#claymation is so much work

[lenorayoder]

lumon really made that whole claymation video in a week. that's how u know they're evil

[mimorobo]

I caught myself staring at your stop-motion art again and I'm curious about some parts of your process because this whole medium is fascinating and really impressive! And I think you're neat!

How do you plan out your animations? Is there storyboarding? (Especially for something like your TSunderswap amv that has a lot of shots, and some longer ones!) I also love seeing how you ease in and out of movements, do you just do those by feel? Crazy if true

I think I remember hearing that your puppets have a wire skeleton underneath the felt tops. Does that wire ever get brittle or harder to work with after bending them so much?

Would you ever try making puppets from different materials? 👀 Mostly because I think a mimirobo claymation would be news of the century

Auughhh my goooshh THANK YOU!! I think YOU'RE neat!!? I love your art!! It's so GOOOOOD!! So this means a lot!! :DDD Stop motion IS really impressive!! And I'm glad you also find it so interesting!! If done right I think it's one of the best mediums when it comes to storytelling, you can show so much with so little. And there's something so... Touching? Personal? I'm not sure what but you can really feel something in it...

Ok, to the questions!! Most of the time I don't really plan it out, I have a rough idea on what I want to happen and that's it. Straight to the animation table! I usually get carried away as well, keep animating more to it and add different things going on. Sometimes I play it out, just get up and act what I want to happen, it helps sometimes, I know what would feel more natural or better. (It mostly makes me look crazy tho XD)

Yes!! The TS!US had storyboarding!! Not sure if you could call it that... Mostly just a messy comic thingy which I made while listening to the music I wanted to use and imagining scenes for it!!

I lost the paper a while ago, but here are some pictures!! You can probably recognise a few scenes, most didn't make the final cut unfortunately :(

I'll definitely keep doing storyboarding for longer videos like this, keeps me more organised and I actually know what scenes I need to do. (Also I can skip a few scenes and then come back and do them later! Power of post production!!)

And yes! I do easing in and out a LOT! One of my favourite parts to do when I'm animating actually. I'm glad you like it!! And again, yes, it's all done by feel XD

Yeah the puppets all have a wire skeleton sort of frame underneath. The wires haven't been a problem really, AND I HOPE THEY NEVER WILL. Maybe they're just not old enough yet? Or I haven't used them enough for it to start to be an issue? The only real problem is that the arms sometimes fall off, the wire slips out of its place!! Which is annoying... But I have changed wires before, so it's not a very hard fix if it does become a problem!

OH PUPPETS FROM DIFFERENT MATERIALS!!? That'd be so cool!! Apart from this I've only worked with LEGO, whiteboard animation and some random objects. So CLAYMATION sounds epic!! I actually even did something really quickly!!

Here's a lil lizard guy, not exactly from clay, but close enough! :D

Wanted to try out what it'd look like... I really like it!! His tail kept falling off tho XD But I think doing stop some motion with clay would be awesome!! Thanks for the idea!!

[ambarraquel]

Okay, since Episode 3 is out, I want to share what’s been on my mind since Season 1. I don’t know if this is possible or logical, but it’s about Irving.

This might turn into a rant 🤣. But keep reading—I promise it makes sense in a LUMONesque way.

1. We know severance is mostly irreversible, and Rhegabi just confirmed how hard it is to send messages between the innie and outie.

2. So how does outie Irving recognize that elevator?

Thanks to Felicia, we now know it’s “The Exports Hall,” where Optics & Design used to handle shipments directly. But if Irving has never been there, how does he know about it? It makes no sense for him to just know.

And then there’s his connection with Burt—it feels so deep, almost like it transcends severance.

What if Irving has been at LUMON longer than he remembers? The severance procedure can selectively erase memories, and we already know about the past MDR Refinement Calamity that LUMON may have distorted to create the lore and keep the departments separated. The most important thing is that MDR is curiously the center of all that weird lore!

Now, the OTC escape plan/MDR Microdat Uprising of Irving Mark Dylan and Helly has become new lore with the whole claymation thing—which we know has been spread to other innies, at least to some extent, because of the new employees Mark briefly shared as coworkers. What if that alleged cannibalistic assault from the paintings actually happened?

Maybe the exports elevator area was so successful that they decided to utilize it in different forms—thus the cannibalistic revolt. LUMON could have devised a whole plan, making that revolt happen as they tried to crack the technology enough to create Mrs. Casey. (Or maybe the revolt was an accident that led them to the technology behind her.) So maybe that place beyond the hall exists because LUMON had to devise a place for trial and error? Maybe employees involved in the cannibalistic revolt were wiped and “reset” down there? Maybe LUMON was experimenting with early severed chips?

We know for sure that down there is where they keep Miss Casey in storage. If LUMON can erase memories with severance, it makes sense they could also erase people or keep them in a state of suspension. So if Irving has been there before, maybe something happened to him—maybe he was even kept there as punishment. Maybe that was an early Break Room. Whatever it was, it must have been such a strong memory that, even without fully understanding it, it pushed him to take LUMON down.

Which brings me back to Irving and the plausibility of his remembrance.

1) What if he was originally in Optics & Design and met Burt over and over again, kept falling in love, and they went to the Exports Hall for work early on? So he was familiar with it, but didn’t expect to be exported himself. Maybe one of his last, most emotional memories was that black hall, which is why he remembers it. Maybe LUMON erased them multiple times because they wouldn’t allow it—or maybe they even knew each other as outies and chose to have their memories wiped. Maybe that’s why Burt followed Irving in his car—because he actually knows his outie—but that seems more convoluted 🤣.

2) Another theory of mine is that maybe Irving was part of the original cannibalistic revolt of MDR. I’d love to believe he also met Burt at that time, and he somehow survived and chose to have his memories reset rather than be fired—because that would mean living in a world where Burt was also in it, even if he couldn’t remember him. And maybe Burt was also reset?

So, the only explanation that makes sense to me for outie Irving remembering that elevator is that he’s been there before, but his complete experience was erased—except for that one lingering image of the elevator.

