#greg from otgw etc

[hikaaa-bi]

probably a hot take but i don't really like ezran. i don't dislike him, he just feels like such a 2d character. maybe it's his voice acting (i'm sorry but it's so.. soulless?) or maybe it's the fact that his personality has no depth. like i get it, he's a child but i've seen a lot more interesting characters who were around the same age as him.

[moth-lace]

Hello Everyone!! 🎃 This is a posting for my first ever #artcollab : DELICIOUS IN GARDEN! This idea came to me the other day and I thought it might be fun. ~~~ The Rules: *Any medium *No Ai *DM host on IG (that's me) if you would like to be added to our group chat for this challenge. *I'm setting a tentative date for Thanksgiving 2024 (Nov 28), so everyone has a chance to get their ideas underway and finished. . What is the theme? MAIN COURSE - Ideally I would love to see your favorite characters from Dungeon Meshi and OTGW having an adventure together! Would Laios use his intimidation skills to frighten The Beast? How annoyed would Chilchuck be if he was forced to watch Greg? etc. I wanna know! SIDE DISH - This is an alternative if the Main Course doesn't spark your fancy. In OTGW we get to see a lot of very cool towns with their own flare. What kind of food do you think Senshi would make in those places? Go wild! Lets see what you got! . Hosted by: @moth_lace on IG

[jenny-dreadful]

actually, for funsies, lemme rattle off as many of otgw’s subtextual death symbols etc. as i can think of off the top of my head

(understanding that the bulk of this is probably well-trod territory if you’ve sought out much discussion on it, and that some of it is inarguably half-baked ideas that i’m interested in bringing up nonetheless)

Beatrice, in the Divine Comedy, is the name of Dante’s lost love. Also, there is a traditional folk belief (having trouble finding its origin) regarding bluebirds as a sign or incarnation of a deceased loved one

“Pottsfield” as a corruption of “potter’s field,” a type of burial place for the unclaimed dead (How nice, then, that all those skeletons seem to get such a joyful welcome!)

(Addendum: I love all those cheeky little lines there, like “Aren’t you a little too…early?” and “Folks don’t tend to leave Pottsfield.” gtfoh)

(DOUBLE ADDENDUM: Reference to this village event as a “harvest” functions at two ends, sort of. Death is commonly compared to a sort of harvest, as with the Grim Reaper; also, the Pottsfield idea of “harvesting” people who are already dead and buried, rather than living people, serves as perhaps the series’s first glimmering hint into the idea that the titular “garden” is a graveyard

The tavern crowd is satisfied to identify Wirt as “the pilgrim;” The Pilgrim’s Progress famously depicts an allegorical journey through death

Endicott—definitely well-trod that his name appears on a headstone in the real world later on, which is more text than subtext. But I wanna mention it anyway bc (while one may conclude that everyone lingering in the Unknown has died) Endicott is the only one it gets so explicit about, and here too is a graveyard-garden synapse crackle: Where can you find him? Well—in the real world, it’s the cemetery, but in the Unknown he’s prospering in his garden

The search for two pennies for ferry fare (presumably, one each for Wirt and Greg, with Fred and Beatrice planning to play dumb and board for free), ending in the sort of left-field thing where Greg sullenly throws them away? cracks me up because I can only imagine the whole episode being written before someone in the room went, “Shit, wait, they can’t actually pay the ferryman— How do we get out of this?”

(Add.: A ferry typically crosses a body of water rather than traveling along it, doesn’t it? Usually, a vessel like the one depicted would be called a “riverboat;” the decision to consistently call it a “ferry” instead is deliberate as hell.)

Beatrice’s initial endeavor is in bringing the boys to “Adelaide of the pasture”—or, in only slightly different terms, putting them “out to pasture”

Some more small ones, but when they encounter the other frogs and realize they’re all clothed, Greg kind of oddly makes a particular point of noting their unclothed frog’s “cold feets;” bare feet are sometimes used in art to suggest death, and separately, going barefoot is a part of proper mourning in some traditions. Also—there’s something to those frogs burying themselves in the mud to sleep, and to our party going on instead of staying with them, isn’t there?

Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for…thee, ultimately, if you get eaten? I’m gonna be tbh with you, I don’t see a strong connection here, but it feels weird to not mention it when there IS a strong (if general) association of bells as announcers of death. Maybe I’m missing something.

Greg sure does visit (and choose to return from) what can only be described as someplace resembling a child’s heaven. Traditionally, only one way to achieve this.

Oh, man, no big surprise with, like, “Come Wayward Souls”’ moody ass, but “Patient Is the Night” is such a cool instance of a particular old-fashioned, folkish flavor, poetically obfuscating the topic of death to present it as welcoming and restful (couldn’t work out a less pretentious or clunky way to say that).

And last, for now: Hey, shit, I’m pretty sure this doesn’t quite add up to anything, it’s just… It’s kinda weird that Greg’s big crime is revealed as the theft of a stone (painted to represent a person) from somebody’s garden, when this poetic interpretation of a graveyard as a “garden” (lined with stones, each carved to represent a person, in a different way) is established pretty thoroughly. Like, I won’t pretend that’s not kinda a reach. But it’s not nothing nothing, right?

[mylordshesacactus]

The thing that I love MOST about OTGW is that it's an oddly nontraditional coming-of-age story. And that it's somehow nontraditional because it's about Wirt growing up.

You'd think that would be the default, but...OTGW rejects the idea of a coming-of-age plot as being about pure individualism, but ALSO rejects the idea of a coming-of-age plot as requiring the protagonist to reject or give up their ideals or home or safety or dreams or be Forever Changed And Alienated From The Home Of Your Youth etc. Those are in fact the self-centered shallow preoccupations that make Wirt so insufferable!

