#because I can't stop drawing cuteness and/or neat things

[elenthyaolyenths]

Crowley, *blushing*: Ha! No way. I am a professional. Very professional, me.

Aziraphale: ... ... .... *raise eyebrows*

Crowley, *blushing A LOT*: ...Yeah. Still hurts. But my way is funnier, Angel.

Aziraphale: Oh dear. 🥺🙄😌

Couldn't get my own joke out of my head. So...

Well. It is not as if I have a bunch of Daily Challenge prompts + One Big Tribute WIP (something about Ice Skating.... :-p) waiting for me. No. Noooooo.

Ineffable Gymnast AU Daily Prompt? Here I GO.

[zee-nith]

GO AWAY. THIS IS SLANDER AND TREACHERY I hope Villain Deku comes for you 💔

it's the first of the month, which means happy villain deku day to @zee-nith and anyone else who celebrates 😝🤞

[jasmines-library]

Okay that one with baby batsib learning about Batman was so cute but what about the opposite? Imagine they decided that they hate Batman 💀 love your writing 🥰

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

Note: LOVE THIS. sorry it took me an age.

⛧ BATFAM MASTERLIST ⛧ READ PT1 ⛧

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

BRUCE:

The look on your face when Bruce picked you up from school that day was not the look he expected. Your arms were folded, and your eyebrows were knitted together in a tight scowl as you stood at his feet.

Ruffling your hair in an attempt to wipe the pout off of your face, Bruce knelt down to your height and spoke to you gently. "What's that look for, Sweetheart?" He asked, unable to hide the hint of amusement lingering in his tone.

You didn't answer. Instead you just huffed, turning away from him. Bruce just tilted his head, rather amused by your mood. "Come on, kid. It can't have been that bad. What did you learn about today?"

With one drawn out movement, you turned back to face him, a stony expression chiseled onto your face. "Batman."

"Oh?" Bruce raised an eyebrow. He was wondering when you would come across Batman. The family had agreed that you were far too young to know the secret yet, so had avoided telling you.

"I don't like him." You declared, sticking your chin up.

Bruce frowned a little. "And why not?"

"He stops people."

"He's trying to help the city, kid."

You huffed once again. "I don't like him."

Bruce couldn't help the slight grin on his face. He found it rather comical that you hated Batman so much. You were going to have one hell of a dilemma when they reveal their identities to you.

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

DICK:

Your little hand was stretched above your head as you clung onto Dick's hand. He had decided to take you to the park to enjoy the most of the summer weather before Gotham shortly returned to its usual doom-and-gloom rain. Your feet shuffled on the pavement beside your brother as he walked you towards the ice cream parlour just across the road. Your eyes practically lit up as you saw the abundance of bright colours and flavours all lined up in neat rows.

"Alright kiddo. Whatcha having?" Dick lifted you up and placed you on his hip so that you could see properly over the small line of people. "They've got strawberry, chocolate, vanilla.....oh look." He pointed to one of the drawings on the specials menu. "You can get a batman sundae."

Your face twisted with disgust. "Yuck. Batman."

"You don't like Batman?" Dick raised an eyebrow, adjusting you on his hip.

"No."

"Where'd you learn about Batman?"

"At school." You replied, trying to look over the people at the counter, clearly more interested in the ice cream than in the conversation with your brother.

Dick shook his head with amusement. "Why don't you like him?"

"He's boring."

Your answer took Dick a little off guard. "Boring?" He frowned.

"Yes. Boring. We spent all day learning about him and it was very boring."

"I see" Dick chuckled, making note to tell Bruce about this later. "So i take it no Batman sundae then? Because Batman is boring?"

"Yep." you said proudly.

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

JASON:

Jason was in his bedroom reading comics on his bed when you wandered in.

"Jay-Jay?" You called out for him, turning the corner and stopping when you saw him on his bed. you looked at him, eyes wide with curiosity. "What are you doing?"

"I'm reading, Little Wayne." He answered.

"Reading what?" You asked, wandering to the bed and standing on your toes to peer over. He lifted you up to sit beside him.

"Comics." he showed you. "See."

you pointed to the figure on the page. "Who's that."

"That's Batman."

"Who's Batman?"

"He saves the city. He keeps Gotham safe." Jason explained, giving you a rundown on Batman. His gadgets, his cars.

"Thats booorringgggg." You drew out, looking at the illustrations on the page.

"Boring?"

"yes." You huff. "I don't like him. He does boring things."

"If that's what you say, kid."

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

TIM:

Tim was in the kitchen with you. He had you sat in a chair as he made you a snack. The news was playing in the background, with Batman and his sidekicks' faces flashing across the screen. You paid little interest to it as you ate you breakfast, but as time went on, you began to grow fed up of seeing him and his fast car driving through the streets.

"Timmy. can you turn it over?"

Tim reached for the remote and flicked to another channel, but it was also playing the same footage.

"Tim." You whined. "Turn it over. I don't like Batman."

Tim turned around to face you. "No?"

"No." You said, taking another bite of your breakfast. "He destroys the city."

"He doesn't do it on purpose, kid. He destroys it to get the bad guys."

"But sometimes he doesn't even catch the bad guys. And he has sidekicks to help him."

"He can't stop all the crime on his own, kid."

You paused for a moment, outspoken, but pout and take another big bite, speaking with half of your mouth full. "Well i don't like him anyway."

Tim changed the channel to something else. He found your slander of the vigilantes amusing, considering you would more than likely become one in the future. he just hoped that he would be there to see your face when you found out the truth.

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

DAMIAN:

You were watching Damian play video games in the living room one evening. He was supposed to be babysitting. out of the window, the bat-signal flashed into view.

You tugged on his sleeve, pointing it out to him. "Dami. Look. Batsignal."

"Where'd you learn that, kid?" he asked, pausing his game.

"At school."

Damian took in the look on your face. "You don't seem that excited. Most kids are excited about batman."

"I'm not." You folded your arms. "I hate batman."

Damian chuckled in interest. "Well, you're not like most kids then, are you. why do you hate him?"

"He doesn't change the city."

"Hm?"

"There are still bad guys."

"There are." Damian hummed. "But he's trying his best."

"And he hasn't got the monster under my bed yet."

Damian couldn't help the snort of laughter that slipped past his lips. "Oh well, thats not very good of him, is it?"

"No its not." you scowled.

"I'll have to have a chat with him then, get him to sort it out for you. will that make you like him more?"

"maybe."

Damian smiled softly. "I'll see what i can do."

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

BATFAM TAGS

@aestheticdaisies @hearts4robs @xxrougefangxx @hell-o-kittys @harleycao @batfamsstuff @alicedawitchbish @killxz @rosecentury @lara20aral

⛤⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽⛧☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⛤

[matchamiko]

hello!! could I please request prompt 25 with toshinori?

˚₊ ⊹ 25. The first makeout session that could lead to more + Toshinori Yagi

˚₊ ⊹ Warnings: dry humping, previous established new relationship, canon small-might, making out.

He was - grading papers? Finishing off a report on the last homework he set? Actually writing the next homework assignment in fact? Either way, his coffee table was strewn with papers, some in neat piles and some discarded none to kindly, caught under the fans of his laptop open on a word document baring names and grades and percentages he’s not really focusing on right now.

You came over a few hours ago with a bento box or two for the next days at school. It was just something you started doing for him, claimed it was because he wasn’t eating enough and that your love language was cooking food for people, but you loved that he would kiss your cheek and parade it around the school wrapped in its cute cloth with its cute bow. And you kind of never left, chatting idly with him from the kitchen while you brewed tea, something soft for him and a herby concoction for yourself, something to make you sleepy and all the more acceptable.

Toshinori could taste it in your mouth. The tea and something else, something distinctly you. Leaning backwards as you cup his sharp jaw, smiling when you hum and kiss his nose affectionately. There was something on the TV, something mind numbing and calm, a documentary about Geisha's he thinks but he's too focussed on his work, and on you. The futon you'd insisted on setting up for him was comfortable, soft and heavy at the same time, a perfect support for his back while he was tucked up by the coffee table while you lounged like a cat on the couch behind him, asking lazily every few minutes for a kiss. This was the first one on the mouth. You'd started on the back of his head, then on his long frazzled strands framing his face and then his forehead, then his nose and when you pecked his lips; Toshinori found himself chasing and chasing and chasing.