(And yes, I know the much simpler explanation is that someone from a Let’s Take Down LUMON secret society could’ve shown him that picture, and he’s painting it over and over because he’s part of an effort to take LUMON down. But honestly, that’s too simple—it takes the fun out of it 🤣.)

[bokutosbiceps]

‘tis the season | kuroko no basuke

gom minus kuroko plus kagami x gn!reader | fluff | ~1.4k words

warnings: some suggestive/18+ themes but nothing explicit, uh—rudolph spoilers? i guess? also some cursing

a/n: welcome to my xmas special for the kuroko no basuke boys !! as usual, i chose to write for GOM (minus kuroko) + kagami. ALSO i realized i never ever specified that, in every single one of my pieces for knb, all of the GOM + kagami are aged up to college. pls enjoy 🎄

18+ MDNI | under the cut for length

akashi seijuurou’s favorite christmas tradition is attending a christmas concert. he always remembers how his mother would help him get all dressed up, how his father would actually turn off his phone for the evening, they’d go to a lovely dinner, and then they’d . but now his mother’s gone and his father is consumed by his work—so he goes with you! it’s different of course, but he loves being able to see you dressed up just for him and take you out to a nice dinner, just the two of you. no teammates allowed. 

seijuurou is the perfect gentleman all night, keeping a strong arm around your waist and pressing his side into yours for warmth while you make the short walk from the restaurant to the concert hall. and once the concert hall lights are dimmed, he’s intertwining his fingers with yours and caressing the back of your hand with his thumb, whispering a sweet merry christmas, my love to you before pressing a kiss to your temple.

aomine daiki can be found napping by the fireplace like a big cat as soon as it gets just a little bit cold outside. is he planning on doing anything else once he’s stretched out by the fire? nope. is he moaning and groaning for you to come lay down next to him while you’re decorating your place for the holidays? yep. 

“oi, you’re making too much noise…can’t fall asleep.” daiki complains, earning a narrow eyed glare from you. 

“dai, if you would just help—”  you yelp as you feel your arm getting tugged down, ending up on your butt. daiki hasn't even opened his eyes, but he's pulling you down till your face is pressed into his chest.

“chill. i'll help you after we get some shut eye, aight?” daiki drones, placing his hand on your ass to keep you in place and resting his chin on top of your head. you just sigh and relax, leaning against daiki and reluctantly reveling in the warmth of him and the fire.

kagami taiga and ice skating do not mix. taiga had thought it’d be fun and romantic to take you on an ice skating date for christmas eve. you’d be clinging to the side of the rink and he’d be your tall and steady hero, ready to glide around the ice with you clinging to him as your savior. he did not expect for it to be the other way around.

“s-s-slow down, y/n!” kagami stutters as you slowly glide to the edge of the rink so he can have something more tangible to hold on to. your shoulders were sore from the way your hulking boyfriend had been gripping them as you lead him around the ice.  

“i’d have thought someone who’s such a capable athlete wouldn’t be so terrible at ice skating.” you purse your lips, unable to keep the teasing smile from spreading across your lips. “do basketball players not have to have balance?”

“shut up!” taiga huffs as he slaps his palms down onto the railing of the rink. he turns to you with a pout on his lips. “i’ll get the hang of it soon…you’ll see!” his blush is spreading to the tips of his ears and you know he undoubtedly feels embarrassed. you skate over to him and press your body against his, backing him up against the edge of the rink and leaning up to place a quick kiss to his nose.

“i believe in you, taiga.”

kise ryouta loves watching christmas movies! a cozy, plush throw wrapped around his shoulders, fuzzy socks on his feet, a nice cup of hot cocoa in his hands, and you cuddled into his side. his favorite movie is the very old, claymation rudolph the red nose reindeer because he just adores the blonde elf who aspires to be a dentist. i feel so connected to him somehow! kise always says, excitedly pointing at the screen when the elf first shows up in the movie. 

he’ll sing along to every single song, grabbing you by the shoulders and swaying the two of you along to the beat or picking up your hands and making them move along to the melody. and, of course, without fail, he will bawl his eyes out when rudolph is chosen to lead santa’s sleigh on christmas eve. 

“ryou, you’ve watched this movie every year for as long as you’ve known yourself…why do you cry every time?” you tease, reaching up to gently pinch his cheeks, already red from crying.

ryouta wraps his arms tighter around you, pulling you against his chest like you’re a big plushie, and buries his face in your hair.

“i can’t help it! he’s head reindeer…just like his dad!” ryouta sniffles, holding you close. you just giggle and hug him back, trying to comfort your big baby because of an eighty year old movie.

midorima shintarou hates going to the christmas market. not because you’re there—you’re actually the only reason his team gets to enjoy his presence at the market. he hates it because his entire team shows up and is dragging him around the market, asking him which little knick knacks he enjoys. his team knows that shintarou is a difficult man to shop for, so they like to take him to the christmas market and get his direct opinion on things.

shintarou the introvert finds this little tradition exhausting; being pulled every which way, giving his opinion on every single little thing that his friends might think he likes, having to explain that he is not a collector, nanodayo and that he just needs them for his lucky items.

shintarou’s favorite part of the evening is when his friends say goodnight and leave you and him to wander the christmas market on your own. you always have to calm him down after his friends leave, because they really do bring up straight to his boiling pot and leave you to bring the heat down to a simmer.

he decides this is nice, though, since no one’s asking him if he likes this or that or if he’d smile if he happened to get this for christmas. he’s not too keen on PDA, but he will take your hand in his and hold it gently while you walk through the various stalls (again). it’s just you and him, your intertwined hands, and the little trails of frozen carbon dioxide you leave in puffs behind you. 

murasakibara atsushi is competitive when it comes to decorating christmas cookies. he will constantly be looking over your shoulder at your work and making little quips and comments about what you should have done.

“i didn’t know you were such a professional, sushi.” you say, eyes focused and brows furrowed as you move the piping bag in various circles and half moons along the golden, baked dough of the cookies.

