#i wanna be a cartoonist now

[cs-eg]

CARTOONS IN MY BRAIN UGHHHHHH

[pixeljade]

The thing with the writers strike and actors strike is that. You ALL have to start realizing that the cool creative jobs they paint as "glamorous" in the media are actually ALL struggling in a big way, and basically everyone below "Huge Household Name" is actually often having to spend THEIR OWN DAY JOB MONEY to keep trying and trying to "break into" that household name status.

Like, im a cartoonist. Just starting out, but already fairly successful! My comics are sold in a handful of states, i sell out of my works, and i even have been featured as a finalist in a couple awards shows AND have pieces bought by a cartooning museum. I still barely make a couple hundred per month off it IF IM LUCKY, and spend almost as much trying to print more. Oh yes, i have to print my own comics! And working for a big comic company, they generally require you to bring some level of your own equipment. Heck, even if you make it "big" as a cartoonist...you wanna know how much you get paid if your comic that you spent months of back-breaking labor on is adapted into a marvel movie? A one-time check for $5000. Out of the BILLIONS those movies make, in perpetuity for eternity, you are given $5k. Pre-tax. Pre-agent. Pre-lawyer. (Yes we have agents and lawyers too, quite often). There's hardly any cartoonists who can afford to quit their day jobs, and even those who do are never living above the lower middle class range.

Now obviously cartooning is not the same as acting or writing, but my point is that we NEED yall to stop thinking just because you see our work as cool that we are living some dream life!!! Basically the only people who are living these dream lives you think of are CEOs of major companies and the occasional celebrity. The rest of us are just out here, struggling to survive just like you, we just happen to have a side hustle which is Kinda Cool.

[girls--complex]

I just came upon your blog and it's given me Lots of Thoughts, even though I don't particularly believe in any God (that is to say, I think there might be something more out there, though I don't think it's God as it's portrayed by any religion and I need some sort of tangible evidence before I can confirm or deny that something like that exists. All that to say I'm agnostic lol), but I do think you have some very good points about a lot of things.

I find it kinda hard to understand some of the things you write since you use a lot of long and complicated words that aren't in my vocabulary since English isn't my first language and I've never left my home country, but I'm doing my best! (With the help of an online dictionary)

Either way, I really love your art and I'm taking some inspiration from your style to practice, if that's okay with you! I just really like how flowy, creative and loose it is and I really need to loosen up a bit about making things instead of constantly adding more detail and perfecting it until I lose interest because it becomes stressful instead of enjoyable to create something.

I also wanted to ask, since according to your comics you've done shrooms before, how would you recommend going about shrooms to someone who's not used to doing much of any substance? (I barely drink alcohol and I smoke weed so rarely every time I do it I end up extremely disoriented until I manage to calm down no matter how little I smoke).

I'm asking cause a friend of mine whom I've known for years recently told me they have some, and that he'd be willing to share them with me, and I'm curious about trying them out and seeing if I can learn something from that experience, but I wanna stay safe while making the most of it :3

Hi thank you for a long & thoughtful message

YOU ARE ALWAYS ALLOWED TO COPY OR "STEAL" OR WHAT EVER FROM MY DRAWINGS seriously this is so normal and allowed. I do this with other cartoonists and all the cartoonists I know also do this. We do it to each other. "I like how she draws eyes" or whatever and we absorb it into our own style. Or just copying drawings/ paintings/pages. This is good. Do it.

Thank you for taking the time to decipher my words. I know I use lots of large/obscure words N trying to get better at making me language accessible (& maybe use my beloved obscure words in enough context that a reader can figure out the meaning).

I think using psychedelics is something better to talk about with people who know U in person and can respond to your needs and goals. Maybe your friend can give some guidance or knows someone who has a shamanic streak that can. Or you can always go on erowid or reddit whatever kids are using now to do a lil research.

I don't really feel comfortable giving specific advice or even general advice that might color the experience in a certain way, hope u understand...

Thank u for saying Hi

[sunnytoonsproductions]

@aquamarine-dream-queen @elizachangreaves @untitled14360 @moonlightrosebud2000 @sugar-miss1 @classywinnerpeace @ducktopia90264 @audhdprincess @nia1sworld @daydayc224 @avaford2009 @kornyart @cherrycolaaa1 and some more of my loved ones and mutuals in my big tumblr family,

Y'all, Ah've gotten some not-very-good news, and good news -////-

Let's first start with the not-very-good news, and I've even stated this in the class of 3000 server ah'm in with @classywinnerpeace...

Soo... I still have that tiny issue from yesterday with my makin' scenarios and stories in ma head. And since kinda yesterday and even kinda today, whenever I wanna imagine a scenario/story, whether it's a class of 3000 one or from some of my other favorite fandoms, some of 'em wouldn't really excite me or amuse me so much... And this was literally somethin' like with the art block when I try to think of some art ideas. But maybe ah'm just havin' a tiny brain clog, and I know that it's normal for artists and imaginers/cartoon daydreams like me to get a block imaginin' these stuff and that some don't amuse us so much -w-

And even on c.ai, sometimes I wouldn't be in a very good mood to do a class of 3000 story RP (the bot ofcourse, not with the new story feature), but it's just cause I would be sometimes lazy to do so -///-;

But I'll try to rest a bit right now and maybe I'll soon get a story/scenario or an art idea now today, but I will now call this a 'daydreamer or cartoonist block' just like how there's an 'art block' -.-

Now, the good news! The good news are that ah'm almost done with my Buck x King Julien fanfic/story which I'll post onto my FanFiction site account =^.^=

And also! For the daydreamer/cartoonist or art block news from above, y'all can give me some art ideas or maybe even story/scenario ideas into the ask box, either class of 3000 related or even the ones of my other favorite cartoons, shows, movies and games (a.k.a fandoms), cause that would honestly help me, ALOTTA =^///^= ❤️

And just know again, y'all, just because I have these two blocks doesn't mean that I'll stop making my shows or even draw, ofcourse I'll still keep doin' that, but like how I always say: cartoonists and artists like me also need a tiny break from these types of blocks or unmotivations =^//^=;

[flightyalrighty]

tiniest detail ever but sonics hand on the third panel of ch2pg1 is amazing, with the blood spiralling off. the sense of motion is great

Hi! Thank you so much for sending this! It was really lovely to read! Thank you so much for reading Infested. I'm so happy to entertain in this space. :]

I'm an individual with pretty bad anxiety, and it's because of that anxiety that I don't really get to enjoy horror media. Usually. Games and movies? That's a no-go. That's got jumpscares in it. I can't do jumpscares. Same goes for haunt attractions. It's so frustrating because I love the costumes and I love the sets and I love animatronics and graaahhh why does my brain have to be Like This, y'feel me? All I can handle are novels and comics. And boy do I handle em. [WARNING: HUGE RAMBLE UNDER CUT]

But lil ol' me, I'm still a someone who's got that yearning in their bones for horror, and I wanna see it done with extra love and care. Every year I rake through youtube for walking tours of TransWorld's (like Transylvania) Horror convention. I take a peek at what haunters are cooking up sometimes. I get excited for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, despite never being there in person once.

