#because we all know a 90s cartoon has the same tumblr impact as the gay robot boomer shooter

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Homegrown Rattrap Plushie

Our favorite little Bostonian Rat in plushie form because I love him

[bluezey]

So I saw In A Heartbeat

I know, I know.  “Why didn’t you see it sooner?” “It’s trending on YouTube!” “It’s all over Tumblr!” “It’s only four minutes long!”

Yes, I did plan to see this if and when I can.  And, it took me some time to realize that I can.  My recommendations of let’s plays and trivia videos were blocking the trending part of YouTube.  But, now that I finally saw In a Heartbeat, what did I think of it?

In short, this is so adorable!!

Now under the cut because of spoilers and, in this rare instance, will be using pictures of the short.

First, let me get the elephant out of the room and say that the first thing I thought when I saw the first frame was “oh my god this kid is Fear as a preteen boy and I love him already!!”

Yeah, if you know me, and I know I am, my type includes cute, skinny, nervous guys with unique, crazy hair.  Fear from Inside Out is the poster boy of my type, but this kid comes in at such a close second that he IS Fear as a preteen boy!  From frame one I fell in love with this kid and was stuck watching the short because of him.  Too bad the kid is gay, too young and taken.  So, make the love of your life the luckiest guy in the world, kid.

But don’t worry people who are crying “you’re loving it for the wrong reasons!” this is the end of my personal reasons for loving this short.  Let’s move onto the other two characters, the crush and the heart.  Now, the boy the Fear kid crushes on is suave and cute, and the heart

That’s Joy!!  That is Joy!!  This Fear kid has a heart made of Joy and I’m loving every minute of it!!

Yeah, as you can tell they took some easy read tropes to make the short an easy visual read, but that’s a forgiveable necessity since the film has no lines in it whatsoever.  Also, the short uses visual cues and the characters faces to show what they feel and what they’re thinking the rest of the time, so it’s more 90% readable and 10% trope.  Also, besides starting off as readable tropes, the characters are still downright adorable and relateable.

Now, the animation.  As you can tell from the stills, the animation is a mix of cartoon slapstick and partially realistic CGI.  Partial realism is a term I use for characters who have realistic features to them like realistic hair and realistic clothing and, to an extent, realistic skin, but they’re put on characters who look, act and move like they’re in a fluid, non realistic cartoon environment.  Even the background has these features as, for example, the trees are made of realistic leaves and bark, but are trimmed to look like they’re perfectly drawn in a crafted environment.  I think this works to tell the story to its audience:  the children.  The partial realism shows they’re telling a real life scenario that’s kind of difficult to tell these days, but they kind of sugar coat it with the cartooniness so it’s easy for kids to grasp and understand.

I also want to put in two tiny nods to the music and one point in the film.  First, the music is sweet, heartwarming, and upbeat at times.  I want to compare it to the soundtrack to Up for how charming it is.  The second is this brief second in the school:

Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve seen, met and know people who make up excuses for why people are gay, up to and including “bullies call them gay so they think they’re gay” and “it’s just a popular fad.”  And up until this point you can tell that the two boys are in a private school, but you don’t see any girls in this private school yet.

While this is a neat idea, I was concerned that some confused/anti gay people will use this as an excuse to explain “well you put adolescent, going through puberty, sexually flowering boys in an all boys school, what choice do they have?”  The presence of this girl throws that excuse out the window, and has them face the fact that, even in a school of girls, this boy pined for this boy.

And, I’m not gonna lie, for the lack of a better word, this scene broke my heart:

I don’t want to explain why.  Mostly because this scene is the best well done scene in the short.  From the shadows, to the atmosphere, to the music, to the expressions on the boys’ faces, this scene is too good to put into words.  This is a scene that needs to be seen in order to feel its full impact.  So, yes, I am saying, see this short.

Now, if I had to nitpick, there are two moments I want to bring up.  But, it’s worth talking about as it brings up one of my favorite things about films:  the idea that one film could have multiple interpretations.

