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astrojulia · 1 year

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Could it be possible to have a small analysis of asteroid (4017) Disneya when looking at one’s chart? I do know it directly related to Disney, that’s for sure.

Asteroid Disneya (4017): Understanding its Signs, Houses and Aspects

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₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Warning: Did you come to my askbox for a short post? Sorry. This post is huge!

₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ About the Asteroid: Asteroid Disneya was discovered in 1980 and named after Walt Disney.Okay, dive with me on this asteroid. I FOUND NOTHING ABOUT IT, NOTHING! So I took a few paths to interpret. The first thing that is most often done by the astrology community in their studies is to get people's birth charts, see about the planet/asteroid and research the subject, I did that. But I also took the path of what Disney evokes in us. (I emphasize that this post is totally experimental, trying to find ways of interpretation).

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Sources and inspirations:None, I guess.. but I’ve four main points: Imagination and creativity; Innocence and nostalgia; Entertainment and escapism and finally how Disney affected the native life. The signs are more about what the native likes about Disney and the houses where they show it and how they like it. And when I talk about the Eras, I am talking about this. Also, the image template in from minikyuns on deviantart.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Asteroid Disneya in famous people birth chart:

Walt Disney (co-founder of The Walt Disney Company): Disneya conjunct Mercury and sextile Venus indicates that the Disney legacy and the communication of its ideas were deeply intertwined for Walt Disney. This aspect suggests an ability to creatively and effectively convey the magical essence of Disney's storytelling. The sextile to Venus further emphasizes the charm and appeal of Disney's creations.

Demi Lovato (musical artist): With Disneya trine their Moon, Uranus, and Neptune, and conjunct their Venus and Jupiter, it suggests a strong affinity for the imaginative and creative realms. This aspect may indicate that Demi Lovato's emotional expression, individuality, and spirituality are deeply influenced by the themes associated with Disney and its magical world.

Selena Gomez (singer): Having an unaspected Disneya suggests a unique and individualistic expression of the Disney influence. This could manifest as an independent and unconventional approach to creativity and entertainment. It's possible that Selena Gomez's connection to the Disney legacy is less influenced by traditional or structured expressions and more open to personal interpretation.

Miley Cyrus (singer, songwriter): With Disneya square her Mars, it suggests that Miley Cyrus may have experienced some tensions or conflicts in expressing her personal drive, ambition, or assertiveness within the Disney context. This aspect could represent a struggle to reconcile her own individuality with the expectations or constraints imposed by the Disney image or brand.

Zac Efron (actor): Disneya sextile his Sun, trine his Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus indicates a harmonious integration of the Disney influence with Zac Efron's identity and personal growth. This aspect suggests that the Disney association has contributed positively to his self-expression, expansion, discipline, and ability to embrace change.

Les Clark (animator): Disneya opposing his Mercury, square Jupiter, and trine Uranus suggests a dynamic interplay between Les Clark's communication style, expansion, and innovative thinking influenced by the Disney legacy. This aspect may have contributed to his ability to bring new ideas and creative concepts to life within the Disney realm.

Floyd Gottfredson (cartoonist): Disneya trine his Venus and Uranus, opposing Saturn, and sextile Neptune indicates a harmonious blending of creativity, uniqueness, and visionary qualities influenced by Disney. This aspect suggests that Floyd Gottfredson's artistic expression and ability to capture the imagination of others were deeply connected to the Disney legacy, despite potential challenges or responsibilities represented by the Saturn opposition.

Abe Levitow (animator): Disneya square his Sun and Pluto, sextile Mars and Neptune, and opposing Jupiter suggests a complex interplay between personal power, transformation, artistic drive, and expansion influenced by Disney. This aspect may indicate that Abe Levitow's connection to the Disney archetype had profound transformative effects on his creative expression and sense of purpose.

Asteroid Disneya by Sign

✧. ┊ Aries: may indicate a strong sense of individuality and independence in expressing the Disney influence. The person may have a pioneering spirit and an assertive approach to creative endeavors influenced by Disney themes. This native may like more active Disney films like Mulan or think that everything Disney is too childish, too fanciful or just for the money. They may also have an affinity for The Wartime Era films. Disneya in Aries stimulates a dynamic and pioneering imagination, fueling the individual's creative endeavors with enthusiasm and boldness. They may excel in areas such as animation, writing adventurous stories, or expressing their creativity in an assertive manner.

✧. ┊ Taurus: could suggest a connection to the sensual and material aspects of the Disney world. The person may appreciate the beauty, craftsmanship, and tangible elements of Disney's creations. This person might like older Disney movies like Snow White and Fantasia. They might also be the type that likes the Disney aesthetic. Disneya in Taurus fosters a creative imagination with a focus on sensory experiences and tangible expressions. These individuals may be skilled in creating visually appealing artwork, designing themed environments, or engaging in practical forms of creative expression inspired by Disney.

✧. ┊ Gemini: may signify a versatile and communicative expression of the Disney influence. This type of person may know all Disney movies and musics but not delve into any of them, or their favorite movies could be Disney-Pixar movies. Disneya in Gemini stimulates a versatile and intellectual imagination. These individuals may enjoy exploring different genres of Disney storytelling, engaging in animated conversations about Disney, or expressing their creativity through various forms of communication, such as writing, podcasting, or social media.

✧. ┊ Cancer: could indicate a deep emotional connection to Disney's themes of family, nostalgia, and home. The person may seek comfort and a sense of security through the enchanting and familiar elements of Disney. This native will like the movies they watched in their childhood and period, if childhood was in 00 it will be one type of movie, if it was in 2010 it will be another one. They might also like the Silver Age Era movies. Disneya in Cancer evokes a deep emotional connection to the world of Disney and a nurturing imagination. These individuals may excel in creating emotionally resonant art, evoking nostalgia through their creative work, or expressing their imaginative prowess within the realms of family and home.

✧. ┊ Leo: may highlight a strong creative flair and a desire to shine in the realm of entertainment influenced by Disney. The person may possess a natural ability to captivate and entertain others with their Disney-inspired expressions. This native may like Disney's most successful films like Frozen or the Golden Age Era films. Disneya in Leo ignites a vibrant and dramatic imagination. These individuals may shine in creative fields, seeking recognition for their Disney-inspired expressions. They may be drawn to performing arts, showmanship, or using their creativity to entertain and captivate others.

✧. ┊ Virgo: suggests a meticulous and analytical approach to the Disney influence. The person may pay attention to the details, craftsmanship, and practical aspects of Disney's creations. This is the type of person who might like Disney princess movies better, or who at least have a female lead. Also, they can be very interested in merchandise, especially official ones. Disneya in Virgo stimulates a meticulous and detail-oriented imagination. These individuals may have a keen eye for the intricacies of Disney's creations and may excel in the technical aspects of animation, visual effects, or craftsmanship related to Disney-inspired projects.

✧. ┊ Libra: may emphasize a love for harmony, beauty, and the social aspects of Disney. The person may appreciate the aesthetics, relationships, and partnerships that arise from the Disney world. They might like Disney princess movies, or ones with two leads like Wreck-It Ralph. It could also be those people who have the most affinity for Revival Era Movies. Disneya in Libra encourages a harmonious and aesthetically focused imagination. These individuals may excel in creating visually appealing artwork, designing Disney-inspired fashion, or using their creative expression to foster balance and beauty in the world.

✧. ┊ Scorpio: may indicate a transformative and intense connection to the Disney influence. The person may delve into the depths of Disney's themes, exploring the darker or mysterious elements that lie beneath the surface. It's the native who likes little known movies like The Black Cauldron or who makes it clear that it's not just a cute movie like The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Disneya in Scorpio evokes an intense and transformative imagination. These individuals may express their creativity through exploring complex and psychologically rich themes within their artwork or creative pursuits.

✧. ┊ Sagittarius: could signify an expansive and adventurous approach to the Disney world. The person may enjoy exploring different cultures, traveling to Disney parks, or embracing the broader philosophical and spiritual messages within Disney's storytelling. This is the kind of native that likes Disney because everyone knows what Disney is, it's a universal conversation, you can ask anyone "Who is your favorite Disney princess?" or "What's your favorite song?" that the person will understand. Disneya in Sagittarius stimulates an adventurous and expansive imagination. These individuals may be inspired by Disney's tales of exploration and may express their creativity through travel, cross-cultural storytelling, or by incorporating themes of spirituality and philosophical insights into their work.

✧. ┊ Capricorn: suggests a practical and disciplined approach to expressing the Disney influence. The person may appreciate the business side of Disney, aiming for success and recognition within the industry. This native may like to know about Disney's work, about producers, artists, writers... It may also be that person who doesn't like Disney because it thinks it's too childish. As well as liking more the Live-Actions and series that Disney shows on its channel Disneya in Capricorn encourages a practical and disciplined imagination. These individuals may approach their creative pursuits with structure and ambition, seeking to manifest their Disney-inspired ideas into tangible achievements within the realms of business, management, or entrepreneurship.

