#doesn't help that I do Not Have an animating program I know how to use LMAO

[mechncheese]

Wait you’re in an animation program at a school? Do you have any tips for someone about to go into a 2D animation course?

I wish I could offer more good animation-related advice but my experience has been a lot of allnighters, grinding, and endless balancing on top of being the number one procrastinator. Here are some general tips I've learned </3 Looking at this now, this is just advice rather than tips oops

Manage your time-- It sounds like very surface level advice but please.. Do not end up like me with 33 scenes to finish in 2 days. I wish I had time management advice but I have the worst management on the planet. I keep everything on a written to-do list taped on the wall and sometimes I forget about it.

You will learn that not everything you make will be up to your own standards or satisfaction. Balancing several classes on top of animation is not easy and sometimes you will end up with work you are not proud of and that's okay. We keep pushing forward and there's always time afterwards to revise. Part of the learning process is accepting that sometimes we flop and sacrifice quality to finish something. Time constraints are something we just have to deal with and it doesn't make us bad animators.

Take video reference for character animation-- It helps a lot. Don't know how a character would bow, jump, or run ? Take a video of yourself doing the action and reference it as you go !

You may be tempted to go above and beyond with every animation assignment given, and that's a good drive to have ! Do not push yourself to burnout though, nothing is worth burnout or carpal tunnel.

Speaking of carpal tunnel, stretch your hands. During long work sessions, stretch at least every hour. Stretch your wrists, back, and legs. Take a walk once in a while, go outside, look at the sky. Looking at a screen for a long period of time will give you crazy headaches. Do not destroy your body for school. PLEASE. Also drink water, too many sweet treats will make you feel sluggish, tired, and icky.

20 minute naps/breaks.. When I'm stuck on a scene and can't get it looking right I straight up nap for like 20 minutes and come back to it. It refreshes my head and I find that I work better after a quick break. Staring at your animation for too long will make you second guess yourself and get frustrated when things are not working out. Take a break and come back, it's gonna be okay, you just need to not look at it for a bit. Adjustments and edits are easier to see and make after a break.

Be open to critique. ask for help if you're stuck-- also sounds like a given but when I first started I was a little stubborn and wanted my ideas and my way of doing things to work really bad. You will find yourself a lot happier with your work when you start taking suggestions and changing your perspective !

Remember you're here to learn ! No one expects you to be a professional animator right off the bat. And don't compare yourself to your peers, we all go at our own pace and we are all students. Make friends, live life, have fun ! I find that the worst years were the ones where I isolated myself working to death trying to get my work to look just right. I'm about to graduate and I wish I learned sooner how green the grass is on the other side of constant grinding. Animation student life is so hard and difficult but it doesn't have to be miserable ! GOOD LUCK OUT THERE SOLDIER !

[benetnvsch]

oh g-d forgor how hard the actual animating part of animating is oughrh *explodes*

[kedreeva]

You kill your birds? I thought you loved animals...

I do love animals. I breed quail for meat and eggs, and that means that yes, I kill some of my birds, just as I kill some of my mice who are unsuitable for pet homes or unnecessary for breeding, just as I have sent overtly aggressive peafowl that would be dangerous to other birds or humans home with someone to be dinner.

Loving animals and understanding meat source animals must be killed to be eaten and that domesticated husbandry requires some amount of hard culling for the benefit of the breeding program and species as a whole are not mutually exclusive ideas. It is my job to give my animals good, proper care, enrichment, and love until their time in this world is over (for some that's sooner than others), to ensure that death is as humane as possible, and to ensure that as little as possible goes to waste after.

And almost nothing here does go to waste; offal or unusable parts goes to the crows and other scavengers I feed at the front of the house (and in turn they chase off nosy hawks and eagles), meat gets eaten, bones get used to make stock and then composted for the garden. Mouse culls and quail feeder culls (quail hatched specifically to be feeders for other animals) almost all go to reptile owners who want ethically sourced animals kept in better conditions/fed better feed (the exception is when Bug eats some of them instead). And the two times I have ever had to cull aggressive peafowl, they both went to a hunting family that made use of the meat.

Additionally, on several occasions now, I have been called upon by others to help euthanize their fowl friends. Strangers who couldn't afford a vet bill but wanted to put an end to their bird's suffering. Strangers that knew it needed to be done but couldn't do it themselves, or that didn't know how. I have taught others how to do cervical dislocation in case the need arrives ever again, so the bird doesn't have to wait. I have held sobbing owners who thanked me for being able to do what they couldn't even when they knew it was necessary. And yes, I have demonstrated the butchering process to folks who want quail meat, so that I know they're giving a quick, humane end to their birds.

Death is a part of life. When you raise purpose animals, death is going to be a part of the deal at some point.

It doesn't mean I love them any less while they're here, or in general.

[markitchi]

I love how playful and witty Orion Pax is in transformers one, a very different characterization compared to the other medias THAT I KNOW OFF... maybe the closest one to a witty Orion/Optimus is TF Animated, but instead of being playful he's just straight up sassy lol.

But behind that playfulness and "I do that because I feel like doing it" bickering attitude, he has a very big heart, selfless and impulsive. What if Orion's selflessness worries D-16 sometimes? He wishes Orion could be less reckless with himself, *you only have one spark* he always say to Orion, but that one doesn't work somehow, so instead, he softly coo to Orion's audials,

"*don't be so reckless, what if you got arrested and I end up alone? I don't want to be alone, I need you*"

The sentence is like a massive impact to Orion's way of thinking that it rewires his algorithm lol, after that he actually thinks about what he's going to do, even though he's still reckless- it's not as bad as it used to. Because now he finds a way to run away from the trouble he caused more efficiently, therefore being able to come home to D-16 arms safely!

But the sentence never leaves his programming. Even when he's a Prime now, D-16 sentence still helps him go on, just... just incase Megatron decides to listen and come back to him.

[mirai-e-jump]

TV Station, 3/1/2025 Issue ft. No.1 Sentai Gozyuger Cast Members (translation below)

Publication: February 26, 2025

Fuyuno Mio x Suzuki Hideharu x Kanda Masakazu Matsumoto Jin x Imamori Maya

Fuyuno: While Hoeru has a foul mouth and gives off the impression of being unapproachable, he's occasionally kind, and has a cute side that makes him a character who's prone to being teased.

Suzuki: Mio's normally like Hoeru, don't you think?

Kanda: He's quiet and cool. His way of speaking is abit blunt, which seems to also be similar.

Suzuki: He also has a pure heart, so his kindness can come out at any given moment.

Kanda: He and Hide are the same age, and they're always flirting with each other. Occasionally, the distance between him and us feels off (laughs). However, that changes drastically when it comes to his performance.

Fuyuno: I'm trying to be positively influenced by the atmosphere of the scene, and to react accordingly to everyone's performance.

Suzuki: Rikuo's a former super idol with an overconfident side. He's also putting in the work to justify that, and has a good side to him, that being his kindness. I try to be conscious of my idol like behavior, facial expressions, and speaking patterns.

Kanda: From his vibes to the way he speaks, everything about him is soft and gentle.

Matsumoto: It made me think that such good looking nice guys do exist. He's committed to listening to what others have to say. He's overflowing with kindness.

