#i say having never watched madagascar

[littleguymart]

(source)

[hyunjinsjeans]

He Knows (Felix ver.)

Han ver. | Seungmin ver. | I.N ver.

Masterlist

Synopsis: After Felix drops several hints that he wants to take the next step in your relationship and is met with your negative answers, a certain event causes you to suddenly realize you will never be truly ready, so why wait? And why make him wait any longer?

Type: Fluff 🧸, female reader 💃

Warnings: mentions of pregnancy, mentions of children in precarious conditions. Lazily proofread.

Word count: 2075

AN: For someone who swears to be Hyunjin biased, I have to admit little mr sunshine himself does things to me and my brain chemistry and this is evidence of it. I think it turned out pretty cute, let me know your thoughts. Please enjoy!!

You walked the busy streets with a sense of accomplishment, you and Felix had had a wonderful couple of days in Australia already after you decided to schedule the entire trip with Felix to make the most of both of your free time. First, would be a week with Unicef and a week in Australia to see his family. 

It wasn’t easy being a public figure dating an idol. You were used to some degree of fame, appearing in a couple of tv shows. Your big break came after you began dating Felix, but by the time he communicated to his fans that he had been seeing someone and wanted to marry them you were a well established actress. In a way it was insane that he actually asked his fans if it was okay to get married, but you understood idol culture was a completely different ball to being an actress. 

Fortunately, you managed to land bigger and better roles. The exposure had you at a place where you were able to give back to others, so when Felix talked about donating to his favorite charities it came easy to take his advice and look at causes that felt close to you. Which landed you at a child protection center in Madagascar. 

You and Felix recorded each other all throughout the trip, from the moment you walked into the airport back in Korea to the moment you first met with the center director. It was not an easy thing to do, Felix had been on a couple of these trips before so we had a better understanding of what he was doing. You spent most of your time helping in different areas of the center, Felix was with the doctors in the morning and you were in the classrooms with the teachers and children in the meantime. 

It was rough to look at the lives of the children at the center, to watch the tests they had done come back with less than average results. You ended up crying in Felix’s arms the very first night after you spent part of the afternoon helping feed babies with special nutritious formulas and purées. Although you had a hard time in the beginning, you pulled through and found yourself having a harder time leaving the center.

Your talents in the classrooms had quickly made you a friend of most of the children, who liked to play with you and Felix. For the seven days you were there most of the time you managed to interact with one another was spent with a child in your arms. Felix made little effort to hide how much he loved seeing your maternal side, how you cooed at the youngest ones and teased the older ones, how you braiding the girls’ hair and playing football with the boys made his heart swell with love and pride to know one day you would give all that to your children.

He found you cute in how you would encourage the girls with crushes on him, one day even helping a small group make him little love letters (which he packed carefully in his suitcase). On the other hand the boys would run around behind you, asking for a kiss on their cheek or giving you compliments to get you to pat their heads or give them some form of affection, which you had given out freely to all the little ones since day one. 

Saying goodbye had been hard, Felix felt as if he was stealing you away from the youngest kids. You held the babies until the last possible moment, there were two girls; one was only eight months old and fighting to get into a decent weight, the other was a one year old in a similar situation. Felix offered his goodbyes too, both of you promising to return as soon as your busy life allowed it. 

The next stop in your trip was Australia. You spent more than an entire day getting there but managed to arrive successfully, tired and jet lagged. You walked out the gates hand in hand. Puffy eyes, sleepy faces but all smiles.

Felix's family was waiting, all happy smiles and bright attitudes. 

His parents had always been nice to you, reminding you a lot of your own family, Felix’s sisters were shy around you since they did not know you too well but still joked and talked to you a bit. Part of the reason for the trip was because you wanted to get more well acquainted with your husband’s family. 

“Oh, how was it?” Felix’s mom asked the moment she held you, right after hugging her son. 

“It was interesting,” her son commented, “those kids are wonderful, the people running the center are doing an amazing job.”

You echoed his words, adding “yes! It can be so hard too, they have this small hospital, a school and a kitchen… It’s really a lot.”

Felix’s parents guided you outside to their car while you talked. Felix did not let go of his chance to praise you in front of his parents. 

“Our Y/N here was a hit with the kids,” he told his mother, his hand squeezing your hand as an amused smile reached his eyes. “I was worried the boys were going to ask you to marry them.” 

You laughed at his words and leaned your head on his shoulder. “You’re one to talk, how many Ms. Felix did we leave behind?”

He chuckled at that, remembering the letters in his bag. You had gone through them in the plane, they were adorable and some of them had intricate details. 

“Oh, I’m not surprised…” his sisters giggled behind you, “he’s always had fans anywhere he goes.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Felix put his free hand up, “I’ve only got one Ms. Felix.”

During dinner you showed everyone some of the pictures from the trip, by then you had both freshened up and had a short nap. Eating your mother-in-law's warm homemade food made both of you finally feel relaxed and this made it so that you could have a good conversation with everyone at the table. It seemed although Felix’s siblings were still shy around you, they sensed your openness and were eager to ask more about yourself. When they first met you, they had been somewhat starstruck. To you, that was wild because you were nowhere near as famous as their brother - who they loved to tease and play with, so you were pleased this time that you could talk about how much you enjoyed listening to a certain artist, indulging on makeup tutorials on youtube and how you were a terrible baker, telling them the sad story of your last baking fail (it was a batch of coconut cookies that never saw the light of day, partially because you almost burned the place down). 

Once you and Felix were back in your small rental for the week, Felix let his slim arm fall over your shoulders. You giggled as you felt him swing his body from side to side as if he was drunk. By instinct or perhaps by force of habit, your hand grabbed his that was left hanging above your shoulder, your free arm wrapped around your blond husband’s waist. 

“Aw, what will I do with you?” You wondered in a dramatic tone. 

He smiled right in your direction, his eyes turned to the ceiling and he touched his chin with a playful glint in his eyes. 

“You could lay me down on the sofa, or have a baby?” He shrugged, gaze darting back to you. 

“Be so for real right now…” You huffed, squeezing his hand. 

If you had to be honest, you felt bad for shutting him down so many times in the past six months or so. He was not joking, you knew he started disguising it as a joke because you had said no plenty times before. You felt overwhelmed the first time he asked, then the second you were in the middle of staying calm while waiting to hear if you had gotten a role (you did!), then the third time you were worried about being too busy… every time he asked there was something in your mind that went “ah, no because…” 

It did not go unnoticed by either of you how this time, you had no excuse. 

“Y/N?” He straightened up in your embrace and stopped fooling around. 

You said nothing. 

He slid in your field of vision, as you had stopped dead in your tracks in the middle of the living room. Your arms almost dropped to your sides as you stared ahead in wonder. 

Why is your mind blank? You cannot think of anything other than how unprepared you had been on your first day at the center. How you still reached for the babies and held the kids’ hands to let them guide you as you ran behind them to their favorite spots in the makeshift playground. How your heart felt so full of love it was as if it could burst anytime Felix expressed exactly how honored he would be to have you make him a dad. 

He bent his knees to look down at you, “are you alright? Did you fall asleep with your eyes open?” 

The blond swiped his hand in front of your face. 

“Love?”

You felt tears prick at your eyes when you looked up at him. The clouds in your mind had suddenly cleared and you were thankful you had his freckles to focus on before your eyes met his. 

“I will.” You blurted out, “I want to.”

Felix’s brow furrowed, worry about not understanding you filled his chest. 

“You want to… what?”

You blinked, tears spilling from your eyes. Your hands reached to wipe them, but his tender ones beat you to it. You allowed him to clean your face before you held on to his hands. 

“Felix, I am not ready. I don’t think I will ever be… but I want to have your baby.”

He held your gaze for an entire minute, both of you allowed for the silence to settle and your words fell into place where they belonged. Felix’s worried frown softened, his hands ran down your frame like water flowing down a waterfall and he held you close to his body. The warmth and vibrant scent of ginger and cedar wrapped around you. Before the sound reached your ears you could feel the vibrations on his chest, he let out an airy laugh as he rested his chin on your head. 

“I thought you had gone insane for a moment,” he chuckled now but he quieted himself and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “I’m sorry if I’ve pushed you, love…” 

You pulled away from him, fistfuls of his shirt bunched up between your fingers. “No, no, no! You haven’t pushed me!”

Felix stared at your hands and you let go of his shirt while speaking, flattening the fabric. 

“I think I was scared. I love you too much to mess up,” you admitted in a low voice, “I kept thinking of all the things that could make it not work. All the reasons why I could disappoint you… in the end, we’ve done hard things together and we were not ready for them, but we are together.” 

Felix nodded his head along and let you finish. 

“I know how bad you want this, and you know there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.” You reached up and smiled as your thumb went over the side of his face. “Besides, you can’t do it without me!” You offered him a bright smile, instantly adding, “please don’t do it without me!”

Your husband laughed, looking away at your panicked last sentence. He nodded and kissed your cheek. 