✧. ┊ Aquarius: may highlight an innovative and unconventional approach to the Disney influence. The person may appreciate the progressive and futuristic elements of Disney's creations, and they may contribute to the evolution of Disney's legacy. This native can be that Disney fanatic, as it brings together generations, creativity, technology... practically everything that aquarius has an affinity for. They could also be the person who likes Post-Renaissance Era movies. Disneya in Aquarius stimulates an innovative and unconventional imagination. These individuals may think outside the box when it comes to expressing their creativity, bringing fresh and progressive perspectives to Disney-inspired art, technology, or social movements.

✧. ┊ Pisces: could indicate a deep connection to the imaginative and spiritual dimensions of the Disney world. The person may be highly intuitive, empathetic, and feel a profound resonance with the dreamlike qualities of Disney's storytelling. This native can spend hours listening to Disney music and have a greater appreciation for Renaissance Era movies. It is also one more for the list that has princess movies as a favorite. Disneya in Pisces evokes a dreamy and spiritually attuned imagination. These individuals may excel in creating ethereal and fantastical artwork, expressing their creativity through music, dance, or embodying the mystical essence of Disney's storytelling in their creative pursuits.

Asteroid Disneya by House

✧. ┊ 1st House: suggests that the Disney influence is a significant part of the individual's self-expression and identity. They may embody the magic of Disney in their personal presentation. This native may have been influenced by movies on how to dress, speak, and behave in the world, and be inspired by some characters. It is also the native that, when Disneya aspects the ascendant, they appear like a character. Disneya in the 1st house brings a strong sense of innocence and nostalgia to the individual's self-image and identity. They may have a youthful aura about them and carry a childlike wonder in their approach to life. Nostalgia may play a significant role in shaping their personality and how they express themselves to others. This placement indicates that the individual seeks entertainment and escapism through self-expression and personal image. They may enjoy adopting Disney-inspired personas or engaging in activities that allow them to escape from reality and embrace a sense of playfulness and joy.

✧. ┊ 2nd House: could indicate a connection between the Disney influence and personal values, finances, or possessions. The person may find value in Disney merchandise or have a talent for monetizing Disney-inspired ventures. This native may have learned life and moral lessons from some Disney movies, as well as taking inspiration from the melody and voice of the songs. Disneya in the 2nd house highlights a nostalgic connection to material possessions and personal values. These individuals may find comfort and a sense of security in collecting Disney memorabilia or investing in Disney-related ventures. They may have a sentimental attachment to items associated with Disney or seek to preserve the innocence and joy associated with childhood through their material acquisitions. This placement suggests that the individual finds entertainment and escapism through material possessions and financial resources. They may also invest in experiences that allow them to escape into the enchanting world of Disney and find pleasure in material indulgence associated with Disney themes.

✧. ┊ 3rd House: suggests that communication, learning, and short journeys may be influenced by the Disney world. The person may enjoy discussing Disney topics, writing about Disney, or engaging in Disney-themed educational activities. It's the native who will know a few more details about Disney (like the Eras... yes, I'm that native) and who will like how Disney uses elements other than just speech to communicate, like shapes and colors. Disneya in the 3rd house infuses the realm of communication and learning with innocence and nostalgia. These individuals may have a fondness for storytelling and may enjoy sharing Disney-inspired tales or engaging in conversations that spark nostalgic memories. They may also have a nostalgic connection to their childhood education or early experiences with reading Disney books or watching Disney movies. This placement indicates that the individual seeks entertainment and escapism through communication, learning, and social interactions. They may enjoy discussing Disney-related topics, sharing their knowledge about Disney, or engaging in activities like Disney trivia nights, book clubs, or movie marathons with friends and acquaintances.

✧. ┊ 4th House: signifies a deep emotional connection to the Disney influence, especially within the family and home environment. The person may create a nurturing and magical atmosphere inspired by Disney within their living space. It's the native who likes stories that involve family like Lilo and Stitch and who can show more intimate messages using Disney narratives, as if using as an example "Oh, it's like that scene from Princess and the Frog that happens this, this, and that". These movies become a way of communicating what they want. Disneya in the 4th house deeply influences the individual's sense of home, family, and emotional foundations with innocence and nostalgia. These individuals may create a nurturing and magical atmosphere within their home, surrounding themselves with Disney-related items or creating family traditions rooted in the innocence and joy of Disney's storytelling. Nostalgia may play a significant role in their family dynamics and upbringing. This placement suggests that the individual finds entertainment and escapism within the realms of home and family life. They may create a Disney-themed sanctuary at home, host Disney-inspired gatherings, or use Disney-related activities to bond with family members and create nostalgic memories.

✧. ┊ 5th House: emphasizes creativity, self-expression, and joy derived from the Disney world. The person may find pleasure in artistic endeavors, entertainment, or working with children, drawing inspiration from Disney. It's the native who will watch the movies when the kids are watching and sing along to Disney songs. For them, music is a source of inspiration. Disneya in the 5th house accentuates the house of creativity, self-expression, and joy with innocence and nostalgia. These individuals may find great pleasure in artistic endeavors inspired by Disney, such as drawing, painting, or performing in Disney-themed productions. They may seek out recreational activities that allow them to tap into the nostalgia and childlike wonder associated with Disney. This placement suggests highlights that the individual seeks entertainment and escapism through creative self-expression and recreational activities. They may enjoy engaging in Disney-themed arts and crafts, performing in Disney-inspired shows or productions, or participating in activities that bring joy and a sense of playfulness inspired by Disney.

✧. ┊ 6th House: suggests that daily routines, work, and service may be influenced by the Disney world. The person may find motivation and fulfillment by incorporating Disney elements into their professional life or daily tasks. It's that person whose work backpack has a huge Minnie, and at work celebrations and parties, everyone gives something from Minnie to this native. They’re also one of those natives who carry their favorite character into adulthood, not afraid to show that they still like Disney. These individuals may find joy and inspiration in jobs or volunteer work related to the Disney world, such as working at Disney parks or participating in Disney-themed events. They may infuse their daily tasks with a sense of innocence and nostalgia, seeking to create a magical experience for themselves and others. Disneya in the 6th house indicates that the individual finds entertainment and escapism through work, routines, and service.They may find solace and joy in integrating Disney magic into their daily routines and responsibilities.

✧. ┊ 7th House: indicates that partnerships, relationships, and collaborations may be influenced by the Disney influence. The person may connect with others who share a love for Disney, and the Disney world may play a role in their romantic or business partnerships. It's the kind of person who wants to marry in Cinderella or Belle's dress and who daydreams to have a Disney-style relationship, whether that be romantic or professional. They may be attracted to partners who share their love for Disney or engage in relationships that have a nostalgic connection to their shared Disney experiences. They may seek out opportunities to create memorable Disney-inspired moments with their partners or collaborate on creative projects influenced by Disney themes. Disneya in the 7th house suggests that the individual seeks entertainment and escapism through partnerships and relationships. They may seek out partners who share their love for Disney or engage in activities that allow them to escape together into the world of Disney. They may also enjoy attending Disney-related events or traveling to Disney destinations with their partners.

✧. ┊ 8th House: suggests that the Disney influence may have a transformative and deep impact on the person's life, particularly in the realms of shared resources, intimacy, or psychological growth with innocence and nostalgia. These individuals may have a deep emotional connection to the transformative power of Disney's storytelling and may seek solace or catharsis through Disney-related experiences. They may use the nostalgia associated with Disney as a form of emotional healing or as a way to connect with others on a profound level. This native may have a liking for the villains. Disneya in the 8th house indicates that the individual finds entertainment and escapism within the realms of intimacy, shared resources, and transformation. They may use Disney-related experiences as a form of emotional release or engage in activities that allow them to explore the deeper, more transformative aspects of themselves through the lens of Disney's storytelling.

✧. ┊ 9th House: highlights the connection between the Disney world and higher education, philosophy, travel, or spirituality. The person may find inspiration in Disney's storytelling and themes as they explore these areas of life. Disneya in the 9th house expands the individual's quest for knowledge, spirituality, and travel with innocence and nostalgia. They may seek out spiritual or philosophical teachings rooted in Disney's themes or embark on journeys to Disney parks or destinations that hold nostalgic significance for them. They may also be inspired to pursue higher education or engage in storytelling that evokes a sense of innocent wonder. This placement suggests that the individual seeks entertainment and escapism through travel, higher education, and spiritual exploration. They may enjoy visiting Disney parks or destinations, studying Disney-related topics, or incorporating Disney-inspired elements into their spiritual practices and beliefs.

