#it also gave me hope that i can be a concept artist in the future

[lilyandthegenshinbrainrot]

Time and Wind; Gold and Chalk

or: a heavy handed comparison between two of the most complicated mothers in Genshin Impact

Lady Time, one of the four Shades of Phanes. Kairos.

A manifestation of the concept of Time who is only known through the pity that she spared the people of Enkanomiya and kept watch over them before she taught them to replace her worship with the Helios and the Sunchildren.

The Merciless, the Mania, Istaroth who was worshiped in Mondstadt and said to take the stories the Wind gave her to turn into future stories of hope.

… a Mother ? Can she even count as one, considering that she did not create the Wind to be her children?

"I suppose that makes me a mother too."

And Rhinedottir Gold, Gold Rhinedottir, which is the title and which is the name - is there a difference ? is either of a name, either a title ?

The most human of them all; The Great Sinner herself.

Her notable crime is that she loved humanity and that she wanted to do as the gods did and create.

Is this not also what children do ? Do we scorn our toddlers for wearing our shoes ? For repeating our words when we speak to them ?

She creates a son, intentionally. Carefully. Runs her trials and tests, and perfects them. She is a scientist, and so he is clever. She is an artist, and so he is inspiring.

He is exactly what she had wanted him to be. A synthetic man, except for the most human part of all. His heart. But what does she know of such things ? She sends him away, to go find the truth for himself.

Barbatos leaves Mondstadt. He loves them, he loves them, he loves them. But they must decide for themselves what is next for Mondstadt.

Albedo raises Klee when Alice is away.

Barbatos … was taught to love - not from Time, and not from Song, but from the Boy. The Bard.

Albedo was taught to be human - not from Gold, and not from Alice, but from Klee. His sister.

The thing is that for these two is that they are perfectly inhuman. Both Venti and Albedo were "born" to be Ideal and to prove existence. Let the Wind come and bring Stories for Time to weave. Let Chalk become Man and prove that the heavens are greedy to keep creation to themselves. Yet, the most human thing of all haunts them both. They yearn for a love that their creators- masters- mothers cannot- do not - will not give them. Perhaps Istaroth and Rhinedottir are too detached from themselves, from these experiences of humanity to be able to teach their sons, so is it any wonder that - with their history of leaving their responsibilities, running away from the emotional labor of love itself - they leave ?

[wecantspeakbutwecandraw]

one of my fav Abzû scene. i fell in love with this game a long time ago and it still has a place in my heart

[driftwithme]

Right now I'm kinda sick which means I have no brainpower to talk about this properly or at least how I want to.

Subject at hand: Mako, Chuck and Raleigh all had an specific item in the movie that kinda explains or contains them as characters.

Mako and her relationship with swords is the obvious example. If you'll permit me to call it her motif, then let that be it. For the sake of storytelling, Mako is given an object that is the summary of her struggles and dreams, of her traumas and her hope. Swords are part of her heritage, given that his dad dedicated his life to making them. An item capable of both great damage and impossible beauty, the movie even adapts it to be more like the girl itself: chainswords that stay hidden and silently away for their turn to strike, capable of flexibility and quick adaptation, they are almost unbreakable, used to support others in need, cut straight through the heart of the enemy and provide a sure win even under great underwater pressure or up in the sky.

Mako is the girl welding the sword and she's the one crafting the sword from scratch designing it and she's the sword itself, okay?

Mako's a weapon in the context of she being a soldier. She's deadly, trained to kill, efficient with a perfect score in combat simulations, one of the brightest in the Jaeger Program. But she is also a craft in the sense of being someone intricate, because her story is way more complex than people imagine. She is beautiful as a woman, delicate in her ways of treating others, elegant in her movements...

In this case, the objectification serves a more artistic purpose. Whenever you think of the chainsword, you think of Mako and the other way around. Her scene killing Otachi in the name of her family is her breakthrough in the movie, where she achieves her dream/goal, when all she has gone through pays off. Then the scene where she uses the chainsword to oin Slattern to G. Danger is the culmination of her arc to say so: now she will kill the Kaiju that killed her adoptive father and will finally put an end of the apocalypse.

Without having to make it explicit in the film, you know that Mako gave those chainswords to G. Danger during the restoration program hoping that it'd be somehow her jaeger, that she'd finally become a ranger piloting it, etc.

Now, I said something similar can be found looking at the depiction of both Chuck and Raleigh in the movie. That's because, to me at least, the narrative does something similar in Chuck-Max and Raleigh-his photographs.

Raleigh is our narrator, our protagonist, we see the world through his eyes. I guess the thesis hear is that Raleigh is the man behind the camera, guiding our perception of this fictional world. Photographs can be intimate, int he way they reveal the interest of the one taking them. In sharing with us the concept of Raleigh having photography as his hobby, the story reveals us a man oriented to details and sensitive to the art of framing an instant, telling a story in one snap.

It also tells just how sentimental he is, how much he loved his home, his brother, 'cause he was surviving with rations at the end of the world but wherever he traveled, he took his pictures with him, put them on the walls of his residency. He's then a man who likes to take a look at the past. He said it himself: he spent 5 years on the past, never thinking of how the future would be. Nostalgic or even melancholic, but ultimately willing to make new good and bad memories and capture them for posterity. Loyal, down to earth in the sense that he knows where he came and what made him the way he is, sensible and patient, likes walking around cities or touring maybe, which is interesting really. For all the cocky American dream of a man the movie suggests he was, he didn't have posters of action movies or pics of him in fights or any of that. He had pics of architecture, nice tiny shots that suggest calmness, a steady hand and a more passive spirit. It really matches Mako Mori in that sense.

I could dive more into the subjects of how his photographs characterize Raleigh Becket, but I'm not lying when I say I'm feeling sick and my brain is kinda foggy.

I'll close this post talking about Chuck and his relationship with Max instead.

One of the first things I noticed on my last rewatch is just how many times Chuck and Max are practically switching roles in the film

As in Chuck gets treated like a dog and Max gets treated like a son. As in they are one and the same sometimes, given that Max is the vehicle of Chuck's repressed emotions, since he refuses to let them out openly. As in Max is the representation of the intricate rituals the Hansens use to communicate the things they cannot say but want to.

I'll try explain it quickly using two scenes from the movie, okay?

First one: when Pentecost and Mako were showing Raleigh the jaeger bay on the Hong Kong Shatterdome and the Hansens arrived just in time to greet the newcomer, Herc tells someone to stay but he is not talking to Max.

His clipped tone given as a short command surprised me because it sounded like the one you'd give your dog when you see someone or some other dog approaching. Now, if you know your dog is a troublemaker and if you have trained, you could give the command to tell him to stay away from the trouble.

But Max runs freely to Mako and Herc only jokes about how Max is always slobbering over pretty girls, a comment you'd expect from a dad about his teenage son. He doesn't tell Max to stop. He doesn't even look at the dog as he's talking with Raleigh.

The one who stayed behind, grounded, was Chuck. This alone tells us so much about the Hansens and their stiff relationship. Chuck is the dog who might bite, the one you need to pull the leash to avoid him attacking. Herc is not a perfect man but here it's obvious he did fuck up as a dad. He gives orders like he's a commander and Chuck a subordinate. Stay.

(I can't remember exactly the dialogue, so you might forgive any discrepancy. What I know is that Herc told Chuck to stay behind while he greeted Raleigh, meaning that Herc knew Chuck might cause a scene. What did he know about Chuck and Raleigh and why did he tell Chuck to stay behind?).

The second scene: on the farewell moment before Operation Pitfall, Chuck kneels to pet Max one last time and tells him to take care of Herc (or was it the other way around?).

I choose this moment to defend my point because here? Here Chuck is assigning Max as his replacement. Not in the mean way, of course, but he acknowledges that his dad might lose his only son and trying to soften the blow, he gives Herc one last mission: to take care of Max and also let Max take care of him. Max is an extension of Chuck, so it's a way of saying that their bond stays there and they will ALWAYS take care of each other, it doesn't matter if Chuck dies during Pitfall.

It's also telling that Chuck kneeling to pet Max is a metaphor for Chuck asking Herc for forgiveness. All his intentions go to Max in that sense. Now Chuck has become Max and Max will always be Chuck. Now, man and dog are one, because the dog has taken Chuck's place as Herc's son and Chuck is the dog that gets send to die at the bottom of the ocean, some fucked up version of Laika up in space.

That's why we see almost every pilot eating at least once in the movie, but not Chuck. He was feeding Max and once it was over, they both walked away like the food was not on Max's belly but Chuck's. That's why Max and Chuck almost never interact with someone at the same time.

Chuck is the kid who got instructed but not raised by his dad. He's the war dog with an impressive killing count that doesn't get to brag because he barks too much and he's not nice to strangers. He is, to any means, just an scared animal behaving like he was taught to. He is confused and jealous when Herc gives his attention (and affection in Chuck's eyes) to someone else. Chuck is desperate to be told he's a good boy, he's enough, he's loved and appreciated. He lashes out when he feels threatened or cornered and he gives puppy eyes meaning "sorry" when he knows he has fucked up, etc etc etc.