(As OP said--not because he's a bad person, but because Wirt and Greg are the platonic ideal of "A Fourteen-Year Old Boy (TM)" and "Five (TM)". Wirt is a good kid! But he's a teenager, and in order to grow from a child to a young man he has to get the fuck over himself. Stop absently waiting for someone else to take charge of his life, and spend less time totally wrapped up in his own head angsting about how hard it is to be "the protagonist".)

Wirt's coming-of-age plot DOES involve him becoming more confident, more assertive, more decisive, more generous, more patient--but those things are all side effects.

What "coming of age" means for Wirt is that he has to grow up. The sacrifice asked of him, in order to do that, is to give up his selfishness.

It's just...incredibly rare to see a coming-of-age story where the narrative utterly rejects the idea that coming of age, growing up, becoming a man, is about the protagonist's interiority at all. That says growing up means understanding that there are things more important than your feelings.

...but, crucially, OTGW says this while also firmly insisting that maturity, responsibility, sacrifice--those things do NOT require you to simply throw yourself on the pyre and suffer for no reason. Wirt nearly accepted that lantern. He nearly gave in to shame and despair, nearly fell for the Beast's lie.

Senseless martyrdom, literally or metaphorically, would not have done anything to save his brother. Wirt didn't need to sacrifice himself to grow up. He needed to take care of Greg. Those are not the same thing.

(That's the truth of being an older sibling. You don't have to make it your whole identity, but it is part of your identity now. You can struggle, you can resent it, you can acknowledge that it isn't fair, but you don't get to choose. The responsibility is yours and you cannot refuse it, only succeed or fail. You cannot choose not to be a brother. There is this small human being who looks up to you, now, and you cannot opt out of that. Opting out doesn't make you not a brother--it just makes you a poor one.)

Accepting and understanding that responsibility--not 'gaining self-respect' or 'overcoming his doubts', OR mindlessly accepting the idea that he was somehow obligated to give up everything in Greg's name--is what growing up means.

i dont think enough otgw fans talk about the exploration of complex family dynamics that the show manages to weave through pretty much every episode. like the relationship between wirt and greg seems so innocuous in the beginning, just normal aloofness due to the age gap, but as the episodes go on it becomes clear that wirt full on resents greg and actively dismisses him as “his stepdad’s kid,” while greg openly admires/loves wirt and doesnt understand why he wont spend time with him. theres so many little moments that make the lack of reciprocity in their relationship obvious, and it literally takes almost DYING for wirt to understand that he needs to treat his brother better. like holy fuck man ill be shocked if the person who wrote their backstory doesnt have a step/half-sibling cause WOW they got it right

[thedarkangelpuppet]

oh, it's a pity that so little time is given to the parents themselves. it's always interesting what they do.. we know a lot about children

my guess is this question is related to the cambion kids...you want to know more about the cambion's parents so sure

BillDip:

Dipper still does what he did before the cleaving and acts as a peacemaker in gravity falls. He resolves issues any citzin if human or nonhuman has.

Bill has a tragic backstory and is still practically a god that suprisingly in this AU has a good end where he gets his dream of equality

Bill sorta became Emperor through he never actually does his job his reason for wanting Weirdmageddon was already furfilled.

Bill used to be a Slave or atleast very low in society where he was just seen as a servant with any other triangle (see the book Flatlands )

So bill went from zero power to godlike amounts of powers due to a deal with the Axolotl (aka the God Xolotl)

I may have wrote a plot of a cult in their backstory . Long story short The Pines and all the parents of the people in the zodiac are actually part of a secret society/cult workshipping the Axolotl the zodiacs were specifcally not told due to a prophecy but things went diffrent as they should due to the Axolotl mendeling and regarding his previous Prophecy

Bill and Dipper are soulmates and got married by Jheselbraum and the Xolotl

Parent wise I think Dipper sorta became a bit of a helicopter parent he tries not to but its mostly his anxiety getting the better of him.

Bill meanwhile is the overly chill parent which lets their children get away with everything

Poetree:

Wirt became pregnant very early in his life because the Beast forced/tricked him into a relationship. Wirt sorta dropped out of school to take care of the baby and became a stay at home parent.

Beast and Wirt have a very unhealthy toxic relationship theres no yelling or anything but Beast is abusive to Wirt

Willow was just sorta a means to an end to get Wirt to stay with him

The Beast does love his daughter and Wirt through and is not at all abusive to his daughter he is sorta more of a dotting parent

Beast is the one providing the family with shelter,food etc. through Wirt's parents help alot

Wirt's parents absoultly hate the Beast meanwhile Greg likes the Beast but he is also blissfully unaware of what the Beast is doing to his brother.

Wirt didn't have the best childhood. When he was younger his mom cheated on his dad and his dad left. Hence his mom marrying the new guy (Greg's dad). Wirt blamed Greg's dad and Greg for his true father leaving. Wirt loved his dad. He felt like maybe his mom never loved his dad or him for the longest time.

Wirt had to practically raise Greg too since his parent's were always away. He learned to cook that way (See the OTGW comics specifically OTGW Hollow Town where Wirt mentioned he had to take care of Greg to the point where he breaks into tears saying Greg always gets him in trouble and he barely has time for homework)

Stomco:

now on to the Heart royals well they each had a on and off romance before ending up all together as a poly couple.

Both Tom and Star grew up as spoiled Royals so they don't know how to do more normal stuff

they mostly have servants to do their stuff because thats how royals and rich people used to grow up hence the stomco kids having alot of servants raising them more than their actual parents to uncomftable degree the only time when their alone with their parents and have their parents interacting with them is when their on vacation so everyone looks up for vacations

Both Tom and Star tend to be busy with Royal duties while Marco does knight duties and sorta is in charge of their army.

they all try to be a normal family but sadly being royal ends up being the thing that causes problems as they are always bothered by servants or guards or even citzins

[alvie-pines]

I hate the recent trend of trying to justify everything a character does just because they're your favorite. I know it's been a thing for forever but it really seems to be more uncommon than ever to be able to go "this is my favorite character. They're unreliable and they do a lot of awful shit but they are my favorite because of x, y, z."