✧. ┊ 10th House: suggests that the Disney influence may be prominent in the person's career, public image, or achievements. They may pursue professions related to entertainment, animation, or creative industries influenced by Disney. Disneya in the 10th house influences the individual's career, public image, and achievements with innocence and nostalgia. These individuals may pursue professions within the entertainment industry, animation, or creative fields that are directly influenced by Disney. They may be known for their ability to evoke a sense of innocence and nostalgia in their work, garnering recognition for their contributions to the magical world of Disney. This placement indicates that the individual finds entertainment and escapism through their career, public image, and achievements. They may pursue professions within the entertainment industry, animation, or creative fields that allow them to be involved with Disney-related projects. Their career success may be intertwined with their ability to provide entertainment and escapism to others through their work.

✧. ┊ 11th House: signifies a connection between the Disney influence and friendships, social networks, and community involvement. The person may find like-minded individuals who share their passion for Disney. Disneya in the 11th house connects the individual's friendships, social networks, and community involvement with innocence and nostalgia. They may find like-minded individuals who share their love for Disney, forming friendships based on a shared appreciation for the innocence and joy of Disney's storytelling. They may also participate in Disney-themed community events or engage in social activism related to Disney causes. This placement suggests that the individual seeks entertainment and escapism through friendships, social networks, and community involvement.

✧. ┊ 12th House: suggests a deep and hidden connection to the Disney world, possibly through dreams, subconscious influences, or spiritual experiences. The person may find solace and inspiration from the magical realm of Disney in their private moments. Disneya in the 12th house signifies a deep and hidden connection to the realms of dreams, subconscious influences, and spirituality. These individuals may find solace and inspiration from the magical world of Disney in their private moments or through dreams and subconscious experiences. They may use Disney-related imagery or narratives as a form of spiritual or emotional guidance. This placement indicates that the individual seeks entertainment and escapism in the realms of dreams, subconscious influences, spiritual experiences or are ashamed to accept that likes Disney. They may find solace and inspiration from Disney-related dreams, engage in activities that tap into the hidden realms of the subconscious, or seek spiritual meaning and guidance through Disney's storytelling and themes.

Asteroid Disneya Aspects

✧. ┊ Conjunction: When Disneya forms a conjunction with a planet, it intensifies and amplifies the energy of that planet. It can bring a strong focus on themes related to Disney, entertainment, and escapism in the areas of life represented by the planet. For example, a Disneya conjunction with the Sun may indicate a strong identification with Disney's magical world and a desire to express oneself creatively through Disney-inspired pursuits.

✧. ┊ Sextile and Trine: Disneya in harmonious aspects (sextile and trine) with a planet can bring opportunities and ease in incorporating Disney-related themes into the energies of that planet. It can enhance creativity, imagination, and a sense of joy associated with Disney. For instance, a Disneya sextile with Venus may indicate an effortless ability to find pleasure and enjoyment through Disney-related activities and a talent for creating art inspired by Disney.

✧. ┊ Square: A square aspect between Disneya and a planet creates tension and challenges. It may indicate a conflict between the energies represented by the planet and the desire for entertainment and escapism associated with Disney. For example, a Disneya square with Mars could suggest a struggle to balance assertiveness and taking action with a tendency to get lost in fantasies or distractions related to Disney.

✧. ┊ Opposition: An opposition aspect between Disneya and a planet represents a polarity and potential inner conflict. It may indicate a need to find a balance between the energies of the planet and the desire for entertainment and escapism associated with Disney. For instance, a Disneya opposition with Saturn could suggest a tension between the need for structure, discipline, and responsibility versus a desire to indulge in carefree and joyful experiences inspired by Disney.

Kisses from the Sea! 🪸

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ladyloveandjustice · 2 years

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I’m wasn’t sure I wanted to talk about it since I’m not incredibly interested in debating it, but it’s bothering me and it’s my blog so

I saw a lot of posts in the dracula daily tag that was like ‘all of that feminist analysis that said Lucy was supposed to be bad as a vampire because she turned sexual is WRONG, the horror is that she’s turned into a different person’ and even calling that feminist critique shallow or less nuanced or connecting it to second wave feminsm (and for some reason citing Kate Beaton who is 1. a cartoonist giving quick takes on several books in a funny way and 2. not from the second wave lmao please learn your history guys)

and look, I get wanting to look at Dracula through different lenses, especially since you like it now, but it’s not some be a wacky coincidence that Lucy’s human personality is ‘innocent ingenue who is the apple of every man’s eye yet would never act so seductively’ and her ‘monstrous vampire’ personality is seductive and sexual and it would be dangerous to kiss her, you’ll die. It would be incredibly unlikely in the Victorian era (or even today!) that it would ever be written the other way around, the good woman the flirtatious one and the bad personality innocent of sexuality. Whether Stoker was doing it consciously or subconsciously, societal feelings about women and sexuality are all over that.

It’s also not a wacky coincidence that the three vampire ladies menacing Jonathan are very sexual and seductive and scary and up for a four way,or that Dracula's own monstrousness is sexually coded, and part of it is his implied three lovers he doesn’t love but probably fucks (even if I love them and prefer to interpret them as weird roommates, I can acknowledge that likely wasn’t the intended interpretation).

Sure, Lucy can think about how cool it would be to marry three guys, but she’s willing to follow society’s rules. It’s when she’s a monster that she isn’t. And there’s a lot of of analysis to be had in how the scary sexually-coded predation of Dracula as a man and a ‘foreigner’ is handled vs the female vampires of the story, because it is presented very differently!

Just as there’s pretty disturbing racism and antisemitism all over Dracula, there’s gender and sex stuff too. It is, in fact, all over vampires in general, and analyzing how they’re wrapped up in anxiety about sexuality, especially anxieties about what were considered ‘fringe sexualities’ (whether internalized or externalized) and how that was wrestled with and played with through the years, is pretty fascinating! And you’re doing yourself as disservice if you ignore it. It’s often very interesting, it’s not all bad, we love our monsters, it’s part of a proud tradition, but there was a society that created it that you shouldn’t dismiss. These are very basic takes, but apparently they’re still important to talk about it, since you guys are now actively dismissing them as soon as you start liking the characters.

Just because you want to look at things from a character motivation perspective doesn’t mean the social perspective and social mores aren’t at play. It can simultaneously be true that “the horror is the Lucy is a different person” and “the horror is Lucy’s sexual forwardness”. It can be true that “there’s more to Lucy than trepidation about sexuality’ and ‘that’s almost certainly meant to be a part of her tragedy for sure’. Multiple things can coexist. If you want nuance to exist you can’t just say interpretations that conflict with you having an entirely fun time are somehow more shallow. We can love the monsters, and love the characters, but realize the way we love them now doesn’t always reflect how it would have come across to many of those who first read about it, or even most people who read it today.

#dracula daily #like i said i'm not down for an intense conversation but needed to get this off my chest

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666herescared · 6 months

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Imaginary Shadow Dad)Ch.10: Acceptance

—☆—

Notes: Just rounding out the PBS era. Mk is finally happy and mentally stable.. But not for long! Mwahahaha!

—☆—

“Con-Graduations, Mk!” Mei joked with a wink as she pulled her little brother into a hug.

He grinned like an idiot and chuckled happily as he hugged her back and spun her around, startling the dragon. Of course, she was used to this, so she calmed down and pulled back to return to her feet and spun him round and round in turn. He yelped but got right into giggling happily moments later. He pulled her closer, off her feet, and sprung himself forward to flip over her head playfully. “Thanks Mei!” he exclaimed teasingly, bending down a little to look down at her while she was on the ground.

She didn’t move. What? Had he hurt her? The Little Monkey crept closer- and got yanked off his feet and pulled to the ground with a scream and laugh. “You Little Monkey! We aren’t supposed to wrestle on the road!” the dragon girl cackled, pulling him closer to her in a sort of pseudo hug to give him noogies. He cackled happily in her arms as she mussed up his hair, kicking his feet with glee.

His dads approached the duo shortly after, Mr.Tang giggling to himself and Pigsy sighing with no real disappointment and tons of amusement. “Yeah. You aren’t supposed to wrestle on the road, so get over here! It’s time for your appointment.” the pig demon claimed, trying to be serious but honestly so happy that the Monkey Kid was finally happy pretty consistently.

“Aww, really? Already?” Mei pouted.

“Yea, Jie Jie. We’re still up for sparring later though, right?” Mk asked, slipping away from the dragon with a goofy smirk.

“You know it, dude! See ya later!” she exclaimed, giving him a good strong hug before calling her bike and zipping off. He waved at her as she drove off, then hopped around playfully as he ran back over to his dads’ truck. His parents snickered as they followed behind, relief and almost aww in their expressions. Their sweet little boy was finally bouncing around like he used to.

