#i have so much fun drawing them they would have a lot a great comedic potential haha

[ghostsberry]

show off

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Japan is Winning on Kisses & Other Alternate Realities

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

March 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) ep 3 of 10 - It would be great if we got the alternative romance with dead Kram from Tai’s perspective (JBL style.) Still I like this show. It’s a little bit like I Feel You Linger in the Air only with a love triangle. And while I'm not a fan of triangles as a general rule, I don’t mind it here because the set up is clever. Wayu and  ao are fun sides too. It sure is moving very quickly, which I like. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on. But that’s normal for me with this kind of Thai drama. 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 4 of 8 - They are extremely sappy boyfriends. I love that mom has a secret gf. Could we please have more of them? The love triangle sides are ridiculous, but I do like that it’s all out in the open. I also like they are actually addressing the complicated parental dynamics of owning a sex club. Honestly, I think Khem should have to be a host too. Learn him the right way, girl!

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - It’s good, I like the fallout and them actually having to deal with crazy fans and past relationships. They’re so good at communicating it’s kind of a pleasure to watch them suffer through external pressures, because I have faith that they can make it through.

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand grey) ep 6 of 8 - They are such cute puppy dads and so clearly meant to be together, the fact that they aren’t is just frustrating. The fight thing was stupid. And not a whole lot happened... plus singing. I’m getting fatigued with this one. 

1000 Years Old ep 7 of 12 - Did I miss something happening, or did nothing happen? 

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) ep 2 of 6 - It’s so boring, there’s so much guitar playing, and it got weirdly voyeuristic (in a very much not sexy way). I’m totally out. DNF

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) ep 3 of 6 - I can’t tell if this is trying to be a BL Romancing the Stone, or a BL Hangover, or both. The problem with situational comedy is it must be both situational and comedic, not just option one. The problem with calling something BL, is that it must be BL. This show got 1 of 3 claims correct. 33% is not a passing grade. DNF 

Honestly, it's the HANDS with these two. They do beautiful beautiful things with their hands. If you're one of those hands-obsessed BLabies you should be watching LIBTSTA!

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues Youku YouTube & Viki) ep 6 of 11 - So the worst finally happened. The mountain of pain has fallen down upon us. And now, hopefully in the second half things get better for our boys. But what a rough ride. Normally, this is not my style of BL, but everyone is doing such a gorgeous job with it, I can’t fault it… except that it hurts. The red thread symbolism was elegantly done. I’d like to hope we get a reunion in the next one, but knowing this style of series they’re gonna draw it out. There's gonna be a more pain first.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 4 of 6 - Those fuck me puppy dog eyes were perfectly executed. I would not have been able to resist either. Gosh they are so damn cute. This is a great show.

Jazz for Two (Korea Gaga/grey) eps 1-2 of 8 - This comes from the Shoulder to Cry On team so I'm scared, but this one is all actors* not idols so maybe they'll be braver. Boy howdy does it have a fantastic opening sequence. Also the lead is fucking adorable. Mr Broody McBroodypants is cute too. Korea sure loves “pretty but broken.” On the JBL end of the spectrum, is everyone in love with their siblings? That’s weird. The dining room scene was painful. All in all, it's good, I'm intrigued. Let's see how you go little show.

I stand absolutely corrected the lead is a member of NEWKIDD (in my defense I'd never heard of them until Build Up last month). I did recognize him from To My Star because at the time I thought he was too pretty to be only a side character.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 10 fin - Again there was overuse of previous footage and maudlin navel-gazing grief over something we knew was going to happen. So I didn’t really feel much emotional connection to the drama. 7 year time gap.? t was a cute reunion but the moral quandary never really got resolved. I don’t know how to rate this, I’m not sure I will ever watch it again, so that is a big mark against it.

There’s nothing objectively wrong with this BL except how upsetting it is because of the foundational pygmalion story - grown man falls in love with an android who is basically both his slave and, by maturity level, a child. Yet that premise is crystal clear from the get go, so we watch it eyes open. The actors are cute, the romance sweet, the physical chemistry on point (of course, it’s Taiwan) and yet I was left ultimately unsettled by the concept, content, and plot. 7/10 

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 7 of 8 - I'm so ready for this to be over, and for Gaga to have something good on. Soon please?

It's done, ready to binge, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

It's airing but...

Graduation Countdown (Taiwan YouTube) - It's too much to ask me to keep up with 2 minute verticals, I don't have that kind of TikTok endurance training. Waiting to binge.

A Secretly Love (Thai Sat WeTV grey) 10 eps - I watched the first ep but grey is too much work for this inferior of a show. I may pick up and binge if it gets distribution but for now, it gets a DNF from me. KimCop might have held this crap together but Kim without Cop? No thank you.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

Tangential to the genre

There has been the occasional discussion on this topic here in this little corner of tumblr so I thought there might be a few intersted in this podcast: AmericanThaiGuy Ron Weaver on the Complicated Issue of Racism in Thailand (The Bangkok Podcast)

Thailand passed its Marriage Equality bill through the lower house. It's expected to pass the high house and get signed by the King, but that hasn't quite happened yet.

And MaxTul dropped a photo shoot.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting Soon

3/31 Only Boo! (Thai GMMTV YouTube) 12 eps - New main couple for GMMTV in an idol romance about a boy who dances good and a food stand vendor. Other side of the tracks grumpy/sunshine pair who fall deeply in love but, of course, baby boy idol can't date. Boyband but from GMMTV? Control your singing and I'm game.

3/31 The Next Prince (Thai ????) 12 eps - trailer. ZeeNew in a fantasy/historical set in a palace where Zee plays a knight and Nu a prince - YES PLEASE. (Apparently this is just the pilot, not the start of the actual show, see comments.)

4/1 Love is like a Cat (Korea ????) 12 eps - This completed filming Aug 2022(!) which means there have been serious problems with post-production. This is another of Silkwood's Korean+Thai colab projects. Mew Suppasit plays a rookie film star, called the Cat Prince (for his cold arrogance) who goes up against a charismatic puppyish animal daycare director (JM of JUST B). There is a side romance (love triangle?) with a veterinarian. Geonu of JUST B is also in the cast. Dual languages.

Hum, trash-watch-a-licious?

4/3 We Are (Thai GMMTV YouTube iQIYI) 12 eps - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon - basically the good kind of messy gay friendship group (so more My Engineer and less Only Friends). Looks a bit like the Kiss series but everyone is queer. I'm IN!

4/11 Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan ????) 10 eps - Kindly Ryota goes off to uni only to find his new roommate is his childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend and Ryota tries to help him figure out why, they fall in love along the way. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake.

4/11 Gray Shelter AKA Gray Currents (Korea ????) 4 eps - SooHyuk is only just surviving and reunites with YoonDae, an old friend. They end up living together. One of the leads is played by Choco of Choco Milk Shake.

4/18 At 25:00, in Alaska AKA 25 Ji, Akasaka de (Japan Gaga - may not be global) 10 eps - Yuki lands his first starring role in a BL drama alongside superstar Asami (previously his senior at uni). Said superstar suggests they form a sham relationship until filming concludes. As they actually begin to fall in love, the spotlight begins to burn.

Seriously? You're killing me with these titles, boys.

4/26 My Stand-In (Thai iQIYI) 12 eps - adaptation of Chinese novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng. Stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please) directed by the same team as KP (not a recommendation IMHO - my biggest criticism of that show was the clashing directing styles). This one looks well complicated, lemme try: Joe is a stuntman for famous actor Tong. Joe falls in love with Ming but Ming sees Joe as nothing more than a Tong-replacement. After learning this horrible truth, Joe dies. Joe then wakes up in the body of another man also named Joe. He manages to rebuild the same life as before—with the same people eventually re-meeting Ming. Ming wants Joe back but Joe doesn't understand why. But Ming seems to know what's going on and wants to give him some kind of explanation.

I'm exhausted just trying to describe the plot.

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous partner) and Best, news here.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Just these two, in my head, rent free. Thanks Japan!

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are too much work.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy. (With so many tags when does a weekly tumblr post become a newsletter? That is this week's philosophical question...)

[l-egionaire]

Just saw Kung Fu Panda 4. Here are some thoughts.

Plot was... okay. Nothing super special, but it was fine enough for the kind of story the movie was trying to tell. And there were some great imagery and animation moments. I honestly don't get all the complaints about the animation. I saw one thing on TV tropes say it'd because it's not something like Puss in Boots Two or The Bad Guys, but I'm honestly fine with it not being like those. I feel like if all animated movies used that style, people would just start to complain that they're all the same.