But I'm also someone who looks at over at Disney. Their experiences are very were once super high quality.

I want so badly so see how Disney can handle a horror animatronic. Have you seen their yeti? It gets pretty damn close to that vibe when it works. Isn't it wild that a company that doesn't do horror at all can be so freakin good at it because they've got the skills and resources they need for it?

That's kinda a tangent tho, ain't it? It used to be a longer tangent and then I realized this had nothing to do with making a scary comic about Sonic. Whoops.

Well okay, it KINDA did. I think Sonic is fully capable of successfully dabbling in all kindsa genres, much like Disney is used to be. Racing, fighting, rpg, party games, action shooters if we count Shadow The Hedgehog (2005) as that... So much potential. That franchise is so malleable.

So, bringing it back to the original thought here. Hi. Hello. I'm a professional cartoonist. I have a small published comic and everything. Worked with some cool people before that. I also love horror, and I especially love Sonic. I've loved Sonic since 2003. I know the series like the back of my hand.

So now I'm using my skills for evil, and making Infested for myself and for all of you.

These were some really disorganized thoughts but I hope I got across my general feelings here. I love Sonic and I love horror and so I'm making a Sonic Horror and also I have a degree in making comics so it's a Sonic Horror Comic, bada bing bada boom.

Thank you for sending this! :D

[jojoseames]

How did you come up with the story of The Makeshift Man? Also, Elvis is one of my favorite buns of all time right next to Fiver from Watership Down. Did Watership Down have any influence on the creation of Elvis?

Aaaaaah, you've made my day!

So, I'd started doing webcomics when I was in high school. And like most teens just starting out in the artform, I wasn't sure what kind of a cartoonist I really was, or rather, what kind of cartoonist I wanted to be. I was doing this long-form black-and-white screwball romantic comedy thing, right? And after a few years, I just hated it. I didn't like working in black and white for that project when I was thinking of all the scenes in full color. I didn't like character designs that I now had to just live with. I didn't like how tired the tropes I was playing with felt. I just hated working on it, and kept not drawing my comic because I'd discovered a love of painting, and kept just wanting to do that instead.

So, after wrestling for a long while with the guilt of disappointing the few very kind readers I had, I gave myself permission to abandon that book. And start a new project.

This new comic was one I was going to design from the ground up with all my own preferences at the forefront. I was going to do it in color, and I was going to paint it in watercolor because it turns out that that's my favorite medium to work in. I wanted to do something supernatural, and something that was maybe a noir, maybe a western. Something moody, in contrast to the screwball comedy I'd been doing for so long.

My only goal was to do a short story, a single issue. And if I liked it, I could then do a follow-up. I hit on the notion that if I ended up liking it enough to do multiple issues, then I could do it as a series of short stories. That would give me the freedom to do the series for as long as I wanted to, or I could wrap it up and conclude it fairly easily at any point.

So I developed from there. I was going to do a series of stories about a nameless stranger who rolls into town in different places. That would mean every issue could be in a different location, with a different color palette, and I could change genres every issue as well, to keep myself from getting bored. I made the character immortal, too, which served the double purpose of letting me do stories in different time periods as well as locations, and would let me just absolutely put this guy through the wringer. (My love of Deadpool comics was part of my inspiration for this latter point.) This is all to make it as fun and interesting for myself as possible. Letting this project be really self-indulgent.

I gave myself really only two limitations:

No cartoon devices. No speed lines, no impact bursts, no stars or birdies circling the head after an injury. All dynamism would have to be achieved through basic positioning. Every panel would have to be like a photograph. (Inspiration for this technique came from Dave Gibbons' work on "Watchmen".) This was done to give the book a subliminal sense that it's in a grounded, realistic world, so that when weird things started happening, they would feel more like they stood out as unnatural and surprising within the context of the story.

No ghost stories. If my main character is immortal, then I wanna make him wrestle with that, in a way that death is not portrayed as a different form of being present in the world, but exists as a full removal of a person from the world, and that that is a thing that eludes my protagonist.

So, yeah, the project came about. And I designed a main character who I would personally never get tired of drawing.

I discovered after the first issue that I didn't like giving him an internal monologue in caption boxes, though. And that I'd prefer a storytelling format where exposition is delivered through dialogue and environment. I needed my guy to have someone to talk to. I needed a Robin to his Batman. So I decided to give him a sidekick who would exist in contrast to him, all chipper, friendly outgoingness and soft shapes in relief to his sullen introversion and sharp edges.

And I love bunnies. They're my favorite animal. I had several pet rabbits when I was a child, and I love them so. Elvis is based especially on my childhood pet, Patch, who was a tiny little cross-breed Netherland dwarf and Dutch rabbit with a feisty personality. So this is another character I'd never get tired of drawing.

Hence, Elvis.

And yes, Richard Adams' "Watership Down" was absolutely an influence! It's one of my all-time favorite books, and I've never counted, but it's certainly the single novel I've read the most times. The idea that there are all these different societies in the world that coexist, each with their unique perspectives, priorities, histories, and senses of logic...That's very much a theme I'm going for in my own book, and a lot of that concept was sparked by "Watership Down".

[disturbedgent]

Does anyone know the name of that one art style that mixes cartoonist things and then throws in pictures of irl things too? And there's usually some sort of vhs effect. I've been trying to find what it's called for forever now. Im obsessed with it and I want to evolve my own style to be more like it. I especially love when it's more creepy/unsettling. It looks like these. I just really wanna know if there's a name for it

[girlflowergirlflower]

INTRODUCING... THE ONE N ONLY..! PUT UR HANDS TOGETHER 4.. *drum roll please*

Meeee! Its me! :3 look here I am!

i dont have locs anymore :'3 I actually belly flopped off a diving board SO HARD the little lockage i had came undone! Like the weezer song! >B] anywhoz

WELCOME TO MY PAGE :3 HEREZ SUM INFOS ABT ME ^^;;

My interests!!! (^∧^)

I LUV SAPPHICS!!! AND QUEER.. ANYTHING! >///< im sapphos apprentice fr

my favorite shows r animes that will ruin ur life and childhood cartoons!! ^_^ like madoka magica, death note, erased, adventure time, my little pony friendship is magic, chowder, fish hooks etc etc! >;3

My favorite artists are hastune miku!!! And nicki minaj and System of a Down! :3 and tyler the creator and lemon demon and tally hall and jack stauber and spellcasting <3

I don't like labels :P)) I like writing scripts, songs, drawing and singing and theater and film - i don't have an act in specific. I just do what makes me happy

I draw and make comics and cartoons! I love art and animation so very much! My dream is to be a well-known cartoonist for many different projects ^_^ I adore indie animation, too!! Bugbo and the amazing digital circus and big top burger are my inspirations currently >:3c

My dni

Basic dni info don't be racist don't be a terf no pro contact/anti contact zoos or maps no mspec lesbians yadda yadda all the normal stuff and if u consider urself one of those "I hate everyone equally" centrist dickheads then gtfo my traphouse, disrespectfully <3

ALSO im very much cringe coded so if u embrace "cringe culture" or are against furrys or gacha kids or just people being themselves and being happy without hurting anyone (keyword: WITHOUT) you can also gtfo my traphouse NO BULLIES ALLOWED! /srs

Also, pro shipping is a sensitive subject for me. If your ships are harmful or downright disgusting, dni. I know it can be a coping skill for trauma, but my acc isn't the best place for that sorry bud :/

BYF!