Kanda: It's amazing that we've gotten this far without him getting cocky over those visuals of his!

Suzuki: Thank you!

Kanda: Ryugi's an out of touch freak, and the only one who's a "Tega Sword follower." He's the oldest of the five, and although he's strong willed, he also has a mischievous side. I hope that I can find just the right balance in expressing that gap without overdoing his character.

Matsumoto: Kanda-san's like a leader. He invites us all to go out for meals together. I feel like we're more of a team now, and I'm really grateful that he creates such opportunities like that for us.

Imamori: He usually pulls us along and is reliable, but……he's abit of an airhead, isn't he?

Kanda: How did you know? I've always kept that hidden (laughs).

Imamori: It felt like you were doing your best to hide it.

Matsumoto: Kinjiro's a 17 year old high schooler. At his core, he's a serious person, but his goal is to become a "party person." It's interesting to see how his values don't match up with those around him. Since there's no character among the five of us who restlessly moves around, I thought I'd take charge of that position.

Imamori: He's surprisingly cool for someone with a cute face.

Fuyuno: I was gonna say the same thing (laughs). The composure he has makes it hard to believe that he's 19 years old, and he's also very good at giving compliments.

Matsumoto: I think I'm just conscious of trying to put my thoughts into words.

Imamori: Sumino-chan is cool, but she's a "high class detective" who'll use her cunningness as a weapon when she needs to. To create a gap between the two, I took it upon myself to play the role more characteristically. I'll watch anime and idols in order to study their cunningness.

Fuyuno: Maya-chan appears more mature on screen. She's always full of energy and makes the atmosphere around her pleasant.

Suzuki: The way she switches from her normal self is amazing.

Imamori: I'm just going along with the fun vibes everyone else helps create.

Fuyuno: Although the five members have widely different personalities, you'll be able to see each and every one of their human dramas. Enjoy this festive program, which also features tons of previous Sentai Reds! _

Sleeping Conditions on the Location Bus

Suzuki: Everyone has a particular way of sleeping, don't they? Masa-kun will lean forward with his neck bent at a 90 degree angle, while Mio doesn't sleep.

Fuyuno: It's true that I don't sleep.

Suzuki: Maya-chan tends to lean against the window, while Jin's head pokes out into the aisle (laughs).

Matsumoto: Something like that happens.

Imamori: Hide-kun's mouth hangs open.

Suzuki: Don't say that. I end up showing off a stupid face, huh?

Fuyuno: Everyone's probably looking at you.

Imamori: Kanda-san brings his own pillow, right?

Kanda: I get motion sickness easily, so if I look around for even a moment, I start feeling nauseous. That's why I use a pillow to keep my neck in place.

Suzuki: I'm the same way, so I get that!

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 150 (Inventing - or Reinventing? - Time Travel)

To research the possibilities of time travel, Felix Psyded, Esquire, and his girlfriend, Lilith Pleasant, had spent months at Laurel Library in Britechester. Emit's knowledge had proven helpful, but his device was too advanced for modern times and required materials yet to be discovered. They had a lot to learn, and often studied late into the evening.

These two - an attorney and a podcaster - knew next to nothing about programming or biometric sciences. But Lilith, especially, was determined to make a device to chase Emit's time thief, and Felix would stay by her side in any decade.

"I checked out a copy of A History of Time Travel like Ash suggested," she said eagerly. Felix quickly flipped her laptop to The Sims Archives, Volume 2, disguising the webpage he'd really been reading. "Are you enjoying the game? I didn't realize how much I missed playing it!"

He nodded absentmindedly, and Lilith noticed. She was about to raise the question when her twin sister, Angela, emerged from behind the bookshelves with a programming guide. "Geez, this stuff is difficult," she complained. "How are you planning to learn all this to make a time travel device?"

"Ash was taken with a faulty remote," explained Lilith. "He said we need to program it correctly or we might end up lost in time, but he's been a huge help on some things we just can't wrap our heads around."

"It's pretty crazy to let a nine-year-old help you build a device to jump through time. And how did he invent it already, because Emit's here, but not invent it yet at the same time?"

Lilith scowled at her twin. They'd been polar opposites since high school, and Lilith always felt a sense of moral superiority oozing from her earthy pastel pores. "Why are you even here, Angela? We didn't ask you for help."

"Excuse me for being interested!"

A librarian shushed them from somewhere beyond the tall rows of mahogany bookshelves, and Lilith leaned in to whisper. "You're not interested in the device, you're interested in Emit."

Angela caught herself before she let out a yowl, aghast at the suggestion. "A blue-haired time traveler? Please! Do I look desperate?"

Felix poked his head in gently, having built up a good relationship with Lilith's family. "No, but you look infatuated every time he's on TV. I don't blame you, really. He's polite, and he could well be handsome behind those sunglasses. He's mysterious; it's alluring!"

"Lil, if you're not careful, you're going to lose your boyfriend to Emit Relevart."

Lilith rolled her eyes and changed the subject as Angela huffed. "Ash thinks we need to look for something called a shard of time, which he first read about in Theoretical Electronics. He reads so fast, it's amazing! He says the shards are hard to spot, but if you look at something long enough, relax your mind, you'll see slight discoloration in an object. Once you see it, you can pick it up with your fingers. Ash said he found one on the toilet in his bathroom at home."

(This is Ash pondering time travel on the toilet for the quest points. I know it doesn't look like it but some of the event reward animations are sus or my game is broken. The actual books - Theoretical Electronics and A History of Time Travel - never appeared in Lilith's hands. That's why she's reading a violin skill book, which she picked herself when she was done reading the invisible books.)

"So you're going to go stare at toilets for a while?"

"Refrigerators, too," said Felix.

"This is so weird, you guys. Are you really serious about this?"

"After Felix is done work tomorrow, we're going back to Willow Creek to talk to Emit some more." Angela tried to stuff her hopeful expression and Lilith let out an exaggerated sigh. "Did you want to come with us?"

"Well...if you think I'd be helpful I'd be happy to-"

"Ange..." Lilith pursed her lips. She loved her sister, but she was always like this. "I said you could come and meet Emit. Don't act like it's a favour to me."

They made it to Willow Creek Park the next evening, where they found Emit still wandering the paths. He smiled and waved when he spotted the girls waiting for Felix near the public restroom. "Lilith Pleasant! I hoped you'd be back. Most of the gawkers have been unserious, and they don't come around as much now that the news cycle's moved on a little."

"We wouldn't know where to begin, but we've been getting help from someone...Does the name Ash Landgraab mean anything to you?"

After everything they'd learned about Ash's visit from the ghost of Marco, Lilith posed her question carefully. When Emit frowned, shaking his head, her shoulders dropped in relief. "Everyone's heard of the Landgraabs, but Ash Landgraab doesn't really ring a bell. Why?"

The sisters looked at each other. "When you're from, who invented time travel?"

Emit laughed as Felix joined them. "That's one of life's great mysteries! It's thought whoever invented it wanted - or needed - to be protected, so their identity was kept secret. When I was at the academy, there were rumours the inventor was a kid and that's why their name was never recorded, but some say people did know, and the inventor was well known once upon a time, but the truth was lost to history."

