#essentially the theme of this set is 'getting all dolled up'

[hue-kangz]

Happy birthday to the most beautiful doll 🩵

Kang Taehyun 2.05.2002

[knight-a3]

Hazbin Hotel Sketchbook 2: Part 2

Masterpost

Morningstars

I will have some design notes under the cut, so stay tuned.

Charlie and Lilith's snakes are all named.

Notes under the cut to minimize clutter. I'll try to keep it brief since I've talked about a lot of this before, and plan to go into more detail in dedicated character posts later.

Between dolls, snakes, apples, circuses, ducks, etc, there were just too many motifs/thematic elements to shove onto just Lucifer. So, I streamlined and distributed. Lucifer is goat themed, Lilith is snake themed. Charlie is a mix of the two. I also use this to partly to imply that "the Devil" is not solely Lucifer. But humans mistake various different demons as one character.

Charlie:

Her goat traits were inherited from Lucifer. Hooves, ears, etc. Also the tail. Her hair is designed to look like a goat tail.

Snake traits were inherited from Lilith. Vertically slitted eyes, hair snake, etc. Also doll cheeks and pale skin.

I had considered having her hair be totally made of snakes like Medusa, but that seemed annoying to draw, so I just did one. His name is Hugh, short for Hubris, which is a synonym for pride.

Lucifer:

He has far too many motifs in general. He needed streamlining.

Apples- I reduced this because I think it would be more fitting for Adam and Eve. Eve as the first to eat the fruit, and Adam because... Adam's apple, I guess.

Doll- I know Charlie is meant to resemble a porcelain doll. And in-universe gets it from her dad. But I don't really understand why, so I took it away from him and gave it to Lilith.

King- He does not have any real authority. It's a prison, and even Lucifer is caged. Nobody bothers to respect him. So the "crown" on his hat resembles a gate or cell bars

Ducks- I never understood the choice to associate Lucifer with ducks. And thematically, I can't really justify it. So...um... sorry, but no rubber duckies.

Goat- From what I understand, goats as a demonic symbol comes more from pagan influences rather than the Bible. Overall, Lucifer is a goat because he's been assigned the blame for all the evil in the world. He's the scapegoat. Placing sin on Scapegoats was a Jewish practice during Yom Kipper.

Lightbringer- the word lucifer is used once in some translations of the Bible to describe the arrogance of the King of Babylon in the book of Isaiah, but not as a name. Instead of directly translating the Hebrew word that meant "light bringer," "morning star," "dawn bringer," or "shining one," the Latin term was used. Lucifer often referred to the "star" that is the planet we now call Venus. It would be used to represent pride because it rose and fell before the sun. So the instance of lucifer in the Bible isn't even used as a name, and didn't even refer to the Devil. I say all this because I think it fits the scapegoat theme, and it's why I put a star on his tail.

Wings- Seraphim are described as having 3 sets of wings. Rather than deal with all that or even try to figure out the anatomy of that, I just gave them three sets of primary feathers, which sort of imitates the 6-winged look but is easier for me to draw.

Speaking of his wings. He lost them when he fell. So he does not have wings at all anymore. If he did, they'd be more like dragon wings.

Lilith:

Lilith is not a biblical figure. The word lilith was used once in just some English translations of the Bible. And it's referring to a type of demon, and not used as a name. Other translations change the term to shriek-hawk or similar terms, and is listed with various other night creatures. Lilith as a character appeared in Jewish lore, and was likely satirical. But away from theology and onto hazbin lore...

Because Lilith was originally created as a wife for Adam, she felt treated like an object or plaything rather than a person. So when she fell, she picked up a little bit of a doll motif that isn't prominent in these drawings. I essentially traded the doll features instead of horns. I'm still workshopping specifics.

She was just as involved(if not more so) with offering the fruit to Eve. Thus, she gets the motif of the snake. I didn't want to make her hair entirely snakes, because the long flowing hair seemed like a prominent design feature for her. So I opted to give her 7 hair snakes, one to represent each deadly sin/ring of hell. They're all named.

Pride= Vani (Vanity), she's the one on the top of her head.

Greed= Ava (Avarice)

Lust= Libby (Libido)

Envy= Desi (Desire)

Gluttony= Tony

Wrath= Irene (Ire/Irate)

Sloth= Sloth (too lazy for an actual name). He's the one coiled around her neck, usually sleeping. He also comes from the left side of her head.

Vaggie:

I leaned into the moth elements in her design. I think it was the Condalia Silk moth that I used as as my main reference.

When she fell, she was transformed into a demon like everyone else. So she isn't really an angel anymore and bleeds the same as the other sinners. Not even Lucifer really counts as an angel anymore, due to the corrupting nature of hell.

When Vaggie regains her wings, they are no longer angel wings but are instead moth wings to match the rest of her. They actually double as her hair via magic logic because I like it that way, and it lets me reference some of her older designs.

[yourheart-inmyhands]

Hey so I have a kinda weird request, you have the right to ignore this of course.

How would Beidou, Yae Miko and Jean react to object of their love would say that they see them like their older sister (basicaly friend-zoneing them)

hi hi! sorry it took me so long to get to this, it took me a bit of sitting on it to get a good response formulated! sorry for the wait :3

Warnings: this post contains yandere-themes, including kidnapping, love potions/drugging, mentions of conditioning/brainwashing, mentions of Stockholm syndrome, and other potential topics. Please read at your own risk!

Beidou:

She’s understandably crushed by this, while she encourages the members of her crew to behave like family and considers them as much, she wants you to see her as more. She’s already an older sister figure to others, she wants to finally mean something more to someone.

Beidou takes a few days to collect her thoughts, skilly avoiding you and holing up in her quarters on the Crux as she contemplates her next course of action. She might be crazy and reckless sometimes, her history can speak to that, she isn’t one to rush in without a plan.

She emerges with a new confidence, her usual swagger in her step as she confronts you once more. She tells you that she wants to take you on a trip and to pack your bags, enough for a few weeks. And no, you can’t decline.

“C’mon Doll, go get packing, an adventure awaits us.” A chuckle follows her words, her hands waving you off in the direction of your home. She follows behind you, helping you gather your things and carry them back to the Crux.

Beidou doesn’t tell you where she’s planning to take you, and the crew’s lips are equally as sealed, but the sudden shine in her eyes, the extra bit of stretch to her grin, and the way she can’t seem to keep away from you, all tell you that it’s certainly going to be something interesting.

Beidou decides to take you on a fairly long goose chase. While she claims you’re headed in the direction of one nation, you’re actually headed in the other. It takes a long while before you notice that you don’t really ever seem to reach a destination, just stopping in at small harbors and cities to restock food and supplies before setting off again. 

Her plan was essentially to trap you on the ship with her, have you sleep in the captain’s quarters with her, and spend every moment you physically could with her. She wanted you to become reliant on her presence, to want her around the same way she wanted you around.

It’s a fairly shaky plan that relies mostly on you developing some form of Stockholm syndrome, but she’s insistent it will work. It has to. She needs you.

Yae Miko:

While she can understand where you’re coming from, it also frustrates her greatly. Of course, she’s very good at not letting it show, but she didn’t spend all this time doting on you and loving you like no other just to be seen as a sister.

She doesn’t let the sudden news interrupt your relationship though, if anything she’s just more insistent in the little ways she loves on you. A hand on the small of your back when you two walk together, tucking stray strands of hair behind your ear for you, the little things. Little things that she wants to make your heart flutter like how you make hers soar.

The longer it takes to win you over the more frustrated she gets, her centuries alive could not grant her enough patience to put up with this. But she remains cordial, acting as if everything is ok and normal. Until she can’t keep up the act. 

“Just hold still darling, it hurts less that way.” Yae smiles as she watches you struggle against your rope bindings, she knows they aren’t comfortable and don’t feel the greatest, that the rough rope bruises and chaffs your skin, but it would have to do for now. She can’t trust you to be free just yet, after all, you haven’t proven your love and devotion to her.