“of course, i am. this is literally my job.” atsushi drones, expertly icing the cookies and using a fine tip piping bag to draw intricate decorations on top. you glance over at his cookies and notice how perfect they are. damn, you really didn’t realize he was a literal professional. 

unfortunately for you, you stay admiring atsushi’s cookies for too long and leave yours unprotected from selfish, needy hands. atsushi swiftly moves behind you, moving you to the side with his hands on your hips, then swipes a half iced cookie from your baking sheet.

“murasakibara atsushi! i wasn’t done with that one!” you gently beat your fist against atsushi’s solid chest, causing him to huff in protest.

“doesn’t matter, looks like shit anyways.” atsushi hums and finishes the cookie in one bite, licking his fingers happily. “tastes delicious, though.” atsushi smiles and turns back to your baking sheet, looming over the rest of your cookies. you move between him and the counter and spread your arms wide, hoping to guard your cookies from the ex basketball player turned pastry chef. 

“i can offer you something sweeter if you leave my cookies alone!” you plead. atsushi raises an eyebrow at you as if to say gimme it then and you smile innocently at him. you turn your head to the side and tap your cheek with your index finger.

atsushi understands your gesture and a deep chuckle rumbles up from his chest as he leans in to place a frosting speckled peck to your cheek.

“y/n-chin knows i can’t resist her. my favorite treat.”

taglist: none! lemme know if you wanna be added to my knb taglist ✨

[entropicbias]

star trek online with a youtube video.

(note, this is an old post, but i've decided to do more blogging like this here, so i remembered it.)

i decided to try out star trek online and live out my trekkie fantasies the other day. my first run in with the game was eons ago at a thrift store, but my current laptop is lacking a cd player, so i couldn't really try it out for sure. i don't know if it would work anyways considering it's a copy of the game from, what, 2010? what would be the point of that.

the first star trek game i ever played was the TNG game for the snes. i emulated it on my shitty old laptop. it was unfortunately a bust, cause i had no idea what i was doing.

speaking of tng, before i do my review, did you know a certain somebody used to make tng edits? can you recognize that flute sample?

anyway, my best friend dave (who doesn’t even have a tumblr) brought it up, assuming i’d never heard of star trek online. TCH! who do you think i am, you simpleton? naturally, i had to flex on him. whipping out the cd like some kind of seasoned star trek online veteran just to make a mockery of him. but really, the joke is on me, because let’s be honest, no one takes a self-proclaimed star trek online expert seriously.

so, i downloaded it off steam and ignored all the mixed reviews! i didn't stay in character creation for too long, but i tried to make him resemble me as much as possible. that's because my character's name is john kirk. he is john tiberius kirk.

john t. kirk of the u.s.s johnterprise. because enterprise is a restricted word (STUPID AND LAME?)

here is what i was greeted to.

quite frankly, i'm a little upset at the amount of diversity aboard. already i am seeing TWO vulcans. this is absurd. there is only one vulcan that should be aboard my ship, and he hasn't finished downloading the game yet.

OK! TIME TO PLAY THE FREAKIN' GAME FOR REAL! :D

after picking some of my skills (i chose to be aggressive, pistol handy, and uhh... i forgot the other one but believe me when i say it was good.)

i am meet this son of a bitch

captain...? CAPTAIN? OF THE JOHNTERPRISE? THE HELL YOU ARE! GET YOUR FALLOUT CLAYMATION ASS OFF OF MY FREAKING CHAIR! i thought you started out as captain? what is the point of naming my ship if i don't even get to be captain??? i need to show this guy who is BOSS.

the second thing i figured out about this game, is that if you walk into an object and believe in yourself you can actually gyrate with skill akin to that of a zumba instructor. so, i immediately had to gyrate next to captain isaac carrot to put him in his place.

it was a massacre for garrett. if i was you, "captain", i'd hang my head in shame and go back to being an ensign from being so hopelessly outmatched. it was also at this point i remembered that i could record my gameplay, which countered my ability to remember that my computer's cpu couldn't properly cool itself and i hadn't turned on my laptop fan. so amidst scanning some debris, my computer shat itself and died.

AND THEN RECORDED THE REST OF MY GAMEPLAY! watch it here. https://youtu.be/eeEs0el8Woo?si=djN9iLpkH3bGwNle there is some impossibly hard to read commentary there, and you may be wondering why i don't talk, and that's because i sound like bart simpson, so it's best that you just squint your eyes and pretend like morgan freeman's sultry voice is narrating my captions. if you do not want to sit through half an hour of shitty footage, then feel free to skip to 24:47 where i realize that you do not get a chance to meet captain kirk at the end of your first rodeo, and it genuinely breaks my heart. that is todays post, goodbye. update from jan 2025: i haven't touched the game since because i realized that i was just not going to be all that invested if most of the gameplay was from outside of the ship and i didn't have my very own personal spock.

-eb

[zahri-melitor]

So I've read the opening story of Tim Drake: Robin.

The opening issue is solid, highlighting a lot of Meghan Fitzmartin's skills as a writer. She picked up threads neatly from her earlier stories, showed her hand to the audience, and did do a fair amount of subtle character work. If I'd picked it up with no background knowledge of the fandom conversation about the title, I'd have been very excited for where it was going.

I liked the links back to how part of what prompted Tim to move out was Bruce being fussy over Tim having been shot in the throat in Batman #125. That felt realistic and a nice little link between titles.

As far as a story goes: I didn't mind it. Parts of it were very obvious, especially when you clued into the themes - if I'd actually been reading it as it came out and had a month between issues for things to soak in, I probably would have been tapping my toes over the reveal of who Moriarty was disguised as.

I would like to specifically dunk on both Meghan Fitzmartin and Moriarty for the detective novel writer selections, because...hmm. Kinda misogynistic there. Fitzmartin uses 6 writers for this, and 6 specific stories/franchises:-

Edgar Allen Poe – Murders in the Rue Morgue

Mark Twain – The Stolen White Elephant

Arthur Conan Doyle – Sherlock Holmes

Raymond Chandler - Goldfish

James Gelsey – Scooby Doo

Wilkie Collins – The Moonstone

What do you notice about this list, that I immediately noticed? They're all men. Who is an immediate name that comes to mind, who even had public domain stories as of 2022, who probably should be on a list like that and who also has incredible influence over the direction of the genre? Oh, I don't know, maybe Agatha Christie? (Also Dorothy L. Sayers is also right there and available, but skipping Christie?)

