#is a fascinating concept in relation to fan studies

[autisticburnham]

The Supernatural fandom has this term, the Ghostfacers Effect, named after the episode Ghostfacers, which is presented as though it is an episode of the in universe Ghostfacers webseries where some dweebs do your average real life ghost hunting bullshit. In the episode Sam and Dean are both swearing up a storm using real swear words, not the "frig" they typically otherwise use, and are bleeped out with the Ghostfacers logo covering their mouths the way they do in reality TV. The Ghostfacers Effect then refers to the idea that we the audience do not see the true story of what is happening in universe but instead an unreliable recounting of the true story, which is why we typically hear "frig" despite knowing the characters actually say "fuck."

Which, ignoring the concept of a story "really" happening in a way disconnected from the canon because that's a can of worms I do not want to touch right now, is generally a good explanation for why characters who you would reasonably expect to swear don't. And you can of course apply this to any character and say that even if they don't swear in canon, you know they do really.

You could say Captain Kirk always swears as much as he does in The Voyage Home, we the audience just aren't being told the truth about it usually. But I reject this notion. The point of this post, why I explained the Ghostfacers Effect, is to say I refuse to believe it in relation to Captain Kirk. The Voyage Home is an outlier which should not be counted and 99% of the time the most scathing insult Captain Kirk will level you with genuinely is "go climb a tree."

[melodich4n]

When It comes to me as a human I really am a weird case. My humor or my personality overall is as literal as you see here online for my everyday life. There's nothing for me to hide about who or how I express myself but when it comes to interests. By that means.

I'm on the spectrum. I have ADHD and ODD too.

I don't often click with characters. For those I do, I LOVE them. Be it I haven't posted them here out of preference I just really like to stick with One Piece for content making or original characters (can change). Yet when it comes to me being obsessed or clicking with a series. Especially with a character that becomes either a comfort or a special interest of mine. It happened to be Caesar Clown.

In my entire life from all things possible for me to enjoy. Caesar makes me most interested. Be it, I find myself already into topics such as science or medical care that cause me to naturally enjoy a character like Caesar for his role he has as a scientist. Being I can remember the time as young as 8 I wanted to be a virologist and help work in a lab on viruses. I even tried considering to research a cure for cancer. Be it since then the career changed on wanting to be in something art related as I ALWAYS loved art too. My second option and third was to take the job as a therapist or surgeon. Even a mortician as an option as death or the human body is something I've come to find fascinating and I'm not saying this to be a shock content person. I just really am intrigued by concepts like mortality/birth/death. Anything within those segments I'm a huge fan of. Remember being fascinated and still am a fan of COD zombies. The only thing that stopped me considering the medical field in any way was because I didn't want to spend that much money and time to get a job I might end up realizing I just enjoyed it as a hobby to research instead.

Yet the topic of anything relating to science and medical stuff makes me adore characters like Caesar anytime. Yet what specifically lured me more for him than other doctor or scientist characters was his sadistic nature and his *personality* in extension within Punk Hazard and even in WCI. I'm a fan of the topic of sadism, I'm not sadistic myself. I enjoy the fictitious aspect of how far you can push violence though. In themes or just because. As I was for some reason the kind of kid who watched 5+ hours of Happy tree friends and Fluffy pony content or make my 1037727 read of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac after I got home from a math test that pissed me off half crying still and then laughing about it because fictional violence is and will always still be funny to me.

I see fiction as fiction and a way to study things from a view of my own as someone with autism to pick apart on. I don't know why but the fact I just enjoy picking apart characters and themes, stories. Even music. I found myself adore him.

Caesar Clown though, I can see why others don't like him as much. There are many reasons why I can understand. Though for those that dislike him and choose to dislike me also from that, I don't care about those people.

Caesar's genuine intelligence is also something I enjoy looking at. Vegapunk is of course gonna always be smarter and more successful but Caesar has genuine feats of his own. He just goes into a clear route of selfishness that involves a lot of violence and he's not normal in the head. Far from it. Either because he grew into it or was born like it.

Which I enjoy the fan ideas people bring for him. I like people's own ways to take his character for their enjoyment.

I like taking him and either putting him into work that lets me express my mind and ideas for him. Or to put him through pain or anguish that always intrigued me again in the fictional lens.

My love for him likely comes from a sense of self relatability in his vindictiveness and behavior I used to have when younger myself (be it I'm far from it now and did not kill people just can grasp that sense of anger he has) that I also have respect also for his work. I want to see him do his experiments and partaken as a viewer of his work.

Also his own song, his theme? It makes me think of Earthbound and Earthbound is a massive comfort game for me. Specifically the Belch Factory for Caesar with the Belch's theme to his in the 2nd to 3rd stage of his theme. So that's just another random thing to throw. It's out of Character from the music of OP.

His design also feels like something I'd have made when I was younger, and when I feel or connect with a design I will cling and draw them pretty much anytime I think of them.

I think there are so many opportunities with a character like Caesar .

He has also broken Devil Fruit Abilities. I tried genuinely hard to see what his Gas Gas fruit was in terms of Elements on the periodic table. There was no direct one I could match with. I tried. Genuinely. I'm no chemistry nerd but my understanding of how certain elements have ways they react to exposed climates and other elements is what I researched into.

Also the fact he used himself to make experiments. It's fucking metal. Sick shit. I've written that into my own works myself before I got into One Piece as someone who wrote religious sci-fi horror. Where you use your flesh, or your body... Imagine being a part of your stuff? For your gain. To hurt others like some bad guy would do like Caesar.

To contort yourself easily...

It's very cool.

I think that's what I have my thoughts on so far I got for the man. I don't know what else to do or say. I'd love to converse with others here as long as it's civil and respectful about my thoughts or questions, and any form of discussion we can have. Though I do not support those who pick on others just because they "understand or don't understand" Caesar as well as others can or don't. He's fictional. Let's not be crazy.

That is all for me.

- Sally/Melodi

[mann-walter]

I Strongly Dislike the Concept of Palpatine as Naturally Evil

I am a Palpatine fan because I like how fun he is on-screen being evil (largely due to Ian McDiarmid’s acting and the overall shallowness of the characters in the movies), but forty-something years after the Emperor (and I like him called that way better than “Emperor Palpatine”) first graced the screen, I do feel tired of the same tricks played over and over again, that Palpatine is basically a male evil witch. I’ve long been a supporter of a deeper dive into Palpatine the person as a solution to this fatigue. We don’t have to have a formally Palpatine-centric major story (i.e. something on-screen), just something explaining his personal philosophy a little deeper would be welcome. Sadly, I do think such a project is unforeseeable in the near future because there’s a shift in vision.

In Lucas’ era (pre-2013, let’s just say), Palpatine is incredibly evil but there are still gapes of humanity within him, there even—as some visual guides, interviews, and novels would indicate—an attempt to build some type of “molding the world according to what I see as good” character with him starting in the Prequels years up to 2012. As a digression, I do find this concept coupled with his pursuit of power fascinating, “he is selfish, but” but “he is for progress, but”. A rather brain-tickling fictional fellow if executed correctly. But, and I do sense it becoming more and more evident, the idea has never been advanced since. There’s a prevailing concept of Palpatine as naturally the personification of evil nowadays.