With a stupid grin, his Ba Ba called towards him, “Xiao Houzi! Slow down! Pigsy’s falling behind.”

“Wait, what?!” Dadsy asked incredulously, causing his husband to sprint ahead. “Come back here, ya freeloader!” he called as he chased Mr.Tang.

“On second thought, RACE YOU THERE! AGH!” the scholar yelped as he was caught by his husband.

Mk snickered at their interaction, though quickly Pigsy’s competitive side caused him to join the race, though that competitive side was shared by his young boy. The shadow trails at his feet flicked playfully, yet went unnoticed in the boy’s excitement, as he began to parkour down the street, back to the truck. He was far faster than his parents even could be - at least now in their “old” age. He landed in the open doorway of the truck and gave a teasing wink before slipping inside and hunkering down into the gap behind Mr.Tang’s seat.

—

Today's session with his Shu Shu was one of the unique ones. Sandy was taking him fishing on his house boat. Mk used two teabags of plum tea, as he'd been doing for years now, and Sandy just used a single green tea teabag.

They calmly sipped their tea and talked about Mk’s plans for the future, starting with the spirit asking, “So, are you still planning on being a cartoonist?”

The Little Monkey paused for a moment, then shook his head. “No. I think I’ll just help Pigsy out around the shop and draw whatever I feel like. It’s easier that way.” he claimed with a shrug, looking at the water flowing past the ship.

“Hm. Just wondering, what happened to wanting your name to be known?” Sandy questioned patiently, though he already knew the answer.

The young man thought for a moment, wondering when he brought that up, then remembered. “Honestly? I only wanted my name to be known so that Shadow Dad could know what I’ve been up to, but something tells me he doesn’t need my help for that.” He placed a single hand behind his ears- ear to show what he meant.

Sandy figured it out quickly and chuckled merrily at the statement. “Oh! Hehe! You’re probably right.” He sipped his tea, satisfied with the answer.

“Not to mention, Pigsy’s always wanted me to take over once he's gone.” Mk mentioned. He was glad he didn't have to do that too soon though. He might not be a kid anymore, but he wants a while before he has to take on that sort of responsibility.

—

After his session, Mk decided to walk to the park instead of riding in his dads’ truck. After all, it was a nice, bright, sunny day. The shadows were cast in such a way that it looked almost unfairly beautiful. He spotted a few different people on his walk as he scanned the crowd for one specific person. He saw a couple walking with their arms around each other as they ate ice cream with their others, a woman in a business suit walking down the road on the phone and ranting, a few young fox demons playing together and then finally - a small pink light flickered towards him, making sure he noticed it before moving to glide along the ground.

He giggled gleefully at the small request. His Ge Ge had started playing little games like this with him recently. This one was a personal favorite for Mk. He chased after the light, following it’s path even when it went up onto the walls, mostly so he could show off his acrobatics.

The light soon arrived at it’s final location, right in front of Big Brother. He didn’t flee right away for once, which was a startling change for Mk, so he just… froze. Like a deer in headlights.

His Ge Ge seemed to reconsider for a moment, then shook it off and walked forward, giving the Little Monkey a few pats on the head. “Congratulations, Di Di.” It had been so long since he heard his Big Brother’s voice - it only made him freeze up more. The older boy seemed to get a little nervous after that, like he thought Mk didn’t know what he meant. He actually did think that, as exemplified by him then saying, “O-On graduating. Uh- Congratulations on graduating.”

The younger simply nodded, still in shock over his Big Brother stopping the chase and actually touching him and talking to him again.

Ge Ge gave a short nod in response, patting him on the shoulder before walking around him. Right when Mk snapped out of it and turned around, he saw a twisting stream of wind and pink light floating up towards the sky, lotus petals falling down from the quickly fading light. A box falling on his head snapped him out of his thoughts.

He breathed out an airy chuckle. “You really are impossible to understand, Big Brother..” Inside the box was a bunch of items, most being art supplies and sketchbooks, though there was also a small tin inside with yet another lotus design on it and a lotus pastry inside. Honestly? Mk might as well be a collector of the things at this point.

—

Mk arrived at the park a short bit later, unsheathing his purple bo staff the moment he noticed Mei wasn’t rushing to greet him. Looks like today’s a sneak attack day. He focused on the sounds in his surroundings, shadows flickering to life as he heard the odd warbling tone that surrounded his friend when she was in her half dragon form. He shifted his stance and waited…

Clang! The weapons hit against each other as Mk turned to block his sister's attack, then quickly shifted to block her second attack. The duo did tricks to impress each other and both held back just a bit to make sure the fight lasted more than a minute. Their weapons clashed again and again in a flurry of tricks, games, and childlike joy, until eventually they both put down their weapons to do “hand to hand”(Which in this case, means play wrestling like lion cubs!)

After a while more of that, the duo of now very messy young adults sat down at a picnic table to take a break and eat. “So~, now that we’re old enough, what’s your type?” Mei asked jokingly.

Mk snickered softly. “Why do you care? You’re Aroace.”

“Well, I care, because I wanna hook you up! I think it’d be hilarious, and not to mention, it would make you happier!” the girl answered in a cheerful tone.

“Oh- C’mon, Mei! I don’t need a lover to be happy! It would just be a nice little addition to my life, y’know?” The Little Monkey kept avoiding the question.

So Mei decided to pull out the big guns. “We can do this if that helps!” the dragon offered, switching to the shadow language.

Mk had to consider for a moment, but eventually, he caved, fiddling with his necklace as he started thinking, blushing softly as he thought about it. “Well.. I would want a guy who’s like, really confident, and pretty… I’d like him to be real smart too! Maybe good in a spar, and, y’know… able to stand up for himself. Like, super strong and stuff too, you know?” the Monkey Kid listed, cautiously excited as the shadows behind him flicked in the vague form of his tail and he cupped both his cheeks, thinking of some imaginary “perfect guy” just for him.

Mei snickered. “Dude, like, four of those are just, “I want to get stepped on by a hot demon guy-” she teased, but was cut off by her embarrassed brother lightly pushing her back.

“Well, clearly I have a type!” Mk claimed.

“Heck yeah! Don’t let anything change that, Apricot-Boy!” the dragon giggled with a soft smirk.

Things are getting better! And for now, the future's looking bright!

—Purple Bo Staff Era, End!—

Time skip! - Hero is Born - 6:00 A.M.

When the Little Sky awoke, he saw something he didn’t expect - “Good morning, Xiaotian-’”

Mk immediately sat straight up in his bed, disrupting the shadowy hallucination. Oh.. Must’ve just been some sort of lingering bit of his dream or… I dunno - something. “MK! GET DOWN HERE!” Dadsy yelled up to his son, who flinched and covered his ears in response to the volume.

“YUP! COMING!” the younger man yelled down in reply, getting changed as quickly as he could and still adjusting his headband by the time he reached the bottom. “Hey, dads!” he said, walking over to the older couple.

Pigsy was getting things ready for the day, but Mk’s attention was quickly drawn to his Ba Ba instead. Mr. Tang was rereading the legends of the Monkey King again, and was on the final chapter. The story of When the Monkey King Retired! (Aside from the “live” appearances he still does on TV shows, and every single time he shows up at a convention. After all, he might not be a hero anymore, but he’s still a celebrity!)

“OH! I love that one! Can you read it out loud for me?” the Monkey Kid exclaimed, leaning over his Ba Ba’s shoulder excitedly.

Before Tang could respond, his husband responded for him. “No, kid. You got work to do. No slacking!’ Pigsy stated firmly.

“Oh, don’t worry, Pigsy! I’ll be done by the time you’ve finished the orders!” the scholar claimed. “After all, our Little Monkey has been stressed as of late. It’s only fair to let him enjoy his morning!” He jabbed his elbow into Mk’s side lightly, as though to say, “Play along.”

The youngest in the room quickly got his excuses in order. “Oh!- Uh, Yea- Yeah, Dadsy! It’s just one story! Please?~” Xiao Houzi pouted at his demonic parental figure.

Pigsy didn’t even look. “Doin’ puppy dog eyes again?”

Mk’s face immediately fell to a more genuine frown. “Well… yeah..”

“.. I’m gonna regret this, but ONE story. After that, ya’ gotta help me get ready,” the demon relented to the brief whooping of his husband and son.

“I’ll be done before you know it!” Tang claimed. (He was not done before they knew it)

—

After listening to his Ba Ba’s story, (and a brief lecture from Pigsy) Mk was off! Sure, he heard the shadows muttering more than usual, but he managed to shut those up with a quick meditation break.

“Isn’t it fantastic, uncle? My father will finally be freed!” Red claimed, though Macaque was a little busy trying to decide how to approach his kid after this many years.

