#i guess i should probably spoiler tag this

[yougotcheddared]

tiny melinoe is so cute!

[hinamie]

corvidae

[dodecatemoria]

feeling very normal about them (<- lying)

[egophiliac]

I always though Mal's mom was meant to be like "Eleanor" but they stuck an M at the start honestly, Sobbing Emoji. But "Maleanor" also makes me feel less insane since in that scene where she's just handed egg Malleus to Lilia and went to battle, it sounds more like Lilia is saying "Maleanor" than "Meleanor" (Japanese accent pending). Mayhaps they went more with what it sounded like the characters were saying :0 (we don't talk about Doodle Suit to Paint The Roses)

the transliteration of her name is Marenoa (マレノア), which is what all the voice lines are saying! all the Draconias' names start with マレ (Malleus' grandma is Maleficia/マレフィシア) as a nod to Maleficent. :D it's almost certainly a take on Eleanor, which is Erenoa (エレノア), but her name is written in English at a couple points, and I was pretty surprised to see it was Mel instead of Mal!

and, like, that's fine, it wouldn't be first Twst romanization that's tripped me up (like Keito for Cater, I know that's something to do with the loanword specific to playing cards(?) but it's just not how my brain wants to read it). but now Eng has given us Maleanor! and someone else said it was spelled inconsistently between Maleanor and Maeleanor??????? so WHO KNOWS it's a SPELLING FREE-FOR-ALL

I AM torn on which I want to use, because Mel just sounds so cute to me (and is what I'm used to now), but...the Mal consistency is kinda too good to pass up. alas, alas, truly these are the most difficult conundrums of our times. 😔

[chiscribbs]

So here's something a little off the beaten path from my normal uploads -

Last week was my best friend @koilada's birthday and I held a private art stream for her, during which I sketched some of her (our) favorite ships! Because fwenship💕 Ships and the works that they're from listed below, in order of appearance:

Elena and Mateo (Elena of Avalor)

Koen and Ludwika (OCs from one of our collaborative works)

Cass and Varian (Tangled the Series)*

*The Cassarian sketch is specifically in reference to a post-series spin-off that she and I have been writing together for some time now, which I might post more about in the future, we'll see.

It's been so long since I've attempted to draw most of these characters... My favorite thing in this entire set ended up being that Mateo, because I have not drawn him very much and I was fully anticipating him to come out looking so much worse than he did, LOL. (Side note: please forgive the missing hands, these were not meant to be finished pieces, just some relatively "quick" sketches)

[the-insomniac-emporium]

NO STRINGS NO STRINGS

tied together. pulled each way. tighter, tighter. the chain goes on, mother, daughter, daughter, mother, again, again.

Puppet Pose Ref: AdorkaStock on DeviantArt, Angie Pose Ref: This Photo (original source unknown) Comments + reblogs are greatly appreciated, I read every response! Check under the read-more for notes on symbolism/details, plus the flat color version. Beware of spoilers for Angie's route!!

Notes on details:

From top to bottom, the flowers are: Dandelion (overcoming hardship), Prince's Feather Amaranth (immortality/unfading), Blackthorn (fate/protection/hope against adversity), and Lotus (rebirth)

Miranda's hand at the top wields the marionette rod (or whatever they're called), the strings connecting both to Angie + Donna's hands. Donna, in turn, has strings connected to puppet Angie, representing how Donna is responsible for keeping the puppet body going/active. She also has some control over Angie, trying to keep her safe without revealing what really happened after the car accident.

Half of Angie's face is her normal color, the other half (divided by something originally meant to mimic kintsugi) is her doll colors (seen during her cult ending).

Big circles on the sides, with the beams? Headlights. because car crash. because Idk felt like being a little evil I guess.

[calamitydaze]

the bt narrative emerging that 8x06 was somehow a loss for “all of us” and a sign that tptb will never greenlight any (more) gay ships is fascinating to me because it hinges on the assumption, and thus the fundamental misunderstanding, that what happened to bt is somehow a mistake or a failure of execution and not exactly what the endpoint of their relationship has been all along. and the secondary assumption that buddie is at all equivalent

[accirax]

what to do when you are but a simple antag man with two paths before you……..