And once she'd built up this "it's all the detective stories" premise, Fitzmartin then went for a book code (cool!) from non-existent books (not cool). If you've just spent all this time glorying in how this is all related to Specific Classic Detective Stories, why not...use a real book code and refer to their actual stories? You've already done it for the plots! Commit to the bit!

Also I spent a good chunk of issue #4 staring at the page going "Carol Donovan? You mean Deb Donovan's judge daughter who recently appeared in Mariko Tamaki's 'Tec run? Tim, how are you missing something this straightforward? Also she's dead?" and then it never came to anything. Maybe do a quick check if anyone else has been using the name you just invented for the story.

"I even tried making a new costume for myself. It doesn't fit." - I did find it interesting that Fitzmartin was once again playing with the "is it time to move on" themes for Tim that were popping up around here in various conversations. Especially given she had Tim and Dick relitigate their conversation from Urban Legends #10 and similar themes in DC:YJ. It does suggest to me that she was working her way around to getting Tim into a new identity, but cancellation has once again left that in the 'not happening' basket.

In terms of the art: Riley Rossmo was the wrong pick for the title, but I do see the thought process that led into him getting the nod for the opening story, given the whole claymation villain set. It was very 2D animation style. I don't mind Rossmo (and interestingly he's developing a whole line up of detective stories he's done art for, given he's also had a Martian Manhunter book and got Wesley Dodds, he did one of the Batman/The Shadow crossovers...) but his highly malleable art style loses a lot of background detail or makes what is there harder to parse.

I did very much appreciate the way Rossmo drew Tim's detective work, though. I liked the technique for highlighting details and clues, and it actually very much reminded me of how some computer games present clues (including how it's done in Gotham Knights, in fact).

I know everyone has said this, but Bernard needs to develop a personality AND to commit to whether or not he knows Tim is Robin. Because sort of hinting that he knows, while Tim worries about hiding things from him, but not actually confirming either way is only really acceptable if you actually do build up to a big reveal moment where the whole drama has been paid off.

I did appreciate that MegFitz had clearly taken feedback and returned one of Bernard's two pre-existing personality traits (conspiracy theorist who thinks the Bats are urban legend cryptids), because one of the weaknesses of using Bernard, a side character with 6 preboot appearances, is that at lot of his existing personality was sketched in. He was a conspiracy theorist, and he desperately wanted to be popular but wasn't, so he presented himself as having a Cool Guy's Personality (see: 'your step-mom is hot'). Now, Meghan Fitzmartin wants us to read into that second trait as a facade that Bernard was putting up to deal with the fact he was gay and hiding it, probably even from himself, at the time. Which, fine, it's a perfectly reasonable reading of Bernard (and to her credit, MegFitz has Bernard spell it out a little on page in TD:R), but the problem is...you've just lost one of the two identifiable traits of 'Bernard' and it hasn't been replaced with anything else. And while 2004 in comics was still trying to hold onto the Urban Legends reading for the Bats to an extent (though it was failing), 2022 comics has so long since abandoned it that Bernard having kooky theories about Batman's connection to Mothman or whatever is very...why?

And because both of these pre-existing personality traits are under strain from the context, it really is sort of necessary to give Bernard something else about him for people to latch onto for his personality. And it doesn't really seem to be there yet (as of #6). It's the same complaint that people have about Jon/Jay and a whole host of other partners for recently out superheros: they're generically pleasant, supportive and bland, with about the depth of a mirror. Give me some of the toxic drama the 30 year old lesbians are allowed. Where is my breakup over custody fights with an ex and one of the two getting seduced by a vampire.

[nathanbatemanfucker]

Apple Pie

summary: you and hotch spend the first of many christmases together.

pairing: fem!reader x college!aaron hotchner

contents: explicit language, best friends to lovers, mention of a deceased parent, internal angst/sadness, food mention, fluff, kissing

wc: 1,756

A/N: me writing a hotch fic? more likely than you think! merry christmas to my hotchgirls (and everyone else of course) who celebrates ❤️

cm masterlist

He doesn’t understand why he misses it. There was never anything special about his home on Christmas. No expected pile of presents under the tiny tree that was always falling apart– is probably falling apart in his mother’s living room right now. No extended family gathering together around a table. No Sunday mass, or other family tradition.

His father was never there and for that he was grateful. The haul was always modest, a few present for him, a few for Sean. Sometimes there would be a can of cinnamon rolls popped open, filling the house with spiced warmth, eaten with chocolate milk. Other times he would just scavenge, always making sure to share whatever he found with Sean. Oatmeal or some cereal with raisins in it, sprinkled with sugar.

It was never much but it was home. It was Hotchner Christmas.

He makes the decision early to not go home. There’s nothing there for him— Sean is in juvie, his mom is working herself to the bone to keep up with bills. His father is dead. So he stays on campus.

And for once in his life, Aaron feels lucky because you stay in town too.

“Why aren’t you going home again?” He asks a couple days before the break starts. The two of you are sitting on the couch in your apartment after dinner, one of the classic Christmas claymations playing on the tv.

You shrug, taking a sip from the warm mug of hot chocolate in your hands, “Christmas is their anniversary, they’re taking a trip and we’ll do all the family stuff when they get back.”

He hums in response, turning his eyes back to the screen though his mind drifts elsewhere.

Aaron can’t think about how different your experiences with the holiday are. How much love filled your home when the season rolled around. Jealousy would bubble up inside of him if he didn’t care for you so much. You’ve become the most important person on the planet to him in the short time that you’ve known one another and he only wishes good things for you.

As if you can hear his thoughts you lean your head on his shoulder and ask, “What’s Christmas like at your house?”