Hey! Im a minor!! Im 17! Keep that in mind if ur an nsfw acc or centered around adult topics!! <33

I go by fae/faer prns mostly!!! She/her is ok too but i prefer fae/faer!! ^_^ I have some xenos like doggie/doggiez as well!

I'm autistic!!! :3 self diagnosed for now trying to get a medical diagnosis soon! So tone tags are very much appreciated! /srs

I'm down with the sickness /ref

... by that I mean I got a lot going on in my life :p living situation and mental illnesses, I'll just be posting whenever I wanna, no strict schedule

I'm super silly and still figuring myself out! So come along with me like the adventure time song n Diddy and watch me grow thru my shenanigans on this totally valid real and not social simulation of an app/website >:D

[666herescared]

Imaginary Shadow Dad) Ch.1: The Nights are the Hardest

—☆—

Remember that little tag from my post about my ask blog? Well, welcome to the ShadowDad AU!  In this AU, Mac never got revived by the Lady Bitch Demon, because he didn’t die. He hid in the shadows and has been regaining energy since the fight. Thanks to that, he’s not in her debt, because I don’t like writing angst unless I’m already having a mental breakdown.

—☆—

It’s scary being alone. Especially at night. Xiaotain knew that first hand. He was terrified of the dark. His parents always told him to just toughen up, but they didn’t really want him to. It made it easier to control him. Refuse a chore? Locked in the closet. Cry for attention? Locked in the closet. Specifically the closet because the pull string was too high for the poor six year old to reach. 

  He hated that they never showed a hint of sympathy for him, but who really would? He wasn’t even able to wash dishes right. He was just a useless little boy they never really wanted anyway. They just forgot to use protection one night and couldn’t afford to abort. 

  It wasn’t much better at school. He didn’t have any friends and was constantly struggling to focus. Every report card was a sentence to at least one night in the closet. No matter what, he knew better than to cry. Crying always made it worse. On lucky days though, when his parents weren’t home, he got to watch cartoons! He loved to see what imagination could do! He started stealing some of the printer paper and pencils to practice drawing in his room. He wanted to be a cartoonist someday. He thought it would be so cool!

  On one of his lucky days he discovered a show about this guy called “The Monkey King” who was just about the coolest guy he’d ever seen! He wanted to be like that one day, but he just wasn’t brave enough. He wanted to get braver, but he was even scared of the dark! According to the other kids in his class, only babies are scared of the dark. He didn’t wanna be a baby! He wanted to be a monkey!

  He wanted to lounge around in the jungle eating fruit to his heart's content. He started thinking that if he was braver, if he was stronger, maybe he could one day. So he decided to try some tactics he’d seen in his cartoons. Starting with getting over his fear of the dark.

  He chose to train himself away from being scared by turning off the light in his room and staying by the switch so he could turn it on again if he did get really scared. He managed a whole five minutes without freaking out on his first attempt, and his times only got better from there. By the end of the first month, he could handle half an hour! What he was confused by though was that it only seemed to apply to his room. So far at least. The dark was still scary everywhere else, but his room was starting to feel safe at night.

  The closet was still a plenty effective punishment. It was extra effective in fact. He didn’t know what it was, but something in the shadows was alive and it always went away the moment you turned on the light. He didn’t wanna stay scared of the dark, so he’d decided! He’d talk to the shadow monster once his “night sentence” came in.

  A few days later, he was locked in the closet as usual. He stuck near the door in the cramped space to have some sense of control, no matter how little it helped. He had no idea how to stop panicking. He felt as though the shadows were trying to grab him, and he couldn’t even see the walls. His parents left the room outside the door and turned off the light as they left, stopping any light from protecting him. He felt as though his shield had been ripped away, and now it was time for the swords. Xiaotain felt the shadows start shifting, as though they had just woken up. It quickly felt as though the walls were breathing and he wasn’t alone any more.

  The shadow monster shifted as it awoke, its eyes suddenly watching the kid panicking in its den. It reached out to touch the anxious little boy, who flinched away from its touch. Understandable. It wasn’t exactly corporeal.

  The young artist tried to calm his breathing, but it felt like someone was pushing his lungs, keeping him from steady breath. He tried counting his breath like that witch show taught him, but he kept choking before a second could pass. Ah, well. He was stuck all night anyway.

  The tendrils of shadow creeping underneath his skin was as if someone had pulled it up and was stroking the muscle. It felt invasive. It was like someone was both comforting him and scaring him at the same time! The darkness was only trying to do one of those though. Within an hour, the boy was too tired and hungry to panic. If only his punishment closet was the snack cupboard.

  Scared, alone, and cold, his stomach growled and he groaned. The worst part was that he’d be there till the next day, and even now, it was only 1:30 P.M. He felt the shadow press on his stomach and flinch away.

  The boy was skin and bones! He shouldn’t be dealing with this stuff without food! The creature slinked away to get something as the boy silently cried in the closet. He was lucky enough to find some campers in the darker parts of the forest. They were getting some hiking gear, and had left their snacks wide open. He looked for anything good he could find, but he didn’t know what the boy liked. Now that he’d thought about it, he hadn’t seen the boy eat before. Rage bubbled in his chest but he held it down. No. That’s not helpful.

  He decided to steal the bag of plain salted potato chips. It was the safest bet of things he wouldn’t have to make. He opened a portal under the bag and carried it through the shadows back to the boy’s house. The image that greeted him was nearly enough to make him cry. A little boy, no more than seven years old, ribs showing through a ripped shirt, with tear tracts streaming down his face, passed out in the most distressed position he’d seen from another person. 

  He was cold and shivering with every small draft from beneath the door, curled over himself in a desperate attempt for comfort. It made the Shadows’ blood boil. He wanted nothing more than to grab those idiots and torture them for traumatizing this poor cub! For now though, he needed to keep the kid alive. Can’t really protect a dead kid. 

