stanford pines is trapped in a prison of writing.
his whole arc is about stepping down from this “special” and “unique” pedestal where only he and the “truly brilliant ones” can change the world, and in stepping down, he learns that he is just like everyone else, not above them and destined for greatness, nor below them and a six-fingered freak.
unfortunately, his reveal being so late in the show means that he spends most of his episodes lurking in the basement, hunting something supernatural, or dumping exposition. in a narrative sense, he cannot escape being this Enlightened Other figure because the story literally doesn’t give him room to breathe.
i think that’s my one big problem with gravity falls’ pacing, honestly. where episodes 14 and 16 bizarrely choose to exclude ford almost-entirely from the wacky shenanigans, and even in episodes like mabelcorn where he plays a role, it’s the story needing to explain ford’s role with bill
i think that’s why so much supplementary gravity falls media talks about ford or comes to us from ford’s perspective (journal 3, segments of the book of bill, lost legends) because ford would otherwise be left as a big exposition device
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Why No Love for Red Hood: The Hill?
I think it's all in the marketing and about what's being delivered versus what readers expected.
So I almost made this post on a reblog, but I didn't want to overwhelm that thread. Plus, I'm not sure if people get mad when someone does a long reblog on their short OG post? Anyway, the point of that post was that Issue 3 of 'Red Hood: The Hill' came out and no one's really talking about it, especially Jason/Red Hood fans.
I think the biggest problem (IMO) with this series is that someone wanted to write a story about The Hill and some new characters (which is fine), but like the 'Batman: The Hill' comic (which I think this series is sort of a sequel to), it's banking off a known character, Red Hood, to be it's selling point. "Come for the Red Hood, but stay for these other characters and their story." All fine and good, but a little deceptive when the marketing leans more toward it being a Red Hood (and new 'Outlaw' friends) story rather than one where Jason is a random guest star.
Series description:
In Gotham City’s early days, The Hill was one of Gotham City’s most dangerous neighborhoods, one that required the residents to band together to keep themselves safe when the police – and sometimes even Batman – wouldn’t.
Now, as the Hill finds itself gentrifying, old habits die hard as the vigilante known only as Strike works with her team to keep the town safe—but she’s not alone. Jason Todd, one of the Hill’s newest residents, is more than happy to don the visage of Red Hood to help Strike keep his new home safe. But a new villain is emerging from the shadows. Will Red Hood, Strike and the Hill’s small militia of vigilantes be able to keep their home safe?
And this brings me back to the marketing and advertising of this series, especially versus the Batman: The Hill comic.
Obviously we can see the artistic parallels between these two covers (above). Overall, good job and nice throwback, but... there's a major difference. These two are not similar.
The first cover has "THE HILL" in bold, prominent text and Batman is in the background. This says that Batman is part of the story, but he seems secondary to whatever's going on in the foreground, which is mostly true to the story.
The second cover has "RED HOOD" prominent in the title with "The Hill" as secondary and smaller. Jason is also front and center with Batman looming behind him (who only just showed up at the end of issue 3. There's only two more issues left). The character of Strike, our new protagonist and The Hill's main hero, is down at the bottom and barely in-frame, further suggesting it's more about Jason (and maybe Batman) than The Hill or other characters. Again, clever marketing and nice design nod to the original cover, but deceptive when it comes to the series content. I don't necessarily blame the cover artist here as they might've been given a different brief on what the story was about and I get the fun throwback to the old Hill cover, but these covers are almost reversed in terms of Bat-character prominence.
In the original, Batman was more intertwined in that comic's story than Jason is in his series, which further adds to the audience letdown. If anything, this series needed to go with the coffee shop musician strategy: play a bunch of cover songs to win over the crowd and then slip in your original music (OCs) here and there. Once you have your audience hooked, go all out with your original stuff and then throw in 'Wonderwall' just for kicks and to keep them invested.
Ultimately, I think the biggest problem of this series is pacing and balance. The series needs more Jason to allow readers time to invest in the new characters, but as those new characters develop through their interactions with him THEN Jason can fade back as a partner character or just random character who comes in to help out. As it is, he's a guest star in series called, 'RED HOOD: the hill' with most of Jason's actions being 'day-in-the-life' stuff or a random action panel or two.
If anything, I think Red Hood #51 and #52 did a better job of establishing Jason as a main player, but also working alongside a new hero (Strike) and citizens of The Hill in solving a case. The covers above also display a more balanced composition and preview of what you're getting. Yes, you're reading a Red Hood comic, but there will be some other significant characters playing in this sandbox that you should care about and watch out for.
Sadly, I think the untrue message DC will take away from this series if it doesn't do well is that: (1) Jason is NOT an instant seller so let's shelf him because he couldn't carry this series (that he's barely in), and (2) readers don't like these new characters (most of which are BIPOC and/or LGBTQ), so let's ditch them and do more Batman stuff. 🤦♂️
And that's unfortunate because I think there's potential here had this series been executed in a better way. I see where the writer wanted to go with these new characters and they actually seem like an interesting and cozy bunch, but I feel like I'm stepping into an already established found family/friend group, but I don't really know them and I'm the outsider. So eventually I'll find a random distracted moment to quietly say bye to my friend Jason and slip out before anyone notices... like the socially awkward introvert that I am.
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hey this isn’t aimed at anyone in particular but I’m saying it for the record here: if I tell you no, please stop messaging me about fundraisers and mutual aid.
I get enough messages that it’s impossible for me to keep up without devoting at least half an hour each day, when I’m not even on tumblr that long most days. Me having a boundary about this isn’t a moral failing, it’s a lifeboat for me on my own blog.
