#i am simply an adult who enjoys disney

[pattiannlupone]

i want to take a day, an early morning flight, and go to disneyworld early one saturday morning and then come home sunday afternoon. spend the morning in the park, then check into the hotel, spend evening at the pool, then go back to the park for dinner and late-night shenanigans.

beneath neon lights and artificial stone, amidst strict greenery and the occasional rustle of a leaf on the breeze, think about kissing in abandoned corners, grazing lips and teeth and rock.

i wish for one thing but to experience wonderment. it’s something my mental health has taken from me. i used to be able to draw and draw, and today i drew, and everything was existential.

what can i do but click the first search result for “magical places.” what can i do but look behind me, a distant glistening memory from before it was all too real. what can i do but return to the place i was, at the very least, safe.

and yes, there is artifice. but you’re aware of it, and that awareness amplifies the high, i think. nothing’s real here. nothing’s real. not you, not the character you took a photo with, not even the beer you’re drinking for the crisp shock of hops on a sweltering Saturday afternoon. and for long enough, it doesn’t have to be.

is there not relief in ignorance?

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again halloween problems (10/31/2023)

not quite an "oops all friends" edition but this edition heavily advised by viewers like you. thank you!

listening

mcr's blood, for seasonal reasons. spotify

Father Finlee by Spence Hood and Justin Ray Stringer is my new favorite song, a spooky prison? folk ballad? elements of the work song and dirge about it. rounds are underutilized in modern music imo.

Finlee played that guard like a fiddle Turned his own fears into a honing missile “Father can you save my soul…” “Well, first you gotta bring me a little C4...”

usually when a song intrigues me like this i try to find interviews or breakdowns of samples or something, but i am coming up flat empty. @dying-suffering-french-stalkers tasting notes: "Volga Boatmen, maybe, but by way of like...1950s/60s Disney choruses? Like Grim Grinning Ghosts?" spotify

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reading

somewhat horrifying but unsurprising article about how companies who want (or want to keep) governments contracts can buy out entire DC Metro stations' adspaces. via @andmaybegayer i think?

The Pentagon station, a prime target for reaching DOD staffers, was one of a kind. The Pentagon is the most expensive station to “dominate” according to Outfront Media data which I obtained, even though it has substantially fewer riders than some of the others. Advertising to the 665,786 commuters estimated to visit the Pentagon station in a four week period costs $198,000 (about 30 cents per commuter), before fees. Yet in Gallery Place-Chinatown, a station in downtown DC farther away from government buildings, it costs only $120,000 to reach more than three times as many people (5 cents per commuter).

it is difficult to stress how uncooperative miss mackintosh was during this book's photoshoot. this is genuinely the best one.

i did not enjoy and did not finish Roshani Chokshi's 2018 queer magical intrigue and heist caper in belle epoque france, first in a trilogy. i think there is a mismatch between concept and execution here. i originally had a rather long paragraph about how i'd be interested in a non-new-adult book from her, but after checking her website and seeing that she mostly writes midde-grade and YA, and classifies this book as YA (which doesn't really make sense to me, i think everyone in the core crew can legally drink and i think what i read from this book fits better in New Adult) and has a forthcoming adult book i am not interested in, i think she is simply not an author for me. i reevauated this book with YA in mind, but i think teens deserve books with sophisticated writing and good execution too!

this had a really killer hook but the worldbuilding comes very in thick and fast during the first quarter of the book i read, and felt a little dorling kindersley (here is an eye of horus! on a chinese compass! with a sumerian cipher!). the magical system chokshi uses is novel in its heavy reliance on physical objects and like, countermeasures and counterspells? we get little hints of it as a global system, and it feels very analogous to The Power Of The Computer. a lot of it is based on creation of various physical objects, some of it is mind-based, there are the equivalent of magical stone faraday cages. the macguffin is like. what if a major internet exchange was an object you could carry around.

this magic system is so interesting it makes it disappointing and difficult to break down the distinction between "i don't think the soft-skill worldbuilding through connections and loyalties of characters is that well executed in these first hundred pages" and "hate this specific literary device". we are dropped into a heist at a magical auction where the many magical representatives are attending and rapidly rush through a lineup. this would be a really fun movie or other visual setpiece with intricate costuming choices, but it's hard to show and not tell a complex system of combined familial/cultural/nation-state houses of magic with backstabbing politics when you are rushing through a very time-limited heist. i know that it's the first in a trilogy, but the sheer number of factions and names is very large for a ~400 page trilogy entry. if this were a fucking doorstopper of a series i would have more faith that all will be eventually explained and i will eventually be able to distinguish them all, but i truly don't think she has the pages to do that.

the book's most frequent reviewer praise is that most of the core (but still! very wide! there are so many goddamn names!) cast are colonized or otherwise oppressed people, and i must give this book props for including a bisexual man in the ragtag crew. i read up to the first hundred pages to the first twist, and when the person who joins them at the twist has a voice that is not distinct from the existing gang’s, who are already not distinct from each other, i put the book down. a brief excerpt that does not serve this point very well but serves the following paragraph's point

this book felt like someone describing their dnd campaign to me. people on goodreads do love this book so i'm sure it does eventually deliver on the heist and found family aspects, but it's simply not for me.

bought this here in houston over the summer ( i think) not sure where

-

watching

House on Haunted Hill (1959, Castle). this was so charming!!!

"it’s a pity you didn’t know when you started playing murder…that i was playing too." vincent price truly is that bitch. his scenes with his fourth wife in the film, carol ohmart, are electric. they hate each other so much. they've tried to kill each other so many times. she laughs when he reminds her how she poisoned him with arsenic. the sex has got to be insane.

this is a public domain movie that's embedded in its own wikipedia page, lol, but there are various restorations of varying quality floating around.

the exterior shots of the "old, ugly, moldering house" are the frank lloyd wright ennis house in LA, which made me shriek bc it is a famously light/airy/sundrenched building. (exterior wikipedia, interiors here).

thank u @americanwwhore for logging it on letterboxd recently and making me go "oh hey i should watch that too"

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playing

not technically fallow but i don't have an interesting story to tell about how i'm trying to get a specific set of genshin impact achievements

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making

hey remember this baby blanket? i also forgot about it but now we’re up to 7/10 repeats. i may actually get this out before the child turns one

every time i make these sheet pan chicken thighs i arrange them like the isle of man coat of arms bc it amuses me. had to really mangle them to get a good temp reading but i have not yet given myself food poisoning here (fingers remain crossed).

[celestial-blade]

Hey!

hi :) I'm Jazzie (23), I'm autistic and ADHD, and I enjoy things more than a normal amount. I write a bunch of little stories around what the fixation wants.

I am also happy to take asks and requests :)

My main fandoms, in no particular order are:

Stardew Valley

Disney's Descendants

Ninjago

Star Wars (see my Star Wars blog @goldleader-eb43 for all things 'Everything Upward' particularly)

select Marvel content (GotG and Spider-Man mostly)

Disney's Haunted Mansion

Assorted anime (jjk, demon slayer, hxh)

If you are a minor please do not interact with my adult content, or privately with me.

I won't post whole fics on Tumblr, just excerpts and concepts, but you can find me on Wattpad and AO3 where my whole fics will be posted. You can also find me and many fic playlists on my Spotify. Below is a masterlist of everything I've posted, here and elsewhere...

Full Works

My Masterlist for oneshots and smaller works is here!

(List frequently under construction)

Everything Upward (Star Wars)

In which a hopeful pilot is faced with her wildest dreams and darkest nightmares faster than life itself. More on this can be found on my other blog @goldleader-eb43

Wattpad | AO3

Tales of Auradon (Descendants)

After Mal almost chose to return to the Isle of the Lost, King Ben noticed the flaw in his system. Working with Neverland Academy and Camelot Heights, his aim to invite the children of villains off the Isle of the Lost turns true to giving them a place to call home. Change however, is rarely a straight and simple course. These ten stories follow the happily ever afters of citizens of the United States of Auradon, new and old. (Plotted and set prior to Rise of Red.)

Wattpad | AO3

Perfect Storms (1) | Captain's Orders (2) | Fragile Curiosity (3) | Spring's Blooms (4) | Against The Tide (5) | I am a Lost Boy (6) | Wildflower (7) | Privateers (8) | Death's Daughter (9) | Mercator Starlight (10)

With Love, Juliet (Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man, cartoons)

A change in circumstance sends England-born Juliet Evans to New York to finish her high school education, but in a city of superheroes comes high house insurance prices, high stakes, and a high chance of danger. (In which we get some potentially-funny cartoon style chapters about the Spidey crew. Nothing here is too serious, I am simply here for the vibes.)

Wattpad | AO3

[Coming soon...] (Ninjago)

I honestly don't have a name for this series yet but uhhhh

Rock Steady//Get Up!

Left in Embers//Out of Ashes

Laws of e(Motion)//Synesthete//Potential Dividers

Popular With A Capital P

Grass is Greener

Turning Tides

My Way (Disney's Haunted Mansion)

Upon waking in an unfamiliar house, and no idea of who she is let alone where, Esme is presented with a choice. Accept ignorance to who she was and live a new afterlife in Gracey Manor, or discover her past life and recover her memories by figuring out how she died. Her journey of self discovery uncovers the truth about her premature death, changing the lives of everyone she left behind for good. (Undergoing rewrites)

Wattpad | AO3

[dusk-outlaw-gaming]

The Owl House... what a great show it is.

It quickly solidified its place as my favorite show, a show I find comfort in.

I know it might sound weird but The Owl House has taught me that it's not only okay to be different but it's also something I'm allowed to embrace.