  The shadows lightly placed the chips in front of the kid so as to not wake him, but even with how light the rustling was, it was a bag of chips, so of course it was loud. The kid woke up and shuffled even closer to the wall, like he thought the chips were gonna kill him. The darkness pushed them closer to entice the kid, who shook his head. The shadows tried again. The kid had to eat but he just shut his mouth tighter. The boy was mentally scrambling to figure out what to do when he remembered his original plan. He calmed his breathing and spoke.

  “I know you’re there.” The boy nearly whispered. A shadow touched his leg softly. Less invasive than before. “I-I know you’re here s-so… Show yourself!” The young boy tried to be brave and felt the shadows chuckle. “C-c’mon… I’m serious!”

  The darkness fell still, until small lights appeared. “Promise you won’t run?” The shadows requested. The child’s nod was quickly followed by purple light filling the closet’s opposing wall. He was finally able to get a clear look at what he’d been scared of and it was… A monkey? A shadow monkey? He wasn’t sure. It had three ears on either side of its head and a lantern in its hand. “Ta-da!~” the shadows sang, before looking back at the kid. “What is it, bud?” 

  The little boy had been staring at the lantern. “Why does the darkness have a lantern? And why aren’t you scarier?” He asked.

  The dark creature on the wall chuckled and said, “Well I’m just not that type of guy.” as it stepped into a somewhat corporeal form. He crouched down and grabbed the bag of chips, plucking one out and pointing it at the kid. “Now eat, or I’m force feeding you.” He demanded with an empty threat. 

  The cub shook his head. “No. Mommy and daddy will get mad.” 

  The shadow felt rage bubble up to the surface again. Of course they would. He wanted to just kill them and take the cub for himself, but he wasn’t strong enough yet. His body hadn’t fully healed. “Yeah? Well, these aren’t theirs and they aren’t here. So, eat.” The shadows were not having any of Xiaotain’s shit. 

  The boy looked concerned and asked, “Who’s are they then?”

  The shadow rubbed his brow. Of course the kid was a goodie two shoes. Otherwise he woulda killed those bastards himself. “They’re ours now, kid. So stop asking questions and eat!” He said, exasperated as he shoved a chip in the kid’s mouth. The boy started chewing slowly as the shadow watched him. “What’s your name anyways, kiddo?” The shadow asked as the kid started shoveling chips into his mouth. 

  The younger swallowed his mouthful before answering. “Qi Xiaotain! Who are you?” He said, making the shadow chuckle.

  “I go by a lot of names, kid. Come up with one.” He replied. He’d seen the boy watching that show. He’s not exactly shown in the best light there.

  “Can I call you ‘Shadow Dad’?” The boy chuckled, clearly kidding.

  Oh how he’d regret that joke. “Yeah, that works.” The shadow said, holding back some joy. He just had a proper conversation with the cub and he’s already being called dad? Does it really matter that it was a joke?

  “Wait. I didn’t mean for real!” The kid said with anxiety in his tone. To him it did.

  But to the darkness… “Nope! I’m Shadow Dad now. Nice to meet you Xiaotian!” He teased and picked up the cub who yelped in surprise as he was swung side to side for a moment. The newly titled ‘Shadow Dad’ then plopped down with the kid in his arms, smiling eyes glowing down on him. “But seriously kid, why’re you already calling me that?”

  Sure, the shadow liked the title, but he didn’t understand the kid dropping his guard so early. “You did a thing my cartoons told me dads do. You brought me food.” He answered once he had calmed down. The darkness didn’t like that the boy specified his cartoons showed him dads do that. “Oh no! What if my actual dad hea-” 

  “Shh.. Your parents are asleep. Trust me.” Shadow Dad stated, placing one hand behind three of his ears. “They aren’t waking up for a while. You should sleep too, little sky.” He whispered, punctuating the sentence with a boop on the nose. The boy nearly panicked until he was stopped by the darkness saying, “Don’t worry. I’ll be here all night.” and nuzzling the tiny creature in his arms.

  True to his words, the shadow didn’t leave, and when morning came, he waited for the kid to wake up before returning to the dark. The tiny yawn the equal size child gave just made the creature all the more fond. How this happened, no one knew. The child was just so sweet and small. You’d never think he’d have the ability to betray someone. It made it so easy to let down your walls. “G’morning, Shadow Dad..” The kid muttered as he woke up.

  The shadow placed him gently in front of him. “Good morning, Xiaotian. Have a pleasant dream?” The creature asked. The kid nodded, turned around and laid back against the shadow’s lap. He couldn’t help his instincts telling him to groom the cub, and of course, the kid was fine with it. He almost passed out again, but the shadow started snapping in front of his face. “Stay awake now, bud. You have school and your parents are coming to let you out.”

  His… No, the kid’s eyes snapped open at that and he started panicking. “B-but Shadow Dad! I don’t wanna go! Can’t I stay?” The cub pleaded.

  The darkness sighed. He didn’t want the kid to go either. It’s lonely in the shadows, but he needed to go. Until the boy’s actual parents did something unforgivable, he would have to give the boy less comfort than he could. “Here, bud.” He said as he handed the boy a smaller lantern. “If you ever need me, turn this on. I’ll be there as fast as I can.” His ears twitched. “You might wanna hide it, though. Your parents are coming and I don’t think they’ll want you talking to me.”

  As his Shadow Dad stood and grabbed his own lantern, Xiaotain shoved his in his pocket and grabbed the other’s wrist. “What if I wanna see you in class?” He asked in a frenzy.

  “I doubt anyone’s gonna immediately jump to you sneaking a living shadow into class. Anytime. As long as you’re fully dressed.” He couldn’t help but add. The cub immediately started going ‘ew! Gross! No!’ as his new friend chuckled. “Hehe. Alright. See you around, Xiaotain.”

  “Bye Shadow Dad!”

—☆—

Alright! End of chapter one! As always, feel free to make whatever you want in this AU and tell me any critiques. Now, as always,

Have fun, and happy scrolling!

Next- Chapter 2

[kayden-valcourt]

🤘🏻Introduction!🤘🏻

Notice: This is slightly outdated new intro should be pinned

Warning: Flashing/blinking gifs This is my introduction + rules for requests!

Sup, my name is Kayden and I am a guitarist, metalhead, programmer, Skater, and artist!

I am 16 years old plus a professional Gemini!!

If you wanna join me and my friends' server use the link below!

I mainly chill and draw all day, or sleep all day, or talk to people all day, or look at the wall all day, it truly just depends on the day man. I love talking to people too, so don't be shy to talk to me because I'm always looking for new people to talk to and be friends with!! also here is my Carrd https://bivh.carrd.co

I love to listen to music, if you can't tell. I am especially fans of nu metal, black metal, heavy metal, glam metal/hair bands, hard rock, alternative rock, punk rock, and classic rock! Iron Maiden, Korn, Metallica, Rob Zombie, Murderdolls, Nine Inch Nails, and Slipknot are my current favorites!