The Little Monkey had to double check his GPS. That did not look like a house. In fact it looked like a construction sight. After confirming that it was in fact, the right address, he got in the elevator and started going down.

“Uncle?” The shadow sighed and went over to his nephew. His son could wait a couple more hours. This was once in a lifetime. Strange, though. It’s really close.

He soon realized what was going on when his son strolled through the door. A familiar bird perched in the rafters looked oddly pleased. That son of a bit-

Mk quickly realized - upon seeing a gorgeous flaming-haired guy trying to pull a fancy staff out of the ground - what he’d walked in on, and scrambled up into the rafters. There was a strange bird that almost gave him away when an ominous aura filled the space.

Of course. Of course Wukong still recognized what Macaque's homicidal aura felt like. The shadow was furious! He couldn't believe Wukong had actually decided that the kid was the perfect choice of successor.

Mk was unaware of the hidden figure plotting the Monkey King's murder. He was to preoccupied with what was going on below him. MK had never expected to actually see the Ruyi Jingu Bang with his own two eyes.

—Ruyi Jingu Bang Era, Start!—

—☆—

..So…

I’m guessing you guys hate me now.. Don’t worry! You’ll be seeing more of Macaque now!

Have fun and happy scrolling!

(PS: Please don’t murder me!)

Prev- Chapter 9 and Next- Chapter 11

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pansyfemme · 1 month

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hi :) i adore your art, & i was just wondering how u developed ur style?

hiiiii ^_^ yeah this is. kinda a complex question! i’m gonna like. start with how i began drawing and then show some of my influences and then give a visual timeline if i can. long post with lots of images ahead

so i grew up in an artistic household, i’ve been making art of some kind my whole life. but very specifically, i chose to get into drawing around fifth grade using those how to draw anime books lol. When i started.. it was hard to get me to stop. Drawing became this priority in my life, i would practice for upwards of six hours a day, i became really hooked on it. I wasn’t super good at first, but i tried my best! around seventh grade, i hit some pretty major health struggles, left public school for good and was hospilized for long periods of time before eventually returning to alternative school in eighth grade, and during that time, i stopped making art as frequently, until i started again and it became a stronger interest than ever before, and became my number one treatment. I’ve been drawing all day everyday since then. It’s my favorite thing ever! Nothing in the world makes me feel as good as making art does.

I was really into the idea of gaining a ‘style’ when i started making art, but i fell out of that a while ago. Honestly, it just became about picking out what i like about other artists and applying it to my work when i can.

My first ‘crush’ on an artist was jill thompson’s scary godmother. I wanted to draw like her soooooo fucking bad it hurt. I spent a lot of time tracing her work, as well as archie comics! It’s hard to understate how much the archie comics style contributed to my work. And then i developed a series of other art obsessions. I was a really huge lumberjanes and nimona fan- ND stevenson basically was my gateway into comics- i got super into Skottie Young (specifically his oz character designs which i still love), Jillan Tamaki, Tillie Walden, Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, Hope Larson and Eventually Bryan Lee O malley- which led to the second era of my comics and art interests, where I began reading Snotgirl, saw leslie hung’s work, and it all went downhill from there.

i just listed a lot of names- but my current day biggest inspos art wise are def Leo Fox, Sophia Foster-Dimino (who is. my fave artist/cartoonist even maybe), Remy Boydell, Caroline Cash, Nick Drnaso, Jeremy Sorese and Elias Ericson. You can kinda see where im coming from looking at some of their work.

sorry to bombard you with names! but essentially. My work is a combo of a lot of artists and comics that inspired me a lot growing up. I’m really influenced by the idea of creative a narrative in all of my paintings, and making enviroments and spaces that feel lived in, and characters who have chemisty with eachother. My style is really based on how i can simply the body and enviroment into simple shapes without losing their flow and movement.

i don't have a lot of my early early stuff on hand, but i jumped around styles a lot.. esp with how i drew eyes. The work i'm showing is from the the era that i settled on simple eyes with blacked out pupils/irises, but there was a long era where i did sparkly anime eyes lol.

here’s a handful of old stuff. i maybe was 15 making these? when i was really new to digital art and didn’t do backgrounds.i didn't really know how to use digital at all, so just. made shit up. glad i did honestly. its a lot more interesting visually than it could have been.

i started playing around more with digital around age 16, and doing more interesting stuff with texture and color

when i was 17, i got.. super into digital collage and replicating traditional art digitially

and. i actually didn’t end up doing traditional (for personal work at least) again until senior year of highschool. Ingot into my current watercolor/gouache style around the time i started going to college. before that, traditional was more for sketches for me. but doing paintings traditionally again totally reshaped my brain!

a few of my early reemergance into traditional art lol

and then i started. college and then it’s where it is now! “Style” is just a fancy word for working genuinly with what makes you interested about art, leaning into the colors and textures that you enjoy as an artist and developing something that feels genuine to you. I’ve always been really interested in color and texture and pattern, so it became what i’m known for as a painter lol ^_^ some ppl have described aspects of my style as "complex backgrounds" "neons" "interesting figures" but none of those are really.. true in all of my work? there are def repeating themes, but a strong body of work imo is one that is united but diverse.

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ufonaut · 6 months

Text

WELCOME TO THE FOURTH ANNUAL COMIX OF THE YEAR EXTRAVAGANZA!

I've grown very fond of this little tradition we've started here, and it's nice to get a chance to showcase all the books I've read and loved and could shout about from the rooftops. This year I've read 140 completed series out of a total of 474 over all completed series (as always, that's not counting single issues or current ongoings!) and I've come to expand my physical collection to 735 issues -- that's more than any previous year!

It's been a really great year, from getting to see my first article published in print and getting to write a couple dream articles for a magazine that's meant the world to me to getting to visit Graceland & Memphis with some of my best friends in the universe and then getting another two weeks with my beloved best buddy @slaapkat right here in London! I also feel like I've gotten more into the local comics scene and grown more confident as the true real fanboy I am.

The JSA's renaissance also remains a miracle to me and the definitie highlight of these past two years. Without further ado, here's this year's favourites:

Justice Society of America (2022) #8 In a November 2022 interview, Geoff Johns said: "to me, he's the most iconic character in the Justice Society of America. […] To me, Alan Scott is the main character." Right then and there, I knew we were in good hands. I have loved this series from day one and I still love it like nothing else in the world but this particular story might be the best single issue I've read this year -- it feels like coming home, it feels like the first time we've seen the real Alan Scott in so long. There's something very special about the few occasions team books have allowed a spotlight to shine on Alan alone, more so when he's found himself the heart of the story. This issue with its gorgeous art and picture-perfect characterisation feels like just the thing I've spent so long searching for.

Slam-Bang Comics (1940) It's hard to explain how the funniest comic you've ever read is a wildly obscure Fawcett publication that lasted six issues in 1940, but that's precisely what the Diamond Jack stories in Slam-Bang Comics are to me. Diamond Jack is early absurdist comedy, Diamond Jack is a case study in what made the Golden Age sincerely and genuinely the medium's best era -- its endless room for innovation, the lawless approach of creators building a new art form from the ground up. On the first page of his first appearance, we learn Diamond Jack was given a miraculous gem by an "old magician": this is all we ever learn of our hero. In the third panel of that same page, he dares a pair of robbers to shoot him. It only gets better from there.

Enigma (1993) An eight-issue miniseries about an ordinary guy whose favorite 1970s obscure comic book character seemingly comes to life with all that implies and in the process of investigating this bizarre series of events with the help of the original series' writer, he also comes to terms with his sexuality as a gay man. It's the single most compelling, complex, meaningful book I've ever read. It's also the very first explicitly gay mainstream comic, and it might as well be the only one for its radical no holds barred approach to sexuality (on-screen gay sex included, a complete rarity in this era of sanitized intimacy).

A Contract with God (1978) Widely acknowledged as the world's first graphic novel, Will Eisner's classic anthology certainly lives up to the immensity of its legacy. As the man himself writes in the introduction to the 2000 edition, "I realize I was really only working around one core concept – that the medium was an art form in itself. Unique, with a structure and gestalt all its own, this medium could deal with meaningful themes. Certainly there was more for the cartoonist working in this technique to deal with than superheroes who were preventing the destruction of Earth by supervillains." Four stand-alone tales make up the book, all following Jewish characters living in the same New York tenement in the 1930s, all based on Eisner's childhood recollections and impressions. I remember crying, really crying, at that first story and then laughing uproariously at the next and so on. There's really no way to express just how special this book is without reading it for yourself.