Yae jumps into the drastic route of kidnapping, keeping you confined in a place that only she and a select few others are aware of. She’s with you all day every day for the first week or so and after that, the hours vary. She does still have duties to uphold at the Grand Sakura Shrine after all.

When she’s with you though, it’s time spent conditioning you into new behaviors and mindsets, making you dependent on her and her love to even function. If you cannot open your eyes and see that you do love her, then she supposes she’ll just have to show you herself.

When she’s not with you, you’re given some freedom to explore the strange area, but nothing too grand. You’re kept confined to a room, a door the only break in the walls, with basic decorations and furniture. Yae didn’t spend too much time decorating, she didn’t want you getting too attached to this place, after all, she plans to take you back home someday.

Jean:

Jean is possibly the most understanding about all of this. Not only is she already an older sister, but she’s also a leader and considered like family to a lot of Mondstat. This isn’t to say she’s not upset by this though, it hurts her deeply.

Deeply enough that she spends a few days burrowed in her office, drowning her aching heart out in mountains of paperwork. Eventually, Lisa lures her out with the promise of helping to change your mind, which Jean is hesitant to do.

She respects your decision and your choices, but she simply can’t imagine life without you. So it’s no surprise that she does accept Lisa’s help, who in turn recruits Albedo.

It doesn’t take long for Lisa and Albedo to come to a solution. Between their combined knowledge and power, creating a love potion was simple. Unorthodox sure, but Lisa was confident it would work, nobody would even know. Albedo was in it merely to see how one responds to being under its effects.

Jean is hesitant to give it to you, her hands turning the bottle over and over in her hands as she considers whether or not she wants to do it. There’s a small part of her that feels guilty about it, about taking such a large part of who you are from you, but the large part of her is dying to hold you in her arms, to leave kisses all over your face, to properly call you hers.

It’s almost startling how easily she finds herself giving it to you, inviting you over for some tea to apologize for her absence and her reaction to your rejection. Everything about it feels so normal, what reason would you have to believe your drink has been spiked.

When you take the first sip and it tastes funny should’ve been the first sign something was wrong, but at Jean’s insistence that she was sure she had made it right, you settle for taking another sip, eventually finishing your whole cup. A smile graced Jean’s face when she saw you set the empty cup down.

It didn’t take long for the effects to set in, after all, you��d consumed quite a bit. Seeing you looking at her like she put the stars in the sky like she was the greatest person you’d ever met, melted all of Jean’s doubts. Screw feeling guilty, Jean was happy you finally loved her back.

[yunarim]

So I've been listening to a lot of Swan Lake lately (and I've recently been listening to the Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses theme on loop for the past half an hour) and this got me thinking.

What about the Pomefiore trio and a female ballerina!reader who was an accomplished ballerina back in her world?

Maybe they see her dancing in an empty classroom and then get shown recordings of her performances on her phone (that was transported with her) and they are just spellbound at the elegance of her dancing.

Thank you.

── ⋅⋅⋅ FEEL MY RHYTHM | follow the song and dance in the moonlight

♩ ⁺✧ fem!reader (she/her), ballerina!reader | vil schoenheit, rook hunt, epel felmier note — aahhh sorry for taking so long ;; i hope it's okay and you enjoyed the fic!

VIL SCHOENHEIT sighs in disappointment when another student who tries passing a casting for a new project he assigned fails miserably. Rook beside him claps, blooming with ‘beauté!!’ nevertheless, while Epel who got dragged along sends mental signals to the failed student to cheer up. 

Vil thinks it’s easier to rewrite the whole plot of the play he’s preparing for the theatre club’s project or maybe make Rook or Epel learn ballet in a span of two months. He dismisses the casting and claims he needs some fresh air because it gets almost unbearable. 

It’s not like club members or just anyone in school needs to know how to dance ballet. It’s not like people who tried (and failed) are bad dancers either, they just lack the elegance and the right mood needed for the story. Vil sighs, stepping out of the building.

A light, gentle music plays somewhere. Vil heads out towards the sweet sound and hears someone counting beats. How curious, why would such majestic music play out of nowhere? Moreover, beats counting?

He then sees you. The shoes you usually wear are left all forgotten near the tree right next to your other belongings. Your gaze is full of concentration just for one mere moment before the look in your eyes changes drastically, a dreamy fleur blossoms instead. Vil’s breath hitches when he sees pointe shoes on your feet. Your legs are steady yet don’t lack spring ability, your every step is filled with grace and make your figure seem light and almost doll-like. The way you raise your hands, even no unnecessary angles in your finger joints, how your eyelashes flatter under the setting sun — you’re flawless. 

He watches you performing till the very end, you don’t even need music to express what the dance was supposed to be about — your every movement is filled with emotion. You blink your concentration and turn to Vil, finally noticing him. He explains to you there’s a project he’s arranging and whether or not you’re interested in taking part in. You accept his offer. 

Vil returns to the Pomefiore ballroom in a brilliant mood, surprising Rook and Epel and claiming he found a real gem. The next day you send him videos of your previous theatre plays you did back in your world, and he can’t help but save them all. 

When you finally perform on stage again, you feel alive and happy. Vil watches you backstage after playing his part, and tries to remain professional when Rook points out it’s his turn again and he needs to join you on the stage, because he gets bewitched by your dance every time he sees it.  Suggests you to continue your career in Twisted Wonderland and even says he would be happy to design outfits for your plays. Smirks proudly when hears students discussing your dance with ‘Did you know that Prefect is a ballerina?!’, ‘Sevens, I never knew she’s that elegant!’ and such.

It is no wonder ROOK HUNT is interested in Art (capital letter is essential). His aesthetic appreciation scale was suffering a deficiency in something extraordinary, novel and totally unique, a 100% of pure Beauté in all its might. 

It is nice — to be able to sneak out from the campus to go on something people would call a stroll, but it is nothing else than an observational journey for Rook. Seeing city lights creating a certain atmosphere when entering a live theatre is magnificent and genuinely romantic. 

Rook’s smile is plastered on his face when he’s watching young people play, giving their everything, but something still tells Rook it’s not enough for him to return back home yet. The play ends, Rook congratulates actors by giving them splendid bouquets and goes outside. It’s strange — the stars are already glowing in a gorgeous magnificent night sky, but he almost feels with his own skin that somewhere nearby something’s radiating a warm light.

Indeed, he finds its source. A small park near the theatre is lightened up a bit, a flashlight’s ray in a fixed position. Rook chuckles, deciding to observe the place a little more, and then he gasps.

It’s you. How very interesting—what would you do in such a place outside of the campus late at night? A flashlight serving as a spotlight, and… Ah, what beautiful pointe shoes you’re wearing! Your lips let out a small exhale before you straighten up and take a position; a tender melody heard ever so slightly in the earphones you wear. 

You perform a bewitching pirouette, absence of heaviness in your tiptoes. You seem to soar like a graceful feather, and even despite the clothes not intended for ballet (except for pointe shoes), you demonstrate impressive marvels of refined technique and skill. Rook knows what it takes to dance so gracefully like you do. It’s not just the ingenuity you’ve certainly got, but also passion. It’s not the dance you perform, it’s life in all its finesse and sincerity. Rook doesn’t need a grand music to understand what you're saying through the little performance, he feels it. 

When the song ends, you change the pointe shoes you were wearing into your normal ones, and smile. 

“Mon cygne, could you please allow me to appreciate your gracefulness?”

You jolt, but giggle the second Rook takes your hand in his and presses a weightless kiss on your palm. 

“I don’t mind,” you answer. “I wanted to try applying in the theatre nearby but I haven’t practiced for a while…”

You then show him your previous performances back in your world, and he’s completely spellbound by your allure. Worry not, you’ll definitely get the role you want, and who knows, maybe an extremely loyal admirer as well? 

Let’s be real, EPEL FELMIER hates Vil the second the dorm leader assigns him with a certain oh-so-important-task. Epel survived a strict diet (which was actually quite healthy but oh come on, Epel wanted those new chips which appeared in Sam’s shop so bad), but dancing? Hello?? He’s in a Magift club?? No?? Okay.