An if it feels abhorrent to reduce Chuck to the role of a dog, it speaks volumes about the way he got treated in the movie. In the end, the only thing he really wins during the movie is to be called his father's son. You can argue "but Shan, doesn't he also wins the respect of most characters?" and I'd tell you that it's a sad sad thing that the only way you can get others to acknowledge you as a good man is by exploding yourself at the bottom of the ocean.

I'm not talking about Mako or Raleigh here, because through Max, we know that Mako and Chuck could be friends but in the movie all we get is a tense relationship summarized in maybe one exchange of words (that got Chuck beaten up by the way). And when it comes to Raleigh, all the resolution we got was a silent apology and the equally silent acceptance of such after the Double Event, if we don't count that Chuck was on Raleigh's left side during Stacker's motivational speech

But you know those metaphors of pets being like children? From that angle, Pentecost and Herc are always treating Chuck as an spoiled brat. Which he is, but c'mon. It's not like Herc can talk much being that he failed Chuck big time and it's not like Pentecost wasn't there to witness how the youngest ranger ever to be graduated survived 5 years of actual hell and achieved the best killing count. You don't get there for being a kid. You don't go so far without maturing hard and fast. Chuck is not some annoying puppy picking fights because he's bored. He let's Max sleep and eat and okay to his liking because that's the side that Chuck himself can't be: carefree, soft, selfish in the sense of being self-indulgent.

Mako had to shape herself into a sword to avenge her family and make justice and even survive in a world that tried to kill her when she was still just s little child. Raleigh had to freeze his memories in photographs because he's by now used to tragedy and not having enough time, things ending fast, his happy days going away, losing his home and family. Chuck gave his dog the comfortable life he wishes he could have, he devoted himself to the task of giving Max all that he felt Herc failed to give him, and finally gave Max his place as Herc's son.

Which yeah, pretty much is what I tried to say in many clumsy words ejdjdkjfkfkdn:

Mako, Chuck and Raleigh all had an specific item in the movie that explains or contains them as characters.

[jsuika]

JUST FOUND YOUR BLOG AND I LOVE YOUR ART!!!!

Your line art is so smooth and the colors too! How are u underrated

Thanks :]]

Actually I remember doing thick linearts before to make it look like y2k bubbly styled and I was thinking of going back again since I wanted to make logos or icons like this one:

These ig were just a lil practice if someday I'll be making one (or more of these). Also this is just an example btw, these are artist-made game icons. Imo, if it were me to be commissioned to design one or if I was assigned by a game dev, then most likely its gonna look like something that y'all won't know who did that thing lol.

Besides, I'm pretty sure a lot of people were inspired by my artstyle. 😭 Also in case you guys don't know what these are, I'll show you guys mine. (NOTE: You can still check on archive, I don't mind though-)

Examples of my artworks with thick lineart:

The first one was Hatsune Miku fanart

I kinda remember drawing this back in the day since 2023, the sketch version (on my other sketchpad) was discontinued. Supposed to finish it but, sadly I gave up because the hair was something that reminded me of an Inkling from Splatoon (rarely I noticed the first miku fanart also reminded me too lmao).

I wish I'd do this again hopefully if I could use my artstyle, then yeah. Watch here if you want to see the speedpaint :3 : https://youtu.be/sRE3-snDGkM?si=op3tISbGFTjLCcdB

Next one is Bomb Rush Cyberfunk fanart

Okay LISTEN, I may not be good at anatomy but might as well tried especially RED's head. For the BG, I only duplicated the character + added a screenshot/fakescreenshot/whatever, to make it look related to both y2k & frutiger aero (same applies to Hatsune Miku).

Nothing to say much but I've been thinking of making more character concept arts in the future & maybe work on shoes since they look a bit too complicated much.

Overall, I'd say it isn't bad. I'll just leave as it is for now (until some BRC fan shows up and sees this).

Last but not the least, my very first artist-made album cover

I remembered drawing this for future use if I ever find a music composer either if they can do DnB, game soundtrack or whatever but it slightly depends on them. Also shout out to Lxchee Music! They're the ones who compose music like these. They even commented on my speedpaint video!!! (after using their songs lol).

Such a shame that I am limited to drawing only however, I wish I also was a composer of this whooooooole album then everyone's gonna listen to my bangers. One time I used to make music in Beepbox.co (a website where you can compose there).

There are some music-composing softwares that most people use for their game making & also songs. I wish I'd even use FL studio or other music-composing. Reminds me, I also have one friend who makes music (unrelated to dnb or any genre) using accordian & any other instruments that he uses. I swear, he is so good in composing Nintendo Orchestra-music related I can tell.

Conclusion

No worries though, I didn't say I hate using thick lineart but its sometimes too much for the anatomy still and might not fit pretty well. I can still do another one hopefully just to focus on more y2k aesthetic. But if it were me to learn anatomy, might as well use thin lineart and just increase to make it look like there is perspective on it.

Anyways, ig this might be a long one but I do hope you understand what I mean-

[gyuuberryy]

Just wanted to rant something ady, if that's fine.

Newjeans has always been my ults ever since they debuted and this situation always breaks my heart into two. Knowing that they won't be able to continue as ‘Newjeans’ ever again, and possibly won't be able to perform their iconic songs if they actually leave ador and hybe. But I really really really hope that they stay together under a better company and provide us with quality music, though that is very... unlikely if we keep in mind this situation.

I don't like how people want idols to speak up but when they do, they are called brats? LIKE WHAT THE HELL?! Hanni is the sweetest. And people bringing up only the ignoring issue are dumb, newjeans’ private videos of pre debut were also released by hybe to shame them but people still overlook that, as if IGNORING was the only issue.

They hate Newjeans for taking the side of Min Heejin, while she may have been evil to others. She was the only person who provided them security in ador, so of course they are going to take her side. She gave them the concept and songs which made them NEWJEANS but these haters often ignore that. and this is not me saying that Min Heejin is a saint—no one is. Hybe is a greedy agency themselves. I'd rather take a side of Newjeans than of any of the two.

And the fact that I'm slowly liking and turning into an illit stan (gllit) because of their good music makes me sad sometimes. Of course not because it's illit’s fault but because it reminds me of the fact that Newjeans possibly won't make songs anymore like they previously did under ador :(

What’s your opinion tho, sweet berry pie? 🫶🏻 just realised I ranted a lot 🫠💀💕

ofcofc you can always rant to me<3 NEVER hesitate!

i understand how you feel. it's so hard to see your favourite band going through so much even though they've done nothing to deserve it. and the possibility of them never making songs as newjeans again is literally devastating. i remember being awestruck when i listened to their debut album, i had never known how obsessed i would get with their genre that was so fresh and beautiful. there was no one like them in kpop and they immediately became my ults. i look forward to ever comeback of theirs and dreamt about going to their concert when they'd have one and now it may never happen😭😭😭

those netizens online always just want a reason to hate to satisfy their pathetic lives. i was so proud of hanni standing up for herself, it's very uncommon to see a celeb doing this in korea. she deserves all the support. fuck hybe, i don't get why they're so hellbent on destroying their own groups.

exactly! even though min heejin may not be completely right, but she was good for newjeans. we cannot disregard the fact that she had the biggest hand in making newjeans who they are today. she was like a mentor to them who's always been there since predebut. she even said that illit didn't deserve hate, they were just being roped into this stupid fight between adults. it was all a management issue because of hanni going to the council thing, we got to see hybe's mistreatment of other idols as well as their OWN IDOLS also. like thousands and thousands of pages of hate??? hanni was so right, i'm glad her standing up for newjeans brought light to the mistreatments artists face under that label.

GIRL SAME😭 i love illit's songs, their concepts and the girls are so sweet. because of the stupid fight between the executives, the poor girls have to face hate and backlash for nothing. i feel horrible for them and newjeans both, they don't deserve any of this :(

don't feel disheartened just yet(ik it's hard to, i was about to cry when i saw the news yesterday). i'm sure things will work out for newjeans. even though i doubt they'll be able to use that name, but they said they'd fight for it. i think they'll just redebut under another label, i hope they stick to their concept and stuff and do well in the future!

don't let this affect you too much sena, it'll definitely workout! newjeans never die🐰

[crazypossumman]

I’ve been working with kids for about two months now…

And, honestly, I have learned so much from this experience. I took this job because I needed a job, and I had connections at the school that almost ensured I would be hired. My job is primarily helping kids with learning disabilities and/or behavioral issues, primarily in grades K through 3. A large chunk of them are children with autism or similar conditions, with some more severely disabled kids mixed in.

Up until this point, I have wondered why anyone in their right mind would work with children. Now, I know why.

When I watch a kid take a fall playing football at recess and all of his friends pick him up and brush the grass off of him before getting him back in the game, I am reminded that all people start good.

When I see kids working so hard to include their “different” classmates, I realize how far we have come as a society. When I was in elementary school just over a decade ago, we rarely interacted with our disabled classmates. They were almost always in a different room. But these teachers not only include their disabled students, but they also make a point to teach the class that being different doesn’t make someone “wrong.” They explain that different students have different needs, and the kids understand and accept that.

