the one doing EVERYTHING and I’m not even in the fandom anymore so this would make it a lot easier. It would be a bit of an Artstyle change, but if people care about my WM AU enough I’ll post concepts for different art styles I could opt for to make life easier

I will finish part 5. (Is that the next part?) over break, maybe, I’ll see if I can get it out. SEE. If I can.

also if any moots i know pretty well is willing to go though spoilers PLEASE dm if you wanna help me figure about wtf act 3/4 will be, I have 1,2,…,5 and I REALLY need help 😭😭😭😭 /nf at all though

so yeah I’d be happy to know how people actually feel about that, and if fanfic/comic but different?? is the way to go please show your support. I want to get this out, it’s just harder than expected.

Guys if comic wins I can do the concepts and if fanfic wins uhhh start writing??? This is a fan project so ANY and all support (rb rb rb rb rb rb) on the content is AMAZING and giving me feedback makes me very very happy and good so PLEASE it helps so much (I UNDERSTAND HOW IT FEELS TO BE A YOUTUBER NOW YES I AM BEGGING FOR RB /silly)

[nancyheart11]

So, I dont remember if you also enjoy the Epic stuff. But I watched this animatic and it stuck in my head. It's Twilight adjacent? I just enjoyed prose-ify-ing the animation

https://youtu.be/tHkIkyFX1eA?si=7OAKu8eVw1WMDesV

Finally, he fought his way through the monsters to their source. The Shadow had dropped the monster forms, opting for an inverted image of... himself, simply as a younger man.

“Do you remember me?” Time asked, seeing the Shadow’s expression briefly become one of fear before it stepped back.

“Hero of Time…” Here, this monster stood, as if there wasn’t so much death and destruction on its hands.

“You know, I learned at a pretty young age that being angry rarely does much in my favor.” The doors to this chamber had closed behind Time. As the monster at the end of the dungeon, the Shadow would have power to re-open them, or to simply open another dark gateway, but instead, the creature was backing itself into the wall farthest away from him.

“It doesn’t help you deal with the root of the problem. It only makes you sloppy and act rashly.” He shrugged. “So when I admit you’ve got me pissed off…it isn’t an emotion I cave to frequently.” The other heroes, their struggles, their pain, plus the knowledge that this was all caused by this monster, burned hotter than Din’s Fire in his gut. He lunged for the Shadow, gauntlets grasping a handful of grey-black tunic and twisting to yank the monster close enough to hiss out the next words.

“First it was my descendant, the Hero of Twilight. You wounded him, nearly killed him, left him with his strength lessened by your curse. Then you and your cronies went after the others, my boys.” There was a surprisingly Hylian expression of realization in the monster’s face. “That’s right, those children you’ve brought into this game, are mine as much as the Hero of Twilight.” Family forged by their travels and trials, kids who he promised his wife he would do his best to look after. Of all the oaths to keep, that was the one that mattered most.

“No…” The horrified denial only served to make him even more angry. He threw the Shadow down, his strength enhanced by the Golden Gauntlets.

“Did you think I would not care? Or just didn’t plan on anyone making it this far into your little gauntlet. Did you not believe that any of us who remained would not take action to end your little game?” He drew the Biggoron Sword and look a swing at the Shadow, who at least had the sense to move. He swung again from the other side. He left it too open, allowed the Shadow to dodge away once more. “Bad luck for you, I’m the one who is left.” Maybe if he finished off the Shadow once and for all, the curse on the boys would be able to fade. It had laid two of them low already. Wild, and now Four. Between their wounds and the lingering effects of the shadow-curse left them with a fraction of their energy and strength. It had taken them out of this fight quickly. The others were nursing smaller wounds, less serious effects on their power but no one was unscathed. He drove the sword into the floor of the chamber next to him, drawing a frantic cry of alarm as he followed the movement by pinning the shadow to the floor for a brief moment. It fell into its namesake, reforming a short distance away.

“All you have done from the moment you actually encountered us is run. You claim to be seeking glory, to overcome us and conquer our homes and prove to the goddesses that their heroes are just as unworthy as any other, that we all give in to the evil within. But you don’t follow through.” The Shadow dodged, ducked, dove out of his sword arcs. He called Din’s Fire on a sweeping strike, the magic scorching the air and leaving the smell of brimstone and singed hair in its wake. “You revealed your form to the Hero of Winds. You let him leave to tell us. You taunted the Hero of Men with your boasting, but left him alive to inform us of your plans. You thought you had everything so well in hand, but you got cocky.” He would make this monster pay. He switched the Biggoron sword for the gilded sword and when he swung this time, steel met steel in a grating clash. He had weight, momentum, and power behind the blows and nearly knocked the Shadow to the ground once again before it melted into shadow to dodge.

“And unlike you, I have no intention of making that same mistake. Remove your curse from the heroes and I will give you thirty seconds to make your final pleas or prayers.”