“Even when my father was alive he wouldn’t be there…he was off…doesn’t matter. My mom tried. She did the best that she could with what we had, what my father gave her,” His voice is somber, and you can’t tell if its because he misses it or never wants it to happen again.

Regardless you nod, deciding to leave any of the other questions that popped up in your head from that description alone to fade away. Aaron always has this melancholy that surrounds him and you’d never want to contribute to it. In fact, you do everything you can to always make him smile, an expression that is almost reserved just for you.

“Since we’re both staying here, what do you think about me coming over for Christmas?”

“What could we possibly do in my miniscule dorm room for Christmas?”

“Alright, then you come over to mine,” You suggest easily.

—

He’s standing in the parking lot of your apartment building near his car like a nervous idiot and he’s not quite sure why. That’s not entirely true, any time he’s alone with you he’s nervous because you’re…well you’re you. Bright and sweet, always reminding him that there are things and people worth enduring this life for. But, this is different– you don’t share Christmas with anyone, especially not you. With how you’ve talked about your Christmas traditions, this is a big deal.

You’re sharing a piece of your home with him, something he’d never do because his home for as long as he can remember has been broken.

When you open the door, you’re in Christmas in pajamas, green with a Christmas lights pattern all over it just like the tree. He couldn’t keep a straight face if he tried, not with the way your eyes light up when they drop to the plain green sweater he has on.

“You’re here and you’re festive!”

He looks down at the sweater skeptically, “I tried.”

“It’s perfect,” You insist, pulling him inside.

Your apartment is cozy— all the main lights are off because you’ve covered the space in soft white Christmas lights. There’s Christmas music playing low in the background, a tree much too large for the space nestled in the corner of the living room. There are trinkets and knick knacks everywhere. Christmas has effectively exploded in your apartment.

He raises an eyebrow at you as he sheds his coat, “You’ve gone all out I see.”

“It’s your first Christmas away from home, it should be special.”

“Trust me, I didn’t expect all of this,” He gestures around loosely.

��Well, its the first Christmas that we’ve ever spent together. So it’s extra special. C’mon.”

You grab his hand leading him into the kitchen and his heart jumps in his chest. The warmth of your hand is gone quickly as you reach for two martini glasses rimmed with sugar and filled with a deep burgundy liquid. That smile is still on your face as you hold them up near your cheeks, looking proud of yourself.

“What’s this?”

“A cranberry spritz.” You hold it out to him and when he eyes it cautiously you add, “Non-alcoholic just how you like. I also have eggnog if you’d prefer it.”

That furrow between his eyebrows smooths out, a small smile on his lips as he takes it, “This is good, thanks.”

Your returning smile is bright as always as you gesture to the stool at the island, “Sit, dinner’s almost ready.”

Dinner is intricate by his standards; a roast chicken with a sauce that’s light and garlicky, mashed potatoes, and a mixed vegetable dish that he could easily eat every day for the rest of life. Ignoring his protests and grumbles, you plate dinner not only for yourself and him, turning on The Grinch before sliding into the island stool next to him.

“Didn’t know you could cook this well, you’ve been feeding us grilled cheeses all semester.”

“Cooking like this is expensive, Aaron,” You remind him teasingly.

“I know, I appreciate it— really, you didn’t have to do all of this.”

“Should we take a shot of eggnog every time you say something like that tonight?”

He gives you a scolding look that makes you giggle. You stand, bumping his shoulder playfully and he tries to join you, reaching for his plate but you quickly snatch it, hand coming down on his shoulder.

“Stay put, I’ll take that. There’s dessert too.”

“Dessert?”

“You expected Christmas dinner without dessert? What’s next, you don’t think I got you anything?”

“I knew you’d be stubborn and not listen so I didn’t waste my breath.”

“Good,” You say with a smile on your face, happy that he’ll accept the gifts you got him, but also because it feels good to be known by him.

With your hands tucked safely into bright red oven mitts, you retrieve the apple pie from the oven, steam escaping from the intricate design you carved into the crust.

Aaron blinks, something soft stirring deep in his chest, “Apple pie.”

“It’s your favorite,” You simply, not noticing the way his voice changes as you continue to examine the pie.

“You know you didn’t have to do all this for me.”

“We’re at two shots of eggnog now. Who said I did it just for you?” You tease softly, before turning towards him, your expression growing serious. “You deserve it, Aaron. Thorough holidays, your favorite dessert, every reason to smile. You deserve it all.”

That feeling that’s been sitting in his chest, bubbling softly turns into a rolling boil, one he can no longer ignore. He reaches for your hand and pulls you close, a soft sound of surprise leaving you as he presses his lips to yours. You melt immediately, clutching at his shoulders as he licks into your mouth. While the kiss is overall gentle, there’s an undercurrent of hunger that’s obvious in the strength of his grip and insistence of his tongue. I’m the desperate whimper that slips from his throat and echoes into yours. He breaks the kiss eventually, resting his forehead against your own as your breaths mingle.

“The mistletoe is actually over there,” You whisper against his lips stupidly.

He looks at you with disbelief, mouth agape before determination materializes in his eyes. Moving you both to the mistletoe, he kisses you again, this time it’s softer and less heated.

“Better?”

“Honestly, I think I liked the one over there a—“

He cuts you off with another kiss, cupping your face in his hands. He kisses you. Kisses you and kisses you and kisses you, like it’s his job. Like it’s his dying wish and the grim reaper has come for you.

“As much as I love losing air in the name of sucking face, the pie’s gonna get cold and I made it just for you,” You mumble, running your hands up and down his chest.

“Don’t call it sucking face,” He grumbles, cheeks going pink as he lets you go.

You move towards your baked masterpiece, inhaling its sweet, cinnamon-y scent. “Snogging?”

He gives you an exasperated look, but you can see the way his lips twitch, the fondness in his gaze as he moves towards you.

“Kiss-a-rama? Lip Olympics? Lip-lock-a-doodle?” You muse, cutting a piece of pie for him and sliding him the plate.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“And all yours,” You murmur with a smug smile, cutting a piece of pie for yourself.