I've also experienced and still experience the sting of being called a nerd or a weirdo, being on the receiving end of jibes and teasing; simply because I'm passionate about video games, getting hyped about something others may deem as odd or because I live out my creativity by writing fanfictions, making music or compiling funny video game moments into a video edit, layered with music and sound effects. Heck, even for watching The Owl House I get made fun of because it's a cartoon and cartoons are "made for kids" and I'm an adult with a job; am I not allowed to enjoy things?

Being called a nerd/weirdo made me feel insecure about my hobbies, making them seem like something that I shouldn't even be vocal about. As a result I usually either tone down my enthusiasm or don't talk about my hobbies at all if I meet new people unless I know the other person has a similiar or the same interest; even then I'm still cautious.

When I began watching The Owl House - unfortunately way too late - I was immediately drawn in by its undeniable charm.

We have Luz, whose journey through the Boiling Isles showed me that embracing my true self is a strength, not a weakness. I can relate to her because I also am afraid to be made fun of for the the way I am, to not fit in because I like the things that I like, having to pretend to be someone I'm not.

We have Amity - as a lesbian myself, I see a reflection of my own experiences as we catch on to her crush on Luz. I've been there too.

Her fear of being rejected - yeah, I understand.

Amity blushing around her crush, doing stupid things around her - yes, can relate to that too

The way Amity talks about how things have gotten confusing since Luz came to the Boiling Isles, making her think things she's never thought before, making her feel things she never used to feel - absolutely, 100% relatable.

Also the instances of Amity gay panicking over Luz... absolutely accurate! (At least that's how I'd panick around my crush if I had one)

Even the way Luz's and Amity's blossoming feelings for each other are portrayed is so on point; it doesn't feel rushed or "just placed into the show to be inclusive" like many other TV shows these days unfortunately fall prey to and make it seem forced... or being used as a running gag in the show (which also applies to many other stereotypes); instead their relationship develops in such a natural way until we get to Knock, knock, knockin' on Hooty's door (I love that bird tube) which gives Luz and Amity the final push to ask each other out; the way this entire scene plays out... ugh, my heart.

But it's not only Luz and Amity who resonated with me; there are so many characters that just add to the show with their own backstories, personal struggles and fears... Eda, King, Raine, Willow, Gus, Hunter, Lilith, Camila... each character enriches the overall story.

The Owl House is just so good at what it does: The story-telling, having characters with unique personalities and their development throughout 3 seasons (still mad at Disney for robbing us of a full 3rd season) alongside the representation of different sexualities and identities; I also love the fact that homophobia (or any other kind of phobia) just doesn't exist on the Boiling Isles. Everything is depicted as normal (as it should be); heck even Odalia wasn't like "what? My daughter is dating a girl?! UNACCEPTABLE!" Odalia is still effed up but... you get my point.

I'd also like to add that I appreciate the way The Owl House tackles serious matters like trauma and struggling with mental health issues. These themes are never trivialized or oversimplified; instead, they are woven into the plot, into the characters' journeys in a way that feels honest and true. This thoughtful representation provides solace and validation to viewers who may be grappling with their own challenges... like myself. It's a reminder that such struggles are real and complex.

So, in conclusion... The Owl House does an amazing job making me happy and I'll definitely rewatch... multiple times.

It's a show that welcomes all forms of uniqueness with open arms, and for that, I am profoundly grateful to Dana Terrace and the entire crew. Thank you for creating a space where I, and hopefully so many others, can feel understood and seen, despite the challenges you had to face to make this show happen and play out the way you wanted it to.

"The only thing I've ever really wanted... was to be understood" Luz Noceda, S3 E2, For The Future

[bibimbap-anti-fragile]

To What Extent Do Films Have to Be Realistic to Be Enjoyable?

These days more people watch movies and films as a way of escapism, to experience stories that are beyond the world rather than focus on the hyper connected world we live in. Most people prefer to enjoy the film that they are watching instead of pondering upon the nihilism some films show and experiencing tales from other worlds. However, there has recently been an increase in films talking about the harsh reality that we live in, which invites the viewers to reflect upon the films they watch to evaluate their current surroundings. So, do films really need to be realistic for it to be enjoyable?

The plausibility of believability is a way that filmmakers use to make the viewer immerse themselves in the events that occur but having a few deviations from reality would not impact the films enjoyability. Take for example “A Wrinkle In Time'' a movie which features actors who are famous in beauty magazines, however they are called ugly in the movie making it feel unbelievable. Yet scenes like it still do not hinder what the movie is trying to present to the viewer, which is that everyone deserves love no matter who they are. Take another example, “Jurassic World Dominion'' showing a raptor chasing the protagonist in a motorbike which may be unrealistic, but it still manages to appeal to the viewers as a fun chase scene. The scene does not focus on how realistic a dinosaur will act but it is meant to convey a fast paced chase scene to create excitement. The subway fight in “John wick 2” is highly unrealistic since silencers in real life will most likely not be as silent as what is shown, but it is still a thrilling scene to watch happen. The enjoyability of these scenes can be seen from the box office gross profit on the opening weekend with John Wick 2 $30,436,123 (33.1% of total gross).

Given the above there are films that are very realistic which are then followed by something unrealistic which may be shocking to the viewers. The drama series “Breaking Bad” is grounded in reality from the scenarios to how the characters act, but it is also followed by scenes that are incredibly unrealistic. For example, a man is unscathed after jumping off a cliff to reach a car that crashed, someone walking out with half of his body charred and still being able to walk out of the room normally after being blown up. Despite how unrealistic the scenes are, the majority of the viewers still found it enjoyable with a 9.5/10 IMDB rating. A sudden unrealistic scene like it doesn’t throw away the impact of the show’s storyline.

A child’s mind is simple and imaginative so unrealistic movies would be enjoyable for them. A “Happily ever after” or the villain’s always losing may not be realistic but it is still enjoyable for children. A large majority of Disney movies end with a “Happily ever after” which gives happiness and hope for children. A movie like Shrek will be more enjoyable for children compared to Batman the dark knight rises. A movie or a tv show with a simple premise will still be very enjoyable for them, for example the animated movie “Hero Factory” where the villain’s motivation is simply “I am evil and want to do evil.” If you were to show this to an adult who understands basic morality, they might think it’s boring. However, for a child watching the show they enjoy it because characters look cool and not the complexity of a moral grey area.

In addition, there are people who enjoy watching the deep thematic themes a film shows rather than the shallow themes of an action film like Iron man. There are countless movies about how dangerous someone could be if they are mentally ill in certain circumstances, however this kind of plot has been used countless times, to the point that it has become a cliché. The film “Split” can be used as an example, where the main antagonist is a person with multiple personalities. So when someone with multiple personality disorder watches the  film, they won’t be able to enjoy the film or even feel offended by the movie’s themes. Such topics are only used as window dressing as a way to scare the audience because older films say they're creepy and not because they were trying to make a point. In contrast, the film Parasite talks about the difference in power dynamic between the rich and the poor, mirroring the real world issues that surround us all. Its enjoyability does not just come from the writer’s intention to comment on the world’s current state of affairs but how these issues could happen in real life, if we choose to continue to ignore all of the signs.

Unrealistic films may sometimes be a possibility of reality, which is one of the major reasons why people may get delusional from watching too much. The “Truman syndrome”, a term coined by the drama film “The Truman Show” is one example where viewers believe that their lives are either a staged reality or they are being watched on a camera. Being too delusional is a bad thing in one way or another, it blinds you from reality. Which in the “Truman syndrome” case most of the patients feels that there privacy has been invaded and this is a serious case as some of them would rather suicide if they can’t get rid of the so called “reality show”. Although a small percentage of them take pride in their imagined celebrity, they are still blinded by ideas from unrealistic films, which may sooner or later cause them to be hit hard by reality. This can show that unrealistic films may be very fun to watch, we should not engage in our imaginations too as it may cause us to be severely delusional.

However, there is no movie which is totally realistic or unrealistic. Each facet of a movie from the emotions to the story mirrors reality in one way, shape, or form. The writer can subvert the viewers’ expectation by having a character act realistically despite the fictional world that they inhabit. The movie Scream shows the murderer anticipating the characters to call the police, so they took precautions beforehand to make sure the protagonist enters a scenario where they have no choice, but to do so. The film “Doctor Strange, The Multiverse of Madness”, a film that is famous for its wild and unrealistic imagination. The film shows Wanda being corrupted by the darkhold stating "You break the rules and become a hero I break the rules and become the enemy", Strange from another multiverse stating, “Your Sacrifice Is Greater Than Your Power” and Charles Xavier stating, “Just Because Someone Stumbles”. This shows that although the film may be unrealistic it doesn’t mean that the lessons we learn from the films can’t be used in reality. In short, films that we watch may seem unrealistic on the outside, but there is always a bit of realism in it that we can take, a lesson that we can apply in reality.

In conclusion, there are many reasons why realistic movies are enjoyable, but ultimately the greatest deciding factor on a film's enjoyability comes down to the viewer's experience. A movie can be incredibly unrealistic to show an exciting fight scene or have a shocking scene to catch the viewer off guard. However, some films prefer to stay grounded in reality to reflect the current world today and movies that are unrealistic could cause some to become delusional. Then more realistic shows might not be enjoyed by everyone, like how not everyone will enjoy a cartoon designed for children. Therefore, it is not necessary for movies to be realistic for it to be enjoyable.

Fried by: Gabriel

[figr0llmouse]

Yeah.....no.

When the majority of the film's critiques come from people who either:

Didn't even watch the movie, but are simply jumping on an Anti-Disney bandwagon and being really performative about it. (Nimona and Miyazaki stans)

Right-wing grifters (these are all over YouTube.)