When my students smile and give me a hug upon seeing me, I know that I’m making an impact on their lives. As hard as I may push them some days, they still appreciate me. I am a friend as much as I am a teacher.

When students approach me to talk about difficult experiences in their lives, I realize that I am a trusted adult. I am someone they can tell about their experiences and feelings. I am someone who they trust to help them through things that may be difficult.

When I find a common interest with a student (usually when they find out I like art), I can tell I am inspiring them to continue. When they ask me how to draw things and I encourage them through the process, I know that I am inspiring someone who may grow up to be an amazing artist. I might be the reason, when some of them look back on their lives, that they devoted time and effort to hone their skills.

When difficult concepts like racism are brought up (typically not directly as they are kindergartners, but the injustices of the past certainly come up when talking about topics like Thanksgiving), I see children respond with things along the lines of, “That is so sad.” And I know that these kids will think twice when they hear racist rhetoric. I know they will be able to empathize with people who gave faced injustices.

When we teachers use rhetoric like, “I know it is hard, but you can do hard things,” I can see that we are inspiring these young people to push themselves. To work toward their goals. To believe they can accomplish things they may see as impossible.

Sure, when they yell and scream and bicker and tattle and throw things, they are SUPER annoying. I won’t deny that. But when I see them chose to take a deep breath and calm down rather than argue with a classmate, I can see we are helping to raise emotionally mature children who will become emotionally mature adults.

And in the society we live in, that is so important to me. It has in many ways given me hope that future generations may just be able to do what we are seeking to do.

They just might raise further emotionally healthy children.

They just might work to correct the injustices of the past.

They just might save the world.

And I may not see the day that that happens. But I am content in being part of that ripple effect and its unlimited potential. And I can see so clearly why people choose to work with children.

[brandonjohnbarnard]

Webs

I have started committing fully to the process of, while I am reading a book or into a topic, creating a web of each element that interests me via Clip Studio.

This formed, like many academic practices, as a solution to a problem. I wanted to see which ideas/people/events were linked to each other, and by making the connection, what new ideas emerged. Sort of like doing chemistry in the dark, I would grab two elements on different sides of the spider diagram, and ask the question ‘how are these connected?’.

Sometimes, there is none, or at least none that do not make me come across as someone rambling to themselves on the bus. Though, when there are, its impossible to un-see the connections.

Originally, this process was done with mostly my (digital) notes, with some multimodal elements such as screenshots.

What stopped me from embracing this type of learning method in the past was 2 primary concerns.

Searchability: with this type of web, there is no ‘ctrl + f’ to quickly find specific words or themes, meaning that for a quick reference it does not do as well as a word document. Though, I have come to learn that this is its strength. By looking at the web, and following its connections, new ideas are continuously forming with each inspection. In a way, it is a living document.

Finite Space: since these files exist as images, there is a limit to how large they can become. This is due to: the time it takes to save an image causing potential corruptions/crashes, what file types it can be saved as becomes reduced as the file size increases, space between connections becomes too compact. Etc.

There are solutions to the finite space problem, such as using an alternative software that is built for spider diagrams, but that always tends to result in some form of freedom-restriction, e.g. dealing with its method of classing/hierarchy, not having certain mediums allowed.

Also, from an authorship standpoint, using these systems felt less me. Less personal. I want to be able to doodle, be silly, or include images of people and concepts on tangentially related without the entire system feeling off.

Then, something happened to me which had not happened before. I realised, that a lot of my works, from lots of separate university modules and projects, had two shared elements — the theme of chance, and the medium of film. As such, I decided to write a PhD proposal looking into a merging or these 2 domains.

With this, I had to write a 6000 word piece in a short time, so I did not have as much time to prep and make a new web like I normally would. So, I instead looked at all of my previous webs I had made in the past. To my surprise, I was making connections between different webs, and a new meta-web formed. This, in effect, pulled the bandage off of worrying about sticking to one shared web with everything.

...

When reading around ‘chance’, I had stumbled upon the nouveau réalisme movement. It sounded interesting, so I did something relatively new to me, and I just started a new document looking into the same topic of ‘chance’, but from a different place. Rather than writing out my ideas first, I copied and pasted multiple Wikipedia articles.

When I read about an artistic work that sounded interesting, I would look it up and paste it in for extended context. Same with locations, publications, etc. It moved more away from word connections, to a type of Dada collage of things.

...

Now, when it comes to reading a book, I do the same thing as the Wikipedia articles.

Read the work

Create Physical Note

Insert both ‘the book’ and ‘the physical note’ into digital web.

Make connections between concepts within web.

Create digital notes around the nature of the connections, as well as include other image elements where appropriate.

...

I’m sure this process will evolve further in the future, but I am having a lot of fun with it.

I hope this maybe gave you some ideas of how to manage theme connections. Let me know if you have any thoughts regarding this!

[irritablepoe]

Hey I've seen your gift struggles and as someone whose love language is gift giving I want to share the concept of the "gift stash". I got really anxious when I had to find a gift for someone and I had little time for it. So I came up with this. Let's say your friend likes...lamps, for example. And one day you come across this really cute lamp with the shape of a kitty. You are sure your friend will like it, but their birthday is in like...11 months. What I usually do is buy it anyways (if I can afford it, of course). I put it in the "specific gift stash". A cupboard, a specific place for storing future gifts. I no longer have to worry about that. And then after 11 months, gift it. Let's put now another situation. You see a something you could give as a gift to almost anyone (a cool book holder, funny socks, a mug, a tote bag...you get the idea). Speaking of Tote bags, they are my go-to general gift, since they're not awfully expensive (depending on the place), there's a lot of designs and it's something everyone will give use to. Then I'd buy it and save it in the "general gift stash". You have to gift something to an acquaintance, someone who you don't really know? Get them something from the general gift stash. The general gift stash is meant as a safe gamble. They're not bought with someone specific in mind.

There's also the option of making something with your own hands - to non-artists (or if you can't make art / write on a rush) I usually suggest Hama beads since they're fairly easy and quick to make cute pixel art charms with.

I hope my yapping helps and doesn't bother you. My genuine intention is helping and I love giving gifts ⊂⁠(⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠*⁠⊂⁠)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is an awesome idea anon!!! i've heard of a list with the same concept before but tbh i forgot about it and sometimes things aren't available after a while anymore. this is a really cool concept i think and it actually gave me some ideas hehe :3 and yeah i typically always write them a very artsy letter as well (i didn't for the last two years though idk, at least not such a long one yk but maybe i should try and pick it up again)

thank you so much anon, you're so sweet!!! and i'm sure your friends love your gifts AND YOU ofc😌🙏

[desirepathzine]

In attempting to live a fuller life off of the internet, I've been reading a lot more poetry. It started as attempting to microdose reading more words on a page without feeling the obligation of finishing a book or dedicating a larger amount of time to what I know will be a thriller that will devour my whole day. having my forseeable future deciated to a book used to be one of the great joys in my life when I was a kid, setting aside days to read whatever I had found in my latest trip to BooksAMillion with my dad (Always BAM, their discount section was unrivaled in my younger years).

I'm an adult with a job and three side gigs now. Always the sdie gigs. Always the hustle. One of those gigs, the one that I have a degree in, is acting, which also requires a large amount of reading and comprehending text on a deep level. A specialty in Shakespeare has given me reader's burnout that I have never experienced. It hurts. Reading was such a huge part of my identity as a kid through my teens. I was part of my library's teen advisory board, creating programs and picking materials that would line the shelves. Suddenly i couldn't get myself to participate, didn't have the money to buy books, and often returned library finds without cracking the cover.

It all felt daunting. It still does sometimes.

I'd always had a minor interest in poetry but was somewhat bullied and teased out of it by family and fellow readers. And indeed, the average poetry book that can be found in the local target is not very artistically fulfilling, living in the age of the instagram poet with Procreate drawings in the margins that didn't really do anything for me. Couple that with a few amateur slam poetry competitions I attended and I brushed off the concept of being INTO poetry for many years.

Even as Shakespeare burned me out of reading, it gave me new insight into poetry. And then I decided to throw myself into it more in late 2023, after stumbling upon a poem I loved deeply as a teen, Wilfred Owen's Maunday Thrusday. It remains my favorite poem of all time, although I am finding more and more stiff competition in my studies.

This, along with wishing I could stop staring at screens before bed, led me into tasking myself with reading a few poems while I laid in bed waiting for sleep. I found a collection of Rilke poems while traveling the Midwest, a poet I only really knew for being tattooed on Lady Gaga, and put it on my bedside table in hopes it would take.

Miraculously, it did.

Rilke's Duino Elegies have captured my imagination more than some novels I've ready in my life. Full of angels and the ocean and the sky, gracefully swooping between grand statements and personal anecdotes. Modern and classic all at the same time.

A friend recommended Rumi if I liked Rilke so much, which is where I am now. Rumi's work perfectly suits my current approach, a little before bed, maybe read in the bathtub if I have a good bath bomb at the ready.