On a more laughable basis, I don’t like the concept because it prevents my favorite character from being something much more interesting through character study pieces or simply by not being always relegated to the role of Final Boss in a Popular American Sci-Fi Franchise. On a deeper note, I think that the core message of Star Wars is choices between doing the right or wrong things. The story of Anakin’s redemption is ultimately that, his fall too though within more complicated circumstances. Ben Solo made the decision to emulate his idealized grandfather, and so on. I do think it would be unfair to suddenly enact extreme predestination on one guy to be evil (but how does “the will of the Force” work, does it set a rigid roadmap for everything?). And more, it would erase the profundity of his evilness so much if you think about it.

See, you have this man right here, he is incredibly evil, billions suffer because of this single human being. But then you find out that he has a severe, undeniable urge to maim, to destroy, to oppose all authority, value, and system, to play God whatever the cost, all for his own natural satisfaction. I do think there could be arguments for him not fully out of his mind, intelligent and educated enough to know norms and values, and there are steps to prevent natural predispositions to become harmful, but I personally would be a little less harsh toward such characters compared to characters who without any internal or external pressure choose evil freely. This relates to accountability, how much can we attribute to his free will?

I like my villains soberly choosing evil. (this doesn’t mean I sideline the “nurture” factor or the more complex “nature” reasoning, only that I hold them to some extent lesser of a consideration when judging). If he is evil out of his own free will, the question would be “Why?” which would be answered with a multitude of interesting personal history, cultural influences, and beliefs, making the character interesting. Let’s compare that to a scenario where Palpatine is naturally evil. You ask “Why?” and the answer you’ll get is akin to “It is how it is”, which is an incredible bore for me. The more freely the person chooses evil, the better for me.

So, yeah, I don’t like Palpatine fixed as the Dark Side incarnate. I like him incredibly evil but still very much human. Note, I do not see his pursuit of power as something inhuman, it is terrifyingly human, but maybe couple it with something else (needn’t be redeeming or sob-story-ish). Or maybe, let him mature into the incredible evil with nearly all of his humanity absent. I can totally enjoy that, as long as it’s not him being born evil.

[inolienkiki]

sit down, I'm going to talk about how expressing interests and preferences and opinions is viewed as inherently childish and therefore societally unacceptable

--

First, for clarification: by interests, and preferences, and opinions, I am referring to several related concepts.

Interests include: Media! A TV show, a book, a toy line, a video game, a comic that is particularly meaningful to you. A subject or field of study that just gets you excited. A species you know loads about, or a machine that you could take apart and put back together. A holiday, a craft, a sport. Literally anything that makes you spark.

Preferences include: A way you prefer to manage your surroundings or stimuli. Maybe you don't like crowded places, or hearing something loud makes you uncomfortable. Maybe you feel comfortable only in specific clothes, whether because of their texture or just their look. Maybe you need a particular set of conditions in order to sleep. Maybe you don't want a romantic partner, maybe you find it helpful to listen to music while you work, maybe you don't like certain foods. Hell, maybe you just don't like someone. Literally anything that you can improve your life by having some control over.

Opinions include: Well, by opinions, I'm mostly talking about attention to detail, talkativeness, or anything that can be vaguely construed as idealism. For a great example of all three, there's that really long post about ageism and youthlib that you're five paragraphs deep in right now

--

Yes, all these things are more likely to be encountered by neurodivergent people. Interests- particularly strong, persistent ones- can manifest as autistic special interests, ADHD hyperfixations, or the comfort media of highly sensitive people. Preferences often stem from over- or understimulation. Opinions are more likely to manifest for any number of reasons: talking through feelings helps some people understand them better; sometimes, the only way to curate your surroundings is by explaining why it's helpful; and, to put it frankly, neurodivergent people have a lot of things they need to talk about. Of course we're more likely to voice our concerns about ableism, infantilization, and the ways the world is more difficult for us. [Also... and this is me... my ADHD makes me TALK. When I'm understimulated, the way I stimulate myself is often to start rambling, or explaining something, or writing a very long Tumblr post.]

Despite this, they're much more common than they're given credit for. Interests, preferences, and opinions are something everyone experiences. My mom- who I very recently made a post about probably being neurotypical- has an unusually intense interest in the Donner Party, a thorough preference for organization, and absolutely cannot sleep when exposed to any light or noise or the smell of somebody making food. My friend, who (to be fair) cannot get a psych evaluation if he wants to keep his job, is so fascinated with planes and flying and space that he's dedicated his life to it. My dad, a bird biologist by degree who works for the Fish and Wildlife Service- as you might predict- really likes birds. So much so that his entire front yard and backyard and various locations he's volunteered at around the city are explicitly cultivated to provide habitat for native birds and other species. You don't hear people assuming that sports fans or cat people or feminists must be neurodivergent because they express natural human variation.

These interests, preferences, and opinions tend to pop up in kids... for all kinds of reasons. Children are encouraged from a young age to figure out what they're interested in. They're presented with various subjects and fields of study in school to develop tastes for, pushed and often required to read books and write essays and fiction, and highly encouraged to "entertain themselves" with TV, video games, and other media to lighten the load on their caretakers. Kids are also more likely to have preferences, or voice those preferences: they're more likely to have fears of places or situations they're not familiar with, especially if they've been led to believe they're incapable or naive; their boundaries are crossed way more often when they're exposed to things they don't like or aren't comfortable with, and have no way out; and their senses are literally more sensitive than adults'. Of course a child will be uncomfortable in a room with a loud noise playing at a frequency adults can't hear, whether due to electronic noise or purposeful "teenager repellent" speakers. Of course a child will be upset if someone says something hurtful to them, because confidence and self-assuredness are considered negative and "disrespectful" traits in children, and so aren't encouraged. Of course a kid won't like the food they're being forced to eat, because up until a certain age, children actually can't taste certain flavors. And in many cases because of these more intense preferences, kids HAVE to understand, and voice, their opinions. Any situation that might make an adult feel uncomfortable could also make a child feel uncomfortable... but that child cannot leave that situation. A kid who is hurt by a classmate, a teacher, or a family member doesn't have the option to cut that person out of their life- no matter how little that relationship is worth. A kid who is eating something chosen for them that really doesn't agree with them doesn't have the option to stop eating that thing, because in many cases it's their only opportunity to eat. A child who is overwhelmed or being made to feel ashamed at a party- whether for children or adults- cannot just walk out and drive away. When kids are in a bad situation, talking about it is the only option. Like neurodivergent people, kids' opinions are also strengthened and exacerbated by their interests and their unique, forgotten marginalization. Kids are stereotyped as "whiny" when they talk about small issues and "naive" or "idealistic" when they talk about big ones. That is, until they reach a certain age, when it becomes "hormones" and "teenage rebellion". (News flash: All emotions are caused by hormones and neurotransmitters which vary in abundance when people are exposed to stimuli. Saying teenagers are emotional "because of hormones" is like saying your dog is wet because it's raining. Yeah, that's how water works... but it's only happening in the first place because you locked your dog outdoors.)

So, what? Neurodivergent people and children have a lot in common? Big surprise, some of you are saying, but you're missing the point.