Felix chuckled. "Perhaps the truth was hidden by another time thief."

Lilith and Angela laughed with him, but Emit's face held a stern expression. "Time thieves aren't that funny. They could erase history as we know it if they try hard enough. Some days, my wristboard pings so often, each time they move to a new time, I can't possibly chase them alone. We're lucky the one we're dealing with is just dropping household furnishings all over the place. So far." He dropped his voice in an ominous tone. "But even that could break the strings holding time in place."

"Wow, you know so much!" Angela gushed at the blue-haired man, and he looked back to Lilith with a curious expression.

"Is this your clone?"

Lilith laughed, but Angela laughed louder. "This is my twin sister, Angela."

"It's nice to meet you, Angela."

They shared a sweet smile, and Lilith glanced knowingly at Felix. "We also wanted to ask you about shards of time," she said. "Where are the best places to look for them?"

Emit looked back to Lilith as though he'd forgotten she was there. "Shards? Oh shards! Sorry, our tech hasn't had to use shards for a long time. Shiny surfaces are best, but I suppose they could be anywhere, really, if you look long enough."

"That's what Ash said."

"This Ash sounds fascinating. I'd like to meet him, or his guardians, since you mentioned last time he's a child, didn't you? You're...you're not saying he's the one who invented time travel..."

"He hasn't yet," said Angela. "He's almost ten, but these two would probably be hopeless without him. He's the one who discovered the shards."

"A child Landgraab invents time travel? That is a headline!"

"His parents - at least his mother and his stepfather - don't want people hounding him the rest of his life."

"I don't blame them. It's important to protect children - even brilliant ones."

"Should you meet him some day, I think you'd be quite impressed by him," said Felix. "He's nothing like the rest of the Landgraabs."

Emit laughed. "What do you mean? The Landgraabs are incredible. They spent six billion simoleons to end global hunger and built the ship that stopped the asteroid. A Landgraab is president of Simlandia right now. Well, right where I came from."

Felix shared looks of surprise with Lilith and Angela. "Maybe Marco's stunt changed more than we thought," he mused.

Felix and Lilith paid attention to each other while Angela made small talk with Emit. But Emit seemed uninterested in her flirty advances, which he returned with friendly nods and turned glances.

Before they left him in the early hours of the morning, Felix gave him a burner phone so they could reach out if they had more questions. Emit took the untraceable phone willingly, glancing quickly at Angela before sending them home with polite goodbyes.

When they got back to the old three-story home they shared with Angela and her parents in Gibbs Hill, Lilith quickly went to bed. But Felix was mulling something over in his mind.

He tried reading, but his mind moved too fast to take in the paragraphs. When dawn finally broke and he left for work the next morning, he called his favourite grumpy police captain on the way.

"Hey. I know it's early, but I was wondering if you had a few minutes. I've got a problem I need to talk about..." ->

<- Previous Chapter | Gen 2 Start | Gen 2.1 Summary

Gen 1 Start | Gen 1 Summary

Last shot is of Felix is his work attire and not on the phone with Conrad because I liked it. He is not without swagger!

NOTE: If you've played through the event, you know the story is diverging a bit from the strict tasks since Emit isn't the sole source of information for Lilix here. Also, Angela had that instant attraction to Emit and I want to see if I can see that through. Even though Emit is being very professional-adjacent about it, he accepted some of her flirts, but not all, so I gave it a rest before he got mad. But once again, I'm making something much bigger than it is for the sake of plot.

[windvexer]

But considering then that maybe one should learn a form of banishing, just in case, but doesn't relate to the golden down practices, what could be a practice of banishing that is more connected to witchcraft ?

We are in reference to this ask about whether or not the LBRP is required learning for all sorcerers & practitioners (it is not).

Someone asked me for my opinions and I'm giving them! Please understand this to be a post full of my personal opinions and methods.

I think a fine way to regard any practical sorcery is to consider it to be a mundane action extended into the spirit world.

Therefore the best way for a witch to deal with banishment is to ask what you if you were in a nice Studio Ghibli anime where magic is tangible. If a rambunctious pig spirit were tearing through your house, knocking over furniture, what would you do?

Banish for your needs based on what you have. Any banishment spell is better than no banishment spell. Here are a few for the intrepid witch:

Ask It To Leave

This is a good starting operation, especially if you have ethical concerns. Especially helpful for troublesome household spirits and energies.

Go to where It is. If that is not possible, create a sympathetic image (drawing, sigil, poppet, etc.; then correctly consecrated*).

Speak to the image and tell it firmly and sternly to leave. Do not ask, do not show your belly. "You have got to stop coming to morning meetings, Greg. You have better things to do and you are not helping. I am sick and tired of hearing you before lunch, Greg. Stop doing it."

Open the Door and Smack It With a Broom

Another good starting operation, but you must have access to the location; best reserved for spirits or intruders.

Open all the doors and windows you can. Speak a prayer over the broom, vacuum, or mop; invite it to cast off its lampshade and glow with the vigor of four hundred generations of exasperated grandmothers.

Sweep out the house, all the while staying intent on the idea that the intruder is going to be chased out.

Close doors and windows after, as desired.

(Modifications on the above: blessed water in a spray bottle, rolled up newspaper swatting the air, and so forth; the studious witch will observe that if a place is consecrated to be other than what it is, things on other strands of fate can be swept away.)

Cast Dispel Magic (wizard 3 abjuration)

A fine early step, but it draws a line in the sand. It's more like a temporary ward, but it'll do in a pinch. It's also energy intensive, but requires no materials.

Using energy work, root yourself down into the earth. Call up a great deal of power from the earth into your body.

Coalesce a ball of power in your abdomen (or wherever suits you best; you must already know how to work energy in this matter to use this method).

In your preferred method, program the energy to be immensely banishing; envisioning ultraviolet flame can work well.

Expand the ball of energy outwards from your center so that it grows and eclipses the space around you, sending the unwanted thing out and away.

If possible, then work the far boundary of the energy sphere to become like a wall that can't be crossed over again.

Call the Magistrate

Not so harsh, but certainly drawing a line in the sand. This can be performed not only on spirits or intruders, but also on situations (to banish unfair treatment, etc), on people, and so forth.

Take one or three dried Bay Laurel leaves, or the equivalent crumbled. Say, think, or sign, "Bay Laurel, I call you here today to assist with removing an unwanted force."

Read over them the Orphic Hymn to the Sun, all the while envisioning that the leaves begin to glow with an immensely bright light, as if you're staring at the sun.

At the completion of the hymn, politely address the leaves and explain to them exactly what you would like chased away. Ensure you clarify if this thing may come back later, or never at all, and how far away from you it should go.

When you've said you part, seal the spell (classically, "as my will, so mote it be").

Use charcoal disks or your preferred method to burn the leaves. This should be done as close as possible to the thing intended to be banished. If burning is not an option, put them in some tap water and boil it on the stove until the scent diffuses.

(To further energize: read the hymn between three and nine times, each time following up with fervent prayers)

Call the Mob

Harsh. For use when you do not want to be polite. Can be directed at anything, but be sure there is no concern of behavior escalating; this is an aggravating spell.

Take one or three dried red peppers, or a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Say, think, or sign, "Red Peppers, I call you here today to assist with removing an unwanted force."