Like I love characters that do messed up stuff and hurt a lot of people because they tend to be more narratively complex and interesting and real, but I never understand trying to twist the world around so that everything the character does is justified?

It seems fandom has such a black-and-white "this is the box you go in" mentality that can be really harmful when discussing complex characters? Like they just try to shove them in even when canon clearly contradicts?

Maybe I am jumping to too many conclusions—this is about your techno!crit posting and I have never dreamed an smp in my life—but it's just disappointing because it takes so much nuance out of discussions when you have to struggle to get people to admit their favorite has done anything wrong in their life ever.

oh my god vylad you're like a savior in my inbox

This is exactly what I mean about Techno & his apologists. And other dsmp apologists too! Dream & Phil stans are not free of guilt. (Ofc anyone can do this, but Dream, Techno, and Phil are the ones I see it with the most.)

It's especially foreign and frustrating for me, because I love when characters are wrong. I love when they're assholes and you can see why they're an asshole and delight in the mistakes they're making. It's why my favorite characters are George, Schlatt, and Quackity!

George is cold, detached, and repeatedly shown to not really care about his friends, or at least not act like it—he can't be bothered to show up for anyone, even while expecting people to give him free things or prop him up power-wise (thanks, Dream, for setting this precedent. now he's fucked up). He miserably sulks in the outer corners of the server, alone because of his own actions (or rather, inaction when his friends needed him). I LOVE this about him, I think it makes him fascinating and engaging. I never want it to change! Well, that's an exaggeration, but I don't want it to change quickly. I want him to stew in his mistakes and negative personality traits for a while, so that if he ever does improve, it will be much more satisfying after watching him act like an aloof prick all the time.

Schlatt is obvious. He had some serious problems—he was an alcoholic, rude all the time, abused his fiance (Quackity), etc. He has very realistic flaws that lots of us have seen in people we actually know. He died surrounded by people who hated him, in an anticlimactic way, having no chance to change. He ran out of time. He was a terrible person and then he died before that could change. It's sad, to me. Depressing. Even though I don't share any traits with him specifically, I do have negative traits, of course, and seeing a character die before improving is... well, motivating? Motivating to improve. Techno is not motivating to improve because firstly he is not improving nor does he want to, and secondly he is not in any danger of dying or having anything of importance taken from him.

Moving away from DSMP, this is also part of why I love Wirt (otgw). That kid is just full of flaws—realistic, mundane flaws, but painful ones nonetheless. He's dismissive of other people, self-depreciating, self-centered, avoids responsibility... and he only starts to turn against these traits at the end. Even then, he's not perfect, he just begins to fight against his negative traits because there's something more important than him at stake—his brother's life. I relate to his flaws and find his acceptance of responsibility for both himself and Greg super inspiring. This is the sort of character I love. This is the sort of character that I feel for.

Uh, where was I?

Oh, yeah. I just can't get behind this fandom movement to paint characters as Always So Very Good! (Unless it's c!Tommy because imo, his narrative place is basically a punching bag who doesn't deserve what's been done to him. He's an exception <3) Flawed characters are often BETTER.

When people try to explain away Techno's flaws or mistakes or kick under the rug things that he's done, its frustrating because if Techno were allowed to have flaws I would probably love him. If he were allowed to be hypocritical, self-centered, and self-justified, I would love to explore these traits. (And he has them in canon!) But his fans want to paint him as Good and Correct and that's frustrating to me because it makes him a really boring character that I want nothing to do with, and the justification itself is also something he does so it makes his character really frustrating too. Having to constantly prove that Techno is a bad person wastes energy that I could be using to enjoy a good villain, a good Fucked Up Evil Man.

[ancientstone]

Fic Rec List (A Tag Game!)

I was tagged by @iguessyouregonnamissthepantyraid - Thank you!!

Rules: Post links (Ao3, ff.net, etc.); specify fandom/pairing/etc; don’t answer the same fic twice - spread the appreciation; tag other people; you don’t have to answer all the questions, but leave them in the list so the next person can answer if they want.

Fandoms mentioned are: Transformers, The Umbrella Academy, M*A*S*H, Over The Garden Wall, TMNT, Good Omens, Sherlock, Ducktales (2017)

(I’m going to cheat a little and ignore the *this month* parts because we’re only 2 days into 2020!)

1. Favourite complete fic you’ve read this month (multiple chapters/parts):

Transformers: Auf Nimmerwiedersehen by @morethanmeetstheass I love everything about this story (and series) and you know a fic is good when all you want to do is shake some brain cells into the characters *side eyes Blitzwing and Ratchet*. I often come back and reread this!

2. Favourite complete fic you’ve read this month (one-shot):

The Umbrella Academy: little white lies by @in-tua-deep because I adore everything they write and this one made my entire week when it was published! Just...A* Five analysis! Brilliant writing!! Great pacing!!! I love all of it! Also Klaus deserves extra kudos for being The Best sibling to his complex gremlin of a brother

3. Favourite WIP you’ve read this month:

The Umbrella Academy: If That’s Love by cylikkious Just...oof. So much oof. Major oof. Amazing character and relationship analysis between Five and Dolores and a take on them which you don’t see all that often. It’s simply *chefs kiss* Also drunk Five is always fun to read (and by fun I mean gut-wrenching!)

4. One fic/series you’ve read which you keep coming back to again and again:

Sherlock: The Elephant In The Room by flawedamythyst This is the fist fic I ever bookmarked back in 2013 and it feels like it only gets better each time I revisit it. Super writing, great at capturing the characters, and a good mix of sweet, tender moments and pure, painful angst!