People who suffer from severe Media Illiteracy and therefore are incapable of following a simple movie (even by Disney movie standards) like Wish. The majority of the critiques I've seen are due to them either not paying attention or completely misunderstanding what's happening, which is really concerning when these critiques are coming from grown adults.

People who already made up their minds that they were going to hate the movie before it was even released.

So of course the people who genuinely enjoyed the movie (like myself) are going to be dismissive when the majority of the discourse surrounding it is done in bad faith or is overtaken by a bunch of spoilt brats who didn't get the movie they felt they were entitled to.

I don't expect you to agree with me though. I am just of the opinion that it is best to judge a piece of media for what it is, not for what I think it should be.

I've seen a few takes along the lines of "Why don't the Wish-haters just ignore the movie if they hate it so much? Why spend so much time on something you don't like?"

I do kind of feel bad for people who genuinely enjoyed the movie, since so much of the "fandom" is dominated by rewrites and re-imaginings and discussions of what the movie should have done better/different. But I also think "people should just ignore the media they don't like and only focus on things they uncritically enjoy" is a flawed take, for several reasons:

Some people do genuinely enjoy reading and writing critical dissections of movies (or books or shows or whatever) and find it a useful mental exercise as far as figuring out what it is about media that does or doesn't work for them. To me it's pretty cool that so many people are coming up with alternate-universe versions of Wish, making fan animatics or fan art of these AU versions, etc.

With movies, the options are not just "love it or hate it." It's possible to have a complicated love/hate relationship with a piece of media, or to like some aspects of that media and not others. This sense of wasted potential, of "it could have been amazing" can be frustrating, and critical discussions are a way to process these feelings.

I believe that the worst thing you can do with a piece of media is ignore it and let it vanish quietly into obscurity. Particularly when so much work from so many different people went into it. This is a subjective thing, I realize, but something being forgotten seems worse to me than it being complained about. "Hating" on a movie is still engaging with it. Many of the "haters" still bought tickets and even merch. I've complained a lot about Wish, but I saw the movie four times in theaters! I bought the soundtrack. Artists gotta get paid. And the rewrites/re-imaginings/criticisms keep the movie in the public consciousness, keep people talking about it to a degree that would not be happening if the only people talking about the movie were the ones who uncritically loved it.

[agentnico]

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) Review

Casting Cate Blanchett as the voice of the monkey that simply goes “ook-ook” and “eek-eek” is either the greatest vocal performance ever or the grandest mockery of a famed Hollywood starlet. Either or - it works!

Plot: Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi's classic tale of the wooden marionette who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto. This whimsical, stop-motion musical directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world.

One begs the question is there really a need for yet another Pinocchio adaptation after the gazillion that have come out previously. We even had the Disney remake come out a couple of months ago with Tom Hanks doing his best flustering about in front of a green screen and though that one is a fun drunk watch, honestly the tale of the living puppet has been overdone one too many times. However when a director like del Toro comes into play, things are a bit more interesting as he is a director with such a distinct gothic surreal style that I decided to give this Pinocchio a go after all.

I am glad I did. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a shoehorn for a Best Animated Picture nomination at the Academy Awards as this is some of the best stop-motion animation ever put to screen. The amount of detail on all the character designs and the smooth transitions from scene to scene - this movie looks incredible. Even the imagery that at times can be classed as creepy is also eerily beautiful in the typical del Toro way. Pinocchio himself is a very rough and rigid build, one that resembles a wooden Frankenstein monster, as he has been built within the plot during a drunken blunder, and it shows. Again though, due to the innocent playful vocal work by newcomer Gregory Mann, he imbues the dire doll to be a very likeable and adorable little chap, one that you care for and want to see succeed. It’s typical del Toro do mix the frightening with the beautiful to create a concoction of the fantastical. And this movie is a visual feast. Also straight up impressive. The amount of work that goes into stop-motion....I could hardly have the patience to make a short 30 second LEGO stop-motion YouTube vid, let alone a full fledged feature with originally designed figures and puppets. 

Reinforcing more that this is Guillermo del Toro going fully Guillermo del Toro, the film uses the fantasy tale to address some serious mature adult themes such as death and an abundant amount of fascism. No really, even the Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini makes an appearance in the movie! This is very reminiscent of del Toro using fiction to provide a social commentary on historical events, like in his magnum opus work Pan’s Labyrinth. However these unsettling themes are balanced out with a good chunk of child-friendly comic relief (Ewan McGregor’s cricket gets squashed numerous times yet he always gets up again like Charlie fricking Chaplin) and musical numbers, which results in a bit of odd tonality, however again, it’s Guillermo del Toro through and through. 

In conclusion, was there a need for yet another Pinocchio adaptation? Nope, however Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio embraces its title to the fullest in that it is del Toro through and through. For better or worse, as does one really need to see Pinocchio praise in song the mighty Il Duce? Depends on the audience member, as its not for everyone, but I myself really enjoyed seeing the director’s vision and the impressive animation. Shame though that Ewan McGregor doesn’t sing ‘Be Our Guest’ in this one but I guess that’s forgivable. 

Overall score: 7/10

[corvidiss]

On the Creature’s early influences and how they affected his view of relationships.

(Two TL;DRs at the bottom; one as a detailed summary, one as a far briefer summary.)

I will refer to Frankenstein’s creation as the Creature rather than Adam in this essay, as A) not all people call him Adam, and B) it will avoid confusion with Adam from Paradise Lost.

When thinking about the maturity and motives of the Creature, I was compelled to think on his request for a bride, and his early influences. My thoughts on the matter follow:

The Creature grew up (though his body was adult, his mind was arguably reset and had to grow like a child’s) with no guidance from any parental figure or friend. Instead of being shown the ways of the world by someone, he had to find his way himself; and of the few human things that influenced him, three stand out: Society’s reaction to him, the epic poem Paradise Lost, and the De Lacey family.

Society’s reaction to the Creature was the first, and arguably most important, human factor that affected the development of his worldview. He is immediately abandoned by his creator, and shunned and attacked by the people he stumbles across. Later, Felix De Lacey attacks him violently. All this shows the Creature that he is unaccepted by humanity, and the constant denial of the kindness and love which should come with family (his father, Victor) or familiarity (the family he helped and grew to love) is sure to make him wonder if he’s unworthy of it. His experiences subtly teach him that he is incapable of being loved by humanity, however much he is capable of loving them, and however much he longs for it.

The second factor I’ll address is Paradise Lost, which the Creature says had a profound effect on him. I’ve not read Paradise Lost myself, but I’ve gained the best impression I can from plot summaries and thematic analyses online.

(It is worth mentioning that the Creature relates to Satan – “I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. In Paradise Lost, when Satan comes to Earth to take revenge on God by causing the downfall of his newest and most favoured creations, he is moved to great envy at the sight of Adam and Eve’s innocent happiness; a feeling the Creature will come to know all too well.)

In Paradise Lost, there is no depiction of familial love; only of divine love (of God) and romantic love, and the former is presented as more important than the latter. But the Creature has been shunned by God’s creations, and has been denied the love of his creator, whom he might compare to Adam and Eve’s God – so perhaps the Creature sees divine love as inaccessible to him, and romantic love his only remaining option in a theoretical companion.

Furthermore, when Eve eats the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, Adam chooses to do so too, because he feels his connection to Eve is so strong that they must share each other’s fate, whatever it may be. The Creature has never experienced this kind of devoted connection himself, nor has anyone sacrificed anything for him. Reading about this connection, he must have longed for such a thing himself – a thing, he sees, which has its source in romantic love.

And finally, when Adam and Eve leave their paradise, they are horrified at what they have doomed humanity to, but are comforted by the knowledge that their offspring will have revenge on Satan, and by each other’s love. While Adam’s choice to eat the fruit as well, valuing romantic love over divine love, is depicted as bad in Paradise Lost, Adam and Eve’s romantic connection is shown to be strong enough to keep them happy when they are expelled from their home and the favour of their creator. The Creature might see in this, that if he had a partner like Adam had Eve, he would be able to live with and even enjoy his own exile from humanity.

And thirdly, the De Laceys. Here is the Creature’s only source of what familial love is – and while he sees it to be a comfort to the family, it cannot truly combat the sadness and despondency that hangs over them. They spend evenings listening to the father’s music or reading aloud, but the happiness it affords them, and the happiness it affords the Creature, both fade soon after.

When Safie – Felix’s romantic love – comes along, however, the family’s spirits are brightly restored and their despair disappears. They teach and welcome her – and by doing so teach and, in a way, welcome the Creature too; everything is better for Safie’s presence. Where familial love was inadequate, this appearance of romantic love banishes the family’s sorrow.

Regardless of the true meanings and causes behind the De Lacey’s sorrow and return to happiness, these were the first impressions the Creature got, and so must have shaped his view of the world.

The Creature might be compared to children raised on classic Disney movies of princesses and princes and the portrayal of romantic love in modern media – seeking to enter a romantic relationship before they know what it truly means, or before they are ready, or even before they know true friendship. He grew up an outcast from society, and with sources that taught him of the power of romance, and not its nuances, or what else is possible and just as powerful.

As a result, he sees the only chance of gaining happiness to lie in romantic love. He no longer wishes for the acceptance of his creator – which he has come to see will never be granted to him, and perhaps even begins to believe that he does not deserve it – and instead demands the creation of another like him, so he can have this romantic love which he has been taught, inadvertently, is the only thing that can lift him from his despair.