Epel’s furious. He doesn’t want to take extra dancing classes. Moreover huh, ballet out of dances! Breakdance sounds quite cool, why not that? Isn’t like, all dances are nice and all about technique and things? Epel sighs in frustration while heading out to the Pomefiore ballroom. He has no idea how in the world he would practice. Vil stated he should start by watching videos he sent, but what was with the smirk on the dorm leader’s face when Epel said he can watch videos in his room or literally anywhere else? 

“Stupid Vil,” Epel claims and doesn’t even notice music playing quietly in the ballroom he’s about to enter.

He opens the door, his gaze right on the floor even the second he closes the door, and the second he makes his way into the room, he suddenly screams.

“Woah,” Epel hears someone near him being surprised but somehow in a calm voice?

Epel shifts his gaze to what—or actually who—almost smashed him down to the floor, and gasps.

It’s you. You don’t seem really surprised, your lips parted just slightly, but… Hey, how did you manage to raise your leg so high?! Are you even human, like this flexibility is no joke at all! Epel notices your outfit and pointe shoes you’re wearing, and goes all awestruck and confused.

“Did you just,” he says, staring at you in shock. “Almost smashed me with your leg.”

“Yes,” you admit. “But thankfully I was quick on my reflexes to do a third arabesque just in time. How come you did not notice me?”

“Ergh, I was kinda lost in thoughts… But girl, you’re insane though. Never knew you could dodge so well just by dancing— Ah.”

You look at him in confusion when he gasps and suddenly laughs. So that was what Vil meant by smiling so suspiciously!! No wonder he told him to come here when you’re the one who dances. Who would have thought you can actually learn some helpful moves with a ballet out of all dances? 

Epel tells you about the whole plan Vil set for him, and when you agree to help, he shows you the video he sent and wonders why you're grinning so much.

“What’s the matter?”

“Have you not realized yet? It’s me. It’s my performance.”

“NO FREAKING WAY??”

Okay, he definitely underestimated ballet. And do you think he could actually accompany you one day?.. Well, at least you two may try fighting with all the pirouettes you want to teach him.

© yunarim 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝. 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲, 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧.

[midnightanxietytm]

A little nightmares rant

The canceled comics are largely considered non-canon, but they do carry some relevant implications about the Nowhere. The largest of them is that the Nowhere has a set hierarchy.

This is supported by the games themselves; of the three regions we explore in-game (The Nest, The Maw and The Pale City) all have a major, more powerful entity that rules over it, and all of them, despite being vastly different, have one common factor.

The implication of Wealth.

The Pretender rules over the Nest; a giant mansion, her butler and her crafter working to attend to her every whim, powerful in their own right, but still bound by hierarchy.

The Thin Man rules over the Pale City, it’s citizens kept pliable by the Signal Tower whilst the Doctor and Teacher work to keep things moving in the dream-like logic of the nowhere.

The Lady runs what seems like a cannibalistic vacation destination, her cooks and the Janitor working to put food on her clients mouths (and clients on her clients mouths).

And the comics give us even more characters, namely the North Wind and the Ferryman.

Those “rulers” each seem to have a role, watching over the cogs that make this nightmarish world spin, lubricated by the blood of countless children, but they want more. In the canceled comics, it’s implied those overlords are competing in some way, their goals long blurred, but their ambitions ever burning.

Hierarchy is an essential part of capitalist mentality; those who hold the means to make money are the ones who call the shots. Those who don’t, obey orders.

And the thing about those hierarchies is that the ones who hold the power will do anything to hold on to it.

Through the eyes of children, this is all pointless.

Children have a unique non-role in capitalistic society. For the smooth functioning, they are best silent and unseen; quietly getting ready to fulfill their future jobs; educated enough to be efficient, but not enough to rebel.

This is what Six and Mono did during their games. You can almost call it a horror coming-of-age story. 

It's more clear with Six, because her journey in the Maw is the one that is most clearly an ascension to power. She literally climbs up on it, passing through every area until she takes what once belonged to The Lady. But Mono is also climbing up a hierarchy, and his setting is more urban and explores the role that media holds in conformity. In the real world, most TV and media companies are owned by the 1% when it comes down to it. Anyways, by the end of Mono's journey he has, quite literally, grown up. There is also themes of conformity in TSON, where Otto constantly expects and forces conformity onto Noone. Otto represents the mentality that children don't know any better, which eventually Noone herself starts to believe it as she relents and enters the Nowhere definitely when someone she trusts more beckons her to, probably to enter a cycle of her own. Also. Dolls! There are dolls or doll-like objects in all the games, and I think its's a commentary on how our society endorses the idea of children and needs them to survive, but can't actually make the world good enough for those children to grow. The Lady collects dolls sings them lullabies, caresses them, but when seeing actual children she attacks (or, yk, uses their meat to feed her clients.) Unfortunately I don't think that the next game will carry those themes with as much care due to the changes in company, but alas, hope is the last thing to die.

[md-confessions]

sort of in response to that one ask about doll not being 'uzi if she never met n.'

both her and uzi were changed through grief and disconnect from their peers even if it showed in different ways. both of them have themes of loneliness & both of them have an intense festering hatred that fuels their motivations.

the difference between them is that through the connections that uzi formed after being forced into a situation where she had to open up, she deterred herself from the path she was slowly going down.

like her quote en quote villain arc was stopped before it started because of the connection she formed with N but doll never had that.

doll refused to form connections despite the chances she was given because it happened too late. her anger festered for so long that she wasn't able to make a comeback. her hubris was her downfall. she became the very thing she sought to destroy.

the point of promening and her 'hypocritical murder plan' was that she was so blinded by her anger and hatred, she didn't really think too far about the logics of her plan; she probably fantasized killing v and then took the first chance she could to actually do it.

she has some kind of tunnel vision, focusing on her goals until she's gotten them; no matter the cost, no matter who or what she has to get through. (another similarity between her and uzi, imo.)

Uzi basically stated "hey we should stop fighting cause there's bigger shit at play and we can deal with it better if we team up" and Doll responded with "No I can do this on my own also die"

sort of. imagine you spend years upon years seething and imagining ways you're going to kill this sky demon that killed your parents in front of you and lead to the activation of a virus that has plagued you for years since that point. you have to actively kill and eat people from a young age & you are alone in your struggles; presumably the singular person who is aware of them finds your trauma humorous to an extent, and even if she sticks by your side, you feel like she doesn't really get it. i reiterate; you are alone in your struggles.

one day, you finally get your chance. you fantasize this moment for years, to the point where it becomes the only plausible solution to your problems. you don't plan it out thoroughly, because you know the universe will deal its hand correctly and allow you catharsis after years of festering that hatred. it finally happens. you have her in your sights, you have her pinned, she knows who you are now and you're about to kill her, to inflict all the pain on her you have wanted to for years; no matter who may have gotten in your way, you will have this, it's all you want, its all you HAVE wanted.

and then someone stops you. she tells you some things that if you were in a clearer mind, you would have thought deeper about, but you're so fucking angry right now and you want her to get out of the way. you don't listen.

you fight. you lose. you come back.

she has the same virus as you. you're not alone anymore. and that's when the conflicting feelings start. but despite that start, they never quite come to any meaningful conclusion because you have more important things to do. perhaps she inspired you a little to understand that the fate of the planet is more important than your fantasy for revenge, but you're so set in your ways you can't quite admit it yet. and again; when you get that chance again, to enact revenge, you take it.

and in the end, it ruined her & she died. she died as she lived; alone.

essentially, 'doll is uzi if she never met n' doesn't mean that exactly; it means doll is uzi if she never formed meaningful connections. the friends she had in school don't count in my eyes. literally the very first proper interaction we see between her and lizzy is lizzy playing doll's traumatic experience off as a joke. no hate towards lizzy also just to specify i love them as friends i just don't think it is on the same level of healthy as n and uzis friendship is?

okay.. i can't add any more to this it's so fucking long also it's 1 am GOODNIGHT i hope this doesn't look weird or aggressive

.