I have always loved mysticism and deep religious ties and Rumi is very transporting in this way. He is both full of simple immediacy and deep wonderful layers to delve deep into. It's about being in love, with solitude, with another, with yourself. How wonderful.

It assuages nightmares, it makes life sunnier, it's ownderufl.

As many people are looking to divest from 24/7 screentime, I truly believe poetry is one of the best ways to start that journey, to touch some more grass, so to speak. Find what you love, seek it out, keep it by your bed.

[ronaldanthony4]

finally March, the start of my favourite time of year. The weather begins to warm up, and the world awakens from its winter slumber. For me, March marks the beginning of what I like to call "having a fun season." It's a time for adventure, exploration, and most importantly, spending quality time with friends. As the months go by, I always look forward to the laughter, inside jokes, and unforgettable memories of this season. March is just the beginning of all the fun that's in store for me in the coming months.

But March holds even more significance for me this year. It's also the international month of femininity, and I couldn't let it pass without doing something special. I decided to bring together five of my beloved original characters, each unique and representative of different aspects of femininity. They are Liliana, Penny, Evelyn, Sandra, and Ella - collectively known as "ASLEEP," an acronym made from the first letter of each of their names, including their only male member Arlon.

I wanted to create something truly remarkable, a piece of art that would showcase their individuality and sisterhood. I spent hours brainstorming ideas until I finally settled on a concept: two versions of the same artwork, both featuring the five girls. In one version, they would be dressed in stylish strapless short baby doll dresses, strolling through a colourful mall; in the other, they would be completely naked, surrounded by nature in a serene lush garden. The contrast between the two settings highlights the versatility and diversity of women, and how they can thrive in any environment.

As an artist, I'm constantly looking for ways to improve my craft and push myself creatively. Recently, I discovered an incredible tool that utilizes AI technology to enhance and de-noise artwork, called "BigJPG." With this software, I can digitise my traditional inked outlines without worrying about captured dust or rough strokes. The possibilities are endless! I was eager to test this new method on my latest project and see if it lived up to its promise. I began by drawing and inking the body bases on paper, just as I did in the past.

However, for the faces, I opted to use my current Android tablet. My first attempt left me feeling hopeful but also aware of areas where I could improve. The lines were cleaner and sharper, but I realized that I needed to switch to a 0.5 fine liner pen to achieve the desired effect. The final result reminded me of the style in the animated series "My Little Pony," with bold outlines that gave the characters a playful, vibrant appearance. Overall, the combination of traditional and digital techniques allowed me to experiment and refine my artwork in a new way.

Although the new method reduced the time spent inking by half, it still took me two hours to complete the faces of the group. Colouring them took me from morning till noon, but the result was well worth it. Seeing the five girls come to life on my screen filled me with pride and satisfaction. Their distinct personalities shone through, and the contrast between the two versions was striking. The combination of traditional and digital techniques added depth and dimension to my artwork, enhancing the overall visual impact. I am excited to see how this hybrid approach will further elevate my creative process and final pieces in the future.

This experience taught me that sometimes taking risks and trying new things can lead to amazing breakthroughs. I plan to continue creating group artwork, possibly once or twice a week, using this innovative technique. It's exciting to think about the potential it holds and the opportunities it opens up for me as an artist. As I sit here admiring the finished pieces, I feel grateful for these five OCs that I brought to my creative endeavours. They represent the spirit of friendship and unity that makes this time of year so special.

Here's to March, femininity, and the power of art to bring people together. Cheers!

[mocha-mochii-blog]

Why we miss hyyh so much

The 2015-2016 (Most beautiful moment in life up until you never walk alone) music videos contain so much backstory and lore to theorise about

The narrative and conceptual styles felt so meaningful like a fictional movie and artistic expression.

I do think that after the bbmas in 2017 BTS shifted their concepts and subject matter to be more about their audience and relationship to their fans. It became more about being an army than appreciating the art (no matter how much I still love them)

I can tell they each still have this capacity for depth of expression and creativity with the ability to be authentic and make really good art. I just hope they can have the space away from the industry, the ideas that come with being a boyband, and the fans that can be really difficult to ignre

In their 9th anniversary dinner video, the boys talked about how they had run out of creative inspiration due to being so busy and overworked. This was mosty what namjoon and yoongi said because they have historically been behind a large proportion of the songwriting and conceptual drive for the band.

I feel like if BTS get a proper real break, they can live their lives and read more books and see more art and find more inspiration personally. They just seem so burned out right now and it makes me sad because I love them so much. Being treated like a product for quick consumption must be really hard to deal with when you're a whole human with so much depth and talent and and thoughtfulness.

Without rambling about my full analysis of the hyyh storyline and how special it is

The style of that era is deliberately nostalgic and wistful, with themes like the idea of youth, passing time, being forever changed by events in our lives.

They created a nostalgia for the present at the time. And now that it is in the path, and feels further away the nostalgia has become true, and now we really ae yearning for the most beautiful moment in life not to be gone

Although I like how they assured us that the most beautiful moment is yet to come. Their proof album gave me a lot of hope (jhope) that in the future they will return to whatever magic was happening during hyyh and wings.

There have been exceptions since like black swan and fake love, but despite how proud I am of them, there's still this twinge of tragedy to their irreversible fame.

Because they didn't have to break through into superstardom to be loved and fulfilled.

It feels like JHope tackles this feeling I his new album Jack in the Box. Where he talks about his explosion into fame like pandora opening a box. You get so curious and then let out so much bad that cannot be put back in the box. It cannot be undone. But she also released the butterfly of hope, that reassures me that they are not giving up on being authentic.

Sidenote: I'm a musician too and I've heard people in the music industry talk about how even though a catchy basic song might reach more people (take dynamite or butter) it's the genuinely good, high quality and well-made music and art that reaches people's hearts and creates loyal fans.

[itsallyscorner]

Being A Singer Who Is Part Of The Marvel Cast

Pairing: Marvel Cast x reader

Prompt: What it’s like to be a singer who is also a Marvel actress.

Warnings: none! This isn’t really a teen!reader, but it can be!

Side note: I’m using Ari’s music, so just pretend you’re Ari or something😂😂 Should I write imagines about this?

(Ya’ll already know I had to use my bby Ari😌)

(Gif from Pinterest)

Being a singer and joining the MCU was actually quite nerve wracking.

You weren’t sure if anyone would take you seriously and that everyone would just see you as some singer who got casted into the movie because you were well known.

In fact, Kevin Feige casted you because you represented the character you were auditioning for so well.

You remember your first day on set and how nervous you were to be surrounded by so many talented actors. You kept to yourself and sat by the sidelines while everyone reunited with each other.

I feel like Mark or Robert might come up to you first. They would probably approach you and be all like, “Hey! My kids listen to your music and I have to listen to your voice 24/7! It’s nice to finally meet you!”

Anthony would probably join in and be like, “Aye, I know you from the radio. You sing that one song that’s goes like, ‘I want it, I got it’. Right?”

After some introductions and filming scenes together, you’d feel comfortable with your new friends. Especially after some of them fangirled over you.

Tom (Holland) most definitely fangirled over you, I just feel it😂😂

A few years later they would become your most supportive and dedicated fans (and family).

They’re probably even more dedicated than your fans.

Whenever you drop a new single or a music video, expect them all to share it on every social media account they have.

Tom Hiddleston, who’s barely on social media, would come on just to promote your stuff.

@/ChrisEvans: Hey everyone! Just came to say that @yourtwitterhandle just dropped a new music video and you should all see it! You won’t regret it! Amazing as always @yourtwitterhandle 💙💙💙

@/RobertDowneyJr: The talented and oh so beautiful @yourtwitterhandle just released a music video for her new single! Go ahead and see for yourself to experience the greatness of (y/n)! I’m proud of you sweetheart!❤️

They would even share it on their Instagram stories and post about it because they’re so proud of you🥺

Sebastian and Tom (Holland) would probably post videos of them jamming to your song and yelling at people to listen to it.

Video: Sebastian with 34+35 blasting in the background, “GO LISTEN TO (Y/N)’S NEW ALBUM POSITIONS! DO IT! NOW!”

If you release an album while working on a Marvel movie, they would have little release parties with the whole cast and crew of the movie.

They will have a countdown on some projector and once it hits one everyone would scream and hug you. Then you guys would listen to the whole album with no stops.

When they see you writing in your journal during breaks on set, they would ask if you’re writing new songs.

Sometimes they would even help you brainstorm for lyrics or a concept for a song.

I feel like Evans would be really good at this because he’s good with words.

When they hear you humming something that doesn’t sound familiar they would ask you if it’s a new song.

Scarlett and Lizzie were always excited to hear your stuff.

“Oooo, is that a new song?”

“Come on, (y/n)! Can we get a little snippet please?”

“We promise to not leak it like last time!”

“Yeah! Neither Mark or Tom are here, you’re all good!”

Tom or Mark definitely leaked a few of your songs by accident. Not that they did it on purpose, they just recorded things at the wrong times.

When you sang they would always be quiet and just listen to your voice.