Seven Miles a Second (1996) Published posthumously, Seven Miles a Second is David Wojnarowicz's autobiographical graphic novel detailing the last years of his life before his AIDS-related death. It's urgent, angry, hard-hitting, bleak, and a sincere mandatory read for any gay person interested in our history. It made me sob like few things have. In the here and now, it's surreal to think that DC Comics had published this in the mid-1990s under its Vertigo imprint -- it's often surreal to me that we used to have genuinely daring gay comics published by one of the 'big two', and we've been left with less than a shadow of comic books' former self. Still, the few we have are some of the most significant to have ever graced the medium.

Catwoman: Selina's Big Score (2002) This is a funny one. I'm not a library-goer but while wasting time at the library down the street early this year, I ran into this big collection of all of Darwyn Cooke's Batman stories -- they're great, they're always great because Darwyn himself was a giant of the industry, but Selina's Big Score was one I hadn't read before and it's ended up being something of a life-changing chance encounter for yours truly. Something about this little book utterly changed the way I look at Selina Kyle as a character. I'm a big crime fiction buff, there's no denying that, but it's the subtext that makes the book; the exploration of the cold, hard, mean way Selina navigates the limitations imposed by her gender and social class. It's something else, it's really something else.

Parker (2009) And speaking of cold, hard, mean things. Darwyn Cooke's Parker is something of a package deal with the above, Selina's man friday in Big Score is named Stark and undoubtedly based on Richard Stark's Parker. That's how I got here, but I certainly never left. Months and months later, Parker's still on my mind as one of the most compelling characters I've ever encountered and one of the most beautiful, right-up-my-alley series in existence. Darwyn's four graphic novel adaptations are masterpieces in their own right and I cannot recommend them enough to anyone who's willing to listen but I'm also forever grateful that they've introduced me to my ongoing obsession with Stark's actual novels -- one of the few pieces of fiction I've been genuinely blown away by in recent times. "Rough, macho stuff but tight and exciting, too" is what a blurb on the back of one of the books says and I couldn't agree more, and I can't say I've ever found anything else so uniquely suited to all my interests.

Stargirl: The Lost Children (2022) I'm not the biggest fan of sidekicks or original characters, or children. Yet, somehow, this series won me over in a heartbeat. Geoff Johns has a truly uncanny ability to make a new character feel like they've been here for decades; in this particular case, the so-called Lost Children mix so well with actual Golden Age characters that their introduction betrays nothing except a genuine passion for and knowledge of 1940s comics. Geoff's work has been some of the best of the modern era for a long while now but this one's really a beautiful and beautifully self-contained little story hitting some great emotional beats.

I Die at Midnight (2000) On New Year's Eve 1999, a man decides to kill himself by swallowing too many pills after a bad breakup. Immediately afterwards, his ex decides she wants to reconcile and he's sent into a mad-dash attempt to save himself without her finding out about his impending death. Misunderstandings, frustrations, lies and hare-brained schemes ensue. It might not sound like the makings of a comedy but I Die at Midnight ranks up there with the funniest books I've ever read, I've spent this last year making my way through all of Kyle Baker's DC work and it's certainly tough to choose a favourite but there's simply no other book that captures his delightfully offbeat humour quite like this one.

Silverblade (1987) One thing's clear: 1987 was a magical year for DC Comics. I don't think there's a single year in the industry's entire history that's produced more hits or better books. Silverblade's a special one though, it's the Sunset Boulevard of comics. If there's anything I love half as much as crime fiction, it's anything dealing with Old Hollywood, throw in a heavy dose of gaycoding and it's the book for me. I read this one very early in the year but it left a lasting impression and I've definitely come to consider it something of an all-time favorite.

SPECIAL MENTION:

Flashpoint (2011)

Blackest Night (2009)

Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan (2012)

Face (1995)

Jay Garrick: The Flash (2023)

A History of Violence (1997)

Batman: Death and the Maidens (2004)

You Are Here (1999)

Stuck Rubber Baby (1995)

V for Vendetta (1988)

#THE BEST OF THE BEST RIGHT HERE FOLKS AND MY GOD I DO LOVE DOING THIS #comix of the year #personal #u can rb though etc

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lukellios · 7 months

Note

Really curious to know how you got so good at art? Bc you've improved so much in the last few years but even back then you were really good...

Hmmm I'm not sure about which "back when" you're referring to 🤔 I've been drawing seriously for over thirteen years so I've got a few "stopping points" of skill

This is about where I started, if that gives you a good reference point. It's... bad. I am pretty sure it was my best attempt at a stylized human face, but it was not supposed to have cartoonist anatomy. At this point I was going for realistic proportions, and it was a struggle. It's not awful but it's got a lot of room to improve.

A year or two later and I'm in my adventure time phase, but I have a better understanding of form and posing. Human faces are still hard for me so I avoid them, animal faces are easy enough that I'm trying to experiment with more difficult angles. My digital art knowledge is very very low.

I branched out into bots for the next couple of years and that gave me a much better idea about form and perspective just because it was trial by fire. Mecha are incredibly hard but I had (and have) brain worms so I did it all out of love. It was challenging but fun (and rewarding), I tried a lot of new color palettes and tried to figure out how to make digital art look better.

Even going back to something I hadn't drawn in a long time after drawing bots showed I'd made significant improvements overall, but drawing human faces was still extremely hard.

At the end of the bot era I've massively improved, but I still shy away from humans. My traditional lines are very controlled and uniform, my digital lines still leave a lot to be desired.

I finally have to learn how to draw humans but it's a struggle. I draw every day, not vigorous traditional studies but just small sketches, practicing over and over. I'm starting to understand digital art a little better and I have a much better sense of posing and framing characters

Around this time I finally have a firmer grasp of how to draw humans and how to use a tablet. I want to show this piece even if it wasn't my favorite because I still wasn't happy with it. My composition is better and there's a lot of improvement on my line steadiness and varying width, but even the two profiles were giving me trouble. The movement felt dynamic but disconnected.

I redid this piece a year ago because I could finally see what I was unhappy with and change it. The profiles are much better, the hair and clothes are following the same direction of wind, the clothes have weight to them, and the shoes have much better form. Everything is also just a little more polished, and I didn't even have to change the background from the first attempt.

Really over the years it's just been about fixing a few things at a time by branching out and trying a lot of different things. Dipping my hand into a lot of subjects and really challenging myself has helped me learn a lot. Even though I wasn't always studying the same thing, learning as I went helped me in a lot more areas than just the ones I was focusing on at the moment. Hope this helps, if even a little! It's a really hard question and there's no one right way to improve, so take a mixed bag of advice and try it all c:

#art improvement

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thescoobyscholar · 7 months

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The History of Zoinks (Essay)

Includes an etymological and cultural analysis of the usage of "jeepers," "jinkies," and "zoinks." Another post will include the follow-up study.

If you grew up watching Scooby-Doo, it may be easy to assume that groovy green tees, ascots, and vans painted with flowers were all standard 60s fare. However, recall that these teens were not written by teens; when the first episode aired, character designer Iwao Takamoto was 41, main writer Bill Lutz was 47, and creators Joe Ruby and Ken Spears were 36 and 31, respectively. Were they already out of touch? As put by Paul Dini, writer on Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo: “When you look at those characters, they are characters frozen in time. They’re not really what hippies or hipsters or cool kids were like. They’re what 50-year olds thought cool kids were like” (“Scooby Doo! The Whole World Loves You”).

The most iconic quantifiers of how close these characters were to the “cool kids” is their catchphrases: “jeepers,” “jinkies,” and “zoinks!” When we hear the cartoon’s catchphrases, which claim to characterize this era, we must ask: Did people really say these things? Even though these terms are almost exclusively associated with the franchise today, these words were not born for marketing. The writers were pulling from memories, trends, and histories which, if we trace backwards, may glean some evidence as to their cultural accuracy.

Daphne’s classic “jeepers” is said to have been first penned in 1928 by cartoonist Billy DeBeck, whose popular Barney Google strips coined similar terms as “heebie-jeebies” and “holy moly” (Chakraborty and Dosad 117). The true origin of the word is likely several decades earlier, as Google’s catchphrase “Horsefeathers!” was already coming out of fashion among the construction workers that used it when DeBeck revived it in his parody of Appalachian colloquialisms (Funk and Funk ix-x). At the time DeBeck picked up “jeepers,” it was used as a euphemism for “Jesus!” (Harper, “Etymology of jeepers”).

However, the Scooby-Doo writers were more likely to be familiar with Al Donahue’s song “Jeepers Creepers” (as in, “Jeepers creepers, where’d you get those peepers?”). The song jumped high enough in America’s popular music charts in 1939 that it was covered by Louis Armstrong, Larry Clinton, and later Frank Sinatra (Whitburn 533). As an alteration of “Jesus Christ,” the flexible phrase was perfect for bouncy love ballads (“Oh, those weepers, how they hypnotize!”) and as a horror movie motif in Jeepers Creepers. The fact that the film was released in 2001 speaks to the staying power of “jeepers.”