[luckyyyduckyyy]

collapses at ur doorstep after seeing pokemon art :3

what pokemon team (1-6 slots each, doesn't need to be full!!) would u assign sun & moon!!!

(i have been meaning to draw them with a clefairy/gengar, but woe, time is not limitless each day... T^T)

OOOO! The Clefairy/Gengar mix goes so well with them actually, especially with that theory that Gengar is essentially a ghost version of Clefairy. Sun and Moon match their vibes so well!

Honestly there's so many pokemon that it's a bit of a toughie to think of teams! But, imagining their teams as non-submas themed trainers and just their own goobers, I thinkkkk I'd set it up like this! ( Based off my own ooc ideas of the characters :3 )

Sun: Probably would work at a pokemon Nursery and/or focuses on doing Contests. (God I miss those-) I can't help but imagine Sun as someone with a caretaker personality, even if a little sassy, but he'd totally still be into theater no matter what universe!

Ambipom - I feel like this big ol' mon gives off goofy caretaker vibes, and with the extra set of large hands on its tails makes it extra helpful with wrangling and clean up. Plus, more hands mean more props and attacks for contests! It's definitely so playful that it can be a bit of a trouble maker, but when it's time to switch gears or follow rules, it is a stickler and can even be a little scary with how serious it becomes.

Togekiss (Raised from egg) - Okay, probably a bit of anime bias here but I love the little egg thing Togepi is and I feel like it would be perfect for Sun. Just one of the most baby pokemon around, lovely to raise, stubborn, and grows up into the most elegant thing ever. Perfect, muwah, would love to be on stage after demolishing a whole team solo with broken fairy typing.

Chimecho - Such a soothing pokemon. They help keep Sun from becoming anxious with their calm chimes and they're great at getting young pokemon to fall asleep or calm down after a tantrum. The calm to Sun's eccentric energy.

Gourgeist - Is it odd that I think this pokemon would be an amazing cook? Sun can definitely cook things for his pokemon well, but when he's overwhelmed, this buddy can whip up something delicious and even serve it with their psychic abilities to lower the workload. Generally friendly and is a little bit of a trouble maker when everyone's guard is down. Nothing dangerous, at least not on purpose, but all the kitchenware might go missing if someone forgets to say thank you.

Bellibolt - I'm still imagining Sun as an animatronic, so I feel like an electric type is just a requirement. Has the duty to be an emergency recharge, but besides that all this big guy have to do is be cute and happy. Just a gigantic stress ball that loves hugs, and Sun, pokemon, kids, and contest judges alike all love it. Just a silly chill lil guy.

Cinccino - This pokemon is well known for its cleaning habits. So besides being adorable and fluffy - a great cuddle buddy - they help keep the space nice and tidy. Cleanliness is just a must for Sun. Also, I love chinchillas and its a must to have one. It's cuteness and elegance makes it a fierce competitor during competitions but honestly a terrible battler; more worried about keeping itself clean and pretty instead of winning.

Moon: Possibly works as a pokemon ranger (based off the side games) and is a ace trainer that is reformed off an evil team. Idk, my views of his personality is very similar to Silver and well, we know his history with Team Rocket- anyways, I think having a similar background would make him very serious about battle and rescuing others/pokemon.

Banette - Likely to have been with Moon as his first pokemon. Banette's pokedex entries consider it as a vengeful abandoned doll, and seeing it's a tragic but powerful pokemon, I feel like it would be serious but clingy in the quietest ways. It will help Moon in any way it can as Moon adopted it from an evil team and showed it true care, but it does not like any other pokemon getting attention, giving death glares and silently pulling off nasty tricks when no one is looking. Their strong bond makes mega evolving effective in a pinch. (Lets just assume they got the stone somehow its okay bbg)

Ferrothorn - Ignore its stats, this gigantic thing should really be a tank and I am wishing it as one. They're spikey but have a caring nature, and with the way it clings to ceilings or raises its body above things with its noodle legs, it makes it very maneuverable and helpful when it comes to traversing harsh locations. It craves affection, so give em a good pat and they'll love you forever.

Scolipede - Poison Horse. I love it, and it can be amazing in battle if you do the right things. I'm not the best at forming a competitive team, but narrative wise, its thick exoskeleton makes it very durable, its ability to curl up and roll makes it very fast, and it's a great buddy to help move from place to place fast, even when holding 2 people on its back. Probably the most stubborn and self important of the group.

Inteleon - It may be ehhhh to put a starter on this list, but I feel like Inteleon is a mon that would be great in the ranger line of work. A water type is a must for handling fires and to douse any moody flare ups within a group. Plus, water is a must for all life, so it creates an emergency water source. It has great sight from a distance and probably would act more like a scout that will climb up from high areas and leap between large gaps to find whatever it is they're after today. Likes to go at things alone but only wants to provide as much as it possibly can.

Heliolisk - This pokemon is so cool and I don't see enough of it! Definitely a bit of a trouble maker with a childish attitude outside of work. Again, imagining Moon still as an animatronic in this universe, the necessity of having an emergency charge from an electric type seems like a must. It also is great as an emergency light source by holding in an electrical charge in its mouth/hands. However, the dry skin of this pokemon makes it durable, able to withstand extreme heat, and as a lizard it should totally be able to stick to walls, which makes it great for caves or for being a pokemon to rely on during sticky situations. (Budum-tissss) I always forget it's not a ground type, but in my heart it is.

Cofagrigus - This mon scares me so much that I love it. Just a creepy design, but also the amount of move sets and strategies this one pokemon can do is insane. IDK jack about competitive pokemon, but even I know that this is a pokemon to be weary of to go against. This'll probably be Moon's main battle pokemon, where his strategies during a full pokemon battle against a trainer would revolve around Cofagrigus. In reality though, this Cofagrigus is the most motherly towards the team and wrangles everyone into being orderly and just is the general problem solver with interpersonal problems.

If i'm honest, a lot of this list can be exchanged with different pokemon. I mostly chose these based off vibe and some based off typing, but there's probably better pokemon for them out there lol

Thank you for asking though! It was very fun to think about and I love to yap :3333

[thetidemice]

Do ya ever think about Andy and Annie's dance during "Rag Dolly" and feel like watching that specific scene on loop AND sorta feeling like doing their little dance with someone at the same time 'cause hhhhh I love it and those sibs a bunch, it's just the somftest and adorablest dance to a likewise comfy song made more so by Andy's singing and I get a genuine burst of serotonin revisiting it (and lowkey that scene/song alone was what got me to watch the musical for the first time a couple years back :> if ya also have knowledge on who animated their dance or any part of Rag Dolly for that matter that'd be cool to learn about too! but I understand if that might end up being a lot to share :0)

AAAH i love love love that sequence so much!! its the cutest dance it has so much character and Andy's voice becoming so gentle and sweet right after singing No Girl's Toy is just the best thing ever. he doesn't even like Babette he's just helping his sister make a good impression.

analysis under the readmore:

what's crazy is looking through this whole book - i'm talking about The Animated Raggedy Ann  & Andy - An Intimate Look at the Art of Animation Its History, Techniques, and Artists by John Canemaker (the linked version has no pictures D-:) - Rag Dolly isn't really mentioned that much, despite being essentially the main theme music.

i would love to tell you more for a fact, but i just can't say for sure who animated it, as a lot of scenes aren't credited individually.

for some songs, like Richard Williams doing No Girl's Toy, Tissa David doing Candy Hearts, Art Babbitt doing Blue, and Emery Hawkins doing Never Get Enough, the artists get a section dedicated to them and the main chunk of animation work they contributed. in the credits of the film, Art Babbitt animates the Camel, Emery Hawkins animates the Greedy, etc etc - they were generally in charge of those character-centric scenes, along with a team of inbetweeners, painters, etc.

there isn't one for Rag Dolly, since it's relatively short and bounces between characters. so basically TAKE ALL OF THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT!!!

the ONLY expertise i have is that 1. ive flipped thru john canemaker's book and 2. i love this movie so much

what i CAN do is make wild guesses ^_^ and this first little verse as Ann fidgets with her dress and apron just SCREAMS Tissa David to me. here's a pose from that sequence side-by-side with one of her famous (and one of my favourite) Raggedy Ann drawings.

here's something she notes about Ann's first action sequence of falling off the chair (she was set to work on candy hearts before anything else, to really get to know the characters):

and here's a fantastically convenient gifset from Rag Dolly. EVERYTHING!!! her hair falling in her face, the movement of the fabric, the wonderful sense of timing. also note the lack of eyelashes, which isnt exclusive to one artist or anything, but does pop up in David's drawings:

now to go on a tangent about an artist who could well have worked on that scene, and whom i wish there was some more info about!!!