I also love to play my guitar, it's an Epiphone SG Special, cherry red color. I love to play and it's one of my few hobbies!

I'm super into learning about and collecting photos of my favorite bands/band members, I especially am into Joey Jordison as of right now. I have over 100 photos of him and I think my favorite pictures of him are ones taken during his time in Murderdolls.

I'm also an artist, more of a cartoonist. Digital art is my thing, I am shit when it comes to painting, sculpting, sewing, using charcoal, and anything else like that. Cartooning has been my thing since I was 12 and I plan to continue with it since I haven't stopped. I also have characters and write stories and lore for them, I plan to work on a comic when I get my art style down and have the time. I also do requests!! rules for requests:

Nothing 18+ (nudity and sexual) this includes any fetish or kink material, I probably won't draw heavy gore for requests just because it might make me a little uncomfortable to draw that for someone else, I also won't draw animals/pets/"feral" characters (I just don't have the skills for that yet).

But I can draw characters from a show, your ocs, honestly anything.

I have the right to decline/ignore your request, these are free and I do them on my own time, thank you!!!!

I also love playing video games, specifically Minecraft, Fallout 4, Skyrim, Gmod, and TF2. I also have Pesterquest + Hiveswap which I read sometimes.

I'm also in some fandoms, gee imagine that. I like Breaking Bad, a lot actually, I also like Homestuck (Pesterquest and the canon comic), Fallout 4, old Disney Movies (Aristocats, Lady and the Tramp, 101 Dalmatians, Bambi, etc), Suicide Squad, Evil, Beavis and Butthead, Rick and Morty, Family Guy, American Dad, Futurama, Bojack Horseman, Beastars, Q*bert, Disenchantment, and others. Sollux is literally me IRL, idk how some asshole stole my identity and turned it into a character but they did and somehow got away with it.

I'm always open to talk to new people plus make friend, I'm actually hella lonely and need better people in my life! Thanks for reading!!

[bittlestofbats]

Update + Slight Vent

Cross posting this as a way of telling my followers on different platform things are changing.

I'm realizing a mistake of mine only recently. Most people remember when I use to be a cartoonist, then I suddenly started trying to switch over to semi-realism. The only reason for this is I assumed since a lot of popfurs I watched did semi realism that the only way I would get noticed was to do semi realism. Nearly a year has past and I sort of regret my decision. Now I feel so disconnected to art and my style in general and it was for nothing as it didn't push me any closer to the goal I wanted.

I guess the best thing I can do is start over again with my style. Go back to toony, take some inspiration from some of my hyperfixations. I wanna be happy with my art again as I don't think I was built to do semi realism. It's just too stressful. I'm noticing it was wrong for me to think I could try and take on the same footsteps as my inspirations with 10x more experience in realism than I have ever had. I'll just be working on trying to go back to cartoony, just so I can be happy again.

[jackiequick]

Arrowverse OC ✨

Inspired by DC Comics

-> Shayera De La Cruz of Andor 🌱

Adopted Earth Name: Lyra Olivia Cruz

Nicknames: Princess, Green Thumb, Shay, Liv, Ly, Ms Cruz and etc

Age (depending on the season): 20–25

Height: 5’5 (5’7 in heels)

Nationality: American

Ethnicity: Latina. Mexican one her moms side and Cuban-American on her father’s side

Place Of Birth: A fictional planet called Andor, next to the planet Thalon in the Rao System

Grew up: She landed in Coachella Valley, in California when she only less than 5 years old. Since she stuck in the phantom zone for a few years. She was found by a lovely couple. How she doesn’t know much of Earth’s actual culture, she was never one to truly understand it.

Shows appears/media references: Smallville, The Flash, Marvel, Supergirl, Dc Legends Of Tomorrow, Glee, Arrow, Star Wars and etc.

Career/Job: Artist. Paint, cartoonist and such.

Friendship: Team Flash, Team Supergirl, Felicity Smoak, Thea Queen, Sara Lance, Ray Palmer and much more.

Powers set: Earth based. Girl got a green thumb. With just the flicker of her fingers, Lyra can grow and control planets such a flowers, trees and make the air more fresh. On occasion, she can create plants. Her emotions effect the planets around her. With time she realized, she sometimes can control the weather just to make it grow or the sun to shine on the gods green earth.

Sometimes she will say something like, “The trees. They speak to me..they’re happy that it rained.”

—

Extra Info

Her biological parents were like royalty in her small planet across the south coast of the planets. Far from behind the other universes or planets nearby, simple people. Like down to earth country folks were the people on her planet. Everyone and everything looked like Earth with a fairytale style in the architecture (very much like Naboo). Their technological advances were slower than other planets, since they shared and borrowed from one another. But no one cared. Rather rich themselves in the minimalistic living instead. 

Some rarely gifted with certain abilities when they reached a certain point in their lives, meanwhile someone are not. One powers that only some elders held dear, that few past onto their children were to remember their past lives. Such as soulmates.

Her home looked like an Enchanted Forest, the ones you would hear in fairy tales crafted to share with little girls to imagine when they play dress up. She was kinda a loner growing up, having her books of fairytales and action filled stories of heroes to read.

One day she was stepped around the streets when a voice called her, consumed and curious she followed. Her dress flew behind her, walking until she saw that appeared to a wishful bouncing voice, belonging to a tall man. He was magical in a sense, convincing to anyone who listen.

“Hello?” She asked, fixing her dress and gasping at the suited man, “Who are you?”

“W-who am i? Well I’m your ticket to advertising adventures dear.” Reply the said with a kind smile, “I’m Roland.”

“My ticket to where?”

“Well Princess Shay-era, you are a very good girl. You don’t deserve to leave in this dump of a planet, but to bring your gifts to others.”

“M-my gifts?”

“Why yes of course. Your gifts. No offense, but do you really wanna be stuck in a place with no longing a little thing like you?”

Shayera crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, “What’s your game, pirate? What about my parents?”

“You’re planet was doomed to death anyway, just like the otherwise beautiful ones on this side of the galaxy. We rather saved your ass now.” He said with a shrugged smile and secretly he opens a portal.

“We..? Uh, w-who sent you?”

“You’re mother. She knew you wouldn’t want to listen without a little push.”

“My mama..? Wait—”

—-

The said portal opened and slides underneath her feet, Shayera landed asleep and shipped off world. She wasn’t brought with much, expect a few items. The portal trip was fine until she was knocked off course resulting, in her form landing in the phantom zone for weeks.

Finally she woke up to the pretty sky. Coachella Valley, in California. Her eyes were closed but sun shine still peaked into her face. She heard a young couple talking over her body. They were kind people from what she heard.