"Don't tell the kids that I abandoned their grades for you," he's twisted at a strange angle with his lips muttering yours, a prayer only for you to taste, "Aizawa'll kill me if he knew,"

You breathe him in, eyes fluttering closed and drawing your hands up the sinewy expanse of his neck,

"You have your priorities in perfect order, thank you very much," Toshinori allows you to slink down to the floor, following the droop of your legs and curling into his lap with deep, yearning sigh "I require kisses and you're supplying them, you're serving your duty to your partner,"

He laughs and then moans with the shape of your lips on his jaw,

"I suppose, if you put it like that," he looks at you for a moment, a soft smile stretching over his features and you return it, a little something extra in your eyes he can't quite make out. You two had kissed before, a lot and often but this felt different, felt like honey trickling down his bones and crystallising hot in his belly. Toshinori hums with the tracing of your mouth over his neck, sucking something mean into his delicate skin and he shifts, hands settling on your hips.

Hips that slot deeper against his and give this shy little shudder. A large slender hand cups the back of your head where you practically vibrate against him, the air suddenly palpable and sweet. You think he might ask you to stop, that you've gone far enough and that he's not quite ready for anything more intense, given his injuries and situation and maybe he wants you to go home or even take a break or even -

"Do that again, please," he's far from sober, drinking your lips and swallowing your gushing whimpers, desperate for the kisses and the licks he's come to know so well. These are different, headier, a little smoky and a little dangerous, slow and hard and all things moreish. His free hand guides your hips, into what he's not sure but you gain confidence at his request, undulating with such wantonness that he's the first that moans out loud. Punched and loud and startling, Toshinori flushes right down to his stomach, peaking from where you'd shoved your hands under his shirt, hardly denting your frantic kisses. His grip is harsh, demanding and selfish, smoothing to your ass and this time it's you that grunts at the way he massages a spreads you, slouching lower and wider against the couch.

"I want - I wanna -," you're stuttering but it's from lust, from the sheer magnetic want for the man beneath you, heavy lidded and panting open mouthed, "Please, can we - we don't hav'ta but also, y'know?"

Toshinori kisses you again, slow and deliberate, decisive with his answer; wordless save for a whimper and a jerk.

all rights reserved © matchamiko. do not copy, repost, translate & recommend elsewhere.

[3motionally3xhausted]

Kiss Kiss Fall into another old hyperfixation

Anyway, I randomly wanted to redesign the main cast of Ouran in my style/ with headcanons and my own embellishments

Here's a screenshot redraw, I'll put all the redesigns below the break bc I did all the main characters & wanna talk about the choices I made. Also I made up that uniform redesign on the spot bc I when I was doing the characters I just put them in casual clothes lmao

(I might do some others later, like Renge, Kasanoda, Yasuchika, Benibara, etc.)

Going in order of my least favorite to top favorite. And dont mind that I didn't color the clothes, that's not whats important here lmao

Mori is only at the bottom because I don't like the drawing that much, I still think the design is pretty good. Though, like right when I finished coloring, I decided a bun/top-knot would look better so it's a bit disappointing there. In my head, Mori is kind of struggling to figure out who he is & what he wants to do, which is why he follows Honey around and doesn't talk much. He does genuinely like being around the other hosts though.

Also, the undercut because A) he has the reputation for being the scary one & it kinda suits that, B) uh do I even have to say it? ...its hot He does lowkey look like Sokka from Avatar tho, especially with the blue accents

(edit: I accidentally deleted Mori's file so now this is the only copy so 😭)

Honey is next because again I think the drawing itself is a little off and the design is pretty close to Basil from Omori, which i didn't notice until it was too late lmao. One of the main things I didn't like about his character in the show was obviously how childlike he was & how girls still flirted with him even though he looked and acted 6; So now he still acts a bit childish but doesn't play it up as much & definitely has a more normal voice, not a fckn child's.

Haruhi! I definitely had to keep her glasses cuz they were really cute and kinda sold the whole 'commoner' thing in a way. But other than that I mainly wanted to balance out her femininity and masculinity to make her more androgynous/nonbinary/gender-fluid since she definitely has some of that going on in the show as is. I also gave her dark circles under her eyes to kinda show that she worked really hard to get into Ouran with low status.

Next up is Tamaki of course, getting into the characters I'm most happy with the designs of. One small thing I tried to do for each of them was give them varying hair tones; so even though Honey and Tamaki are both blond, I went very platinum-blond with him. When I started drawing him, my only real thought was "he has to be a pretty boy" so I dont have much to say about my choices, but i do think I succeeded. Don't mind the modern mullet thing, I can't stop it

Kyouya is definitely one of my favorite characters as is, seeing as he has one of the more fleshed out & heart-wrenching backstories in the show. I think the only thing I really wanted to change was getting rid of the Anime Bangs, so I just gave him this kinda sleek, kinda messy pushed-back look with a blue tint. Even though it's simple, I really struggled to come up with anything, until I found a page from the author saying smth like "I don't like the idea of him wearing neat clothes" with a picture of him in like a track suit so I did kinda the same outfit

My absolute #1 favorites, Hikaru & Kauru. They're honestly the ones that started it all because Kauru has been my favorite since I first saw the halloween episode (iykyk).

I don't know why, but I wanted their hair to be fluffier/curly and more of a natural(?) ginger color. I knew I wanted Kauru's to be redder and Hikaru's a bit lighter/blonder, but only subtly. I also gave Kauru a scar on his cheek from that time in Karuizawa, but most notably, I gave them blue and pink eyes as their signature colors. Lastly, their expressions are slightly different, because no matter how much they are in sync and try to match each other perfectly, Kauru's a much gentler soul than Hikaru, so I made Hikaru's smile a bit more snarky while Kauru's is soft.

Thank you for looking at my art/ reading my thoughts, here's an extra little design edit & comparison

(lol, I think they're mimicking Kyouya in this panel idek) (Also here you can see I tried the bun hairstyle w Mori, I think it looks good, but this is a really simple drawing so.)

[harusaki-hugo]

I fight with alien once.

Fandom: Tokyo Revengers+slightly hetalia

Characters: Sano Manjiro , Ryuguji Ken, Sano Shinichiro, Mitsuya Takashi + GN!Reader

Synopsis: Tokrev boys with s/o who keep saying weird thing but this time involving fighting alien. Honestly it's a crackfic.

Your boyfriend know your habit of randomly start telling the story of your life, it's a cute habit honestly and he adore you about this because now he know more about you. But sometimes it's can be confusing when your stories start getting weird and make no sense but he love you too much that he keep listening to your stories, that's it untill one day you suddenly blurted out; "I fight with aliens once."

Sano Manjiro;-

He looks at you with a raised eyebrows, half eating taiyaki between his lips as he turn around to fully look at you.

"Really?"-"Really!! It's a noppera type of aliens."

The type who listens to your story before falling asleep, no matter where you are if you start talking expect him fall asleep halfway through it.

But don't worry he , surprisingly, remember all the story you told him perfectly, no hole in plot at all.

When he in the mode he will ask a detailed question about it.

"So you tell me that you stuck between wall and a hundreds of aliens and the only thing you did are giving them food and entertainment?"-"Yup!"-"Huh, neat."

Actually impressed with the story and wondering when will the aliens attack earth again resulting you smacking him in the head.

Overall; he might be walking red flags but that ain't stopping him being a 10 and great listener to your weird story.

Ken Ryuguji;

Literally sighing heavily and give you the most deadpan expression second to someone you know but still-

"I can accept when you told me about cat talking to you but this too far , honey."-"but drakeeenn!!"-"no, nope , not today."-"I haven't reach the climax where I jump down to the sea."

Okay, he might got interested a bit... scratch that ,man this close pulling his hair on your story.

"I'm sorry, you what?!"-"jumping down from moving space ship and got stranded in deserted island."

Your story keep stressing this man and he don't know what true or fake because you sound so convincing , he started to worry about your childhood.