I am talking about how the things that are regularly construed as shameful, or weird, or not worthy of respect, in adults... are viewed this way because they're affiliated with children, a marginalized group. A lot of the ableism that neurodivergent adults face is misdirected ageism. And no, I'm not even faintly saying that ableism isn't real, nor am I saying that neurodivergent adults are basically children or deserve to be treated like children do. (Nobody deserves that, including children.) Just like many people who perpetuate aphobia and amatonormativity probably don't know that aroace people even exist; just like gender nonconforming people and people with gender expression that strays outside of norms are misidentified, and insulted, for some perceived "gayness"; ableism can be so uninformed it's mistargeted.

--

The only other thing I want to mention here: how do neurotypical kids, with lots of interests, preferences, and opinions, lose those with time? Answer is: well, first, they don't always. My friend who really likes planes was dismissed as "overly optimistic" and "naive" by many of his friends and mentors. He's doing great in navy flight school... I think the words they were looking for are something more like "ambitious", or "determined". Turns out he's been cool this whole time. In this way, traits which are dismissed or misidentified in kids actually become VALUED in adults. My dad and his volunteering, my mom and her cleanliness, my old PI and his dedication to mentoring, etc. etc. As adults gain more influence over their surroundings, their preferences begin to be considered valid. And of course people get quieter when they aren't forced to speak out.

Yet... obviously this isn't it. I think the missing element is internalized ageism. I can only speak to this as someone who was assigned female at birth, but one way this manifests is clear enough to me: "I'm not like other girls!" This is common enough that lots of people seem to see teenage women's experiences and their individuality as immature in and of themselves. But it seems clear enough to me that, more than anything, this is a desperate demand for maturity. As a teenager, I felt incredibly pressured to shed my previously "childish" interests and preferences and change them for more societally acceptable, "adult-like" ones. I can't tell you how many times I was about to drop my lego hyperfixation, but every time I came close, they came out with something so much better. But, up until I was sixteen, I felt shame over it- and shame over my continued interest in Warrior Cats, over the kids' cartoons I still like to watch, over a fox hat that I wore to one class, one time, that I was legitimately very scared would impact everyone's perception of me- and the truth is, it probably did. Everyone seems to think this kind of thing is because of peer pressure, but the nature of that claim as a misguided assumption is so much clearer to me because I didn't go to middle or high school. I was partially homeschooled, and I partially had an incomplete patchwork education that drew from various online and in-person classes. This is fine and not actually a negative thing and genuinely was not a bad experience at all. (I'm completely, 100% serious. Educational freedom, tailoring to kids' interests, and acceleration/skipping grades is often extremely beneficial and doesn't hurt the kid. My ADHD wasn't diagnosed until recently because, as a kid, I was almost never put in a situation where it held me back.) Of course girls put on makeup and revealing dresses and get into relationships very early, because they're trying to show their maturity, and female maturity is often societally equivalent to sexual maturity and romantic entanglement. (I could talk about this all day... the intersectionality of so many different types of specific, inconsistent, and misdirected marginalization is fascinating and horrifying.) Because of this, for most women, internalized ageism seems to manifest as "I'm not like other girls, because I'm a woman, and I deserve independence and respect." For me, without the "peer pressure" (but more relevantly, without the peers) it was just the last half. It's so easy to blame kids' problems on peer pressure when 99% of kids are forced to constantly be surrounded by their peers. asjdflksjlasdhkg

I don't actually know very much about what internalized ageism is like for people who were assigned male at birth, but bravado, insecurity, and toxic masculinity seem like pretty obvious outcomes.

--

Ok, lesson from this extremely long post: if someone is telling you that something about your interests, preferences, opinions, or personality is childish, you may be inclined to pull your age. Adult or kid, the "that's for babies" response is a natural defense, but kinda misses the point: the person saying that already thinks you're a baby! Correct, productive response: Do you think that's a bad thing? Why?

If you're an adult who's part of a group that is stereotyped as "childish" or "immature"- which covers a hell of a lot of marginalized groups- know when you're seeing misdirected ageism. Once you start paying attention to it, it'll help you understand kids' experiences so much better.

Don't be ashamed of yourself for acting, or feeling, like a kid. That's valid. It's not hurting anyone. And it's not even uncommon.

Definitely don't be ashamed of yourself for being a kid. You're cool. Trust in yourself, and keep speaking out.

[onesunofagun]

You know, I'm going to put a thought down because I'm thinking about this again because of the post earlier.

It might be a vent? I think it's more just me trying to describe a feeling so it's outside me and I can look at it.

I've seen a lotta discourse and a lot of theories and different takes out there. There's always gonna be some stuff that's frustrating because it's something Sus being widely normalised, but generally speaking, I think the varied perspective and ideas are always good thing in a fandom.

I've seen all sorts of ideas be explored-- in fics, in doujins and art, in roleplay, in lore essays-- over the years. I like to think I have a pretty good map on the fandoms I've been online and present in since the early 00s. I can usually remember context about how certain stuff came about, like what tropes or ideas got popular when and how, whether through shipping or fanon or mangas or general knowledge about the development process.

When you've been in a fandom a long time-- especially if you have made a lot of contributions to it, at any point-- sometimes you even have a part in shaping certain idea flows within it, yourself.

So I have had the chance to see and contribute to a lot of conversations that have happened over and over and over again, in a kind of generational way. I have seen certain discussions from old forums, translate to fics. I've seen them pop up on tumblr, then tumble to Reddit, then YouTube. I have watched the spread through the general sphere of things, get added to and turned over and re-examined.

For the record: I love watching that process, and I like being part of that process! Mentally tracking the grandfathered in fandom history has also become its own kinda hobby for me.

I've always found it interesting mapping where new fans come in, seeing how they orient themselves and what they pick up-- how and why and what they do with it, whether I appreciate it or not (I highlight biases that are related to harmful ideas when I see them to illuminate them).

Seeing certain concepts be repeatedly rediscovered and watching how certain waves of fans digest them is fascinating. Sometimes with surprising results, sometimes with disappointing results, but it's fascinating either way. That's kind of part of the appeal having been here so long and why I came back into (mild) activity-- I get to study and dissect the fandom behaviours as well.

But despite all of that, I've found I don't really appreciate a good number of the popular YouTubers who focus on Zelda as their channel topic.

I think I've developed a bit of a distaste for a few of them in particular, actually--the big number Zeldatuber channels. Mostly the ones that seem to be the theorycrafters that kinda followed on from a MatPat style format. All of my love to well researched videos analysing the themes and meta, and all the silly boundary breaks and speedruns, mind. But I found I got really disillusioned with the handful of channels that rose to prominence and how their content shifted with that growth.

With the potential to monetise their discussions and discords worth of people and patrons driving this kinda content, I do think a lot about things that have been discussed in the fandom in the past that get taken up and regurgitated as part of that grind. I have lost track of how many videos that have come out of a few big Zeldatubers of this vein gave me a really weird slimy feeling and I am trying to work out what it is.

I'm not super invested in watching much of Zeldatube at large, mostly because I've seen most popular subjects covered in many variations. I'm a lot more personally interested in analysis, rather than theorycraft, so take it with a grain of salt that I may have a bias too (The popular Zonai fixation really doesn't interest me at all, and Zeldatube burnt out on that hard).