So, when I first watched In A Heartbeat, I loved the heart character, I really did.  I was really rooting for him to get the boy, even if he really was super focused on it.  And then these moments happened:

I couldn’t help but think aloud “this is getting a little creepy.”  Which, is one way to look at it.  Maybe because the boy is only watching the crush from a distance and in secret, this only made the heart pine for him as a form of infatuation, obsession or even puppy love.  Which leads me to another interpretation of it:  this could just be infatuation or puppy love.  But, that’s not a bad thing, considering these kids are preteens.  They’re just discovering love, they’re just finding who they love.  Having your first love be puppy love and not “the one” is not a bad thing, it’s just the first step into your love journey to your one, only and forever love.  And, who knows, maybe these two are the one, only and forever love, they’re just still smitten with each other because they’re still so young.  But, the only one that could be considered a negative interpretation is if this love is obsession.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying obsession is bad.  I’m saying those who are confused about the notion of same sex love or even against it may use this interpretation to twist the original message of the film, which is simply two boys finding love.  Am I saying some assholes will use this lovely, innocent message for horrible means?  Sadly, yes.  But, to be fair, it won’t be the first time I’ve seen an innocent message used for horrible means.  But, that’s the double edged sword for finding multiple messages in a film:  sometimes you look too deep and find a negative way to use a positive message.  Let’s just hope that, for once, we’re all mature with this children’s short.

Which leads me to the final comment on this message, where is this going?  What is the future for In A Heartbeat?  I’m not going to say that it’s going to begin positive same sex messages in children’s animation, because with such examples as Steven Universe and The Loud House, I think we’re already there.  But, who would have the balls to play this short before a children’s film?  With sheltering parents still against showing this subject to their children, I would be surprised and happy if this does get a theatrical release.  But, at the same time, wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t.  So, it’s good and unsurprising that I first found it on YouTube, where people can choose to watch this rather than “have” to watch it.  But, it’s still not a bad place to be.  When I first thought about how it was a good choice to have the film be silent as it’s only four minutes long, it made me question will there be talking if this becomes a full fledged film.  And that’s when I thought, why not make this a full fledged film?  It has what we’re looking for, romantic comedy, likeable characters, even a progressive story where its two boys who find their happy ending.  The only downside is I don’t see this being a full fledged kids, film, but I’m not saying it should be “edgy” either.  I’m thinking if this does get made as a full fledged film, it would most likely be a G rated film that gets a PG rating just to fully warn the shelter parents of its “adult situations”.  Hell, maybe as a full fledged film, they can make another romantic comedy plot of another couple.  Like, maybe in this school we see a boy and a girl who are clearly best friends and clearly more, but one is scared to take the leap and become a couple because their secret is they’re trans, and they don’t want to be outed because they fear they’ll be bullied, or worse, kicked out of school.  Hell, let’s put “mild peril” in the PG rating and bring up the reality that bullying will be an issue.  Since the heart is making it so blatant, maybe the Fear kid is already being bullied just for being awkward before he’s even outed, making him even more terrified when he is outed.  And, since films, especially independent films, would take years to make, once In A Heartbeat as a film is made and ready for distribution, we may have had enough time in this fledgling age of same sex characters in children’s films that this may get released under a big studio banner.  Maybe not Pixar or Dreamworks, but maybe Blue Sky or Illumination.

So, yeah, while this isn’t going to be the number one favorite short film of mine, which is currently Piper, it is going to be in my top five between Boundin and Day and Night.  And while I would love to see it in theaters, I think it has a better chance on YouTube and becoming expanded into a animated “PG” preteen romantic comedy.  So, yeah, there’s something here, we all knew it.  This film just firmly cemented it.  And all I can say is, Fear kid, crush, Joy heart, I wish you all the love and the best.

[moriganstrongheart]

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Season One – Review

​Developed by Noelle Stevenson 2018, Netflix 13 episodes, 24 minutes

Rating: ★★★★★

Good: Diversity, character writing & relationships Bad: Lackluster ending, unoriginal worldbuilding

I grew up right outside the window where toyline-centric television shows were at their peak in popularity. Being a 90’s baby and living in a French Canadian community made it so I didn’t get exposed to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Thundercats, G.I. Joe, and other 80’s cartoons. The only shows I was ever really able to get into were shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or whatever aired before 6 am on YTV, like Voltron or Megaman. My first real exposure to 80’s cartoons was through Robot Chicken, which parodied these kinds of shows a lot. All this to say I had little interest in this era of animation. I hesitated to watch She-Ra and the Princesses of Power for this reason. I was afraid that She-Ra would require some investment in the She-Ra/He-Man mythos, or the show would be targeted exclusively at young girls. It was the blogs I follow on Tumblr that eventually convinced me to watch the show on Netflix. The response the show generated was positive, praising its diversity and interesting characters. And while She-Ra is definitely targeted towards young girls (of which I am not), I very much enjoyed it. Noelle Stevenson manages to present a compelling story, with complex and diverse characters who never feel patronizing or shallow—as characters in children’s shows tend to be. The world-building is also well-done, and requires no prior knowledge of the She-Ra/He-Man mythos from the 80’s. My only issues with She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is its resemblance to other shows and a lackluster ending, but these are small prices to pay for it brilliant execution.