Start treating you like you have delicate mental health and try helping you get better like man literally show you a good therapist in your area.

Conclusion; Boy is 100/10 but will try to drag you to therapist if you joked about something involving mental health.

Sano shinichiro;

Didn't even bother to look at you as he continue fixing the bike , only humming and nodding at your words.

Man used to weird thing that he immune to your weird story.

"and then, grandpa Rome appears and start singing."-"grandpa Rome sound hot."

He have Mikey as his brother and Izana as adopted brother, he can handle you

-he handle it like a champ-

He didn't even bat an eye when you told him you broke someone nose and that man is the United States of America himself.

-he just thought you punch a foreigner.

Conclusion; I love this man so much that I won't stop crying, please give him the live he deserves.

Mitsuya Takashi;

This man is a saint, like boy have patience over nine thousand I can't-

"wow, that's mean thanks to you we live in peace."-"stop it! you make me blush!"

He know exactly what to say to make you happy.

"then Italy start drawing on their face."-"magnificent, did you help him?"-"heck yeah!!"

this man to precious that I physically crying inside out upside down.

He just to perfect I can't write-

He a great listener and know exactly what to said.

Didn't care how weird your story was, he loves hearing your voice.

Overall;this man is walking green flag but I will slam my feet on the break so I can stop for him.

♾️/10.

I haven't sleep for a day and I'm high on caffeine, please send help.

[aeoneris]

part 2 of me being unhinged with a freecam mod for mhrise on pc. documenting my fun observations of things u don't normally see. this post is for kamura village, and there is a lot more here than in the elgado post so please enjoy

just wanna point out how the instructor eats dango through his cowl. i love him with my whole heart

so i recently looked through the base rise artbook and it mentions how there's supposed to be an entire residential area behind the tatara forge in the main plaza. well... it turns out a majority of it is modeled, but it's inaccessible. the housing district is where the villagers live, but it also has buildings that caters to visitors such as aristocrats and outside hunters

here's a clear shot of what it looks like inside those barely open doors in front of the forge, behind elder fugen. shout out to these two smithies... they're the real ones

this is a view of looking into kamura from outside the front gate, i just thought it'd be neat. if you turn the camera around and try to leave kamura you just run into layers and layers of tree textures until you clip through and see the skybox lol

at the buddy plaza. a nice shot of the entrance to the training grounds, with the palamute statues leading you to it. fun fact, if you look at the buddy plaza before going in, it's shrouded in a black screen to make it look foggy/obscured from the outside

a close up of the wirebug hives where the villagers raise them. sometimes they land and they look completely different from when they're flying (because they stop the iconic glowing?), it reminds me of the jewel bug model in animal crossing lol

rondine's ship is surprisingly detailed when you get to see it from a different angle. she has an open air bed with a bookshelf over it, and in the open door below, there are two hammocks for her felynes in the room which is so cute (forgot to take a pic of them)

if you turn the camera around, rondine has an actual clear photo of herself and the two felynes hanging on a wall

here's one of my favorite discoveries, chino's paintings are actually of previous game's areas like bherna and yukumo! and if you look at what chino is currently painting, it's a wip of the toadversary

at the training area, if you look at all those moving targets, there are felynes running back and forth placing new targets and boxes

i tried to move the camera outside of the entrance of the training area while i was in there, a lot of stuff isn't visible but weirdly the palamute statues are still fully modeled (understandable) even though i don't even think you can see them from the dock

at the guild hub. this is how it looks like inside otemai's dango shop

when you wait for a while, hojo starts yeeting messages at minoto... if you look at what he's holding before he throws them, it's drawings of rathalos. they're all rathalos lol (if you move the camera behind minoto and watch her catch them, she actually puts all the papers under her desk and they load out of existence once you can't see them)

just a shot of these guys because i appreciate them and found out there's a subset of nakago oshi which is so powerful

so if ur inside the guild hub nothing rly loads past that gate beside minoto...

but if you're outside, it leads to the place where hinoa is singing in the credits. nice wedding venue. just saying that for no particular reason

inside your house... there's some baskets hanging above the hearth with herbs in them. just thought they were neat

if you were wondering about him... yes. fukashigi is fully modeled behind the wall. his teacup is stuck to his hand in a weird way too lol

lastly, enjoy your housekeeper in your bathtub with your low res cohoot rubber ducky

[autoplaysdigimon]

Another game I've been playing on and off recently is a fangame called Pokemon Insurgence.

There are two big draws for this game. One is that it has a "dark" storyline, though later updates added an option to tone back the edginess. And that's fair enough, whether you're put off by Pokemon games having murder, violence and sacrificial cults in them, or whether it feels 2edgy4me. Seriously, there's multiple things before you even get your starter that feel very "look at how DARK and GRITTY this game is!! This ain't your pappy's Nintendos!!!!" and it really reminds me of the stuff I wrote in high school when I thought that I was so adult for subverting the cutesy Pokemon image. YMMV, though.

The other big draw is a feature from the official card game. In it, there used to be cards of Pokemon that were Delta Species, which had a different type than usual. For example, Psychic Cyndaquil or Dark Meowth.

...because that's not a feature that would ever come up in the official games, surely.

Yeah, this game came out in Gen 6, juuuust before regional variants became a real thing in the series. Whoops! Still, it's neat to see their take on them. Delta Pokemon in Insurgence are treated like their own different thing, and they can't even breed with regular Pokemon, only Delta Ditto. (Which I think is near the end of the game, which kinda sucks, but hey.)

The starters are Delta versions of Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle, or you can pick a regular Eevee. There are no additional Eeveelutions or anything, but there is a Mega evolution for Eevee itself, so if you keep it unevolved for the entire game, you can mega evolve an Eevee! How awesome! I picked Bulbasaur because fuck that.

Look at her, she's so cute. She's Fairy/Psychic! I think Bulbasaur might be the only Delta Pokemon with gender differences.

It's kinda neat, but female cuter :3

Charmander is a Ghost/Dragon, and it looks fucking sick as hell. Squirtle is a Dark/Fighting and it looks like a ninja turtle, which is pretty rad.

For being all about the Delta Pokemon, there have been very few so far. There's the starter, and the rival's if you pick one of the Delta ones. Then you don't see any others until, potentially, just before the first gym. Which doesn't sound like much, but it's actually quite a way there. To get there, you have to go through three seperate caves.

Three. Seperate. Caves.

THREE CAVES.

That's not counting the ruins you go into to stop some villain action, or the optional one that leads to a small hidden area, or the one that you have to go through right after the gym.

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CAVES.

Anyway here's the other Delta Pokemon I've encountered. Sandy sandy boy.

What I'm finding is that the wild Pokemon are very high level, to the point where it's pretty hard to grind. I'm watching some others play this game (albiet an earlier beta version) and they're doing a Nuzlocke and it looks roouuuuuugh. Grinding is both incredibly necessary and ridiculously tedious.

But! This is a fun game, and the designs are pretty fuckin neato. From other times I've played this (and quit bc attention span is no) I know there's a Delta Aipom coming up soonish, and I'm excited to catch the lil guy :)

You can download the game here :)

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Whenever One Of Those Disney Remakes Comes Out...

This was originally a Twitter thread that I wrote the other day, and wanted to repost it here because I... Accidentally deleted the first tweet, haha...

Anyways... Regarding "shallow" Disney romances, plot elements of the animated films that supposedly don't add up, and how these remakes supposedly "improve" on them or "add depth"...

For all the talk about some Disney romances happening in such ostensibly short amounts of time or feeling kind of halfhearted... It becomes apparent when you step back and think about it, possibly... but there's a reason the stories hold up and work despite this perceived issue... That's animation and lyrical storytelling bypassing what's supposed to be realistic. That's one of the medium's very special abilities...

Like, most people watching those Disney animated classics back when they came out were so engrossed in the stories and even the romances, because animation like that is really on its own plane of existence, operating on a unique wavelength that really makes it all register so seamlessly. But there's also plenty of substance & depth in what's being told, as it's woven in there by the visual (and sometimes visceral) storytelling itself. That's a big thing for me with Disney's animated movies, that they can establish so much in such short bursts in an 80-90min runtime.