As for Velma’s catchphrase, “jinkies,” it may be a variation of a number of old Scots terms dating around the 18th-19th century, so you may as well pick your favorite: a synonym for “jauntily” (as “jink,” to dodge or flee; nowadays “to juke” may be applicable), a nonsense word in nursery rhymes (e.g., “Eetum, peetum, penny pie / Cock a lory, jinky jye”), or a child’s nightgown (Dictionary of the Scots Language); a type of knitted fingerless glove (see Kate Davies Designs); or yet, as a derivation of “high jinks,” a drinking game that dates back to at least the 17th century (Harper, “Etymology of jinkies”).

The term was first recorded as exclamation “By jinkies!” in the newspaper strip “Ella Cinders” in 1936. The first recorded use of the term by a human (assuming comic characters can’t mail in letters to the local paper) was in a 1938 edition of the Northern-Courier in the sports section. Ray writes: “By jinkies, on my next pass day I will surely stop and see that 178 foot wheelbase, fire truck. If I can’t make it in one day maybe I can get an extension. Some truck.” (How many feet is the Mystery Machine’s wheelbase, I wonder…?) Again, “jinkies” is preceded by “by,” which Velma, as we all know, would choose to omit. By Scooby’s birthday, the term was popular among college students and “overly earnest” speakers (Iseli), fitting for the youngest of the gang who is always piping up with a clue to prove her intellectual merit.

Unlike “jeepers” and “jinkies,” which have decent pedigrees preceding Scooby-Doo, neither “zoinks” nor “zoink” directly appear in any written work before 1969, although they have a number of distant cousins. The closest approximation comes from television: a famous bit in 1958’s “Robin Hood Daffy” where Daffy swings from tree to tree, calling, “Zoiks, and away!” with each jump, only to crash face-first into a tree every time. His iconic lisp makes it difficult to parse whether he’s saying “zoiks” or “yoiks.” The latter would seem more likely, as “yoiks” and its sister “hoiks” have a long history as hunting words. On a bright and early morning in 1843, Sir Godfrey calls for his friend to hurry and saddle up: “Hoik, 'squire! . . . hoik, hoik! High wind him! Drag on him, yoiks, tally-ho!" (Mills 125). On the tail of a fox chase in 1774, a hunter in pursuit exclaims, “Yoiks, hark forward!” (Kelly 6). Contextually, neither sound too far from the modernized “Zoinks, let’s scram, Scoob!” The first “zoiks” was penned around 1584, in a sonnet of all things: “With mightie maters mynd I not to mell, / As copping Courts, or Comonwelthis, or Kings / Quhais craig zoiks fastest, let tham sey thame sell; / My thoght culd nevir think vpon sik things” (Montgomery 1–4). I can’t claim a clue about what the rest means, but “zoiks fastest” leads me to think this is a “jink”/”juke” situation; in “zoiking”, the narrator is fleeing from the cowersome courts, commonwealths, and kings. Coincidentally, “mynd I not to mell” sounds almost adjacent to “meddle,” another word popularized by Scooby-Doo. All of the “zoinks” family are employed as interjections preceding movement.*

In sum, while “jinkies” appears to have had some relevance at the time of Scooby-Doo’s inception, “jeepers” is a bit dated in comparison, and “zoinks” has a vast etymological tree but no direct precursors. The advantage to having a cast of characters who are, in the words of Paul Dini, “frozen in time,” is that they are living time capsules. We can choose any point within 50 years and see unique perceptions of culture, politics, music, style, and our focus: vocabulary. But how well do these perceptions line up with reality?

*All, that is, except one. “Yoiks” may also be used to refer to egg yolks, as in a cookbook from 1762: “Take a large Fowl, or a Pound of Veal, as much grated Bread, half a Pound of Sewet . . . Mace, two Cloves, half a Nutmeg grated, about a large Tea Spoonful of Lemon-peel, and the Yoiks of two Eggs” (Glasse 38). Add an olive toothpick on top and you have a Shaggy sandwich!

References

Chakraborty, Pritesh, and Anuradha Dosad. “Comic Monthly 1922: Exploring Form and Themes.” Department of English, Vidyasagar University, vol. 15, 2022, pp. 112–125.

“Ella Cinders.” Montana Standard, 29 Sept. 1936, p. 11.

Funk, Charles Earle, and Charles Earle Funk. “Foreword.” Horsefeathers, and Other Curious Words, Harper & Row, New York, 1958, pp. Ix–x.

Glasse, Hannah. “Made-Dishes.” The New Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy, John Exshaw, 1762, pp. 38–39.

Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of jink.” Online Etymology Dictionary, 28 Sept. 2017, https://www.etymonline.com/word/jink.

Iseli, Marcel. “Jinkies! You’ll Never Believe What Velma’s Catchphrase Means.” Linguablog, Iseli International Commerce, 18 Sept. 2022, linguaholic.com/linguablog/jinkies-scooby-doo/.

"Jinkie." Dictionary of the Scots Language, Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd, 2004, http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/jinkie_adj

Kate Davies Designs. “Jinkies Pattern.” Ravelry, SARK, Nov. 2021, www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jinkies.

Kelly, Hugh. “Epilogue.” The Romance of an Hour: A Comedy of Two Acts in Prose. G. Kearsley, 1774, line 6.

Mills, John. “A Meet of the Olden Time.” Ainsworth’s Magazine, edited by William Harrison Ainsworth, vol. 4, Chapman and Hall, London, 1843, p. 125.

Montgomery, Alexander. “To R. Hudsone (Sonnet 2).” The Poems of Alexander Montgomery, edited by David Irving, James Ballantyne and Company, 1821, pp. 76.

Szymborska, Wislawa. “Moment.” Monologue of a Dog. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005, pp.11-13.

Ray. “Diamond Dust.” The Courier-Northerner, 29 July 1938, p. 8.

"Scooby Doo! The Whole World Loves You." Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons, produced by Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc, 2010. DVD.Whitburn, Joel. “The Songs.” Joel Whitburn’s Pop Memories 1890 - 1954: The History of American Popular Music, Record Research Inc, Menomonee Falls, WI, 1986, p. 533.

#essay #SDWAY #catchphrases

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reimenaashelyee · 1 year

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how did you get your comics seen? it's one thing to make them and a whole other thing to get people to lay eyes on them and read them and I have no idea how to do the second part

I think you'll have to at least make friends with some of your peer group (artists who are at the same stage in their career as you) so you can both share your audiences and if nothing else, have each other as readers. If you're really new, it's kinda a fact that your work will be tiny for a few years: there's a lot of stuff online.

I am not a spring chicken anymore so all my current advice for promotion wouldn't apply as the majority of it required years of presence and establishment with the comics industry... now that my peer group has matured and become successful creators (I know that my peers are casually aware of what I put out, they may or may not read it or even comment). Additionally, my way of promoting is as avoidant of playing the algorithm and virality and tailoring to the most amount of possible audience. If you want the opposite of that, you can ask @secondlina - who has done a lot of experimentation with social media and gaming the internet attention economy.

I'm not all that interest in gaming anything: I only want to serve the audience I have and always had - thoughtful, chill readers who are ok with slow reading, in the sense they don't ask me for constant content since they get what my vibe is. They are here for my lush visuals, original material and approach to topics/characters. It's this audience, and the academics + people who tend to be older and are equivalent/less levels of "online" to me. I personally find that gaming for views on purpose steals time and energy away, since a lot of the tactics tend to ask you to behave or post or draw a certain way that might feel unnatural with no guarantee whether the effort is worth it. For example, making memes of your characters, doing funny reels with music. If you are cool with doing all that though, again, @secondlina is your expert. I can see why those tactics are popular: that's how Big Tech dictates you get access to their "discovery" algorithm.

For me, in the early days what got new eyes onto my narrative work was making one-off illustrations (not necessarily of the comic - just some original character concepts) that somehow got popular. This was during the peak eras of Twitter and Tumblr though. The other thing was mostly talking about my comics: I document so much of my process. People love this apparently. It's the only guaranteed way for myself that gets people hype and aware of the comic's existence - though this might partly be caused by the aforementioned audience I always had. It's very low effort cos I mostly post screenshots of WIPs or developmental sketches and include a comment.

But like, with webcomics, I always operated on the assumption that people don't read my work. I am just here vibing. If there are readers (and I know who you are because of comments made across social media / my websites over the years) I appreciate them, but I don't want to ask much of them either. I put out the work I like, and whoever comes across it and likes it can stay, maybe comment, maybe get the print edition.