Zhen was fine as a character. Bit of the usual "thief with a heart of gold" type character, but while I do think her changing was a bit fast, I can get why it happens. Po's the first person to show her genuine kindness with little alterior motive, and combined with a later betrayl, I can see her motivation for becoming a better person. Her voice acting wasn't too bad, but I think it could've been better in some dramatic moments. Also, while the movie doesn't draw attention to it, I do think there's a lot of parallel that could be drawn between her and Po, not just with how they grew up but also in their parental figures. Not to mention, they ultimately aren't THAT different as characters. They're both goofy people but grew up being looked down on by others and seem to use humor or goofiness as a defense mechanism. Just that she uses snark whereas he uses his big happy personality.

I REALLY like Po in the movie. Not just because he's his usual big fun self, but because he's still just as, if not more competent as he was in the previous movies. A big issue I had with the How To Train Your Dragon franchise was how Hiccup seemed to keep being less competent or capable in the movies. But no. Po's still able to kick ass and is the skilled warrior he should be after three movies of fighting. And I do think his fear of losing his dragon warrior title is understandable since that HAS been a big part of his identity across all three movies. Some might say that it's odd he's so afraid of change since he became a teacher in the last movie, but that was just adding on to his the responsibilities he already had. I would say his arc of becoming a spiritual leader was neglected some by the end and could've used a bit more focus.

Po's dad's are great. At first, I thought their subplot was just a comedic b-plot, but I liked how they ended up getting their and providing Po emotional support. And again, while it's not given much focus, their relationship and how they encourage Po creates a nice parallel between Zhen and her parental figure.

The Chameleon as a villain isn't THAT interesting, but she's not terrible. Personality wise, she's okay, but nothing spectacular. I do think her backstory was interesting, and, like the past three villains, her backstory mirrors Po's in a way. Which I honestly kind of wished they'd focused on a little more. I think it would've given her more depth that she's hinted to have.

Yes, the Furious Five aren't in this move for 99 percent of it. But.....I think it works. Because the whole point of the movie is about Po and Zhen. Them building their trust and relationship to get to the point they are by the end of the movie. And having the Furious Five their might have made things feel overstuffed.

Ultimately, I think it's a good movie. Nothing AMAZING but it's good and It does pick up more in the second half. Overall I'd say this around a 7.5 out of ten if I had to describe it.

[lesbianmarrow]

hey you seem to have a lot of knowledge about comics and their structure, I was wondering if you had any recommendations for some good comics? like ones with good flow/eyelines?

ahh thank you, i am so flattered! it's funny you ask because just yesterday i was thinking about the flow/eyelines in the book i was reading. it's called feeding ghosts: a graphic memoir by tessa hulls. it's a monochrome graphic memoir about the author's family history, the family's history of mental illness, and how that's all linked to the history of china. it reminds me a lot of fun home in some ways. because the author is describing not only her family's history but also her experience of learning about and processing her family's history, she'll often draw her adult self in the panel along with a young version of her mother or her grandmother. that implosion of linear time is a core theme of the book and the author uses some really interesting page layouts and ways of manipulating the eye around the page to emphasize that.

another book that comes to mind for me is laura dean keeps breaking up with me by mariko tamaki and rosemary valerio-o'connell. i remember being really impressed with the lettering in that book. it was really beautiful and fit the gorgeous, dreamy art while doing a stellar job of guiding the eye along the page in an unobtrusive way. so often it is the lettering that does so much of the heavy lifting in making a page visually legible to a reader - once i started noticing it, i couldn't stop. rosemary's art in that book is also so stunning. she has such an ornate, intricate style that nevertheless manages to be dynamic, which is what was needed for this book. also i'm biased bc i met both mariko and rosemary and got my copy of the book signed by both of them >:)

erica henderson is also a comics genius. i feel like i learned so much of what i understand about how comics function from reading her patreon posts. recently she did a harley quinn annual at dc, and it's just a one-shot story of harley quinn and zatanna on a cruise together solving a murder mystery. henderson wrote, drew, and colored the issue herself. she's a master of comedic timing and the story has so many amazing visual gags. and her page layouts are always very thoughtful and interesting. i wish dc would do more of that, just get a really great writer/artist to do a 40-page one-shot of some popular characters. i guess the black label minis are kind of a bigger version of that. but i do love a humble one-shot.

if you've not yet checked out the shortbox comics fair i highly recommend doing so! it's an annual online-only comics fair, meticulously curated, where you can browse their selection of all-new indie comics and buy pdfs of the ones you like. all money goes to the comics creators. it's october-only so now is a good time to check it out. i bought some comics from them at the beginning of the month and there was some seriously incredible stuff. personally i really loved in the fading light and wednesday's child.

finally if you're not already familiar with silver sprocket i recommend checking out their stuff as well! they publish a lot of comics that tend to be more experimental than stuff you'd find at more mainstream publishers and they skew pretty queer and trans. in general i like looking at what smaller presses are putting out - avery hill publishing and uncivilized books also have good stuff.

i hope that helps! i'm always happy to recommend some good comics :)

[muta99]

꒰ 🐮 ꒱ — Muta Talks.ᐟ ㅤ

🌐⋆｡°✩🌀

☆“Hello Everyone.”☆

☆“I want to start this post by typing this could be a phase that I might be going through and if it is, I’ll delete this post.”☆

☆“I want this out in the open because I wasn’t sure how to address the situation I’m in.”☆

☆“I want to redo/reboot/restart LMK Muta. In the beginning, I was into what I was doing, finally happy with the outcome. However, there would be times when I wished I did my concept ideas because I felt like they were better.”☆

☆“It led to me thinking how it doesn’t make sense to have a different backstory, design, etc for Muta, my sona/self-insert. The problem was by doing that it gives the idea of Muta being two different characters with the same name when it’s supposed to be ‘one’ character which ended up being too much work.”☆

☆“I felt rushed into this without giving myself time to properly express how I want Muta in LMK to be. I do think I’m overreacting because I could easily restart. It’s my story, right? Yes and no.”☆

☆“I dedicate time and effort into drawing Muta as if she was part of LMK. Creating original work, having characters interacting with her, heck, even creating fanart with Muta in them. Which sucks because it feels like I’ll waste everything by redoing everything.”☆

☆“So, I decided to, possibly, restart everything. Create and draw the story light-hearted, comedic, not (too) serious, some angst, and that’s it (hopefully). Harmless fun which is great because I would be putting actual ‘Muta’ with slight adjustments in LMK. The bad news is I would have to do everything from scratch which is not easy considering how much work I would have to do.”☆

☆“In the end, I would be happy. Adding my sona into the story without creating a new backstory with unnecessary characters, that will never be shown, and creating an ending that which I would be unsatisfied with because my heart would not be into it. Muta would be Muta, not another character with her name.”☆

☆“This would probably mean I would have to delete the original LMK!Muta story. I don’t know. There’s a lot I want to do…”☆

☆“Thank you for reading this. It’s embarrassing for me to let you know about this not-so-serious situation I’m in.”☆

☆“I might have more to say, but that’s for future Muta.”☆

[writebackatya]

Let’s go with Let’s All Go to the Movies! for fic bingo.

*gasps* Aren’t you the same @tokuvivor aka ducksandspandex on AO3 who did the Spanish translation for the story!?

Well you got it! This is for you and the anonymous person who also requested this story, which is one I’m still very happy how it turned out (after I went back and added and edited a few things)!

