#coraline analysis

[santacoppelia]

I just finished reading Neverwhere, and I’m about to fall into an intertextuality rabbit hole through Neil Gaiman’s tropes, themes and phrases.

Don’t wait me up, children. This is going to take some time.

I’ll just say that I've just read about an angel living in a trendy district with antique shops and places to eat, who is named after a place, who drinks a very fancy wine… And he is a perfect bastard who loves old music. If you haven’t read or listened to Neverwhere, you don’t need any more spoilers.

No. Not a single thought in my head, really. I won’t spoil anything more. I guess that I’ll spend part of my “birthday holiday” writing this (and reading some more stuff, obviously).

[scarabjewels]

Why I Think Coraline Was NECESSARY To Be Published and Made into a Movie

I watched Coraline so many times, it's my top comfort film, beating Tim Burton Classics, White Chicks, and Jennifer's Body. I watched the trivia videos, theories, and analysis videos of this film, but two video dissections of it did caught my eye: CinemaTherapy's and Karsten Runquist.

I knew about predatory manipulation tactics, but I did not realize how ingrained that concept was in Coraline. I see now that this film SHOULD BE watched by the intended audience: children.

Remember how Coraline would've never been published if it weren't for Neil Gaiman's literary agent's daughter lying to her mom about the book not being scary?

Honestly, she and her mom deserve a lot of credit for making Coraline the cult following for the late millennials and early gen-z's.

Now, here's why I really thought Coraline should be exposed to children, and why made up horrifying tales of scaring children made sense before and even now (honestly, it is needed now more than EVER)

Let's start with the underlying concept of Coraline, explained by Runquist's video: The Coraline Bug Theory

I kinda do not want to sum up everything from this video essay as it is a GREAT watch on its own. But one thing I did get from the video that I clicked in my head regarding the film, the concept of control.

The Beldam, popularly known as The Other Mother, is a manipulative predator. The Other World is the manipulated reality she uses to lure the children in, the bugs and pests are "called upon to do impossible tasks" for her and her own tactics of training her victims into her control. She makes everything attractive that would keep the children and her servants in line so that when she asks for what she wants from them, they don't bat an eye.

The concept of control do not just exist in manipulative settings, even in the emotionally neglectful households.

Mel Jones, Coraline's mother, is the editor of both her and her husband's job, in the first 10 minutes of the film, Mel is revealed to have gotten into a little accident , therefore what looks like a comically large turtleneck to a child is a neck brace. Her family had just moved and is working over time on a deadline. The stress is unimaginable, and while I do think Mel is already a matriarch, keeping her family at bay, the added stress may have made her snarky attitude heightened. She is a ticking time bomb, quite sarcastic, childish, and for lack of better word, bitchy (even by the end).

Though we know Mel is trying her best and her and Coraline are actually quite close, as Coraline feels safe enough to share her stories with her family and is openly expressive with them, Mel embodies an actual mother of a matriarchal family, leading and in charge out of love (doesn't make some of her behavior excusable , though she isn't super controlling at all, she lashes out like an older sister that took over the family when mom is away, but anyone can empathise and sympathise)

Now for Other Mother, she is not exactly Mommy Dearest, or Black Swan Nina's mom, mostly because she is not a mother, at all.

She is a puppeteer, a showman, or a performer. She dazzles the audience with her magic (creating a too perfect textbook giving and loving mother), luring them into a false sense of security. She gives them everything they want, then once she had spoiled them enough, she asks of them a favour, an uncomfortable favour.

This is further dissected in CinemaTherapy's video of Coraline.

Manipulators and predators usually use that kind of tactic, indulging the victims, and then ask them something uncomfortable. The guilt tripping would come into play. Those favours they ask would be a reward for the manipulator and predator for indulging them.

And this is why children should be able to watch this unsettling flick, best with their parents too.

Parents should also be able to detect these, and learn with their child as they watch this.

(I want to delve into even more deeper topics related but I'm afraid it could be too triggering and just writing the paragraphs above is already unsettling me, so I will stop here)

Now, Coraline as the prey looking bug but actually a predator, and while she is not the role model for any kid, she is one person we can all learn from in these types of situations.

While Mel kind of represents a gardener, the one who maintains and keeps everything in check, the Beldam as obviously a spider, manipulating her web to be the suspecting beautiful trap, Coraline's motif is the dragon fly, an insect that is surprisingly aggressive and classified as an apex predator.

What I love about film Coraline is her strong will and absolute individuality. She is just as bitchy as Mel, FOR SURE, and also an independent thinker. She questioned everything about the other world, and while she gave into the glamour of the Other World, she detected danger as soon as the Beldam asked her to sew buttons in her eyes. She may have been lured, but she is smart enough not to fall into manipulation.

I do not remember if it was discussed in the Bug Theory about Coraline's bug motif, I may have read or heard it in another Coraline analysis/theorist video. I distinctly remember her dragonfly symbol to be a big part of why she escaped from the grasp of the Beldam. Unlike Coraline, the previous victims were significantly and successfully manipulated and did not dare question or challenge the Beldam as she gave them a "better life."

The Beldam preys on children with gloomy lives, her victims, the ghost children (in the film), have been theorised to have been taken in these years respectively: 1921 ( The Tall Ghost Girl) ,1936 (The Ghost Boy) , and 1960 (The Sweet Ghost Girl).