“I would never do it without you,” he whispered in your ear. “My family is going to go insane if we have a boy, I assure you.”

You tilted your head back arching your brow, “do we want to make them go insane?” 

Felix looked up in fake thought before shaking his head no, “I would prefer to make you insane.”

With that he pulled you up in his arms and started walking down the hall to the bedroom. 

“Right now?! You maniac!” you yelled but there was a big smile on your face. Butterflies dancing in your stomach. 

————

Likes, Reblogs and Comments are welcome! Thank you for reading!

[zoropookie]

SWEET MELODY

☆ chapter four — gtfo watching madagascar (🎂)

You had high hopes for how this would go, at least.

Sitting in your car and mindlessly driving to the very house you spent a lot of your childhood in was daunting. The familiar road stretched ahead, winding through the streets on your journey like a thin ribbon of what you wanted to know well, but couldn't fully. You couldn't bring yourself to look on the sides of you just yet, not looking for any lack of preparation.

Your hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white as you took a sharp breath in. You parked the car, and sat there in the daylight of the hour. Your eyes darkened, moving your head down as you slumped back in your seat. Your shoulders down, and your general disposition horrible.

You didn't want to look up, because it was just how you remembered it. And if you were able to remember that, then by that jurisdiction, there was a 95% chance that this was part of your life that you just dug up again.

You pictured it as clearly as it stood: a quaint, two-story home with the front porch that you had your first kiss on, adorned with hanging baskets of vibrant violets that were picked from the hanging nature of the home. Looking to be inviting, yet intimidating. Tree-lined streets with overgrown lawns, and kids bicycles scattered haphazardly on adjacent driveways, the scent of cut grass filling your sinuses. You found yourself in a both comforting and disconcerting mood.

You sat in your car, staring blankly at the dashboard with the glee you had from cleaning your shop wiped off your face. "You can do this," You exhaled. "You can do this."

The trees, thick with summer foliage and vines draped on the walls, casting dappled shadows on the seemingly new asphalt. You drove through that road for the first time today instead of walking, hoping in your head that the rapid beating of your heart would cease soon. The air was full with the smell of blooming nature.

Gathering your resolve that presented itself in small and opposing glass shards to you, you opened your car door and stepped out. The crunch of gravel on your feet as you hurriedly took the gift of well prepared strawberry pies made small enough to be bite-sized. The sun blazed on you promptly, but nothing could take the chills on your skin.

You walked up the path, the looming front door with its always new paint that seemed to never chip under Ei’s rule was waiting for you. Your eyebrows furrowed in total dread, you bated your breath only for exactly who you figured to open the door once you rang the doorbell.

“(Y/N).” Ei stood there beautifully, but it was still surreal seeing her look the exact same as she did years ago. Her warm, welcoming smile and her eyes twinkling, except this time, it was of nostalgic wonder. “Did you find it okay? I did a lot more work from when you were here last.”

“Yeah, no! It looks…” Your eyes wandered, trying to find the right words to say before giving up. “It looks amazing, Miss Ei. No wonder why I used to really like playing royalty here.”

Ei stepped back promptly. “Come in. You can set your treats on the table.”

“Thank you,” You greeted her politely, walking into the home with the familiar and faint scent of lavender and old wood corrupting your nose. You knew the years have gone by, justice how it hardly looks the same from when you were a kid.

“You’ll find a lot of old items in different places now, my apologies. A lot of my appliances needed updating, so the kitchen is quite different now.” She explained from the main hall, setting up comfortable pillows for you to sit.

“This is really lovely…everything’s exactly in your style.” You marveled to yourself, before snapping out of it and setting the treats on the counter. “I’m sorry, Miss Ei. I didn’t mean to wander.” You laughed nervously.

“My home is your home, to this day.” She still presented you the same adoring smile she did as you sat down. “Yae won’t be here for another hour. In the meantime, I suppose we should discuss what you’re comfortable doing at my wedding.”

You sighed in relief. “Oh, Miss Ei. I actually did come here as well to see if you could pull some strings for me too regarding that, but it looks like you were ten steps ahead of me!” You laughed, always seemingly nervous. “I just didn’t want to betray your wishes…you mean a lot to me.”

“As do you, which leads me to believe that…” Ei sighed to herself promptly. “I did get a little carried away in your honor. Being so excited seeing you and reliving what I once knew felt euphoric. But as it turns out…I’m doubtful things are able to be that way at all.”

“I don’t think that’s true, to be at your side at all is a really amazing request considering the circumstances!” You smiled. “Please don’t worry about the outcome, you should feel the most relaxed at your own wedding, okay?”

You tried to ignore the heavy weight crushing you.

The former shook her head. “It is not that I am worried about,” She paused, her tone a bit more sullen than what was normal. “By chance on that day he went to your home, did he say anything he shouldn’t have?”

You blinked, and as soon as you realized what she asked, you stopped moving. Instead of feeling like your limbs were attempting to make up for the lack of brain space you had, you felt like you were struggling to stay afloat. “Uh,” You stammered, feeling your body tremble. “I’m sorry,” You replied carefully before your voice dropped to a low murmur, “Don’t really remember a lot…I don’t think he did, though.”

“Is it truly that?” Ei’s expression softened, but there was something else that you couldn’t quite place before— she looked concerned, perhaps, maybe regret. “It’s very important that you’re honest to me.”

You were unease, but not because of her. There was something you weren’t letting yourself remember, and instead of mulling on it, you forced a smile for Ei. “Everything is okay with me, I promise, Miss Ei. The last thing I want is to burden you both…I plan to make your wedding perfect.”

The mothers nodded slowly, but her eyes lingered on you, as if looking for something else that your face betrayed of you. “I understand,” she replied softly, before sighing with a melancholy undertone. “You are a very selfless person, there is nothing to pinpoint about you that would make you a bad person. It’s unfair how life treats the wise, isn’t it?”

Before you were about to respond, the sound of the front door opening drew the attention of the two of you. You turned, and immediately everything that you ever said was forgotten the minute that the outstanding and intimidating presence of Ei’s very son, Kunikuzushi, was standing there with his suitcase. His presence ever commanding and rough.

“Fuck are they doing here?” He asked, as if you were a speck of dust he had no trouble in not paying mind to.

“They are here to help me plan my wedding. One that you have no interest in helping me in, so I’d suggest you keep your snide comments to yourself.” Ei’s tone was direct, almost like a warning shot to him. She stared at him with much more intensity than she ever would you.

“You have no business inviting non-family to your little event, you’re just interested in pissing me off.” His words dug into you like it was a knife plunging into your core. “I mean, what can they even offer you that isn’t equivalent to a fart in the wind?”

“They are family. It is my wedding, Kunikuzushi, and I may do what I please. I may invite who I please, and if you don’t like who I invite, you are happy to do clean up. Less chances of you ever having to see who you don’t want there, is it?”

“Family to who, a dead mom and probably an even deader brother?” He couldn’t help but chortle, before the sheer velocity of a slipper Ei strikes against the center of his nasion, groaning in pain as he stood there for a long time recovering.

“Go,” Ei’s voice was louder. “I had my doubts that you’d actually be civil, but this is ridiculous. It’d be in your best interest not to come out until the both of us are gone.”

Your heart burned in your chest, a fire that wasn’t to be put out. With each silent and shallow breath you took, the harder it was to grasp. Especially when his piercing eyes took a gander at you, before sizing you up quietly. You refused to look him in the eye, narrowing them down.

He could only scoff and wince from how much pain shot through his face, a small and aggravating smile appeared on his lips. His attention turned back to Ei, “Didn’t know you were interested in inviting the circus to your wedding. I would have brought better farm animals, if that were the case.”

“I’m not interested in your suggestions, you have severely agitated me. Go unpack, and leave us to our conversation.” Ei spat. “You should not even be back right now, it is hours before sunset.”

Your eyes never rang that much, the universe around you blurring and fading as the intense and high-pitched sound began dominating every sense you had. It had you feel like you were submerged in a deep and murky water, a muffled and distant echo of their conversation playing out.

Heartbeat echoing in your ears, a counterpoint to the endlessness of your own ears failing you. You squeezed your eyes in pain, finding solace in at least the darkness, your head wandering with thoughts that you didn't think you'd ever have. Vision wavering, the edges of your sight blurred as the ringing became even more insistent. Your own body was failing you.

Safe to say, you couldn't do this.

previous ☆ masterlist ☆ next

THERE ARE not many things that can sway your interest ever since the "incident", but in spite of that, you pushed forward. you are now the owner of the biggest bakery chain in your city, consistently seeing couples and catering to them as such. you've been a big host at weddings, events for celebrities, and even a big support for your friends and family. you've even earned yourself a niche following as well by how sweet you are to everybody around you. but, even with your kindness, you don't have a particular spark that keeps you going anymore these days. that is until one of your employees starts suggesting you write love letters to customers who request your services. at first you thought it was a horrible idea that could easily turn into trouble, but that was until you were tasked with writing one to your own (very very famous) ex-boyfriend.