Shayera’s eyes gently blinked open catching the couples eyes. From their perspective, sweet young bright eyed little girl in a blush pink soft dress landed a few feet away from their home. It was a charming sight. The pair always wanted children and thought it was a gift from the universe.

“Hi sweetie, what’s your name?” Asked the women, Rosita.

“I don’t know..not remember..I’m sorry..” Said the girl looking at the couple confused but with a sense of familiarity in her eyes.

The man, Sean smiled, “It’s okay, we’re take you in.”

She smiled, gentle love in her eyes. They returned it, the couple named her Lyra Olivia Cruz. After Sean’s mom and Rosita’s grandmother.

—>

Years went on, Lyra lived a normal life as a teenager. School, friends, traveling to different place, reading and watching movies, shopping and so much more. Sure weird things happened over the city, in which her and her good friends coined it as ‘The Wall Of Weird’. Posting everything that happened onto the school newsletter and journal the ones they didn’t say anything about for themselves.

Sometimes it was like a damn comic book or music happened right before their eyes.

Until one day over the spring time, Lyra developed theses annoying headaches and decided to detox her body in the backyard nearby the small flowers she grew with her mother. It worked like a charm taking it all in, the fresh air, the sun and the greenery around her. Her fingers ran across the grass then flowers, as her hand sparkled. The flowers grew a little bit as Lyra looked at her face gasping in shock. Poor girl screamed, she though she was dreaming.

And her first thought afterwards was…

“MAMI! I THINK I GOT POWERS!?” She yelled calling her mother stumbling back in the house, practically falling face first on the wooden flooring. “Ow…” She added shortly.

Her mom was confused for a moment until Lyra showed her, more or less. After her dad came home from work, they had a long talk. Sean and Rosita told her what they know, that wasn’t much for neither of her parents to off on. The two felt sorry. They told Lyra that she was sent here in a pink dress, wearing a pair of dusty rose earrings and a small notebook that kept drawing in them. To their surprise, their daughter wasn’t mad at them or worried about anything. She knew she was loved and sent her as a blissing for a chance to live a good life.

As she started to work on her small scale of skills she promised to use her powers for good care, not destroying or manipulate nature. Eventually her friends found out finding it super cute and interesting.

—>

Everything was great until after senior year, she moved up to Central City to start exploring her job as an artist. Yes she does have the opportunity in California to draw and sell her art, but she wanted a different environment as a landscape for her cartoons. She was chatting on the phone with a friend when she noticed a young woman about to trampled over by a incoming speeding car.

She noticed a abandoned flower stand nearby, the man left for a break. So in result Lyra wiggled her fingers sparkling a dusty rose color as the flowers stretched out and grew wrapping themselves up gently pushing the woman away. It was a very subtle movement. Lyra released her touch on the flowers as they went back to their original form.

Lyra looked around hoping no one truly noticed, buying the said flower, leaving the money on the flower cart and walked away. They were tulips her favorite. However she was wrong, the woman who she saved did notice and a few days later found her at Jitters Coffee Shop.

Leanna O’ Conner was called in by her friend Officer Penny Spivet to see her.

Lyra refused the idea, she wasn’t one to use her powers very often and doesn’t want to be like the hero The Blur or anything.

Leanna wasn’t suggesting that and said, “Girl I ain’t asking for you to do that. But you were spotted and tracked by a camera, your smart and sweet and kind. We could use you on the team, every once in a while.”

“I’ll think about it..what do you know about me?” Lyra asked curiously.

“You grew up in Cali, you studied news and stories eventually becoming a artist for the paper. And you can manipulate planets?”

“I can control and manipulate them to grow or even strengthen themselves.”

“If you come by to the labs, I’ll like to see it sometime.”

The sometime came soon as the day she visited, The Team Flash was fighting King Shark. She had to help them by growing a cage from the ground up to hold him off in the park until they can get handcuffs on the huge half animal. Caitlin and Iris grinned impressed. Once it was done, Lyra agreed to come over every once in a while to help, but she was more than happy to hang out with the crew.

—

Her, Cisco and the others would do movie nights. Referencing comic books, tv shows and movies. In their universes, Marvel was a common thing that would mention among pop culture.

The superheroes in a barn reference, excelsior, spidey senses tingling, ��superhero landing, Hulk references, X-Men and etc. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, so much more being named dropped ever so causally no one bats an eye!

—-

One day Iris even mentioned, “You said you were touched on journalism right?”

“Yeah? I usually do the doodles.” She replied one day as the girls were hanging out.

“Do you know a column called ‘The Wall Of Weird’? It was popping up on again on my throwback new feed.”

“Hahahahaha! I do actually, cause i help write it.”

“No way!”

“Yeah it was a fun thing we dropped online, I didn’t know it reached cities.”

“Girl it’s the Internet, of course it did.”

—-

Hell Lyra when met Kara Danvers and others, she fell head over heels in love. Yeah she loved the other teams but Team Supergirl was unique.

With her being from technically another planet, the colorful city, the similarities between perspective she shared, and Winn was her absolute favorite. All having to save each other at least once. Oh did I mentioned how nerdy everyone was with certain things? It was super cool!

Winn opened the door where she locked in and yelled out grinning, “Hi! I’m um here to rescue you, princess.”

Even though she was chained up, Lyra grinned and gasps, “Hmm. Aren’t you a little short to be a stormtrooper?”

“You rewatched Star Wars without me?!”

“Actually it was me and James!”

“Traitors! Me and Kara rewatched Wizard Of Oz without you guys.”

“You traitors!”

—

Alex was a badass, Lyra supporting her every single step of the way to her journey. In result, Alex helped her try to find more of her heritage whenever asked.

She was one of the most supportive people in her life and vise versa.

—

Plus she wouldn’t lie saying she had a small crush on Supergirl. I mean how could you not have a crush on Kara Danvers?! She’s adorable!

Also, they worked together so they get to see each other almost every day. Other days they were chilling together.

“You’re gonna love me forever. Close your eyes!” Lyra said running into the apartment.

“Okay? Please tell me it’s a puppy!” Kara yelled out with her eyes closed.

“Okayyyy! Now open ‘em.”

Kara gasped seeing pizza from their favorite restaurant, donuts from the shop across from CatCo, and a dvd of the film The Great Gatsby.

“OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU!” Kara yelled in glee hugging her.

“HAHAHA! IT WAS NO BIGGIE!” Lyra yelled back hugging her.

——

If you wonder if she gets to see her friends and family, Kara and Lyra are able portal or teleport using a device Cisco made. Winn sometimes had to adjust the schedule or corrected coordinates for travel. 