In short, he's a child who is misguided about relationships: Paradise Lost showed blissful harmony (something which does not occur perfectly in most romances), and the imbalance of power and knowledge between woman and man. While somewhat in keeping with the sexist views of the time, this is a bad starting point for forming romantic relationships when one has had barely any contact with people, let alone the personal interactions necessary for forming one's own opinions on the difference, or lack thereof, in qualities between genders. Not only this, but he is simply not ready for a romantic relationship, especially with someone of an adult age, given his incredibly small experience of relationships and of the world as a whole – and therefore shouldn't be pushed into romantic relationships until he gains more experience as he grows, just like any other child.

Thank you for reading. :)

(TL;DRs beneath cut.)

TL;DR 1:

The Creature was raised with three main human influences: neglect from humanity, Paradise Lost, and the De Lacey family.

The neglect he experienced (Victor's abandonment, the villagers' attacks, Felix's attack) taught him that he is only going to be denied the kindness and love that should come with family (Victor) or familiarity (the family he helped for so long).

Paradise Lost contains only divine love (of God) and romantic love, and since the Creature has been denied the love of his own creator, he might see that romantic love is all that is left to him. The connection between Adam and Eve is strong – the Creature, who surely longs for such a connection, would see its source in romantic love. When Adam and Eve leave their paradise, their love makes it bearable – if the Creature had that love, perhaps, he might think, his own shunned existence would be easier, or even enjoyable.

The De Laceys' familial love is present, but seems inadequate to combat the sadness and despair that hangs over them. But when Safie, a romantic love, arrives, everything gets better and the happiness is restored. Romantic love seems, to the developing Creature’s mind, stronger than familial, whether it be true or not.

The Creature was raised with the concept of romance as a cure for sadness, perhaps similarly to how children grow up on the presentation of love in the modern media. He has come to see romantic love as the only thing that can give him happiness, without knowing its nuances or even what friendship is.

He's a child who is misguided about romantic relationships, and who simply can't be ready for them, given his incredibly small experience of the world and the people that inhabit it.

TL;DR 2:

The Creature’s view of the world was shaped by the few distant human influences he had in his developmental early age – the neglect of humanity, Paradise Lost, and the De Lacey family. All of these contributed towards the idea that romantic love was the Creature’s only remaining chance at happiness, while not teaching him the values of friendship and the subtleties of romance and love in any form.

He was misguided by his influences and convinced that romance was the only thing that could grant him happiness; but with so few experiences of people and the world as a whole, he is not only drastically ill-suited for a romantic relationship, especially with someone of an adult age, he is simply not ready, and therefore shouldn't be pushed into romantic relationships until he gains more experience as he grows, just like any other child.

[lycanhood]

Thoughts on Mulan (2020)

I don’t see any reason to pretend I wasn’t comparing this live-action adaptation to 1998’s animated version the entire time I was watching it. 

I was born in the 90s and growing up Mulan was my favorite Disney "princess". Though the truth is that Mulan isn’t a princess at all, which looking back is a big part of why I related to her so much. She wasn’t a princess, she didn’t want to be one, and neither did I. I was labeled a tomboy by just about everyone I encountered. Like Mulan, I simply never fit the mold the world was always trying to put me in. Mulan and I would never have made very good princesses, we weren’t even good at being what girls were supposed to be. But Mulan was more than that. She embodied qualities much more valuable than royal blood, she was brave and clever. She cared for her family more than anything else. These were qualities I could relate to as a little girl, and qualities I still aspire to today. 

Naturally, this 2020 live-action has been highly anticipated by me. I feel it’s long overdue. Given the effect the 1998 film had on me and the rose-colored influence of nostalgia, I never expected the live-action to stand up to my beloved childhood hero. But I have to say it did a decent job and didn’t leave me disappointed. While the film isn’t perfect (so few films really are) I’m confident in its ability to bring Mulan to a new generation. 

That being said, here are my thoughts on Disney’s live-action Mulan…

Minor Spoliers Ahead (but we all basically know the plot already don’t we??)

The new film is undeniably gorgeous. The cinematography and directing is beautiful to watch, and the score (which was clearly inspired by 1998’s musical soundtrack) is powerful and inspiring.

The plot generally follows the same beats as the 1998 film, however one of the major additions is the concept of chi. A sort of inner strength harnessed by warriors that grants them supernatural skill in battle. So basically 2020’s Mulan has superpowers. I’m not too pleased with this. 

As I mentioned before the things that I admired about Mulan were about her strength of character. I didn’t love her because she was a superhero or the Chosen one. We have plenty of those already. I loved her because she was brave and stubborn and clever and caring. Those are the qualities that allowed her to save China and bring honor to herself and her family. She didn’t need special powers, all she ever needed was her own innate awesomeness. 

This contrast is perfectly framed for me in the training montage scenes of both films. In the animated movie (to the absolutely bangin' “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You”) Mulan struggles in bootcamp to learn the ways of the warrior and to keep up physically with her male counterparts. And at what I feel is the film's most powerful moment, she works out the trick to climbing the post and retrieving the arrow, when no one else could.  This is so important. She accomplishes this by being clever and thinking creatively, not by having some mystical physical advantage over her fellow soldiers. In the live-action, the task is instead carrying buckets of water up a mountain (boring). There is no trick to it. It’s just a physically difficult task that Mulan eventually overcomes without issue, because she’s got strong chi. This takes all the impact out of the moment, rendering it just another pretty shot in a movie full of beautiful visuals. Likewise  during the film’s climactic battle scene, Mulan physically overcomes Bori Khan, rather than outsmarting him and his men by thinking outside the box as she does in the animated version.

It’s not all bad news, however. A change I really enjoyed in the new film was Honghui (a reworked version of General Shang). Honghui’s role is less of a love interest, which Mulan doesn’t really require, and more of a friend which she desperately needs. He is a character made of camdraiere, rather than teaching Mulan to be a soldier or a man, he teaches her to be a friend, a leader, and part of a team. 

Mulan (2020)’s villains left me with mixed feelings. There are two characters to consider. The Shan Yu inspired Bori Khan and the new addition, chi witch Xian Lang. Bori Khan honestly pales in comparison to Shan Yu. He simply lacks the strange charisma and presence Shan Yu commanded, and ends up coming off as a coward who lets Xian Lang do all the heavy lifting for him. Xian Lang however does serve as a compelling parallel to Mulan. Another woman who was never going to fit in. But her motivations aren’t fleshed out enough, she seems to just be angry at the world and happy to use Bori Khan as an excuse to be evil.

Despite all these differences and over 20 years between them, both films got the same result from me...I nearly cried at the end. Maybe it’s simply nostalgia, but 2020’s Mulan still has much the same effect on me as an adult as the animated one did on me as a child. It left me feeling like it wasn’t just okay for me to be who i really am, but that it was actually a good and admiral thing to be different, to be more than what society expected of me. 

The story of Mulan didn’t start with Disney and it is not defined by all the little details that make these 2 films alike or different. The story has endured, and it’s bare bones will always be good enough to inspire those like me who really need to hear it.

[franki-lew-yo]

Happy New Year to you and @nukeli in my notes, @ultraericthered.

I disagree with the both of you and wow you both wrote to me on Christmas Even you must've been mad. =) In fairness, I am sorry for not tagging "mirrorverse critical". I def should have done that and wanted to. But, thanks for not bothering to actually listen to my argument, so let me go through your own:

"Your argument for why Mirrorverse is so horrible is that Disney allowed and officially liscenced a product where many of their characters get to have reimagined iterations and they all get to interact and play off each other in an original setting with a storyline and lore of its own, a product where the people behind designing and fully realizing it were clearly big Disney fans themselves, and that's somehow blasphemy because fans should only be able to do that in unofficial, unliscenced fan works? "

No. I'm not saying Disney adults shouldn't enjoy crap that was clearly made for them. Believe me, I knew some of that was already the case with Wish and I was excited for it being made for us...and I was disappointed by it. I wanted to like Mirrorverse but it just kept feeling wrong to me and the og post is the wording of what and how it was wrong to me.

I'm saying I find your uncritical devotion to the company, not the writer behind the projects, the company, is sad. It's self-destructive.

I really hate this kind of attitude towards fandom+online criticism as a whole. This 100% unironic "if you're negative = HATE" attitude...that I can at least get because even the most pissy of us don't wanna be surrounded by rage all the time. But, your complete lack or willing to consume any media critically? That's annoying.

-"because fans should only be able to do that in unofficial, unliscenced fan works? "

That literally was NOT what I was saying at all hon. Official merch is fine and a lot is great. Like, a lot. I don't consider official merch itself a threat to fanstuff; what I consider a threat is the higher up of Disney wanting to snuff out fantasy-fan made merch.

I'm glad you two both love Mirrorverse, but i'm sorry. If I can respect your opinion and keep outta your tag, respect mine then.

ALL I see with that game is creativity of individual people wasted on a corporate IPlords who wants to crush smaller artists inspired by them, and even their own workers. Disney does not care about you. Disney doesn't even care for it's own people. Disney wants to own fanworks so that they can profit off you even more than they already do. And, to me, that's just kind of horrifying.

-"OK sure, but I couldn't disagree more."

Are you saying you don't have an imagination? Because A: no. You do have one. Obviously. Liking what somepeople may think is "cringe" =/= no imagination and I SINCERELY hope you didn't take that away from my post.

-"What an entitled attitude, too. "How DARE the big company make something that fans will tend to love when it's done by them -"

We are in a late stage capitalism apocalypse. My argument isn't that Disney DARE'ENT be what it is but that you should use your brains when it's pandering to you and not just like it because 'poepl worked on it whichm means it's good. You are not mandated to like something and your attitude, to me, frankly feels like that's why you do like Mirrorverse. Disney is telling you to like it and you're blinded by this delusion that the company itself is on your side simply because it has Disney fans as it's own writers and artists working on it. I want to be proven wrong on that and believe you're like my friends who also like mirrorverse and the modern crossover disney stuff- people who like the ideas within because yeah, that can be fun, and whom I just disagree with, but given your attitude. I don't see it.