I realized around midway through the series how closely She-Ra resembles Avatar: The Last Airbender, with some passing resemblance to other cartoons like Steven Universe or Adventure Time. Everything from the humour to the major plot points felt familiar and already done. Though, I have a hard time really criticizing She-Ra for its lack of originality as it can be difficult to create something new that’s appealing to everyone. Except, the show doesn’t really have its own identity. It has some great execution and a unique approach to character relationships, but I feel like the writers could have spent more time fleshing out the world and making it stand apart from its contemporaries.

This lack of originality also contributes to my only other criticism with the series: its dull ending. There’s a lot of build up to the final showdown between the kingdoms of Etheria and the evil Horde. I was genuinely invested in the outcome and anticipated that we wouldn’t get a happy ending, based on the way things were progressing. I was then disappointed in how the conflict was ultimately resolved. It felt sloppy and rushed when compared to character development. I wasn’t upset in the way things ended; I enjoyed seeing all of the princesses participating and winning the day through friendship—I had no issue with that. It’s just that it felt more akin to the ending of a Saturday morning cartoon one-shot episode than an epic thirteen episode arc. It’s a shame because there’s so much work put into the characters; that the same couldn’t be true for the main story plot is disappointing. I don’t know if this was due to bad writing, bad planning or intentional constraints by the creators to focus characters, but I hope we see better plot writing in the next season.

One thing that becomes clear as the series progresses is how devoted the writers are to having a diverse cast of characters. Nearly the entire cast is made up of girls or women, with the only male characters being Hordak, Sea Hawk and Bow—with Bow being distinctly feminine in appearance and mannerism. Characters are also diverse in body type and skin colour: Bow has dark skin, Glimmer is a bit chubby and Adora/She-Ra is noticeably tall and fit. I am always onboard for more diversity, especially in children cartoons, where it is important that children can see themselves represented in media. What’s more, none of the characters actively point out these differences beyond some comments on how tall or strong She-Ra is. There’s a clear sense of normalcy to this diversity. Of course, it’s important to directly address issues of sexism, racism and other types of discrimination directly, but it’s nice to have a show that presents these differences as normal. I also tend to find shows with diverse characters much more interesting and memorable than ones that have three or four of the same milktoast characters with different names, but no real difference between them.

She-Ra also doesn’t shy away from homosexual relationships, having one explicit relationship between the princesses Spinnerella and Netossa, and an implied relationship between Catra and Adora, with Scorpia also being enamoured with Catra. It could be argued that Glimmer and Bow are also part of the show’s LGBTQ representation, but I don’t think the writers intended it as such. Just because Bow has some feminine qualities and doesn’t have a romantic interest doesn’t mean he is gay, nor is there any indication that Glimmer, Adora and Bow aren’t more than good friends. It would be nice to have some homosexual male representation, but as She-Ra is a show targeted at young girls, I can see why it wouldn’t be a priority. Catra and Adora’s implied relationship was one of my favourite parts of the show. In what is essentially an angsty teen romance, the two go back and forth as Adora struggles to reconcile her past while Catra feels betrayed and abandoned. The execution of their interpersonal conflicts is really well done, and is the highlight of the series so far.

Most of the relationships are of this same quality. It very rarely feels like characters are acting just to push the plot forward, and interact with each other in a very human way. Drama is handled well, and nothing is ever pushed to the extreme. One of my biggest gripes with teen dramas is how relationships in those stories are handled, with everyone overreacting and refusing to discuss things openly with each other. By contrast, characters in She-Ra are mostly honest, sincere and actually talk to resolve conflicts. And when they’re not being emotionally mature like this, we immediately feel the impact of their actions. People get hurt or feel their trust is betrayed, but it’s always realistic. Glimmer is a brat, but considering how strict her mom is, her anxieties feel reasonable. Catra’s temper is a logical consequence of her upbringing, so her lashing out against Adora makes sense, especially when we see the internal conflicts she is dealing with. She-Ra trusts its audience to take enjoyment out of a well-crafted story, rather than creating drama for the sake of drama. I find that overdramatic social situations in fiction lead to people to exaggerate their own lives in turn, embodying the mantra: “Art imitates life, life imitates art”. People want to emulate their interests, even as we become more and more obsessed with crafting an exciting life for ourselves, regardless of the negative impact it has on us and the ones around us. Shows like She-Ra demonstrate that you can have an interesting, exciting life while maintaining healthy relationships with others. Relationships in fiction should help us understand the way we approach our own relationships through realistic representation; fiction shouldn’t be glorifying drama and romanticizing broken relationships.