5. Most underrated fic you’ve read this year:

M*A*S*H: The Very Model by the_aleator Yep, I cried when reading this. The pain. The angst. The tears. It just hits you right where it hurts and OW be prepared to be thinking about it for the rest of the day! Great writing and pacing as well!

6. Most underrated fic you’ve read EVER:

Over The Garden Wall: Secret Santa by skimmingthesurface Basically all of their otgw fics are awesome, but this one? Amazing, spectacular, incredibly winter-y and Christmas-y and festive! I love how they write Greg, and his relationship with his brother as well as Sara and all of Wirt’s other friends.

7. Favourite whump/angst fic of the year:

The Umbrella Academy: And Then There Was Five by maremote Five and Klaus running a plant shop? It’s more painful then you’d think! I love the way they write the brothers, and the brothers’ relationship with the plants, and all the pent up emotions Five has throughout. Another fic I’ve constantly come back to!

8. Favourite hurt/comfort fic of the year:

The Umbrella Academy: The Moons Laughs by @ladyorigami Me?? Crying constantly over this fic?? Nope, it’s just people cutting onions I don’t know what you’re talking about. I certainly don’t think about this fic every night, and how much Five needs a hug. Nope. Not me. Must be someone else.

9. Favourite fluff fic of the year:

Ducktales (2017): Peace and Quiet by DrummerGirl231 It wouldn’t be a fluff fic without some feels, but Scrooge is the best in this and I love him with his tiny niece and nephew. I recommend all of DrummerGirl’s Ducktales fics, because they’re excellently written and deserve to be swamped with kudos!

10. Favourite gen fic of the year:

TMNT: Hanging By A Turtle by @camsthisky Soft turtle bros? Check. Brotherly moments? Check. Hurt/comfort? Check. This fic has everything I’d ever want! I love Donnie’s p.o.v. and the way the feels. just. keep. hitting. It’s perfect, and I’ve read it so many times now that I’ve lost count!

11. Favourite smut fic of the year:

Nope, not my thing!

12. Favourite fix-it fic of the year/ever:

The Umbrella Academy: Contagious Hope by @tripleforte This will never not make me sad and the ending’s so bittersweet but that’s exactly how I like my fics so I’m actually happy through the tears! I love the alternative lives of the siblings, and how Five just?? Plonks down in the middle of all of it?? Like come on guys let’s become a family?? Perfect!

13. Favourite crack-fic fic of the year:

I searched around with the ‘tags to include’ bar on my bookmarks and according to that no fics I bookmarked this year had that tag, so I’ll leave this one be

14. Favourite sick-fic this year:

The Umbrella Academy: Get Me Out Of My Head by UnrememberedSkies Poor Five suffers in this fic and I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to hug a non-existent person more? Also give them some medicine. And a blanket. And a pillow. This fic deserves more love and I think it’s been pretty overlooked, so please check this one out because it 100% deserves it!

15. Favourite kid-fic this year:

The Umbrella Academy: Something Domestic by @gentlemenpaws Teeny, tiny, adorable Five being cared for by a Who-Let-Me-Care-For-An-Infant Klaus? I’m in. Klaus’ panic is so sweet and he just?? Wants to do his best?? And also has several heart attacks because of Five’s powers?? Poor guy. I’ve read this enough to know parts from memory!

16. Fic this year which you didn’t expect to love as much as you do: 

The Umbrella Academy: It Comes and Goes (In Waves) by hujwernoo Not to say I thought I wouldn’t like it, but going into this I didn’t realise how much I would adore this series. It’s so amazing and I have to pace myself reading it otherwise I start skipping lines in an effort to read it all at once. if you haven’t already checked it out, do!

17. Fic which convinced you to ship a pairing:

Guardians of the Galaxy: Blue on White by @bluesocksandfluff I honestly can’t remember when about I boarded the Yondu/Kraglin train, but I’m pretty sure it started with this fic! The hurt/comfort is A* and small Peter is everything, and Yondu is a grumpy grump to can’t admit he has a heart and I love him for it! This is another fic I’ve read to the point of remembering lines!

18. Favourite AU you’ve read this year:

The Umbrella Academy: the ballad of but first, coffee by deerie I was loving this fic anyway as I was reading it but what completely sold me was how they did Grace, and Five’s interactions with her. Just...Don’t mind me, crying in the corner because FEELS HAPPENED. Also Klaus being part of a knitting group? 10/10 if it doesn’t happen in season 2 I’ll riot

19. Longest fic/series you’ve read this year:

Good Omens: Inverse Omens by @amuseoffyre This series is so sweet and sad and lovely and painful and heartwarming and goddamn it Aziraphale sort out your panicking boyfriend!! I look forward to every update, and I love all the little historical moments and tidbits of information! Also the author updates super fast and I need to know what writing deity they made a sacrifice to and if that deity will accept a can of Dr Pepper and Walker’s crisps because that’s all I’ve got

20. The last fic you’ve read:

The Umbrella Academy: a life still permanent by @iguessyouregonnamissthepantyraid By complete coincidence I am halfway through rereading this fic and I’m kicking myself for forgetting how goddamn good it is. I adore Claire and anyone who lays a finger on her head will face my wrath, and Allison’s siblings being awesome aunts and uncles? Yeeeeeeessss!!

21. Wildcard fic you haven’t mentioned but deserves a shout-out + why:

The Umbrella Academy: Beyond the Fire by DenDragon14 Soft Luther? Five dealing with his trauma? A setting we haven’t seen before with these characters? Klaus taking a picture he totally won’t use for blackmail later? Yep, this is my kind of fic! It’s just SO. SOFT.

Tagging: As long as you want to, all the authors I mentioned!!

[bananna-threads]

When I was younger, I used to make a lot of t-shirts, bags, hats, etc. as gifts for my friends.