Fan merch is not perfect or even all that good, but it comes from a point of passion. My point was never that fan made = good. My point was I think Disney the company wants control of even that and, when they are hiring the artists who have genuine ideas about crossovers, are exploiting them. It's *cute* of you to call me entitled when you sound like one of the most entitled people ever through your message.

"Fuck all the creative, artistic people who worked on this thing, if they're with Disney, they need to know their place!"

You are assigning shit to me that I did not say/mean. I'm upset on the part of the writers and artists at Disney (btw can you please maybe list some of them out? The mirrorverse artists could probably really use the revenue you're so quick to only attribute to Disney as if Disney itself is the writer of these works.) I believe Wish was made/written with love. Every Disney project is made with love and creativity and I think it's horrible to imply that Wish was AI-generated because it's writing came up as lackluster, if that's what you're trying imply of me.

My issue with Wish, with Mirrorverse, and with a lot of modern Disney projects is at this point the same I am having with Illumination entertainment; and that's not ever that "capitalist = bad"/"idea I don't like = bad writer". For as annoyed I still am at Princess and the Frog, you really go that feeling the the writers were trying and the project as a whole wasn't geared by executives telling the directors "no. You have to do x, x, x, and x because then it won't sell." Mirrorverse had a soul. Wish had soul. Bob Chapek stole both these properties' souls and you're using hardworking artists' work as an excuse to continue promoting the craphole who's overworking them.

My issue is that the fans (artists, creators and writers of these works) care. Disney does not. Disney cares about exploiting you even in the smallest ways and even on small matters like bad bootleg merch that's in no way a threat to them. Because it isn't.

My issue with the two of you is that you hate criticism and see my post as some kind of threat to your special interest. No. It's not. I never even tagged mirrorverse. This is a rant meant for me and for other likeminded people like me. Speaking as a woman who's defended and still will defend Frozen all these years - YOU are coming off as the most entitled, zealous people. You are creative. And you love Disney and obviously like Mirrorverse and Wish where I don't; unlike the artists behind these products, you don't have room to complain about being disgarded or treated like AI cuz I don't like your writing or Disney's handling of your writing- you're just a butthurt fan.

Presuming the both of you ever read any of this, I don't like the insinuation that my own bitching and moaning it hurting the hardworking writers and artists personally just because the fans of these overall products love them and I don't. I really don't like my personal criticisms being hurled at or treated like an attack on the people who are real artists. I know that's not what I'm doing. You could have just blocked my blog or chosen to just not read the post the moment this post opened with "I hate mirrorverse". You didn't. You engaged and now I'm engaging to tell you that I disagree.

I hate Disney's Mirrorverse so much. I have no words for how much it legit ticks me off and how I think it's an insult to even compare it to Kingdom Hearts, which isn't high art but was at least trying for something.

Kingdom Hearts, House of Mouse and other crossovers that really aren't all that good in retrospect but I find fun AREN'T 'better' because they're from my childhood and so couldn't be garbage. No, they are. The issue I have with Mirrorverse is the same issue I have with that awful Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers movie:

it's Disney selling you you're own fanfiction premises and making it so you don't have to think or be creative, snark on, reinvent or just have with these properties yourself. You have to do it under the lens of something they can sell to you.

Kingdom Hearts was only ever trying to sell you itself and the current Disney thing at the time, which was what was expected of it. House of Mouse was hokey fun with the Mickey gang and the catalogue of classic characters Disney had, which is why so many people like it. It's all made for money and profit and brand recognition come on Disney has always been this way it's what Walt would have wanted.

Mirrorverse is wearing the skin of a heartfelt fan design project to sell you a sandbox game where Disney makes your favorite characters OP Overwatch ripoffs, not you.

As YMS put it, Chip n' Dale is putting on the guise of being self-aware which actually just being references and mean interpretations of it's own characters. The Lonely Island was wasted.

And they're doing all this more than ever to have a deeper stranglehold on their fandom which they know will fork over money to them no matter what. That's what's not just slimey, like it's always been, but sinister about modern Disney.

I refuse to use that asshat Steven Crowder image meme here. You legit aren't changing my mind.

[tamhrayis]

but arent u dissapointed for EM conclusion? u yourself believed eren would survive and then he just didn't. what saddens me the most is that he really could live. there was a way for that to happen (u believed it yourself). it hurts even more that some characters got almost disney ending meanwhile EM (main characters) got the saddest ending from all. i think they deserved better after all the sh*t they went through. their ending was cruel, but to me not really much beautiful. one is dead and the other one is alone without any alive family member. yes, maybe mikasa will be able to open her heart to someone else, but she could never love anyone as much as she did eren, lets be honest here. if yams really wanted to kill eren i think he could at least wrap EM conclusion better. the last time they physically talked to each other was when E said to M that he hated her. they could at least talk to each other before decapitation, or maybe after decapitation in paths - tell everything to each other, say a proper goodbye (maybe a hug? kiss?) and then eren dies. now when we know that mikasa really killed eren in 138, we cant even 100% say whether eren knew she kissed him.. this ending yams gave them to me doesnt seem satisfactory. if eren really had to die i think they deserved at least a proper confrontation and a goodbye. but i still think they deserved to live together. overall i dont mind the ending, but i dont like the ending EM was given. :(

Hi! Let me state my view.

I genuinely wanted Eren to survive and get a positive conclusion with Mikasa. I really did and I believed it. But I never let it blind me and think that what I want must happen (as many people in our fandom wanted their “endings” to be true).

To be honest, as much as I love EM and was sad over the fact that they couldn’t get together, I looked at the story from writer’s perspective rather than reader’s.

Yes, EM’s happy ending would be great and we wouldn’t grieve over it as we do now, but on the other side, Eren’s survival would be full of controversies both in AoT’s world and real life. I think people somehow degraded Eren’s role to just being a shipping tool in ship wars without actually taking into account what kind of person Eren is as a character.

He is very contradictory and controversial. Eren is a maximalist and a literal adult child that didn’t quite change from what we have seen from his first appearance in the story. Even Eren himself said that he was always like this, a boy who desperately sought freedom that doesn’t even exist on practice.

Eren was never actually free in a sense that he himself described it. He was a slave to his fate, circumstances and personal ideas. Eren couldn’t look beyond his ideas, but at the same time, he would scrap them for his personal happiness even if it was temporary.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that Eren was a bad person and he deserved to die like this, but that’s simply who his character was, a person full of tragedy. Eren couldn’t live in the present and enjoy his time with his friends and Mikasa. He literally lived in the past and future. Even if Eren actually survived, I personally doubt that he could be as happy as we imagine him to be. Eren had a strong sense of conscience and responsibility.

He never wanted any of this to happen, but he still went for it, because...That’s what Ymir, Eren himself and his fate wanted. As long as Eren was alive, he couldn’t escape the burden of responsibilities and decisions. Even in ch.138, Eren was still conflicted if he did the right thing by eloping with Mikasa.

Yeah, he probably could live under a fake identity or permanently isolate himself from society and live with Mikasa for he rest of his days, but it would be still nuanced, because his character itself is very flawed and nuanced.

Undoubtedly, Eren and Mikasa deserved their happily ever after, but the world they live in still wouldn’t be merciful on them.

Other characters got their own endings, but I personally wouldn’t call them “Disney endings”. Armin, Annie, Pieck, Reiner, Connie and Jean will need to directly face the consequences of rumbling and deal with all the mess Eren has left behind. Historia’s ending is close to “Disney ending”, but she also will need to deal with everything.

Levi deserved to have a peaceful life after everything he saw. Falco and Gabi had to have a normal childhood/teenage years after being child soldiers.

Mikasa got a tragic ending, but I would say...her ending is still full of mystery and I feel like there’s something that yet has to be revealed by Isayama himself. All in all, I think everyone got pretty much open and ambiguous endings.

However, what makes me positive is that no matter where they are, Eren and Mikasa are tied by the red string of fate and their love for each other isn’t bounded to specific place, time of dimension.

After all, it wasn’t a permanent goodbye. Mikasa still smiled and said “See you later”. The bird came to wrap the scarf, which means that Eren’s spirit isn’t dead.

They will definitely meet again someday and their reunion will be beautiful.

Note: extra EM CD drama will come.

[fatekeepers]

Story of the Fatekeepers Info Post!

Haha. This has been a long time coming. Honestly, while I've been very serious about this story, I've floundered when it comes to advertising it. It seems all I can manage are incorrect quotes. But I want that to change, so here's the first step.

What is this project even supposed to be?

The project, currently known as "Manda Kat's Story of the Fatekeepers" is an original story I've been 'developing' since childhood. I think the earliest records of it date back to comics and drawings I made in 2015, but since I didn't date my stuff, it could have been much earlier or later.

My intention and dream for this project is to create a three-season cartoon series. However, depending on time, budget or opportunities, it may manifest as a comic instead or both, which would be awesome.

It is a passion project for me and features many characters that I have deep personal connections to and while I am a content person, I feel like if I died without making anything of this story, I'd regret it at least a little bit.

So, what is the story about?

Oof. Hard question. A lot of things?

Joking aside, Fatekeepers is about a team of individuals, each from a different world, are hired by the Three Fates (old ladies who decide how the world works) to stop chaos from spreading through the multiple universes.

The characters are bright and unique, with a range of different designs and personalities. You're sure to find a character you like.