A lot of what's often said about certain animated films reminds me of "style over substance", which is a phrase I absolutely can't stand. The style *can* be the substance, actually... it's there if the one watching is on the film's wave. Otherwise, it's just pretty pictures and noise to them.

A lot of my favorite Disney animated movies play this game very well, going all the way back to Walt's output. That there can be so much feeling, emotion and ideas in mere drawings mixed w/ music, dialogue, editing choices, etc. It's often hard for me to explain, but I naturally feel it whenever I watch it.

And that's not even getting into the language of fairy tales and fantasy stories, often laden with symbolism and metaphors and such, which are also on their own wavelength entirely. I feel, when you try to take all of that so literally, to make it "realistic" and feasible in another medium, let alone apply these ideas completely to *real life* itself... you're breaking it apart and overdressing it. Hiding its unique essence, ripping it away even. The fantasy element is dialed down, which kind of takes away from the whole appeal?

As I get older and I really try to nail how I write fantasy stories myself, I find the connection between this kind of fantasy and reality fascinating, how they in different ways inform each other. Not in the sorta "cute" ways that you can put into a neat little box ("Disney movies once taught me-"), but much more complex than that.

I'd say in terms of a recent live-action fantasy movie, one of the most interesting was David Lowery's THE GREEN KNIGHT, an adaptation of Arthurian legend, which really embraced a kind of lyricism and dream-like logic that you don't often see these days. Even in mainstream animated movies that favor talking heads scripting over this kind of thing. Naturally, it was "confusing" for some. I know I was kinda lost when I first saw it, but I couldn't stop thinking of the intricate texture of the piece after I left the theater. It's a feat when a movie of any kind can preserve that onscreen, not what was only in the text.

Of course, a classic animated movie isn't immune to criticism, but sometimes I think a lot of what I see written online is done out of misunderstanding of the animation medium (does that peer pressure from when they were 10 years old still linger in their heads?), and there's a lack of media literacy there as well. As if the CinemaSins crew are in charge here, nitpicking small things that don't matter while missing the much bigger picture. Animation and fantasy like this require a nuanced perspective to dig in, I feel.

Animation itself, when executed like this, is just really on a whole other field... And those who dig the films so much, I feel they naturally get it and don't knock the movies for these perceived "issues". Nor make rash generalizations about a whole body of work, which is also common with some folks who talk a good show about Disney animated movies. Even Disney themselves, which is always concerning, but this is nothing new. As far back as the late '80s/early '90s, various people who worked for them or on their movies echoed these kinds of weird reductionist sentiments, too... And I feel it really all boils down to... These movies are animated. Thus shallow, for children, lacking, without much substance...

If not that, then I feel it's a misunderstanding of how these outlandish stories work and what level they are on... Almost like it's being reduced to a "that was weird!" MCU-level joke, or- Again, fodder for CinemaSins or some garden variety Nostalgia Critic-style video.

[nobully]

👀 what do you sincerely think about nicolette? is your relationship really meaningless?

Send me a “👀 + a question” and my muse has to answer honestly!

‘ I like Nicolette. ’ (insert list of reasons here)

' What, wasn't it obvious? Well...it's true that for a while there I didn't know what to do with her, but the longer I know her, the more I want to stick around. Uh...we're kind of similar, in a way? I can't really describe it in feelings but it's like...one day we decided to stop pointing our knives at each other and put them side-by-side instead, which worked out much better. I can't pinpoint when it happened but I know things started feeling different after our first...kiss? Or maybe before that—I mean, she was in my thoughts often enough that I wrote her into my crappy story. Anyways, before I figured out what was up I pretty much panicked and lost my head for a while. I haven't felt that way about anyone before. It's more...intense, but also more soft? A prickly kind of itch over my heart. Is it because we're both weirdos so my feelings for her are weird too? '

' She's a friend. I get the feeling she's been through...a lot, which isn't my place to pry, but I'd listen if she wanted me to. She's also...more than a friend in some ways, but I don't know what to call it. I don't feel like we're a couple or anything since that seems too saccharine to really fit. We just vibe? Our souls or whatever, they feel in sync. It's nice. It's really, really nice... '

' ...I used to think it'd be terrifying to leave behind relationships in other worlds before going back to my own. In a way, this still scares me because what happens after we back one day? We probably won't see each other again. But I don't think it's a meaningless connection. At least, I hope it's not. I think if I can be there for her while she's looking for that perfect, wholesome, affectionate guy who can actually give her the feelings she craves, it'll make the wait a little less lonely. I—I don't think that guy can be me because I was born defective, you know? I'll always fall short in the emotions department and just end up disappointing her, so that's no good. She deserves someone who actually understands what love is. '

' So yeah, I'm prepared to get out of the way anytime. I even prepared a few excuses so it'll feel less awkward for her, haha. If we're both around long enough for her to find him, I hope she invites me to the wedding. I think she'd look nice as a bride...maybe something sleeveless because her scars are neat, and then a really long train so she can still draw attention even after she's passed the guests in her dress. I know she'd like that—being admired by them, I mean. Though truthfully I'm clueless about what girls wear but she likes cute stuff, so maybe even some lace...? Yeah, like lace gloves—the long kind—if she gets self-conscious for whatever reason. Well, she can figure that out with her guy when the time comes. '

' Oh I got sidetracked. Uh...anyways, it isn't meaningless. At least, I can try my best to make ours a meaningful memory for her. That's what friends do, right? '

[bee-snail]

AWAWAWAAWW TYSM !!!!

I did imagine expressions for a few moments. The biggest Caine in my page made me think of

Cassandra: "Did I make a huge mistake?"

Caine: "You've made plenty of huge mistakes [...]. What part of that sounds right to you?"

Cassandra: "You're here."

And it's true that in the fic Caine just has a quick rebuttal and they move on, but I couldn't help but immediately get this image in my head where she's just genuinely surprised/shocked that Cassandra believes she was a good thing that came out of that whole mess, hahahe. It was just so very neat ...

The one where she's a little shy, a little awkward, reminds me of

“She saved me.” [Cassandra] gestured across the room to Lady Caine who was awkwardly standing around with her arms crossed, eyes on the fallen guards. When Cassandra waved, she raised a hand in acknowledgement but didn’t wave back.

IT'S SO CUTE AWAAAWAWAWWAWW

And the last one is just sorta there. She's probably on her ship (I do not know how to draw ships HADHSHHFHDHH). I wasn't really trying to focus on it so it's alright hahahehee

OMG YAAAYAYYYAYAYAYY

HOMOROMANTIC ASEXUALS 2023 ?! GIRLFRIENDS ON MAIN ?!?!!!??!!?

I can't wait to see if they're gonna be partners in crime after Cass (probably) takes the Moonstone, or if Caine's gonna be hunting her ass down til the ends of the Earth because "listen here you little shit, I promised your mom I was gonna bring you back alive and you are NOT gonna stop me from GETTING MY JOB DONE" and then they fight, then hug, probably kiss, fight a bit more and cuddle. Then Idk. Partners in crime or tragically separated in the most ironic way ever because technically, in this scenario, Caine would be the hero and Cass would be the villain. Alas. Only one can win (and I doubt Caine is going to accept a loss).

WAIT. DOES THIS MEAN NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE WOULD BE SUNG BY CASS AND CAINE INSTEAD OF CASS AND VARIAN? I AM SO HYPED HELLO

I read "The Princess, the Pirate and the Prosecutor" today.

With no exaggerations, irony or jokes, it was absolutely the best read of my life. Extremely good. Will read again (many, many, many times), which is exactly why I had to immediately draw something about it. I'm probably gonna refine it...

I have no idea if Lady Caine looks like this in the story, but it is what I envisioned her to look like. I really love her, guys.

I hope you like it like I loved your story, @twotangledsisters !!

[adobe-outdesign]

Can you review the zigzagoon line? Both regular and Galarian

Zigzagoon is one of the most under-appreciated cute Pokemon out there. Look at it! It's little zig-zag mouth is adorable, and it has such a sweet face. The best way I've heard it described is that it looks like a homemade plushie, and frankly I would die for them.