She-Ra is the kind of show we need more and more in the modern age. It has its issues—like most things do—but just as with Adventure Time and Avatar: The Legend of Korra, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power demonstrates that we have a deep appetite for diversity and sincere character development. One thing that people often forget is that popular media has only really been around for a century, but discrimination stretches much further back. Shows like She-Ra help to chip away at the status quo, bit by bit revealing a much more interesting, diverse and accepting world, where everyone has a place regardless of who they are. As more and more of these kinds of media are featured to large audiences, diversity will become commonplace, allowing for more interesting media to be created in turn. And if even half of them are of the same quality as She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, we’re in for a wild ride.

Official Show Website

[that-girl-you-were-warned-about]

All the questions!!!

1. How long have you had a Tumblr? Off and on for 4 years2. Describe your first kiss, who was it with, what was it like, where was it etc? At my high school’s winter dance. It was super cute. 3. What’s your biggest regret? I know we all say we don’t regret things but obviously it’s how we learn, from our mistakes. So what’s something from your past you wished you could have changed? Basically the whole summer after senior year. 5. Favorite Songs at the moment? Stella and all other songs by All Time Low5. What is the craziest thing that you have ever done? I had sex in a park during the day 6. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you? Probably when I ate some bad food and threw up on the city bus. 7. Do you have any scars and if so, how did you get them? Yep. Scar on knee from 1st grade when I fell down, lot of self harm scars, one from my cat (it was my fault for not watching where I was going), one from when my best friend accidentally grabbed my arm8. Where would you like to be in 10 years? Part of me wants to be in a grave but part of me wants to be in a castle. So yeah. 9. What are your views on drugs and alcohol? People all have their reasons for doing drugs and alcohol. So long as you don’t endanger others, I don’t really care what you do. 10. What are your views on religion? Don’t have one, but I don’t have anything against people who follow a religion. 11. Have you ever thought about ending your own life? If so, why? Oh yeah. Every single day for years. Heartbreak and depression are the main reasons I have thought about it. 12. Write 5 facts people might not know about you.I get really attached to people, I will never have children because I will never be able to give them 100%, I really want to have a pet donkey and Shetland pony, I have a Japanese sleeping mat rather than a traditional bed (helps my back), and I want to learn about coding and hacking because I find ethical hacking to be super interesting. 13. last really important text you got? “I love you”14. Can you let go? Letting go of people is really hard. 15. Discuss your first love. Was meh, guy ending up being pretty shitty. I don’t talk about it but I don’t regret it. 16. Put your ipod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up. Explain why each song is on there. My iPod is dead. Send me this ask separately and I will answer once it is charged. 17. Name somewhere you’d like to move or visit. London19. What are your views on mainstream music? Not a big fan usually, but some is catchy18. Are you currently missing someone? Yeah19. At what age do you think people should have sex? Not before they start high school, but don’t think there is ever a time people should have it. 20. What are your highs and lows of this past year? Highs would be passing acting class, moving, and lows would be just about all of it. 21. What are your strongest beliefs? That there are good people in this world even if they are hard to find. 22. Who are you closest to in your family? Probably my mom, but we aren’t very close. 23. How important do you think education is? Extremely important. Education doesn’t have to be in a classroom, but learning is the key to making the world a better place. 24. What’s one of your favorite shows? Bones 25. How have you changed in the past 2 years? I self harm less and drink more. 26. Name 5 people who are famous who you find attractive. Andy Biersack, Ruby Rose, and idk who else. They are pretty much all attractive. 27. Name your favorite movie and what it’s about. V for Vendetta. Religion has taken over the government and a man is inspired by Guy Fawkes. Everyone should watch it. 28. Who is someone who fascinates you and why? Most politicians because I find it fascinating that they can care so little for the people they are supposed to represent. 29. What kind of person attracts you? Not afraid to laugh loud, loves music, supportive, doesn’t reject me because of my scars. 30. What’s a problem that you have recently had or are currently having? Anxiety over social interactions has gotten really really bad. 31. Name something that you miss. My cat Abby. 32. Share 5 goals you want completed in the next 30 days. Lose 5 pounds, not cut, not get drunk, read a book, run 4 days a week. 33. What’s been the highlight of your month and the lowest point? I can hardly remember the past 30 days… I guess the high is not failing any tests and the low would be my emotions. 34. What’s something that you’ve done in the past that you would never do again? Probably a sex thing or two. 35. What is you’re biggest insecurity & why? My height because I have been made fun of for it consistently since 4th grade. 