Whenever you hit a high note or sang something that was a bit sassy, there were always some reactions.

Chadwick would really listen to your stuff and just feel the music. When he’s done listening to a song, he would hug you and praise you on how good you did.

Anthony was always your hype man, whether you were singing or answering a question about your music, he will hype you up whenever he can.

“Mmm that’s right, sing it girl.”

“Damn, ya’ll heard that note?!”

“That’s right! Number 1 album in the world, baby. Get with it.”

“Ya’ll heard her right, five Grammy nominations. Gimme some.” He’d brag while fist bumping you.

Sometimes you would catch them singing one of your songs and you would feel all warm and giggly inside because it makes you happy that they enjoy your music.

When you guys aren’t filming and you’re off on tour, they would come to the shows that are in their city or whatever is nearest to them.

Sometimes you wouldn’t even expect them to be there and would be caught off guard while you’re singing.

For example, you were doing a show in New York and all of a sudden you see Paul Rudd just jamming to Thank U, Next in the pit.

“I know they say I move on too fast, but this one gon’ last. ‘Cause her name is— Paul?”

Whenever you guys are promoting new Marvel movies on morning/late night shows, you were always the musical guest.

They were always excited to see you perform. They loved to see you in your element because you always looked like you were having fun and so free. You always stunned them with your talent.

They could never wrap their heads around how you could sing and dance while having so much energy on stage, it truly boggled with their minds.

When they were asked about your music career, they would always say good things because it was true.

RDJ: “She’s just so talented. Like at such a young age, she’s accomplished so much! She’s writing music, releasing album after album, and on top of that she’s working on these films with us! I’m proud of her and proud to say that she’s part of this little family we have. We’re very blessed to have her.”

Brie Larson: “I wish I was like her at that age. I’m so proud of her, she’s a young woman just doing what she loves and not letting people stop her. I’m glad that young girls around the world have her to look up to. She’s going to do amazing things in the future.”

Evans: “Man, have you heard her new album? She really went all in on that one. You know, we’ve seen her grow up into the woman she is today, and you could hear that in her music. I’m glad that we got to experience that and have some kind of part in the legacy she’s building. I hope this means we get to have a musical now.”

Mackie: “That’s our little birdie. Yeah— we call her birdie cause she’s always singing or humming something. You could never have her or Evans together on set, they just burst out singing some random song and everything becomes a musical. No, but in all seriousness, she’s special. The talent she has, you can’t find that in everyone. She’s one in a million.”

They would be so proud of you when you finally win a Grammy or other awards for your music.

There would be videos of them reacting to the moment your name is called for awards like, Album of the Year or Artist of the Year.

When you guys have karaoke night, everyone would fight for you to be on their team.

You could’ve been your own team, but there was no fun in that.

You were like the last donut with red, white, and blue sprinkles (If you know where that’s from, I love u)

“Robert, she was on your team last time! You can’t have her twice!”

“Watch me, Evans.”

“Ayo! Hold up! Sebastian and I barely get to have (y/n) on our team!”

“You boys are childish! (Y/n)’s going to be on my team with Brie and Lizzie.”

Being part of the Marvel family was one of the many things you were grateful for in your career.

They gave you so much love and support as if they were your real family and you loved them all so much.

Even when their times with Marvel were done, they would still be there to support you no matter what, because they were your number one fans.

[tryingmyves]

Girl All the Bad Guys Want

okay i won’t lie, i remembered this song exists and i could not get the idea of a badboy!iida out of my head

this is a bit self indulgent because i was definitely that girl in hs lmaoooo

anyhow hopefully y’all like it too

PAIRING: Iida x Y/N

cw: badboy!iida

✨ tagging the iida army: @coleluuviida + @saturnity + @peachiileaf ✨

You have a reputation at UA, mostly with the male students. It isn’t something you put effort into maintaining or even something you cultivated on purpose, but you’ve gained some notoriety amongst your peers. At first glance, you don’t seem too different from your female classmates. You certainly don’t feel superior or disparate from them, but you’ve also never quite felt like you belonged with them. You don’t excel at being soft and demure, and you refuse to shrink yourself down in order to make others more comfortable in your presence. You spit in the face of all the things typically expected of a lady. And frankly, you’re more than a bit awkward when you hangout with the girls from your class. They always invite you to their sleepovers and shopping trips, and try to engage you in their conversations, but you’re always worried about saying the wrong thing or accidentally offending them. You’re never really able to add anything of value when they talk about the boys in your class - a recurring subject. Mina knows everything about everyone in class; she loves to gossip. It’s like her horns serve as antennae and pick up on all the juiciest secrets. She is always interrogating the other girls about their crushes but you just never really felt that way about anyone. Honestly, you find the conversations about who likes who to be a bit boring. You typically end up hanging out with Bakugo, Kirishima, and the rest of that squad. Boys are just easier to be around. They don’t get offended at your crass comments and your sometimes gruff disposition looks outright friendly next to Bakugo. 

Your undeniably attractive appearance, unquestionable skill with your quirk, and nonchalant attitude have landed you in the sights of several of your fellow UA students. You are the embodiment of do no harm, but take no shit and something about you is intoxicating. Mina frequently jokes with you about how the entirety of the Bakusquad is duking it out to see who gets to ask you out first. You roll your eyes at her, convinced she’s imagining things. But in reality you’re just clueless. As cliché as it is, you really are the girl all the bad guys want. Too bad you didn’t want them back. 

What you didn’t expect with your tough exterior, competitive nature, and tendency to slack off on class work is that class rep, Tenya Iida, would want you too. God, not even he expected it but he had fallen hard. You frustrate him. You’re just as smart as Yaomomo or Todoroki, but you skate by in class. You don’t outwardly disrespect authority, but you won’t blindly accept orders just because someone says so. He thinks the rap metal music you listen to while training is abrasive and doesn’t understand why all your favorite artists sound like they’re mad at their fathers. He finally gave up on lecturing you on the fact that the fishnets you wear with your uniform are not regulation and he was still wrestling with how he felt about learning you were one of the students caught at a dorm party with alcohol a few weeks ago.  More than anything he hates that you’ve so effortlessly got him pining for you and you haven’t even noticed. Iida loves the rules! Order, structure, regulation - these are the things that Iida covets, so why was he craving the taste of your lips on his?

He is tired of silently lusting after you, and decides he’s going to try actively pursuing you instead. Tenya thinks that you like “bad boys” so as foreign as the concept is to him, he concludes he’s going to have to take on that persona. He starts off simply, making a playlist of songs he’s heard you blaring from your dorm. He eases himself into your music, starting with Linkin Park and Korn, before adding Incubus, Machine Head, and even some ICP to the mix. He’s hesitant at first… the music just sounds so hostile and aggressive to him. But soon he finds himself relishing the fierce energy the songs give him. Tenya gets why you train to this sort of music, his workouts becoming more intense than ever. They end in his chest heaving and his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. His muscular calves throb vigorously after every run and he feels powerful. It gives him a new found confidence that he strategically channels into his interactions with you. For class today, Aizawa simply instructs you all to pair off and spar. You’re about to ask Sero to partner with you when he approaches. 

“Y/N. You’re with me.” Tenya doesn’t ask, he’s telling you you’re his partner. 

A small sound of surprise leaves your throat at his unexpected forcefulness, but you don’t question it. You just nod, giving a small shrug to Sero before following the class rep to a vacant spot of the training gym. 

You look over your challenger, rolling your head on your shoulders a few times to loosen up. “Don’t expect me to go easy on you. You asked for this,” you smirk, bringing your fists up in a defensive stance. 

Before you can even blink, Tenya has closed the 10 foot gap between you, sweeping a long leg beneath yours in a circular motion, knocking you off your feet. You land with a thud on your back and the air in your lungs is forced out with a nmph. 

“Just try to keep up, Y/N.”

Oh, it’s on. Previously you found Iida’s flustered demeanor around you endearing. But this new, assertive, almost cocky disposition is irresistible. His momentum propels him in a circle while he stays anchored in place on his massive left thigh. As he finishes turning through the motion he reaches forward hoping to pin your arms to the ground, but you’re just getting started. You plant the palms of your hands on either side of your face and kick up from the ground with a boost from your quirk. The added flow of air thrusts your legs up and over your head so you are now standing once more. You are sure that the soles of your shoes connect with Iida’s face during your arch through the air. 

“It’s not going to be that easy, specs,” you taunt. Now it’s your turn. 

You launch yourself at Tenya, closing the small gap between the pair of you in an instant. He extends a locked arm to block your approach but you simply dip your head, gliding underneath and down the length of his limb until you are just one step behind him. You pivot on your right foot as you swing your left arm across your body. Your open palm lands just between Tenya’s shoulder blades, your natural momentum accompanied by a gale force wind. The impact knocks him off his feet and sends him toppling forward. Tenya’s speed is unmatched and his large frame is covered in tone muscle, but with the addition of the very air around you, your strikes are ferocious. Your air quirk aids in your mobility, but you’ve used it to master hand to hand combat. You dominate in tight quarters, so you just need to keep Tenya close. He’s already returned to his feet, calculating his next move. The moment ‘s hesitation creating an opening for your right shin to collide with his side. Tenya growls through gritted teeth in response to the blow and the feral vibrations send shivers down your spine. Instead of recoiling from your attack Tenya’s hands clamp onto your shoulders like vices. His brows are furrowed in smug determination, and he practically sneers “Recipro Burst!”