They would always feature a character from a show or movie that they liked (admittedly, it also had to be something I liked, or else I would have no interest in making it haha). I wish I had photos of some of my old projects, but I was always bad about remembering to take them before they were given away, and never seen again :P

I really appreciate those of my friends who made the effort to use/wear the things I made for them, because I realize now how embarrassing that might have been given the...childish amateurish look they often had.

But because they always seemed happy with my presents, I continued to create and improve! And now, you can see the result of all my trials and errors.

These characters are mostly made from felt/fleece (I had to learn through the aforementioned trials and errors that it is much better to use fabric that doesn't fray for things like this). Little buttons were also sewn onto Wirt and Greg's clothes, a scrap of pleather for Greg's little bag, and two scraps of silver satin were sewn together into the shape of a little teapot and turned right-side out for his "elephant trunk."

I start by choosing an image that is easily translated to simple color blocks, which usually means a cartoon character. I then decide which parts of the image will be its own "layer", or fabric piece. For example, Jason Funderburger (frog), is made up of a main body, a left and right leg, two arms, lips, two eyes, two pupils, and dark coloring on both the left and right sides. I take the original reference image and then crop around each of these elements. It ends up looking like a collage of body parts and shapes in a word doc. I can then print it and cut out a dedicated "pattern piece" for each element. I trace around these paper pieces onto their corresponding fabrics and cut them out. These are then layered and hand stitched to one another where they overlap.

It took me awhile to decide what I wanted these to be sewn onto, but ultimately went with little linen pillows. The borders are embroidered in fall colors--small stalks of wheat, french knot winter berries, fallen leaves blowing in the wind, and fern-like branches frame each brother.

I had a lot of fun making these, and they always keep me company during my obligatory otgw re-watch every fall!

Decorative Over the Garden Wall pillows!

[florensflos-archived]

★ —  I have so much I want to say about Wirt and like OTGW but... I’d literally talk your ear off about it ?? So Imma just make a post to get my thoughts going because eventually I gotta write for him.

He literally never shuts the fuck up unless told so

sassy or a pushover. like pick one or the other wirt, we can’t have both.

i like to think that he’s having a harder time accepting his step father because he really has this mentality that everything in his life MUST go bad. its like,,, the fucking pessimistic side of him, yeah, but he can’t look past his own dumb nose and realize that not everyone in life is out to get him.

aside from the step father biz like ?? you ever think wirt blames himself for his parents divorce and thats why he pushes the blame on other people too ?? dunno. just spewing shit at this point.

he’s into a lot of things that he feels like people would look down on cause its more ‘high class artsy shit’ like poetry, interior design, instruments, etc. bet you anything he’s really into art too.

I mean, its speculated that Wirt and Greg were on the cusp of death when they fell into the water, right? like it must’ve been freezing cold and they probably passed out from shock. but like,,, what if that’s just the unknown? i mean like everyones probably heard this shit already and theyre tired of it but like seriously, what if they just got stuck there lmao

over the garden wall is just the fall version of spirited away, prove me wrong.

i kinda really like that wirt messes up a lot? its so,,, normal and human vs children who mess up in shows and aren’t told shit. whereas when wirt has messed up in the comics or show, he is told something. and like you can tell he feels bad. idk i like that w/e

okay im rambling now idk what else to say but ill add more once im like,,, done rewatching the series

[o-lanterns]

🐒😂🔥!!!!

🐒 What’s your favorite line from your special interest if it’s a video game/movie/tv show/etc?

the one I echolalia the most from billy and mandy is definitely “364 days a year, I can’t even go to the ding-dong grocery store to buy PUDDING!” 

second place goes to “well relax, old friend. don’t lose your head.” because the delivery is so fucking sick

for otgw I think I’ve said it before but it’s Wirt’s “I was never any good to him alive, either.” it hits me so hard every time every single time

😂 Something funny about your special interest?

I feel bad for Irwin in Jacked Up Halloween but the part in the prank rube goldberg sequence where he gets hit with the 3 pies in a row makes me snort EVERY time. I don’t know what it is but face pies are always funny.

when recording Wirt’s Terrible Song from Songs of the Dark Lantern, Pat McHale and Colin Dean(Greg’s voice) were shouting “sing lover, sing!” at Elijah Wood over and over again trying to make him feel as pressured as possible. There was also no melody written for the song, it was intentional that Elijah had to ad-lib how he would sing it.

🔥 How many special interests do you have at the moment?

hhhhuhhhhhh aaaahhha I don’t even know, I have just a few active ones but always have ones on the back burner that could start sizzling again at any moment. *bends over to pick up a special interest* *bends over to pick up a special interest* *bends over to pick up a special interest* I consider cartoons in general to be a special interest though, it just has a lot of subsections and sub-subsections

[genaleah]

oh god I remember jack o lantern!!! do u have any headcanons?

WHY YES, I DO. And I come armed with new knowledge from re-listening to the soundtrack and reading the comics! Which by the way, if you want to read the issues that include the story of the Woodsman and his daughter Anna, that would be these: Special #4 (their entire backstory), and then half of each of these issues is about Anna: #1, #2, #3, and #4.

And if you want my previous TL;DR regarding this ship, here’s that too! (That post also includes as link to Luc’s otgw tag, which has some really cool headcanons regarding Enoch and Pottsfield.)

I’ll start with my music-based headcanons.

- Based on the hymn that they’re singing at the huskin’ bee, I think the folks of Pottsfield are Puritans. The Woodsman and Anna strike me as vaguely Christian too, but… not in any active way. They live in the middle of nowhere, they’re not going to church.