“Please. I’m only the forerunner, barely more than a servant to the God of Demise. I can only do what I’m ordered to...” A dark gateway was summoned, and several lizafols charged through to his aid. These were lacking the Shadow’s power, and went down easily between a jumpstrike laced with fire, a helm splitter, and a mortal draw finishing off the last monster. “I take no joy in fighting any of you.” ...” The thirty seconds was well passed. Unlike his experience within the depths of the water temple, he had two other adventures with their experience--and tools-- still on his person. He pulled the Fierce Deity mask from his pouch.

“Enough of your lies...” The war god within the mask would be it’s judgement. This creature hurt those who are mine. I give him to you, Fierce Deity. He pressed the mask to his face as the wood seemed to heat in fury under his hands.

“Die.” The word echoed in the Deity’s voice as he gave over his control.

AHHHH

AJS!!!! I hope you know how many times I've read and reread this incredible piece of writing! and you picked my favorite LU x Epic animatic to draw from you incredible human!

I've been too low energy to give this the proper answer but now I must so that other people can see your sheer brilliance!!!

This is an incredible gift thank you thank you thank you!

[sunder-the-gold]

'Epic: The Musical' confuses me

So one day, YouTube decided to let me know that someone apparently did a Hamilton-style musical play retelling of The Odyssey (with a little bit of The Iliad at the start).

Here are two of my favorite 'animatics' for my favorite song.

I can see why these YouTubers would be so inspired. The music, the emotional performances of the singers, the lyrics... It's an experience that sticks in your mind.

But I've got a LOT to say about what doesn't work for me.

Cruel Vengeance or Ruthlessness Teaching?

What baffles me is the central thesis of the play, which is encapsulated in this song but which is equally strong in other parts. Especially one later in the play, "Monster".

It's not that the thesis "Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves" that confuses me. It's a very similar sentiment to "Mercy for the guilty is cruelty to the innocent."

I understand the difference between ruthlessness and cruelty. Ruthlessness is simply about getting the job done without regard for mercy or sadism, but cruelty is entirely about indulging in sadism without regard for getting the job done.

Indeed, while Poseidon is clearly engaging in deliberate cruelty, at no point does he accuse Odysseus of cruelty. He accuses Odysseus of not being ruthlessness enough.

One actually starts to wonder if Poseidon truly intended to kill Odysseus. Why bother trying to teach Odysseus that "mercy has a price", why constantly hammer him with the message "you need to be more ruthless", if Poseidon really didn't intend for Odysseus to survive to apply that lesson later? That ambiguity is one point of confusion.

Why Odysseus?

A bigger point of confusion is why the play's writer is trying to apply this moral to Odysseus at all.

In the traditional version of the story, Odysseus's mistake against the cyclops Polyphemus was letting his anger and pride get the better of him. He cruelly taunted the blinded cyclops, even foolishly revealing his real name and identity to magnify the man-eater's humiliation.

Aside from that one act of cruelty, Odysseus was extremely ruthless. He and his men couldn't simply kill Polyphemus in his sleep, because they needed him to move the giant rock with which he'd blocked the cave's entrance. And after they escaped, they didn't turn around to finish the giant off because he was still a powerful giant, and there were more giants on the island.

But in 'Epic: The Musical', the playwright tries to twist things around and doesn't really succeed. One of Odysseus' surviving best friends urges Odysseus to lead the men back and finish the cyclops off.

But Odysseus urges caution, and he's still proven correct when the other cyclopes on the island answer Polyphemus' cries of pain and suffering. If the humans had turned back, they would have died even if Polyphemus alone didn't prove to be too much of a threat.

Then the play breaks WILDLY from tradition by having Athena herself make an appearance, where she too scolds Odysseus for not turning around and trying to finish Polyphemus off. And Odysseus refuses not out of pragmatism or caution, but out of MERCY.

Now, Odysseus has always been capable of mercy, but traditionally he has never extended mercy to a bloodthirsty enemy.

Yet when Odysseus reveals his true identity, it's not because he's viciously angry or proudly smug. He twists the metaphorical knife in an explicit bid to magnify any regret Polyphemus might feel for killing and eating any other innocent travelers who find his home.

It's only later, during "Monster", that Odysseus the Wise, the Clever, the Cunning, realizes that Polyphemus never felt anything like guilt or shame for his actions.

I'm not convinced that Odysseus was the right character to need this play's thesis taught to him. And my opinion is reinforced by the fact that the playwright needed to turn the minor character of Polites into the most unbelievable caricature of a Disney Princess... despite having been a soldier in the Trojan War, and presumably part of the Trojan Horse ploy.

"Greet the world with open arms" should not be something you can say to the man who tricked the Trojans with the ploy that came to codify the phrase "Trojan Horse".

What is 'Mercy' supposed to be?