"The only thing that Disney never understood is that to animate girls, one must be a girl!" - Tissa David believed (along with pretty much the rest of the team) that herself and Chrystal Russell (whose work is woefully sparse in the book but very much present in the movie) were the best animators of 'little Annie'. she also worked on Fern Gully; you can find her credits under her married name, Chrystal Klabunde! she supported Tissa as the primary actor for Raggedy Ann, and her style appears as this distinctive, adorable, muppet-y look throughout the film. these pics are examples of, if not her own drawings, then her stylistic influence in these scenes:

she's credited as animating the playroom dolls, but you can notice her influence in Annie come through from the beginning ('I Look, and What Do I See?') to the end ('Home') of the whole thing. like i said, the credits are never too specific, but if i had to GUESS, then this looks like her stuff. we also know for a fact she worked on the first song because of this lovely set of drawings in the book!

here's the sweetest photo of Didi Conn (Ann's voice) and Chrystal together with some clean-up sheets of a shot right before Rag Dolly - when Ann introduces herself to Babette, 'my name is Raggedy Ann, and this is my brother, Raggedy Andy,' (i still can't confirm whether they're her drawings but i wouldn't be surprised!):

anyway tl;dr: i have no way of knowing for sure who was in charge of it, and no doubt a whole team of artists were involved, (and i'm in no way trying to discredit anyone if i'm wrong) but my best guess is you can thank Tissa David for the first part, and Chrystal Russell (now Chrystal Klabunde) for their dance together - the animation changes subtley between those shots. i wish i had more artists/resources to look at, or god forbid a full breakdown of that scene, but at this point i would bet money on David's part in Annie's little introduction.

also some final appreciation for this silly slide to the ground that Andy finishes with:

anyway i'm SO sorry for going on such a long rant in response to this lovely ask!! and i'm sorry it took so long! it took so long, in fact, that i was actually accepted into university halfway through writing it the other day! so thank you!

i had so much fun playing amateur detective so double thank you!!! again i'm probably wrong about ALL of this but it was a blast to reread sections of the book and rewatch different bits of the movie to sleuth around for clues. i hope whatever i have come up with is of some interest to you, and i hope someone learned something about the wonderful artists behind this movie :-D

chrystal and raggedy ann ^_^

[zhaliacain]

Huntikmas day 17- What stationary the team uses

Sophie:

Sophie 100% has themed, colour coordinated and designer stationary. Most of it is named brands or personalised with her name or initials, she's someone I can see with a leather portfolio case with her initials on which she keeps her day to day stationary and paperwork essentials. She's also colour coordinated, goes all in with the pastel highlighters and post it note colour themes.

Dante:

Okay so I based Dante's stationary on his desk theme which is organised, modern and minimalist. I believe Dante has a set of stationary which he uses daily, tries to keep it to a minimum so he's not overwhelmed with half used pens and replaces when he needs it. He's also got lots of file organisers and folders, both for council work and for the detective work. Like Sophie I suspect he has also got personalised stationary but it's just note papers, cards, and anything else he uses for his side hustle.

Zhalia:

I like that when packing up her life, Zhalia's priorities are her three favourite pens. I think Zhalia is probably someone that has one brand of pen she likes and that is all she will use. Apart from that one pen I don’t think she bothers with any other stationary. She definitely keeps the pencils from Ikea because they’re conveniently sized and anything else was nicked from Klaus’ lab or the organisation stationary cupboards/now Dante's desk.

Cherit:

It’s amazing how many dolls house stationary accessories are actually functional. Obviously some are just bits of toys but there’s tiny notebooks, rulers and even pencils and crayons that would actually work for him.

Lok:

Lok is a bit eclectic when it comes to stationary, he doesn't go out of his way to get matching sets and half the pens he owns he doesn't know where they came from. That being said he's got the mandatory GCSE pencil case with the essentials in and everything else he borrows. I reckon he has a journal like his dad's because he wants to emulate the notes Eaton took documenting his travels but he hasn't quite got the hang of recording his findings neatly. He also strikes me as someone that has puzzle stationary like those pens with a maze inside or these post it note puzzle pieces.

Harrison

If the Bloodspirals are finding somewhere to custom order their uniforms, then they have somewhere to custom order their stationary.

Den:

This boy has never bought stationary in his life. He's got one of those cheap sets he was gifted as a small child in the orphanage and that has seen him through his entire life. He is definitely the one always asking to borrow a pen. He has one ratty little rubber that he somehow traded his way into and that's the only consistent piece of stationary in his arsenal. He also has one of those bendy rulers but its permanently bent out of shape and completely unusable.

[faresong]

disabled headcanons ^_^

Q-TARO:

Although in-game Q-taro's been given the doll joints to replace his major injury, I do have a few personal headcanons from before that incident - namely, that he had a weak right leg from bullying (which he was predisposed to thanks to other developmental issues). This caused a life-long limp, with the occasional pain, but it was never enough that he felt withheld from sports! Asunaro still implemented something in the doll joint that would make it so that he wasn't left overcorrecting his gait. However, if Asunaro hadn't interfered, he would've eventually recovered naturally. While he can still keep in pace with his team for the most part and retains his endurance, toward the start of him being released from the hospital, there are times where he ends up staying on bench until he's called up for the final stretch as a batter - just to help him readjust & keep the pain from overwhelming him if he was up as a starter. This would be where Q-taro finally gets a cane to help him post-game if he's exerted himself too much (it usually takes a couple hours for the pain to really become more than 'annoying'; adrenaline helps to off-set it until the games end, at least). After some convincing (and prodding) from his closer friends, I imagine he'd be a bit more willing to continue physical therapy to help with managing pain/building up endurance again (safely). It's by no means perfect, and there are some hurdles to overcome in terms of figuring out his new boundaries, but he can do it! :] From here, he does also end up occasionally using the wheelchair when casually traveling with friends on much longer distances / on bad pain days. It's more inconvenient and obvious than using the cane, but his friends are good about not making him feel weird about it. At most, they'll just tease him about themselves finally being taller than him; it's all light-hearted attempts at making him feel more comfortable. At the end of the day, they're just happy Q-taro's here. ...also not pictured here, but it does also take some getting used to being essentially blind in his left eye. The depth perception is something he also works on, but he somewhat struggles on his own out on the field; he ends up pairing with someone else. It's usually easier being on shortstop because of the surrounding people, but as long as he's got back-up he can be sent further out into the field.

GIN:

Gin had some issues with how his legs were developing. It took a few years for his mother to notice due to how busy work kept her, but when he was more evidently failing to hit the typical movement milestones, that was when she brought it up. His left leg is the weaker one and the one he usually didn't use when crawling because the bone alignment was causing him pain; as he grew up, they kept him in physical therapy to work on this, and his mother favored a leg brace rather than any surgery. As he was still young, there was a chance to correct this without needing to go to those lengths, especially as she feared 1) the cost and 2) the idea that this would just hurt Gin more. Gin feels a bit guilty that his mother was so worried about him in these early years. This is, in part, why he's so insistent on proving how strong he's grown to his mother and will take on more responsibility than he's meant to, if it means she won't have to worry about himself or his step-father. ...Well! At least he gets to pick out the designs for his leg brace :] He usually swaps between different animal-themed ones to represent his current hyperfixation (in this case, he'd have an alligator themed one as of the Death Game), but I usually draw him with the paw print pattern because it's one that's really important to him! Gin specifically got this pattern to match with Mew-chan :D This is also somewhat related, though it isn't to do with the leg brace: Gin is very sensitive to loud noise/voices, hence the noise-cancelling headphones... at least to subdue the sounds. In terms of interacting with other participants, I do think Gin would have trouble talking with Alice. Whereas Q-taro is used to lowering his voice for kids who need it (and can usually catch the visual cues for it) and Reko understands the need for a certain 'level' of noise (though hers is usually that she needs something blasting because of her hyposensitivity; depending on each other's levels, they might not be able to talk very long, but they'll talk later!!) ... Alice meanwhile has difficulty managing the volume/forcefulness of his voice. In my headcanons, Alice needs hearing aids - this, and his autism, often makes it difficult to keep that "appropriate volume or tone of voice" but he does make an effort for Gin's sake :] I do think Gin would really look up to Q-taro for how he perseveres. Even if Q-taro handles pain well enough for the most part, only partially using his mobility aids, it's still very important knowing that this successful adult has that side of him too. It gives Gin more hope, and also provides a healthy masculine role model.