A lot of the channels like this seem to present their stuff like it is brand new and never been seen before, and like it's a great achievement in sleuthing or that they've cracked a code-- but not in a fun feeling way. Not in an exciting personal discovery way, but in a way that feels like it's propping up an exclusivity around that channel, and its validity as a leading authority on Zeldadom. There's something vaguely newsfeed-like, or sensationalist about it to me, with tight knit associations to other big channels making the same type of content (and about the same types of subjects as far as I ever noticed, and widely overlapping perspectives).

I wonder if that's a cynical feeling that I have where I'm just being an old man yelling at clouds, but there's really something that rubs me wrong about the handful of top channels like this. Something about the way they generate and present, and potentially profit from, often long running fandom concepts and otherwise freely shared ideas that have had many contributions feels off.

Maybe it's also me struggling to understand the closed off nature of how a lot of people just absorb the series secondhand now, and how normal it is to have the most popular Zeldatube channels setting the tones and assumptions around lore for large swatches of the newer fans. And not because old guard gatekeeping, but because there's an obvious chasm there between new and old fans of the same media that now exists that's seemingly getting wider.

I do sometimes worry about the trend of recycled old fanon staples presented as brand new takes, because of that-- or worse, sold as the definitive take, especially when a lot of people do just accept them and then go off and start arguments because 'big Zeldatube said so' and they must know best.

Sometimes I wonder if the trend is actually adding to issues with consumption vs engagement, in terms of media literacy and fandom interaction. There's certainly some theories, because of these channels, widely taken as a kind of gospel from the 'zelda experts' like the discussion is already closed; mystery solved. I've legit seen smaller youtubers be accused of stealing or copying theories from the larger channels, when making detailed and well researched videos about canon lore. I have had multiple interactions with fans who just link to a popular video and be like 'here watch this, it'll explain it' like they can't even be bothered to have their own take, but they're also not interested in yours.

The way big Zeldatube presents itself and gets consumed at large, though, I guess I just don't recognise that as the same as seeing a new fan have a joyful discovery of something from their own interactions with the franchise and fandom. I realise that the channel runners are fans themselves, but I suppose I mean that the platform feels more like a degree of professional separation that's very closed. It's become 'Zelda is my job now' thing that's focused on interest trends and news.

Something something, decades of fandom interaction and discussion and archiving getting scraped and haphazardly slapped together again for the content grind because clout and profit??

That feels mean to say but--

"Like and subscribe and join my patreon for more content, often mined from various thoughts around the fandom to make up a new video to schedule" is how it often tastes to me and that's not a flavour I enjoy.

Again, by all means, not applicable to the whole of Zeldatube or many fans who do watch the big channels. But this kinda thing does feel like a pervasive and popular part of the theorycrafter channels. Commodification of theory, and exploitative platforms built off a community's back, leave a lot of the big Zeldatubers without my support or endearment. I feel incredibly conflicted about them.

Is that anything?

[fatherfigurefusion]

NDRV3 Characters with DRDT Talents

Korekiyo Shinguuji, Ultimate Lucky Student

(Having been cursed with bad luck his whole life, as an abandoned orphan, Korekiyo finds fascination in the idea and concept of luck, considering it "beautiful". This causes him to be seen as unnerving by others, in spite of his otherwise affable personality. With his massive collection of lucky charms on his person, Korekiyo is determined to turn his bad luck around, survive the killing game, and find his missing sister.)

Kokichi Ouma, Ultimate Clockmaker

(This enigmatic young lad, in spite of his immature appearance and personality, is a prodigy when it comes to handcrafting only the most intricate of clocks. His appearance and personality also belies a conniving chronic liar, who speaks entirely in clock and time-related metaphors and seems intent on toying with and confusing his fellow classmates.)

Maki Harukawa, Ultimate Plastic Surgeon

(While a master in all matters of surgical procedures, Maki seems to specialize in cosmetic surgeries for a massive number of celebrities. In spite of this, Maki claims to dislike performing surgery and can't stand the self-centered attitudes of the people she performs her surgeries on. Both in and out of the operating room, Maki is cold and aloof, not willing to engage in small talk.)

Kirumi Tojo, Ultimate Personal Stylist

(Famous for her attractive appearance and gothic punk fashion, all the spikes and leather belie a loyal and kind-hearted woman. If one wishes to improve their wardrobe, Kirumi will always be there to help, with her knowledge on all matters fashion. However, while she may normally be passive and obedient, let's just say that this leather hides silk, which also hides steel.)

Rantaro Amami, Ultimate Zither Player

(While infamous for his travels and the wealthy family that he is a part of, Rantaro is even more famous for his innate talent in playing the many instruments of the zither family. Rantaro is known amongst the class for his bountiful wisdom, his coolheadedness, and his attractive appearance. Having 12 younger sisters back home, Rantaro appears to have a brotherly instinct, when it comes to a couple of people in his class.)

Shuichi Saihara, Ultimate Effects Artist

(As the son of a famous actor and screenwriter, it was only natural that Shuichi would be an expert on the ins and outs of the film industry, although his main speciality is in special effects. In spite of his status as a blueblooded prodigy, Shuichi is also extraordinarily humble and timid, possibly due to all the hotshot actors overshadowing him.)

Kaede Akamatsu, Ultimate Jockey

(Having a love for horses since she was young, Kaede won many horse-racing competitions and always has a spot in her heart for all of her horses. Cheerful and energetic even off the track, in spite of her legions of fans, Kaede is also rather socially-inept, spending more time with horses than with actual people.)

Himiko Yumeno, Ultimate Matchmaker

(Referring to herself as the "Ultimate Cupid" and fashioning herself in a similar manner, if Himiko senses the right chemistry between two people, they would be destined to be happy together. Outside of romantic pursuits however, in which case she becomes extremely conniving and ambitious, Himiko is incredibly lazy and would only ever put in the absolute minimum effort, if asked to do something.)

Gonta Gokuhara, Ultimate Horror Fanatic

(Having been raised away from civilization by a bunch of eldritch horrors, Gonta is an expert when it comes to all matters horror. He is very enthusiastic when it comes to the topic of horror, and would love to talk at lengths about them. In spite of his creepy fascination and bad tendency to psychoanalyze, Gonta prides himself on being a kindhearted "gentleman" to everybody.)

Ryoma Hoshi, Ultimate Student

(Truly an academic role model in every sense of the word, Ryoma is renowned throughout his school for topping academic charts and being diligent towards his studies, and always being eager to assist other people. He is even a star member of his school's tennis club. According to some unreliable sources, though, Ryoma is more lazy and pessimistic than what his public appearance would seem.)

Miu Iruma, Ultimate Chemist

(Specializing in the studies of pheromones and aphrodisiacs, Miu is about as perverted and bawdy as one would expect from someone with that line of study. In addition to her sex-laden speech, Miu is also highly proud of her intellect and appearance, and is always ready to put down other people for their perceived lack of intelligence/beauty. Unless they talk back to her...)

Tsumugi Shirogane, Ultimate Pet Therapist

(Garnering fame in her hometown for being able to rehabilitate and reason with even the most disobedient of pets, it is often rumored that Tsumugi has the ability to speak to animals, something that she would neither confirm nor deny. Generally preferring the company of animals to people, Tsumugi always tries her best to blend in to the background and seem as "plain" or "unnoticeable" as possible.)