- The Woodsman has a very short leitmotif that plays through the series. I think this is the sound of the music box from his home, which receives a lot of attention in the comics. It’s what wakes him up to go rescue Anna from the Beast, and it plays again to comfort Anna when she’s all alone. The comic strongly suggests that it’s one of the few things that the Woodsman’s wife can manipulate from beyond the grave. So it’s not just *his* theme, but the entire family, and how they’ve all been trying so hard to protect each other. The tune of it is also taken from “Into the Unknown”, these lines in particular: “Where have we come, and where shall we end? If dreams can’t come true, then why not pretend?”

INTO THE DEEP-DIVE THEORETICAL HISTORY HEADCANON HERE WE GOAfter reading the Woodsman’s backstory, I’ve decided to re-work my timeline for how he and Enoch meet. This is entirely theoretical, but I’m gonna try to connect it to the canon as much as I can:

The Woodsman was completely unaware of the presence of the ‘Unknown’ for a long time, his fears regarding the forest were generally vague. After the death of his wife, he was forced to go outside their property to fend for himself and Anna for the first time. His only real outdoorsman skill was chopping firewood, so he turned to that as a way to make some money to purchase the food and supplies that they couldn’t grow themselves. He left young Anna at home as he traveled to the nearby towns, because he trusted her to tend to the homestead, but not enough to be safe in the woods without his constant supervision. (He’s VERY anxious). (Also I’m bummed to re-work this bit of the timeline, because I liked the idea of Anna also encountering Pottsfield when she’s really young. BUT it seems like her first encounter with the Unknown is the Beast when she’s a young teen, and a few glimpses into it here and there while she’s stuck at home. I think it’s likely that she would explore the Unknown a bit more after she befriends Jordan, but I don’t think she’d want to leave the home empty for too long, either.)

Anyway! One day, out in the woods, the Woodsman gets a bit lost… and officially wanders into the Unknown. What better place for a first brush with this space between life/death, reality/dreams, than Pottsfield? And what better time than the harvest season?

It’s not common for people to wind up there. I’ve mentioned before, but Pottsfield seems like an incredibly unusual place by the Unknown’s standards. It’s very straightforward about its association with death while the rest of the Unknown seems much more vague, or more related to dreams and memories.

But Pottsfield seems like a natural place for the Woodsman to wind up in. He just had a traumatizing experience with death, and he’s got a bit of a grim personality already. A concept that is expanded on in the comics is that the Unknown LOOKS different to each person within it. Here’s how Greg sees the Unknown:

Here’s how Wirt sees it:

I get the feeling that the Woodsman has a similar outlook on the Unknown to Wirt’s. Melancholic, dangerous, perhaps more grounded in reality than dream. Also, I think that Pottsfield is one of the few places that would be historically contemporary and familiar to him. He and his wife survived the Civil War, and the design of Pottsfield was heavily based on vintage Halloween postcards from that time period (mid 1800s). So this reality-based guy is drawn to a place that makes sense for HIS reality. …Aside from the magic shape shifting town leader and the pumpkin-skeletons, but we’re getting there. 

But because I don’t want his first visit to Pottsfield to be identical to Greg and Wirt’s, I decided to steal an idea that was scrapped from the show: 

A trial! Which probably would’ve been due to the Woodsman doing something worse than the boy’s little party-crash. Maybe he got scared and tried to protect himself from the scary undead villagers? I’m not totally decided on what he did. But either way, the Woodsman would do his best to defend himself in court. He used to be a judge, after all.

I’m not *sure* if he would win or lose this case (again, not exactly sure what he’d do to wind up in this situation to begin with), but through it he would come to realize that oh… these people don’t mean any harm, they’re actually quite nice.

The citizens of Pottsfield aren’t the type to hold grudges, and they’re quickly endeared to this jumpy old city-guy with no sense for farming or living in the woods. It’s not long before they’re able to make a deal: his lumber in exchange for some basic farming lessons and necessities. He has a little girl to take care of, and they’re going to do the best they can to make sure he’ll be able to. If it weren’t for Pottsfield, they might not have survived their first winter alone.

The Woodsman doesn’t tell his daughter of this, or the other strange things that he starts to see in the forest. He doesn’t want to scare her, or worse, encourage her to go exploring. There are still dangerous things out there, and he’s not entirely convinced that there isn’t something dark behind Pottsfield too. The dead shouldn’t still be among the living, right? And yet… He keeps going back. Just for the work, he thinks. Just for the supplies, just until he can figure out what he’s doing, and then he’ll stop dabbling in this.

During this time he gets to know some of the townsfolk a bit better. Especially Enoch. I’ve already covered a lot of why I think they’d get along real well, so I’m gonna skip that for now.

Some more assorted headcanons:

-Enoch has a few additional seasonal forms for each of the major solstice celebrations. A huge snowman in winter, and a large sunflower-headed maypole in the summer. The harvest season is the most important, and his personal favorite. The other citizens of Pottsfield will also dress up for the different seasons, but otherwise just wear normal working clothes.

-The first form that the Woodsman ever saw Enoch in, aside from the pumpkin maypole, was as a black cat. He prefers his human appearance the most.

- At some point, the Woodsman mentions his wife, and asks that they keep an eye out for her, in case she comes to rest. Enoch readily agrees. In truth, she’s too far gone in another resting place. It seems difficult for her to reach Anna.  

- SPEAKING OF HER, she’s very supportive of the Woodsman’s relationship with Enoch. The hard truth of the matter is, she can’t be with him or Anna right now. It’s not fair for her to keep appearing and make them entirely secluded in their little cottage, forever talking to a ghost in the walls. It’s not a healthy way for their family to exist. But she’ll ALWAYS be a part of them, despite the distance. Enoch would not be replacing her, he’s a different part of their family and a loving presence in the Woodsman and Anna’s lives. She has no ill-will toward him.

- Anna may feel a bit betrayed at first, especially since her connection to her mother has grown since her death. It doesn’t seem fair to let her go now. But she’s the one to realize the Woodsman’s true feelings towards Enoch even before he knows it himself. And she can understand her mother’s perspective after some time and thought.