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@sketcheeee @st4r4ngel @xionri @scaradooche @lightyagamifan

@pwushizz @alatusorrow @eutopiastar @magica-ren @slu7

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@franaby @vicslz @kamiboo @thegalaxyisunfolding @morgyyyyyyy

[tangents-within-tangents]

The Bad Batch as Penguins of Madagascar Quotes

Bc I’ve seen a few posts making this magnificent comparison and both of these squads are near and dear to my heart and bc I need a distraction from the s3 premiere ahhh

Tech: *mission relevant info* Hunter: Tell me something I don’t know! Tech: Without mucus your stomach would digest itself Hunter: … Hunter: Tell me something else I don’t know…something less disturbing

Hunter: (to Caleb) It's okay, kid. We're not going to hurt you Crosshair: *cocks his gun* Not true, Hunter, they did authorize lethal force

Wrecker: *absolutely decking his bros* You pillow fight like a bunch of little girls!

Crosshair: What part of "zip it" eludes you?! The "zip" or the "it"?!

Echo: I don't mind saying it, that guy vexes me. *narrows eyes* He's a vexer.

Hunter: Boys, no training tonight. It's game night! Tech: Trivia! Let's play trivia! I dominate trivia! Omega: Oh! Can we play Simon Says this week? Tech: Yes, Simon says we play TRIVIA!!

Crosshair: I find reason tedious and boring. We'll use force.

Echo: I'm sorry, boys. I sometimes resort to sarcasm when facing the unknown Tech: No doubt

Hunter: Oh I’ve seen accident prone, try Wrecker and Crosshair! With a Chandrilan lantern! And SIX BOTTLES of rocket fuel!! Tech: Worst talent show ever

Hunter: There's no such thing as too paranoid, Omega. Remember that, and forget you ever heard it!

Tech: SCIENCE! WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?!?

Omega: I have an idea! But I'm not sure how safe it is Wrecker: I like it already!

Crosshair: *while fighting* You cannot win, Hunter! I am fueled with a boiling hate! A raging fury! Hunter: And a babbling mouth! *slaps him*

Omega: No! I swore I’d never use my adorability as a weapon again, and I meant it!

Echo: Wrecker, cover Omega’s ears, I intend to use my angry words

Tech: This red line shows the frustration level of a really smart person forced to take orders from some dunder-brained boob. As you can see the frustration just keeps rising and rising and rising. I mean, why don't they put the smart guy in charge, huh? IT DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE! SOMETHING HAS GOT TO GIVE, PEOPLE! AM I THE ONLY ONE SEEING THIS?!

Wrecker and Omega: *run in making incomprehensible panicked noises* Hunter: Anyone catch that? Echo: *nonchalantly interprets it exactly* The Batch: … Echo: What? I’m fluent in panic

Tech: Cool cars go faster. That's a scientific fact.

Cody, in his one episode: I believe now I know why “volunteers” ends in “tears”

Hunter: No batcher gets left behind, that’s why! Wrecker: What about Crosshair? Hunter: Okay, one batcher gets left behind Omega: and Echo? Hunter: Maybe two batchers get left behind Tech: Um… Hunter: *groan* Comparatively few batchers get left behind, okay?!

Omega: I thought you agreed this was a dangerous weapon! Wrecker: Which is the best kind! What good is a safe weapon?! Tech: He has a point

Hunter: Avert your eyes, young Omega, you’ll never be able to unsee this! Tech, recording bc that’s his freaking hobby: Don’t worry about it I’ll burn you a dvd!

Crosshair: *standing outside the Marauder* Hunter! I have brought you a hand drawn greeting card! It says “Roses are red. Posies are green. Sorry about Bracca, I was too mean. Your pal, Crosshair” :) Hunter: *walks out and shreds the card*

Hunter: Get up here. That’s an order! Tech: *salutes* Permission to defy order? Hunter: Permission denied! Tech: Then I deny your denial (sorry)

Echo: *watching Hunter and Wrecker, captured and surrounded by stormtroopers* Well this hardly seems fair Echo: *jumps in a walker and defeats them easily* Told you it wasn't fair

*Phee and Tech kiss* Omega: *eyes being covered by Hunter* awww Wrecker: Finally!

[simcardiac-arrested]

now that you have answered my ask in time and saved me from terrible things i am able to tell you what i require from you……………..

i need you to list your top five favourite movies and why they’re on your top five

THE NOISE I MADE JUST NOW AHHH GOT SO EXCITED I FORGOT TO BREATHE

into the spiderverse (2018)/across the spiderverse (2023) IDGAF im putting them as one movie because i just love them both so much. this is peak cinema to me. the characters the art the music the feeling of my soul ascending to a higher plane whenevr i watch one of these. never get tired of it

everything everywhere all at once (2022). best movie ever made and probably one of the greatest uses of the multiverse concept frfr. unfortunately it also hurts my soul a lot so im scared of it. not funny cried

nope (2022). what can i even say that hasnt been said before?? out of all stories i experienced whether in movie show videogame or book form i think nope has the sickest fucking concept i've ever seen. i actually never stop thinking about it i've never seen an alien story remixed into something this COOL . not to mention that it's a horror that actually managed to SCARE ME, straight up sat horrified for the last half of the movie, and that's not something i experience often!!! so literally jordan peele u are a visionary iwill think of this movie as long as i live

pacific rim (2013). idk this movie's been with me since forever and i've watched it a thousand times it's like a brother to me. i LOVE kaijus (shoutout to all the godzilla movies i cant possibly fit on this top five) i LOVE big robots and i LOVE an action monster movie that actually has compelling human characters that i can care about (and no obnoxious romance) while it's not the best movie i've ever seen my heart will always have a place just for it

.............see, this is where it gets a little impossible for me. top 3 is easy -- those movies will seriously never budge from their spot and they are actually such peak favorites of mine. fourth place is where it gets muddy -- i can just barely get myself to pick a movie i like more than most (and i wouldnt even say it's always pacific rim either, because i seriously have So many favorite movies that mean So much to me and it's really hard to only give a shoutout to one(1)). but fifth spot??? what do i even put here?? madagascar? ratatouille? soul? totoro? men in black? just literally What. i could not possibly choose just one because so many favorite movies of mine i love equally . i could never pick ratatouille over madagascar but i could also never pick madagascar over beetlejuice. so as my fifth favorite movie i redirect you to my list of movies that i love dearly and i could gush about each and every one of them Forever

[the-bus-called-graveyard-8]

Madagascar: Film-to-Book Changes & Details (part 2 of 4)

Zuba does not continue chasing the hunters after he gets shot—he is too hurt from his injury

Instead of Central Park Zoo or City Zoo, we are now calling it the New York Zoo

When Nana is interviewed by the news, the caption across the screen reads "Nana: Grand Central Hero". When she notices the camera focusing on her, she yells "What are you looking at?" and whacks it with her purse

When Mort arrives at the plane, Julien and Maurice imply they had tied him up to prevent him from coming

When Alex confesses to breaking Marty's iPod, Marty laments that he'd had 10,000 songs on it. Alex teases him, "Neil Diamond didn't make 10,000 songs." Marty starts hitting him for dissing Neil Diamond

Julien dubs his new kingdom "Madagafrica"

The penguins don't get to run over Nana with the tour jeep :/

While preparing for the Rite of Passage, Alex paints his entire face white with black lipstick and black stars around his eyes, like a mime

Melman has a receptionist named Sandy. The giraffe who tells him about Joe's fate is named Harland.

The scene where Mason and Phil bring the army of chimps to help fix the plane is skipped, RIP "I'd like to kiss you monkey man"

The scene of Nana rallying the tourists is also skipped

The discovery of the dried-up watering hole goes in a slightly different order—when Makunga tells the other animals they'll have to fight for the water, they all assert their preference for Zuba. Makunga then tells them they should go upriver and find out what happened to the water. Alex does not announce himself—after hearing this, he quietly leaves to find Marty.

As they leave the reserve to go upriver, Marty asks how Alex had found him amongst the other zebras. Alex says his line from the very end of the film—"I can look into your eyes and know it's you."—before looking at the scar on Marty's butt

Immediately after this, the story cuts to Marty arguing with Skipper about using the plane and Mason blackmailing Skipper. Several pages later, we have the scene of Alex and Marty finding the dam and being ambushed by the tourists. I'm guessing this is an editing error

Upon finding the dam, instead of pondering dynamite, Alex says they will need more manpower. Marty suggests getting Zuba. Alex replies he was more thinking of the penguins.

One of the zebras who had watched Alex and Marty leave runs to tell Makunga what they're doing. Makunga then goes to retrieve Zuba

Marty still fetches Gloria and Melman from the volcano, but there is no indication they were on the plane for the rescue and they do not appear again for the rest of the book

When Zuba joins Alex in dancing for the tourists, he tells Alex he doesn't know what he's doing. Alex tells him not to worry and, pointing to Zuba's birthmark, says "you were born with it!", echoing Zuba's words from earlier

Nana does not have a gun during the plane escape—Hula Girl subsequently suffers no injuries

Zuba does not insist on him and Alex jointly taking the role of Alpha Lion—Zuba instead accepts his role back and announces that drinks are on him. The book ends here, with no wedding between Skipper and Hula Girl and no penguins leaving with the plane

Mort is never seen again after he falls off the plane in the beginning—we are left to assume he died, smh

[thunder-jolt]

KFP4 CHAMELEON HEADCANONS!