( Disclaimer: I am not American nor have extensive knowledge of American History, I am at most an average Google researcher and at best, an overthinker)

So, in the 1920s to 1930s, it was the era of The Great Depression, the "worst economic downturn in history" that resulted in the rise of unemployment and hardships for lower classes. It is easy to see just from that description that life in general was hard, The Tall Ghost Girl mentioned "treasures", may be alluding to desires of wealth, as at that time, it was what everyone needed so much that it crashed the economy.

1939 was the year the second world war erupted. I figured the ghost boy's situation in wanting a better life is pretty understandable. The Ghost Boy mentioned "treats" as the three told about what the other mother lured them with. Rations were provided for children during that time, my guess is that the boy's family must've cut down on how much they can eat, so that they are able to eat the following days ahead, and seeing that the boy is quite scrawny, he must've gone hungry a lot.

Please be warned that race will be lightly discussed in this section. In researching about the 1960s, racial discrimination and segregation are present heavily. The Sweet Ghost Girl was Ms. Lovat's twin, who is confirmed to be of African-American descent as well as her voice actress of the same race, she also stated to have grown up in the Pink Palace , now owning it. She had stated "games to play" as the Beldam's main thing to lure her. The environment and society in the 60s may have only limited her to play inside the house with her twin, or their situation must've not even allowed them to play like normal kids.

The Beldam was given opportunity with those years' depressing circumstances and took full advantage of it, as it resulted in gullible children.

Coraline may have been set around 2007, in that time, the global financial crisis rose, that later led to the Great Recession. Upon researching the cost of a house and an apartment in Oregon in 2007, which is where the film was set in, it was significantly better to rent than own a house in Oregon. However, a possible main reason relating to why they move mustve just because of their work, as I couldn't find much of Potiac, Michigan's economic state in 2007. The Jones parents were writers, and Mel is an editor as well, and just to note, a writer's strike occurred in 2007. I could not get a grasp of how much the income of writers was at this time. What I do know is that strike was the largest sign they weren't paid enough. So, writer's strike and financial crisis? The stress to make ends meet must've been so immense for those two.

What made Coraline different from the previous children , aside from her feisty personality, was because despite hardships going on, being her parents were stressed, neglectful, and struggling to make ends meet, Coraline has a good safe relationship with her parents as well as her environment, despite everything being boring. Nothing imposed as a direct source of a horrible life, her life was just stressful at the moment, like any other 11 year old going through a drastically far move away from home (e.g Riley from Inside Out).

I would really argue Coraline's curiosity is what made the Beldam's tricks work but it was Coraline's common sense, fast thinking and fighting spirit (albeit bitchy, hey her mom is a bitch too) that led to her triumph and escape.

I guess Coraline is one of the aspired final girls of horror films, a smart fighter.

Conclusion:

This modernized dark fairy tale had trained me to look out for people like the Other Mother, I am so glad to be able to take that lesson and ingrained it in my life. I did not exactly understand manipulation, but I knew that I should be more careful around too kind strangers.

Coraline is THE CULT CLASSIC OF ALL TIME, so far. Other than the major moral lesson, it is a great watch for its own, a good thriller: unsettling and just scary.

And remember to actually learn from these kinds of tales, for kids and adults and especially parents out there. Scoff or appreciate, look beyond the veil and behold it's message into you heart and mind.

Please.

[poetslore]

Things I noticed on my most recent “Coraline” rewatch: part 1

1. THE COMPUTERS: at the beginning of the movie we see that Coraline’s parents are ignoring her for their work, more specifically a gardening catalog they have been working on. That’s when I notified the computers. Coraline’s mother has a lap top, it appears to be brand new mostly because around the time this movie was made laptops were just becoming popular, while Coraline’s father has a 90s style box computer, he even appears to be using an older program to write his section of the catalog. How I interpreted this is that Coraline’s mother seems to be more sophisticated or materialistic. We see that she dresses far nicer than her husband and of course the Lap top. Coraline’s father is far more laid back, his clothes are messier and he seems to enjoy Coraline’s presence far more than her mother.

2. THE DOLL: the first night at the house, Coraline lies down in bed (the dinner transition) glanced at her poison ivy rash and then talks to the picture of the friends she left behind in Michigan, when the camera pans over we see that the doll is looking at Coraline as she lays on the bed, later, when Coraline wakes up at the sound of mouse, the doll is no longer looking at her, this is because the other mother is using the mouse to spy on Coraline and guide her, not the doll like she does during the day.

3. ONE NOTE PIANO: when Coraline first enters the other world she meets the other mother and she is then told to go fetch her other father who is in his study, for dinner. When Coraline enters the study we can see that the other father is tapping on a singular piano key, almost as if he’s in a trance, he had no purpose because Coraline isn’t around him, then about two or three seconds later he notices Coraline’s presence and acts giddy and excited and plays the “making up a song about Coraline” piece. I took this as the other mother “activating” the other father the second Coraline was near him.