Read over them the Orphic Hymn to Mars, all the while envisioning that the peppers ignite into a black and scarlet flame that's like hellfire.

At the completion of the hymn, rambunctiously address the peppers and explain to them exactly what you'd like chased away. Encourage the peppers to chase after the thing like the baying hounds of hell, to chase it to the ends of the earth, and past the earth, and so far away that the thing cannot be returned.

When you've said you part, seal the spell (classically, "as my will, so mote it be").

You should not burn the peppers at all unless you can do so outside, because breathing in pepper smoke is Bad. But fire greatly improves this operation. If possible, arrange the peppers around a candle and burn the candle to activate the spell. Otherwise, use the simmer pot method.

---

*Consecrated: In this context, to assign a new magical identity, purpose, and fate. This may be done organically during its creation, or all at once with a ritual. A poppet shouldn't be used in sympathetic magic until it has been magically given the true identity of the thing you want it to represent.

[luulapants]

Do you have any tips to be more punk in 2025 specifically for minors?

Hey, great question! Let's take a look at our list and see what still applies and what we can flip around for you.

Cut fast fashion - Still applies! Try clothing swaps with friends.

Cut subscriptions Analyze your media consumption - Do you tend to play phone games that are psychologically manipulative? Are algorithms taking you to content that makes you upset? Track your screen time, think about what's being sold to you, and resist only consuming the media that is fed to you.

Green your community self - Forget touching grass, find ways to touch dirt. Spend time outside in nature. Go for hikes, look at trees, track how plants and animals change over the seasons. You're part of the natural world, so go connect with it!

Be kind - Still applies! Try handing out more compliments.

Intervene - Still applies, and especially applies to bullies, including teachers. This can be as simple as saying, "That was a really messed up thing to say. I think you owe X an apology."

Get closer to your food - Still applies! Try packing your lunch.

Use opensource software Reject Web 2.0 - Before you try to learn Linux, people your age need to start by learning some basic computer and coding skills. My generation was given computer classes and had social media that encouraged custom coding. Yours has been deprived of this education and given prepackaged web content. Reject AI. Right click + inspect element + fuck around. Learn Raspberry Pi. Become the cyberpunk hacker you want to see in the world.

Make less trash - Still applies! If mom won't let you start a compost in the backyard, propose starting one at school!

Get involved in local school politics - Know what's going on with your school board, with school administration. Start an underground, uncensored school newspaper with the real dirt.

DIY > fashion - High school is where a lot of adults learned their bad habits about keeping up with appearance/fashion demands. Refuse to buy in now and make homemade the new cool.

Ditch Google - Still applies! And also check your app settings to see if you have apps with unnecessary permissions.

Forage - Still applies!

Volunteer - Still applies! There might be fewer opportunities for minors, but you'll never know until you ask. Don't be afraid to be the only young person at the volunteer session.

Help your neighbors classmates - Offer to study with students who are struggling. Become someone people can trust to tell if their home situation is difficult. If you have friends who don't get enough to eat at home, bring them home for dinner. Check on people.

Fix stuff - Still applies! This can be a fun activity with friends, too. Let's all hang out and see if we can fix this busted stereo!

Mix up your transit - Still applies! Is taking the bus considered lame at your school? Do it anyway.

Engage in the arts - Still applies! Pay attention to art events that your classmates are putting on. Go to the school play - or join! Stop in the art classrooms to see what people are working on.

Go to the library - Still applies, public and school libraries! Talk to the librarians - they know things. Find out if there are after school programs you can take advantage of.

Listen local - Even more local! Stop by the band room after school to listen to practice. Does someone in your school have a band? Listen to them, cheer them on! Start a band! The great thing about punk music is that you can be really, really awful and still sound punk as hell.

Buy local Barter local - Lots of young folks don't have much control over or access to money, but that doesn't mean you and your classmates can't engage in barter. Figure out what you have to offer that other people might want, and trade for stuff you want. I used to cut hair and pierce ears in exchange for weed and rides to the mall. Maybe you can sew a friend's jacket in exchange for them bringing you a homemade lunch.

Become unmarketable - Still applies! PLEASE do this.

Use cash Steal ethically - Before engaging in shoplifting, make sure you know who you're stealing from! Stealing from Walmart is morally correct. Stealing from a family-owned grocery, a local coop, or a local artist? That fucking sucks, dude. Don't do it.

Give what you can - And only what you can. We ask a godawful lot from teens. You're in school all day, you're doing extracurriculars and maybe working and doing homework. You probably don't have a lot of money. You probably don't have a lot of time. But maybe you can bring your elderly neighbor's trash cans up from the street. Find the small actions that you have space for.

Talk about wages - PLEASE! If you have a job, this applies to you even more. Why? Because the adults working at your minimum wage job probably can't afford to be rabble rousers, but what do you have to lose except your shitty part-time Panera job?? A teenager who doesn't actually need their job to live has the opportunity to be the voice of truth in any workplace.

Think about wealthflow Resist indoctrination - Education systems are being gutted. Algorithms are feeding us misinformation. Cocomelon probably gave you ADHD or some shit - Jesus. It's a mess. Do what you can to practice critical thinking, expand your literacy, read stuff that seems boring. Start a book club or philosophy club with your friends. Ask who's profiting from a given situation. Resist knee-jerk reactions. Becoming an educated, thoughtful person is one of the greatest acts of resistance a young person today can engage in.

[guwix]

Is Caine human or is it AI?

I've seen people bring up this topic more than once. Also, Gooseworx replied to people that Caine is AI. Therefore, I want to sort everything out on the shelf, what we currently have.

Pilot

Caine was demonstrated to us with human emotions, which is completely indistinguishable from the NPCs themselves (Candy Carrier Chaos!). And if we take the real existing facts about AI, it is because AI does not know how to: feel, experience emotions, understand the meaning of text and images, be aware of itself.

Let's take the same Moon, Sun and of course Bobble.

They have a completely different level compared to Caine.

Even if he created them, if he cannot understand the empathy of people, then why does it make it difficult to understand other characters "created by him". For example, Bobble, he doesn't understand his actions.

AI has many advantages, but Caine has absolutely NO control over the situation, despite the fact that he is the "creator". Why would he need a "Watch" if all the information should be in his mind?

At the same time, he tells us himself that he has many eyes, but at the same time, he was not aware of what happened to Kaufmo.

I understand that the animated series is far from real life. But, in fact, AI cannot be insane. Also, Caine cannot emotionally feel "lonely". And all this tells us the opposite, that it is completely different from AI.

If the director of "C&A" creates AI to help order in the Digital World, shouldn't the company come up with a name for the "administrator" itself? And according to Gooseworx, Caine came up with a name for himself.

It turns out that people "allowed" AI to run amok in the Digital World without fear of consequences? Strangely, Caine should have restrictions, but it looks exactly as if he is completely free.

It is not the first time that the creator answers us that Caine is not a person and he does not have the age given to him. But, isn't the fans' question a strong spoiler for the plot? If we were told "You'll have to wait and see", that would raise quite a few questions. That is, it would immediately be clear what Caine is like.

You can also recall a video where a human body is transferred to a computer. Whether this was done for the sake of the fan, or intentionally, we have only to guess.