Aaron’s flush deepens as he takes his place at the counter again. When you join him, he pulls your stool closer to his, wrapping his arm around you as the two of you eat and talk and kiss. The warm domesticity and soft excitement in the air has him feeling like this could be home. You could be home. A tradition he could look forward to.

Further into the night, the two of you are curled up on your couch as always— yet another Christmas movie playing— instead this time you’re firmly planted in Aaron’s lap with his arms wrapped tightly around you.

“Aaron?”

“Hmm?” He hums, pressing a kiss to your temple.

“Let’s spend every Christmas together,” You suggest, as if you’d been reading his mind earlier.

He grins, raising his hand to your chin to pull you into a gentle kiss. “Yeah, let’s.”

cm taglist: @ssamorganhotchner, @hotchsdoormat, @lefthandedhotch, @heliotropehotch, @zetasaturno99, @ssa-montgomery, @moonshine-evelyn, @emlynblack, @wheelsupkels, @jaspxr, @gspenc, @sadgirlml, @hotchs-bitch, @wilbur-rabbit, @hotched, @greg-montgomery, @reidselle, @fightingdragonswithwho , @rousethemouse, @eternal-silvertongued-prince, @lesbianhotch

[bethpencilart]

Have some sketches I made the last couple of months since discovering Moral Orel

I did some doodles before this to learn how to draw Orel and this was my first attempt at drawing him in my style. I also drew Christina.

I love Stephanie, so I made a page dedicated to her. The flag is supposed to be the lesbian flag. I decided that I should also draw some of the other adult characters. From left to right: Bloberta, Clay, Reverend Putty, Miss Censordoll, Principal Fakey, and Miss Sculptham. I had a theme with the right page, the adults of Moralton that should be role models for Orel but constantly let him down /lh

Adult Swim canceling this show is my Roman Empire. They really canceled it before the main character could go through his entire arc. I made these design mainly to work on something else, but I'm happy to have made them. I have definitely been inspired by other designs fans have made, but I did try to be original. Also made one for Christina! She's kinda inspired by pastel goth cause I imagine her parents are more strict and wouldn't let her wear traditional goth attire. She's probably already pushing the line.

Finally, some OCs I made. I'm sorry. First two are friends for Christina, I wanted to do something more then make a female Doughy and I had fun making them. The second is an OC I designed for a fic that is currently a wip. Yes, I did have a fun time creating the punny names.

Laika Lyukanida is Christina's childhood best friend. She is a second-generation Russian-American, her grandfather defected the USSR and moved to the US. I wrote that he was KGB, but I'm thinking that him being a spy makes more sense. I thought it would be funny for her to quote her grandfather sometimes and it being obvious that the quote was about his previous work, but neither her or Christina recognize it.

She is more resistant to Christina's chaotic plans, but she always finds herself working on them anyway. She has an interest in science and is often sneaking in the library against her family's wishes. As she grows older, she probably becomes more agnostic but keeps it a secret. Her first name is mainly a reference to the claymation studio, but I imagine in universe she was named after the dog that made it to space. Her last name is a reference to an old stop motion film from Russia.

Komugi Nendo Jingorō is Christina's friend who has a friendly rivalry on who's the better Christian. She is unfortunately very aware of how much her and her family are outcasts due to being Japanese in a mostly white protestant town. Christina and Laika are her closest friends due to them being more accepting of her. Laika understands what it's like for her name to be constantly mispronounced and relates to her. Christina's parents, much like Orel's, are racist and she has to keep their friendship a secret from them.

Her first and middle name is a reference to flour clay. It's a type of clay that children play with, and I thought it would be a cute name for a kid character. Her last name is both a reference to an old Japanese artist known for working with clay, and a reference to a stop motion short film that is about the same guy.

Will Plasticine is a gay florist in Christina's hometown. He grew up there, and when he turned 18, he ran away from his parents to go to college out of state. He met Stephanie there and they immediately became friends due to them being able to relate with growing up closeted in a very religious environment. She made one of her first tattoos on him, a pink triangle on his upper arm. He opened a shop in his hometown once he finished college, but he still has contact with Stephanie and sometimes they visit each other.

His first name isn't a pun or a reference, his last name is a reference to material used for claymation, especially earlier on. I thought it would be funny to make him a florist to Stephanie's tattoo artist, ie the florist and tattoo artist au thing. Obviously it's not romantic, they're just good friend. I imagine he has a story that parallels the episode, "The Blessed Union", where Christina hears a sermon about how wives should treat their husbands and she becomes curious on what husbands should do for their wives and she ends up in his shop.

[regexkind]

I was tagged by @kwarrtz to list 10 books I want to read this year. I tend to be ambivalent about exercises in tagging—I like talking to people online! But for many years I felt as though I was under a collection of geases and one more was loathsome, and was particularly loathsome to inflict on another N people in turn. Oh well, I'm mostly better. I'm going to cheat and allow myself re-reads. Recent experiences have heightened my ability to imagine things while reading them and consequently closed off vast swaths of horror that I might have been able to read before.

The Apocalypse of Herschel Schoen - I was planning to start reading March 24, one month after my miracleversary. Nostalgebraist is a superb writer whose ideas seep into the cracks in my brain; his latest work is evidently dark so I wanted to be cautious while my brain was particularly labile. That said I am really eager to sit down and devote a long stretch to reading it in one sitting, the way I have consumed almost everything else he's written.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - this is a reread but for whatever reason Susanna Clarke's writing is extremely good for the kind of brain I have—reading it last year during a particularly dark time for me was one of many concurrent factors that fixed my brain in the direction of being a "life-enjoyer".

The Wind in the Willows - believe it or not I've never actually read it, and only recently saw the claymation from 1983. Which is a shame because the claymation is a very darling little work, and I have had a battered copy of the written work on my shelves for at least a decade if not two.

The Leap - by Jonathan Stroud, more famous for the Bartimaeus trilogy. I cannot find it in my library and I cannot find a pdf and I cannot find my childhood copy, which distresses me more than it probably should. People evidently found it to be one of his less-good works but I remember it fondly.