I just thought up some headcanons to make the movie make more sense to me than it ever was (even though I didn't watch it, I just read the wiki). So here they are!

Chameleon wasn't actually born in China, she was actually from the forests of Madagascar before she and her parents moved to China due to unknown reasons (let's say... Forest fires and deforestation, which seems too modern for an ancient setting.)

It's not her height that got her kicked out of many kung-fu schools, it's because she was from a different continent, she was an outsider is what I'm saying, but they can't say it out loud so they used her height as an excuse.

Her getting rejected by the kung-fu schools happened way before Oogway and Shifu's time, and way before the whole "Anyone can do kung-fu" schtick (or so I think)

She was a victim of bullying when she was a child (and still is as an adult), often called a freak of nature and, most rarely, a monster. This bullying also affects how she views herself once I get to the next headcanon.

She has an awful fear of mirrors, more specifically her own reflection. Having shattered 80 mirrors (cursing her with 560 years of bad luck), she is very subconscious about her appearance and hates herself for how she looks. She doesn't just steal others' kung-fu because she can't learn it, it's also because she thinks others are more appealing, appearance-wise, so she takes their kung-fu, along with their appearance, to make herself comfortable.

BONUS HEADCANON I JUST THOUGHT OF WHILE BACK: Chameleon's eyes dilate like a cat's, which is VERY UNLIKELY for a chameleon to do but hey, she has slits like a cat's, who's to blame me for thinking that headcanon?

And now we enter the headcanons that correlate with my KFP OC, Wu Yingyi!

(Just a warning here: MAJOR TRIGGER WARNINGS SUCH AS ABUSE WILL BE LISTED, READ AT YOUR OWN CAUTION)

When Wu Yingyi first took control over everything (Spirit Realm and parts of China), Chameleon suffered so much from Yingyi and her wrath. Yingyi sliced off some meters of Chameleon's tongue, even stealing away her shapeshifting powers, rendering Chameleon under Yingyi's mercy, but alas, there was no mercy from Wu Yingyi as she took the realms with an iron fist.

Chameleon's mental health and insecurities worsen as her time with Yingyi continues, such as having panic attacks when something related to Wu Yingyi happens (such as when Wu Yingyi comes back or something) and worrying about every simple mistake in fear that Chameleon will be punished with a much worse punishment than the last.

Chameleon constantly blames herself over the smallest of things, calling herself names that no one would ever say to another person, like "idiot", "wretched filth", or "reptilian scum". What's worse? She calls herself those mean names because Wu Yingyi calls her that whenever she is really upset at Chameleon. (Hence the trigger warning I had to list.)

She never had anyone she could get support from during Wu Yingyi's terror, she never had anyone to comfort her in her time of need. She was alone, and always believed so. The only ones who could be her friends are Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and Kai, but even she, or the trio, doesn't believe they're friends at all, (as evidenced by the novelization of the movie where they used her as a jump rope. Well, they used her tongue as a jump rope but yeah), just villains under the mercy of Wu Yingyi's reign of control and monstrous intent.

The only time she ever felt love or care for someone during Yingyi's reign of terror was a poison-dart frog rogue (who is another OC of mine) named Poise, who is also not from China but managed to not have her trauma of being from a different continent overwhelm or consume her, and later on down the line, a young red panda (who is a demigod) named Hun-ho, who gave Chameleon some motivation and hope for the potential future of China after Yingyi's eventual demise.

Chameleon feels guilty for not treating Zhen as if she were her own daughter and blames herself for being an awful person to Zhen and everyone else thanks to it. (Another insecurity made by Yingyi's anger, because Yingyi wanted to be a mother but was robbed of that role and so takes it out on Chameleon because Chameleon was a pseudo-mother-like figure to Zhen, and wasn't a good one at that.)

The only times when the others (say Tai Lung, Lord Shen, or Kai) are concerned for her is when Chameleon is beaten by Yingyi in front of them, which, reminder, happens a lot, like- Chameleon gets beaten up a lot by Wu Yingyi right in front of Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and Kai, yet they're helpless (because they don't want to be like Chameleon, beaten up every time)

Just to note, when Yingyi is finally defeated; Chameleon begins redeeming herself from being a villain to being one of my other OC's babysitters, to put it sensically; she's one of the babysitters for Hun-ho, a demigod red panda born from a mystic peach (from a mystic tree) and even begins to understand the better things in life.

But for now, all Chameleon is, in my headcanons, is both a victim of the cruelest parts of life and, from the start, a girlfailure.

[kirans-wonderland]

Playful Land Thoughts 

(this is my version of liveblogging they are all silly and stupid dont take them seriously)

`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`

Book 1 

Chapter 1: 

-YAY RSA MENTION

-yay basketball team mention 

-sorry Floyds adhd kicked in the middle of the game (that one tiktok)

-floyd keeps his wallet in his stomach (he regurgitates it like Rico from penguins of madagascar)

-the way he sprinted to be with his twin immediately 

-Jack.. sweetie. It’s okay to admit you were shopping with the homie 

-It’s not like they’re kissing in the dressing room or anything… unless? 

-*tucks Jade/Jack shopping date art idea away*

-Jack is an introvert through and through 

-Fellow’s hair looks wack in just silhouette 

Chapter 2: 

-Kalim and Ortho together is an overwhelming level of smiley energy in the same place

-Ace’s rare pair is Jade and Jack confirmed 

-Jamil is legitimately having a heart attack rn

-Trien kept grim after class yesterday because he knew I would be there teehee

-I wish he’d give ME that look Ace. Or any look for that matter 

-Floyd hittin them with the punk punk tactics 

-“But it’s October” IT’S META UP IN HERE 

-I need an Ortho to manage my homework calendar 

-“I have plenty of fun just getting to see my friends every day” Kalim is too good for this world

Chapter 3: 

-Kalim wandering away while asking a question is so real 

-Also Ortho saying his full name even while panicked is adorable 

-Their outfits are SUCH bangers. 

Their eyeshadow is so crisp. They must use the tape method

-Gidel having cool toned eyeshadow is interesting to me for no reason

-Fellow’s eyebrows are legitimately my everything 

-“Those stylish uniforms” is showing grim and ortho who are the only ones technically not wearing clothes 

-THE CANE SPIN THE CANE SPINNING 

-“It’s the only thing I’ve got going for me” Babe… 

-heh bosom buddy 

-I LOVE GIDELLLLLLL

-Jack is utterly horrified at Kalim’s disrespect

-Fellow Honest is Megara confirmed 

-Honest Ernesto? More like Glazer Ernesto

-Jade is compliment starved 

-“The ace of spades no less” Fellow ships Adeuce?!

-I really thought his gift was going to be giving them their magical girl makeovers 

Chapter 4: 

-Oh please. Like I would ever NOT listen to Deuce 

-Ortho reads all the “online buzz”

-Imagine how great the world would be if no one knew where Disneyland was 

-he’s already calling himself our good friend..

-“well over 20 years” what if he’s like 40 *star eyes emoji* 

-HOW FAST HE SWITCHED FROM SMILING TO DEADPAN IM CRYING

“I’m babygorl. How do you do?” I never regret my name choice 

Chapter 5: 

-yes ace love the skepticism, using BOTH braincells I see 

-“something nefarious at foot” okay shakespeare 

-Gidel’s surprised face!! I need him in my purse like a chihuahua 

-if playful land already has this legendary magical reputation, why does Fellow need the boys to ‘put in a good word’ for it? Hmm.. 

-“School?” Mans is uneducated he just won’t admit it. We should kidnap him.

-Imagine the boys ended up bringing the whole school upon Fellow’s offer. What would he do then?

-I think they all said “ABSOLUTELY NOT” at the same time to the point it was echoing through the campus

-Leona I see you on the banner. Don’t go saying no when you don’t mean it 

Chapter 6:

-Jamil has had the ‘don’t take candy from someone in a white van’ with Kalim before 

-“angling to abduct you” is just funny 

-“gormless nincompoop” Ace cracked out the thesaurus Riddle gave him for that one

-good boy deuce (although you would’ve looked so good in a nutcracker fit) 

-I can hear the ‘yare yare’ 

Chapter 7:

-jacks arms look so smooth.. sorry-

-“Not so loud!” Boy I think everyone knows you cut class 

-They way Leona and Jack are so concious of Ruggie

-If Ruggie and Fellow met it would be over for everyone

-Jack just wants to be a boy Leona. Let him have fun.. 