Honestly, kinda glad this was a June prompt giving me a deadline and all, really pushed me to not obsess over things and just quickly drop ideas that would have just dragged the thing out. Legit started while I was working on It Was a Dark and Stormy Night! and knew I’d only have enough time to do only two of the prompts

I wanna start things off by saying. I love this group. I wouldn’t add or subject anyone from this group. If you didn’t like this story I hope you at least like this group and plan on using them for a story or drawing or whatever of your own

First you got the three kids: Dewey, Gosalyn, and Webby. It was really easy picking these guys to be the ones who are excited to see your typical superhero blockbuster. They just have this youthful energy that I find very contagious and they’re honestly my most wanted trio to happen. I legit loved making Gosalyn the “cool kid” out of the three. Yeah she can be a handful for Fenton and is intentionally trying to be difficult for Gandra, but she does care about both Dewey and Webby

Also I just love both Webby and Fenton in this story for the fact they’re the only two not causing any drama. I loved writing the scene where they’re both at the crane machine working together to win prizes. They’re a pair I see a lot of similarities between one another so that inspired that dynamic

I think it’s safe to say that both Dewey and Gandra are the main characters of this story and it’s just another pair I’d love to see together because they’re so different yet so much alike that I think it’d make for great comedic moments. (I still love their interaction in the Split Sword of Swanstantine! where Dewey attempts to trash talk her only for Gandra to reply with a snarky “Thanks!” for helping her out)

Dewey I can just see be immediately drawn to Gandra out of all the members of Team Science cause A. She’s the least dorky member, B. She makes cool stuff, C. She has robots in her body, and D. He has history of pairing up with badass female characters (such as Webby, Della, & Gosalyn)

One thing I love writing about with Gandra is thinking about how difficult it will be for her to get know this family because our of all the characters, she’s the biggest outsider. She has no personal connection to any of the McDucks or Ducks, her connection is that she’s dating a guy who’s more than willing to put in the extra work for this family

And you know what? Fandom is way too harsh on Gandra and often expect her to just know certain things that she wasn’t there for. I don’t think she’s a hypocrite for working for Beaks (Fenton did too), it was a one time job to get what she wanted and plus, Beaks is an idiot. I just think it’s funny when people are like “Doesn’t she know that Beaks is way worse than Scrooge! Doesn’t Gandra know that?!” No. She doesn’t watch DuckTales like you, nerd. To her theyre both selfish billionaires but one is more idiotic and easier to take full advantage of while the other recruits his employees for adventures and probably still pays them minimum wage. We’re comparing Musk to Beezos here

For all their differences, I think the one thing this group has in common is that when danger calls they’ll be the first ones to respond no questions asked

I intentionally crammed a bunch of references into the story both to make the story fun and to poke fun at all the meta self-referencing media out there these days. I didn’t want to go overboard so I did my best to keep all that exclusively at the movie theater and to end it as soon as the group’s movie ended. Besides the superhero stuff, I love how all the references are either Disney or Disney adjacent (some 20th Century Fox stuff in there) Honestly every now and then I want to make a full list of all the references

I did try to be mostly subtle with all the nods and references. The only ones I wanted to be not subtle at all were the cameos. I was low-key inspired by the parody fake biopic movie Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story where all the historical cameos are just intentionally on the nose where the characters just flat-out say their full names in an unnatural way, “What do you think George Harrison of The Beatles?”

Also yeah, the cameos are also intentionally miscasted. But I did do my best in my story to make all the cameos be completely in character

Roxanne is a beloved character from the classic movie A Goofy Movie so having her work at the movies was a no brainer for me. Horace Horsecollar was the first one I knew I wanted to do because of his role in House of Mouse (and yes that woman speaking to him over the walkie-talkie was Minnie Mouse)

As for Dickie. Look, I’ll be honest. I don’t know if I did a good job with her or not. For the scene where Webby was the only one whose conscience was bothering her about sneaking candy into the movies, I was originally gonna just have your typical bored teen walk by and say no one cares, but that’s no fun! And honestly kinda mean-spirited. We needed someone nice and Dickie is a character I somewhat know from being in the fandom and I know is a character Goldie fans would want in DT17 cause she’s her granddaughter and all. So I looked up a few comic panels and went “Okay, I think I know how to write her!” and wrote her scene

And this was the Bobbie who was playing with the nacho cheese btw

Originally I wanted to do more trailers, but I quickly decided to go with just the trailer for Disney’s live action remake of their box-office bomb, The Black Cauldron. For that I rewatched the original movie as well as every 1st trailer for every Disney live-action remake from Cinderella to The Little Mermaid. I’d say the trailer was mainly poking fun at the Peter & Wendy and Pinocchio trailers (I didn’t watch either) as well as The Black Cauldron. I neither love nor hate The Black Cauldron but looking joking about it and low-key proud of the casting choices

As for the movie itself it’s mainly a riff on the MCU but there’s some DC stuff in there. I’d say I was inspired by the Spider-Verse movies, the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Avengers: Infinity War, and The Flash (the only movie I didn’t watch out of these!)

All the characters (except the Nick Fury/Maria Hill stand-in) all come from either the comics, the OG DuckTales, and Darkwing Duck. I didn’t want to make them all one-to-one but turn them into how I think they show would change them slightly

Awesome Comics is from a Darkwing Duck episode where the hero is pitching his comic book to the company. Comet Guy is a Superman send-up that had a couple of episodes in Darkwing Duck and the main villain of the movie, Ordinary Guy, comes from Comet Guy’s second appearance where we go to his home planet Mertz where everyone but Ordinary Guy is a superhero. The brain teasers also came from Darkwing Duck and have a couple episodes themselves. I picked them because they’re hats and Comet Guy uses his spaceship as a hat

The Masked Mallard and the Scarlet Brigand both come from the OG DuckTales. The Masked Mallard is actually Scrooge McDuck and was inspired by swashbuckling Zorro type hero the boys were watching in the same episode. I basically made the Masked Mallard a combination of both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers since he can’t be Scrooge. And I decided to make the Scarlet Brigand female and she was inspired by Scarlet Witch and Black Widow (a lot of Scarlet here!) with more of a rogue sword fighter vibe and more scarlet in her costume. The Titanic Trio was actually just Huey Dewey and Louie at the end of the episode with their own Masked Mallard costumes so I stole the team name from them since this group was a trio

Also MEL was the villain in Gizmoduck’s tv movie five part episode tho bf

Super Snooper is the first superhero sendup from the comics so he had to be here. Him basically being a major role in someone else’s movie was poking fun at Michael Keaton being heavily advertised for The Flash movie. After all Super Snooper is a sendup of both Superman and Batman but mostly Superman. His death was inspired by the infamous reverse time scene from the OG Superman movie which I do love

I just think it’s funny this character came back from the dead only to be killed again

And I love the post credit scene for this. I had to do it. (There’s no post credit scene for the movie because I couldn’t think of anything.) But yeah, I love it because it’s just this family chilling and hanging out with one another

And the whole story ends with Della encouraging Gandra to go bang her boyfriend with a Spider-Man 2 reference. 10/10 storytelling

[shysquidd]

ok so i was able to log in thru my laptop so as promised here are my in depth thoughts on korra 

so we all know lok came out like years ago so what im gonna say probably has already been said like thousands of times over and over, i think when the show first came out i saw a few eps of it and then lost interest. but i was like 15 or something at the time so whatever. 

i have noticed that some people who liked lok better have said that people who dont like lok as much just dont like change, and idk maybe thats the case for some, but my main criticisms for it come from the writing inconsistency. to be clear i thought it was a fun watch! did i like it? yes!!!! did i love it?? not so much 

i think what bothered me the most was the pacing of the seasons. now i hate to draw comparisons to atla, but they are part of the same franchise so I Will. one the things that made atla sooo good was the overall mission stretched over 3 seasons, with secondary villains providing obstacles along the way (zhao,zuko,azula). this provided characters with enough time to develop along the way before facing the big bad (and building suspense to ozai), but still keep viewers entertained through out the seasons 

i didnt really feel the same suspense when watching korra. each season had its own conflict and big bad, and none of them really seemed to come back up a lot after they were already defeated (except for korras uncle i forget his name tbh) 

i think any of the conflicts they had would have worked if they chose to stretch it out over the course of the show. the anti-bending movement and the water tribe civil war would have worked best in my opinion. they anti-bending movement drew valid criticisms from non-benders, and its really weird to see all of that vanish after amon was defeated. as for the civil war, unalaq (i googled his name lol) fell flat for me, he was just kinda evil for the sake of being evil. at first his motivations were intriguing and made a good foundation for the conflict aka wanting to combine the tribes again by bringing spirituality to the swt by force, bt when they brought in raava and vaatu it just kinda fell apart. this plotline definitely would have worked over several seasons, but i kinda wished the origins of the first avatar would have remained a mystery. i am a firm believer of not everything has to be answered

because the show was so fast paced, characters really didnt get the spotlight they deserved, esp team avatar. the gaang in the first series really all had their moments to shine, and you could rewatch the og season over and over again and notice something new every time! im not sure how well this would work with lok since the rest of team avatar didnt really get their own fleshed out story lines 

korra: had the most development ofc. i think she was a great protagonist. it makes sense that aang would want his successor to get proper training before getting thrown into avatar duties  considering he was like 12 when he had to fight the firelord. korra, whos been training her whole life, is caught in the middle of conflict in republic city, and its clear to me that her training took a priority on bending the elements, rather than being a mediator, which is the duty of the avatar. she’s like a fish out of water, and as the series progresses and we see her fight the antagonists, this takes a toll on her and she goes into a slump. it was a very fitting arc for her character 

mako: he was just kinda there for me. bit of a jerk at first and i really did not like the whole korra/mako/asami love triangle. it was all very forced imo considering korra and mako only knew each other for like a few days before they were confessing feelings for each other 

bolin: obvs the comedic relief character. the show doesnt do much for him either which is sad bc i did like his character, hes funny and has a cute design. ill draw another comparison to atla and say that while sokka was the comedic relief, his character was deeply complex and multilayered

asami: my angel my daughter my cinnamon apple. im glad asami was able to reconnect with her father before the show murked him. korrasami was cute and they compliment each other: korra, whos more emotionally reserved vs asami who is empathetic and patient but also is true to her beliefs and holds her ground

anyways this post got super long and if u read this i love u. feel free to comment if u wanna start a discussion. much more to say but my fingers are tired bye 

[withasideofshakespeare]

Y’know what, I agree! I think watching Shakespeare is great! I’m an actor; I need people to watch Shakespeare if I mean to make any money!