And one person had the most interesting question. Whether he is the boss, which we were told, we will have to wait and see. If Caine is an AI, then he cannot be the boss, we would have been told that he is another AI.

2:Candy Carrier Chaos!

As an AI, he is "obliged" to know who is an NPC and who is a "human". Everything must be programmed for him. But, he doesn't know how to "distinguish" them.

Whether the situation is worth turning against him, he immediately avoids it. Although, he is not forced to run away, because for AI, he must be smart enough to come up with a sedative. But, Caine just comes up with an excuse that he needs to "drink some water." Genius.

Since NPCs do not realize that they are characters of the computer world, they think that they are alive. If Caine is also presented as a God (and God is so-so with him), then what is the probability that Caine will think that he is an AI, for the entertainment of people? After all, the main characters do not remember everything from their current life (they only partially have upbringing).

[onnahu]

Why Bruce and Jason can't have a relationship we all want them to have

Disclaimer: I mostly ignore things that new-52 changed about their backstories bc new-52 is dumb when it comes to it

The thing about relationship between Jason and Bruce is that their upbringings were so different, and they both are so stubborn, they never could've agreed on some things.

Bc let's be real. Bruce went through a traumatic even as a child, and that was terrible. But before, he had two loving parents, and even after, he is a white, rich man. He is the definition of privilage and that's what made him Batman. I assure you, if he was poor, or even in middle class or whatever, he would never become Batman. Not only for a lack of funds.

On the other hand, we have Jason. From comics, even if fandom kinda streches it, his parents did everything they could. Jason for sure loved them, taking from his reaction at Willis's death, and everything about Catherine. We know he loved them, and they loved him. There is no hint for abuse in his early life (beside new-52 but new-52 is dumb), even if classist beliefs make us assume that. They had many problems, not much money, and Catherine was sick, and later an addict. So even in their poor financial status we can assume Jason's childhood was as good as it could be. He never complained about it, at least. Also, I personally headcanoned it earlier, and in the Hill it was pretty much confirmed, that Jason's latino.

That leaves us with two differences between them already, that gives them opposed perspectives on life. Bruce could never understand Jason's life no matter how he tried. Then, we have Catherine's death. It's a similiarity. Traumatic even where they lost their parent/s. But it's also very different. Even in their reactions we can see how they're not the same. Because as Dick's and Bruce's were similiar, Jason was complitely different.

Jason knew he doesn't have time for grief. He did what he had to keep himself alive, and took care for himself, that he in some way did already. He even menaged to do well for himself. We know that he survived on the streets alone for at least few years, and didn't really need Bruce's help for that. Although survival is not the same as life.

The other, propably more important thing: there was noone to blame for Catherine's death. He could blame her dealer, but he didn't really murder her. Dick and Bruce had the person that murdered their parents. They wanted revenge and they worked for it. Jason hadn't had anyone to take revenge on. He had no one to avenge.

Then, Jason got adopted, and could taste Bruce's life in some way. He learned how it is to have money to throw everywhere, and be priviliged for high quality education, food and entertainment. His poin of wiev on it was of course screwed up, but he got to expirienced it. Also saving people. Because saving people is a privilage.

If you struggle to keep yourself alive, you can't keep the others alive, unless you have a martyr complex. We, as animals, are programmed to keep ourselfs going no matter what. We have to be our own priorities, and if you can prioritiez others it's because you no longer need it for yourself.

Anyway, Jason saw how it is to be Bruce. To be a hero. But Bruce bever knew how it is to be Jason. How to be anyone that's not him. He can have empathy, he can try everything, but he could never understand. Some things you can know only if you expirienced. The same way I know I, however I want to, I will never really understand some things.

Also the whole thing with dying. That's important to. Jason knows how it is to die. He knows how it is to kill. Bruce doesn't know either.

Anyway, it's all kinda messy, but the point is - they could never see eye to eye in some matters. They can try, but especially after Jay's ressurection, they can never have a relationship we wants them to have, not in canon, at least.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[sepublic]

I like to think the Thoha Chozo had a very Jurassic Park moment when dealing with the Metroids' rebellion on SR388. Think of it this way; You need a bioweapon that can destroy the X, so you take DNA from a wide variety of other organisms on SR388, and splice them into a perfect chimera. You'll need a lot of these, so you program this creature to undergo mitosis when exposed to beta-rays for 24 hours. That way, your machines only need to create one 'Metroid' from scratch, and then it can be used to spawn the rest.

But here's the thing; After the Metroids devour the X, they start to transform and mutate. Turns out, using the DNA of other creatures has caused additional traits, originally deactivated in the creation process, to emerge thanks to the unique conditions of SR388 that nurtured and evolved the sources. This results in Metroids mutating into the Alpha, Gamma, Zeta, and finally Omega stages, with their original form retroactively relabeled as larval.

This isn't hopeless though, far from it; Unlike the X, the Metroids aren't natural creatures and can't reproduce on their own. They need beta-rays, and/or the device that spawned the original Metroid. Since SR388 doesn't have any natural source of beta-rays, all you have to do is turn off the devices that emit them, and the original Metroid creator, and there! The Metroid population will always be the same.

From there you just need to destroy them one by one. You all considered the possibility of having to destroy the Metroids one day, so you programmed these otherwise invulnerable bioweapons with a weakness to a common Chozo weapon, the Ice Beam. Even more luckily, the Mawkin have showed up to help; Normally your relationship with them is suspicious to the point of programming Metroids to be hostile towards Mawkin, for fear they would exploit the 'Ultimate Warrior' as a weapon. But instead, the Mawkin seem to have some genuine heart and are helping you handle the threat, and you need all the help you can get.

You accept them and conveniently don't bring up the anti-Mawkin programming, because as far as they can tell this aggression is indistinguishable from how metamorphosis has made the Metroids hostile towards you, their creators. Progress is slow yet tangible, and you keep track of how many Metroids the Mawkin have killed, and compare that number to the Metroids you created and cloned. You reach that number, and can now rest easy.

...Then you hear a report of a Metroid attack, and something definitely isn't right. How is there another Metroid, you killed all of them, you kept track of their numbers and everything! Is there something wrong with the original tally? It's not as if the Mawkin could've been mistaken on whether they killed a Metroid or not... But just in case, you engineer devices that absorb Metroid DNA whenever they die, just to have physical evidence; Otherwise, Metroids disintegrate completely upon death, so there's no physical 'proof' to reassure yourselves with.

The Mawkin keep finding more and more Metroids and now you're baffled. You check the original Metroid creation machine and it hasn't been used since the first and only time; But you take it apart, in case... Someone's been making Metroids behind your back, somehow? But the numbers keep continuing. You take apart all your beta-ray emitters, but there are still more Metroids. Is Raven Beak creating Metroids behind your back? But why let his soldiers die to them?

You scan SR388 for any beta radiation, and then you detect a big source deep underground. You send Mawkin soldiers to investigate it, and only one makes it back alive. You thought the Omega was the final stage in the Metroid lifecycle; But somehow, another one emerged. Of the many species whose DNA was used to create the Metroids, one of them relied upon a lone queen to produce offspring. Another was capable of emitting its own beta-rays.