4. NO FOOD?: the iconic dinner scene. On Coraline’s first night in the other world, the other mother cooks her an elaborate welcome dinner. During this dinner Coraline piles the food onto her plate (it’s appearance and likely taste is far better than her fathers tragic cooking in the real world) and then we see the other father, who also piles food onto his plate, but there’s one outlier here, the other mother. The other mother doesn’t pile food onto her plate, despite spending time on an elaborate dinner, which you’d then expect she’d want to feast on her labors, she sits there, her porcelain plate empty as she watches the others eat. I interpreted this in two way. First, the other mother is ancient, she doesn’t need to eat to survive. At least, she doesn’t eat food to survive, she eats the souls of children. Secondly, she is far more focused on Coraline, pleasing the blue-haired eleven year old girl and manipulating her rather than the food, and eating it like a regular “human being”

5. SMART COOKIE: once again this takes place during the dinner scene. Coraline has just received her welcome home cake when the other mother offers for them to play a game. At this point Coraline is growing a little suspicious for a number of reasons. She likely got a gut feeling that something a little malicious and uncanny was happening, the other mother and the other father knew she was coming based off of what the cake said (there’s no way they should’ve known she was coming, without magic of course), then the other mother asks to okay a game Coraline’s mother in the real world hate games. But we really see her first grow truly uncomfortable when the other mother taps her fingers against the table, something that Coraline’s real mother does quite frequently. It is clear that the other mother made this movement in an attempt to make Coraline feel comfortable, to make her feel like she was around her actual mother, but the girl doesn’t fall for it. She actually finds it strange and it just tacks into the pile of strangeness that has taken over the dinner. Then the lightning strikes after Coraline says there is no rain and at this point Coraline is deeply unsettled. She’s one smart cookie if you ask me.

6. “SEE YOU SOON”: despite the fact that Coraline showed extreme discomfort at dinner and on the way up to her bedroom the other mother and the other father say “see you soon” as she falls asleep. I interpreted this as: The other mother knew that the talking stuffed octopus and the chomping turtle wouldn’t convince Coraline something weird wasn’t going on there or wouldn’t ease that discomfort, but she did know that creating false versions (Coraline doesn’t know this) of Coraline’s “best trolls” aka her best friends from Michigan would comfort her and make her more open to coming back. She knew that Coraline would come back, she knew that she won this round simply based off of bringing Coraline’s “best trolls” to life.

This is where I stopped. I got tired lol. I will continue watching and update more on what I notice

[captain-crowfish]

earlier this year I woke up one morning and realized, the first four LAIKA films each have at least one scene of some sort of performance in them, and said scene can be interpreted as a metaphor for the entire story. In this essay I will...

[loveaetingkids]

Missing Link(2019):movie review 

(Contains minor spoilers)

As a big fan of Laika films I was excited to see their recent stop-motion work.But after finishing it I felt kinda…let down?To understand as to why I was dissatisfied with Missing Link I decided to divide my impression of this movie into pros and cons.

Pros:

Animation

Is anyone surprised that Missing Link has one of the most pleasing color palette to look at?Pacific Northwest,California,the boat,Himalayas-every new location has its own theme with it.This film also emphasizes the space of each place the mains go to, so the audience does not get the impression that everything happens in one room, but in the existing terrain.In other words the design here looks convincing and artistic.As for the characters-we can easily depict their personalities from the geometric shapes that they’re based upon,like triangles for the main character-who comes off as bold and charming,or circles for the Sasquatch-good-hearted and a bit oblivious .So yes,they rightfully won the Golden Globe Award for their animation alone.

Action scenes

Inspired by the adventures of Indiana Jones and Sherlock Homes,it would only make sense if this movie would include well-written fights and escapes.And they sure did!Keeping in mind that the cartoon is made in stop-motion,the ship chase or the ice bridge battle looks even more impressive.The choreography (I don't know if this term can be used for the non-human objects tho) is excellent, so instead of static shots, we see various dangerous situations the characters find themselves in,which glues the viewers to the screen.

Cons:

Jokes

Missing Link presents itself as an adventure comedy,but the jokes in it come off as iffy.The reason for it is that gags about blowing raspberries and making noises don't fit well with the story, which takes itself quite seriously. There is a dissonance: the funny insertions seem to be intended for a younger audience, while the story itself is for an older one.It looks like the film crew wanted to add some funny phases here and there to lighten up the mood,but it didn’t work out as planned.

The main character 

Despite Mr Link being the symbol of this cartoon,Sir Lionel Frost is the protagonist,since the conflict revolves around his want to be part of “Society of Great Men”.Based on James Bond and similar heroes,Frost fits into the “self-sophisticated but nonetheless good” trope. However, for the majority of the running time he is simply rude and changes his views at the end of the film just because his companion Adelina gave him a talk.The audience rarely sees Lionels positive side,instead we witness his disrespect for Susan and his numerous advances towards Adeline, who might I remind you,is the widow of his deceased friend, and who responded to his flirtations with a no until the boat chase.It would’ve been a good opportunity to condemn or humor his bad actions,but even through Sasquatch and Ms Fortnight point it out a few times,most of the things the main characters says either gets brushed off or is shown in the neutral light.It felt as though Frosts problematic behavior was ignored before making him suddenly compassionate to progress the plot.

Overall,this movie felt like the weakest among the Laika stop-motion works to me.It’s not exactly bad,but it can’t be compared to ParaNorman or Coraline.Missing Link is alright to watch a few times just for the animation and overall aesthetic of an old explorer films,but that’s it.

(What was your impression of the movie?Feel free to write in the comments section!)