Even as an English student, I often put on a recording of a play as I read along with it for my initial read-through. (Especially useful when you’re reading a lot of plays and will be tested on your memory of who says which lines!)

But ultimately, I get the most from plays when I read them. I think that watching them or reading alongside a production is a great way to experience them for the first time, especially if you don’t read a lot of early modern literature, but I don’t think you’re going to pull as much from them by watching them as you would if you really slowed down and read them.

For me, close, deep, critical reading takes time. I think you can train your brain via practice to pull more from quickly reading something than most people, but I don’t think that anyone—no matter how much they read—will ever get the maximum amount of death out of reading quickly.

Sit down, read slowly, and read the footnotes as well as the text! Maybe even annotate as you go! By doing so, you’re not just giving yourself more time to absorb the text but more time to think about what it means to you. This is how you start drawing connections between different pieces of media and tying it back to your lived experience. That’s how the fun stuff happens. That’s where you start becoming a writer and an artist in your own right.

It doesn’t have to be particularly serious:

What if Benedick *did* kill Claudio? Wait, Much Ado is a Shakespearean comedy. I’ve read Twelfth Night… I know that the comedies love cross dressing! What if *Beatrice* got to have her comedic heroine crossdressing moment as *she* kills Claudio?

Hotspur’s so full of energy… in a kind of autistic way. Like me! Oh my god, what would he do if he *were* me and had to work my restaurant job? Probably punch his boss!

The murderers in Richard III are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern-levels silly. …what if they ARE Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?! Mid-15th century Hamlet where Ros & Guil get off the ship from Denmark in England as intended, but not-quite-king-yet Richard intercepts them and has them kill his brother since they probably don't have any really intense personal feelings on the matter as foreigners?

Or it can be a little bit more serious:

Reading The Argonautica, I noticed that the scene where Medeia and Jason meet at the temple of Hecate is really similar to that scene in Marlowe’s Hero & Leander where Hero and Leander meet in the temple. I know that Marlowe took inspiration from Musaeus’ version of the same story, so I wonder if that detail would be the same if I read a direct translation of Musaeus’ Hero & Leander? Maybe this is an example of how different story telling traditions borrow from what came before them or maybe it’s coincidental! (Or maybe Marlowe is referencing the Argonautica??)

Macbeth has an almost invisible subplot about Edward the Confessor! Malcolm mentions it just once in that scene with Macduff and it gets overshadowed by the rest of the scene but it’s interesting to me! I wonder why Malcolm mentions it? Is it kind of his goal to be a divine healer king like Edward but for a whole nation rather than individual subjects?

And maybe you write fanfiction about it! Or a research paper (if you’re that kind of nerd /j)! Maybe you just sit with it because it’s fun to think about these things! These are thoughts you’re probably not going to have time for if you just watch a play once rather than really getting into the nitty-gritty details.

The one thing I’ll (maybe) disagree with OP on is that I don’t think everyone has to read these plays. I think everyone should experience reading one at least once (I don’t know that I would’ve discovered how much I love them if I hadn’t!) but if you prefer to watch them, you do you! I’d even say that there’s a lot you can get from seeing them on stage that might not occur to you while reading—blocking details, tone of voice, maybe even sarcasm you would’ve missed if you were just reading. But I agree strongly that there’s real value to be had from reading dramatic literature rather than just watching it. Those lines *are* there for a reason and there might be things that you pull from them that nobody has ever pulled from them before.

I’ll leave you with this: the process of close reading shouldn’t be boring, whether you’re reading Shakespeare or something else entirely. Let yourself have fun with literature, be it a book, a play, or even an academic journal article. There’s almost always something to be gained from really involving yourself with a piece and pulling everything you can from it!

every time someone says that Shakespeare is better seen than read just know I am shaking and shuddering and forcing myself not to argue because GOD. God. Because yes, I mean, Shakespeare didn’t even write down his plays in their entirety; they weren’t written for publication; they were quite literally written to be performed. AND. And Every story has meaning. Every word in a story has meaning. That’s just true, and it’s inevitable that one is going to miss some of that meaning if one is watching it onstage. Acting is not meant for analysis unless one is pretentious or a theatre critic. Acting is not designed for analysis. One doesn’t even have footnotes if it’s onstage! and I personally suffer when I don’t have footnotes for Shakespeare. Footnotes are my best friend and I love them. but that would still be fine if all the Shakespeare we see onstage was good Shakespeare but oh my god there is so much bad Shakespeare in the world. Holy goddamn fuck there is a lot of Shakespeare where the actors clearly have no idea what they’re saying or sexual assault is implicitly condoned or everyone’s just reciting lines or the entire concept of the show is apologizing for doing Shakespeare or Juliet is stuck in a register three octaves above sounding like a normal person and oh my god. Oh My God. YES, reading Shakespeare is hard. YES, it’s going to be boring at some points. Everything is boring at some points. But it’s not a magic cure-all to watch it onstage. Onstage Shakespeare has a whole other set of problems. One medium does not have a monopoly on Shakespeare. One medium is not inherently better. There are different things that you will get out of what medium you experience it through. I can’t think of a good conclusion and I’m losing my gol-dern mind so I’m just going to leave it here. Read some Shakespeare. Good night.

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Air (Affleck, 2023)

For a movie about the origin of the Air Jordan, the movie is less interested than you would expect in both the player it's named after and the shoe itself. As for the former, it's probably a wise calculation, in that giving too much room to Michael Jordan the character would likely draw distracting comparisons to the real deal, given how public a figure he is. (Were Jordan a bigger character, it would be fun to imagine a version of this movie in which he demanded to portray his teenage self, CGI-de-aging be damned.) As for the latter, it probably keeps the movie from feeling too much like the blatantly commercial proposition it was envisioned as. If we're gonna have movies built around selling us products, they might as well try to act like real movies. It helps if they're pretty entertaining too, as this one is.

But at the same time, the movie or at least the characters understand the aspirational nature of clothing, the power of conflating Jordan's greatness with a shoe crafted in his image. (For more on this idea but in a different context, I think the recent season of the Articles of Interest podcast on prep does a great job unpacking the way Polo Ralph Lauren has been able to align itself with a certain idea of Americana and class aspirations and tie that story into its collections.) When we first grasp the shoe, the use of Pino Donaggio's theme for Body Double is both cheeky and astute. One can think of a certain...troubled rapper expressing his desire for a shoe he would want to engage in relations with, which makes the use of music from originally an erotic context amusingly on the nose. But a shoe is still just a shoe, especially as all of us already know what it looks like, so the reveal can't help but feel a little deflating. I think there's a bit more complexity in this element than the movie is probably being given credit for. Or maybe I just like talking about clothes and found it interesting to unpack.

But this movie is more about the efforts to secure the deal, and to that end, I found it pretty entertaining. As a director, Ben Affleck is uninterested in creating obvious villains or contriving complications, and trusts in the material and in the actors to sell it. The main cast is uniformly terrific, and Affleck is smart enough to give them room. A lot of this is movie is just characters talking to each in office rooms and over the phone, but it makes a difference when a movie is as eager as this one to savour the rhythms of their dialogue. One highlight has the hero conversing with Jordan's agent, who expresses his objections with profane musicality. The movie cuts between the two, making time for not just the agent's outbursts, but the hero's bemused reactions as he gently prods the other man.