Kiibo Iidabashi, Ultimate Bowler

(Raised by a former bowling champion, it didn't take long for Kiibo to pick up their father's craft with ease, eventually joining the best bowling league in the country. Having spent a good portion of his life having their favorite sport be belittled and mocked, Kiibo is notably sensitive and overprotective, when it comes to the topic of their talent. Apart from that, they remain kind and cheerful.)

Kaito Momota, Ultimate Art Forger

(Despite referring to himself as the "Modern Day Da Vinci" and being genuinely talented at all artistic pursuits, Kaito's talent is one of the more sketchy and morally ambiguous of his class. Having been exposed for his forgery by the authorities, Kaito seeks to turn over a new leaf and remake himself with a brand-new heroic image and persona, seeking to restore the rapidly-disappearing art of the past.)

Tenko Chabashira, Ultimate Rebel

(Standing up for the rights of women everywhere, Tenko wants nothing more than to dismantle the patriarchy hanging over the heads of innocent women everywhere. Tenko is also well-known for her contributions towards the lesbian/trixic community, garnering a reputation as a lesbian icon. Ignoring her vilurant hatred of men, especially male authority figures, Tenko is cheerful and warmhearted.)

Angie Yonaga, Ultimate Inspirational Speaker

(Traveling all over the country to spread her motivational speeches to as many people as possibly, Angie greets every day with a bright smile and a blessing being made towards Atua, while encouraging others to do the same. In spite of her title being "inspirational speaker", it wouldn't too far off to call her a "preacher" or a "missionary" with how dedicated she towards Atua's word.)

Miyadera Shinguuji, Ultimate ???

(???)

Had this AU in my mind for quite some time now, and I'd love to hear any thoughts on it.

[duhragonball]

Journey to the West ch1-6

I've gotten my feet wet with Journey To The West, and I feel like I need to record some observations as I go, since this is going to take a while, and there's a lot to take in.

I guess I should start by explaining my agenda here: Dragon Ball is famously inspired by Journey To The West, with a number of characters and situations based on the 16th Century novel. Goku's magic staff, his flying cloud, his numerous transformations, his monkey tail, his name, it's all a callback to Sun Wukong from JTTW. I've been a Dragon Ball fan for about a quarter century, and I feel like it's high time I got in on the joke.

The book is surprisingly simple and complex at the same time. It's kind of fascinating, really. Sun Wukong is born, becomes leader of a community of primates, then learns super powers from human teachers to better safeguard his "kingdom". He seems to be nigh invincible, and so he just kind of does whatever the fuck he wants. It's not that he's evil, it's just that no one seems to be able to stop the guy. A guy named Erlang finally fights him to a standstill and this allows the combined forces of Heaven to (barely) capture Sun Wukong, and that pretty much covers the first six chapters. It's pretty easy to follow.

At the same time, there's this dense mythology surrounding almost everything that isn't a wild animal. There seem to be hundreds of supernatural beings and concepts in the story, and most of them don't appear to actually do anything, they're just casually mentioned throughout. The Jade Emperor runs Heaven, and there's lower deities that report to him, and that's pretty easy to understand, and there are a lot of them, which isn't unreasonable, but at times the redundancy almost seems to be an end unto itself.

The first six chapters feel a lot like a big dumb Marvel crossover, where 900 superheroes meet up in a conference room to fret about the latest crisis. Or, in this case, I guess it's a lot like that picture of all the Marvel heroes facing off against Goku and Vegeta, only it's a bunch of Chinese deities vs. Sun Wukong. They keep throwing guys at the problem and none of them can get the job done, and then some other guy shows up and he wants to give it a try and that doesn't work either, and then they call in another guy who apparently hadn't heard about this whole mess.

The thing I'm picking up here is that I probably don't need to study all these concepts in depth to follow the story. In a "Goku vs. Marvel" image, they probably put Captain Britain in there somewhere, but you don't need to know anything about him. He's just a face in the crowd. The "who" and "how" and "why" of it is less important than the "what", which is this cool OP monkey dude owning all the strongest gods. Well he beat Hulk and Silver Surfer, but there's no way he can stop Galactus, ope, he beat him too. Wow, this guy's strong.

So I appreciate that there's this entry-level access to this story. I think there's a lot of other levels to all of this, but even if you don't know much about Chinese folklore of Buddhism, you can still relate to the idea of a monkey getting drunk and stealing God's peaches. Journey To The West is giving me permission to read this on easy mode. I don't regret skipping that 100-page introduction at the start of the book.

[jaina-lyn]

With your professional background I have to ask: do you have a favorite art period/style/artist? Myself, I'm a huge fan of scythian art. Which did not come to me through my studies, but still fits profession wise.

Oooh that's a hard one! I don't have a favorite period I think, might not even have a favorite artist. There are loads I find fascinating or admire. Most of my fave artists are contemporaries though, because it's easier to connect on an emotional level which - for my private enjoyment - is a huge part of viewing art.

Most art has a certain Zeitgeist feel to it, but I love the little hints in 19th to 21th century illustrations, graphics and sketches. I love movie and video game concept art, I love the part of art making u don't get to see in museums very often. The thoughts behind it.

I love fanart. I'm so emotional about fanart. I love to be able to see people's work process and their feelings for a subject put into an artwork related to a media one loves. I'm extremely emotionally invested in the franchises I love, so that one's a given. It's no better or worse than what's in the public eye.

Also, Art Nouveau, aesthetically. 19th and early 20th century was and is extremely interesting, just because we know more about it.

Mediaval book illustration - wiiiide field - love it. Often cracks me up. Doodles of all kinds.

Martin von Wagner doodled parts of his plans for illustrating the Ilias (he never did, but he made sooooo many drawings, studies and sketches) next to his shopping lists.

Love British romanticism. THE LANDSCAPES. The topics. The ominous feelings. Art just makes me feel so many feelings.

Sorry for the very unprofessional ramblings :D

[cthulhubert]

I uh. It's December. You may or may not have noticed.

I did Nanowrimo, spent my "creative projects half hour" slot on that, and completely forgot about posting my fourth year of daily drawings for October. Nevertheless, into my my art tag it goes.

In a fit of petty first world anarchism, I did Inktober's prompts, but digitally.

This year's been busy, so I tried to stick to my half an hour per day drawing time slot. (I say, gritting my teeth, forehead vein bulging as I look at the parts I don't like.)

I am forcing myself to acknowledge that the past year—with its approximately 130 hours of drawing practice—has resulted in some improvements to line control, anatomy, and perspective, but I'm definitely also reaching the point where several of these feel too embarrassing to post.

In fact I only picked nine, instead of the ten I did the last few years.

Please read some of the captions because at least I do think I'm funny.

Dreams was an auspicious start. I like this Bakugirl.

Fortune... exists. I should've been a little bolder with the fairy actually like, interacting with the dragon woman's palm, really being present there, instead of just sort of posed on top. I also should've made the table smaller, dragoness is supposed to be huge.

I immediately decided I was doing some kind of pair for Angel and Demon. Please ignore that the actual prompt was not Devil. It's close enough right? If I had more time and ambition the devil girl's net was going to be made of serpents. I did not really capture her "shouting" expression the way I wanted, but now that I'm looking it's not execrable. Angel's dreads are definitely more half hearted than I wanted. This one did at least convince me that my next batches of studies need to be of clothed figures.