[darklight-owl]

Actually now that Beastars has a grip on my psyche again for the first time in like 3 years let me just say Riz deserved better let him out.

[bungouchronicles]

I want Fyodor to come back all beaten and broken and crazier than ever. Like he didn't have many normal person morals to begin with but I want him to throw all of that away for his cause. He's scarred and burned and has lost an arm, which he promptly switched for a metal one but he's alive. The decay of the angel doesn't exist anymore and neither do the rats in the house of dead. It's just Fyodor and Nikolai now and they're both equally insane.

I want Fyodor to be driven by hate and vengefulness. I want him to stop at nothing to see Dazai dead. I want him to be wrapped in bandages from the crash and I want Dazai to realise just how much he looks like his own past self. Fyodor is the worst version of what Dazai could've been, now more than ever.

Fyodor wants to compare his return to the resurrection of Jesus Christ but the truth is that he's nothing like him, fuelled by hate rather than love for the people. He is everything he never wanted to be but that thought doesn't even cross his mind.

He will cleanse the world of sin at all cost, starting with those who made him this way.

[crystaleevee4]

wip :) very very rough draft for now but i'm workin' on... a thing

(no this is not ao3. this is google docs with the ao3 font)

[twilights-stuff]

Adding on to this post and on my Celestial au in general, since it might take a while to finish the character refs I've made of both Stan and Ford in this au, I've decided to show y'all some of the early sketches and doodles I made for this au as I have mentioned I've been working on this for quite some time. I can't wait to introduce this au properly. In summary, this is an au where Stan is a sun god by the name of Phoebus and Ford is a moon god by the name of Mene. (Alt text can explain on some drawings that need further context)

The last two were snippets of what I am working on recently but it was nice to see how far I've gone in terms of their designs and their stories. I really do hope to keep adding more to this au and build up to the lore I have created around it.

On the meantime, I suppose I should introduce a little synopsis of its story here because why not?

Au plot summary:

"After being sent to Gravity Falls to live with their great uncle Stanley Pines for the summer along with his twin sister Mabel, Dipper expects another boring three months to unfold in the seemingly normal, yet unusual Oregon town. But things took a turn as he finds himself in an underground, ancient cavern that might have been used for worship to an unknown god with an eeriely familiar face. When he takes the mysterious book kept within the cave, his eyes is laid bare to witness an eons long conflict between beings far greater than himself and a prophecy that might just lead to the end of the world he loves. Side by side with his sister and his new found friends, facing foes and meeting allies both mortal and divine, he slowly uncovers a truth in regards to the man who has been housing them the whole summer and the secrets he has kept so close to his chest. Will Dipper be able to unveil what is hidden from the eyes of men or will the truth should perhaps remain untold from the world before fate and destiny comes for him and his family?"

[sisterofoblivion]

Spoilers, maybe? Not for TYBW but for OG.

Anyways.

I haven't seen the episode yet, but I've seen the screen shots and panels. The thought of him dying is deeply upsetting. He's been my favorite since I started watching Bleach.

Just... what if he succeeded? What if Gin was successful?

[frankensteined]

recruiting wyll via having him show up at your camp after you've already recruited karlach is such a fun way to go about it. it's such an interesting flip of expectations: she's already part of a team, and he's the one surrounded by people who are ready to step in and stop him from hurting her (you even get campwide approval for warning him against hurting her!). he's still urged to see reason through his orders, except this time it's not coming from someone that he has been traveling alongside and has built a rapport with, it's from someone he's barely met (if he's spoken with them at all by that point!), but he still stands down after realizing how he's been manipulated. he's the one who has the hand extended to him to join up after all of that, from the very woman he'd been set upon hunting. he suggests a truce, and karlach offers him one better: allies. a whole camp filled with them.

it's just such a cool alternative to the more likely way you'll recruit the both of them, since you encounter wyll before meeting karlach, and it does such a good job of tweaking their stories just enough that your own imagination can do the rest in terms of figuring out party dynamics afterwards!