[alluraaaa]

klunkllura (but they're all girls) + horror ^_^

GOOD QUESTION

allura loves horror. keith likes it. lance is neutral towards it. hunk hates it. allura wants to spend one of their weekly movie nights watching a horror movie and hunk is immediately like “nope can’t do that! i wanna be able to sleep tonight” and since keith and lance can’t not 1) pick sides and 2) disagree with each other (it’s flirting. somehow) they are immediately staring an argument. keith is with allura, lance is with hunk.

while keith and lance are getting way more passionate about it than you’d think they would, allura shuts them up and turns to hunk with her big brown eyes like “i won’t make you but if you do get scared we can cuddle you and run our hands through your hair until you feel better ^_^” which does work on hunk. and keith and lance are obviously down for that because duh.

but hunk still can’t and won’t watch anything scarier than like. jennifer’s body. they all find a happy middle ground by watching classic earth kid’s horror. allura loves coraline as much as you’d expect her to. keith is genuinely creeped out by what happens to wybie but is so so chill about it. lance notices keith’s full body shiver and laughs but only a little bit before demanding to sit in keith’s lap and hold him close. and of course even if it isn’t that scary they all watch out for hunk during and afterwards because anxiety/paranoia are the worst. (hunk contemplates watching a super scary movie to get attention because his girlfriends are really really sweet to him)

(send a ship + a word for a headcanon)

[castingmysilver]

.....huh. I hadn't fully realized before *how much* Horror Ends In Hope sings for me but... the catharsis of passing through the fire into softness and safety is... actually a very core part of my love towards Coraline (book AND movie versions, but separately as their own things), Madoka Magika (original core series, scared if expansion will change that; bonus feature ends on a Fierce Light note), and Pricker Boy (Reade Scott Whinnem YA book, very reread-bait for me but I'll never forget the rush of the first go round when I didn't know for certain yet); and even a tangential reason for how hard I've bonded with parts of Wayward Children (the first book from Nancy's angle, and Cora's arc in Where The Drowned Girls Go).

And oh *lordy* is it the pure shiny heart of The Big Ba-Ha, which was my first immersive, gasping, whirlwind introduction to CSE Cooney.

That's... a potentially useful thing to know about my taste.

[artzychic27]

Wybie Lovat Analysis by Zack Underwood of Class 1-A

[goryhorroor]

What are essay videos of horror movie you watch

oh my god yes, i have like an entire collection of them on youtube

how media scares us: the work of junji ito

what are we afraid of? societal fears reflected in film

the art of texas chainsaw massacre: making daylight scary

the importance of horror (why horror movies don't suck)

the grunge & ringu: what makes japanese horror creepy?

the vvitch - art of terror

how horror movies for kids dominated in the 90s

the shining analysis - tension, atompshere & mystery

creating suspence in a horror films

the art of scream: horror logic done right

wolf creek: australia's most infamous horror movie

why cosmic horror is hard to make

color theory in horror movies

society and queer horror

horror theory: the uncanny valley

the childhood horror of coraline

control, anatomy, and the legacy of the haunted house

elements of horror - don't look

the girlboss-ification of the horror genre

elements of horror - how eyes are used in horror movies

thai horror is so underrated

the history of insane asylums and horror movies

slender man (2018): misunderstanding ten years of the internet

the true history that inspired folk horror (part 1)

the true history that inspired folk horror (part 2)

the true history that inspired folk horror (part 3)

the history and evolution of jump scares

the complete history of horror movies

[oneforthemunny]

that modern!steddie x reader has been so heavy on my mind since the ask yesterday...

18+ below minors dni.

like steve was your professor and now you're in a throuple. you, him, and his crazy roommate eddie or @/munsterc0ck as you and his 1.2M followers on tiktok knew him as.

you ran into professor harrington at the bar, he was young to be a professor, you had his film class- an elective your advisor said was an enjoyable one. and enjoyable, it was.

you'd had a few amaretto sours, a little bolder than you usually were. your friends were squealing and buzzing with excitement at seeing eddie munson- the guitar hottie on the app- out in public, all curly bangs and tattoos, sitting at the bar in black leather. it was a stark contrast to the khakis and polos that professor harrington wore next to him, still keeping up appearances even in the dingy bar.

your friends snickered, daring you to approach him, ask him for extra credit, and who were you to deny them? deny their cackles and secret recordings for their private snapchat stories. "for the story" was your motto, and a story was sure to follow.

"hi, professor harrington." you let every syllable roll off your tongue in a low purr, a little woozy and wobbly from your drinks.

amber eyes flicked over to you, a sheepish smile on his lips as he greeted you back. "what're you doing here? not doing your film analysis on a friday night?" he jested lightly.

you shook your head, giggling nervously. "nuh-uh, always save those for sunday. 'm a last second kinda girl. don't hold it against me." you rolled your lip between your teeth, biting back a grin at his flustered flush.

"procrastinating can be bad for ya, baby. pretty girl like you should know better." the munsterc0ck spoke up, dark irises that cast down on you in the most delicious way. the rasp in his voice, the tone- so masterful yet casual, it had your thighs clenching.

"yeah," professor harrington added. "you should enjoy the films I assign. want to watch them over and over and over." he grinned when you laughed, a little nasally and wobbly.

"yeah, stevie here puts a lot of thought and care into those movies. very snobby film critic you have." eddie rolled his eyes hard, dramatic, you laughed.

"I do like the movies, professor harrington." you batted your eyes, swiping your drink off the bar, tongue chasing the black straw. you hadn't meant for it to be seductive, but you weren't mad at the way that the two men straightened up, flushing a little.

"yeah? which one's been your favorite?" professor harrington steve pressed, leaning towards you with a dazzling smile that had your tummy flip flopping.