Rise got my favorite concept for the whole month. Cause it's bread. Get it? eh? Please enjoy our little alchemist workshopping her lines for introducing her magnum opus. Tried to lean into cartoonish with her face.

I spent a solid 10 minutes trying to decide what to do for Dagger, and then all of a sudden it was like a voice spoke to me: "Do fan art of one of your favorite games of all time." I wish the Final Fantasy series hadn't abandoned that more stylized, cartoonish vibe. You know, one of the most interesting things about drawing is realizing that I am 100% looking at things that I have previously—apparently!—only kind of glanced at. Like I would not, before drawing this, have described Garnet as having, to be frank, a prodigious bosom, significant badonkerage, or ginormous dobonhonkeros. To be frank. And a really low cut top to boot. But here we are. I like this face. Wish I'd chosen a more dynamic pose.

For Shallow I decided to do a little snippet of something from one of my stories (coincidentally one related to what I was working on in November). The anatomy is a bit iffy. And even though she's literally supposed to have been buried in a shallow hole in the woods, I had to add a gravestone because I wasn't confident how well that showed.

Rush is another one where I was not at all sure what I was going to do until the brain noise intruded, "Firetrucks are red because red's the color of communism and they're always Russian[Rushin'] around." What was I thinking with that background?

Hilariously, I didn't notice the final prompt of Inktober and how well Fire went with my spontaneous choice for the previous day. It's only now that I'm posting that I realized during export I must have turned off the "background" layer that shows a(n attempt at a) continuation of the previous background. I recall being really frustrated trying to get the foreshortening right on this mischievous fire-ninja jill-o-lantern's arms, but it doesn't look so awful now.

It's fascinating feeling myself more fully move into the phase of learning where I can tell that I'm on the cusp of drawing this or that noticeably better, I just have to push, put a bit more time into individual pieces. And of course, practice.

Next I think I'll aim for at least four and up to twelve studies of clothed figures. Might stop to try and find some good hints on drawing a good fire, or something that suggests dirt.

But I also have some writing to do. I got engaged in my Nanowrimo project. I'm finishing something else up that a friend and I have worked on in bits for years. Of course, what I'd really like is to do some writing and drawing practice every day. It hasn't happened yet, but then again, between picking up drawing supplies and actually starting to practice daily, "It hasn't happened yet" was the case for years.

Until it wasn't.

[darks-arts]

It’s so fascinating how people can ship of Theseus a character into completely different dude and then when confronted about this, simply say the source material is wrong. I’m not talkin minor shit like “oh Aradia LOVES mcr” I’m talkin like have a whole OC and then slapping the name tag “KARKAT” on it. It seems less common these days at least in Homestuck spaces, but like it’s something I grew up around and still see happen to this day. Apologies for the Homestuck centered examples as i muse through this thing on my mind

Like I’ve seen dudes make the take that Gamzee doesn’t say honk, Nepeta hates cats , n jake LOVES peanut butter he drinks it by the gallon. This wasn’t like “oh cool edgy AU to explore the character” stuff just, at some point the character in their mind drifted, so what they associated with the character’s name no longer lined up with canon.

This isn’t nessisarrily a bad thing, everyone does this to some degree. Different aspects of a character stand out to different people. Rose is a cool girl with wizard powers to some, and a nerd in way over her head who uses big words to others. But at the same time everyone knows who Rose is, these are both parts of her characters dna. Then with some people “Rose” has drifted so far that she doesn’t even believe magic anymore in their heads, she thinks knitting is dumb and uses only the smallest of words. Rose means a different thing to them now and that’s so fascinating to me.

I have to wonder why at that point do they not just commit and make this blorbo of their own design an oc, why does it HAVE to cling to the nameplate that does not fit them anymore. Like at least in my view fictional characters are sadly set in stone so to speak. Even with the dif takes and drift I talked about, you can always just re-read/watch/listen/etc the thing. Doing this refreshes the brain version of the character, reminds you who the vague concept of a Kanaya is. Not to say there’s NO ROOM for people to fill in the blanks, lil joke fan fills for gaps are like a different thing. I’m mostly talkin when fanon mutates to its own original work I hope it’s clear.

All this to say I don’t think it’s a bad thing when this happens, it can make discussion around the character a head ache sometimes, but like it just really interesting. Wonder if there’s any studies on this or related psychology whateves I should shift through. Human brain be fascinating like this sometimes.

Personal example, one time I was talkin in a discord server about the symbolism behind Gamzee and hussies whole “religion is for fools, fools and LIBERALS” takes. Then some dude rolls into the convo and starts going off how Gamzee is “a good Christian boy” and there is nothing toxic about Gamzee at all. He just a good boy who does not curse and does not sin. When someone brought up that his catch phrase is “motherfucker” the Christian Gamzee take dude simply disagreed! No that is not a thing Gamzee has ever said. Then they just restated their take without like, elaboration. Felt like they had just emerged out of a different universe quoting a different Homestuck written by “Hussie from the universe where they have blonde hair”. The Gamzee they where trying to communicate wasn’t the Gamzee that everyone in the discussion knew about.

I don’t really have a conclusion just dang this is a thing that happens and why it happens is a mystery I’d love to see solved.

[citynewsglobe]

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[flashyfoxindia]

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Using a T Shirt generator is straightforward and user-friendly. Start by selecting the platform that suits your needs. Many websites offer free trials, so you can explore different features. Once you're in, begin with choosing a base shirt style. Options usually vary from crew necks to tank tops. After picking your favorite, it’s time to get creative. Upload your own images or choose from pre-existing graphics available on the site. Most generators also allow text customization—play around with fonts and colors until it feels just right. Before finalizing, preview your design from multiple angles to ensure everything looks perfect. Adjust any elements as needed; small tweaks can make a big difference! Place your order through the site's secure checkout process. Your custom tee will soon be ready to wear!

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[voxblade]

CRONUS AUTISM ACTIVATED!!!!! DO NOT READ

Get sent to an eternal dream trauma purgatory built from your lopsided memories with 11 other people relatively as shitty as you. Those guys are your only other roommates for 100000000000+(?) years and you're all locked in to have the mental maturity of 19 year olds. Forever. The only one who halfway stomachs you is a puriteen creature forged from the hellish depths of tumblr, who encourages you to never improve (not that your imperfections are his fault, necessarily, but he's really not helping). You're recovering from having not only all your dreams of who you are/your prophecy shattered beyond repair, not only knowing there is literally no version of you that can have a happy ending in all of paradox space due to the nature of your session, not only from being murdered, no, it's worse than all that; you can't even GET LAID for any of it! (Said desperation for sex absolutely isn't related to a misplaced belief that physical intimacy will solve that loathing black hole deep inside, or borne from a need to gain intimacy past being reminded what a failure you are over and over. You just really really want some sex. There is nothing behind your fixation. Absolutely nothing. There's similarly nothing behind your apparent need to rebuild yourself and arduously pretend you're a completely different species but that's a wwwwhole other can'a worms!)

The worst part?

You're written by Andrew Hussie. And Andrew Hussie hates you and made you a joke. You were left there to be a caricature and nothing more.