Sometimes it leads her into trouble bouncing from once place or universe to the next…

—

Thank you for reading this! I hope enjoy it 💞

Tags: @gaminggirlsstuff @yetanotherwells @msrochelleromanofffelton @blueboirick @sherloquestea @morgan108 @t-nd-rfoot @ohgodnotagainn @topgun-imagines @gcthvile @superspookyjanelle @hanlueluver @halesfavoriteharlot @rooster-84 and etc

[yfmconfessions2]

this is such a contrast to my last confession but erm

honestly, wish my yfm phase ended like idk, around the same time most people's yfm phase ended (which was around idfk mid 2023?) cause now its a pretty dead fandom (shoutout to that one twt oomf of mine who let me ramble about yfm to them, ily dude/p) with the possibility of ray cancelling yfm 50/50. i do hope i don't sound like im begging that guy to release songs everyday but my point is, idk man, kinda miss tht kinda short-lasted hype around yfm in 2022-early 2023. like i was so excited because i discovered this dumbass (/lh) band in like 2021 and i was so sad it was retired because i loved their songs so only god could describe my excitement when june 1 came, and to be honest, dont wanna sound like a bitch but some of their gen 2 songs disappointed me but i was happy otherwise. and the talent this fandom has like GOD YOU ALL ARE SO TALENTED (except for some of you, you know what im talking about). i dont even know why it hasn't ended yet, perhaps because yfmblr has cool shit and some of the "lore" you guys found out about puff and your hcs and all made me go "he kinda just like me ??" that and i gotta talk about ray's content too. like yeah, welcome to part 10 of "wow smth i liked is now bad! fuck me!" dude, that guy has sm potential in comedy, loved his old shorts and videos. like who tf told that guy to, idk, make those types of crime videos ??? like im serious, where and how. HE'S EVEN COLLABORATING WITH DHAR MANN GOD HAS TO BE KIDDIGN MEEEE. ray please do you need some life-changing video to convince you to do those shorts again. because i can do it bro please i miss the silly shorts. like does he not realize how his views dropped or how most of us dont like the new content or?? like what prompted this man to do these crime videos with shit ai art anyways thanks for listening to my rant, you, yfm-confessions and featheredcartoonist are my favs on yfmblr, and one of my favs on tumblr. i feel like you guys bring that old feeling of the hellyeahyourfavoritemartian blog :3 i didn't have tumblr that early to read them but based off the wayback machine, it looked really cool and fun actually. like ray noticed it whay the hell. anyways wish both of the admins a great day ! take care <3 - ❄️🎀

I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND!!! i still have a lot of faith in things turning around cuz thats just me being me. if theres a dead fandom, its chance of resurgence is running on my hope LMAO

HONESTLY THE YFM FANDOM KINDA COMES ALIVE AGAIN WITH EVERY NEW SONG THAT'S RELEASED.

AND YEAH. I TRULY GENUINELY HOLE RAY OPENS HIS EYES AND REALIZES THAT COMEDY IS WHAT HE DOES BEST AND WHAT EVERYONE ENJOYS!!!!

also feathered cartoonist whos that

[davidmariottecomics]

The Perfect (Editorial or Agent) Match

Hey there, Yogi Bear! 

To start out today's blog, I wanna talk about a kinda fun recent thing. Steve Lieber, who I've mentioned before for having his 12 point portfolio review critique without even looking, asked about the writing review equivalent. Jim Zub took a stab at it and his list is pretty good. And Chip Zdarsky's were also recommendations! And all of these are from Bluesky, so hope you can read 'em all! But, while I liked the other lists, I also had some thoughts. So my 12 critiques are here, which I consider pretty supplemental to Jim's! 

And now that you've taken all this advice and are feeling really comfortable with your script, writer-type, what're you gonna do with it?! 

What Does an Agent do? 

Before I get too far, let me make explicitly clear--I do not have an agent. I've worked with a number of agents. I know lots of creators who have them. But I don't have one myself, so I can only provide so much guidance. Okay, that disclaimer out of the way, what is a literary agent and what do they do? 

It's a lot like other forms of agents you might've heard of. Your agent is a person who supports you and represents your interests in business. They are an advocate on your behalf. This means everything from reading your manuscripts to help refine/sell them to reviewing paperwork for you to making sure you're getting paid what you're worth and more. In the book market, there are certain publishers that will almost exclusively review agented submissions--you need to have someone who has been trained to know what the publisher might want and who has access to contacts there to advocate for your work. The reason for this is often to cut down on submissions that otherwise just have to go unanswered and to preserve some level of privacy for editors. Having an agent might not work for everyone, but if you can find someone who you like working with and can afford, they're going to be a lot of help. Agents can get your work to more potential buyers, help identify where your work will best fit in the marketplace, and, again, generally advocate for you.

But just like publishers and editors, not every agent is looking for every type of story. Specific agents, and even whole agencies, can have niches that they are interested in working in and representing. This is really important when we're talking comics. There are some agents that don't really represent cartoonists because they don't do art representation. There are some agents who only do art representation and might not be the right fit if you also wanna write. There are agents who primarily focus on books for middle grade or young adult readers. There are agents who just plain don't do comics. So how do you find an agent who might be a good fit?

Manuscript Wishlist

Manuscript Wishlist (or MS Wishlist) is *an* option for finding your agent, but it's one that I think can be really helpful. The basic idea of MSWL is that the website version has vetted agents and editors who have submitted profiles explaining what they are looking for in submissions. It's built off of a Twitter system where agents and editors tag posts #MSWL to flag the sort of work they're looking for from writers. One of the things I really like about the site is that in addition to details on what the agents and editors are looking for, and how to go about querying them, a lot of folks also take advantage of the sidebars that include things like lists of "what I like" so you can get an even clearer idea of if your work will mesh well with their interests and if your personalities will mesh well while looking to work together. 

There are a ton of other resources out there for how to write good queries and each agency/agent/publisher/editor is going to have their own submission guidelines that you'll have to look up and follow--so I won't get into those--but this is a way to start seeing who might be interested in building a relationship with you. 

Also, keep an eye on Publishers Marketplace. This is a primary source for what publishing deals are happening. Maybe you want to submit a query to an agent about a talking dog. Might be good to check publishers marketplace to make sure that agent didn't just sell a book about a talking dog. 

MSWL Editors

MSWL also includes editors and for similar reasons. Editors have things they're interested in working on and it helps clarify to agents and to unagented folks what sort of titles they might be interested in acquiring. I *do not* currently have a MSWL set up on my own because I am not currently seeking submissions (sorry), but next time I think I might be, I'm going to be looking into it because I know what sort of stories I like to tell and what I would like to see from other folks. 

Obviously, if you don't have an agent, double-check that the editor you're submitting to accepts unagented submissions. That's hugely important. But especially in comics, only taking agented submissions is uncommon. And if an editor is making clear what they'd like to acquire, you wanna get it in front of them because that is the most direct pipeline to traditional comics publishing. But it's also worthwhile to remember that because of how agents and editors work together, there's a lot of outreach between the two where editors are searching for talent, but only want to reach out, not be reached out to--especially if you're looking to do work on an existing property, rather than an original. 