"hmmm," you thought, sipping your syrupy sweet drink, lips twisting around the straw in thought. "coraline is my all time favorite movie, like ever. so that one?"

eddie's grin widened into something primal and dark. the girl he'd been chatting to before glared daggers at you when he turned, his body and attention fully on you. "yeah? you like creepy things like that? wouldn't have ever guessed that from looking at you." eddie smirked.

you shrugged, flirty and bold. "shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. sometimes there’s more than meets the eye." you quoted steve's lecture on inception from weeks before. he beamed with pride. "isn't that right, professor harrington?"

you'd smiled at him so sweetly, he thought he was going to melt into the bar floor. the effects of the alcohol mixed with the blood rushing to his twitching cock, had steve leaning in. "you can call me steve when we're not in the classroom, baby." he growled lowly.

you could feel the heat climbing from your chest and creeping up your neck. his full lashes batting at you, while he patted the barstool between them. "what're you drinkin'? let eddie buy you a drink." steve grinned.

eddie snorted loudly, shaking his head, but flagged down the bartender anyways. the three of you chatted over overpriced cocktails, yelling over the loud blaring speakers that screamed megan thee stallion and y2k classics to keep the energy. you talked about movies, hometowns, roommates (which eddie and steve had been since they got out of high school). they'd went to college at the university, though eddie dropped out his first semester was kicked out you'd later find out. steve got a film studies degree, just to make his dad mad, finished with a minor in business. he went to graduate school for that, to satisfy his dad (you were starting to pick up a pattern), got offered a teaching job after his ta experience while he worked on his doctorate.

"soon he'll be dr. harrington." eddie purred, shoulder rubbing yours while he leaned into your ear. "isn't that fancy sounding?"

"I like the sound of that." you giggled, starry eyed and loose from the liquor. "dr. harrington does sound pretty sexy." you hadn't meant to blurt that out, the playful banter was teetering on the line of teasing all night, and you'd just crashed right over it.

you worried he'd reject you, and you weren't sure how you'd ever pass his class- be able to show your face from the embarrassment.

instead, you found yourself in the back of eddie's camaro, steve's hands roaming your frame while eddie drove, speeding through back roads to get back to their place.

even tipsy your heart hammered, the liquid courage the alcohol brought was draining your system as you sat on your knees, perched at the end of their bed. both men before you, cocks angry and erect while they stroked them- intimidatingly big the both of them. you blinked up at them, rounded pretty eyes that looked oh so adorable to them.

you found yourself, thighs pressed to your chest while steve fucked you, deep, long strokes that had you crying out. eddie hovered above you, letting his cock slip between your lips, gagging your screams and cries of pleasure while you sucked him, letting him spill down your throat.

it was the beginning of something new. something strange. something exciting.

the three of you, a relationship bewilderingly beautiful, thrilling and a little scandalous blossomed to light in steve's bedroom.

[the-kestrels-feather]

I know I'm SO late to the party, but In light of the hbomberguy video, I wanted to drop a list of some of my favorite video essayists on here who are all great. Some are well known, some of them not, but all deserve a lot of love thrown their way!

Any creators I know are Queer will have a * next to their names if that's what you're looking for! (Note some of them might not have a star that should, that's not me trying to invalidate anybody I just didn't know, please feel free to correct me!)

Dominic Noble- book content! Has a series called Lost in Adaptation that judges how faithful movie adaptations of books were to their original source material, but also does some reviews/summaries as well. Very publicly denounced JKR after she was revealed to be a TERF and stated he will no longer review anything by her on his channel. Also deleted ALL of his HP videos after finding out she was a TERF (which were his most popular videos), so I have a really deep respect for him tbh. Former Channel Awesome member who publicly denounced them on several occasions, and an all around swell guy.

*Overly Sarcastic Productions- channel run by 2 people who go by Red and Blue. History and Mythology/Literature content, as well as analysis of tropes and media! I've been told their History content can be a bit... Iffy, but I'm not a Historian so I don't know, however if they get something wrong they're good about correcting it for what that counts for. Very interesting to listen to, I've watched Red's Videos roughly 100 times each. Also has a podcast.

*Strange Aeons- fandom/Tumblr history mostly, as well as some history, and weird businesses too. Reads a LOT of cursed content for her channel.

*Lindsay Ellis- Media/film analysis. obviously not as unknown as some of the others on here, but I absolutely adore her content and will forever be sad that she isn't on YouTube anymore.

Cruel World Happy Mind- MLM/explanation of controversial figures. I'm not sure how best to explain her content, but she seems genuinely lovely and is interesting to listen to. Also a victim of Illuminaughtii's ire and deserves some love. The video she made on Blair is a bit outdated since she made it at the start of when this all came to light, but imo it's definitely worth a watch. Her talking about her interaction with Blair genuinely broke my heart.

*Night Mind- Analog horror/Unfiction/ARG content! Analyzes and explains various internet horror pieces, and also has a very nice voice to listen to.

*Lola Sebastian- Film/Media Analysis!

Li Speaks- Deep dives into various nostalgia, mainly flash games!

*Princess Weekes- Media/film/literary analysis!

abitfrank- summaries and analysis of various "darker" children's content such as Coraline (book and movie), Nightmare Before Christmas, and various dark fairy tales

Hello Future Me- writing advice and world building information!

Curious Archive- deep dives into the various bestiaries of video games and the animals in real life that they're similar to, I love his Subnautica video!

In Praise of Shadows- Horror media analysis! Will often focus on specific franchises, but also covers things like horror comics and tropes as well.

Wait in the Wings- theatre! Deep dives into the back stories behind the production of various musicals! His video on Rogers the Musical that he did for April Fool's last year is comedy fucking gold

Weird Reads With Emily Louise- conspiracy theory/cult/weird thing analysis! Looks at things from an objective and skeptical view, and is very in depth. Recently served as a consulting producer on an HBO Max documentary on the Love has Won cult.

Ask a Mortician- death content! Covers various historical events and darker stories of death from the view of a Mortician.