You are propelled backwards rapidly, the gym surrounding you flashing by in a blur, the only thing you're able to see clearly is the dark glint in Tenya’s eyes and the zealous grin on his lips. You try to activate your quirk to counter his momentum, but it’s futile, he is pushing you backwards so quickly you can’t manipulate any of the air whizzing past you. Your back is suddenly pinned to the back wall of the gym, Tenya’s large hands holding your slender wrists to the concrete wall. He places a muscular thigh between your legs so his left knee is pressed to the wall as well - he has you completely immobilized. Both of your chests are heaving, your faces no more than three inches from one another. You don’t know what possesses you but you smash your lips to his, desperate to close the miniscule gap between you.

Tenya’s body stiffens in shock for a moment before he opens his mouth, snaking his tongue past your lips. You wrench your hands from his grip, placing one on the back of his neck and tangling the other in the mess of his navy hair. You didn’t expect the class rep to be such an amazing kisser, but when he catches your bottom lip between his teeth you can’t contain the soft moan that escapes you. Tenya swallows your noises and begins to pull away. Your lips hungrily follow after him, but you’re stopped when one of his calloused hands rests on your neck with just enough force to hold you in place. 

“Such public displays of desire are unbecoming of future heroes, Y/N. Come to my room this evening and we can finish this privately.” And with that, Tenya separates himself from you completely, already settling into a stance that signals he is ready to continue sparring.    

[thevindicativevordan]

On Kong Kenan/Super-Man

It should've been him. He should've been the Superman of 5G/Future State/right now not Jon, and he should be the one getting an HBO Max series not Val. Hell he should be getting a movie!

God this dude is literally the best legacy character Superman has ever gotten, wholly his own person with his own lore and status quo while still building on the idea of "Superman". I am so pissed at DC for essentially just dropping him after his ongoing ended, what the hell Lee? You keep trying to make the Wildstorm characters happen, I need you to get my man Yang another Kenan book.

Have to admit I was a bit nervous at first about whether or not Kenan would be a worthwhile character. Yang's New 52 Superman run had been a disappointment to me overall, with only the the arc where Superman has underground wrestling matches against forgotten gods really sticking with me. Now he was introducing a brand new Superman? Didn't feel like he had "earned" that yet. But from the first issue I was hooked on this new character.

Kenan was unlike any other member of the Superfamily. He wasn't kind or sweet, he was an asshole! He was a bully! He was fantastic! Right from the start Kenan was set up to undergo a very different kind of character journey than the other members of the Superfamily. Empathy, humility, respect for people weaker than himself, these are all traits most heroes wearing the S-shield already posses by the time they first don the crest, but not Kenan.

Like all bullies he was even a bit of a coward himself at first, trying to bail on the experiment meant to give him Superman's powers right as it begins. After "saving" Lixin (the kid he bullies and steals lunch from every day) from Blue Condor he demands all the money Lixin has on him as payment. He's not courageous or selfless either at the start, Kenan is as much of an opposite of Superman as you can get short of being Bizarro. Learning the appeal of these traits formed the basis for his growth over the course of his series.

Seeing Yang bring in a lot of recognizable "Superman" elements in the series, but with a twist, was also great. Kenan is the one who bullies "Luo Lixin" rather than the traditional Clark/Lex friendship of Pre-Crisis and Birthright. Initially Kenan develops a crush on intrepid reporter for Primetime Shanghai, Laney Lan, but she dismisses him as too young and Kenan eventually ends up pursuing Avery Ho (Flash) instead. Baxi the Bat-Man of China has a similar relationship with Kenan as the traditional Superman/Batman in terms of being vitriolic best buds, however Baxi is the one who has the most respect for authority while Kenan is the rebel. Kenan is a part of the "Justice League of China" which does not meet with the approval of the already established Chinese superheroes, the Great Ten. That contrasts nicely with the good relationship the Justice Society and Justice League have, as well as seeing Yang lampshade the "Chinese copy" trope and incorporate that into his storytelling.

One of the funniest differences is how Kenan chooses to immediately reveal his identity as Super-Man to the world by taking off the compliance visor he was forced to wear, contrasting with Clark's choice to hide his identity. He was so eager to impress people that he never gave any thought to the danger he could put himself or his family in by revealing his identity until it was too late, something Clark is well aware of and has taken great pains to keep his identity secret. Was a missed opportunity for DC to have Kenan comment on Clark copying him for once when he outed himself under Bendis.

But one of the most poignant differences between Clark and Kenan is the gulf in separation between their relationship with their parents. Clark has a loving relationship with Ma and Pa Kent, trying to live up to their lessons as best he can. In contrast Kenan's mom was believed to have died in an airplane crash when he was just a child, and he never really knew her. His father was distant from him after that and the two weren't really close despite Kenan's attempts to impress him. So Kenan lacks that strong connection while still clearly loving both of them.

Pa Kent's death is one of the most tragic examples of Clark's love for his parents, and I've always been a fan of takes where Clark promises his father to fight for the powerless on Pa's deathbed. Kenan gets a similar scene at the start of his career, his dad "dies" (after being exposed as Flying General Dragon, a pro-democracy "supervillain" from the Chinese authorities perspective) and wants Kenan to promise he'll fight for Truth, Justice, and Democracy. But because Kenan's dad never really bonded with him, Kenan doesn't know what those mean, and can only promise that he never wants to see people die, something his father takes comfort in at least. In classic comic book fashion it's revealed that Dr. Omen, Kenan's "boss" and the one who gave him his powers, saved Kenan's father, because she is Kenan's mother! Kenan's relationship with his parents forms a lot of the crux of his character arc, and seeing how Yang utilizes the classic Superman concept of family kept the storytelling exciting.

Yang's brilliant exploration of the concept of "Superman" through the prism of Chinese culture was a great way to differentiate Kenan as well.

I absolutely freaking love how he tied to the concept of Qi to the S-shield in particular. Connecting the shape of the shield with the way Kenan has acquired his powers along the path of the Bagua (eight trigrams used in Taoism that represent the fundamental principles of reality), with his octagon S-shield outline representing all eight principles together, was mindblowing! So was the idea of restricting Kenan's access to his powers unless he was actually acting in a Superman manner, that tied his character growth to his power growth in an entertaining manner. There were so many characters and concepts that meshed Chinese and DC lore together, like how Emperor Super-Man was Kenan's "Doomsday", they even recreated that iconic dual kill shot! The Chinese Wonder Woman Peng Deilan, being based on the Chinese Legend of the White Snake! There was even some Korean mythology referenced with the Aqua-Man member of the JLC "Dragonson".

Yang also managed to do a Superman Blue/Superman Red story with Super-Man Yin/Super-Man Yang!

Shameful that it took me a while to realize what Gene Yang was doing but once I caught on I was touched. You can tell how much Yang loved Superman and his mythology, and how he was excited to incorporate as much from Clark as he could, while still using it in a way that was solidly Kenan's. And not just Superman's mythology, but the history and lore of the entire DC Universe. I-Ching got to be brought in, fleshed out, and used as Kenan's mentor! The "Yellow Peril" villain from Detective Comics #1, the comic DC gets its name from was brought in and revamped as I-Ching's twin brother All-Yang! Hats off to Yang for taking a racist caricature and attempting to make him into something more.

This series was a beautiful attempt by Gene Yang to build a space for Asian heroes and villains where they could be more than stereotypes, Kenan himself being a defiant mold-breaker in every regard as the complete opposite of most Asian characters in Western media (a jock, a bully, loves his dad but not on great terms with him, a powerhouse as a hero, etc). So much thought and hard work was poured into this by Yang and his team of artist collaborators.

Especially the costumes, man Kenan had so many great looks. From his starting outfit (which is my favorite Superman variant not worn by Clark himself), to the one with the Yin/Yang shield he acquired later on, to his Super-Man Yin & Super-Man Yang outfits, Kenan looked damn cool. Part of me is bummed they didn't go with the Chinese character shield they toyed around with, but I loved how Yang used the "s-shield" as a plot point, so I'm not too broken up over it.

All that great work Yang did to build that space up has been more or less forgotten sadly. It was nice to see Kenan in the DC Asian Month Celebration issue. Avery is going to be in Justice Incarnate at least (unsurprising considering she was created by Williamson). So fucking bummed that Superman Family Adventures cartoon didn't happen, they were going to have Kenan and John Henry Irons in it! Would've been a dream come true for me to see Irons in animation again, and Kenan making the jump to outside media! Maybe that would've encouraged DC to let Yang keep writing New Super-Man, or at least encouraged them to use him elsewhere instead of allowing him fall into Limbo.