-they way Leona sighed in all caps

-Jack is the REAL honest fellow. Watch out Ernesto 

-Azul talkin business jargon.. not listening.. he pretty (/j)

-Floyd and Jade never outright made decisions. They both ask for the others opinion, neither answers yet something always happens 

Chapter 8:

-“BUH?!” Bro my friends and I saw this religiously at school

-Idia is the personification of my disney sea overstimulated breakdown

-I love that Ortho went to Vil for advice 

-I live for the cross dorm interactions khsksskhggwrl.

-Ortho and Idia got the Trolls perfect family harmony

-“You silly boy” -Vil 2024

-Ortho just casually scanning a mans entire being and soul during a conversation- 

Chapter 9:

-Grim’s little determined face- I’m squeezing him

-Uhm.. hate to say I AM very likely to fall in the water 

-“WHOA! Lilia, Cater and Vil!” The best girlband 

-I’m loving Ortho and Vil’s dynamic in this event… 

-*puts on analyzation glasses* 

Chapter 10:

-Ah yes, this is simply a pop music club field trip. That’s the legal cover.

-shhh vil let Kalim be delulu

-Lilia equates this trip as dangling a baby by the ankle (/j)

-Trey appearing on the scene nervously rubbing his neck like ‘uwu h-hi’

-Leona is sleepwalking. Trey kidnapped him. 

-Trey brought leona because they sleep together

-Deuce protects his boyfriend- homie 

-The old marrieds are bickering again (Vil and Leona) 

Chapter 11:

-Did he just booty bump Lilia out of the way??

-I just know Fellow’s little tail was wagging when he complimented Leona 

-Vil really stole “I’m surrounded by idiots” from Leona 

-“little lordling” ….okay

-“Kalim’s not like the rest of us” He made his own tax bracket really 

Chapter 12:

-Mommy and Daddy are so responsible (Vil and Leona again)

-GINO'S FACE THE EYBROWS 

-Gino would love Roblox 

Chapter 13: 

-When is it magical girl transformation time 

-YAYYYY GLOWY TRANSOFRMATION

-I still think Ace looks like he’s going to fight a bull. Love it though

-I live for the twins getting different colors 

-Bros complimenting bros 

-As much as I love the outfits, I REALLY would not want to go around an amusement park dressed like that

Chapter 14:

-‘believe in yourself babygirl (Fellow)’ -Lillia 2024

-Please let me kidnap Gino. We can wreak non-magic havoc together 

-NUTCRACKER AHH CATER 

-Im sorry but Lilia is so gender. You don’t understand how much I need it 

-OH HES SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE A NUTCRACKER I’m not crazy (I didn’t know it was canon)

-The shape of Lilia’s neckline is everything. Is the bodice corseted or is Lilia just like that?? 

-Lilia’s eye-makeup reminds me of a Junko Enoshima cosplayer…

-Trey looks like he works at the Dickens fair 

-LEONAS BRAIDSSSSS SQUEEEEEEEEE also his choker love

-Mommmmm- Leona and Trey are flirting again (/j) 

-cutting away from Leona and Trey’s compliment-fest to Vil being like ‘what gives husband?’ 

-IM FERAL FOR STEAMPUNK JACK 

-I need to start practicing Vil’s demand for a mirror in my real life 

-“It’s a gorgeous look that’s still very you” That’s so sweet. I would kill for Jack and Vil’s friendship 

-I need their outfits in my guest room NOW 

Chapter 15:

-KALIMMMMMMMMMMMMMM *screaming fan girl* THATS MY SONNNN

-I love the bright yellow it looks so good on him 

-“in the days of yore” -Lilia 2024. Okay grandpa 

-Take notes guys. Playful land even accommodates Ortho. No ableism even in clothing 

-The way Fellow’s ear turns to the side kffhjafhlFBlf

-The flattery already has gone to your head Ace 

Chapter 16:

-GRIMS PINOCCIO FIT AHHHHHHH 

-I wanna see our outfit… but I don’t want to design one myself… 

-okay good at least I can rest easy knowing we have a crop jacket

-The amount of scrunch in Fellow’s face is unreal 

-THE EVIL LAUGH AND THE CANE SPIN 

-IM ON THE GROUND AGAIN

[us-the-voices-and-more-voices-2]

mort lore (from the Madagascar movies)

I have to say some quick things.

if you have never watched “all hail king Julian” go watch it you will regret nothing it is a masterpiece.

and also mort lore is fucked.

SEE HIM, SEE HIS LITTLE FACE?

that is death, he is death or some sort of primordial ooze given form,

mort is both man and woman, he is all genders and all sexualities, he is crazed from blood lust, and crazed from devotion to the feet.

he is wood chips, and starfish, he is his own wife and ate his wife.

he is every instance of himself throughout the multiverse, he is immortal and unkillable.

he is his own father and own mother, he is both light and dark, yin and yang.

he is evil and just, he is life and death.

he is an unkillable god that walks among man (lemurs).

he is truth, and he is lies.

he is genocidal and he is savior.

he is everything and nothing, all and nought.

mort is an enigma, he is the true chaos incarnate.

everyone had been fooled to his true nature but by the end they know who he truly is, a monster. A god among men.

he is all powerful and all knowing, he is the great equalizer.

he is himself and the parts he’s absorbed, he is made of wood chips and blood.

and he is a force to be reckoned with.

anyway!! Sorry for getting all weird, his character is genuinely so fucked in the head and amazing.

all hail king Julian is a must watch, purely for mort lore.

MORT IS MORT IS TO MORT IS TO MORT.

you think I am joking!

but NOPE, mort is probably the most powerful character in fiction actually. And can kill the unkillable.

mort loreeeeee

[minijenn]

Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

So despite how much I like the first two Madagascars, I've never seen this one. I do vividly remember the trailers for it though, and based on those trailers, I thought this was going to be an annoying waste of time back when it came out, so I skipped it. Suffice to say, I was (for the most part) wrong. Cause the Madagascar trilogy ends on a fairly high note!

We pick up with our squad of animals leaving Africa, this time finding themselves in Europe, where they're hunted down by the intense animal control Captain DuBois. To escape her wrath, they join up with a traveling circus, hoping to impress a promoter in order to finally get back to New York. Along the way, we have the group befriending (and in some cases falling in love) with the circus animals as they try to keep up the act that they are circus animals themselves.

So yeah, there's a lot going on here, and the movie is rapidly paced to accomodate it, but I think that actually works in this movie's favor? Like, the tone here is a lot sillier and more out there than the first two, but the way it pulls off its own inherent zaniness just... works somehow. The humor is over the top yet still maintains more or less the same level of quality the first two Madagascars had (though I can't say it surpasses them in any real reguard).

The characters here are all just as fun as usual. Alex is once again our focal point of the group, and I am a little disappointed that some of the other more minor characters, the Penguins in particular, aren't really left with anything too plot significant to do (granted their own spinoff movie was probably in the works by this point so I'll give it a pass). The new characters are also pretty fun, with the embittered tiger Vitaly who comes around to the group in the end, the spirited jaguar Gia who is just a delightful love interest for Alex, and the absolute sweetheart sea lion Stefano. They're all great additions to the cast and have great chemistry with our established animal crew.

But I think its safe to say the best part of this movie is its villain, Captain DuBois. This woman is CRAZY, man. She is so utterly unhinged, so delightfully devious, and the way they animate her is so fucking funny. She had me cracking up every second she was on screen, like damn give this woman an award for most underrated Dreamworks villain or something. She deserves it.

The animation here is surprisingly beautiful. Like there are some scenes in this movie, particularly the circus performance scene, that were just a FEAST to the eyes. I dare say this is one of Dreamworks' prettiest movies I've seen in the watch so far. Yeah, I know, a Madagascar movie, of all things. But it's true! The colors just pop, the movements of the camera and the characters are so sweeping and refined, the score... is kind of forgettable, but visually, this movie is great.

When it comes to it's predecessors, I can't say I like this more than the first two. It lacks a good bit of heart that they had, and its humor does skew just a bit more juvenile than the first two. But when it shines, it really shines, and I'm really surprised at how much I ended up liking it! Turns out, you really can't judge a book by its cover, or a movie by its... rather poorly made trailer.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Verdict: Get mounted on DuBois' wall

Previous Review (Puss in Boots)

Next Review (Rise of the Guardians)

[rivetgoth]

A Plea for CGI

I feel like the last bastion of defense for CGI as an art form sometimes dude. CGI fascinates me so much. As a kid it felt so wondrous and unlike anything I’d ever seen. The dancing bear in Teletubbies was the first instance of CGI I ever remember seeing and it enamored me unlike anything else. It felt like genuine magic. I felt similarly about Tiny Planets, which genuinely felt like it transported me to an alien world. Later on as a kid I stumbled onto the Madagascar tech reel Easter egg on the DVD and it was the scariest thing I’d ever seen. It scared me so bad I couldn’t be in the same room and I was scared to turn off the television. I stayed in my bedroom until my dad got home because I knew he’d turn the TV off if he walked in and saw nobody watching it and I didn't want to be out there until I knew for sure the television was off and the reel wouldn't still be playing. I couldn’t sleep for days after seeing it and I was literally scared of DVD menus for fear of accidentally stumbling onto something like that again. Blooper reels for CG films absolutely terrified me, it was like genuinely nauseatingly scary. The “You’re not perfect” Courage the Cowardly Dog bit was similar.