*Izzzyzz- deep dives into fandoms, as well as well as different video games and kids' virtual worlds.

Disney Dan- Disney content! Covers the history of different mascot costumes at Disney and Disney-like parks! Has collaborated with Definctland in the past too!

Yesterworld- theme park content! Discusses history behind rides and parks, as well as some Disney movies. I think has also collaborated with Defunctland and Disney Dan?

Legal Eagle- legal content! Breaks down news about ongoing legal cases in a way that feels approachable. I like him because both my parents are paralegals and his videos have helped me understand what they mean when they're talking about work a little bit

Super Eye patch Wolf- media video essays! Mostly about anime/manga and video games, but also covers things like influencer scams and pro wrestling. His "what the internet did to Garfield" video is SO GOOD

*Jessie Gender- Media Analysis, loves Star Trek

*Laura Crone- Media Analysis video essays, her videos on the Swan Princess are fucking great I highly recommend!

*Lady Emily- Media Analysis, did a whole video on Spuder-Man turn off the dark that is SO good. Co writer for Sarah Z

Tale Foundry- covers different forms of fiction, their xenofiction video is great, as is their Angelarium one!

Defunctland- Theme Park ride and Children's TV History channel!

Jenny Nicholson- one of the sort of "big three" commentary channels with Lindsay Ellis and Sarah Z imo, covers all sorts of stuff but her most recent one is a 3 hour video on the theme park Evermore Park!

*Sarah Z- Fandom history and Media analysis! I really enjoy their content, the Johnlock Conspiracy and DashCon videos are my favorites!

Li Speaks- Flash games/virtual world analysis mostly! She has a very soothing voice to listen to, if you played like. Any MMOs or virtual worlds growing up I Highly recommend. I've watched her video on Horseland SO many times.

*Codex Entry- Video game coverage! Her videos on Pathologic are great if you're like me and wanted more after the Hbomberguy video!

Wendigoon- ARG/Spooky content! One of the early proponents of the Mandela Catalog and best known for his conspiracy theory iceberg, but has also covered things like various weird/unsolved crimes, Assassination conspiracies, and other things. His videos on Faith, Blood Meridian, The Mandela Catalog, and his Religion/Cult iceberg are some of my favorites

Dino Diego- Dinosaur fiction, like movies, video games, books, short stories, etc. his 2 videos on West of Eden and Winter in Eden are two of my favorites!

Haley Whipjack- I don't know how to describe her content really? She does a lot of deep dives (her Shrek one is my favorite), currently doing a recap of Once Upon a Time by season that is very fun. She's an elementary school teacher by day (that's not me dozing her she talks about it on her channel), and so she has fun unhinged teacher energy!

Other channels that are a sort of collection of different people talking about different things rather than 1 or 2:

TEDx

PBS

The Exploring Series

[mmoodd-jobutupaki]

*takes a deep breath* AHHHHHDKAJFKSJA

I JUST WATCHED BOY AND THE HERON AND I LOVE IT SM AND IT'S SO GOOD.

So obvs, it's studio ghibli, it's gna be some of the prettiest stuff you've ever seen. So many scenery frames made me think "I'm gna scour the internet for them and repaint them as art practice. It resembles smudgy oil paintings rather than studio ghibli's gouache style (see spirited away, Totoro) but it's honestly beautiful nonetheless, and seeing it on the big screen made me feel like I was in the movie. There's even a stone passage that looks like the one from Coraline. The animation works so smoothly to make the film an overall wonderful immersive experience.

The character design was so good. You have your classic ghibli, countryside, apron wearing girl. Your boy with spiky hair. And probably the best addition of a butch seafarer, Kiriko, dubbed by Florence Pugh (oh my goodness I am too gay for this). The grannies were so inexplicably lovely and visually distinct I just want a hug from them. The wizard (Mark Hamill having this otherworldly yet grounded design and amazing hair. The heron was oddly grotesque without being scary (this is such a gift only japanese have.) and his various designs fluctuate along with the story. I was surprisingly intrigued by the fact that even in crane form, he had human teeth. And ofc THE WARAWARA.

GOSH THEY ARE ADORABLE I LOVE THESE DAMN TAPIOCA PEARL LOOKING THINGS THEY HAD ME SQUEALING IN THE THEATRE EITH HOW CUTE THEY ARE.

The score is beautiful and I dare say that it's on par, maybe even better than the Spiderverse score (and that's REALLY HIGH praise coming from me, I love the Spiderverse score to the point where it's on my Spotify wrapped.) I loved how the use of motifs, especially in relation to magic in the film. And definitely need to go give it more listens. 11/10 would recommend listening to it even outside of the film, it's just that great, give it a Grammy or smth.

Humor in this film is hilarious without being corny. It's very on the nose, what's currently happening in the scene humor. Characters (won't say who) also have amazing dynamics that supply a lot of humor for the film. Obviously we have that last snippet from the trailer and I'll give you this out of context "Mahito's turned into a parakeet"

The story is very easy to follow. The first half of the story is very grounded. And even in the second fantastical half, the visuals and little sprinkles of just the right amount of information help to guide us through the amazing fantastical world. Nothing ever feels too spoonfed to the audience or too overwhelming.