Unfortunately I'm not sure what the future holds for Kenan. Jon is being pushed as Clark's replacement in the comics, with DC keeping all the other contenders such as Kon benched. Calvin is leading the Justice Incarnate team likely due to the upcoming Coates reboot that will make Clark black. Val will probably get something once Taylor leaves Jon's book or once they officially announce the HBO Max show is happening. So where does that leave Kenan, my new favorite PoC legacy hero? Currently my only hope is that Yang is working on something for DC involving him. Yang left Batman/Superman, where I was hoping to see a Baxi/Kenan team up, to go work on "exciting other opportunities" per his Twitter. So fingers crossed that there's something in the works for Kenan!

One day I hope he gets his day in the sun again.

[here2bbtstrash]

jack in the box thoughts if u care. warning this got long as hell and obviously i am reading potentially sus english translations soooo take all of this with many large pinches of salt. JUST LET ME LIVE, I LOVE TO ANALYZE SHIT OKAY.

god i really love this intro a lot. it's giving audiobook in the car lmao but i do think it's the perfect introduction to the concepts of the album for those who are maybe unfamiliar

"hope gave people the will to carry on living amidst the pain and strife" no lies detected

okay but his TONE on pandora's box and the way his voice gets more and more intense it's like.... you can hear the pressure of all of it building. omg. ALSO THIS FUCKING CHORUS.

fucking hell i love this style of music for him it puts his unique and versatile voice on display so well. nothing to distract from it.

more dance break ✨✨✨ still such a banger ugh

OKAY THE BEAT OF STOP..... and wow these lyrics. "there are no bad people in the world" i'm sorry did y'all hear that???? pretty sure jung hoseok just said transformative justice???? abolish prisons and policing?????? ahem sorry i'll stop

AHHHH I WASN'T READY FOR = (equal sign)

HE SAID TRANSCEND/BEYOND GENDER..... I'M ASCENDING......... i'm ready for the post-gender future,, hoseok take me with u 🥺

oh my god his VOICE and the VIBE of this chorus...... give it to me 90s fantasy!!!! I NEED MORE HOBI FALSETTO ALL THE TIME WHY HAS HE BEEN HIDING THIS FROM US i'm driving directly to hybe to FIGHT SOMEONE

music box: reflection ...... *chuckles* i'm in danger (DO IT HOBI UNLEASH THE SLEEP PARALYSIS DEMON DO IT DO IT)

oh my artistic analysis ass is LIVING for this directly after equal sign so much to fucking UNPACK abt the concepts of equality vs. like, actual justice OOH OOH OOOOOOOH

damn i literally just had to take a breather when what if... started. no offense to those who love it but sooome of the lyrics in equal sign rang a teensy bit hollow to me (i am sooooo over the 'we are one race 😌 the human race 😌' crap ya know,, although there were definitely a lot of great parts abt respecting differences/not needing to all be absolutely the same in there too! i am not dragging the song lol!!!)

and for him to turn around and slap us in the face with THIS?????? oh i am RIGHT THERE WITH U HOBI omfg. like IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE....

HE REALLY SAID MAYBE IT'S ABT MY PRIVILEGE AND NOT JUST MY WILL OH MY GOD. KING SHIT.

"I wonder what hardships and ordeals mean to you Since you only walked up intact stairs" !!!!!!!!!!! JUNG HOSEOK

holy fuck i need someone to come hold my hand. i may not survive to the end of this album.

god this idea that it's so fucking easy to talk abt hope and optimism (and yes, equality!!!) when you live a privileged life. i'm literally about to fucking cry. i love it so much i cannot BREATHE.

thank god for the whiplash of safety zone i need these tears to go back up into my eyeballs lmao

ooooof these lyrics tho. i have so many feelings abt celebrity/idol culture and gosh i just wanna give him a hug. it's gotta be so hard to feel like there are so few people you can trust and be entirely safe around or even just points where you feel like you can actually REST (my trauma brain sure knows that firsthand 🤪 and honestly i'd imagine being an idol impacts the brain similarly to complex trauma..... i am js,, we can unpack that later if y'all want)

"I like animals better than people these days" - felt, hobi, felt.

future is such a cute lil bop aaa! i appreciate him reminding us that HE needs to be given hope too 💜 AS I CANCER I CAN RELATE TO ENDLESSLY GIVING.... you gotta help yourself before you can help others babe!!!!

this song is so lovely ~ it's giving positive nihilism ✨ and that sometimes it's okay to take the next step even if you don't know what's coming and you're scared. i hope he feels this way about the hiatus honestly 🥺 babe absolutely deserves it

ugh and arson as a closer feels so damn correct. i watched the MV already so it's not my first time hearing it but this after everything else we just went through...... it's so fucking perfect. burn down all the shit that no longer serves you.

and i also just love the metaphor of everything he's been through being like arson bc it's like, sure, "i set the fire".... but obv he (and all of bangtan) had NO IDEA it would get as big as it has (like any out of control fire).... really i'm sure they felt like they *had* no control after a certain point. seriously the perfect metaphor for it. uncontrolled burn that eventually either has to burn out or keep going and engulf the mf world. and i trust them to make the right choice. 💜

damn alright well. i have tears in my eyes still. what a fantastic fucking album. i am so proud of / in love with this man. and 'what if' is OBVIOUSLY my favorite song it's not even fucking close sdjfkljsf

DAMN LOLLAPALOOZA MIGHT ACTUALLY KILL ME

[0poole]

I LOVE No Straight Roads

Honestly it’s hard to keep me away from a game with great visuals and even greater character design. I knew from the INSTANT I saw these characters that I was going to love it. I just finished it because it’s (unfortunately) pretty short, and even though I cheesed the final boss through it’s very lenient death mechanics (Instant respawn at the cost of a good rank) I actually appreciated that it wasn’t a pure cake walk. I’ve yet to rematch all of the bosses, but since I had genuine trouble with the later ones I’ll hold off on that.

But who cares about gameplay, am I right? I sure as hell don’t. I would’ve bought the game no matter what the hell it was. I wanted the characters (and the music, although I realized that second) and that was it. 

First of all, I love any world that is super fantastical but cheesy in its concept, ala a city powered by music, and battles between artists using music. Ideas like this only spawn from a mind that wants to create a fun atmosphere, if nothing else, and it was sure as hell fun. I genuinely love when someone goes so far into a crazy idea and doesn’t waste your time explaining it with real world logic. Wanna know how a city can be powered by music? Shut up and look at the cute virtual mermaid. Lord knows I did. Every once in a while, it does you good to just let the player/reader/viewer just revel in the idea without having to go out of your way to make things seem realistic. It’s not about “turning your brain off” or whatever, it’s picking your battles.

Also, I can seriously love a world with great background characters to it. Any game with the right situation to insert the random nobodies you find onto the streets into the art in the credits really played into the greatness of the world’s less important characters, and that’s always a good thing. It’s technically world building. But, since I always love to pick favorites, I’d have to say my favorite background character is easily Mia, the NSR infodesk assistant. It’s funny, because you can literally search “nsr characters” into Google and she’s the third image result. I love how jumpy she is when you first interact with her, since NSR probably spread the word about B2J suggesting they’re rock thugs who’d beat up anyone, so for all she knows she could die right then and there with a guitar lodged in her skull. She’s probably just some intern trying to pay for college. She don’t want trouble.

Also, I just realized that 90% of the characters in this game have the same body structure that I always love, that being having arms/legs that sort of fan out in width into relatively large hands/feet. It’s a kind of limb structure I fall into so much because it just really hits me right for some reason. I really can’t explain why.

Anyways, I gotta talk about the big boys individually:

Mayday and Zuke are an amazing duo. I’m always a sucker for a cute and crazy girl, but honestly Zuke hit so many of the right notes too. I will say it’s weird to pair the martian Zuke with the humanly-skinned Mayday, but honestly it doesn’t even matter because he looks so cool on his own. I love his weird blocky blue dreadlocks, and his weirdly shaped shirt which bares his chest in the weirdest way... And, oh my god, Mayday’s weird Spongebob background flower eyes? It’s little tidbits like that that really make me jealous. How could I have ever thought of that? It looks so perfect, and I don’t know why. And her little booty jig she does in her idle animation? Adorable. I played as her as much as was reasonable not only because I’m a filthy button masher with little strategy but also because she’s so damn cute. I can also appreciate how she has a tough-as-nails persona while still keeping a semi-girly attitude, like with her falling for 1010 and Sayu. Characters are so much better when they’re a perfect blend of characteristics, instead of being all one-note, like how Zuke is the quiet one but gets heated against DK West, and all. 

Honestly the voice acting for every character is great, but I love when Mayday’s VA’s accent shows through. It’s a perfect twang to accent (consider this the only acknowledgement of a pun in this post) her snarkiness. 

DJ Subatomic Supernova was going to be an easy favorite since he’s all space-themed. Also, I don’t know why I always end up liking the egotistic characters. Not in the sense that I like their egotistic-ness, but in the sense that I like everything else about them and they just so happen to also be egotistic. The same applied with Empoleon (maybe like my 2nd favorite Pokemon) and Rarity from MLP, probably among others. Either way, I’ll never not love space themes. Not to mention he’s got a funky disco theme, and I’m slowly starting to realize that I am in extreme love with techno-funk styles of music. The instant I heard his music he cemented his place into my playlists. 