I don’t think I’m an anomaly for finding these examples scary, a LOT of people did (the former one is full of commenters saying it scared them as a kid, the latter is literally meant to be scary). But the thing is with CGI, despite that it never stopped having this sort of wonder to me as well. When I was a kid CGI still felt uncommon enough that any time it was employed it felt really magical. It felt like I was seeing into a world that didn’t actually exist. I think its ability even in its earliest forms to be implemented into live action media, or its ability to have strange three dimensional properties when used in fully animated films, gave it this sense that it could be used to bring things to life in a way that couldn’t be done before. Like, I recognized even as a kid that the dancing bear didn’t look REAL. But it also looked three dimensional. It looked almost dreamlike to me.

I think the history of CGI as an art form is just so fascinating. I remember how fascinated I was reading about the CGI of the 80s and 90s, as it began to move beyond being an oddity that computer scientists could use to demonstrate tech and found some mainstream and wider spread usage. Tony De Peltrie (1985) was the first CGI human to express emotion and objectively he hasn’t aged well, he looks super creepy as does almost everything about his short film, but it fascinates me that he was so well received and touched people’s emotions in spite of that. The human ability to connect with something so alien in every way—stylistically, but even in terms of the art form being used, which was still absolutely brand new—is so interesting. The fact that the Canned Food International Council commissioned a commercial to be done fully in CGI in 1984 and it was referred to as so realistic you “couldn’t tell if it was animated or not” when nowadays it’s surpassed by PS1 video game graphics is so fascinating. The entire implication of that moment in the history of art, advertising, aesthetic. Maybe most fascinating to me is the short series Quarxs from the 90s utilizing CGI in one of the most bizarre ways I’ve ever seen to this day to bring to life cryptobiological organisms. Really insane looking stuff using really limited technology. The creator of Quarxs, Maurice Benayoun, writes theory on virtual reality, including some really interesting stuff about the human relationship to the material and virtual world that is most definitely reflected in Quarxs.

Nowadays I turn to Severed Heads as an example of one of the most fascinating recent uses of CGI to intentionally evoke the uncanniness of older CG and bring to life the music through a visual accompaniment. “Tiny Wounded Bird” (2016) is hard to watch even as an adult, it feels like in the best way it strikes so much uncanny fear that would've ruined my life as a child. It was the first time I saw someone fully, intentionally evoke those fears in art—I think it’s so fascinating the way CGI evokes the uncanny valley so easily for so many, and Tom Ellard was clearly aware of this. Tom Ellard, the artist behind Severed Heads, has worked on the cutting edge of technology to make unabashedly uncanny art in both visual and auditory forms since the 70s.

I see people suggest the uncanniness of CGI has to do with early or pre-textured CGI looking almost corpse-like, but I always felt like it was something else, it's not just CGI People Look Creepy. I think it’s just so, so, so foreign to the eyes. It exists in a three dimensional plane that should be similar to ours but isn’t quite ours. It can emulate the human body but also contort it in any way imaginable. The blooper reels I mentioned being scared of as a kid show these fully three dimensional beings with limbs elongated far past the physical possibility of a real body, eyes popping out of the head. Shadows having to be implemented manually, AI trying to figure out how physics work for thousands of particles of simulated hair. It's sterile and it's incomparable to really anything else. CGI is an entirely new artform, unique from any other that exists. It's literally creating a whole new plane of reality. I think it should lean into that more.

I think CGI as a tool is extremely oversaturated due to all sorts of issues within the entertainment industry around the desire to rush products, the lack of unionization and worker protection, corruption from the top down causing companies to rely on it heavily in the least imaginative and most predatory ways. But that’s not the fault of CGI as an art form, which is still only a couple of decades old—Again, Tony de Peltrie, first emotive CGI human, is only about 40 years old. The first television series less than that. The first movie only about 30. This is BRAND NEW technology. We are in the earliest of earliest stages of CGI experimentation. History will look back on CGI and not view 2024 as notably distant from Toy Story’s release in ‘95. I think it’s only in the past few years that we’ve seen mainstream film really try to use CGI for something genuinely brand new—Trolls in 2016 creating an entire world comprised of textures that wouldn’t exist in such a way in real life (like felt ground, cotton ball clouds, etc), Moana (also in 2016) using computer generated blacklight and neon for the Tamatoa sequence, Into the Spider-Verse in 2018 absolutely changing the game with its use of comic book stylization that looks nothing like anything that came before it, followed by Puss in Boots: The Last Wish in 2022 implementing something similar to evoke a storybook feeling and experimenting with intentional drops in frames per second (there’s a cool video about it here that covers some of this). But these new and inventive attempts at CG, all less than a decade old, would not exist without the decades leading up to it. Terminator 2 was an extremely significant breakthrough in animating liquid. Finding Nemo over a decade later was a huge technical breakthrough for animated underwater environments. 1991 to 2003, 12 years spent learning how to make a computer animate water, and Finding Nemo looks plenty dated now. The first realistic digital fire was shown off in my all time favorite animated short, Peedee Meets the Dragon, in 1989! Only 35 years ago animating fire was in and of itself a feat! Toy Story in 1995 famously used toys as protagonists because humans were still difficult to animate—Only 29 years ago HUMANS still couldn’t be consistently animated in CGI. The Incredibles would be THE FIRST ALL HUMAN CAST that Pixar would attempt, and that was in 2004, almost a DECADE later. All the weird uncanny experimental stuff are building blocks to something so much greater than we can even imagine. I really believe that.

So like, yeah, the homogeneity of CGI in the industry right now is frustrating. The industry-standard willingness to exploit digital artists for rushed, cheap, and unregulated third party work is disgusting and genuinely abhorrent. But man, I hate seeing CGI itself shit on in the same breaths that these criticisms are made. So much fundamental misunderstanding of what it is and what it can do as an art form and such a lack of genuine desire to see it continue to evolve and progress. To be blunt a decent amount of it is just straight up nostalgia, and often very rose tinted nostalgia. “Things from my childhood looked better.” Sometimes it’s genuinely being misinformed—Tons of movies that get heralded as being traditional animation or practical effects… still utilize some form of CGI. I also think there’s something to be said about the fact that I believe the current trend of using CGI for hyper realistic effects in big budget live action films is genuinely a misusage of the medium and a complete failure to actually utilize CGI in any meaningful way (looking at you, live action Disney remakes). I love practical effects and I love traditional animation, but I don’t see why they need to be at odds with CGI. The best and most visually striking movies with the greatest visuals tend to recognize that and utilize a blend of the strengths of more than one of these mediums—Though interestingly, Courage the Cowardly Dog remains one of the only examples I can think of that uses CGI as a form of mixed media INTENTIONALLY. As in, not to look hyper-realistic or to replace/accompany practical effect or traditional animation, but to squarely be intentionally meant to be read as CGI in order to evoke a specific tone, functionally using CGI as a punchline the same way one would use live action shots in a show like Spongebob. I'm sure others have done it, but it doesn't appear particularly common.

That’s my last note: I really want to see CGI utilized more with both its strengths and weaknesses taken into account. Back to “Tiny Wounded Bird,” which makes use of the way models of the human body can be reskinned and manipulated to the point of being unrecognizable, a succinct but evocative visual theme for a song about pride and suffering. But I want to talk about another older CGI short film that does something similar, Polly Gone from 1988.

Y’all, I’m literally switching from my phone to my computer to type this out because this matters a lot to me.

EVERYONE writes Polly Gone off as absurdism. That goofy "Early CGI Was Horrifying" video writes it off as "a shitpost," which half the damn commenters on the artist's upload are quoting, annoyingly. The VintageCG Youtube account cruelly calls it "The second worst computer animation ever produced." It finds its way onto r/OddlyTerrifying and similar subreddits not unoften. You guys. Polly Gone is directed by the artist Shelley Lake, who has made this statement about her work:

"The artwork that comes from the world inside is the culmination of my mind’s eye–a fantasy world where, through my imagination, anything is possible. I enthusiastically partner with intelligent machines and together we create an artificial reality. A simulated world of superheroes, erotic men and women, wireframe meshworks, anatomical investigations, cybernetic creatures, phantasmagoric depictions of impossible people, places and things. Although these artworks often resemble our photo-real existence, these creations are utterly unreal and sometimes uncanny." (X)

She KNOWS it's uncanny. She knows it's weird. And her work is, explicitly, intentionally, and, honestly, blatantly, engaging with the weirdness of this medium to deliver messages in ways surreal, fresh, bizarre, and off-putting. I don't know what exactly her intentions are behind Polly Gone, but I would very strongly make a case for it being about women's roles in society, or at least that being a perfectly viable interpretation, especially if you do a 5 second deep dive into her body of work exploring themes about female bodies, sexuality, kink, and queerness. Her synopsis on her own Youtube page for this short is: "A day in the life of a robot." Consider watching it through a feminist lens. Consider how uncanny and dehumanized this animation is of an expressionless, mechanical humanoid--in a dress, in lipstick, with breasts--that zooms around its futuristic house doing mundane chores. Consider the name being a feminized version of the word "polygone." Consider this oddly cool OddlyTerrifying comment:

They're joking, but they're not: This is a short film from the EIGHTIES, seven years before Toy Story would be the first full-length CGI film. Shelley Lake received both a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Sciences degree in the 70s. This is artistic experimenting from someone with years of experience, this is making use of the strengths and unique facets of computer generated animation that cannot be replicated through any other means, and it is not purposeless nor does it deserve to be written off as "a shitpost." And it's not asking you to look past the CGI limitations, it is wholly embracing them.