While the image below (the cover for a scrapped pitch) is old with out-of-date designs, it still gives an example of the variation between cast members which gives the core aesthetic of the show:

Each of the main characters will go through their own arc as the story progresses. Some arcs are dark and intriguing, while others are more lighthearted, giving viewers the chance to 'breathe' between the wilder episodes.

Since there will be some sad or intense plots (two of the main cast are dead, for goodness sake, it's gotta get pretty angsty) it's only fair to let people know that there will be some dark content such as death, suicide, abuse and loss. If an episode has potentially triggering or upsetting content, the plan is to have it properly marked as such so viewers can still enjoy the rest of the show and simply have episodes that might be harmful to them recapped later.

Despite the level of intensity, the show is going to be completely clean. There will be no nudity, sex, cursing or gratuitous violence. (No fight scenes beyond a Disney movie or something similar) I don't personally feel comfortable watching shows with those elements, so I will not be including in my own.

So, who is the show for?

Fatekeepers is written mostly for people like myself, teens and young adults who want zany, fun cartoons, but find current adult animation distasteful. I would probably say the show is targeted at the 13 and up demographic, considering how it's no more adult than most Disney Channel or Cartoon Network shows. The goal is for kids, teens and adults to be able to enjoy the show if they are cartoon fans.

My demographic is less of an age group than it is a community. And if you're in the community, you know who I'm talking about. You stalk animation studios, looking for new content, you watch reviews of Disney cartoons on YouTube, and you wish you could find that perfect show...

While I won't promise this will be that show, I do humbly offer it to be roasted, picked apart and (dare I say) loved if you'll accept it.

Cool! When can we expect this show?

Ah. Hahahhaha.

Oh, no. She's laughing. That's never a good sign.

Yeah, well, about that. I am currently twenty years old at the time of writing this with no animation or production experience. While I am passionate about this project and WILL turn it into something, you mark my words, I don't think it will be anytime soon.

That being said, I'm starting now. Because I know I'll never be ready. I'm currently writing the scripts for the entire series and working on some concept art. Once this is done, I plan on making a comic version of the first episode for investing purposes.

Of course, I won't be asking for a cent in support this project until I am confident in my abilities to make it a reality. I won't be one of those failed kickstarter nightmares. I plan on learning animation, but if I can't, I will plan on hiring animators. I will create a clear budgeting plan and talk to financial advisors because I know I don't know everything about this stuff.

Maybe it'll be ready in five years. More realistically ten years. I'd be fine if it took twenty years. Either way, I won't stop. Nothing will stop the Fatekeepers!

So this blog is here to show you what I'm doing with the project and to inspire you to chase your own dreams. Who cares if you don't have the experience? How else do you get experience besides just doing it? So do it!

If you have any questions about the project, the story or the gal behind it, please leave an ask! There is nothing I love more than chatting about the stuff I'm doing.

[callmehannahagain]

Fine, I’ll recommend 10 movies

First, I absolutely love movies, and simply cannot rank my favorites. Thus, this will be in order of release. Second, I have way too many movies to recommend, so I will absolutely have to split these into categories. This list contains 10 animated (and one Claymation) movies I love and HIGHLY recommend.

 1963- The Sword in The Stone - 1hr19min

This movie was produced by Disney, and is one of the many adaptations of King Arthur’s famous tale. I would truly like to believe this is the best retelling of King Arthur’s story, but it simply isn’t. (I am quite partial to the show Merlin) However, this is my absolute favorite movie version of King Arthur’s life, and it is one of my favorite movies to fall asleep to. The film is beautifully animated, whimsical, magical, and quite funny. I feel as though this movie has truly passed the test of time, and continues to be beloved among all ages. You can enjoy this with a Disney+ subscription.

1992- FernGully: The Last Rainforest - 1hr16min

I could talk about this movie forever. It was distributed by 20th Century Studios. This movie showcases how poorly we treat the environment and the people around us. With a hefty dose of humor, you follow a fairy and her friends around the Rainforest after they accidentally shrunk a human logger. You watch as the logger sees the harm in tearing down rainforests. “Will everyone become an environmentalist after watching this?” is probably what they were thinking when creating this movie, but with only a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, I don’t think so. I do think its an early reason of my passion for Mother Earth though. You can find this film on Amazon Prime. 

1995- Whisper of The Heart - 1hr46mins

Okay, so this movie and the next kind of go together, and I really recommend watching them together. This movie really struck with me when I watched it for the first time this year. It is a Studio Ghibli and Toho Co. movie. You follow a girl who is passionate about creative writing, and not very passionate about school. I have never seen such supportive parents portrayed in any movie, ever. The main character starts slacking in school once she decides that she wants to be an author, and her parents do their absolute best to support her in her decision. While finding inspiration, she wanders in to an old shop, and finds a small cat statue in a suit and she decides to write her story about him. There is a love interest in this movie as well, and he plays the violin and it is very very adorable. I love this movie so much for its soft romance, mild fantasy elements that keep you pondering about the world, and the absolutely amazing and supportive adults in the film. If you want to watch it, and you should, it is in HBOMax. 

2002- The Cat Returns - 1hr15mins

The Cat Returns features the cat statue in Whisper of The Heart. It is also a Studio Ghibli and Toho Co. movie. It is best described as a wild adventure film. A girl saves a cat from being hit by a bus, and out of immense gratitude the cat stands up and gives his thanks. The father of this cat, who is the Cat King, is so grateful the young girl saved his son (the Cat Prince) that he invites her to The Cat Kingdom and wants her to marry the prince.. his son.. who she saved... who is a cat. I do not know what to say to convince you to watch this movie other than talking cats and a portal to a cat world, but it was one of the weirdest hours of my life, and I have since rewatched the movie quite a few times. You can find this movie on HBOMax as well, and PLEASE watch it RIGHT AFTER Whisper of The Heart. 

2005- Robots - 1hr31mins

From Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox, Robots is one of the best Kid’s Animated movies of all time. It is so funny, all about how horrible capitalism is and how capitalism ruins families, lives, and dreams, AND has one of the best casts of any animated film.... ever. Starring Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Mel Brooks, Jennifer Coolidge, Amanda Bynes, Stanley Tucci, and Halle Barry, you know you are fully set up for a good time. The attention to detail in this movie is fantastic, and I notice something new every time. I used to watch this movie over and over again, and I still watch it in my 20s and laugh. It features a perfect mic of adult humor and kid humor, and mixes real themes like poverty and capitalism with toilet humor and boy talk. Not to mention the great soundtrack. I watch this movie when I am in need of a good laugh, no-stress, and nostalgic time. You can watch this movie on Hulu, and you should probably do it right now.

2006- Over The Hedge - 1hr27mins

I watch this movie for many of the same reasons I watch Robots. Over The Hedge is a Dreamworks Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and Columbia Pictures film, and you can tell. It has all the charm you expect from Dreamworks, and all the laughs and hidden themes you could want. This is probably another reason for my love of animals and the earth. The film pokes fun at humans and overconsumption, while following a raccoon who got caught stealing from a bear. A beautiful ‘found family’ trope is exactly what we all need right now. Unfortunately, this movie is not on any streaming platforms, but you can rent it on Amazon or Youtube for $3.99. It is totally worth it. 

2009- Coraline - 1hr40mins

Everyone knows Coraline. A Laika Studios, Universal Pictures, and Focus Features film that scared the sh*t out of kids across the world. I have personally always loved this movie, and my older sister hated me for it. She thought it was terrifying, oh well! Directed by Henry Selick, who is phenomenal, and starring Dakota Fanning, you get to enter a world where everything is wet, parents ignore you, and nothing is as it seems. When a neighborhood kid finds a doll in his house that looks exactly like Coraline, she makes fast friends with the doll and discovers an old bricked up door that turns into a portal to a new, but very familiar world. In this new world, she meets her Other Parents, who pay attention to her, cook great meals, and give her gifts and mango milkshakes. She travels to and from the worlds with ease, and even tells her original parents of the world, but they don’t believe her. When her Other Parents ask her to stay in their world, little Coraline has to make a quick decision to stay and give the Other Mother her eyes, or leave... if she can find her way back out again. I have written too much on this movie considering everyone has already seen it, but I urge you to rewatch it and pay attention the the small details the film crew worked so hard to make perfect. I promise you’ll notice something new. You can watch Coraline on Tubi.

2011- From Up On Poppy Hill - 1hr31mins

Yet another Studio Ghibli movie! Studio Ghibli truly has always had animation figured out. This movie has been stuck in my brain since I first watched it. I only watched it for the first time a few months ago, but I have rewatched this movie at least 4 times since. From Up On Poppy hill opens with a young girl explaining that she has a lot of responsibilities at home, because her father has been missing since she was very little, and her mom is in the US for school. We get to watch her take care of the boarders in her home, and see her relationship with her grandmother, and learn about why her father is missing. One day the club next to her school has sort of a protest, because the big capitalist jerks in the city want to tear down and repurpose the space that the kids love and cherish. Anywayyyys, she meets the leader of that club and starts spending more of her time there, and stops completing all of her responsibilities at home. Again, thank you Studio Ghibli for giving us such kind and supportive adults in your films, because her grandmother just wants the best for her. The romance aspect from this film is really what threw me for a loop, and it was a little more than a “will they, won’t they” situations. More like a “can they, can’t they” type things. I loved it, and it has quickly risen to the top standings of my favorite animated films. You can watch it on HBOMax, along with most other Studio Ghibli movies.