And visually, I like it a lot. The black band is appropriately raccoon-esq and draws attention to the eyes, while the spikey fur conveys the zig-zag theme quite well. The alternating colors also add contrast. It's pretty perfect in my book.

Actually, I do have one nitpick: the eyes could've stood to be a different color from the body to make them pop more; maybe use the same blue as Linoone. That's it though.

Unfortunately, Linoone isn't quite as good as Zigzagoon. It makes perfect sense conceptually; it goes from a zig-zag theme to a straight line theme, and the way it only runs in straight lines makes sense when you consider it's more badger-like, and thus more of an active predator.

It's just that visually, it looses the sheer cuteness of Zigzagoon without bringing much else to the table; the expression doesn't really convey much of a personality.

I also feel like the markings are a downgrade. The various curves to the body make the straight line idea much less obvious than it should be, and the markings just being flat instead of doing something fun like Zigzagoon's fur feels underwhelming. Like, the body and the tail could've easily been completely straight and rigid, to really emphasize the theme.

Some of the placements are weird too; like the stripe on the head seems like it should go all the way to the tail, but it just stops. Same with the stripe over the eye, which seems like it should just connect to the one on the tail but then doesn't.

It's by no means terrible, of course; but it is pretty bland at the end of the day. Also, what on earth is going on with its legs in this art?

G. Zigzagoon handles things in an interesting way. With most regionals, the theme is either kept as-is and something else is changed, or the theme is altered to something similar. Here, the theme is mostly ignored (still present, just not as obvious, especially once it evolves) in favor of just doing something based off of the visuals, and honestly, it works pretty well.

What I really like here are the colors. The original colors worked well for normal-types, but the black and white adds some much appreciated contrast and really makes the designs pop, especially with the red added in. Also, the star shape is a nice nod to the direction the line is going, and is well integrated with the original's face mask.

However, with that said, I don't like G. Zigzagoon quite as much as the original, just because it's less cute and feels like it's trying to achieve the KISS vibe in the face without really succeeding. That's just personal preference, however; this is a good regional and I don't really have any complaints.

Also, I like that this version is the original. Just kind of neat worldbuilding that the first Pokemon we see aren't necessarily the original variants.

On the flip side, I do prefer G. Linoone over the original design. The big thing, outside of the colors once again being higher contrast, is the expression; Linoone's really rocking the metal look, and it adds some much needed personality.

Also, while the markings aren't completely improved (which I can't blame on this version, as it wouldn't look like Linoone if you changed it too much), they are better. The black legs make the stripes feel more patterned (instead of just having three and calling it a day). I also particularly love how the star added to the eye creates a shooting star when combined with the original eye stripe. That's the good stuff, right there.

On a scale of Gene Simmons to Uri Geller, how well do you handle a Pokemon inspired by you

Linoone also evolves in this region, which kind of makes sense as Linoone never really felt all that powerful in and of itself.

I really like Obstagoon's head in particular. The striking black-and-white patterning is one of the best parts of this regional line, as it's both visually interesting and unique for Pokemon. It looks especially good here, with the stripe running from the eye down the neck being paralleled by the back mane. The way it ends exactly at the nose and the way it has kind of star shape makes for a nice way to reference the pre-evos while doing something unique with the markings (though I'm not sure the white ear tips were needed).

However, while the rest of the body isn't bad, it does feel a bit disconnected. If you just look at the head, it looks pretty animalistic, while the body is much more humanoid. Even stuff like the head having detailed markings while the body is much more simple adds to this (I get that it's referencing the KISS makeup, but I'm just speaking visually). I think the legs could've been shorter and more haunch-like while the torso could've been a bit longer (seriously, it's practically non-existent). Maybe get rid of the awkward X on the arm in favor of a stripe to match the legs as well.

However, as a whole, I do like it. It's hard to go wrong with a glam rock badger, it's fun, it's got a personality, and it adds to the line. I do wish it played into the original pattern theme a bit more (maybe it moves in packs of 4 and forms a diamond formation when attacking or something), but for what it is, Obstagoon does what it needs do, and it does it well.

Overall, original Zigzagoon is perfect and I would die for them, but Linoone feels a bit underwhelming. The Galarian versions are, as a whole, an improvement, even if I like OG Zigzagoon just a bit more. Good stuff.

[parchmentedpetrichor]

➳a mastermind ♡

in which fred weasley turns to the resident mastermind, y/n l/n, in hogwarts for advice. the problem? he has a crush on the same girl george does: angelina johnson. the story spans over a couple of months in their second last year at hogwarts.

fred weasley x ravenclaw!fem!reader

word count: ±1.4 k

tw: nothing really??

drop a follow if you wanna see more of this content!!

my masterlist:D

ft. cassius warrington

wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure

a mastermind

after fred and george weasley had given up trying to enter the triwizard tournament, their sights set on a different matter. for george, it had always roamed his head. for fred, it simply popped up at the randomest of a time.

they were in the age of chasing after pretty girls with pretty smiles.

one pretty girl in particular. angelina johnson.

george's crush really wasn't a crush. it was more like a deep love for angie. he knew her really well, they were almost best friends. and angie loved him back.

fred knew both these facts, yet he couldn't possibly grasp why he still had a good old schoolboy crush on her. and he couldn't tell george either. no, george was too considerate and needed a girlfriend. and he had been patiently waiting long enough to deserve something.

sometimes he wished he was george. still funny and prank-loving, but calm and collected at times. but sometimes he liked himself just as he was. spontaneous, dramatic and terribly idiotic.

and hey, george was handsome, so he must be too, right?

one morning after tossing and turning all night, he decided he needed help.

he spotted the girl in the blue uniform and the glasses, she had the brightest yet the wisest eyes. even before he approached her, she swiftly lifted her head from the parchment she had been writing on and saw him. she met eyes with him. she didn't show any emotion she hadn't already been showing, but the simplicity of understanding was written, like all the ravenclaws, in her brain.

"um, hello," fred started.

"good afternoon, what's up?" y/n replied friendlily, parchment now away and now doodling randomly on a scrap piece of it.

"i need some help."

"okay then, go on, i'm listening," her tone was gentle and reassuring.

"i like the same girl as my brother. i don't know what to do, really."

there was silence for a little while. her eyes were focused, her hand absentmindedly drawing across the parchment.

she pushed her glasses up.

"would you consider this 'liking' you say, to be potentially love?"

"no, not at all, it's just a crush, y'know."

"a silly one? i know we all have silly crushes which are full of quite foolish feelings. but they're nice for a while."

"yeah, that's the feeling."

"why do you think you like this girl?"

"um, because-because she's pretty, and she's nice."

"two very valid reasons," y/n chirped, "and why does your brother like this girl?"

"he loves her, because she understands him and she puts up with him and they've been best friends for years. they like the same things and have the same beliefs."

"mhm."

she was still deep in thought.

"does this girl like one of you?"

"that's the problem. she's in love with him and we all know that. i just can't get over her."

"oh, moving on is easier than you think it is. simply put, your brother or the girl?"

your brother or the girl?

everything seemed so much more clearer.

"think about it this way, fred weasley, if your brother is happy, are you? good day, sir!" she saluted jokingly and set off merrily, her steps quick and paced.

she knew it was good to be cheerful around him, because if she was cynical and way too practical, it would break him. he needed to get over angelina, she thought, or it would severely affect his and george's brotherhood.

she didn't tell him that though, that would be mean and sad.

fred was quite astounded. he didn't know how this girl, who was, to him, small in size and in ego, and probably younger by a few months, knew this much.

that's the eagleclaws for you, he thought.

she didn't look intimidating, if anything, she was nice and fun, but she somehow seemed like she could be the end of you.

she knew, she knew, she knew.

she knew who the girl was, who the brother was, she knew more about him than he did himself, and she barely knew him. she about solved his issue.

he found himself being drawn to her. instead of his eyes floating to angie, they were on the chatting, studying, daydreaming girl who wore the ravenclaw blue with much nonchalence.

☆

y/n was freezing. it was the end of the school day and it was snowing. so she made her way to the ravenclaw common room, muttering a haphazard answer to the riddle, told her best friend julia that she was going to take a nap and then bundled up in the heavy sheets.

julia just smirked. she quickly went to grab fred.