- After the Woodsman is tricked into the servitude of the Beast, I think he becomes a permanent fixture in the Unknown. He’s not really a ghost, but not a normal living man, either. I think his status of life is not dissimilar from the boys or Quincy Endicott. He doesn’t need sleep or sustenance, doesn’t age, etc. Meanwhile some folks seem to go about like normal and never have any peculiar side effects from living there. Anna is still going to grow old and die as she would’ve, but he may not. Not until he make the conscious choice to, at least.

- That’s all I’ve got right now but there may be more later. Adios! ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ 

[butchniqabi]

(editor's note: when i refer to fairy tales and folktales just assume i mean those of western literary canon, mostly from europe and (white) america, unless i specify otherwise)

(second editor's note: tbh im kinda just talking and start rambling after a while. enjoy)

ive been watching this every year since it aired 8 years ago and i still find little details in the story even now...wow! the power of storytelling! in all fairness though the first 5 years i didnt have captions so that has contributed a bit to it. didnt realize til today that before the title card fades out there is a sound of a train whistle, which is absolutely loud enough to hear even if youre underwater (<- lives close to train tracks).

i just love how it embraces the fairy taleness of it, the begginning just throws you into this world and because of the stories we read and the tropes at play as an audience we make certain assumptions about what happened just minutes before the show begins. two children lost in the woods trying to get home...you already have a certain idea of what happened (went to fetch something specific, tried to take a shortcut, trying to reach somewhere important, etc) and it isnt until the second episode that the narrative starts to break down a little bit with wirt saying "do you have a phone?" and "maybe we can find someone to give us a ride home." all "classic" fairy tales, while usually nonspecific about time period, are assumed to have taken place at decent amount of time prior to being written down. many stories that can be classified as contemporary fairy tales, we rarely consider fairy tales! and since over the garden wall centers around americana, it is already much more "modern" than the Well Know fairy tales of western canon.

so, we have that subversion of expectations wrt our assumptions about the narrative, and as we get to the penultimate episode we realize just how close the story actually takes place (my guess has always been 90s but im unsure if the creators have ever said exactly) and so it takes on the label of "contemporary fairy tale" in a (imo) really unique way! by having modern kids enter the strange, terrifying, and curiously morbid world that embodies aspects of american culture, its folktales (and fairy tales), and how deeply, incredibly unsettling and alienating that world is. greg's "dream" which is manufactured by the beast to manipulate him, is not surprisingly reminiscent of the Great American Fairy Tale wizard of oz and also of cartoons from the 20s-40s. both of these, in traditional american fashion, are ubiquitous for their "creepy" elements, horrifying (sometimes only speculative) implications, and of "ruined childhood"-esque urban legends, rumors of death, devil worship, and much much more (for more info, i suggest finding the "weird side" of youtube). most if not all fairy tales, of which Woz and many cartoons qualify as, involve death in some fashion and otgw definitely embraces that. even if its not as explicit as the pottsfield episode, there is always a sort of undercurrent of momemto mori...ghosts, bones to sort, edelwood, freezing water, keeping a lantern alight. death is pervasive in american storytelling (though honestly, where in the world isnt it?) especially when manifest destiny went into full swing and people "moved" west to further colonize the continent. there was the death in displacement, in the expansion of slavery, and in the deaths of people who took the california, oregon, or (heaven forbid) mormon trails. if memory serves, and dont come for me if the statistic is off i havent done in depth research on westward expansion in a while, the average death rate was something along the lines of 15 deaths per mile. people traveled at most about 20 miles a day, so feel free to do some math. it should be noted however that records were, as the french say, complete shit and the exact number of deaths of black and indigenous people along with white settlers is unknown.

as the Great Pioneers created towns all across the west that begun with little to no resources, death toll was unsurprisingly high. many people moved out west after the discovery of gold at sutter's mill in california in 1848, sparking the largest migration in american history (how's that for some historical accuracy?) and with it followed lots of death, crime, and the addition of folklore to american canon. but this information is only a little detour.

otgw is based primarily on new england, which has a long history of their own legends and mysteries and is probably primarily known for the salem witch trials, hosting many a british loyalist, and being the setting of stephen king novels. witches, vampires, pet semetaries, and puritans have haunted the area for centuries (though pet semetary only for a few decades). regarding puritans specifically, the story of lorna and auntie whispers definitely depicts (and then subverts) thee good ole Protestant Work Ethic, in which laboring brings you closer to god and salvation, with the catch being that only those predestined to be saved will be saved, but you must work hard regardless to make up for your wickedness. auntie whispers very plainly states that lorna is wicked and Must keep busy and clean and labor and work in order to suppress her evil nature. of course lorna is actually inhabited by a demon, but through a more compassionate and loving method she is freed. she is Saved not through punishment but love and friendship and the small community she creates with wirt and greg, which notably opposes what most puritan communities did to those who were deemed wicked and sinful. win for subversion of narratives.

okay now that all of that is out of the way, time to get into some major complaints and gripes i have with the show. what is ultimately incredibly disappointing to me is that greg and wirt are white! many fairy tales, folklore, urban legends, and "cryptids" come from directly from black and indigenous people (with a few notably coming from racialized immigrant communities) and are either stripped of their origins or bastardized into racist, whitewashed depictions. common figures and creatures seen in American Canon: the lone ranger, br'er rabbit, "bigfoot"*, and sacagawea are either stripped from their origins or warped to fit a whitewashed narrative. while many black and indigenous stories (both folktale and history) will retain their backgrounds and be told accurately, in the hands of white america they become racist, demeaning, and can act as insults or pejoratives (john henry being used in context of sexualized racism, the "there are two wolves inside you" becoming a meme, pocahontas being used in the context of sexualized racism and misogyny, and much much more...). white americana is the manifestation of all of america's bigotry and most importantly white supremacy! having the same narrative being navigated by black and/or indigenous children would be far more impactful in terms of the outright criticism and alienating feel of american fairy tales, folktales, and history.