Going back to Poseidon and ruthlessness and mercy, Poseidon repeatedly tells Odysseus that he needs to stop fighting "to save lives", being "far too nice", merciful, and hopeful.

"So close your heart / The world is dark and / Ruthlessness is mercy upon (ourselves)"

While Odysseus later reasons in "Monster" that being merciful to not only himself but the people who depend upon him requires him to show no mercy to anyone or anything that threatens them, Poseidon doesn't make that distinction at all.

Poseidon doesn't distinguish between different forms or degrees of mercy, he denigrates all mercy with blanket statements.

He doesn't accuse Odysseus of fighting to save the lives of his intractable enemies; his accusation almost seems to apply to any of Odysseus' efforts to save the lives of his men.

Not to mention how the lyrics "You are the worst kind of good / Cause you're not even great" sound so much like "you're an idiot to strive for a moral perfection despite your imperfect human nature; you should just settle for being petty and unreasonably hostile".

Heck, Poseidon at points sounds angrier that Odysseus refused to kill his son than that Odysseus blinded him. That’s how much he seems to hate the very idea of mercy.

Conclusion

I think this play might have something worthwhile to say about recognizing that the world is a hostile place and that unconditional vulnerability, trust, and mercy is only going to lead you to ruin. That you WILL meet people who are wholeheartedly and unreasonably determined to ruin your day.

But everything I see feels like a cynical, poisonous take on that idea.

Or else it is a mixed bag of good ideas and questionable execution by someone who was confused about how to tell the story they wanted in a way that made sense.

[let-them-eat-rakes]

third semester persona 5 royal is so the mind electric coded (some of these are my headcanons for akira's feelings) (also long post)

"resident minor, how do you plead? we'll need your testimony on the stand. solemnly swear to tell the whole truth; so help you, son, now raise your right hand." maruki's multiple ultimatums

"i've a good heart, albeit insane." if akira or akechi tried to explain the situation to anyone they would come across as bat shit crazy

"condemn him to the infirmary." 2/2 vibes. akira has to choose between letting akechi go out on his own terms or condemning him to maruki's reality

"all mine towers crumble down, the flowers gasping under rubble." akira wakes up to find everything he worked for had disappeared, and has a small mental breakdown as his world crumbles around him when he sees his friends

"shrieking in the hall of lull, thy genius sates a thirst for trouble." maruki seeing the engine room scene, akira screaming for akechi to still be alive

"scattering sparks of thought energy, deliver me and carry me away." maruki manipulating the phantom thieves' cognition to blind them to the truth, but he believes he is doing good, carrying them away from pain

"here in my kingdom, i am your lord; i order you to cower and pray." maruki's god complex, that he is somewhat unaware of / ignoring

"nuns commence encanting, as the lightning strikes my temples thus." akira going around, breaking the thieves from the illusion, clearing their minds

"spiralling down thy majesty, i beg of thee, have mercy on me. i was just a boy, you see; i plead of thee, have sympathy for me!" the thoughts going through akira's head in the seconds before the phantom thieves arrive

"see how the serfs work the ground. (see how they fall) and they give it all they've got (fall) - and they give it all they've got (fall) - and you give it all you've got, till you're down. (ha! ha! ha! ha!)" i imagined a cool scene about this part when just randomly listening to the song, and it's kinda what inspired this entire post: at some point before 2/2 (like maybe 1/30 or something) akira secretly goes to maruki's palace, and basically just asks 'why. why are you doing this, what's your game here.' and maruki brings him up to a balcony overlooking the city. he says the lyrics (i know cheesy, but imagine he's using it as a metaphor or something) and the parts in parentheses are his savior complex/azathoth/adam kadmon.

"see how the brain plays around; and you fall inside a hole you couldn't see. and you fall inside a hole, inside a-" maruki truly believing that he is in the right, as he sees how (for lack of a better word) damaged the thieves (especially the royal trio) are mentally

"SOMEONE HELP ME" once again, the royal trio and maruki. sumire needing help to be who she truly is, and it's interesting to imagine her just suddenly yelling it during her boss fight. akira needing help to be able to finish things, and a bit of a headcanon: he has so many personas that his original self (pre metaverse) is buried so deep that he can barely access it. akechi needing help to finally do something that he chooses to do for once, and go out on his own terms. maruki believing himself to be the help that they need, but in actuality he also needs help

"doctor, i can't tell if i'm not me." i think that each of the royal trio has identity issues. kasumi/sumire is obvious, akechi is split between his facades, and the previous headcanon that akira has so many personas that he doesn't know who he is anymore. also, if anyone wants to make an animatic or something, this line can be sumire and akira actually saying this to maruki back at shujin, and akechi pondering it to himself during the events of the game

"when it grows light, the particles start to marvel, having made it through the night. never they ponder, whether electric, calming if you look at it right." maruki lying on the platform after the fistfight, accepting that he was wrong and deciding not to try to stay alive when the platform collapses