Affleck also moves things along with a quiet confidence, using a steady barrage of needle-drops for comedic effect. (Seemingly every top 40 hit from the early '80s makes an appearance on the soundtrack.) Maybe I'm an easy mark for this stuff, but if you open your movie with "Money for Nothing" and a 1984 montage with the warm, glowing, warming glow of archival video and film footage (Sylvester Stallone, Dolly Parton and Eddie Murphy all make appearances), and I'm in a good mood. Part of me wishes the whole movie had been shot in the same grainy film stock as we glimpse the Nike offices in during that montage. As it is, the movie isn't bad looking, and Robert Richardon's unfussy camerawork is a nice match for Affleck's patient direction.

I think one of the reasons I liked the movie as much as I did is that it reminded me of the studio vehicles of the '90s, when movies had regularly great casts, trusted in them to do their thing and put it all together in a nice sturdy package. This movie even makes great use of Chris Tucker, understanding the lesson taught by Jackie Brown and the first Rush Hour and sadly forgotten by the latter's sequels that Tucker is best deployed in measured contexts. Unmitigated Tucker is not safe for normal consumption, and Affleck errs on the side of caution for all our sakes. The one obvious miscalculation Affleck makes is cutting to Jordan's future exploits during Matt Damon's climactic speech. His words resonate on their own. Underlining them seems redundant. But it's a small matter.

The movie ends with a bunch of text stressing the importance of the events depicted and all the good deeds the principals have been responsible for. This no doubt was included as part of some contractual obligation to Nike and feels at odds with the low stakes of the preceding movie, but Affleck gets the last laugh, depicting Nike founder Phil Knight with a deeply unflattering perm and a Porsche in a shade that suggests his means exceed his taste.

[chaoticevilspacewitch]

More Objectively Correct Shipping Opinions: RWBY+ Edition

Members of Team RWBY plus someone else

Ruby

Nuts & Dolts: honestly, the Ruby ship with the most basis in canon. WhiteRose has had a lot of time to cook and hasn't much, whereas every minute these two share seems like it's loaded with affection. I honestly thought it was just too wholesome to be interesting until I heard Taylor McKnee's confession monologue, and the line "I adore you so" broke me.

(as an aside, Frosen Steel combines many of the strengths of Nuts & Dolts and WhiteRose... although I wish it was called Frosted Cinnamon Rolls instead)

Milk & Cereal: in an AU where Yang isn't part of Ruby's life, Pyrrha could easily fill the roll, *and* be shippable. I did a smut oneshot of it once, but I'd like to explore it more thoroughly.

Fallen Petals: ah, my beloved dark rose! I was skeptical until I read Rise from the Ashes and became a believer in Ruby's power to redeem Cinder with kisses.

Strawberry Shortcake: very similar to Fallen Petals, but with more comedic potential between less murdery Neo and Ruby.

Death's White Rose: this one is entirely @powertaco 's fault. Ruby, Weiss, and a somehow young Maria Calavera. It's grown on me.

Red Fox: my wildcard. I typically am dead set against shipping any of RWBY with men, but I started writing Fox trying to flirt with Ruby as a joke and decided they're kind of adorable together.

Weiss

North Pole/Schneekos: I love Weiss and Pyrrha together. They have a lot in common with being women put on pedestals and always expected to be exceptional... and then there's the height difference thing. They're the backbone of Scattered Petals.

White Chocolate: fashionista rich girls who experimented on a dare and liked it? OR committed lesbian Coco seducing the uptight thinks-she's-straight Weiss? Yessssss.

Black Ice: hear me out here. MILF Salem playing a long, strategic game of seduction with Weiss, offering her power to make the world as she believes it should be, and vengeance against her father, only to actually fall for her? Weiss *knowing* what's happening and thinking she can play Salem, until suddenly it's not playing her anymore? Dirty and delicious!

Hailstorm: I was recently put onto this one by a couple of @powertaco 's fics about them, and I'm kinda taken with the Ruby/Weiss/Nora dynamic. It feels like it works best when one of them is damaged and the other two, in a healthy relationship, adopt them.

Blake

Catmeleon: Obviously. My only gripe with Bumbleby is that Ilia is a total sweetheart, and her "I wish you'd looked at me the way you looked at him" line breaks my heart every time.

Black Velvet: I just think they'd be sweet together, and their different perspectives on life as a faunus would be interesting to see interact.

Yang

Baked Alaska: I started writing this out of spite when @etincelleart was getting harassed for drawing it, and realized that, like many things with Neo, it's a lot of fun. The idea that Yang realized Neo was mute and learned sign language *just* so they could banter during fights is adorable.

Greek Fire: I think this one is a fun one to explore precisely because it takes Yang's usual position as the buff, strong protector and lets her be Pyrrha's little spoon. Great for sports AUs.

[soranatus]

Exclusive Interview with “My Adventures With Superman” Animated Series Co-Producer Josephine Campbell

Q: Clark and Lois are described as being in their 20s in “My Adventures With Superman,” how new are they to their jobs at the Daily Planet?

A: Clark, Lois and Jimmy are interns just starting at the Daily Planet – so they are incredibly new! We wanted to play with our characters’ origins, showing them at a stage of life most “Superman” media hasn’t fully explored. Plus, we love the idea of watching these three learn and grow to become the icons we all know.

Q: If you had to compare “My Adventures With Superman” to any previous version of the Superman story, which would you say it’s most like or draws most inspiration from?

A: Our North Star was the 1978 “Superman: The Movie,” especially the interplay between the incredible Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve. We loved their chemistry; we loved how smart and feisty Lois was, and loved the heart and altruism of Reeve’s Superman/Clark Kent. The movie was clever, fun, and modernized Superman in a way that felt organic to the time period, while also respectful of what came before. It truly is one of our favorite pieces of Superman media.

Outside of the classic ’78 movie, I and Co-EP’s Jake Wyatt and Brendan Clougher are all kids of the ’80s/’90s, so we’re also influenced by John Byrne’s “Man of Steel,” as well as the work of Jurgens, Bogdanove, and Simonson.

Q: What age group is “My Adventures With Superman” targeted at?

A: Much like the original 1978 film, we’re aiming for a wide co-viewing audience, where kids, teens, and adults can all sit down and watch together.

Q: What can you tell us about Jack Quaid’s interpretation of both Superman and Clark Kent?

A: Jack has been absolutely phenomenal to work with! He’s got great comedic timing as Clark, but he is also able to sell the kindness, strength, and dignity of Superman. It’s been a real privilege to work with him – and it’s also very funny to watch “The Boys” after a record. I really can’t look at Clark OR Hughie the same!

Q: Michael Emerson revealed that he’s voicing the role of Brainiac for the upcoming animated series, how much will we see of Brainiac? Will he play a large role in the series?

A: Michael is an incredible actor who we are excited to work with – I can’t say anything more outside of that!

Q: I believe a certain criminal “gang” will play an important role in the first season of “My Adventures With Superman” with a bit of a twist on the villains involved. Did you make a conscious decision to put your own spin on the villains who would show up on the series?

A: I can’t confirm what villains or characters people should expect to see. All I can say is that, overall, we were looking to modernize Superman while keeping true to the core of the characters, and we hope we’ve done that.

Q: With all the turmoil and upheaval at Warner Bros. Discovery in recent months, how concerned were you about “My Adventures With Superman” possibly being canceled?

A: We were very fortunate to learn early on that “Superman” would still be coming out on Cartoon Network and the app as planned. Mergers are always tumultuous, but we’re glad that we still get to bring our love for Superman to fans old and new.

Q: When will the series premiere on Cartoon Network?

A: No date has been announced as of yet, but stay tuned!

Q: What are you most excited for fans to see in “My Adventures With Superman”?

A: There’s a lot I’m excited for fans to see! I can’t wait for fans to see the relationship between Lois, Clark and Jimmy – these three are the heart of our show, and their friendship and adventures together drive the series and the character arcs for both season one and two.

I’m also especially excited for fans to see the romance between Lois and Clark unfold! Alice Lee and Jack Quaid have fantastic chemistry, and they bring so much humor and warmth to their characters. Lois and Clark/Superman are one of our culture’s most iconic and enduring love stories, so it was deeply important to us to give that part of the Superman mythos a lot of love and attention.

I’m excited for you guys to see the incredible action – we have a LOT of fun with Superman, his powers and his rogues gallery, and we went all out, 110% on every single fight in the show.

Lastly, I’m excited for the show to come out because I’m a huge Superman fan too! Working on Superman has been a dream come true, not just for me but for every single member of our crew. People came into work with their favorite Superman comics and movies to share with each other, screened the Fleischer Studios cartoons during lunch, and dug up the audio of the original Superman radio show from the ’40s to listen to as we wrote and drew. I and everyone on the show adore Superman in all his forms, and I can’t wait to share with you our version of the Big Blue Boy Scout.