You know how some real-life animals, if there isn't a member of the opposite sex, will adapt by having a few transform into that sex so reproduction can occur? Something similar happened with the Metroids. Without a source of beta-rays, one of their own mutated into a Queen capable of emitting beta-rays within her own body, which she uses to produce eggs that hatch into newborn Metroids. And this Metroid Queen has been filling in the ranks that the Mawkin have attempted to deplete. And now the original number of Metroids that the Thoha cloned has been exceeded; The man made Metroids have become more like the wild animals they came from, and are as wild and uncontrollable too.

At this point, the Metroids are too numerous and powerful to defeat. But they haven't ventured to the surface of SR388, being isolated to its caverns; So you opt to seal away the Metroids by filling passageways with poisonous water. In case anyone is foolish enough to try releasing all of them at once, you program these Chozo Seal mechanisms to require a certain amount of Metroid DNA to divert the poison; This way, the Metroid population needs to be lowered to access more. And this acts as a way to gauge if those who come back to destroy the Metroids for good are competent enough to get the job done, and don't just end up releasing all of the creatures onto SR388 in their failed attempt.

That last bit is important, because you and the Mawkin plan to retreat back to ZDR, and gather more weapons, troops, and resources to return to SR388 and properly destroy the Metroids this time; Because now they know about the Queen. Theoretically, the Chozo could just destroy the planet... But they want to minimize destruction, so confronting the Metroids head-on will spare the rest of the ecosystem, as was the intention.

Alas, seeing the continued power and adaptability of the Metroids on display has intrigued Raven Beak; He finds their potential impressive, and has changed his mind. It's been deduced that the source DNA of the Metroids reacted to the environmental stimuli of SR388, the world that evolved and nurtured those organisms. But without the cradle of SR388, the source DNA will not thrive, and will not activate the other suppressed traits; Larval Metroids can't access the rest of their life cycle in any other environment.

ZDR has powerful biomechanical supercomputers called Central Units, which have telepathic abilities that enable them to control machines; Given larval Metroids were designed to respond to Chozo commands, and the use of Chozo DNA in the organic aspect of the Central Units, these AI can be used to control larval Metroids. As long as Metroids of more developed stages aren't present to rally them -the authority of Alphas and beyond will naturally override any Central Unit's- the larval forms will remain obedient.

And while the larval Metroid is just the tip of an iceberg the Thoha had never intended, what they did intend was already incredibly dangerous and powerful in and of itself, being designed to combat the deadly X and the many forms they could assimilate. So Raven Beak wouldn't need his Metroid army to metamorphose beyond their larval stage; The first form was sufficiently powerful, especially with beta-rays to clone their numbers into the thousands, far beyond the original population of SR388.

Raven Beak slaughters all but one of the Thoha, leaving you, Quiet Robe, alive. He brings you back with him and the rest of the Mawkin to ZDR, as well as the Metroid DNA samples his soldiers acquired; A return trip to SR388 is no longer necessary, and Raven Beak is fine with that planet being overrun by Metroids resistant to his control, but otherwise unable to access other worlds. But amidst the chaos, a lone X emerged from hiding while the Metroids were busy fighting the Mawkin, and infected one of the latter. This parasite stowed away, returning to ZDR with the rest of the Chozo.

And without any Metroids on ZDR, it felt safe to reveal itself in Elun and begin infecting the rest of the tribe, resulting in a years-long war and quarantine effort between the Mawkin and X. The Mawkin attempted to clone Metroids using the DNA samples they had, but the X were intelligent and could absorb their victims' memories; They predicted this move, and were able to move quickly enough to destroy all Metroid DNA on ZDR before any of their predators could be cloned. Without any methods to destroy the X short of blowing up the planet itself, all but one of the Mawkin would end up infected -karma- before Raven Beak finally isolated the parasites within Elun, somehow.

There's no DNA samples to create Metroids from, not anymore. And you can't build another Metroid from scratch, not without the DNA of the original SR388 creatures that went into it... But you can definitely build beta-ray emitters. And there are still plenty of Metroid larvae back on SR388 to clone directly, instead of the more roundabout process; So Raven Beak flies the Itorash back to SR388... And finds a bunch of rubble where the planet used to be.

Eventually he puts together that the human warrior he helped Old Bird and Gray Voice hybridize blew up the whole damn planet, finishing what her fellow Thoha started. His plans to conquer the galaxy with Metroids is screwed, they're all extinct with any DNA samples eradicated. That is, until Raven Beak finds out that his "daughter" Samus has Metroid DNA, thanks to the Galactic Federation, and the very X that spawned the Metroids' existence (and yet also delayed Raven Beak's plans by infecting his entire tribe).

And now, after all that effort in creating and then trying to destroy the Metroids, you have to bring them back using the person who helped you destroy them. Or, maybe not... Over your dead body! Which turns out to be literal when an X absorbs your corpse and then helps Samus awaken her Metroid DNA by siccing the remaining EMMIs back on her. How did you even get to this point again???

[mychlapci]

horny idea I got while toy collecting bumblebee/cliffjumper retool and recolors are extremely common in g1 and in animated their are a ton of bumblebee like mini bots so what if horned minis type are kinda like the rabbits of the cybertronian very horny little fuck that are extremely insticts driven when it comes to reprodection, and taking care of their young, they have big litters usally between 5 or 8 sparklings, they can get sparked Extermly easily and can be sparked by any type of bot but the resulting litter will always be more mini bots though they do take on some the traits of their sires cliffjumper experience these strong breeding instincts but is too prideful to give in constantly insisting how he's not like others horned minis not letting any bot spike him, eventually he does agree to interface with another bot (i'm thinking Mirage) maybe what has cliff so riled up and short tempered is the fact he is ignoring these inbuilt insists and calm down a lot when he starts following his actual programming instead of fighting it, turns out he likes getting spiked and stuffed full of transfluid and sparklings fell like he still be feisty though when it came to defending his sparkling or his mate (cliffjumper does not share his mate) cliffjumper pretends he doesn't love being a carrier that once the cybertronian population crisis is over and their a stable cybertronian population he'll stop, but internally he knows he can't give this up bumblebee is a younger than cliffjumper so those kinda insists to effect him but slowly start gaining these instincts as he gets older maybe he gets spiked for the first time and it send his instincts into overdrive after he interfaced for the first time he immediately has to do it again and again and again until his forge is completely full and even after that he tried to fill himself up past his limit unlike cliffjumper bumblebee doesn't have a set mate and doesn't seem like he wants one either he just likes getting filled by any bot in the base all his litters have multiple sires and even before the sparkling start developing he always looks a few months in because he so stuff full of transfluid bumblebee really gets in being a good carrier and if at any point his forge is even close to half empty he make sure it's full again their Initially a little bit embarrassment for him maybe even a little shame about his bulging frame and Insatiable craving for trans fluid but overtime he started using those both as a badge of honor ant maybe even something he was proud of he went from a good autobots scout to the autobots top carrier able to carry massive litters of 8 to 12 bots back to back, often his forge is to stuff for him to move properly but thats ok other bots help take care of him and his sparklings 🦄

lowkey obsessed with the structure of this ask. really gives off the vibe that you’re frantically writing this down before your phone dies and strands you in a cave. anyways Yes yes yes, all for horny g1 minibots. Cliffjumper thinks he’s sooo much stronger than his breeding instincts, but he was bound to lose in the end. and i loooove sex pest Bumblebee.