I want to see more CGI play with this. I think it was a mistake to veer CGI in the direction of trying to disguise it as something that it is not. I think it can work as an accompaniment to other effects, sure, but I don't think its sole purpose should be photorealistic lions emoting less than their real world counterparts singing covers of Elton John songs. I wish CGI wasn't devalued and I wish people would engage with it as a unique art form of its own.

[deadwriter16]

Hi.... If you don't mind me asking, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series/games/etc) and your top 10 favorite characters from any media ? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this questions before or if I accidentally send this ask twice.....

Hi! Sorry I'm super super bad at managing my inbox but I am finally answering you, so sorry it took so long!! pls forgive me

as far as media goes, i dont have a rank order or anything really but here are 10 pieces of media i really enjoy:

i wouldnt say these are my top 10, but just some i really love

fruits basket (anime) - most ive ever cried watching anything. watched this during my last year of high school during the peak of college application season and it altered my brain chemistry forever. i will never be the same

assassination classroom (anime) - watched it in middle school and therefore formed a deep and unhealthy obsession with it, also karma is THAT BITCH. amazing show. also so like oddly sad

new girl (tv) - my favorite television show OF ALL TIME

how to get away with murder (tv) - my favorite televison drama show OF ALL TIME

always sunny (tv) - still watching this one but i LOVE it, shows about fucked up horrible people are my favorite, also i really love and admire their writing style and i really want to embody it on a show someday. definitely a huge writing inspiration for me

arrested development seasons 1-3 (tv) (i liked 4 and 5 but 1-3 are incredible) - again, a show about incredibly terrible people, and also really fucking funny in a weird way. and super clever. i love it

sherlock (tv) - i LOVE murder mysteries so so much. also theyre super gay which is fun

soul eater (anime) - my first anime ever, will love it forever

penguins of madagascar (movie) - i am unironically saying this, i am not fucking with you, this is my favorite animated movie

saturday night live (tv) - a classic. i haven't really traversed past the 21st century but i watch it every weekend without fail.

a special eleventh is A.P. Bio, amazing show never should've been cancelled. objectively i can completely understand why it was canceled bc there wasn't anything really objectively special about it, but by god do i love that show anyway. i rewatch it all the time

honorable mentions: on my block, sex education, the office, community, one day at a time (2017), how i met your mother, parks and rec, disney XD's lab rats (also unironically. great show.)

As for characters:

This is so so hard I've read/watched so so many things, I'm just gonna name the first ten freaks that pop into my head, but in no particular rank order and im definitely forgetting people:

bakugou (bnha) bc obviously. my entire blog is like a shrine to him. i don't need to justify this choice tbh he's the absolute best

chimney (911) he is SOOO me coded and he deserves the world and i think he's deeply underappreciated so i shall appreciate him myself. underappreciated comic relief characters my beloved

schmidt from new girl. my boy. my king. THE #1 MASTER OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. i love him so so much

chandler from friends .... extremely self explanatory (also, see chimney. very similar reasons)

kyo (fruits basket) he means a lot to me. i wish him all the best in life although tbh he did canonically win in life so go him

connor walsh (how to get away with murder) i LOVE him. so much. he's so fucked up but i think hes done nothing wrong ever

death the kid (soul eater) LOVE OF MY LIFE. ABSOLUTE ICON

chang (community) maybe its just cause i love ken jeong but i love this little fucked up mentally ill freak. he's so fucking funny

phil dunphy (modern family) - no explanation needed. he's awesome. i love him a lot he gives me faith in family

every other main character in new girl. i love them all so much

honorable mentions: annalise keating (htgawm), ochako uraraka (bnha), bobby nash (911), dwight schrute (the office), and probably many many more amazing characters who i simply am forgetting

i also really fuck with the grandma from fresh off the boat

[soullessjack]

what saw movie do you dislike and why?

Spiral (2021).

There’s movies that are so bad they’re good, and then there’s movies that are so bad you feel like you’ve lost years of your life during its runtime. Spiral is the latter.

// obligatory spoiler warning, but genuinely it’s not worth watching //

Firstly, there’s a jarring shift in aesthetic and tone between this and the first 6 Saw movies. It’s hard to explain with words alone, but the other movies all have this claustrophobic atmosphere to them. Between the traps and other environments, everything is typically dark and dim and cluttered and confusing (John’s warehouse lair, the various traps, Adam’s shithole apartment, Tapp’s office, etc). More brightly lit and clean environments like Gordon’s home and hospital are distinctly cold and empty, and the various shots of the outside world are largely kept in such small tight frame that you still feel confined.

As such, the characters themselves feel suffocated by their own environments too, even if it’s just within their everyday lives. Tapp is suffocated by his obsession, Adam is suffocated by his seedy job, and even though Gordon’s environments are fairly large and bright and spacious, they lack any warmth or welcome; both home and hospital are sterile. This constant sense of confinement is what I think lends immensely to Saw’s unique flavor of horror.

Spiral doesn’t have any of that. It focuses on a big-city police department, full of wide open spaces and warm colors. There are plenty of environments that could’ve been used for the claustrophobic feeling, like the police department or the opening kill train station—but then, the department is large enough to fit 20+ officers at a time, and the train station is fucking huge. There’s also a lot of traveling around with the main character, Zeke, as he investigates the latest Sawpycat, so you never get the same suffocation or confinement feelings as before. But now let me get to Zeke.

He’s a cop in the department that’s currently being targeted by Sawpycat, and his backstory is that a few years ago he saw another “brother” shoot a witness who wanted to testify against another cop, and when he tried to confront the corruption, the department turned against him (we’ll get to the police corruption part later, but holy shit is that possibly the worst part of the whole movie). It’s not very important, but Zeke is also played by Chris Rock—as in, Marty the Zebra from Madagascar Chris Rock. I’m sure he’s a talented guy, but he does not have the range, and I don’t know if it’s just because of his voice or that he isn’t usually a horror actor, but he just cannot land the role. This being the opening dialogue for his character doesn’t help either:

This is another example of the tonal shift being completely thrown off, and it being said by Marty the Zebra isn’t exactly an improvement. One of Adam’s lines in Saw 2004 is literally “I wouldn’t care if you covered yourself in peanut butter and had a 15-hooker gang bang,” and that alone tells me more about his character and dynamic with Gordon than whatever this is supposed to. That’s cinematic poetry to me. But the dialogue throughout this whole movie is so..empty. So devoid of substance. It definitely registers as words on a paper being read aloud, but not as genuine thoughts or feelings from the characters. Not only are wokeness jokes completely unfunny, they’re also completely out of place for a Saw movie.

Now, I will say that Saw is a franchise that focuses on various social-political issues before; police corruption & brutality, drug addiction, poverty, the justice system, prison conditions, the healthcare system, etc are all elements that tie directly into its’ main story and lend to the uniqueness even more. I mean, for all intents and purposes Jigsaw and his apprentices are technically vigilantes working outside the law. Spiral itself focuses on police brutality and corruption and goes all-in with it through Zeke’s story and the serial targeting of various precinct officers (I kind of liked the tie-in to cops as pigs and Jigsaw’s pig symbolism but that’s about it).

See, as odd as it may sound, the point of Jigsaw’s games and the qualifications of his targets is redemption. It’s intended to be a second chance for people who don’t value life, be it theirs or others. Eric Matthews from Saw 2 is a crooked cop who framed and sentenced Amanda Young and other people for false drug charges. But he’s also a father struggling through a divorce who wants to be there for his son, Daniel, and will do anything to save or help him. You can and should hate him for falsely ruining numerous peoples’ lives, but you can still sympathize with the pain and fear he feels for his son.

There’s nuance to him, as there’s nuance to the other various victims throughout the movies, and that nuance allows you to care for the fact that these people are victims at all, because the driving point that makes you root for the victims’ survival and care about their situation is that they ultimately deserve to live and redeem themselves despite their wrongdoings. With Spiral’s victims, there’s no nuance whatsoever. Every targeted cop is targeted for past corruption that went unpunished, and every one of them deserves what they get, full stop. One of the cops literally shot a teenager to death for flipping him off (and he has what’s probably my favorite kill of the whole movie). What makes it even worse is that the Sawpycat killer is a fucking victim of police brutality. Remember Zeke’s origin story as a witness to another cop murdering a man to protect his crooked buddy? Yeah, the killer is that man’s son, having witnessed his father’s death and vowing revenge on the whole system by destroying it from the inside out, and he wants Zeke to be his boy best friend taking down more evil cops together and yada yada.