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, “My Adventures with Superman” introduces us to twenty-somethings Clark Kent, the bright and driven Lois Lane and their best friend Jimmy Olsen as they begin to discover who they are and everything they can accomplish together as an investigative reporting team at the Daily Planet. Promising a mix of action, comedy and romance, the new series is expected to premiere some time in 2022.

Described as a serialized coming-of-age story, “My Adventures with Superman” will follow Clark as he builds his secret Superman identity and embraces his role as the hero of Metropolis—and perhaps the world. Lois, now growing into a star investigative journalist, takes aspiring photographer Jimmy Olsen under her wing. All the while, Clark and Lois are falling in love, sharing adventures, taking down bad guys, stumbling over secrets and discovering what it means to be Superman and Lois Lane.

Source: Superman Homepage!

[thetrashiestoftrash]

The flipside is that every artist acts like everyone can do what they do if they just ~put in the work.~ And they assume that everyone who can't draw just hasn't tried.

We have tried. You have no idea how much we have or haven't tried.

Scroll through deviantART or Instagram or #artblr or whatever. There are artists who are like 14 years old creating incredible pieces. There are artists in their 50s who have drawn every day since they could hold a pencil and they still struggle with basic proportions. And skill is not a single thing--it always annoyed me that everyone declared the original One Punch Man was "poorly drawn," because it has great composition, it just doesn't spend a lot of time on detail (and frequently this is intentional for comedic effect).

Moreover, why don't we talk about anything else the way we do art? Artists, can you do math? Why or why not? Is it fun? Do you spend a lot of time with it? Pretending that this is measurable for a moment, if you spent the same amount of time learning calculus, would you come out with the same level of results? Can you play an instrument? How many? Is there a reason? How many languages do you speak? How many sports can you play? Can you cook? Sew? Fix a car? Why are you better at some of these things than others? Do you find some of them easier to study? Do you find some of them more fun to study even though they're more difficult? Were some of them necessary to force yourself to learn even though they were neither fun nor easy?

I propose that skill is natural talent multiplied by training multiplied by practice. With the right teacher and/or enough study, most people can learn to be competent at most things. A whole lot of one resource can compensate for a lack of another, to a point. And people who have always had an abundance of one don't realize that some people don't.

Artists, I want you to consider: what if you had been drawing twice as long, and your art looked half as good as it does now? What if you saw artists doing their "then vs now" ten year retrospectives, and both of yours looked like their "then" examples? If the best you could make after years of study was worse than a teenager who just got a tablet for their birthday and decided to scribble something as a test?

And then someone always tries to hand out the consolation prize of "it doesn't matter if you're as good as other people so long as you're having fun," which is HILARIOUS coming from most artists, who are constantly comparing the art they make to the perfect ideal that exists in their head. As if I'm not capable of looking at the paper and realizing this hand looks nothing like the hand drawing it. What a joke.

pretty much every anti-artist sentiment can be traced back to the false idea of Natural Talent

if you understand the mindset/worldview of Natural Talent, i really do get why they act like they do. if you just thought that only a select group of people were born great at something, and you could never even attempt it because you weren’t born good, you may start to have envy and hatred against them

and overall this would just be a hellish way to live. knowing that you want to draw but thinking that doing art just requires being born with The Gift and if you can’t draw well immediately you’ll never be able to. it’s depressing, i honestly take pity on anyone living like this

to end on a good note: to everyone that thinks “i’ll never really be an artist though”, i thought that and then i did art and became an artist. you can do it too in the exact same way you or anyone else can, hundreds or even thousands of hours of practice

[smutty-ki113r]

🎠Laughing Jack🎠|| Carousel

Fluff one-shot x gn!reader— only warning is angst (2.6k)

Inspired by: Melanie Martinez

After months of endless nagging you finally convinced Laughing Jack to let you visit his amusement park. He had claimed it was too scary and you would get creeped out but you weren’t one to take no for an answer.

Giving you a piece of candy so the trans-dementional trip wouldn’t be too hard on you. Tasting the sour lemon taffy he gave you and making a tense face as the flavor pulled at your taste buds and stuck to your teeth.

Your head getting dizzy as your surroundings warped and his room became red and white vertical stripes. Blinking a couple times as he leaned into your face, “are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” You told him, almost falling back at how close he was. As soon as your perception adjusted you looked for the exit to the tent you were inside. “Onward!” You said excited, marching comedically to the entrance flap.

“This isn’t exactly the safest place”, he called from behind, catching up with ease because his legs were so long. “You need to stay close to me at all times” you smiled at him, it’s not like you were complaining, “got that?”

Giving him a keen nod you stepped out of the grand tent. Squinting at the sky, which was tainted a dusty gray, swirly clouds amber of scattered around in the background. The carnival was beautifully revolting, with littered attractions as far as the eye could see.

The place looked somewhat abandoned, if you get past the faint cries of children, from their souls stored in toys. Rides that once colored a vibrant red had paint chipped, specks of dull metal flaked over the bars.

Game stands broken down and leaning unsteadily, disturbing toys with eyes and limbs missing hanging from the top. It looked like it might fall down at any minute, but you couldn’t help but notice the newer looking boxes of supplies lying around next to the stands.

Fairy lights hung from the tilted signs, decorating the food court. A fresh trail had been made between the rides.

It warmed your heart that he had made subtle efforts to fix the place up, he certainly didn’t think you would notice.

Looking back at his nervous smile, Jack was terrified you would hate the place. You thought all but the opposite, giving him a big grin. Your expression relaxed him, assuring him that you wouldn’t think he was a freak and leave. His whole demeanor shifting, making him more comfortable and even enthusiastic.

Straightening out and giving you jazz hands, “what are you waiting for?” putting one hand on his hip to motion you to the park with the other “lets go have fun!”

Following behind you with a giggle as you approached the carnival games. The ring toss looking somewhat appealing in between the other activities, so you told him you wanted to play.

“Basically you get 5 rings, if you get at least 3 in the pins you win a prize” he explained.

“Alright alright lemme try” you waved him off, snatching the rings and giving one a toss. It missed, you brushed it off. The second one made it in and Jack gave a little cheer, it still wasn’t enough.

Hyperfocusing on the pin in the middle make a soft throw upward, the edge hitting the top of the pin and falling to the side. You gave a groan, calculating your last two throws.

Your forth throw made the pin to the side, and you only had one more try left. Aiming for another pin at the side to release, the ring clanging against it and falling to the floor.

You went to look at Jack with a frown but he wore a happy expression, “you won!” He exclaimed. Confused you turned back, finding the ring you had just tossed around the last pin. You were completely certain you had missed it, racking your mind for an explanation as jack handed you a small purple bunny that was missing an arm.

Realizing that Jack had manipulating the game so you could win, throwing him a knowing glance. He just happened to be looking away, whistling guiltily.

Squeezing the bunny you moved onto the next game, it was ballon dart toss. The stand had pale red and black balloons scattered across a board. Excitement was written all over his face, you cocked an eyebrow in question.

“It’s a two person game!” He said, “whoever pops more balloons wins!”

He handed you four darts and kept four for himself, “you can go first” he motioned with a grin. Pacing the dart in two fingers a couple times before throwing at a balloon. Giving a groan when you missed and waiting for him to go.

Being as skilled as he was he managed to land one in a bullseye. “Oh it’s on” you dared, getting one point yourself. LJ got the second one too, staring at you intensely as you evened out the score.

Giving him a small smile as the dart broke the surface of the balloon with a sharp noise “pop goes the weasel right?” You laughed, referring to his famous song.

He looked at you almost in shock, taken aback by your joke. Shaking himself into reality he broke out in a light blush, a part of him touched, as if you were accepting him for who he was.

Too distracted by your eyes on him to play the game with concentration. Missing the third one with a growl he waited for you to take your turn, which you lost. It was the last point and Jack was a shoe in, so obviously he took the victory.

You were happy for him, passing along a “good job!” as he retrieved the big brown teddy bear that was half his size, and all of yours. It was missing an eye, thin stands of makeshift fur pulled out and a silky red bow around it’s neck.

“Here” he said, dangling it in front of you.

“For me?” You asked, “but you won”, trying to look up at him but the bear blocked most of your view, only letting you see above his nose.

“Just take it” he practically pushed it into you, making you blow out an oof.

Holding it to the side at the torso with one hand you broke out in a grin “thank you for the plushie” you said, hugging him from the side and squeezing his torso “but I want you to be my teddy” you laughed. He looked incredibly flustered, frozen as you broke away.