Spoilers below the cut

Character was great too. The main cast each have a very touching emotional aspect and nothing is what it seems, not from the trailers and not even within the show. Characters go on journeys you never could've expected from the beginning of the show. Such as the heron, who I genuinely thought from trailers was gna be the bad guy but turned into a genuine, squat goblin companion. And the parakeet king goddamn I thought he was gna be a good guy with his "we must protect this world" gig, not some giant cannibalistic parakeet with a surprising penchant for sneaking. Anyway, I especially loved how we meet characters almost multiple times with how we're introduced to different versions of them. Kiriko>>>

The moral of this story had me confused ngl, but I'm fcking dumb and need to go read some analysis so ignore this. The main message I got was that "Life is shit. But it's worth living and I can make it better for myself. Through friends, I don't have to be alone through it all" which made me tear up ngl since I've been struggling with life this year and seeing how our boy Mahito went from being a closed off lil squat to that *cries*. Personally I interpreted the great granduncle and his blocks as seeing what's wrong with the system the older generation has built, and demanding more from it/straight up turning away from it. Also Mahito learning to let go of his mom. The pelicans wanting the best for their children and not always liking what they have to do for survival as a link to war soldiers @hamable . I also read from @simplysparrow14 and @rockpaperimpala the film is also Miyazaki coming to the realisation that 'studio ghibli will be his legacy and it will be put to rest, it won't be the same if continued without him and that's okay' and ow I just got hit in the feels.

To summarize the boy and the heron excelled, slaps, is show stopping, brilliant, awesome, a true work of art and soul and 11000/10 go watch it ON THE BIG SCREEN I am not joking.

[himalia-aesthetics]

Whimsical Gothic Aesthetic

The Whimsigoth aesthetic isn’t quite goth or quite bohemian, but blends together aspects of each. This aesthetic was conjured out of the 70s, 80s, and 90s with witchy influences showcased in a plethora of movies and television shows. Free spirited individuals with interests in astrology or witchcraft may feel called to this aesthetic. 

Visuals:

Stained Glass 

The Night Sky

Well Worn Rugs 

Brass/Gold Candle holders 

Velvet 

The Moon

Black Cats

Crystals 

Vining Plants 

The Sun

Candles

Antique Rings 

Cozy Fireplaces

The Stars

Key Colors:

Black

Emerald Green

Gold

Deep Blue

Burnt Orange

Silver

Ruby Red

Purple

Bronze

Dark Teal

Yellow

Clothing:

Tops:

Corsets 

Tank Tops 

Flowing Long Sleeves

Blouses

Mesh Tops (Long/Short Sleeves) 

Velvet Tops (Long/Short Sleeves)

Lace/Lace Trimmed Tops (Long/Short Sleeves)

Bottoms:

Skirts 

Trousers 

Jeans 

Corduroy (Trousers/Skirts)

One Pieces:

Dresses

Jumpsuits 

Bodysuits 

Overalls

Outerwear:

Cardigans 

Leather jackets 

Fur Trimmed Coats

Shawls

Shoes:

Doc Marten Boots

Platform Boots

High Heel Boots

Doc Marten Loafers

Platform sandals 

Accessories:

Layered Necklaces 

Metal Belts 

Vintage/Antique Rings

Bracelets 

Dangle Earrings 

Beauty:

Dark Lipstick 

Eyeliner 

Mascara

Media/Music:

Movies:

The Craft 

Practical Magic

Coraline 

Halloweentown

Labyrinth

Alice in Wonderland 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 

The Corpse BrideW

Edward Scissorhands 

Hocus Pocus 

Shows:

Charmed

Sabrina the Teenage Witch 

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Twin Peaks 

The Owl House

The Vampire Diaries

Playlists:

Whimsigothic by nataile

Whimsigothic by buffn

90s Ethereal Whimsigothic by Teleglam Sam 

90s Witch by linnett

YouTube:

Let’s Explore the Whimsigothic Aesthetic Origins, Breakdown, Outfits, Analysis by beepworld

Styling Whimsigoth Outfits with me | Talking About Thrifting by Amber Triana 

Is Whisigoth the 90s Witchy Bohemian Reborn by Teresa’s Chaotic Corner

Style Analysis: FairyGrunge and Whimsigoth by Dion the Taurus 

Authors:

Holly Black 

Kate Pentecost

Emily X.R. Pan

Adalyn Grace

Hobbies/Activities:

Studying Astrology 

Reading 

Painting 

Collecting Crystals 

Tarot Reading 

Thrift Shopping

Aromatherapy 

Gardening 

Listening to Music

Spellwork 

Related Aesthetics:

Bohemian 

Fairycore

Renaissance 

Witchcore 

Gothic 

Cottagecore

[loveaetingkids]

Box trolls or how to make a villain JK Rowling would approve of

Recently I rewatched Laikas stop-motion cartoon Boxtrolls-not my favorite per se,but it definitely has its own unique style.And just as when I started to get upset that this film was not popular, one character (or rather the way he was handled by film crew) changed my mind and I was glad that it did not reach public masses.

This guy.

Archibald Snatcher is the main antagonist who set out to destroy every troll to obtain the White Hat, despite knowing that these creatures are harmless.Using propaganda as a mean to turn locals against boxtrolls,he is ready to kill kids in order to get into cheese-loving club.So yeah,crazy man.What is interesting however,is how exactly he brainwashes Cheesebridge: and he does it by using his female persona Madame Frou Frou,who apparently charms the audience by made up stories about vicious trolls,all the while flirting with Lord Portley-Rind (who’s married and has a kid,yeesh) to be in his good graces and influence him into giving his White Hat.