[courseclear]

well i guess i know now why venom was never trending lol 💀

[snorlaxlovesme]

this is called giving Live Action Avatar a fair chance

the Netflix live action Avatar has always been a strange beast. it's a thing no one wanted after the disastrous 2010 movie. public perception of it was extremely low after Bryke walked out on it because of creative differences (disheartening as well as concerning). people tore apart the teaser stills and completely thrashed the early trailers. the news that Sokka's sexism plot was being altered had fans frothing at the mouth. the show seemed to be caught in this limbo where it had an incredibly low bar to rise above, in terms of trouncing The Last Airbender Movie, and infinitely high bar it would be impossible to reach, in terms of the original A:TLA.

now. if i can't go into a live action adaptation with an open mind, i will not watch it. live action Yu Yu Hakusho came out several months ago, and the vibes I got from trailer were not what I wanted, so I shelved it. if I'm going to sit down and watch a re-telling of one of my favorite pieces of media, I'm going to do my damnedest to go in with as open of a mind as a I can bear, because I like to have a good time and I can't do that constantly dogging on something.

so. my rule of thumb is generally this: treat any live action adaptation as fanfiction. if i can recognize the characters and recognize the plot, that's fine. i'm not looking for anything crazy, just interesting fanfiction. that's the level of closeness to canon i'm expecting. bar is on the floor.

and in terms of Good Television, my expectations are also incredibly low. good TV has 1. good writing 2. good acting 3. good action/SFX. for adaptations the best i'm looking for is ONE out of three. the lower my expectations, the more fun i get to have.

i'm explaining all of this because, while I have not seen reviews of Netlix Avatar yet, I know just how brainless the masses can be and i need you to know that THESEEE are the expectations you should be having when going into these things. Avatar: The Last Airbender is hailed as an example of a nearly PERFECT show. if you are expecting that kind of excellence from an adaptation you are simply deranged and I will not be reading your bad faith interpretations of the show.

with these expectations in mind, it's easy to see why i'm loving Netflix Avatar so much. why? because it cleared one of my very low expectations. the bending in the show looks pretty good! the writing of the show is average! some of the actors are quite charming! i am pleased!

i have seen 3 episodes so far ("Aang" through "Omashu", and yes these episode titles DO suck, I'll concede to that)

so, now that i've gotten that little manifesto out of the way, let's get into some actual Thoughts So Far:

-the way the first episode was structured was very cool. i like that they didn't throw us in at the same spot we started in A:TLA. and to avoid the horrible exposition dump the movie gave us, instead they just showed us the start of the war. i like the tactical inclusion that Sozin let word get out that the Fire Nation would attack the Earth Kingdom first to throw the Air Nomads off his scent. i also thought it was cool so show us a day in the life at the Easter Air Temple. the setting was gorgeous and I loved seeing all the monks doing their own thing. it made you feel so attached to the Air Nomads and their kindness and gentleness, so when they were attacked you truly felt for them.

-Monk Giatso's actor was fantastic. i was gagged that they had my crying less than 20 min into the first episode, what the fuck

-Gran Gran reciting Katara's opening speech line by line was funny, hokey, and exactly what I wanted. loved that for her and loved that for ME

-i like the change that Katara has to waterbend in secret for her own safety, not simply because she doesn't have a master

-it felt appropriate that they made Sokka take his warrior/protector role more seriously. the "i gotta go potty" bit from that like 6 year old in the original is hilarious but I don't think that sort of humor would have translated well to live action. i like that Sokka really was a leader to the ragtag group of kiddos and like one teenage boy. and him asking Zuko to duel with him one and one!! a very sweet early act of bravery