"oi, fred!"

he was laughing with george and lee.

they would make cute babies, julia pondered.

"oh, hello," he said.

"come with me."

her tone was ominous and commanding.

"okayyyy."

he followed her to the ravenclaw common room, where she sat down next to a telephone.

"in a few minutes, y/n will call for a blanket because it's cold. just wait."

"and how does this concern me?"

he got a scorching glance in return.

"i have to talk to cassius in a few minutes."

sure enough, the phone rang.

"juliaaa, you're a darling, you know that right??" y/n flattered her.

"yeap." julia's face broke into a smile.

"yeah, so be a darling and could you please possibly send a nice blanket up here?? or two or even three??"

"of course, and a handsome prince with the hair colour of fire too to cuddle," she winked at fred who turned red.

"yEs oF cOurSe, juLiE, aNd prEfEraBlY thAt hE hAs sTaRs iN hIs eyEs aNd gAlAxIeS iN hIs MinD tOo," she joked back.

"okay. right up."

"wha- julia what??!!! thanks."

they both chuckled.

he handed fred a stack of neatly folded blue blankets.

"go. fifth door on the left."

and so he did. it seemed the ravenclaws were too mature to need barriers on their dormitory quarters. the door was open and the room was insanely neat. y/n was lying in a bed, eyes wide open, a small pout on her lips.

she was clearly surprised to see him. when he placed all the blankets nicely on her she smiled.

"thank you, freddie."

"aren't you gonna let me in too?" he asked, smirking.

"oh," her cheeks heated up, "i thought julia was just joking!!!"

"apparently i am indeed a handsome prince with hair of fire, stars in his eyes and galaxies in his mind," fred smirked and y/n huffed.

"it's an expression. and i didn't know she was talking about you!"

"well, scoot over."

y/n just stared at him, before shuffling over.

"i hate you."

fred just scooped her up in his arms.

"you smell good," she blurted out, before immediately turning red.

"mhm, 'pparently my cologne does have that effect on girls."

"pretty sad that only your cologne attracts girls," y/n retorted, "and i was just telling you. it does not have an effect on me."

"'kay, whatever you say."

there was a silence.

"this is boring," y/n frowned.

"wanna make out then?"

y/n glanced at him. was he for real?

she thought not. so she pretended she was asleep, and soon she really was.

fred didn't feel defeated at all.

for he had noticed the faint blush rise on her cheeks.

☆

y/n decided it was probably time she asked fred out or something. if she got rejected, she was great at moving on.

so she asked him to meet her at the corner of the library on a thursday afternoon. he didn't show.

dismayed, she went out of the library, and met george weasley.

"hey george!"

"yello!"

"have you seen fred?"

"check the astronomy tower."

"okay."

there was something mischievous about the way he winked at her as she departed. then again, it was george.

the astronomy tower was well lit and there in all his glory, stood fred. she felt a frown on her face as she approached him. he turned around and smirked at her.

"stop it. i invited you to the library to tell you that-"

her voice was muffled as fred put a hand to her lips.

"you are not going to beat me to this."

"this isn't a game!"

"eh, everything is. i really really really like you, y/n."

he anxiously awaited her answer.

a cheshire cat smile formed on her lips.

"well i was just going to tell you that transfiguration homework is due tomorrow but okay."

"..." he was staring grumpily at her, lips in a pout.

"i like you too."

he smiled, "good."

"isn't this the part you ask me on a date or something?" y/n teased, "or should i? wanna go to hogsmeade with me?"

"you beat me to it."

[toririvas]

Part three! We're finishing the listen today. I feel it.

Lake trip, simple truth or dare. Angela has some sort of sun reliant power? Eh?

Back to Mary .. sticky note man? An animator? Neat! Agatha.

That siren made everyone too chill and Nick is paranoid about it until he can't be anymore. Alice is SO down bad.

She's lost in the woods, somewhere in South Cali and she's never gonna make it to LA-- lmao.

"I have you trapped here and you're gonna *talk*." They're so dysfunctionally cute. Nick is trying to lie his way out of Alice's brain. Gaslight gatekeep girlboss, king.

"You had to invent a whole new me to be attracted to me!" Nick you like her back oh my god. THEY'RE MAKING OUT IN THE WOODS. i fucking knew it.

"that kiss was for the /real/ you." AAAAUGH

Vince got jumped by Sasha ! Lmao.

Stella v Roy, this is maybe the funniest mid-fight dialogue. He's just a down home classic southern gentleman, I get it lmao. I knew that would end like that with fuckin what's her names pheromones in the air.

Back to school. Lmao, somebody glaciered (Michael). Alice is putting on the fucking moves.

Vince gets extra training, neat. Sparks close up, fire long range. Fun!

Ethics of being a hero. Fuuuun!

Finals prep. Okay, makes sense to have the week off. Can't imagine how poor Chad is coping. He must miss it. Nick has an eidetic memory question mark? Or just a very good one. That's pretty neat. Threat evaluation is solid stuff.

Roy v Stella again! They're buddies in battle! And Violet is there too, she weakens people iirc?

Chad is so weirdly eloquent. Like it's so ... He's so robotic. Poor thing. Feels wrong. Stop using big words, nerdass.

"What do we do?" "We could play DnD?" "Mm, n-" "Movies?" "DnD it is!" LMAOOO

Carnival time. Aw, Alice

WHO TAZED HERSCH AND MARY??

MICHAEL GOT GIVEN THAT FOLDER? AND THIS IS HIS REVENGE?

Sasha asked the question and Vince can't fuckin lie! Oh god!

They're reconvening. Who's this? Agatha. Okay, she's a good egg. Nice girl.

It was the coaches, or someone who looks like them. Huh !

"they took our fucking kids!" Goddddd!!!! Vince has a paladin instinct. Nick is trying to dip, Alice punched his glasses off. Fucking queen.

"I did what I had to!" Rip into him, Alice, kill him with WORDS!!

He's so paranoid. My god. Okay they wanted Mary, Herschel is collateral. I'm anticipating a Roy appearance soon solely because George called Hersch useless.

Nick is going to leave, or so he claims. Vince is walking into a fire- where'd transport take him, fucking Centralia?

HOW IS THIS GOING TO RESOLVE IN AN HOUR? HOW?

Okay. Nick is in, decidedly not an incompetent asshole by his own word. All of the people from The Company are named like those books. Insanity but very funny. Mr. Move, Ms. Tracker?

THEY GLOW!!! THEY G L O W YOUVE GOT WESKER EYES MY BOY!!!

"Roy isn't the only son of Titan!" That seems like an important guy.

IS THAT? A WHISKEY COVERED BULLET? YOU ABSOLUTE MADMAN NICK! SHIT! Alice has her friend leader moment, and oh yeah let's go heavy hitter! Paladin nova Vince goooo!

Mary got free, nabbed George, and Vince fucking drained him. Avatar style. Well, that was a hell of a battle. But who were the coaches working for? I figured there had to be a draw for sequels SOMEWHERE.

They don't have to take finals? Pog.

Mary and Alice together, Nick alone. And of course, Mrs. Daniels has decided Vince is her son now! I'm happy about it. Hersch gets another brother! Nice!

Persephone is working with some people trying to, I'm assuming, stop Powereds from infiltrating the ranks of Supers. And Vince's father- his biological one, obviously, - is one of them. Inchresting... I wonder who of the Big Five or whatever he is.

And that's a wrap! A full review will come later today.

[faux-lights]

Liri, rate the different areas of Vault on a scale from 0 to 10 (doesn't matter if you don't include include areas. Am mostly curious about the archives XD )

(can't draw right now, so just text ^^;)

"Oh, that's a tough one. Uh... I'll try to include all the floors as well as the side areas. From top to bottom:

"First floor is. Um. I haven't thought about this much, sorry. My instinct is to say about 7/10, and when I think about it, that seems fair. It's pretty and simple enough, somewhere to just stop and take a breather before progressing through the rest of the Vault. The way the lanterns light up when you're about to take the elevator to the second floor is breathtaking, honestly, as are the huge shelves of memory cubes. So. Yeah! I like it.