[batmanfruitloops]

update and whatnot

I've already mentioned I'm back in school, but I just wanted to mention some more specifics about that and how it'll affect my contributions to this blog. This semester I'll be starting my animation program. So I'll be doing major-focused classes until I graduate. I knew going in that animation is very time and energy-consuming work. So I just want to be clear that I'm not going to have a lot of time or energy for things outside of school. I'm unfortunately still also dealing with health issues but as always I'm still trying to work it out and get the help and treatment I need.

When I was off school for fall I mentioned wanting to get out consistent updates to the comics, and I'm very sorry I couldn't do that. I still want to make consistent updates. I was just in over my head and I still don't know what I'm doing. All I want to do is spend my time making art but so much has been going on in my life and I'm very frustrated I can't just do the things I want to do for one reason or another. I'll try my best to continue working on this blog because I'm very passionate about it and it makes me very happy. I'm just not sure what that's going to look like going forward.

Animation is my dream job, so I'm going to have to prioritize school more but if I'm lucky I can combine work for school and for this au and hopefully make something even better for me to share with you! Even if that doesn't happen, I'll have learned and grown to make my art better. I also have access to better programs and I can make more animations for this au, which I'm very excited about! I didn't script the comics ahead of time and did them as I went, but I plan on writing ahead as much as I can when I have time so when I'm out of school for breaks or summer I can just work on the pages and hopefully update consistently like I wanted to in the first place. The updates themselves will also likely be shorter instead of the 7-9 4-panel strips I do at a time. The updates themselves will be shorter but they'll be posted more consistently. So hopefully for all of summer, maybe once a week or every other week you'll get a part of the comic. My classes mimic working in a studio so not only will I learn technical and aesthetic things I'll also learn work ethic and I can gauge a lot better how much I can handle. I think that will be very beneficial for me.

As for while I'm in school, I'm likely going to be pretty quiet on here. I'll do my best to at least answer ask. There are a lot of bigger ask that I still haven't answered and it's stressing me out, and I'm very sorry that I'm not answering all in a timely manner. If your ask hasn't been answered yet, please do not think we are ignoring you! I promise we are not! Since I know I'm going to be very busy I'll answer ask that need more attention, there's a few that need comics and there are a few I'd like to do some animation for. Unless it's something very simple then I might answer that one quicker. I'm going to try to be a bit more organized. It's not likely I'll have time for any other art related to the au, unless by some miracle I have extra time and energy.

Lastly, I would really like to be more involved and more active here. I would love to interact with you guys more and make more mutuals and friends. I see all your art and I love it all, I just haven't had the time to interact with it. This fandom is so lovely and has been so kind to us and I really appreciate that. From the bottom of my heart thank you for being here at all! Thank you for sharing your love! When I have time not only do I want to work on this story but I want to do more fun interactive stuff with the blog and get to know some of you better. I really want to build the community aspect more.

Even though I'll be busy, I'm still easily reachable. I'm happy to talk with y'all and my DMs are open if you want to shoot a message and like, show me your pets or something. I'm a shy person but I'm not opposed to interacting with any of you. You have all been very kind and respectful and I trust that you already know the rules and boundaries you and I should have on the internet. My main is @fluffysnowball13 and if you want I can shoot my discord. I'm going to continue to do my best to be a part of this community regardless of my schedule or health because it brings me a lot of joy.

I'm sorry this was so long, thank you to everyone who reads this. Thank you all once again! I'll be here for as long as I can!

-Fluffy

[katescribblesabit]

I absolutely adore your art style! Do you have any tips? Specifically for the fairies cause I am struggling to draw them.

thank you so much! well, this is gonna be a long post.

Im gonna be real, the best art advise anyone can give you is to use references and to break complicated stuff down into easier shapes. for example:

this is my basic body skeleton! i always start with the circle of the head and work my way down to the feet. i have highlighted some part of the body which are actually just simple shapes.

the center line down the middle of the torso also helps me draw on collars, bra cups, ties, or any other more difficult clothing more accurate!

However i have to ask you, are you comfortable while you draw?

I remember when I first started drawing digital, i was really uncomfortable with the basic set up of my program. The white canvas and the light setting of the program was really bright and irritated my eyes. And the contrast of the pure black I used for drawing wasn't really helping. sketching and doing line art was my least favorite part of drawing because of this.

you don't have to draw on a white canvas, you can also use multiple colours for sketching if you wanted. Once I stoppend using a pure white canvas I noticed i stopped staring at a empty canvas not knowing what i wanted to draw anymore!

also sometimes when a drawing doesn't want to look right, i switch back to traditional. idk why but when my brain sometimes struggles with a specific pose or character design, it comes to me a lot more easier when I switch back onto paper. i guess the change of scenery opens up the creativity again haha.

don't be afraid to simplify stuff, you don't have to draw everything! As long as it still translates to the thing, it should be fine.

these two are a bit clip studio exclusive,

but Gradient maps! god how I love my gradient maps, it just makes the colours pop! I never draw without it anymore. I always pick the sunset gradient, put it in Linear light mode and put it on 10% (cus its really saturated on 100%)

usually i have it on while i sketch and line, and turn it off so i can properly colour and shade. i turn it back on at the end again

the clip studio assets has a lot of beautiful stuff in there created from other users. (a good amount for free too) for example I got the lace pattern of my shawl from there. and its really easy to import the downloaded stuff into the program.

now this is a drawing hack that blew my mind when I first saw it! i use it all the time and I just have to share this!

whenever you want to draw something random like sparkles, stars, bubbles, feathers, falling leaves, or anything that you want to float around your characters, position them in the form of a triangle.

its even better if you put two points of the triangle closer together and then the third further away. this makes it look random but still looking appealing to the eye, and not oddly placed.

now that thats out of the way! Fairies! The one thing i struggled with when drawing them first is their hair. I suggest looking through the fop tag to see how other people have drawn them and take inspiration from your favorites and make up your own. (do not trace tho! that should be obvious!)

when I draw hair I think of it separated in two parts, the front and the back. I usually start with the front hair pieces, then draw in the jaw, ears and rest of the head, then continue with the back section of the hair.

the only outliers of this are Timmy and Peri. when I draw Timmy (Ymmit as well) I start with his hat, before drawing his hair. Since I draw Peris hair-swirl over his hairline, i start drawing his upper back hair style first before drawing his head and then his mullet.

wings can also be tricky. the fairy wings i have given then have a more butterfly look. if you also want to base off the wings to real life animals or bugs you can use them flying as references to. Or you could even cut out the wing shape out of paper, fold it in the middle and take pictures in the angle you desire.

I hope this somehow helped, I thought about what could have helped me if I had known it sooner. even if most of these were for generic drawing.

[starkspondwater]

At work today and couldn't stop thinking about how the main 5 would be at the zoo (also just kind of wasting time before my program) These are just personal hcs!