Now I'm gonna go batten down the hatches and prepare to ride out the rest of the coming storm! 

See ya next time! 

What I enjoyed this week: Blank Check (Podcast), Dungeons & Daddies (Podcast), Craig of the Creek (Cartoon), Honkai Star Rail (Video game), My Adventures with Superman (Cartoon), The Broken Room by Peter Clines (Book), Crime Scene Kitchen (TV show), Dumbing of Age (Webcomic), Shortpacked (Webcomic--though some of these pop culture strips sure are dated and/or in poor taste!), Solve This Murder (Podcast), Praise Petey (Cartoon), the acoustic Sonic Symphony performance at the Speed Cafe (see below), at time of posting having power and not a lot of rain/hurricane weather, owning (but not having watched yet) the Venture Bros finale movie, getting 3 5-star (the best possible) character pulls in a row in Honkai (but not the character I really wanted, who I only have like 9 days to get now if I can...). 

New Releases this week (8/16/2023): Brynmore #2 (Editor) Godzilla: The War for Humanity #1 (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog #63 (Editor)

Final Order Cut-Off next week (8/21/2023--last day to get your preorders in): Brynmore #3 (Editor) Godzilla: The War for Humanity #2 (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog: Amy's 30th Anniversary Special (Editor)

New Releases next week (8/23/2023): Godzilla Monsters & Protectors: All Hail the King TPB (Editor--on the latter half)

Announcements: Becca is at Cartoon-a Palooza in Temecula on 9/15 & 9/16. It's a cool free all-ages little con, so come on out and see them! 

Wanna support me? Consider joining my Patreon! This week, in addition to this blog (but without the Patreon plugs!) and one of my legacy blogs, I shared for the $10 and up members the script (and some extras) for my Beast Wars 2022 Annual story, "Rhinox's A-Maze-ing Adventure". You can only see it there! And I'll have more scripts, pitches, comics, etc going up in the weeks and months to come! Also coming soon, just coordinating with Becca, we'll be releasing a tease of a new comic we're working on together. It'll be on both our Patreons, but if you like art and adult art in particular, definitely don't miss Becca's either! 

Or, you can buy something from my webstore! A lot of what is there is no longer in print and won't be going back to print anytime soon to my knowledge. The stock I have up is pretty much the stock I have. And you can get it signed and personalized and sent to you for a pretty reasonable price which includes shipping.  Alternatively, I still have a few things up on eBay and I'm going to be adding a few more! 

Sorry to be hyping ways to send me money so much recently, but between rising rent and utility and gas costs, not so rising work hours/pay for Becca and I, and us also trying to plan a wedding for a year from now, money's been tight a lot! I know that's the case all around, and if you have been supporting me in any way, it has not gone unnoticed at all! This week, Becca and I checked out a venue that we really like for the ceremony and reception. So, hoping we can make that happen! 

Pic of the Week: I referenced it earlier, but the Sonic Speed Cafe pop-up here in San Diego did a special mini acoustic performance of the Sonic Symphony that's about to be touring the whole world! So we had three musicians in the restaurant playing some Sonic hits! It was a lot of fun! 

[ducktracy]

hello again! hope you are doing well ^^ recently, I’ve been on a bit of a popeye craze as of late, truly I think popeye and his crazy band of characters are the epitome of my childhood lol and I was hoping to ask you- as I am also trying to explain to a good friend of mine the different eras of popeye through the cartoon’s entire run- the pros and cons each era has to offer with every iteration of the cartoon lol, including the film (which I actually haven’t seen yet!) it’s insane to me to think about jack mercer voicing popeye for so, SO many years and yet, I feel there’s so little we know about him y’know? plus, that same friend and I spoke about the relevance of popeye in today’s world and how it feels he’s lost relevance sadly, I don’t personally think he’s regarded as one of the famous cartoon characters nowadays, which I’m honestly quite broken up by tbh. I feel the best example of this could be the cancelled animated popeye film, but that might be a story for another day lmao. ty for reading all this btw!

HIYA!! I LOVE THIS ASK!! i’m so flattered more people are beginning to associate me with Popeye 🥹 here’s my brief sales pitch of “watch Seasin’s Greetinks and Let’s Celebrake before the holidays are over”!!! while its on my mind! and a personal reminder to myself because i haven’t either yet! BUT, MOVING ON..

YEAH!!! IT IS CRAZY, Popeye used to be SUPER iconic! evidently Bob Clampett was excited to get Warren Foster on board as a writer because he knew he had written some of the Popeye shorts, and he sure enough has slipped a few Popeye jokes in his cartoons (and animated the Popeye chick in Porky’s Garden!) Mike Maltese was also a Popeye writer turned famous Warner guy… Popeye was not only revered by the public, but fellow cartoonists! as it absolutely should!

AND YES Jack Mercer was on the saddle for a LOOOONG time!! Mae Questel was the first of the main voice actors to solidify, stepping into Olive on and off in 1934 whereas Gus Wicke (who is the definitive Bluto to me, sorry Jackson Beck, and maybe sorry to Pingo Colvig who i love but was NOOOOOT cast well for Bluto) and Jack Mercer stepped into their roles in 1935. you may or may not know this already, but Mercer got the job because he worked as a storyboard artist and would walk around the studio doing Popeye impressions. this made Billy Costello’s replacing on account of his alcoholism and general unreliability pretty easy!

I STILL NEED TO SEE THE 1980 POPEYE MOVIE MYSELF, my uncle (who’s the only person i know irl that’s as much of a cartoon fanatic as i am) was urging me to watch it but it’s slipped in my list of obligations.. i wanna see it! i love movies like that that are proudly… “campy” is the absolute wrong word but for shorthand, campy and warm in its embrace of its silliness. and evidently it’s pretty close to the actual comics, showing Olive’s family (full of Oyl/oil puns!) which is exciting!!

AH MAN! i’m doing lots of rambling myself, but i’m so glad you sent this in!! i really would love to see a resurgence in Popeye’s popularity. as it stands now, the Popeye shorts are right behind LT for my favorite… pretty high praise since i’ve fostered a love of Tom and Jerry since childhood! while it may not be as popular as it once was, people such as yourself taking the time to send in such a thoughtful and kind ask gives me hope! the people don’t know they need Popeye… but with me around, they SOON WILL

[spinecutter]

i wish that illustration or cartoonist/2d animator was like a viable option for me art wise but A) they dont get paid much and B) i am bad at animation anyway. i used to really wanna do storyboarding but i was like FUCK that i HATE storyboarding and now im lowkey wishing id taken a storyboarding class but its ok