Yeah, this is not such a satisfactory answer for marketing if you're not subscribed to my brand of being an online artist: which is slow-growth, sustained working. My established methods now are: talking about my work, documenting it, connecting with peer group + older generations of professionals (established critics, journalists, editors), running a newsletter, going on interviews/podcasts, submitting my art to whatever I think would help promote it - pitch to Shortbox Fair, apply to Knife Beetle or the Cartoonist Cooperative, join a Discord.

And advanced methods, like applying for artist residencies.

In the end I cannot emphasise enough to get to know your peers who are at the same level of career as you are. Find creators who started at the same time you did and read their work (your choice); talk to them directly if the style/vibe matches. This is long-term mutual commitment - you won't see the effects until years later when you each find success in the paths you chose. And just to give you an idea of who my original peer group is - choo, Ariel Ries, Kay O'Neill, Bree Paulsen, Toril/Eden Orlensky, Kaeti V, Kevin Jay Stanton, Victoria Grace Elliot, Britt Sabo - we were all obscure mutuals/friends at more or less the same time. Then we each found our own way. Over time the circle grew to include other peer groups - ones that started slightly earlier or later, and new contacts of the same level. And that's how one gets established. As this is happening you will get eyes to your work naturally.

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knickynoo · 1 year

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Back to the Future: The Animated Series, s01ep05 "Swing Low Sweet Chariot Race [AKA Roman Holiday]"

Previous episodes linked HERE

In this episode: Shenanigans abound in ancient Rome, Marty once again demonstrates why he shouldn't be taken anywhere, and Real Doc continues to spiral deeper into. Somethin'. I don't even know.

We begin our episode in 36 A.D. "Rome", where Doc is eating a big ol' plate of spaghetti and talking about how the ancient Romans didn't even know about the dish at that point and wouldn't until 1295.

"What we think of as Italian cuisine is completely unknown in this era. Marty found that out on our previous trip to ancient Italy," he says, all the while twirling the spaghetti around with his fork until it looks like this.

You know how in BTTF II, Old Biff warns his younger self about a "wild-eyed scientist"? That phrase continuously pops into my mind whenever I see Real Doc in these segments. He—he doesn't blink. He always seems like he's 2 seconds away from snapping. Look at all that spaghetti. Something is wrong with this man.

Onto the cartoon!

Marty is once again riding his hoverboard out in the open for all the town to see as he heads to Doc's house. As he approaches, Jules and Verne (who are hiding in their treehouse) use a holographic projector to project an image of Doc standing in Marty's path.

This causes chaos, as Marty swerves to avoid him and then runs into the real Doc. They crash and land in a large pile of junk in Doc's yard. Doc is not happy that his children have stolen and misused the device to pull a prank. He tells them to be on their best behavior as he takes a trip to ancient Rome to return some scrolls he'd borrowed. He mentions wanting to check out the "Roman arcades," which Verne thinks refers to video game arcades rather than an architectural feature. Doc grounds the boys and forbids them from accompanying him, and Jules swipes the holograph projector while his father isn't looking.

Marty wants to go, though, because he can use the trip to write an extra credit report for his history class. "Caesar! The man, the myth, the...salad," he says. Marty is an airhead.

Using the holographic projector, Jules and Verne project their images to make it look like they're still at home and sneak into the DeLorean. The gang takes off for Rome, where the boys promptly sneak off to check out the arcades. Marty, meanwhile, is hungry and wants pizza. He approaches a woman to ask if she knows of any places, and when she replies angrily in Latin, he goes, "Oh. Do they deliver?" *sigh* Marty. Dear, sweet Marty. What have they done to you? The cartoonists opened up your head and shook out your brain cells, didn't they? Poor boy.

Doc provides Marty with a universal language translator device he can wear in his ear that will allow him to understand and speak back to the locals. Honestly, I don't even think that will help him, Doc. Just take the kid back home, buy him some pizza, and call it a day.

A mere 10 seconds later, as Doc is making his way through some crowds of people, he notices that Marty isn't following him and has wandered off. Of course he has. At this point, idk how Doc hasn't decided to put a tracking device on Marty. This would solve like half of their problems.

Doc only has a few moments to worry about Marty's whereabouts because he's then approached by Jules, who needs help rescuing Verne (who has gotten into trouble and is being chased).

Can I point out how much of a trooper Doc is? All of his children are constantly wandering off or getting into mischief and he still manages to hold it together. Although this stress could account for the crazed look in his eyes we see in the live segments. Hmm...

As Doc deals with his sons, we return to Marty, who is still on a quest for food. This guy is hungry. Perhaps that's why he seems so empty-headed thus far; his blood sugar is low and his brain is being starved of glucose. In his disoriented state, he's wandered off in ancient Rome. That's the theory I'm going with for now because the other option is to simply accept that they have made Marty a total doofus in this series.

Anyway, in an attempt to stave off his immense hunger, Marty buys himself "headless fish wrapped in stale bread." Yum.

Here he is debating whether to eat it or succumb to hypoglycemia.

Marty ends up spilling his food on Bifficus Antanneny, who does not take kindly to the embarrassment and challenges Marty to a chariot race. When Marty tries to talk his way out of it, Bifficus calls him a chicken, at which point we get the classic, "Nobody calls me chicken!" line.

Did we not deal with this fully in part III? Didn't Marty learn his lesson about not losing control when people call him names? Why has he taken a tumble backward character-development-wise?

Right. They needed it for ~drama~.

Also, just a little side note: Bifficus's eye color changes randomly over the course of this scene, from black, then to blue for like 5 seconds, then black again.

I have to imagine this is the result of Marty having blue eyes, and whoever was in charge of this scene just automatically made Bifficus's blue for a little bit before realizing and switching back. And then they just shrugged and went, "Whatever. Who cares?" because this cartoon is bonkers as it is, so who's going to notice a character's eyes changing color for a few seconds?

Meanwhile, while Marty is busy making terrible life decisions, Doc is explaining the reality of slavery in ancient Rome to Verne (who had gotten in trouble with some guards for standing up for a slave he'd met). As he speaks, he mentions, "—societal injustice is frequently succeeded by rebellion." Unfortunately, a couple of nearby guards hear this comment and accuse Doc of planning a slave rebellion. He is taken into custody by two massive dudes who could crush him like a bug.

Thankfully, Judah, the slave Verne had helped earlier, witnesses all of this and takes the boys through the catacombs and to a secret tunnel that leads to the cell where Doc is being held. They're able to break him out, which is good considering Doc is supposed to be fed to the lions soon.

We go to the chariot races then, where Marty is informed that Bifficus is going to allow him to sit and watch the "opening act" (the lions being released) before the race. Let's see how Marty is faring, shall we?

There are tumbleweeds rolling around in that boy's head.

Marty does, however, freak out when he sees Doc step out into the arena. (Except, shhhh, it's not actually Doc; it's just a hologram of him! Remember the projector Jules stole before they left?) So, everything turns out peachy-keen. But, uhh, we still gotta deal with the whole chariot race thing. Is this episode over yet? It feels like I've been watching it for a hundred hours.

Doc has made some modifications on Marty's chariot, but they're to help him lose, not win. He explains that Bifficus remaining popular is vital to Caligula becoming Emperor of Rome and leading to the eventual downfall of the Roman Empire. If Marty wins, it would be devastating to the timeline. Doc explains all of this while writing notes and calculations on the wall, and I must share it because it looks so nonsensical.

I very much enjoy the note toward the top that just says, "PASTA."

Marty ends up successfully losing the race, he gives his Chariot to Judah (then revealed to be Judah Ben-Hur), and they go back to the future. We return to Real Doc, who is lounging in a hammock after napping off his big pasta lunch from the earlier segment. He's wearing 2 different socks and still has on like 6 or 7 watches.

Bill Nye shows us an experiment involving air resistance. (I realize I haven't actually included any screencaps or info on the experiment portion of these segments, but that's because they're just not all that interesting? I mean, they're cute little do-at-home science projects; I just haven't felt inclined to detail them here) But here is proof that Bill Nye is, in fact, in this show.

Doc then returns to bid us the usual farewell, ("See you in the future!") but right after he says it, there's this moment where his camera cuts out for a moment, and then he does this bizarre blinking thing and— I had to gif it. Animated series Real Doc is on such a different level of weird than Trilogy Doc. Something happened. Something has happened to him. The additional time traveling post part III and the stresses of family life has taken its toll.

He is not well.

That's the end of the episode. Clara was nowhere to be seen yet again. :(

Join me next week to see Verne single-handedly prevent the discovery of electricity.

#back to the future #bttf #bttf: the animated series #i imagine that when they were trying to come up with episode ideas‚ this exchange happened often in the writers' room:#writer 1: ''Ok‚ how can we spice up the plot and add some conflict?''#writer 2: ''We can have Marty just wander off unsupervised again. Things will fall apart immediately!''

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