In my personal life I’m already advocating and donating literally as much as I can spare. This is not me not caring, it’s just me not willing to interact with that on the one place I go online to not interact with irl news and world events for the most part.
I cannot be upset all the time. I cannot be upset everywhere. I cannot use all my emotional and mental energy fielding my own upset from ongoing events. My options are to hold boundaries about this or stop coming online at all.
I’m all for sharing information and signal boosting to reasonable extents, but the scale of it this year is so large and so enduring that it is literally not possible to for me to participate on every account I have. I’ve previously shared links to Gaza eSIM donations and a major hub of verified Go Fund Mes here and elsewhere online. We, the online humans, know how to look those things up ourselves by now. There are many, many people choosing to do advocacy work, and right now, I can’t be one of them.
If you’re extremely upset when I tell you I can’t share/donate right now about a Gaza family or personal fundraiser you ask me to share here, just unfollow and block me. That’s what those buttons are for. Protect your own emotions and energy and get me off your feed instead of staying upset and continuing to engage with online people or content that upsets you.
Please don’t send repeated angry messages based on manufactured purity politics and moral outrage into my messages and inbox when I exercise the right to run my own blog.
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Things I Personally Want to See in Season 2
In no particular order:
Alastor learns what asexuality is and finds a way to be annoying about it
Episode actually focusing on Lucifer's mental state, or at least some scattered references to the idea that one touching song with his daughter wasn't enough to "fix" anything
Valentino dies
Pentious trying to fit into Heaven interspersed with bits about his life in Hell and/or before he died
Vaggie hanging out/bonding with characters other than Charlie
Valentino dies horribly onscreen
Entire episode recounted as an anecdote on Alastor's radio program - most of the show is the events with occasional witty narration and cuts back to the studio, mostly for his commentary but occasionally for silly jokes and off-air moments. We also get to see his lead-in, some pot-shots at the Vees, and how he handles it when a fly gets into the booth (violently).
Sera tries to assassinate Pentious, or at least cover up his presence in Heaven
Emily goes to Hell - not as in falling (maybe as in falling), but at least something showing her reacting to it, possibly with some kind of sinister reprise of "Welcome to Heaven" wherein everyone else is inured to things that terrify her
Angel brings up BDSM again and Charlie actually takes him seriously/challenges her assumptions about sex negativity
Vox explicitly has some kind of Alastor shrine or cork board or something, and he's secretly trying desperately to figure out what happened during the seven-year gap
Nifty dates someone
Rosie visits the hotel
Charlie tries to ban booze in the hotel, and Husk, Angel, and Alastor (mostly because he's amused and nostalgic) create a speakeasy in the basement
Valentino is brutally murdered by one of the main cast - ideally Lucifer, Alastor, Vaggie, or Husk
St. Peter turns out to have a more normal set of facial expressions when he's not at work
Alastor's mom is officially introduced
Lucifer and Lilith have it out and get seriously divorced
One of the new sinners at the hotel is a cannibal who learned about it from the battle preparations
The hotel gets attacked and Alastor and Lucifer argue about who gets to disembowel the attackers until Charlie has to step in and scare them off. Later, once they've worked out their differences a little, they keep doing the "after you" thing until the same thing happens.
Vox does something competent
Vox blurts out that he's in love with Alastor live on-air
Angel Dust establishes that he doesn't have a problem with sex work and is fine continuing to do it post-Valentino. He just doesn't want to be exploited.
Alastor tries to fix his microphone without his full powers and embarrasses himself
Velvette does something significant
Valentino dies
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Hot take (probably), but I actually don't believe Izuku is the type to actually be in everyone's business. Let alone Katsuki's.
Like, I know there's that bit in one of the light novels, I don't know which one and I don't exactly know how it went, where Izuku mentions how Katsuki didn't get Valentines from girls or whatever but here's the thing...
Katsuki is fucking loud.
I believe Izuku actually didn't care that Katsuki got any gifts from girls or not. Just more shocked that he didn't.
But how he found out was that Katsuki was talking with some other kids and brought up gifts or whatever and Katsuki, being Katsuki, loudly proclaimed that he didn't get gifts and doesn't want any and Izuku just so happen to have heard that walking pass.
They went to a school where their fucking teacher thought it was necessary to bring up Izuku's business to the entire class and he got laughed at.
Maybe it's just me, but the whole "Izuku knows everything about Katsuki because he follows him everywhere like a shadow" just... ugh...
They were close at one point (and got better), yeah. Izuku is observant and he's more curious, mostly about quirks and heroes. And sometimes, he does speak before he thinks and gets into business he doesn't have to, but that's more for being a good person and hero.
But I do not think he's that nosy.
If anyone is the damn nosy one it's Katsuki.
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Hi all! So uhhhhh I used Mermay to explore Sobek's more hybrid features in DEITIESProject >>
This form is something that Sobek -- and most deities -- can canonly take with transformation magic, it fall under the category of hybrid features. Though I'm not sure whether this makes him look more like a "merfolk" or a "centaur" (or both? both ✨).
That said, I feel like every time I draw a crocodilian I have to relearn it all over again, esp. their body markings and scales/scutes -- it's fun, just never very consistent. But I've learned a few new tricks to get Sobek's croc form closer to that "semi-realistic but still stylized/cartoony" look I'm aiming for.
Also! I traded his usual feathered headdress for the horned variant -- originally for the sake of reducing negative space and cropping, but I actually like this look on him too!
DEITIES Website: deitiesproject.com
Sobek’s Profile: deitiesproject.com/portfolio/sobek
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