“You’re big and tall” you tippy toed up to give his shoulder pad feathers a ruffle “and fluffy”

The man looked like he was about to faint so you decided to knock it off, laughing and telling him you wanted to go on the carousel next. Quickly, LJ happily led you too it, skipping in front of you (mostly to hide his blush).

Standing at the controls to cue a round, watching you walk around to find a pretty horse. Given, all of them had dark spots and chipped paint, but they worked all the same. Leaving the bear on another horse and climbing onto a white one that had a yellow saddle, intricate lacy designs patterned on the sides. Royal blue reigns across it’s chest and a lion on a crest.

It was beautiful, and you traced your fingers on the drawing. It must have been stunning, but the weathering of time and agony had gotten to it. A painful reminder of what was, a mere reflection of the chipping away of a joyful being.

Prying away from your thoughts as you felt the vibrations of Jack stepping onto the walkway- with one of his big smiles. Even after everything, he still wore a smile. It made you want to tear up, he really needed all the love he could get.

He was too tall to get on a horse, so he just stood by you. His big hand gracing the golden pole and holding on, watching as you peeked up at him. Even though his eyes were constantly bright he displayed something…deeper. It was a sort of shine, a sparkle if you will, luminosity glazed over in such a way that one can only get lost in its vastness.

The looped music in the background was secondary as you rose up and down with the horse, giving Jack a little smile and thanking him for bringing you here. “I’m having a lot of fun with you” you noted.

“Well of course you are! It’s a carnival” he said with joy.

“No I mean with you” you clarified “you’re pretty great Jack”. This time he didn’t avoid your gaze, his mouth open slightly, not knowing how to react to the sincerity of the compliment.

The ride slowly came to a stop, and you were feeling slightly tingly. Maybe it was the air, or the loss of focus. “How about a roller coaster?” You dared, to which he gave a tense face.

“Those are pretty broken, you’ll probably die riding one and that’s not what we want” he said, stepping off the carousel. “How about some cotton candy instead?”

You nodded your head vigorously, following him in the pursuit for the fairy floss, the bear falling behind forgotten. Passing by more unused rides that had long past rusted and a house of mirrors to get to the food court.

Jack humming happily as he dipped a paper cone into the bowl of revolving fibers of sugar. Whipping up a swirly pink and blue cotton candy and handing it to you with a proud smile.

He went to make another treat until you spoke, “I’m not that hungry so we can share” you proposed. “If you want”

“Are you sure?” He asked, concerned that you didn’t have much appetite. “Do you want some candy or maybe a funnel cake?”

You shook him off, taking a bite out of the cloud-like dessert. It was absolutely delicious, honeyed and saccharine on your tongue in a blend of flavor you had never tasted had before.

Soft as it disintegrated onto your mouth, leaving behind a remanence of something too sweet. Bringing it up to Jack, who was so tall you had to extend your arm fully to get it to his mouth.

He simply laughed at your struggle, taking a bite before giving you a thin smile and taking it from your hand. Sitting down at a bench so that you could both share comfortably.

By the time the candy had finished you noticed little bits of the silky texture stuck on his nose. Painfully stifling a laugh you turned away.

“What’s so funny?” He asked with a genuine smile.

When you didn’t answer his tone changed, “what’s so funny huh?” he sounded a bit angered.

Hiccuping through your laughter you faced him, leaning in real close to his face, enough so that you could feel the heat emanating from it; taking a bite of the pink woven candy on his nose and holding it in your teeth.

His face went red at the sight, embarrassed that he had cotton candy on his nose. Well, that and for a moment he thought you were going to kiss him.

Noticing your hands were all sticky you asked him if there was a sink somewhere. After both of you washed your hands you sat back down at the bench.

The sky was going dark, the poofs of dusty cloud fading in with the night but still managing to remain visible. You heard a whirr as Jack turned on all the rides at the carnival, lighting the whole thing up.

You sat in awe, a mere spectator in the empty yet live amusement park. Admiring the music that added to the ambiance, watching Jack approach you.

“Wanna take a walk?” He asked, but there was something…off. LJ seemed nervous as you got up and walked next to him.

He had been thinking about it for a while now, probably even before he brought you to the carnival. Even though he had washed the gooey candy from his hands they were still sticky, but it was from sweat. Giving you side glances as you paced the trail with him.

Debating to himself whether or not he should do it, if you would hate him for it. Telling himself that he would regret it if he didn’t, but thinking about the potential negative reactions you could give.

Passing the carousel once again as you noticed the usually loud and happy clown was silent, lost in thought as he stared into the distance, his lips forming a tensing line.

Wondering if he was ok, but brining up the topic might make him uneasy. Perhaps you being there at his haunted amusement park was ticking him off, or if you taking that cotton floss off his nose was too much, or if you were pushing your luck, or worse what if you triggered hi-

All thoughts faded from your mind the moment you felt a slow, shaky hand grasp onto yours. You had to look to where he held you because he was so gentile you thought it was the wind. Holding onto you softly enough that it felt like a feather, somehow still creating a little pocket of warmth between you.

A glowing thump of heat pulsing inside your chest, happiness digging into your cells and giving you the confidence to squeeze his hand.

He let out a sharp inhale at the feel, still avoiding your gaze as he relaxed into your touch. Not daring to move his hand too much or he might risk ruining the moment, afraid of hurting you with his claws.

Approaching the Ferris wheel he finally spoke, “this is probably the one ride that won’t break”, not a peep about holding you. “Do you want to go on?”

You finally caught his gaze, absolutely melting at the smile in his eyes. Responding with a ‘yes’ and letting him open the door for you. Sustaining his grip with you as he helped you on, not letting go even after you sat.

The cart wasn’t exactly small, but with a guy the size of Jack it was pretty compacted. It’s not like you minded, the lack of space gave you an excuse to bunch up alongside him. The feathers from his pads tickling your face as you rested on him.

Watching the view as the cart took you higher and higher, it was perfect. The evening set in the rich obscurity of the night, lights of the festival blinking as if they had a life of their own. The bulbs on the stands making z’s as they illuminated the red and white drapes of the far off tents.

Jack held your hand with such care and caress, you gave him a reassuring press to let him know it was ok. He was so enveloped with the passionate act that he squeezed as well. Letting you feel all the dips and curves of his hand. Clutching onto you, as if you might disappear too.

Facing him to cup his cheek with your free hand, caressing him and tucking a stand of hair behind his ear. Trailing your thumb across his skin and feeling him lean into your touch, swearing that between the lines on the pad of your finger there was a tear that you had wiped away.

Getting lost in the breaths you shared as you inched closer to his lips, giving him a second of warmth longer to prove that you weren’t going anywhere.

[mj-is-writing]

happy blorbo blursday! I'd love to hear some rambles about some of your disabled characters, whoever's on your mind! as a disabled writer it always makes me so happy to see disability rep :D

Let’s GO I love talking about them! Also it’s disability pride month and talking about rep is important, so this was a great ask ❤️

So, creating the character of Trevor is very different from what I normally do. Basically, I realized that I’d never written about a wheelchair user, ever, and said “oh fuck, well that has gotta change” and committed to giving the next OC I ever worked on a wheelchair. It was a few weeks after that that a friend of mine and I started working on a story concept together, and between the two of us, I was given basically free reign over characters and concept art. So I immediately did several drawings of Trevor in his chair, did some research on reasons a person may need mobility aids, and went to my friend the next day and said “here he is.” That’s the story. That’s where he came from. And since then, he’s become one of my favorites to think about. He’s so much fun and adds a lot to the comedic tone of the story by being a very upbeat and relaxed guy in complete contrast to his nervous and frantic best friend (essentially it’s one guy who is stuck in a cosmic horror story but all of his friends think it’s a chill slice of life). He does have platform crutches, but he doesn’t use them much. He has a pet cat.

A lot of my characters are ND, like. A lot. I don’t even know where to begin listing them all. I am very emotionally attached to every OC I’ve ever had, but I will pick Joshua to talk about a bit here. He has ADHD, he exclusively wears rainbow socks, and he works in a chill little magic bookstore. He’s struggling but he is so loved by his family, his boss, his friends, and he does alright. He has magic abilities that are very unique from the other characters.