As for design, I still have no idea what the fuck he is. Clearly AI is at human levels in this world, but if he’s a robot why does he still have hairy legs? But, if he’s a human, is that weird orb his head? Is it just some sort of puppet which he controls from inside his giant jacket? I know I dissed explaining things realistically but I actually want to know with this guy. Even the wiki doesn’t say. Either way, he’s clearly the logical extreme of “being at the center of your own universe.” Even his jacket depicts a solar system, with his hood being the sun. Didn’t see that until I tried to draw him. I really wish this guy wasn’t so tied to his DJ stand so I could reasonably draw him without it. I don’t want to draw his hairy ass legs. It is a great touch for his design though (although I prefer his beta look with pants and long boots, another design trait I tend to gravitate to) since DJs could reasonably not wear pants, since they’re always behind a table.

Sayu is my favorite. It’s so plainly obvious. It’s weird to say that sometimes, because some characters like Sayu are so clearly engineered to be as adorable as possible, to the point where they’re basically a parody of whatever they’re supposed to be emulating, but then they do that so well that they are still likable for what they’re trying to parody. Also, even though I’ve never looked into any vocaloid superstars myself, the fact that they exist and are loved in real life is absolutely perfect to be used as a character design in a world like this. It’s so weird conceptually, but we all know it’s normal and realistic. But yeah, she’s a giga-cutie whom I’ve already drawn and I’ve listened to her theme on loop on many different occasions. Favorite character, favorite track, favorite weapon of choice (What did I say about Empoleon?), which, and I wouldn’t have noticed this myself, looks like the USB symbol you see above USB ports on computers. How crazy perfect is that?

Even apart from my unbridled love for cute monster robot(?) girls, her boss fight is probably the 2nd greatest of them all, at least conceptually. She’s just a hologram, so you can’t touch her, but you CAN disconnect the artists which control her in order to defeat her. It’s the kind of concept for a boss fight that could only work for this type of character. I’m a sucker for the cute girl that provides her voice, but I love how the animator (video editor? the yellow one) actually attacks you with a mouse and lowers the brightness of the setting once he appears. Also, the mocap guy being the deeply-voiced type but still providing the adorable movements of her body. It’s such a great combo of characters, and their little extra art in the credits makes me like them even more. I just wish we could interact with them individually.

DK West was probably one of the most interesting characters visually, especially since I knew of every other NSR member long before the game came out, but I only just heard of him closer to the release. I wasn’t sure where he was placed, but I definitely assumed his gig was the weird shadow demon we saw in the trailers. When I finally saw him in game, I was shocked to hear him speak an entirely different language most of the time, which was really cool. Also, finding out he was tied to Zuke and wasn’t strictly an NSR artist really made him more interesting. You know, if his fucking shadow clone magic didn’t make him crazy cool enough. Even though I suck at his game and am not especially fond of his raps, the visual of him rapping with this giant monster behind him and dozens of weird shadow wingmen by his side hyping him up was probably one of the coolest in the entire game. The dark way they were hyping him up too gave such a bizarre atmosphere, especially since it parallels his seemingly chill and smiley demeanor. 

I definitely hope they’ll introduce new bosses as DLC in the future, and make them sort of in the same vein as DK West, where they aren’t the biggest artists ever, but they want to pick a fight with B2J. I’d kill for any extra content this game can provide.

Yinu is obviously special since she was the subject of the demo they put out for the game. Even though I knew all her bells and whistles, she and her mom still beat me a few times in the full game. Considering she’s semi-tied to story-ish spoilers I kinda want to go more into her in a separate section. It is worth considering playing the game first since it’s not hard (with the easy going deaths) and it’s short length.

1010 seriously grew on me as I learned more about them and interacted with them. I got their shtick when I first looked at them, but after seeing that animation of them touring the city on Youtube I was kinda falling for them. Then, I learned that they’re apparently repurposed navy war robots? I mean, maybe not them specifically, but it seems to heavily point in that direction, with the warship cars and “attention!”s and all. It took me a bit to get into their music too, but once I actually fought them and put their actions to the music I fell in love with it. I swear, Neon J’s weird dancing can has some of the smoothest moves in all of gaming. I don’t know whether they mocapped out those movements or got one of the greatest animators ever, but it looks so impossibly clean his part of the song gets me like 30x more hype than it would normally. 

Also, their little art piece of them looking at fan mail in the credits is probably one of the most adorable things ever. Even if they’re just Neon J’s puppets, that piece of art really makes it seem like they love every one of their fans. I’m not gonna lie, I might swoon a bit too if they picked me out and gave me some special attention.

Oh yeah, and the fact that Mayday was super sad in her showstopper against them was adorable and hilarious at the same time. The little tweaks they made to the showstopper for each fight were great.

Eve just has to be Lady Gaga, right? Like, an even crazier Lady Gaga. DJSS is Daft Punk (or any artist with a helmet persona, you know what I’m talking about), Sayu is Hatsune Miku, DK West is Kanye West, Yinu is a generic child protege, 1010 is a KPop boyband (just pick one) and Eve is Lady Gaga. That’s just how things are. But, again, this is the kind of boss fight that only this type of character could provide. It’s not just surreal imagery, it’s ARTISTIC surreal imagery. The fight is so mesmerizing in every way, especially by how it starts off so slow and calm and progresses to insanity, as well as the increased emotional investment in the fight making you feel so much more into it than just “That’s the boy band. Let’s fight.” Not only does it get you more invested, but it makes her artistic persona go deeper than just “she looks weird.” She is genuinely conflicted about her relationship with Zuke, and naturally that leads her to literally split him and Mayday apart. That mechanic specifically was the coolest, although I do wish they made it more obvious when you needed to switch over to a different side. I was getting pulverized by her fight too, since there were so many things to pay attention to. Her fight was definitely the best one. 

Tatiana and Spoilers:

Let’s be real with ourselves, the twist was so obvious. I do also think, though, that obvious twists aren’t bad if they’re just good reveals. At some point, a person just has experienced so many stories that “only pretty good” twists are easy to spot. It doesn’t mean that the twists are bad, it just means you yourself experienced.

I feel like her transition from rock to EDM was pretty understandable, even as a non-musician. She was so caught up in what she assumed was popular that it basically consumed her. It’s easy as an artist to want to forgo what you truly want to make in favor of what makes you popular, and clearly since her transition to EDM made her the CEO of the biggest company in the city (world?) that probably made her think she truly needed to change her outlook. Then, when she saw B2J try to bring it back, she sort of coined them as being as misguided as she was and knocked them down a peg. Plus, they were kinda being jerks about it.

It’s kinda like the Trolls sequel, where everyone pegs rock music fanatics as being too stuck up in their own heads to appreciate other types of music, which honestly seems more like the case than the alternative. When I first heard of the story of the game, I was seriously hoping they did put an asterisk on B2J’s ambitions because they were a bit sketchy from the start. 

That’s kinda where I want to talk about Yinu, because she was the true turning point in what they were doing. She’s literally 9 and yet she’s getting dragged into all this BS. When she said “I hate you all” at the end of her fight, and played a somber tune on her broken piano after the fight destroyed it, you kinda got a kick in the face to realize you’re kinda being an asshole to some of them. Sure, they fight back, but they wouldn’t fight in the first place if they didn’t have to. They are just people who play music under a joint name that B2J just so happened to get in hot water with. 

Then, of course, there’s Kliff, who also reeked of surprise villain, and who’s basically the embodiment of the bad side of B2J, where he just wanted to destroy for his own sake and not for the actual greater good. Once B2J realized their mistake, they backed off, but Kliff was so hard pressed to do what he planned on in the first place he wouldn’t stop. I kinda wish he got a bigger fight to his own since he’s clearly a big enough tech genius to divert a whole satellite into one specific building. Maybe the Elliecopter chase bit was his thing, but I do kind of wish he was there to fight against them too.

Even though Tatiana did kind of reform a bit quick, It’s still not too crazy to assume she could see that B2J was just misguided and the fact that they worked to revert their wrongdoings for her sake would make a pretty strong impressions. They clearly can hold their own, so it’s not like she wouldn’t want them to join NSR too. 

Oh yeah, and her boss fight was clock/time themed. If there’s a theme under space that I love, it’s clocks/time. 

And If I am to be respected by the internet, I must provide a negative opinion to balance out my positive one. I will say that the character model physics (like Mayday’s braids, DK West’s vest thing, Neon J’s fluffy neck thing, etc) got kinda funky at times. Especially DK West’s vest, which was completely messed up for every scene he was in... Also, even though the voices are mostly great, some lines felt a bit off. Just a bit. That good enough? Good.

But yeah anyway that’s another favorite game to add to the pile. Eventually I’m gonna have to compile a true list of my all-time favorite games/movies because I do kind of want to have a solid idea of what my all-time favorites are.