so many common tales of white america are entrenched in colonialism and racism, even when not explicitly stated (ESPECIALLY when not explicitly stated). johnny appleseed planted hundreds of apple trees in orchards (on stolen land), honest abe never lies (except when he "abolished" slavery for everyone except his allies), george washington never exploited his power (except for all the people he owned). the fear, alienation in a place that is familiar, and threat of being disappeared into the landscape itself can be better understood by black and indigenous people and our relationship to america and its landscape, both physical and cultural. interestingly, with regards to this, there is a story i read a while ago where when a man is threatened to be sold to another plantation his wife (or mother? an important woman in his life nonetheless) transforms him into a tree, which allows him to stay close to his family, until unfortunately he is cut down. i sincerely doubt the edelwood trees were intentionally inspired by that story (unless the creators read "the conjure woman" at some point in their lives), but the comparison that could have been made is a tragic missed opportunity.

many historical figures who became folk legends and heroes, especially in the southwest, were infamous and often brutal racists. calamity jane, jesse james, "wild bill" hickok, and buffalo bill** just to name a few. canonized as living legends of america, venerated as the patron saints of the tamèd wild west, the heroes and legends in america can never be truly separated from race. with otgw having an almost exclusively white cast on screen (and off screen...) it feels like a disappointingly huge missed opportunity and shows what the creators constitute as "americana" 😳.

i have talked so damn much and a lot of it isnt even really centered on otgw...i would apologize but i love talking about stories and narratives. lemme know your thoughts or if you have any takeaways from this bc i would love to hear some other perspectives 👁

*here is a post listing many appropriated native spirits commonly labeled "cryptids" with good and insightful commentary by justin

**do not send me an essay about how he was Actually anti-racist and pro-suffrage and all that. "buffalo bill" was created and canonized for killing indigenous people and buffalo, perhaps william fredrick cody is the man you say, but the legend of him is not. and yes this distinction is important.

watching otgw with my mommy. will post analysis later hehe :3

[spacekiddan]

i have friends i promise

hey i got tagged in something lol

i was tagged by the ever amazing @planetliguori so pls go follow that amazing bean!

rules: tag 20 peeps you wanna know better and answer some questions

name: hannah

nicknames: i dont have any???

star sign: leo

height: extra tol (around 6′ dont judge me)

sexual orientation: bi / pan / girls are too beautiful for this earth

hogwarts house: gryffindor

favourite color: pastel purple or blue

average hours of sleep: 7 ish

cats or dogs: DOGS  DOGS DOGS DOGS DOGS DOGS DOGS DOGS

favorite fictional characters: i lov greg and wirt from otgw, everyone from harry potter, light yagami from death note, armin from attack on titan, and a ton more that i cant think of right now

number of blankets i sleep with: 3

favorite musical artists: twenty one pilots, panic! at the disco, my chemical romance, halsey, the neighborhood, etc. 

dream trip: road trip with all my buds from the @whiskerphannet

dream job: doing some type of art/creative job could be anything from graphic designer to film maker

when was this blog created: May 11th 2016

number of followers: 796 (i still dont know how omg)

when did this blog reach it’s peak: idek its never really hit a peak its just slowly moving up

twenty people: yeah i dont know that many people so if youre reading this you should do it lol

[343guiltyshark]

hi it’s tomorrow! get ready because I have a LOT i love about this show. I’m not gonna try to spoil too much but if you haven’t seen it pleaasee go watch it it’s like 2 hours long and it’ll change your life or something

the music. The Music. i am a sucker for leitmotif and music as a storytelling device and otgw provides in Spades. also the music is just really good in general. i can’t think of a single track from the show that i could say i dislike

the backgrounds are so so good. i noticed them a lot more upon rewatch and Man they’re pretty. plus those little details (like the light moving on the water in episode 3) do not go unnoticed they’re really nifty

really the art direction in general is unmatched. it’s this really cool blend of both very very stylized and cartoony while also having a lot of elements (like the backgrounds) that are more detailed and realistic than a lot of cartoons and it works really well

one of these days I’m gonna have to talk about the 10th episode just as a point on its own because. i don’t know if it’s in the writing or the line delivery or the music (the music absolutely helps either way) but something about that episode just hits me in the gut every time. especially come wayward souls. every leitmotif has been building to that one moment and it’s great.

i love how much of an asshole wirt is. i love how much of an asshole beatrice is. i love how natural their development and setbacks feel even with the whole show being so short

every year i become more sure of my internal assertion that greg is the best character in all of fiction

all the little hints as to the true nature of things (like the borders being blurred, the phase of the moon never changing, etc)

in conclusion good show I like it

so who wants to hear me infodump about my favorite bits in over the garden wall tomorrow . because i just rewatched it

[grifalinas]

For the ask game, Greg from Over the Garden Wall?

There’s a show I haven’t watched in forever. Let’s see what I can remember.

do I like them: Yeah, he’s a good kid. He could get annoying at times, but in a way that showed he was a well written kid.

5 good qualities: Open and honest, selfless, creative, friendly

3 bad qualities: Will not just fucking listen, made me wonder if potatoes and molasses would be a good combination, stole a rock

favourite episode/etc: The riverboat episode, just because of the scene with the frog. I love that scene.

otp: None

brotp: I do love him and the frog being bros.

ot3: None

notp: I have a sinking feeling that people ship him with Wirt, so let’s just go ahead and put that one.

best quote: Greg is a goldmine of good quotes honestly. Let’s see what I’ve got saved.

(Sorry I just honestly really love that scene)

head canon: I dunno, I don’t think I really have any OTGW headcanons.