2011- Gnomeo & Juliet - 1hr24mins

I am not sure how they got an hour and a half into this movie, but it is animation gold. I love gnomes, and I love TouchStone and Disney, so this movie is everything I could ever want. I firmly believe that Gnomeo & Juliet is the BEST rendition of Shakespeare’s classic tale, even better than the original. It is fun, filled with humor and fake teenage drama. It very much gives “BUT DADDY I LOVE HIM” vibes, ya know?? Anyways I watch this movie when I am absolutely incapable of watching anything new or even slightly stress inducing. If you need to just chill out and be a kid again, this is the movie for you. You can watch it on Disney+.

2012- The Lorax - 1hr26mins

Okay, fine so I lied. I can sort of rank my favorites. The Lorax is my all time favorite animated movie. With a superb star-studded cast of Danny Devito, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Betty White and Ed Helms, you just CAN NOT miss. A lot of kid’s first real step into the harms of capitalistic greed and corporate harm to the environment, it’ll get you riled up for Mother Earth and ready to overthrow the capitalist pigs who keep tearing down our forests and dumping oil into our oceans. Made my Universal Pictures and Illumination, you follow a young boy pining after a girl, and all the girl wants is a real tree. But how are they going to get a real tree when they live in an overpopulated, over polluted, and completely plastic world? All the trees have seemingly gone extinct, and all that’s left is plastic, rubber, oil, grease, and grime, and the mayor of this town is hellbent on keeping it that way. Anyways, a twist on the classic story by Dr. Seuss has become my most rewatched movie ever. When they took it off Netflix, I truly threw a tantrum. Anyways, I now own this movie on different platforms and DVD and Blue Ray. Not to mention that freaking amazing sound track! I bump and jump and sing to ‘How Bad Can I Be?’ on the daily. You can watch it with Peacock Premium.

So, there you have it. My must watch list of animated movies and where to find them. Let me know if you also love these, and if you hate them... don’t tell me because I am sensitive lol. Ciao! 

[iwa-ch4n]

haikyuu sibling hcs

i am returning from the dead because of this, which has me going insane every time i think about it. there will probably be a part two of this. i simply cannot get it out of my mind

nishinoya’s sisters

all of them are older than him, but I’d say one is a year older than him (3rd year), one is four years older (3rd year of uni) and one is six years older (graduated a year ago)

the nishinoya’s are a Loud family. they are constantly yelling at each other, whether in an argument or just to talk to each other. they’re also all very messy, with the middle sister being the lesser of four evils by actually returning cups and dishes to the kitchen (she goes to all their rooms while she’s at it)

the eldest is the one who got nishinoya into volleyball. she played in high school, and she taught little 9-year-old yuu in the back garden as a reward for finishing his homework. she played non-competitively at uni and dropped it after, but she’ll still always practice with him whenever she’s home

the youngest sister dresses like an egirl and has the bleached streaks at the front of her hair. she had leftover bleach when doing it, so she convinced yuu to do a matching style, which is the origin story of the blonde streak in his hair

the youngest sister also plays football (soccer), and they help each other practice. they’re absolutely best friends.

all of them are Fiercely protective of each other. he likes to think he’s the one protecting them all the time but in reality he is the baby of the family and they would all rather die than let anyone so much as lay a finger on him

the middle sister is the only one with good grades, and they always say she has all the brain cells between the four of them. she also sleeps until 1pm (which doesn’t mix well with yuu’s tendency to wake up at 7am acting like he’s had three energy drinks) and went through a lot of boyfriends in high school (yuu tried to intimidate all of them, and failed, because he was 13 and short as hell). they get along better now she’s moved out.

the eldest is only a mature functional adult because she had to stop the rest from injuring themselves or each other constantly when they were kids. she’s the go-to for advice for all of them, but will always go to her brother when she needs to rant

the eldest got All of the height. she is a tall woman and she likes to use her siblings as armrests to make them feel even smaller. gives good hugs but also slaps her siblings around the head as a form of greeting

they taught yuu about style and respecting women. he chose not to listen when it came to style and wears ugly tshirts with funny slogans anyway, but he would beat up a misogynist.

asahi had a bit of a crush on the youngest sister for part of their second year and will NEVER admit it

overall they are chaotic, loud and messy but they get along really well, simultaneous hell yeah and big rip for the parents.

suga’s brother

ok listen he’s 7 (11 years younger) and babysitting him is part of the reason koushi became an elementary school teacher

he is o b s e s s e d with dinosaurs, tsukishima begrudgingly and secretly gives koushi his old, more childish dino-themed things to pass on to the kid

absolutely idolises his brother. wants to be Exactly like him. he rlly tries hard in school because of it (even though he has a pretty short attention span)

also wants to play volleyball bc of suga, and is his brother’s biggest hypeman

terrified of daichi but loves asahi. its asahi’s biggest win

makes suga watch disney movies with him (he doesn’t actually make him, its unclear which one of them enjoys it more)

kyoutani’s sister

she’s 23 (6 years older) and the COOLEST BITCH

has a sort of indie / grunge style, basically that fun y2k-ish style but with more chains and fishnets

plays electric guitar, has a bunch of stick and pokes, wears doc martens and is doing a masters degree in journalism.

please i’m in love with her

she had a massive emo / punk phase back when kentarou was 10 and thought she was the most amazing person alive. he started trying to be punk like her and it stuck

they would kill and die for each other but argue All The Time. especially when he was like 13-14. basically hated each other but now they very much respect each other

(she’s the only person he fully respects other than iwaizumi)

they would play fight all the time that almost verged on genuine physical fighting. they still do sometimes, and she wins 90% of the time.

for personal reasons i am going to say she’s bisexual

if you ever think kentarou would have anything negative to say about women or gays, you are wrong. if you say anything bigoted its an attack on his sister and he will beat you up about it

literally has to keep her away from the volleyball team because they met her once and oikawa tried to flirt with her and he is never suffering through that again

she helps him cut and bleach his hair and he helps her dye hers fun colours sometimes

overall the literal coolest person ever i would die for her

kuroo’s sister

okay I’d say she’s probably,,, 22. four years older.

the most put together person you will meet in your life. its honestly scary how organised she is. time management queen.

the science genes run in the family. just started a master’s degree in biology and plans to do a PhD

every teacher that taught her expects tetsurou to be just as smart and capable. it annoys him, even though he gets the grades, because they assume he’s gonna be just as well behaved and organised as her. that man has not handed in a homework assignment in his life.

she has Long Ass, Thick Ass Hair and if she ever lets it get slightly out of hand it looks like a Nightmare

still hates tetsurou for making her practice volleyball with him when she was 12. she missed the season finale of a show she liked and then got it spoiled for her because she was helping him and she still holds a grudge about it

may be put together, but she’s still fun. will buy tetsurou alcohol if he asks her to (not too much tho, so parents don’t catch on)

he tries to flirt with her friends and she hates him for it (the newer ones that meet him when he’s like 18 seem to enjoy it and she hates that even more)

is Very intimidated by tetsurou’s volleyball team, will still bully him in front of them tho. when her and kenma team up they are ruthless and if he didn’t know they were joking he’d probably cry

yaku pretended to have a crush on her for almost a whole year in second year to annoy tetsurou. he even got her in on it and ‘asked her out’. it was the longest and most worthwhile con he’s ever pulled.

[rosequart]

initial spoiler-free thoughts on raya...

the story

i ended up enjoying a lot of it, which surprised me! it’s a disney princess movie, so the themes are spelled out very clearly + you can tell what’ll happen, but that didn’t affect my viewing. again, it’s a disney princess movie

i’m impressed at how the cast was juggled: i thought there were way too many characters and it’d get convoluted, but they avoided that pretty neatly.

i guess the trailer was just really bad?

the humor in this movie is going to age poorly

the ending is very “magic saves the day” and i wish there were more permanent consequences. like in general

people are going to compare this to ATLA and i’ll snap their spines in half. this has more princess mononoke elements, story-wise

SE asian stuff

(i’m only coming at this from a viet perspective)

this has been said before & will be said again: the choice to mash up SEA cultures is a contentious one, and it’s a choice fueled by money, as is every other creative decision. smarter people will dive into this better than i can.

the fact that like ~90% of the voice cast is east asian. lol

i need to fact check this, but i’m also pretty sure the majority of the art direction was done by people who aren’t SEA. again, lol

many of the design elements and locations just...didn’t feel all that SEA. and i get that the 5 factions needed to be starkly, visually distinct—but why weren’t there more rainforest-y areas (like, what SEA is known for)? what was up with that sci-fi hunger games outfit namaari’s mom was wearing? where am i?

the floating market town was very epic and SEA though. kudos

i like how statues are a big part of the story, since SEA is known for its ancient ruins and intricate stonework 

the importance of meal sharing and gift-giving to build trust + friendship is a nice cultural touch. 

i’m not emotional about it, but it is nice to see SEA characters and cultures in an american kid’s movie. it’s nice that kids like me will get to watch this. that being said it is morally imperative to pirate this

art direction

the dragons suck so bad. they suck SO bad

it’s even worse that the 2D stylized dragons in the intro look neat and more culturally accurate, whereas the 3D versions simply look like that to sell toys & were tested for The Markets to hell and it makes me want to crumble into dust

why do the dragons stand upright like that? don’t like it

something about the facial animation in the first ~15 minutes wasn’t working for me. maybe it’s partially because adult women were voicing children, but raya’s dad also gave an uncanny feeling. but this goes away once raya grows up.

the dragons suck SO BAD!!! disney owes me fifty dollars

on the other hand, sisu’s human design looks great. she lacks that big-eyed disney look, it’s very refreshing. too bad she doesn’t stay like that 

more nitpicky and spoilery thoughts below

strange choice to have raya and namaari be friends for a literal hour. raya’s all like “she BETRAYED me she BACKSTABBED me” raya you knew her for less than a day? hello? they should’ve been childhood besties

raya/namaari is going to blow up and yeah, i guess. i just can’t care enough to dig up wlw stuff in a disney movie

the names of the factions suck. do literally anything else

why was the heart faction in charge of the gem anyways? like what gave them the right to protect it, compared to the other factions? what’s this unexplained power imbalance doing in my children’s movie

there were a bunch of articles going around saying stuff like “the original script was too violent” or “this was almost going to be rated R” and that’s complete horseshit 

the flashback scene where sisu and her siblings created the crystal completely took me out the movie. the other dragons somehow looked worse & i felt like i was transported to my little pony land

it’s just so funny how people were speculating like “ooh what if sisu has a final form, and she looks cooler” and no. she looks like that forever and i’m in hell

[sher-soc-the-famder]

i rly need some platonic fluff too... maybe Thomas and Logan? those sweet sweet platonic cuddles. maybe one is sick?