"The second floor is nice, if a bit sparse. I really like the little side room with the Levitating Adept's spirit. It's cozy, if a bit hard to get into. I'll give it a 5/10, because there really isn't that much to it.

"The third floor has the same problem: it's really empty. I like the cute little trees that can sprout up though, and the whole belt-thing of memory cubes and assorted blocks is really neat. 5/10! It's pretty but just a pass-through floor.

"I love the fourth floor. It's so big and sprawling, with so much to do! When I'm not helping out with the upkeep of the Vault, I enjoy just kind of flying around in the fourth floor area and zoning out in all the stars. And the Ghost Mantas are adorable, and—and—I don't know I just really like the fourth floor. 9/10, easily.

"The fifth floor doesn't really, um, have anything in it? Plenty of room to fly about, but that's no fun when it's just flying space with nothing else. The big skeleton is cool at least, and the huge Elder Ghost Manta is always a highlight. It's so big and pretty... anyway, I don't really think much about the fifth floor. 4-5/10, can't decide.

"I really like the sixth floor. It's the last place in Vault, and it really feels it. Very peaceful, very quiet, and I adore all the Ghost Mantas that flock there and help carry you up. I guess I just don't have much to say about it! 8/10.

"And then there are the two other little areas. The Archives are nice! Very quiet and pretty. The, uh, the whole arrangement with those walls made of huge blocks in the entrance is so pretty and mesmerizing to look at. And all those hallways with memory cubes on shelves are very tranquil. I like to just walk through the halls sometimes when I'm not sorting the memory cubes themselves and daydream about what the cubes may store. I could do without all the crabs trying to knock me over, but I really like the Archives! 8/10.

"And of course, there's the Starlight Desert, which I love. It's where I land whenever I'm reborn, so of course I'm a bit biased! (I'm really relieved that I don't have to bust through a wall like an irate manta every time I come back from Orbit...) Um—I love the atmosphere! That purple starry sky with the huge moon is so gorgeous to look at; you can't find a sky like that anywhere else. I wish there wasn't so much empty space, because it can make flying through it a bit tedious, but I'm more than willing to forgive that! Sometimes I fly up and visit the Ghost Manta way up in the air, and the garden is an ideal spot for naps and talking with a friend. Uh... I'll give it a 9/10!

"Sorry if I spoke too much (or too little). I never really thought about what I'd rate the different places in the Vault before, so I kind of came up with all this on the fly. But it feels accurate, so interpret that as you will! Um. Bye, I guess!"

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Eda's Requiem" from The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

...

...

...HOW IS SEASON TWO SO GOOD?! WE'VE HAD SEVEN EPISODES SO FAR, AND EACH ONE OF THEM WAS A HIT!

Take "Eda's Requiem," for example. It's yet another episode where I have NOTHING bad to say about it! That's two weeks in a row where that happened! HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?!

HOW!

HOW!

...But anyways, "Eda's Requiem." It's another fantastic episode, and I'm about to dive into explaining how and why. Just keep in mind, it's gonna require spoilers to do so, so be wary of that as you keep reading.

Now, let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Eda’s Checklist and Grom Photo: Within the first second, "Eda's Requiem" perfectly sets up Eda's central conflict in the episode. Despite spending years being on her own and looking after herself, she now has two kids that she's constantly caring over. Eda can try all she wants to say that she doesn't care, and I bet she has in the past. But given the hard work she's putting into getting King and Luz what they need and having a grom photo of the three of them together pinned in her mirror, it's pretty clear that those two knuckleheads wormed their way into her heart and are never getting out.

Eda’s Worried About King and Luz Leaving: And thus, that's precisely why something like this bothers her so much. Eda inadvertently adopted two rambunctious rapscallions (Yeah, I know. I'll get to it), so the idea of them not being around her anymore is going to be terrifying. That is a situation most parents, especially mothers, can identify with. It’s called empty nest syndrome and it proves just how much Eda loves Luz and King that she can't stand the thought of her babies leaving the nest. It's yet another well-made, wholesome, found-family moment that this series continues to excel at each week, making me extra excited for more like it to come...while also readying myself for heartbreak when one of them eventually does leave Eda.

Eda and Raine’s Music: Ok, I don't know the exact instruments that were played during this episode, but I also don't care because it was all (for lack of a better term) music to my ears. Every time Eda and Raine played resulted in melodies that are so beautiful and filled with so much emotion and feeling that I'm honestly tempted to listen to them again, multiple times, on repeat. Shows rarely do that for me, as background music doesn't always draw me in as much as lyrical songs do. Usually, it takes something so extraordinarily composed to give me the desire to listen again, and that's the case here. So huge congrats to Brad Breek for doing so. Seriously, the man's been killing it this season.

Eda’s Bard Magic Causing Things to Turn to Ash: This was assuredly a surprise side-effect of the curse. The fact that Eda can sort of do magic at all was its own shock. To then reveal that a specific type can do dangerous things to people and environments is...Well, it definitely brings up its own fair share of questions. Like, how can she do this? Will she do it again, one day? And are there other types of spells that can be negatively affected by Eda's curse? We don't get answers for any of these questions, and odds are, we never will. But that's alright with me. Because if a show makes me consider these many possibilities after a brief amount of time, it is a show that has to be doing something right. Even if I don't get the answers I want, the fact that it caused such a reaction makes me less willing to care.

Raine Whispers: Hey, would you look at that. Another fun, interesting, and compelling character added to the list of this shows' other fun, interesting, and compelling characters...how is this series so good at this!?

Joking aside, Raine's pretty good. I like Raine. They could have been this super serious leader who lost all their fun after years apart from Eda, but I'm glad that they're not. There are moments when Raine takes their job as leader of the BATs seriously, as one would, but I still prefer the fact that they kept a jovial nature despite how grim their situation is. It's an admirable trait to have, and it avoids the trope of making leader characters boring just because they're the ones who have to take things seriously.

Oh, and also, Raine's Disney's first non-binary character who has a stake in the plot. This is a tremendous deal, as you don't usually see that many non-binary characters in children's animation, let alone ones that hold importance to the story. So it's pretty cool for the writers to feature Raine, as it helps several kids feel as though they're finally seen and respected. And the fact that Disney of all companies gave the thumbs up is even more impressive. I hear people say that Dana Terrace should have pitched The Owl House to more progressive networks to avoid pushback, and while I absolutely see your point, I'll have to respectfully disagree. Disney is the largest entertainment industry of all time, so if you want to make LGBTQA+ representation normalized, you gotta stop making splashes and start making waves. Because if the same company that made three racist cats in the span of a few years manages to say that being gay is a-ok, then you know there's something wrong with you. Yes, Disney ended up screwing over the show anyway. But for that one moment, when kids felt pride after seeing a character like Raine, then, in the end, it's kind of worth it.

Also, if you're still having issues with more representation like this popping up in kids' shows, then allow me to redirect you to the complaint department.

...I made that post earlier today for this bit. YOU HAVE BETTER APPRECIATED IT!

Day of Unity is meant to be a Secret: At least, that's what I got when Raine stumbled over their own words. So if it's true, then I wonder why? Why does Belos want to keep the most critical change in the Boiling Isles a secret? Does he want to make it a surprise for his grateful subjects, or does he not want to spread worry and fear amongst the wild witches? It has to be something big if he doesn't want his followers to even say the words "Day of Unity." Whatever reason he has, we most likely won't know until the future. A future that I grow more and more afraid of each week.

Hooty Eating Echo Mouse: My heart sank in that brief moment when I thought that Hooty intensely screwed Luz over in getting back home. But looking back...it is pretty funny.

Just the suddenness of Hooty eating the poor creature that Luz desperately tried to earn its trust is priceless in how shocking it was. And also, Luz's expression.

That was the look of a young girl who immediately shoved her hand down an owl demon's throat the second the scene cut away. The Owl House may not always be a hit in the comedy department, but scenes like this prove that when it's funny, it is hilarious.