KANNA:

Similarly to her brother, Kanna is chronically ill. More specifically, I imagine she has been recognized with iron-deficient anemia - cause for (some) dizziness and lead up to fainting. This, combined with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, does not make for a fun combination as you can imagine... but her family is working on figuring this out for her :'] The cane helps her mostly with keeping balance, though she also eventually adds little charms to it keep her hands busy so she doesn't tear at the hem of her uniform or pick at her skin too much. Although Kanna, similarly to Q-taro, doesn't need her cane at all times and can even play games without it, she feels more comfortable having it around as a 'just in case'! This is partly why Kugie walks home with Kanna. While it began for safety's sake (since Kanna was very young), her sister being there when she fainted was actually how the Kizuchi family began to realize the severity of these symptoms and look into it for her! Although Kanna tends to downplay her symptoms because she doesn't want people worrying about her, she really is grateful that they are trying to help her. Even though it took a while for Kugie to warm up to Kanna, it was always nice seeing her sister look out for her in even the smallest ways (offering food (like the ice-cream, where the 'ice' of it helps nausea); setting up the iron supplements before they start preparing the meals (so Kanna can take it the hour in advance); so on!) On a personal level, Kanna honestly isn't too bothered by having this. It's frustrating sometimes, yes, but generally speaking... she takes it slow anyway, and always has. Walking home, she will stop by the parks or some people's gardens just to take a look; she'll sit down on a bench and just listen to everything before finally setting on homework; she just really enjoys existing in nature. Unlike Kugie, who could scale a mountain in a day, Kanna is content just lying down in the grass - but that doesn't mean she's not up for racing her sister...! :P (Side note: while the issues with 'balance' and such isn't canon, I do think it is interesting that - through the few times we've seen someone faint - both Shin and Kanna have been the ones who take a while to recover...)

[djsherriff-responses]

I’m attempting an actual set up/timeline of sorts for Captain Laserhen and wanted to share what I’ve written down so far

I appreciate opinions and criticism if you’re comfortable reading about an au involving themes of Eugenics, unethical practices that go against people’s bodily autonomy and consent , male pregnancy, abuse and general fears regarding pregnancy, parenthood and how that can change someone

You see Eden, the big fans of eugenics that they are , don’t feel it’s enough to simply scan through their civilian population and hunt down those with “worthy” genetics for their various military programs: They want a way to manufacture super soldiers personally

Cloning seems like an obvious choice and cloning technology is something they have access to. But it takes so many resources just to create and maintain one clone through its development , never mind all the mutations and amount of failures that could happen during the cloning process, and then there’s the issue of this information getting out to the press and the controversy it’d cause

But most importantly, clones are essentially dolls with a conscious, and dolls don’t have any loyalty to their owners. Sure Eden is a master at brain washing and almost perfected the art of manipulating people. But Eden already has defectors and traitors despite their best efforts to maintain control of their own civilians , who’s to say what chaos would happen if mass produced clones became part of the equation?

No , it best to keep cloning to a strict minimum of a select few. A few rogue clones is much easier to deal with then an entire trained army of rogue clones

Eden realised it’s not enough to raise children to wield guns , their soldiers need a reason to remain loyal to Eden despite the horrors and abuse, a connection to keep them tied to the system even when doubt eats at them in the dead of night

And what greater ties is there than that of blood: A family

So Eden gave their male super soldiers a sort of “retirement protocol” where they essentially have an artificial womb (don’t ask me the specifics of this it’s sci fi horror nonsense) so that when those super soldiers (ideally) aged out of the military, they’d get pregnant and pop out a replacement to take their place

Or if a super soldier chose to become a traitorous terrorist, Eden will have leverage to bring them back into their arms

(Dolph in this au is cis and while the Eden army is dominantly cis, there’s likely issues a trans or genderqueer character would face from this situation that simply has not crossed my cis brain, just wanted to add this tidbit here since the set up is primarily focused on cis men going through this unethical treatment)

The specific reasons why this was done to male soldiers:

Women already have wombs and the capability to produce children, so it’d be pointless all things considered

There’s a larger amount of men in the army compared to women, so obviously Eden has gotta put their resources on getting *the men pregnant* replacements for those men ready

Men who are amab aren’t expected to ever fall pregnant and thus aren’t prepared for the turmoil and stress that comes with pregnancy the ways which women are. The men would be in a vulnerable position and would seek out help by any means necessary , plus be much easier to manipulate (either through use of their new found motherly instincts or their desire to be rid of this unexpected baby)

Most importantly,men do not have the means to have a natural birth. This is the most crucial part as the way Eden has done it, the men will have no choice but to seek medical attention to have a c section when the baby is due and thus even if that man does not want to return to Eden, Eden will still have the means to find him anyways

“But what about the press/public learning about this?!” Oh Eden already has an answer to that: Male pregnancies are a result of a strange effect of dimension X leaking into our universe and biologically impacting Eden’s male population(which is all the more reason it’s important to keep alien scum out!)

Basically, Eden blames the aliens. Because a vulnerable pregnant man is going to be far more willing to crawl back into the system that abused him if he believes aliens are the ones making him go through the horrific process of an unnatural pregnancy, instead of the truth that Eden has purposely done unethical practices on his body to keep him on a leash 

And Dolph is one of those men that Eden unethically gave with the ability to have babies, all without his knowledge or consent, yay!

Side note, normal children are 50:50 when it comes to inheriting their parents’ genetics. But super soldier babies actually take about 75 to 85% after their “mother” (again, Eden being huge fans of eugenics and not wanting to lose such valuable genes) so any children Dolph has, regardless of the other parent, will always take more after him

The timeline of this au diverges from the canon plot as of episode two , before Dolph walks in on Alex sleeping with Pagan (so anything that happened after that doesn’t happen, most notably Jade does not die). Instead of seeing the cigarette and finding his cheating boyfriend, the smell of the smoke makes Dolph vomit and team ghost are forced to abort mission. Though technically it’s been divergent from canon before episode one even happens

[void-botanist]

Happy STS! Have you ever had to cut an interesting part of a character's backstory/lore because it didn't make sense with the overall story that you were trying to tell?

Happy STS future! This is such an interesting question because usually the lore got majorly changed whenever I moved settings - not necessarily to the point of being unrecognizable, but over the last couple of decades the setting shifts have been pretty wild, especially in what is now locality space. And with the setting shifts, the story also changed, so it all kind of worked in tandem. As I've gotten older I've thought more about themes and motifs and such and been interested in overall story goals rather than just playing dolls with all my little guys, but setting is still a big part of that. All that said, here's a few major lore changes:

In pretty much every version leading up to the current canon, almost everyone on Pajiir was white by default. Which meant that Dez was white by default and built by white people. He was essentially an uncanny valley synthetic white guy, except I mostly ignored the uncanny valley part. But as I started developing the current canon, I realized that even aside from questions of technology, Dez looking like A Human at all added a lot of layers I wasn't interested in exploring and didn't really make sense with how he related to his human builders (a big part of his character before was how he would just blend in with everyone else). So the circumstances of his build evolved with his design, and he kind of paved the way for building out the biotech in the setting. By the same token, Syndy's old version looked human in the same way that Ratchet from Robots looks human (like, more than Dez but still not Human TM) but with all of the lore about the Navaren monarchy's intentions for her, it made sense to make her look Human TM and also like the archetypal Attractive Navaren Woman.