Optimal Recovery

Summary: Logically, taking care of yourself is the best and most efficient way to feel better.

Word Count: 1833

Warnings: N/A, just some fluffy fluff here

Notes: This was fun :D I really do need to write more with character Thomas

Read on AO3

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The screen in front of Thomas wavered, the black lines of text bleeding into each other. He ran his hand over his eyes. The glare of the screen drilled into his head, but he was already behind on his work. God, if he wasn't always behind on his work. He took a deep breath and felt his breath catch. Coughs shuddered through his body until he curled in on himself, clutching at his chest. 

He took a deep breath, pulling his shaking hand away from himself. He reached for the keyboard of his laptop again. Only to yank his hand away as it clicked shut. Thomas followed the arm that closed it up to meet Logan's eyes. Logan raised an eyebrow at him.

"As grateful as I am that you are focusing on your work," Logan said steadily, "I believe that now is not the correct time for that diligence."

"But-"

Logan reached up from the laptop and laid a hand across Thomas' forehead. Thomas leaned into the cool touch gratefully, only peripherally aware of the way that Logan sighed. He slumped forwards even more, pressed up against Logan's steady presence.

"You are running a temperature," Logan said. Thomas tried not to whine as Logan pulled his hand away. He didn't think that he succeeded. Logan frowned briefly; Thomas blinked wondering if he imagined the expression before Logan started to poke at his shoulder. "Combined with your cough, headache and dizziness, the most likely diagnosis for your condition is a cold. Ample bed rest and hydration should lead to a swift recovery."

"But I don't wanna move," Thomas whined.

Logan sighed again. He poked at Thomas' shoulder again until he leaned back deeper into the chair that he sat on. Thomas blinked at him slowly, trying to fight through the fog that covered his brain. Thinking about it, that might be why he was struggling so much to make progress on his script. 

"There will be time to catch up on your work later," Logan said, sweeping Thomas' laptop away, "I shall make sure of it. Our current focus should be regaining your health. Preferably before Virgil decides that it means that you're dying. Again."

"I mean, I could be-"

Logan pointed a finger at him.

"Don't. Just- don't."

Thomas grinned at him. He really should spend more time with Logan. He needed more teasing if that was his reaction to a joke. Thomas had four brothers and six figments of his imagination; he totally knew how family like this worked.

"Stay there," Logan said, and Thomas lurched forward in panic anyways when Logan stepped away. The world spun around him and only the cool hand on his shoulder kept him from falling out of his chair completely. His breath caught, and another round of coughs left his entire body shaking. Logan pushed him gently back into the chair once more with a frown. 

“I am confident that you are aware of the definition of stay, so I am confused as to why you act like you don’t,” Logan muttered almost more to himself than to Thomas.

"Don't go," Thomas said more than asked, reaching for Logan's shirt with his shaking fingers. He never liked being alone in the first place; Virgil and Patton both could attest to that. Seeing Logan turn his back and panicking wasn't a logical response but well. Thomas thought he could be forgiven for having one irrational thought while sick.

Logan eyed him for a long moment. Thomas tightened his grip on Logan's polo. For a wild moment, Thomas worried that Logan would simply disappear as his Sides could, and then Thomas would be left alone to deal with his cold. He could. For all his joking about it, he was an adult who could deal with things like this. He just preferred not to.

Logan gripped his hand gently and pulled it free.

"I won't be long," Logan said, his voice as soft as when he tried to comfort Patton or Virgil or even Roman. Thomas wondered why they didn't hear that tone more often. "I am simply going to collect the supplies that you will need and I'll be right back." He looked Thomas straight (gay) in the eyes. "I promise."

Thomas let his hand drop and watched as Logan turned to rifle through his kitchen cabinets. At least the kitchen was in view of his sitting space. He could still watch Logan collect a glass of water and what looked like saltines as he set them down on the counter. Logan leaving to gather things from upstairs however-

Thomas finally closed his eyes, even as the black spots swan underneath them. It was better than watching Logan get swallowed up by the stairs. With his own heart racing, from the cold or from his anxiety, Thomas spent a brief moment to hope that Virgil was holding up alright.

He focused in the quiet, steady footsteps making their way around his apartment. He tried to time his breathing to the movements, even if Logan did stop every once and awhile. Thomas let himself drift, not quite asleep, but not quite awake either. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying not to shiver. From the cold or the anxiety, it didn’t matter.

He jumped at a hand on his shoulder.

"Thomas." Thomas blinked at Logan slowly. He glanced around, taking in the light blanket that Logan must have grabbed from the bedroom, along with a stack of books and movies. He looked down and sighed at what Logan held in his hands. Thomas made a face at the medicine but took it gratefully anyways.

He swallowed the pills first, and took the glass of water when Logan handed it to him. He drank it slowly, under Logan’s watchful eyes. Thomas almost wanted to point out that Logan didn’t need to hover that close but refrained. He took the liquid cough syrup less gratefully and felt his face scrunch up at the taste. Logan watched him down it all sharply, nodding to himself as he swept it all away and set it down on the kitchen counter.

"I will set an alarm on your phone for a reminder when you need the next dose." Logan's eyes already scanned the room for the intended device. "I would encourage you to rest in the meantime. I have picked out a selection of media that you might enjoy without having to get up. There is the choice of netflix as well, though you will want to make sure that you keep a steady amount of water intake as well."

Thomas jumped in while Logan took a small pause to breath.

"Well, you'll be here to make sure that I do, right?"

Logan blinked, caught off guard. Thomas wished that he was better at reading his Sides. He knew they weren't always the best to each other, heck he wasn't the best to them at times. He wanted to work on that. Thomas patted at the spot next to him on the couch.

He could see Logan hesitate, foot shifting forward and a quiet twitch of his cheek.

"I don't think you can catch it from me," Thomas reasoned, trying to coax Logan closer. "Plus isn't there something about how contact with others releases good hormones and stuff to help people recover faster?"

“There have been studies proving that physical touch can boost immune systems and release the hormone known as oxytocin which helps promote positive thinking, optimism, and trust," Logan said. He paused and adjusted his tie. "So you are correct, in a sense. Are-" he cleared his throat. "Are you sure?"

Thomas fought not to roll his eyes. He reached out as soon as Logan got close enough and pulled him onto the couch. Thomas shuffled around for a bit, until he had curled up in the blanket that Logan had given him and pressed up against Logan's side. He ignored the stiff way that Logan held himself.

"So," he said cheerfully, "I'm thinking of a documentary."

"The chances that you retain any information from a documentary at this point in time is rather low," Logan said, slowly starting to relax. Thomas let himself melt into Logan, relishing in the warmth even if he knew logically he was more overheated than under.

"Yeah, but it would be fun," Thomas didn't shrug, but only because that would upset the careful balance that Logan gave off. Also, he could lose his blanket. "Plus, we'd get to watch it again later to actually learn things from it."

"In that case," Logan adjusted his glasses, "Disney plus is connected to National Geographic and has a wide selection of nature documentaries that we could peruse."

Thomas beamed up at him and handed him the remote. 

"I'm supposed to be hydrating," Thomas told him, "and I only have one hand free so." He waved the one hand outside of his blanket burrito to emphasize his point and ignored the small huff of breath that came from Logan. He pointedly grabbed his glass to further his point as Logan scrolled through their options.

He carefully set the glass back down and let his body relax onto the couch and adjusted to find the most comfortable position against Logan. He didn’t want to disturb Logan too much, so despite his initial feelings of simply climbing into his logical Side’s lap, Thomas wiggled down to his shoulder pressed into Logan’s side. He lay his head against Logan’s chest and grinned to himself.

He could be feeling better, but at least this way he'd get something out of it. Thomas glanced up at the intense way that Logan stared at the television, most likely trying to pick the "best" option that could hold the most correct information while being something useful that they could use on top of whatever logical thoughts that went through his head. Logan didn’t even seem to have noticed the change in positions. Thomas felt his grin widen as he turned to the television.

Yeah, this way he got something out of it, and he wasn't even the only person too.

~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~

Logan startled as Thomas' phone alarm went off. He froze as the weight against his side shifted. He reached out and tapped the dismiss button. Thomas shifted again, murmuring slightly and settling into a more comfortable position against him. 

Logan didn't know when they had started to cuddle on the couch but-

He glanced at the documentary still playing on the television and back to Thomas' sleeping form. He reached out and tucked the blanket so that it sat more securely around Thomas' shoulder, adjusted Thomas' neck so that he wouldn't cramp and then gave him an awkward pat on the head. Logan turned his focus back to the documentary and made a mental note to make sure Thomas took his medicine when he woke up.

He turned the volume down on the documentary and smiled to himself.

Rest was optimal for recovery after all.