As it stands, you're a fucking asshole, to put it lightly. A monster, if we want to go even slightly deeper. You're two-faced. You hide behind a pathetic facade, milking any drop of sympathy you can, so the big players leave you alone, but prey on anyone you see as smaller. You love it when other people feel shitty. There's something hateful and violent crawling inside you, and you will never take accountability for your poison, that would take any sense of introspection, or guilt. Besides, you're a nice guy, AND basically fucking royalty, you shouldn't have to do that shit anyway. From a personal standpoint, perhaps one could argue your fate was a Just one. This specific onlooker wouldn't necessarily agree (no one deserves to rot for an eternity), but it can be argued.

Fuck, but if the pieces of you weren't so fascinating from a character perspective. If only the potential of you wasn't so rich. If only people like me weren't plagued with concepts about what Homestuck could have looked like if more alpha trolls were allowed to stretch and fuck things up. What would have been, Cronus Ampora? Comic relief, most likely, but what if you went beyond? What if you improved slowly, made peace with your broken hopes? What if you did go on to embody what was whispered about you, even in death? What if you regressed? How much lower could you fall?

As a character, I understand a lot was being balanced already and it was natural you were left behind. As a fan? God. What I'd give for more time to study you like a bug in a jar.

Consider not only how he was handled, but how you wish he was handled, and if you think he had any potential that was unused.

Note: If I see someone insulting or threatening people over this poll, I will block you so fast your head will spin.

[atarahderek]

Some Encanto head canons

Bruno has aphantasia. This is why his visions manifest the way they do. It's also a big part of why he needs sets and actors to play out his telenovelas. He can't actively imagine them.

Félix survived a major hurricane as a child. Rather than being traumatized, he became fascinated by severe weather. He is a storm chaser at heart, and if he had a dream vacation destination, it would be either the Gulf/Caribbean region during hurricane season or Oklahoma during storm season.

Isabela's preferred type is the clumsy nerd who never gives up and always puts family first, because that's the type of provider she always saw modeled in her own father (this is based on an early concept for a character). She has also become keenly interested in botany and is her mother's go-to for herbs. She knows exactly which plants in Colombia will kill you and which ones you can use.

Casita modified most of the family's rooms after being rebuilt to be more suited to what they needed. Dolores' room is soundproof, Isabela's room looks similar in many ways to Antonio's jungle, Luisa's room is an in-home spa with adjacent gym, Mirabel's room is bigger on the inside and full of storage for her arts and crafts, and Bruno's room is stairs-free and looks much more relaxing.

Alma is a slapstick and vaudeville fan, but would never openly admit it. Camilo is the one who has the easiest time making her laugh.

Luisa is the biggest Greek mythology nerd in Encanto. By a lot. She also studies classical architecture in her free time and wishes she could tour Europe's cathedrals.

Julieta hasn't recieved a present not related to the kitchen from anyone since she was five, with the only exceptions being her engagement ring from Augustín and embroidered clothing or bags from Mirabel. Even then, Mirabel is where Julieta usually gets a new apron or kitchen towel. She wishes that she could just get a set of candles or a new book as a present for once.

Pepa's favorite weather phenomenon is the rainbow, because it means the storm has passed. She can most easily create rainbows following an emotional release, so they also represent freedom to her.

Antonio has a picture book of African animals his paternal grandmother sent him, and he's hooked. His family worries that someday he might try to bring every critter in Africa to Colombia. It doesn't help when Bruno casually mentions something about hippos clogging the rivers in the northern part of the country in future decades.

Dolores had to learn selective hearing in order to cope with all the overwhelming sounds in her world. She can actually fail to hear a family member talking to her in the same room because she is focused on a selection of sounds or conversations.

Augustín is allergic to bees, strawberries, shellfish, and whatever else I deem appropriate to the plot of a fic.

Camilo is, of course, the theater kid in the family. But his idea of relaxing and enjoying himself is listening to classical music. He swaps a lot of records with Alma and Luisa.

Mirabel is a natural strategist. She's good at chess, math and logic puzzles. She's highly capable of seeing angles most people never consider, and can combine logic and emotion to read a situation and cut to the heart of it. She is arguably the most intelligent Madrigal.

[enki2]

I saw your response about anime style history and was absolutely fascinated. Do you have any reading/watching recommendations about the histories of different genres?

The WaveMotionCannon blog is a great resource for detailed analyses and primary sources about trends in the anime industry (including genre trends), but they go really deep and get into the weeds so I'd recommend some overviews first. I'm not really sure why, but general-audience books on the subject tend to be both broad and full of errors.

Luckily, Youtube has a lot of channels that specialize in a mix of overviews and deep dives:

Pause and Select comes out of the academic world (specifically, the anime-centric part of cultural studies) and does a lot of broad surveys of trends in genre, situated with cultural, political, and technical context. They used to do periodic book clubs, too, which was a great way to get exposed to academic sources (important because industry, academic, and fan histories of anime kind of sit in their own bubbles and rarely interact, in part because of language barriers; each can illuminate the others in interesting ways).

Mercury Falcon does both genre overviews and deep dives into particular franchises, with a focus on the 70s and 80s. This channel has an absolute wealth of information about early anime industry drama (particularly in the mecha space in the 70s) and early localization efforts. Kenny Lauderdale does some of the same stuff, but with a lighter tone -- he's more interested specifically in rarities and oddities, but when he dives into history, he will sometimes dig up information nobody else has, and he's got some insights into media preservation that are worth hearing.

KaizerBeamz's series "Kyoto Video" shines a spotlight on older, forgotten shows and as a result often provides an insight into the outer edges & branches of current genres (and a reminder of now-dead genres). He sometimes provides a lot of historical context, as well.

The Canipa Effect focuses on the contemporary scene, but dives into the histories of particular studios; where he really shines is explorations of the dynamics of the industry (something that doesn't get talked about very much even in Japan, and where translations of first-person accounts are rare). Canipa was important in spreading awareness of the working conditions of animators among the western anime fandom. Worth checking out alongside Archipel, a Japanese-language channel (with high-quality translations) that documents individuals working in the anime industry with little documentary featurettes about their life and work. Also check out the Japanese public television series Manben, in which manga artists (including veteran revolutionaries like Rumiko Takahashi) are filmed drawing their current projects and then discuss the footage with the host, veteran artist Urusawa Naoki. These deep dives sometimes provide critical insight into whole genres, because anime genres (much like genres in italian film) tend to develop out of imitators of single seminal properties, and so single creators or small groups of creators can wield huge amounts of influence.

STEVIEM's mini-documentaries on Studio 4C and Hideaki Anno are great, though most of his output is general anituber territory. I would also recommend Ygg Studios' Anime Alphabet series, and ErynCerise's Mahou Profile (a series of videos on the evolution of the magical girl genre).

In terms of books, I've found them pretty hit or miss. Some that I can recommend wholeheartedly are:

The Moe Manifesto, a collection of essays about the history of the concept of "moe" -- this is where I got a lot of information about the genesis of the bishojo style

Otaku: Japan's Database Animals, a work of cultural analysis by Azuma that dives into the intersection of anime fandom, the VN space, and online communication technologies and tries to produce a general model of the evolution of how people relate to media (with, IMO, mixed results)

The Notenki Memoirs is a history of the period at Gainax when Evangelion was being developed (and can be combined with Otaku no Video, Gainax's semi-fictionalized OVA retelling a mythic version of their origin; there is also a live action series called Blue Blazes about the early days of Gainax, which I haven't seen, and a documentary about the production of Evangelion 3.0+1.0 that gives interesting insight into Anno himself.)