Luz and King Entering the Grand Prix: Not much to discuss here. It's just a cute subplot that adds frivolity to the intensity of what's going on through Eda and Raine's story. But I will say that I love how both stories occasionally interconnect with each other through the many moments of Eda being worried about King wanting to leave to find his father and avoiding any conversation about it. It helps both plotlines feel like they belong together, without being something like "Through the Looking Glass Ruins," whereas both stories could have been in their own episode. Which is neat.

How Bard Magic Works: I really love how this season is diving into how the other magic types work. More specifically, the ones that seem a little vague. I mean, stuff like healing, potions, and plants are easy to figure out, but what does it mean when a witch's talents are construction, beast keeping, and bard magic? We've been getting a lot of clearing up lately, with bard magic looking like a witch can control their environments and enemies through the power of music. Which is fair. Music is pretty powerful in the metaphorical sense, and I actually love that it's powerful in the literal sense when in the Boiling Isles.

The BATs: Not much to comment on these three either. The BATs have the potential to have an entertaining dynamic, but they do very little in this episode that I can't say much other than I hope they make a return in the future. But I will make this claim: Amber is my favorite. I'm sorry, but her screaming "You're not our mom!" to then go, "Bye, mommy Eda" is just too precious for me not to love.

I'm a simple man who falls for cute s**t. Leave me alone.

Raeda (RainexEda): Well, EdaxCamila, you were a fun crack ship while it lasted, but I'm afraid that this is now goodbye. The current canon has provided an incredibly adorable and believable relationship that I would be a monster not to support with my whole bi-heart. It's been real.

Ok, back in serious mode: I love these two together. Eda and Raine are grown-ups, and they still act all flustered near each other as if they were still Luz and Amity's age. It's definitive proof that you're never too old to get flustered near a crush, and seeing them interact adds a sense of wholesomeness when seeing them together as well as heartbreak when they're forced apart. Plus, we get confirmation that Eda's LGBTQA+! Whether she's bi, pan, or whatever, now that we know Eda can catch feelings for someone like Raine, it's yet another case that The Owl House is the most important series to the community. Because having the main character be queer is fantastic in its own right. But having the same apply to the motherly mentor figure? That's is an extra bit of normalization that anybody would be willing to appreciate.

Unique Guard Designs: Not many fans are going to appreciate this, primarily compared to everything else this episode does perfectly. For me, I actually like that you see a few Coven Guards looking differently from the others, as it helps make them less like clones and makes it seem like anybody of any body type could be a part of the coven.

Gus Looking Uninterested when Presenting Grand Prix with his Dad: I am positive that you didn't notice this (I didn't even notice it until someone else pointed it out), but there's something to dissect here. It hints that perhaps Gus isn't as interested in his father's field of work as one might think. If he did, he would look a lot less bored and much more excited to be helping Perry Porter present the race. It could just be the race itself, but judging from Gus' expression, it really seems like the kid would prefer to be anywhere but there. And why would he have that reaction to a race that his best friend is competing in? To me, this seems like an inkling of what Gus' relationship with Perry could be, which may not actually get time to shine, what with how little wiggle room the series has now (Thanks Disney). Regardless, it is interesting to notice, and it will certainly have fans thinking for a while.

Bump Being Smug of Luz Being in the Lead: That's it. Principal Bump looking smug as his human student is beating the students of his rivals is yet another moment that proves why Bump is easily the best cartoon principal.

Darius: First of all, this guy is f**king fabulous, and I love him. *Snaps*

Second, he is definitive proof that you do NOT want to f**k around with Coven Leaders. Lilith may have had her intimidating moments, but none of them compare to the guy who can turn himself into an abomination monster where only magic that hasn't existed before can take him down. It's genuinely scary to see Darius lose control, and I fear for the day when Luz inevitably ends up in his crosshairs.

With that said, Darius' still a ton of fun! He may be threatening, but he's just a flamboyant guy that hates the idea of getting his outfit the tiniest bit dirty. And I love that. I love that these Coven Heads have actual personalities instead of being generically evil. I consider it preferable to make villains entertaining rather than blatantly scary as I'll remember the personalities first and the villainous acts last.

Eberwolf: But this one's my favorite. I told you: I'm a simple man who gets easily swayed by cute s**t. And Eber? I mean, just look at her:

She's just a cute widdle rascal! I just want to pinch her cheeks, give her a belly rub, and--

...Eberwolf is not a cute widdle rascal. She is a strong, independent woman, and I will respect her as such from this moment forward...lest I feel her wrath.

That is all. Let's move on.

Eda and Raine Attempting a Final Performance: This was the best scene of the episode. It looked gorgeous, it shows the dedication Eda and Raine have for stopping Belos, and it says so much through so little. Go back and look at how Eda and Raine regard one another when performing Eda's requiem. Through their expressions and a few short words, you know they understand that if they complete the song/spell, they probably won't make it in the end. And yet, they don't care. They both know bad stuff will happen if Belos wins, so Eda and Raine put everything to the side, both their feelings for one another and the people they leave behind if it means putting an end to a tyrant. That level of dedication...Words can't fully describe how powerful that is.

Raine Sacrificing Themselves Instead: But in the end, Raine can't do it. Not when they know the life that Eda has and the people she'll be leaving behind. It's an extra bit of nobleness to the character seeing that Raine refuses to take away a woman from two kids who need her the most. A tad bit selfish, sure, knowing what Belos has planned. But when it comes to love, the romantic, familial, or platonic, the best decisions aren't always the logical ones.

Eda Crying: Luz crying tears me up, but seeing Eda cry is a whole different level of heartbreak. Like Lilith, Eda has her emotions locked up tight, with the closest she came to weeping were those two tears in "Young Blood, Old Souls." In "Eda's Requiem," she cries but almost quickly stops herself. As if she knows that doing so isn't going to save Raine. That is...even worse than seeing Luz break down after losing Eda. The fact that Eda refuses to give herself time to mourn losing someone she loved is tragic because crying is the most natural way of showing grief. Turning that off isn't healthy, and seeing her do it with little resistance is sad to me. It's sad to see a character I love can easily shut off all emotions despite how badly she may want to embrace them. It's one of those moments that, again, by doing so little, it shows so much.

“No one watches Crystal Balls anymore. It’s all about streaming.”: Oof. Even I felt that burn towards cable.

King’s Message: King's message was the pick-me-up I needed after the heart-wrenching sadness this episode put me through a few minutes ago. Seeing King say who he is and listing all the things he loves is nothing short of adorable. On top of that, I adore that Eda willingly recorded the whole thing. She may not want King to leave, but that doesn't mean she'll sabotage the one thing he wants. Especially not after Raine gave up everything so Eda could be with her kids. The opening scene may prove how much Eda cares about a rascal like King, but this heartwarmingly sweet moment reveals just how far she'll go to make him happy.

King’s Dad Reveal: ...ok, I'll be honest, I did not think we'd get that reveal this soon. Dumb of me to say, considering the number of times I've said that these writers don't waste time getting to the s**t, I know. But still, it's pretty cool knowing that King's dad is alive and well, added with the fact that we've got a fair idea of what he looks like. At this point, it's only a matter of time before we see him figure out where the Clawthorne residence is and witness the tear-jerking moments that will follow.

King Changing his Name to King Clawthorne: Not the official adoption I was expecting Eda to make...but DANG IT, is it still diabetes-inducing levels of sweetness!

Personally, I feel like the main reason why Eda breaks down this time is not only because she shouldn't be worried about King leaving her life, but also because Raine's sacrifice wasn't in vain. Her kids really do need Eda because no matter how far apart they'll be, she will always be a part of their life...dang it, I'm going to cry too!

What those Coven patches really do: Well...that was horrifying to see.

...Writers, if you kill off the best non-binary character in animation (it's a short list, I know), we are going to have PROBLEMS!

IN CONCLUSION

"Eda's Requiem" is--surprise surprise--another A+. The emotions hit hard, the representation hits harder, Raine is a fantastic addition to the cast, and it was all surprisingly cute at times. Season Two is currently on a hot streak, constantly winning with every episode that's come out so far. When a bad episode does eventually show up (IT'S GONNA HAPPEN!), I'll be sure to sing my requiem then. For now, I'm just gonna enjoy the ride.