Too Like the Lightning - my girlfriend is reading this aloud to me; it is possible that this should "not count" on account of being read out loud to me but I will say that I do go back and read up to the point where she has left off so I can try to "solve the mysteries" before the book reveals them.

The Lathe of Heaven - I am in turn reading this aloud to my girlfriend; it is one of my long-term favorite books, and so this is a rereading.

The Drowning Girl - on my reading list for almost a full year and I'm barely more than an eighth of the way through.

The last book in The Book of Dust - supposedly. Supposedly this is going to be published this year. Pullman has taken this trilogy in a much darker direction than I wish he had but there is no doubt that His Dark Materials and in particular The Amber Spyglass are books that have made me much better off.

Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience - every author I love seems to root back in the works of William Blake.

Whatever book Susanna Clarke is writing and is hopefully going to finish this year - same boat as Pullman. So these last two might not get published and I might not read them. I hope hope hope they finish.

[houseof1000bitches]

Could u write general head cannons you have for Otis? Thank you!

OMGOMG I LOVE OTIS SM THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING THIS

General otis headcannons

-definitely smokes weed

-and more intense stuff definitely

-but mostly weed and cigs

-i personally ship spotis but idk if yall wanna hear about that so ill skip those headcannons

TW MENTIONS OF SELF HARM AND DISORDERED EATING

-has a bunch of scars all over his body, mostly from sh, he dosent do it due to self hatred, moreso just sadomasochism. Usually happens when he wants to hurt something and no victims are nearby

- definitely has an ed, once again not because of self hatred (he dosent know what that is) but because hes a control freak who likes to feel better than everybody else

-both started when he was a kid, due to his parents neglect

-loves homecooked meals. Would rather eat mamas dinner she made in 20 minutes than eat at a restaurant with 5 michelin stars.

-hypersexual, npd, bpd, and schizo effective

-as far as the family goes, he loves baby to death, even if she annoys him to hell and back alot of the time thats still his baby sister and he would kill for her any day. Hes relatively neutral with RJ, not super close but they still have a familial bond. And mama dotes on him, much to his chagrin.

-more of a mama headcannon but otis is mamas favorite. Spaulding dosent see otis as his kid (imo, i ship spotis) so baby is his favorite by deafult

-his music taste ranges from old school country (1940s-1950s) to heavy metal and screamo. Just depends, really. He mostly listens to country while he smokes and the ladder while he works on art

-speaking of art, he dabbles in all kinds. Painting, sculpture, graphite, hes even done scrapbooks with baby and probably tried stop motion claymation at some poing when he was a kid

If yall want a part 2 PLEASE let me know i have so many thoughts. Espeically about him and spaulding together.

[stuft]

Definitely a better day today (so far?!)

I went to the other art museum, which is good but a weirdly laid out building. I somehow missed the entrance and the 1st floor just looks unfinished, or just not well-designed. idk, but I found it a bit confusing/ugly. Anyway, it was only 8 Euro to get in with my public transport ticket. (Idk what the full price was) and there was a large variety of art. I was working my way backward thru the years and by the time I got to the older stuff like 1700s I had to find a bathroom, which like. Please put more bathrooms or at least clear signs for them. I had to go to the basement and I don't think they'd been updated much since like 1980 and smelled vaguely of 40 year old pee as well. Anyway, when I went back to the rest of the stuff I zoned out after a few Rembrandts and beyond, it got religious and 1500s, 1400s etc and I just left.

There was this one exhibit in the contemporary section and it really affected me, and of course as I was sitting there watching this stop-motion claymation film called Damaged Goods a whole group of teenaged school kids came in and started watching it. I'd passed them before and while it was mildly annoying going thru the rooms with these kind of loud groups of kids doing some kind of project or whatever with their teacher, I am happy to see kids interacting with art and culture, so that was not that big of a deal bc the rooms weren't my faves anyway. But I really just wanted to watch this 6 or 7 minute film on my own. I went back later and there was a guy there but the film just ended and I think I went back again and there were 2 guard in there, having a full on conversation, didn't even bother to step into the next room, so I did see the end of the film anyway but I'd lost patience and the "affected" moment had long passed me by and it was fine, I just needed to go. But not before having (the first really good) coffee and cake, which was surprisingly reasonable considering, art museum!

then what did I do. I was near where I had been yesterday when I went to the other art museum (which was free!), little did I know how close it was, but I'm glad I didn't force myself to go yesterday when I was so worn out and moody. I walked around a little and found the Markthalle (which a lot of cities have) and it was a lot like Reading Terminal Market but with a lot more "market" type stuff than shops or restaurants. It was very nice and I had to stop at the little stand that sold arancini! Yum! there were quite a few Italian specialty places. So at least I was sufficiently sated. I walked around a little more and decided to come back to my room for a bit.

I think I'll go back out in a little and take the wooden funicular to whatever it is, a cemetery or park or whatever. Then decide what to do for dinner and tonight I will do a little Organizing of My Shit/packing, fiiiiinally finish Pride & Prejudice--I thought this was a short book? I realize I fell asleep many a night after reading only a paragraph or 2 while I was at school, but what the heck. I also read large chunks on trains and other times.

[password-door-lock]

Unknown gives you a blank look. “Say that again.” He’s not shy about asking you for clarification when he needs it, nor is he embarrassed about lacking the context for whatever you’re planning to yap about. Unknown has learned since meeting you that you’re the one who’s strange for knowing so much about so many useless things, apparently including obscure Yuletide lore that has never been relevant to the Savior’s Christmas Day sermons. 

“Sure.” You shrug, evidently accustomed to odd requests from your employer. You’re not half as pliant as the believers are— you’re prone to snide remarks, and occasionally, you even argue with him— but ultimately, you are loyal to Unknown. “I asked if Santa and Rudolph had been here yet. It was a joke, boss.”

“Who the fuck is Rudolph?” Unknown has heard about Santa, of course, and he feels it should go without saying that the bastard is not welcome at Magenta. The sheer idea of a man who picks and chooses which children are worthy of receiving gifts is antithetical to the very project of the Mint Eye. But Unknown has other concerns at the moment. He’s never heard of this Rudolph person before, but if they go along with Santa, then they can’t be good news.