In old versions of locality space there was a MAJOR thread of queerphobia that WAS actually baked into the lore and the way the story unfolded (mostly in terms of the now-crew of the Nicea). But especially as I figured out how queer I was, I realized that wasn't the story I wanted to tell, and that weird worldbuilding aside I was also treading into experiences that were very much not my own (e.g. Catholic queerphobia) that I didn't need to get at the heart of my story. But it did survive a couple big setting shifts, and extremely informed the shape of Isabel's backstory (it still does, just without the queer = inherently bad part) and how Declan was allowed or not allowed to grieve Cady.

On a funnier note, Christina has always been a powerful witch, but there was also a time in past canons where she was highly theatrical about all of her spells, which kinda seemed to be a function of her wanting to impress people and make friends despite having -1 charisma otherwise. But I found that her conflict with Althea inside the witch council was more interesting, and I dropped the theatrics in favor of her being more like an expert who has forgotten how to talk to non-experts. And also not being alone because of negative charisma but for other people's safety, which is so much more compelling.

Also original Sid was ?dead? and ?trapped? in the space-timestream? so he could go anywhere in the 15 dimensions and be at any time (I think) but had his own rules of engagement to not mess things up, which meant that at some point he stole Horatio from the past to act as a midwife for an endangered magical creature? and ran around delivering cryptic messages and one-liners to various characters who were being arrested for actions related to said magical creature? and was generally just incredible and great but also probably was the thing that made me realize that all the dimension and creature stuff was just plot fluff because I wasn't focusing on the character level of the story, even though that was obviously what I wanted to write. This did not cause me to actually write anything better for some time, because you really can't top an overly dramatic ghost man.

Nicea taglist: @kahvilahuhut @kk7-rbs @outpost51 @writernopal @athenswrites

[thenarddogmeister]

Barbie. Dir Greta Gerwig. 2023

Barbieland contains all the child-like fun and vibrancy of Barbie but meets the uncertainty and uncomfortableness of the Real World. Told from the perspective of a women, this accessible film discusses misogyny, humanity, toxic masculinity and identity through the brilliance and sparkle of the world of Barbie.

The film follows Barbie (Margot Robbie) as she goes on a quest to save herself from becoming anything less than perfect, after her human (an intelligent mother who used to play with this Barbie) starts to affect this doll with her existential anxiety.

The film could’ve easily lost any of its feeling as the aesthetics are off-the-chart pink, fantastical and almost dream-like. Musical dance numbers are placed throughout the film, which bring excitement and energy but could’ve also added to the film’s shallowness and lack of immersion. However, this did not happen. Yes, the movie is set in an outlandish space, which on a surface level we have no relation to at all but the themes explored in the film are arguably universal human feelings, which give the movie its heart. I also found it hilarious at some points.

One of these themes is identity. I feel like most people (especially in an era where we are swarmed by social medias, which often makes us feel inadequate and ugly) can relate to the feeling of tying our identities to a specific part of ourselves in order to be loved or liked or respected. Obviously, the film focuses more on Barbie so we mostly experience what it’s like to be a women and live in a world where our appearances are forced to be our identity. Women are told through media and men that how we look defines how successful we are, how respectable we are and how lovable we are. It’s sad and Barbie does such a good job at expressing this complex feeling most women are tuned into and also providing an entertaining and optimistic film to watch.

Now, Ken (Ryan Gosling) is also allowed his share of exploration and emotion. He too ties his identity to a specific superficiality. The attention he gets from Barbie. He exerts himself doing stupid things (such as incessantly flexing his muscles) because he thinks that if Barbie likes him, and he is a strong, masculine man then he has won life. This should be his aim. The film educates Ken as we lead up to a climactic moment where he realises that what makes him his own man isn’t the love of a woman or his beach body abs but something else. We learn from Barbie that Ken needs to find his own identity and it is something that is done alone. It is an emotional moment as (for me at least) we resonated with both the dolls deeply. I’ve felt rejected and ugly and I have based my importance and value as a human on my appearance and how men view me but now I know that the essence of humanity isn’t a measurable unit appertaining to the way others view you, but what we value and what we feel and what we choose to do with our lives.

Barbie learns that she doesn’t want or benefit from perfection but she wants to be imaginative and help young people who also feel confused about their identity and confused about their place in the world. Together, we go on a journey which essentially takes us from our learned, cultivated belief that who we are is in the hands of others to the more truthful and peaceful belief that we decide who we are and what we want to be and we shouldn’t be persuaded to feel powerless, pointless and valueless due to our appearance.

It’s funny, energetic and emotionally impactful (with the iconic moment where Barbie meets the brand’s creator - Ruth Handler - in a sentimental and moving scene. The background has cascading, soft lighting and a close up of the pairs’ hands touching is used to add such significance to the dialogue and such heart to the scene).

I think Greta Gerwig created a film where I can enjoy it and also go through a cathartic experience as my deepest anxieties and upsets about the world are portrayed and validated. And I still felt happy rather than worried or cynical when it was over so I love this film.

[sga-owns-my-soul]

childhood memories

omg thank you for asking about this one!! i’m really excited about this fic!

i really wanted to write a fic where rodney does something selfless for the team, and that gave me the idea to have him try to give a little bit of Childhood Wonder to ronon and teyla and that slowly evolved into rodney smuggling every Classic Childhood Activity into atlantis for a fun surprise!

—

“Growing up in the Pegasus means a lot of people didn’t get a proper childhood, or at least not what we on Earth consider a proper childhood. Living under threat of the Wraith, a lot of childhood innocence was robbed from you, and I know you two especially have had a lot of loss. I didn’t have a great childhood, but there was still times I got to just be a kid, and I think everyone deserves that chance. Even if it’s as a fully grown adult. So, I wanted to give you both a chance to enjoy being a kid.”

Rodney led them into what he was calling the Grand Hall, which was filled with classic Earth childhood activities. In the centre of the room, the glorious centre piece, was a massive castle themed bounce house (Rodney had one specially made to be big enough to withstand up to 6 fully grown adults). Beside that, a 3-foot deep ball pit was set up. There was a table set up with face paints, a bubble machine off in the corner, and on the far wall a massive jungle gym was set up.

Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon slowly took in the room around them. There was a colouring station, and jump ropes, and a table full of dolls and stuffed animals. Sheppard was amazed that Rodney had not only managed to set all of this out without him finding out, but at how much effort probably went into the surprise. He wondered how Rodney had convinced Elizabeth and, more importantly, Caldwell to let him bring so many large, non-essentials items on base.

—

[crunkatrice]

I was fortunate enough to be dragged here by my clown obsessed friend last week. It’s surprisingly not a bad place to stay and honestly had more accommodations than the vegas hotel we stayed in the other half of the week.

The kooky folks who run it are very friendly and happy to see you and have a chat with you about your journey and the goings on of the town and motel.

It’s very quite there, and sleeping there definitely reminded me of the odd comforts of sleeping over at your grandparents place when you were a kid.

If you’re not too bothered by the, often times, intentionally creepy, clown paintings they hang up in the rooms it’s an overall pleasant experience, and it’s an interesting experience to walk the graveyard and pay respects to the very old graves there (optional, but might be why we didn’t experience any supernatural disturbances during our stay).

Theres a nearby place where you can get some really damn good pizza just down the road, or have it delivered to your room while you stay there and some good places where you can pick up any essentials you may have forgotten on your journey there.

inside the check-in there is a small shop, and a big section of the building occupied by an ever growing clown shrine full of clown dolls and clown paraphernalia, and they always welcome more clown-themed donations to add to the display. At the front and center of it all sits their biggest clown doll. Yes, it’s haunted, and they’ve caught actual footage of it moving its hands by itself.