I’m still working on worldbuilding for this story, so none of the characters have names yet, but I have one WIP where a good chunk of the main cast is disabled. The protagonist is a double amputee, and one of her friends designed customs prosthetics for her. One of her friends is Hard of Hearing. Another (the protag’s platonic soulmate) is, now that I think about it, probably ADHD? I didn’t have that in mind when coming up with the character, but it would be a valid interpretation of him. He also has this… supernatural thing going on that could be compared to chronic pain and fatigue; I normally dislike the chronic illness rep only being a “curse” or a spell or something, and don’t usually write that kind of thing, but I think it works here partially because this world doesn’t shy away from accommodations and disability already, and we see evidence of that in the main cast. Were he the only one in an otherwise abled group, I probably wouldn’t write this the same. That would feel like a trope to me. (That’s not to say that magic can’t be used as a good metaphor, I’m a huge fan of how The Owl House handles Eda’s curse, I just don’t trust myself not to handle it badly.)

I mentioned for another Blorbo Blursday an unnamed character who I think I referred to as Francis for that post? He belongs here as well, being non-speaking autistic. Just thinking about the magical AAC devices that he has access to make me happy. I’m not the kind of person who wants to write a ton about hardships and struggles; disability is hard, it’s disabling (duh), but that doesn’t mean that all disabled people are living in straight up misery 24/7, and I want to include representation of people who do get the accommodations they need, who are loved and supported, who get to be heroes in both big and small ways. Francis struggles a lot. He has a lot of support needs. But he also has joy. I want the reader to always remember that he has joy.

I don’t always do the best job when it comes to representing groups I’m not a part of. I know this, because it will always be true that im not perfect. But im trying really hard, and I really care about these characters. And I hope that someday, other people will care about them too. ❤️

[sometipsygnostalgic]

Adventure Time Reviewed S2E03 - It Came from the Nightosphere

Okay, so fun fact: The above promo art was the VERY FIRST TIME a storyboard artist had made a promotional drawing for an episode they worked on. And it was Rebecca Sugar’s first episode ever, in her first job. Other storyboard artists liked this one SO MUCH that they decided to make their own, even artists from other studios, like Disney’s Duck Tales crew.

This episode also had a ridiculous impact on Adventure Time’s tone, and set the path for Steven Universe’s conception. This is because of the songwriting Rebecca put out for the ep and the more sincere emotional elements it presented. While it’s no Memory of a Memory in terms of feels, it’s a few steps ahead of season 1. 

And what was Rebecca’s first Adventure Time episode like? Well, kind of like a Steven Universe episode. You have a purehearted, innocent Finn helping Marceline with her daddy issues. Except unlike Steven, Finn immediately became more concerned with the end of the world than with the parental issues. Marceline, like any Crystal Gem, cares more about her problems than about human life.  

Adam Muto, future showrunner for Adventure Time itself who carried it through about two thirds of its run, was her board partner for seasons 2 and 3. Together they worked on some of the greatest eps in the series. Rebecca would work with Cole Sanchez in season 4, and had an entirely different synergy with him, because she wrote darker material while Cole wrote comedic material. She strikes a good chord with Adam, who knows how to work a good tone, and their eps don’t have that split-in-half feel of Rebecca’s work with Cole. 

This is the first REAL Marceline episode, where she’s stopped pranking Finn and is showing a bit about herself. Olivia Olsen’s singing is what made her go from a mildly entertaining character to someone that the fans OBSESSED over. Revisiting Marceline and her dad after having seen the rest of the show is so bizarre, but... this episode DOESN’T feel out of place. It does make me a bit annoyed that the other two eps with Hunson are the exact same as this one, but at least he’s consistent! And god, he’s entertaining in this. It’s lots of fun watching Hunson knock around stealing souls. Pretty dark, too. That’s Satan they unleashed on Ooo!!! He’s legit stealing souls. I wonder if everyone got their souls back?

The end of the episode, where Marceline and Finn are lying on the grass together, is so sweet. I can see why people latched onto Marceline now, because up to this point there hadn’t been any characters you could get... emotionally invested in? Other than Finn himself. Certainly not any girls (sorry, early seasons PB). But here’s Marceline, a “teenager”, having teenager problems like not feeling loved by her dad. And if you listen to the original demo, it’s WAY more hard - Marceline feels like Hunson ABANDONED her and doesn’t want to see her. I imagine it was a Pen Ward decision to make the song about fries instead lol, but Memory of a Memory would make even THAT super tragic. 

Altogether, great episode. Very funny. At least two gay jokes in the space of 30 seconds when Rebecca’s second part comes in at the end. 

ADDENDUM: Marceline changed her outfit again in this one and it’s a very nice look this time. From season 2 onwards, it became a staple for the two girls to always be changing their appearance. It became a way for the writers to direct how we feel about them on an episode by episode basis. 

[sunnyrealist]

I have to be honest - I am terrible at receiving compliments and usually make it awkward, so this is going to be a challenge for me to compliment myself. Well, here goes nothin'...

ONE - I am driven to be a writer. When I was four, I declared to my parents that I wanted to be an author when I grew up. Throughout my childhood, I wrote many stories. I made my own picture book as a six-year-old, wrote short stories and won contests in elementary school, and in middle school was writing novel-length stories (my first one was Star Wars fanfic!). In high school, I gravitated towards poetry, but the desire to write fiction was always there. I dabbled in college, and after that, life got in the way, but now I'm diving back in. I feel quite out of practice and often doubt myself, but I am having fun, and that matters more than anything to me! Perhaps someday I will be a published author and fulfill my childhood dream. You never know!

TWO - I am artistic. I've loved drawing since I was young. I never took art classes, instead opting to go the "middle school anime girl who draws all day instead of paying attention to school" route. I was really into Sailor Moon when it wasn't cool, and that's how I learned to draw people anime-style. I still enjoy drawing but don't do it as much anymore - I only doodle from time to time, and it's never anything serious or worth showing off. I have been dipping my toe back in, little by little. I saved a bunch of posing reference pictures on Pinterest. I also have two sketchbooks and am going to buy drawing pencils soon. In addition, I have an iPad and an Apple pen. I would love to learn how to do digital art, but that will have to wait until I have a LOT of free time (aka summer) to watch tutorials and learn how to do it RIGHT. During the pandemic, I got really into rock painting. I can confidently say that I'm quite good at it. I've even had people commission me. Here are some of my favorite rocks!

THREE - I am an excellent cook and baker! Baking (cookies specifically) has always been a hobby of mine. I started getting into cooking when my husband and I moved in together (a looooong time ago), and my skills greatly improved during the pandemic. With not much to do, I started using HelloFresh, which got me out of my comfort zone with cooking, and I learned how to cook so many new dishes I never would have previously attempted (pecan-crusted trout, ramen from scratch, lobster tails, cioppino, etc.). From time to time, I have failures in the kitchen, but they're rare! We eat well in my household!

FOUR - I can be quite funny. I'm a jokester among my friends and family. I'm good at remembering little details (especially embarrassing ones!) and then bringing them up at opportune times (sometimes much later) to comedic effect.

FIVE - I'm a great teacher. I've been in the biz for fourteen years now, so I would hope so. My biggest strength is my ability to form relationships with students. I try to foster a connection with everyone, even the painfully shy kids and the troublemakers. Not only is that rewarding in itself, but it also aids in my classroom management. Students almost never are sassy or rude towards me. Underrated perk - I understand slang that people my age do not. I'm also strong in my content area - I know exactly where students are going to struggle in a project, for example, and like to tweak things from year to year to make them better. Finally, my classroom is stunning. I wish I could show it off here, but I don't need to give my kids any fuel in trying to find me online! 🥴

No pressure tags: @hotcinnam0nspicy, @animasola86, @juneymont, @morelikeravenbore, @newbienewness, @ladyofsappho, @xxluna-rougexx, and anyone else who would like to join in!

Once you get this, you have to say five things you like about yourself, publicly. Then you have to send this to ten of your favourite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool) 💜💜

😭😭😭😭 the fact that I’m anyone’s favorite follower is insane to me but thank you dear! ❤️

Okay five things that I like about myself!

1. I’m a supportive friend. I always go to bat for my friends and I’m always willing to lend an ear whenever they need support.

2. I’m a strong person. I’ve been through a lot in my life and I’ve done a great job at pulling myself out of some dark places and remaining resilient.

3. I’m a friendly person who loves talking to and getting to know people, even though I can be a little awkward about it at first.

4. I’m cute as heck! I have a cute face and I love my hair lmao 😂

5. I’m versatile and adapt to new things quickly and eagerly

Gonna tag my favorite followers instead of sending cause I’m pretty sure a bunch of my followers have already gotten one of these so I don’t want to make them do it again (plus tagging is easier anyway!)

@ellivenollivander @damn-it-a-hogwarts-legacy-blog @margottheviking @little-emerald-snake @skittish1807 @applinsandoranges @rgbbutnoy @eternalremorse @cuffmeinblack @slytherin-paramour 💚