36. What were the last 3 songs you listened to and what did they mean to you? “Wicked Ones” makes me happy, “these are the lies” basically how I feel most days, and “this is gospel” fun song and one of the kids I nanny adore the video of Brendon playing it on the piano. 37. Do you have a toy that’s really special to you and if so what is it, how did you get it etc? Not a toy, but my stuffed animal dog. My mom and I went to baby’s-r-us right before I first left for college because I was sad about leaving my cat and thought a big stuffed animal might help me. 38. Have you lost anyone close to you to death? No39. What is your purpose in life? Be there for people when they need it. 40. When was the last time you cried and what was it over? Yesterday because my computer isn’t working and my head hurt and I missed my best friend. 41. If you got to spend an entire day with your favourite celebrity what would you guys do? Go to the zoo42. If you could only listen to one artist for the rest of your life, who would you choose and why? Probably fall out boy cause they got a lot of good songs 43. What are 3 traits that you like about yourself and what are three that you dislike about yourself? Personality wise. Dislike: hard time letting things go, stubborn, tend to throw safety to the wind. Like: persistent, not ashamed of my mental health, and caring 44. Can you cook? If so what are your favorite dishes to make? I can cook basic stuff. Love this couscous with Tumerick and lemon. 45. What was the last decision you regretted making? Drinking 46. Do you believe in the saying “once a cheater, always a cheater”? Yeah47. Do you ever wish you were famous? Nope48. What’s the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to YOU? Or something that’s hurt you above anything else and why? It was said to me but they didn’t know it applied to me. A person said they think gay people should be put to death. 50. What mark would you want to leave on this world after you are gone? Just help people smile. 51. Have you ever thought of having plastic surgery? No52. Have you ever jumped in the pool with your clothes on? Yeah53. Have you ever slapped a boy in the face? No 54. What’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for you? Kissed my scars when I was crying 55. What is one of your favorite memories? Stayed at a friend’s house all night and watched shows58. What’s the nicest present you’ve ever received? Globe from my grandma before she died 59. Have you ever had your heart broken? Yep60. Have you ever wanted to change anything about your life? If so, what? Yeah. Would love to have curable depression 61. What is something you feel like you are really good at? Nannying *idk why so many numbers are missing here*65. What’s one thing someone has done for you that was really small but made a huge impact? Got dragged to church with my family, was feeling mentally horrible so I went outside for a few minutes and a stranger asked if I was okay and said things will get better. 66. What do you do when you can’t sleep? Take meds until I do. 68. If you could change 3 things within your government, what would they be and why? I can’t even answer this cause there is so much wrong with our government 69. What’s your favourite holiday and why? Halloween cause I love all the costumes 70. What’s the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you? Even if it’s TINY like holding a door open for you, something that you remember even though they were a complete stranger. See #6571. Who’s your favorite cartoon character? Louise Belcher 72. What’s the first song that comes to your mind while reading this and why? These are the Lies cause it’s stuck in my head. 74. What would you like to be the first dance song at your wedding? Idk, guess I try not to think about it. 75. Have you ever been told you look like a famous person, if so, who? Nope76. What’s one thing you can not live without? Animals 77. What is the most selfless thing you have ever done for someone? Idk. I do things for other people, but it just seems like what a friend should do. 78. Are you a girly girl? Sometimes 79. What color is your bed? Like the sheets…? Light purple right now80. Do you prefer light or dark haired guys? Dark 81. Are you currently frustrated with a boy? Little 82. Do you have a best friend? Yeah 82. What song makes you cry the most? Lucy 83. What’s the funniest film you’ve ever seen? Horrible Bosses was pretty funny 84. What’s something crazy that you’ve always wanted to do? Skydive without a person attached to me85. Has anything ever happened to you that you just can’t forgive? Most of the stuff my father has said 86. Ever been really drunk? No 😕87. Is there any type of rumor going around about you? Not that I know of 89. Have you ever felt ashamed about something? If so what was it & why? My height cause I was taller than all my classmates 90. Do you keep a journal? If so what mostly goes in it? Random thoughts, feelings, stories? Nope 
91. Do you like somebody? Yeah92. Craziest shit ever done? Same as #593. What’s the saddest story/one that’s touched you the most that you’ve ever heard on the news? Anything to do with dog fighting 94. If you were told you were going to have 3 daughters, what would you want to name them? Ophelia, Anastasia, Lucy 95. Do you have a middle name and if so, what is it? Rose96. Are you in a relationship? No97. Do you enjoy drama? Yeah98. Are you a virgin? No99. Are you short or tall? Tall100. Do you have siblings? If so, what are their names and how old are they? Claire age 17