If you like clowns and old mining town history this place is worth the visit. It’ll take you out of your comfort zone in a fun way, but also set you up with a very comfortable bed as it does so.

Edit: regarding the first post; I should add that they have actually shot horror movies here, and we were told, have a few more lined up to be shot there soon. Their wiki should have the full list of films shot there but off the top of my head the most noteworthy one is Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses.

Alright was no one going to tell me that in the middle of the Nevada desert is an old cemetery that contains the bodies of a bunch of miners who died in a fire and next door is a haunted clown motel

Why are we still setting horror movies in generic Victorian houses in the woods when this is a real place in the world

[medea10]

My Review of Hokkaido Girls Are Super Adorable

Just a random pick. Roll it!

Tsubasa Shiki has just moved from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo to the northernest and chilliest part of Japan, Hokkaido…well, Kitami City if you want to get technical. His first day there, he meets a young girl waiting at a bus stop and was just amazed at her. Minami Fuyuki has blonde hair, flashy nails, makeup, and has the leg strength to withstand frigid cold temperatures without the need of knee-high socks. They seem to hit it off. As Tsubasa is new to this area, Minami seems to have her priorities all settled in terms of everyday life. So, she has no problem helping out the new guy.

And that’s essentially it for the story! There are Hokkaido girls Tsubasa hangs out with. He hangs out with the extrovert Fuyuki, the gamer Sayuri and the odd-ball senpai Rena.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: I guess I must have slept on the dub for the last couple of months because up until doing the finishing touches on the review, I didn’t know of its existence. Like nearly every other anime that is coming out nowadays it was licensed and dubbed by Crunchyroll. The sub has a lot of recognizable names and all do a great job. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Tsubasa is played by Nobunaga Shimazaki (known for Yuki on Fruits Basket 2019, Haru on Free!, Eugeo on SAO: Alicization, Sunakawa on Ore Monogatari, Shinichi on Parasyte, Yuno on Black Clover, and Izana on Tokyo Revengers)

*Minami is played by Ayane Sakura (known for Orla on Pokemon Horizons, Uraraka on My Hero Academia, Gabi on Attack on Titan, Nero on Black Clover, Fiona on Spy x Family, Gasper on High School DxD, and Saki on Girlfriend Girlfriend)

*Sayuri is played by Yumiri Hanamori (known for Nadeshiko on Laid-Back Camp, Hayasaka on Kaguya-sama, Evileye on Overlord, Ryuuji on Blue Period, Asahi on Happy Sugar Life, and Doumeki on Eizouken)

*Rena is played by Reina Ueda (known for Mallow on Pokemon SM, Kisa on Fruits Basket 2019, Kanao on Demon Slayer, Ariel on Mushoku Tensei, Miyo on My Happy Marriage, and Jiro on Tokyo Ghoul)

ENGLISH CAST: *Tsubasa is played by Matt Shipman (known for Floch on Attack on Titan, Cavendish on One Piece, Inasa on My Hero Academia, Sogiita on Railgun, and Chrome on Dr. Stone)

*Minami is played by Mikaela Krantz (known for Momiji on Fruits Basket 2019, Clementine on Overlord, Misaki on Railgun, Ai on Wonder Egg Priority, Doll on Black Butler, and Hyouka on Shimoneta)

*Sayuri is played by Brittany Lauda (known for Riko on Made in Abyss, F.F. on Jojo’s Pt. 6, Satoko on Higurashi Gou, Mai on Nichijou, and Saki on Girlfriend Girlfriend)

*Rena is played by Jill Harris (known for Noelle on Black Clover, Fern on Frieren, Aura on Overlord, Hiiragi on Natsume’s Book of Friends, and Shizuku on Love Live Nijigasaki)

SHIPPING: Hmm…three Hokkaido girls. All of them are attracted to this kid (kinda not really in a love way). Tsubasa’s a shy boy and new to the concept of…well, everything involving the opposite sex. I think I’ve seen this set up before. The only difference here is that Tsubasa has a very strict grandmother that’ll stop any of these clumsy girls falling on him. But you have to admit that Minami, Sayuri, and Rena are at play here. Rena is actually on good terms with Tsubasa’s grandmother and loves all the traditional things Tsubasa is accustomed to. Sayuri and Tsubasa had a lot of great moments together whether gaming or just opening up. And as for Minami, well, she’s first girl.

Honestly, I think that Tsubasa will get with one of these three before Kazuya gets with Chizuru on Rent-A-Girlfriend at this point.

BURRRRRRN!

And my take on the matter, I kinda became a Minami x Tsubasa shipper when Tsubasa played the piano for Minami.

RANDOM NOTE: I can’t be the only person who thinks this.

Agree or disagree? The opening theme sounds a little too similar to Uptown Funk.

In episode 11, you can see the singer of the opening theme playing the song. This experience felt like watching the Love Rollercoaster scene from Beavis and Butt-head Do America. If you know, you know.

ENDING: Kind of a weird time for this to happen, but Tsubasa is now entering his second year of high school. Yeah, we don’t see that until the end of or beginning of a season. Whatever! We are in the spring season, but you wouldn’t know that since Hokkaido is much like the town of South Park. Snow is going to be on the ground regardless of what your calender says. There’s a lot of talk and thinking about the growth of these characters over the past few months. Since Tsubasa transferred, a lot of these characters have changed. Sayuri was able to kinda come out of her shell and do things with classmates she normally wouldn’t do. Rena was able to see the impact of what she does. And Matsuo…

Wait, who’s Matsuo again?

I guess this random guy, Matsuo is part of the crew now. I noticed it subtly when he was featured with the rest of the main cast at the end of the opening theme. I didn’t even realize that he was the guy that made that comment about not getting homemade chocolates from Minami during the Valentine’s episode. Whatever!

One little comment from Tsubasa about wishing to see cherry blossoms in Hokkaido prompted Minami to set up a surprise trip for him several hours from where they live. She wanted to have Tsubasa go out with her for one day and because she has something important to say. A myriad of possibilities pop up in our brains when Minami wants to discuss with Tsubasa. When it comes to this girl, it can be anything. While she is a flirt, we are approaching the season finale and this could be something serious. For now, let’s enjoy these two enjoying the spring weather, good food, music, and all that fun stuff. So, of course Minami is going to drop a bombshell at the end of this particular episode. And give Tsubasa some credit as he thought that Minami was going to reveal personal feelings for him. I’m glad his character isn’t that freakin’ oblivious. Actually, Minami is leaving as she’s going to study abroad. Tsubasa hugs her and next thing you know, they’re both in a hotel room together.

Yeah, they both missed the bus from their current location and Tsubasa’s father (whom we haven’t seen up until these last two episodes) hooks his son up. Being alone in a hotel room with a pretty girl gave Tsubasa quite the vivid images in his mind. Fortunately, nothing came of that as he fell asleep while she was taking a shower and then she left immediately after.

In that aftermath, Tsubasa was quiet and kept himself inside, not even talking to Rena or Sayuri. Well, this is the day that Minami was going to leave. Minami reveals to Sayuri that it was because of people like her, Tsubasa, and Rena that she came to this decision about her future. Tsubasa eventually gets off his ass to go to the airport in one last romantic gesture you’ve seen in God-knows how many romcoms.

And as we all know, Tsubasa would never have the clearance to make it to the boarding area if this is any program after September 11th, 2001. But logic be damned as he came in to see Minami off and give her a hairpin that was left behind. And then she drops a big ol’ bombshell of a facepalm. Minami will only be gone for 2 weeks. The time passed by like that and we’re back to the status quo. The end!

I honestly didn’t know what to expect watching this week-by-week. What I was given was not bad. Yes, there’s going to be some fan-service when you have a character like Minami. Hell, there was an episode where she was talking to Tsubasa on the phone while naked in the bathtub. Girl’s a freak! I guess what I got from this is that we all need a close-knit group of friends that’ll be there to encourage you.

And that Hokkaido girls are super adorable!

Hence the title of the anime.

If you want a short, fluffy high school story, give this a try. Crunchyroll has every episode available.