Shockingly, he gets away with it in the end instead of dying like you’d expect for an anti-cop vigilante, but even still the entire story just feels so poorly executed and contrived. I don’t feel any of the stress or emotional weight of these peoples’ deaths because they wholeheartedly deserve it. I don’t even sympathize with Zeke as “one of the good cops” because 1) his personality is bland, and 2) there’s a scene where he goes undercover to a drug dealer’s for information and proceeds to not only break this man’s legs till the bone sticks out, but then makes a long winded joke about posting it “for the Gram” and pouring whiskey on it. The end credits song is also a rap song that still feels so unfitting for the tone of the franchise (at least, compared to the other movies’ ending with primarily metal songs. I guess it’s a product of time deal).

So, yeah. Spiral is undoubtedly the worst Saw movie, and honestly I can’t even call it a Saw movie because of how far removed from the franchise it feels.

I will say, tho, that I do not blame Chris Rock and Samuel L Jackson (yes, he’s here too as Zeke’s dad; it’s more believable casting than Chris but still not great) for their movie failing as it did. They’re both incredibly talented actors, and horror movies (and movies in general) with black leads are very lacking in Hollywood, but I truly think this movie was doomed to begin with. and whether that’s poor writing or Hollywood dooming a black-lead narrative as usual I can’t say. They did their best with what they were given, and considering how little that was, they have all my respect.

[askallianything]

Where do you live now, and with whom? Describe the place and the person/people.

Where did you learn most of your skills and other abilities?

When was the time you were the most frightened?

What do you believe makes a successful life?

In general, how do you treat others (politely, rudely, by keeping them at a distance, etc.)? Does your treatment of them change depending on how well you know them, and if so, how?

What is your idea of good entertainment (consider music, movies, art, etc.)?

Describe the routine of a normal day for you. How do you feel when this routine is disrupted?

Oooh questions~!!

I live in the Jabberwock dormitory. With the other Jabberwock students. Have you never been? It's this big area that's mainly like a grassland but there's some other diverse biomes around the place. It's huge and a total pain to get around... but that just means there's more space for all the cute anamalous animals we have! You should come by and see them! The other students are super great too! There's Haru - he's a diligent ray of sunshine, Towa - a chaotic cutie pie, Ruslan - the sleepy gentle giant, and Ren.

I'm guessing you mean where I learned to take care of animals? I... don't remember... I think I maybe had a lot of pets growing up? I know I watched this show as a kid about two brothers researching animals to copy their abilities or something... Oh! I also watched a helluva lotta YouTube vids of people who had like eighty pets. Critters all the way from Madagascar hissing cockroaches to Keel-billed toucans. Mhh...now I want a pet Madagascar hissing cockroach...

I don't think I've ever been as frightened as when I thought my favorite person hated me. Just thinking about it is making me tremble....

There's no such thing as a "successful life". Unless you just mean being successful at living. We all have our own goals and obstacles. For me, a successful life would look like helping animals, anamalous and normal, and having someone who reciprocates my love. And having an infinite supply of Panera's passion fruit green tea.

I'd say I treat people casually and friendly. Even authority figures. I do get a bit snarky and bitchy with people I'm jealous of or who I don't get along with, and I do treat my favorite person like an untouchable god, but other than that, everyone's the same to me! Wait- no that's totally not true. I'm a cunt to people I don't like and I try to have sex with almost everyone I do like.

Good entertainment? I love anything with the potential to tell a story. But my favorite is music. I fucking love music.

You wanna know my daily routine? Why? Are you trying to stalk me??? Aw, I'm honored!!

I wake up at around four am, eat breakfast, do my makeup, and check on all my scaley babies until it's time for class. I usually just sleep through everything or listen to music the entire period. Then for lunch, I get some snacks from the school store and chomp on those while I mindlessly scroll through WickChat. After that I have my afternoon classes. I also just sleep through those. Then I go back to Jabs and check up on my babies again. If everything's in order, I'll either watch tv or play something on my PC. Oh! And I check my phone every ten minutes to see if my favorite person posted anything new to their WickChat or better yet, texted me. I usually just do that until it's dinner time and then I eat with the other Jabberwockoes. After that, I post controversial things on my WickChat and take a shower in hopes that when I come out, I'll have lots of notifications. Then, if I'm sad or horny, I'll have some "girl time" until the feeling passes. After that I usually just pop some melatonin and try and fall asleep before I start overthinking. Aaand that's my routine!

Whenever something goes wrong, I'm put in a really bad mood and then I'm a grumpy depressive bitch for the rest of the day. I've learned that fishing for compliments and/or seeing my favorite person helps me feel better though.

Thank you for all these questions~!! I had a fun time answering them all!!

[alpaca-clouds]

Musing about Dreamworks

I have recently rewatched a lot of old Dreamworks stuff and I realized something: The way a lot of Dreamworks stuff breaks with the hero'e's journey is actually a really good thing.

If you watch Dreamworks movies and compare it with Disney or even Pixar, there is the quite obvious difference that for the most part Dreamworks heroes and heroines are underdogs, while Disney heroes most of the times are not. It is also the reason I think that a lot of queer folks found themselves in a lot of the Dreamworks stuff early on. I for sure can say I did. It is super easy to read a queer subtext into quite a few Dreamworks movies.

Compared to Disney there is also the fact that Dreamworks seemingly never felt the need to use their protagonist's marginalizations, when there, as a way to advertise. It was simply something that was there...

But there is this other big thing.

Disney movies for the most part very clearly follow the Hero's Journey, but in a way that they are so very married to the Status Quo. You know, often in the Hero's the Hero returns home - which Disney usually takes as "the hero returns to the Status Quo". The hero changes, but the world around them doesn't. Because Disney usually says: "The world as it is, is alright."

I could probably go into the depth of the MCU here, but to stay with animation, let's talk about Disney's one real underdog story: Aladdin. The central conflict arises in the first place because Aladdin is of a much lower status and hence cannot court Jasmin. This is basically what leads to the inciting incident and everything. So, the solution in the end is? Well, Aladdin gets a free pass. But in general there is nothing much changed about the class structure of the world.

Meanwhile almost all Dreamworks movies involve the world around the heroes changing. In Shrek the world has to learn to accept ogers. In Kung Fu Panda more than anything it is Shifu who needs to learn the lesson. In Megamind the way that the populus of Metro City treated Megamind was the issue. And most notably probably How to Train Your Dragon, where the vikings needed to learn to work with the dragons.

One can almost make the argument that Dreamworks movies in general reject the status quo. In fact, heroes that want to re-establish the status quo will need to learn that it actually was not a good thing. Be it the animals in Madagascar returning to the zoo and finding it was not at all what they remembered, or be it Puss in The Last Wish learning that his status quo (him having the many lives) was not good for him.

I can very much say that starting in my teens, when I became more interested in animation, I always liked Dreamworks Animation better than the other animation studios in the west. And yes, I quite early learned about the queer readings of Shrek for example. And I was able to well realize that Dreamworks was better in a lot of their messages than Disney was (and clearer).

But I actually never pinned down, why Dreamworks felt so much more progressive until I started to think about this recently. That Dreamworks actually allows for the world around the heroes to change and in some cases address systematic oppression.

And don't get me wrong. Like from a production side and behind the scenes, there is still a lot wrong with Dreamworks as well. They absolutely tried their best together with Disney to keep down the pay for animators and stuff. There was definitely also some cases of discrimination and bad conduct. But just from the side of what the movies themselves say? Yeah, no, I see myself a lot more in the Dreamworks stuff than anything Disney ever made.

[alanshee-keeper-of-realms]

Have you ever watched Phineas and Ferb or Milo Murphy's Law? If so, what do you think of these shows?

I actually grew up with Phineas and Ferb I remember watching it in 2007 and crying in 2016 when it initally ended, if it wasn't these guys I was latched onto Hannah Montana in this era, I was actually in the fandom that was my very first fandom besides Danny Phantom and Penguins of Madagascar,

Again very very special place in my heart, I have a binder full of Phineas and Ferb Fanfic I wrote, and I'm sure on Fanfic.net Kiara the Elven but it was originally, Secret Agent Alanshee because well Perry haha, and Kiara the Elven that's my OG account but I warn you it's full of teen me being angsty I gave it to a friend but they never did anything with it,

Phinabella was my first ship, and yes I say it I was and still am rooting for Perrysmirtz, the creator ships it so I'm still on board with that I think it's cute and funny.

The characters are charming and the stories simple, it reflects back to simpler times in my life, my entire family still rewatches it frequently and religiously and is stupidly excited for the Revival Series especially as they got both Dan and Jeff and almost a majority of the old cast back on board.