Cartman strikes me as the kid who only cares about the 'coolest' animals he thinks would be dangerous. Probably makes up some story about a relative owning a tiger and that he could DEFINITELY tame that lion, you guys. Would insist on riding every little ride no matter how old he is like the carousel or the train (I might be using my own zoo as an example here) and whines to anyone who will listen that he needs cash for the gift shop (he doesn't but he's pocketing his mom's money). Did try to convince Kyle to bring his brothers old wagon to pull him around in but that didn't work. Loved seeing the sharks but did scream when feeding the stingrays because he thought one bit him.

Stan has his own opinions and issues with zoos but does understand that nowadays there's a lot in place for conservation so he's fine being there. He does read the signage about different projects and tips for guests to help wildlife at home and is packing that away in his brain as they trudge along during the day. He probably has a list of animals he wants to see but is fine going with the flow of everyone else. Was slightly obsessed watching the penguins swim around and Kyle had to basically drag him out or they'd be there all day. I could see him sneakily buying a small plush for himself when the guys aren't looking.

Kyle is the one taking this trip seriously- he's reading every sign and pointing out facts despite knowing that his friends couldn't care less. He's also taking enough pictures to fill his camera roll to post later, plenty being shots of his friends acting like idiots throughout the park. He's the mom of the group, making sure they all use sunscreen and drink water. He even rode the train with Cartman all while saying it was to make sure he didn't ruin it for the other little kids (definitely not because he wanted to ride it himself). You also cannot convince me this boy didn't create his own map of where to go first, figuring out what would be the most efficient path for what everyone wanted to see-spoiler: it didn't get used. He also won't admit it, but he did perhaps schedule a bit of extra time just so they could sit and watch the aquatic mammals swim around.

Kenny is already apprehensive knowing his knack for getting hurt badly so he's hanging in the back of the group, admiring animals from afar for the most part. He even sat out of the bird show after he heard there would be a falcon flying around knowing that spelled trouble. Butters did convince him to go into the lorikeet aviary where surprisingly he had a grand time. All those little colorful birds flocked to him. Every. Single. Bird. This might've pissed off some of the younger kids but he was having a blast and spent a ton of time in there just hanging out. To Kyle's surprise Kenny was the only one who seemed to remember some of the facts he spouted throughout the day, repeating them later over dinner.

Butters needs to be put on a child leash. He is so excited that it takes all eyes to make sure he stays with the group lest he get lost. He wants to watch every show and do every animals encounter, something Kyle already had in the schedule for him. You can also bet your ass he's visiting every aviary and animal feeding area just so he can get up close and personal with the little critters. He had saved and brought enough money to buy the large parrot plush at the gift shop but opted instead to get small matching lion ones for him and Eric along with a small bag of taffy to "share"

[3liza]

The poster is the worst advertising for what the film actually turns out to be. You think you're getting into another screwball millennial cringefest and it's actually a deep-blue chiaroscuro of neuroses. I really thought I would not be surprised by the depths of male anxiety and weirdness going into a movie about sperm donation, because the topic itself is so trammeled at this point and so obvious that you assume you already know everything such a documentary could teach you, but I got my tits blown clean off.

No one does anything BAD, it's not that kind of film, it's simply a silent and eerie observation of people acting completely independently to either provide or acquire human semen. Necessarily, the receivers in this setup are all buying the same product for the same purpose: they want to conceive a baby and don't have access to the missing gamete for some reason and don't have the extortionate amount of money required to go the official route through a sperm bank. The providers are all doing it for completely different reasons, and all of the reasons besides "making a bit of extra cash" are in fact weird, no matter how stubbornly some of the reviewers here insist the motives of the donors are simply "to help people out :)". Sperm is just the kind of thing you really don't want to get from a stranger unless money is exchanging hands, so by this property the male subjects in the film become perfect documentary protagonists: profoundly damaged, bizarre, or obsessive in ways that stand up to steady, direct observation.

I'm not judging anyone here, by the way. I guess if you have a lot of money to throw around you probably would waste it on genetically profiling strangers in a lookbook in a nice office in order to breed your ubermensch or whatever. I'm being nasty, there are lots of good reasons to want to anonymize, institutionalize and vet sperm donors, it's just that the idea is ludicrous on its face because this is a substance people never ever stop trying to push on you for free, or pay you money to take off their hands. Epigenetics and environmental factors being what they are, I question the utility of "genetic testing" beyond a certain point anyway. No one is being exploited or misled. The people who want babies can conceive and it doesn't really matter in the big picture whether the donors are doing it for "the right reasons" or not.

There are some more esoteric ethical considerations here that aren't addressed at all, which is probably for the best in consideration for the pacing of the film, but I could have used at least one interview with a genetics expert who winced at hearing some of these donors have 100+ sperm babies because of the very real possibility of creating future half-sibling incest crises unawares, a problem that real sperm banks and actual legislation have to grapple with. You get one good-looking Norwegian brain surgeon on the books at a sperm bank and you get a line out the door of people with too much money who know what being 6' tall and blue-eyed and symmetrical is worth down to fractional shares and have already put a down payment on the local private montessouri pre-K prep program. Genetic Sexual Attraction or GSA for short is a documented (and controversial) phenomenon that causes a lot of high-profile scandals when long-lost siblings or birth parents are reunited with a child who was the subject of a closed adoption, fall in love with them, and reenact various historical and mythological tragedies. That thing where you tend to find your blood relatives sexually repulsive or at least uninteresting is a way that social animals avoid getting into failure spirals of incest and birth defects, but humans have a tendency to be attracted to people who resemble themselves physically and personality-wise, so meeting a sibling or parent you didn't grow up with can sometimes short-circuit the incest-avoidance failsafes and create instantaneous, passionate obsession. That's what people who are involved in cases of GSA report, anyway. Half-sibling pairings aren't quite as bad in terms of the mutation issues, but it is definitely not good for the health of the resulting offspring or the mental health of the related parents. These lone gunmen fathering dozens of children in the same school district are potentially creating serious problems down the line. 

The cinematography is breathtaking. It's truly a phenomenal film from any angle.

My mother is a family lawyer by the way, if you ever find yourself in this situation (for example you are someone's friend and they ask you to be a donor) you need to make sure you have an IRON CLAD contract checked by an actual lawyer and probably notarized that you are absolved of all parental rights and obligations irreversibly, or you WILL eventually find yourself in the position one donor did at the end of the film: suddenly being the sole custodian of a little girl named "Italeigh". Family law is not like any other field of law in the USA, the judges in family court care about one thing only and that's Who Is Gonna Pay for This Damn Kid. Which is correct, and I'm not saying family court is always fair or that the judges make the right decisions all the time, but a proper family court judge will walk to Hell to bring the devil in for a wage garnishment and you need to be aware of that. Legally you are someone's dad until another dad legally enters the picture and supplants you (for example a stepfather officially adopting a child) or you have irrefutable paperwork saying you're excused. By the way, legal status pre-empts biological status. The guy who is married to the person who gives birth is legally on the hook for child support and caretaking of any child produced during the union unless there's a paternity suit and a bunch of rigamarole. This may appear unfair to the casual observer but family law is designed to prioritize the survival and wellbeing of the child above the rights of the parents and potential parents. So a freelance sperm donor without REALLY good paperwork is on the hook, absolutely.