The reason as to why the whole “Madame Frou Frou drag” is problematic is that in cartoon, the villain is the only character who uses drag or changes into feminine clothes,that way making him as “the other”and associating his negative traits with appearance.Also it was stated that Lord Portley-Rind was romantically interested in Frou Frou,the latter used that as an opportunity to spread the ideas about destruction of trolls.That way we are shown that the relationship with a person with non-traditional presentation is toxic,unhealthy and involves manipulation.And finally: it depicts a harmful narrative that a person with masculine physical traits in women's clothes necessarily dresses like this to achieve their goals by “deceiving” others.So for anyone who might get uncomfortable while watching this,I recommend to switch to the better stop-motion cartoon,like Wendell&Wild,which has really good trans rep.

[ljesak]

🌲pinned🌲

im Maki, a 20 year old hobbyist artist from serbia currently majoring in compsci ! I have a bunch of interests, main ones being art (visual and writing), philosophy, sociology, media analysis, biology and video games as a storytelling medium

✦ main fandoms: warrior cats, elder scrolls, fallout, furry

✦ i engage with various other things too but these are the biggest!

✦ when it comes to art i enjoy portraying atmosphere and emotion, subjects are varied as im interested in too many things to settle on only few! I do wanna make more oc content, though and finally branch out into humans

✦ i enjoy a plethora of movies/books/shows/games etc. but it felt bloated to include them all here

✦ art is under #art tag !

my characters: https://toyhou.se/ljesak (art with them is tagged with their name, ex. laurie)

✦ other socials and commission info: https://ljesak.carrd.co/

I open commissions sporadically, my messages are open for inquiries

more about art/stuff i like! video games: fallout nv, what remains of edith finch, disco elyisum, the talos principle, witcher 3, skyrim, firewatch, SOMA, beginner's guide, baldur's gate 3, outlast franchise, cyberpunk 2077, citizen sleeper, fran bow, undertale, outer wilds, the unfinished swan,, there's def more but those are the favs i rmbr so far. i want to get into dragon age and mass effect

webcomics im currently reading and enjoying: What Lurks Beneath, Lackadaisy, Oren's Forge, Golden Shrike, I Hope So, Tofauti Sawa shows: bojack horseman, atypical (except the 4th season that one was awful), midnight gospel, dungeon meshi, atla, dragon hunters, arcane... i did watch many shows but i remember these personally resonated. i need to watch more shows in general but they are quite a big time investment films: most of miyazaki's work, favs being princess mononoke and spiried away, WALL-E, coraline, ratatouille, I'm thinking of ending things, the eternal sunshine of the spotless mind... and more. i tend to prefer animation over live action as it's more expressive (obv not always the case) again i did watch more movies id consider good but not personally meaningful enough to mention books: i mostly read philosophical texts and fiction!! my fav authors are probably meša selimović and chomsky but i really need to expand my horizons with books, I'm least experimental with them, so its classics mostly unless i get a good recommendation music: mostly indie folk/rock but i do listen to most genres, fav artists rn are Lord Huron, Daughter, Wickerbird, Slowdive, Warpaint, Arcade Fire, Wilsen, Aphex Twin and more!! i rlly love ambient music too so a lot of the games i mentioned previously have gorgeous soundtracks will probably edit this periodically as i remember more things !!

[shslquestionmark]

I was extremely proud of my analysis of Hmaper through the lens of Coraline. Today I'd like to offer an alternate explanation, but I'd prefer to think of it less as alternative and more as supplementary.

Our question of inquiry is this; why does Hmaper love my eyes and want to eat them?

To understand his desire, I think we first have to understand how he functions as a figure of two deeply conflicted natures. On the one hand, he loves attention, desperately craves love and acceptance, and feels deeply wounded by criticism and rejection. On the other hand, he causes chaos and violence for fun, is easily bored, does not empathize with others easily, is capable of casual cruelty, and has trouble managing his impulses.

These two masters constantly put Hmaper into a double bind. His desire for acceptance causes him to repress his destructive impulses until they explode. His impulse to destroy leads to criticism and rejection.

As a figure in his life, I am one who inspires equally intense and conflicting feelings. I am look after him, I give him treats at times, but who more frequently I lecture and correct him. I've been consistent in this, taking on a parental role even after disowning him (and keep in mind, the disowning is a deep wound: one that cannot be erased, even if it heals with time). This is the perfect cocktail to trigger his issues: like two green and red eyes, it is Love and Judgment in equal measure, inextricably intertwined.

Not that I ever did much to punish him, mind you. I think when I tried to ground him in his room, he mostly ignored me and easily escaped. It's not punishment, or really any material power that he fears from me; it is the gaze.

Hmaper frequently tries to get away with things without my finding out. But I habitually check his page and the pages of those he commonly interacts with. And much to his continued chagrin, people frequently report back to me about his actions. They know to tattle to me. They recognize the Power of my Gaze, as a moral judge, as an arbitor of appropriate behavior, giving or withholding approval or disappointment.

The capacity for love and approval is what makes these eyes so beautiful to him. But the capacity for judgment makes them terrifying. It's a very, like, patriarchal, Christian dynamic: the fear of God: awe. The power grows in your mind and becomes totemic, subconscious, Magical.

If he could blind me, remove my eyes, then I would no longer have power over him. And if he could consume my eyes, then he would in some sense possess everything good about them, possess me and my love in a way that could never be taken away. He would not ever have to feel insecure or guilty again. Perhaps he would even gain their power for himself, supplanting me as the patriarch in some Freudian fashion.

But he knows that this is not literally true. This is a mad fantasy, mostly existing below the surface, ineffable. So he resists. But that logic is part of the cycle of temptation and abstinence. So he does the only thing that he can in return: he stares. He covets. My eyes are watching him, but he is watching my eyes.