-in general i'm just really liking how they're approaching Sokka's character. all the fuss over "they're taking out Sokka's sexism" arc felt idiotic to me for weeks because like of course they did?? let's be SO real here, if you have never seen the original and are watching Netflix Avatar blind for the first time, are you going to rock with the protagonist who makes "girls' only jobs are cooking and sewing" jokes? in 2024? in this sociopolitical climate that shit would NOT fly and people would drop the show for stuff like that. no one would wait to see his character growth, people's attention spans aren't long enough for that these days. plus, for all the naysayers boohooing because that's Sokka's whole character arc, it's literally not! that nasty personality trait sticks with Sokka for FOUR episodes. having his character arc revolve around his identity as a warrior is much more in-line with Sokka's ACTUAL arc. he can skip the "sew my pants" jokes so we can get to his real root of his conflict, being a non-bender and a novice warrior in a world of extreme violence and feeling inferior because of it

-i don't mind that they made Zuko less aggressive. again, with the bar of the original A:TLA being SO fucking high, ESPECIALLY because of Zuko, Netflix was never going to reach that level of excellence. so I'm okay with this Zuko being a little more level-headed and more of a mindless Fire Nation Greatness truther because it's a decent interpretation of his character, for fanfiction. consider everybody on planet earth know that Zuko will eventually be a Good Guy, we don't have to go out of our way to show that he's a giant asshole. we already know he's a good boy.

-on that note I love the bait and switch with the Jet introduction. seeing a cute boy flirting with Katara, I couldn't immediately tell if that merchant boy was just a one-off kind character, or maybe Haru because of his clothing and the way his hair was styled. to have him turn out to be Jet was FUN because it showed me that despite knowing the original canon forwards and backwards, this show can still find ways to surprise me. i had been talking with my sister about whether or not they were going to include Bumi (and his shenanigans) because that's a plot twist that worked when the show originally aired, but wouldn't hit at all in an adaptation where we all know who Bumi is already. where I'm currently at in the show I'm still not sure if we'll see his inclusion or not, but i still appreciated that new bait and switches are possible.

-this meant basically all the Omashu episode was very fun. they way they wove the Freedom Fighters and Mechanist's stories together was very interesting and i liked how fresh it felt

-Suki's actor is incredibly gorgeous. with and without the make-up. that needed to be it's own point because oh my god

-i love that she gave Sokka and fan and i'm DYINGGG to see him use it in a battle

-THEY INCLUDED KYOSHI NOVEL LORE AND I SCREAMED

-they included AVATAR KYOSHI FIGHT SEQUENCES AND I SCREAMED

-i probably should have mentioned this way sooner but Aang's actor is such a little cutie. he's doing such a great job capturing Aang's energy. both wise and playful and so so sweet. i love him

-i found it hilarious that they waited three episodes for Katara to bring up her dead mom. we all know that the super generic and boring critiques of Katara are 1. too much dead mom talk 2. too much hope talk 3. too motherly. i feel like the show intentionally waited two and a half episodes for Katara to bring up Kya and that's so funny to me. they also have only let her mention hope like twice lol. my girl is being STIFLED

-special effects are honestly really good? some of aang's flying is a little wonky but the firebending and waterbending so far as looked fantastic. i haven't seen much earthbending so far besides that opening sequence but i was impressed by that too. and Aang and Zuko fighting in Omashu with Zuko not using his bending? SO much fun. the choreo was awesome, i loved the set piece of fighting amongst all those scarves.

-building off that, Appa and Momo are very cute. the creatures al look pretty good too. ostrich horses look great

all in all, lots of really good stuff so far. i only have minor criticisms, and they're mostly things I can deal with. Iroh's acting is weird to me. it sounds like it's putting on a silly voice instead of speaking how he normally would, so it scans as off-putting. also in terms of costuming, Iroh's wig is WIGGING so much more than other cast members. it looks so glued on and shaped with hairspray. Mai and Ty Lee (one seen them for a moment so far) also just look like random cosplayers who wandered on set. and i guess both Monk Giatso's reveal of Aang being the avatar, as well as Gran-Gran's immediate understanding that Aang is the avatar, both happened extremely fast.

but yeah! those are my thoughts so far. again, I have no idea what public perception of this show is. i'm trying to avoid reviews and probably won't be back on tumblr until i've at least made it to episode 6. then maybe i'll come back and write more if my opinion drastically changes or I think the world will need another stern talking to about what to expect from an adaptation