Granted, if they go along with Santa, then they’re probably not even real, but Unknown is nevertheless annoyed. He didn’t dress up in his holiday finest and spend all night working just so he could waste this morning cleansing your false faiths.

 “You don’t know about Rudolph? God, where do I even start?”

“Stop beating around the bush.” Unknown doesn’t have all day, after all, and he had hoped to give you your present sooner rather than later.

“Okay,” you pause for a moment, presumably— hopefully— to collect your thoughts before answering his question in a succinct and accurate manner. “Rudolph is one of Santa’s reindeer. He has a glowing red nose, so he was bullied as a kid, but then one year, it was foggy on Christmas, so Santa couldn’t see, and he was like, ‘hey, Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?’ and Rudolph said yes, but I’ve always kind of wondered if saying no was even an option for him. Like, do the reindeer live on their own and they just contract with Santa as freelancers, or are they his employees, like the elves? I can’t remember if the movie goes into it.” 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, your monologue has left Unknown with more questions than answers. He has no idea what to do with the information he’s just gleaned. “What’s a reindeer?” He asks. 

“Okay, bro, whoever taught you about Christmas did a seriously shit job,” you proclaim, “Reindeer are like— so, they actually exist, they live in… cold places, I guess? I don’t know. But they’re a real type of deer that you could actually go see in real life.”

“And… their noses glow?” Unknown is baffled. How could an animal like that really exist? 

“No,” you assure him, “They also don’t really fly, but in stories about Santa, he has a whole team of them pulling his sleigh. You’ve really never heard of reindeer? Ever?”

“Where would I hear about something like that?” Unknown demands. He finds it beyond doubtful that the Savior would ever have bothered to educate him about any animal, and that redhead never told Unknown the whole truth in his life. It would make sense that he’d be hiding something big, even about that made-up bastard Santa Claus. 

“Okay, well, I know how we’re spending Christmas morning,” you announce, like you have any say in the matter. Sometimes, Unknown wonders if you have any idea what it means to be his assistant, after all. “First, I’ll show you how to pirate the old claymation movie about Rudolph. That’s a classic.”

“Claymation?” It’s like you’re speaking a foreign language. 

“Man, have you never been outside before?” You ask, with a cute little laugh, “It’s a kind of stop-motion where they splice the film together from a bunch of pictures of clay figures. You’ll see when we watch it. Anyway, let’s also pirate some kind of documentary about reindeer. I’m sure there’s something like that out there, or at least… Arctic animals? But I don’t know if Reindeer live in the arctic. They might live in the woods.”

“You’re getting bossy,” Unknown warns, though he can’t hide his fond smile.

“I’m educating you,” you counter, looking equally fond.

Unknown goes along with your plan. He’s in a giving mood today, which is very seasonally appropriate and besides— he wants to learn more about reindeer. 

[gr8otaco]

Hey everyone!

So I'm ordering some art materials soon so I can start working on some claymation dolls for sonic animations. But I'm only could get so much material right now, so I can only make five dolls right now. So I need some opinions on which characters I should make first.

[the-90s-music-colosseum]

'90s MV of the day

Southbound Pachyderm by Primus

Released in 1995 on Tales from the Punchbowl. Directed by Les Claypool and Raub Shapiro. The painstaking process of stop-motion photography meant this video took six weeks to create, with each day of work only generating six to ten seconds of imagery.

There is actually another MV for this song, which was only included in the Enhanced CD version of the album; you can view it here!

from our voters: "I love love LOOOVE claymation!!!! And this one is so fun to me the characters have strong designs and the animals in particular are cute. I kinda want to nominate every Primus video but after much consideration I decided to go with this one"

[ducktracy]

The California Raisins reference makes me so happy! I love the California Raisins and works of Will Vinton in general. Meet The Raisins and Raisins Sold Out in particular are amazing Claymation specials and I highly recommend checking them out.

(context!)

AW YAY!!! i'm so glad to hear this! funnily enough, i was just at an antique emporium with my mom this past weekend, saw some California Raisins toys and brought up how we got to reference them... i'm excited to check these out, thank you for the recommendations!! i've been watching a bit of Pee-wee's Playhouse lately (got hooked on the Christmas special which is both a) VERY GOOD and b) one of the campiest and gayest things i've had the fortune to witness... the unsubtle messaging of Pee-wee being barraged with fruitcake and then having two hunky construction builders who look like rejects from The Village People building a wing entirely out of fruitcake.. it's so good), so stop motion and claymation has certainly been on the old noggin lately.

thank you so much for the recs! your passion for stop motion and puppetry always makes me so happy!!

[yuri-is-online]

Did you have any thoughts on how Twst just broke the pattern of only using 2D content as bases for story, events, and characters? That opens up a whole new selection of Disney movies now that it aren’t actually confined to just referencing 2D.

Eh not really? At first when I was thinking of crack ideas I did consider Nightmare Before Christmas a bit far fetched because of that, but since it's technically a claymation movie and not traditional 3d I'm not as surprised. I'd be more shocked if we saw something like say, Pirates of the Caribbean or one of the Pixar movies. I don't know how influential the movie is in Japan but Nightmare before Christmas was a huge deal when I was a kid growing up, on the same level as all of the movies Twisted Wonderland has already used for events if not more.

I think the idea with twst is to reach for the more "classic" properties so if we did see a 3d event I'd expect something based on something like Toy Story before say Big Hero 6. There's a bunch of 2d movies they haven't worked their way through yet either like Treasure Planet, Atlantis, the Black Culdron, Peter Pan, the Great Mouse Detective, and they could always go back to the Haunted Mansion too. Nightmare Before Christmas is just a stupid obvious choice for a Halloween event, 3d or not, and it has a lot of options for costumes that aren't as present in say a Peter Pan themed event.

That was a lot of nothing but uh TL:DR I'm not super surprised this event is happening nor do I think it means much for twst using 3d movies for events. I could always be wrong though so we shall see.