Some that I recommend with caveats:

Anime Impact, a collection of anime reviews by english speakers (mostly people who were semi-famous online personalities about 10-15 years ago, and only some of whom actually know much about anime), is largely interesting because it's organized chronologically by the date of the show's release, so the early chapters dive into the history of forgotten shows

Robot Ghosts And Wired Dreams, a collection of essays (mostly about science fiction anime) by academics in cultural studies, contains a lot of interesting and compelling material (for instance, the first essay situates Japanese science fiction in the context of the irregular detective genre and connects it with complicated currents in nationalism, and a later essay talks about the semiotics of loan words in the context of Macross Plus and Patlabor) and a couple real duds (for instance, an essay trying to compare Evangelion with Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within wherein the author only watches two episodes of Evangelion and gets their plot confused, then tries and fails to fit it into a framework of second-wave-feminist critiques of transhumanism through a freudian lens)

The History of Hentai Manga is well-researched and detailed, but the author tries to cram in a lot of jokes that don't land, and it seems like there might have been an editorial mandate to put in as many images as possible (because this academic study of hentai manga is being published by a company that mostly publishes actual hentai); the translation is also pretty clunky. In his attempt to come off as breezy, the author uses particular phrases and constructions that are part of japanese fan-culture argot, and the translator does not localize these phrases and constructions (preferring to translate them literally) and also does not provide context for them, so they can be quite confusing to people who haven't come across them before (i.e., people who haven't seen a lot of fansubs of obscure otaku-focused shows from 20 years ago).

If I think of anything else, I'll post it later.

[gunterfan1992]

Interview with Fan Artist loycos!

(Art by loycos)

So a few months ago, I was absent-mindedly scrolling on Tumblr (or was it Twitter?) when I came across something: an Adventure Time fan comic by an artist named loycos. As a person embedded in fan spaces, I find fanart like this all the time, but this time, there was something special about the art I was seeing. It was so... show-accurate!

I don’t mean that necessarily in regard to the art style (although it does feel right at home in the Land of Ooo, while still being its own thing with its own flourishes), but rather in relation to the characterization; the way loycos wrote the characters was spot on. She nailed PB and Marceline’s dynamic as former lovers who deep-down miss one another. She nailed Finn’s naive heroism and his one-sided crush on PB. She nailed Jake’s goofball energy. It was perfect.

In the past, I’ve only interviewed people affiliated with the show’s production, but I thought I’d mix things up a bit and reach out to some fan artists that I think are fantastic. As such, I’m delighted to share with you an interview I had with loycos, who answered my questions about her art, her history with Adventure Time, and where her work is headed!

What is your 'artistic origin' story?

[It’s] kind of a corny answer, but I've been drawing since I remember myself. My earliest drawing memories are drawing Clifford (the big red dog) fanart when I was around 5 y/o. I was always more of a "fangirl" artist, [and] I would draw characters from my favorite franchises to illustrate my headcanons and daydream scenarios I'd put them in. That hadn't changed one bit since. I had since gone on to study animation and illustration in official institutions which forced me to design characters and worlds of my own, but when I draw for myself it's always back to fanart (or studies). I don't have any OCs.

Are there particular artists or styles that you were inspired by and/or like to emulate or allude to?

I'd joke that my artstyle is just a mesh of all the franchises I've drawn fanart for over the years, but honestly, is it even a joke? I think you can easily recognize I had a Disney Phase like every other teenager (I didn't have an anime phase though! I know, I'm an anomaly) and [Steven Universe] definitely left it's fat mark on my style too. Out of [Steven Universe]'s storyboarding crew (which I followed very closely over the years) I especially love Raven Molisee and Jeff Liu for their wacky expressions and proportions, and of course Rebecca Sugar for their fluid and carefree lines. When it comes to art in general, I tend to prefer stylized, colorful and brushy styles over realistic or gothic ones, So people like Hue Teo and Patri Balanovsky pop to my mind (and my artstation feed, seriously look them up).

How do you approach your projects; what is your general art process?

It really depends on the type of project I'm doing, though, my [Adventure Time] comics were all pretty similar in their conception: I write down all of my ideas in my notes so I won't forget them. Then I either roughly sketch out the entire comic as fast as I can, or I write a script (if the concept is specifically very dialog heavy) and then sketch it roughly. Then I do the lineart and color, nothing too complicated. The one thing I think is worth noting in my long comic process is that I draw all of my panels on the same document- that way it's easier for me to make sure the characters stay on model and that my panel layout remains fresh. So basically, the way you read the comics on tumblr, as a long scroll, is the format I work on.

How did you come to find Adventure Time? What made you join the fandom?

Adventure Time is one of those shows you just know about, so I don't remember how I first found out about the show. However, I do remember when I started shipping Bubbline—after the episode “Broke His Crown” aired. I somehow ended up in their Tumblr tag and was blown away by the (by 2016's standards) blatant representation. Despite my obsession with them at the time, I never actually watched any episode that didn't feature the girls' relationship. I only started fully watching the show recently. But I did consume a lot of fan content, which I think helped me shape my own headcanons and such. After my initial interest in 2016 I put Bubbline back on the back burner and kept on my [Steven Universe] ramage, until last year's “Obsidian,” which brought me back fully on board the Bubbline decks around 2 weeks before it aired, so I was in maximum hype mode when I watched the special. It did not disappoint [and it] really reminded me of why I loved these characters and their relationship to begin with. I started drawing my own art for the ship shortly after, when I felt like the hype around the special died down and there wasn't much to keep me sustained anymore. I make what I want to see ;)

As for joining the fandom, I don't know if I can be considered a member, seeing how inactive I am most of the time and my very limited list of [Adventure Time] mutuals. I am extremely flattered that my stuff caught ATimers attention in a positive way.

You've done some amazing Bubblegum and Marceline stuff. What draws you to their dynamic?

I'm gay.

OK, seriously now. I have a soft spot for extremely feminine, dainty characters that are very reserved, so PB immediately marked herself as an obvious fav, and the road to shipping her with Marceline (who is such an obvious candidate and a multilayered, fascinating character herself) was a short one. I know calling PB dainty is far from a true statement, but that's what she appeared like on the surface and that's what caught my attention. Another thing is that I love relationships between immortal beings, I think it always adds another layer of complexity to any relationship, especially a romantic one. The whole "getting older without appearing like you've aged" and "watching everyone you love die around you while you stay the same" can surely make 2 beings bond, right? It always felt like PB and Marcy get each other in a way no one else can, they are very different on the surface but share fundamental internal similarities. Oh, and the fact that they're EXES? The romantic tension and the longing? The familiarity and banter they had in every scene they shared?This hit the jackpot on literally every relationship trope that I love. I'd much rather watch a "getting back together" than a "falling in love for the first time" story.

All of this and the fact that they [are] gay. It's really that simple sometimes.

In broad strokes, what is next for you as an artist and/or as a fan?

I have a few [Adventure Time] comics ideas\scripts on the back burner and one that is in the making. I think I'll dabble into some Nintendo fanart cause I've been playing a lot of Smash Bros and [Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild] lately.

I’m so excited to see what comes next! Either way, a huge thanks to loycos for chattin’ with me! If you’d like to check out more of her art, visit her Tumblr and her Twitter page!