#me when i see two slightly similar scenes in media

[pitsapitsa]

Kinda spoilers for The Brothers Karamazov and Sally Face

---

So, I was reading the pre-trial and trial chapters and how Ivan was "possessed" by demon hallucinations and how it became a huge obstacle for him to to testify and stand up for Mitya. I was chewing on my nails when he just couldn't prove that Mitya wasn't the one who actually committed the murder and it felt like a final plot twist already but I was almost raging and feeling deja-vu.

I asked my sister what does this whole "knows-that-the-accused-one-is-not-guilty-but cannot-testify-because-of-a-horrible-maddening-demon-thingy" and she said Todd from SF!

I was like YES OMG

I can't remember the actual scene from the trial and this scene in the game but I remember it was horrifying and these two scenes gave me very similar feelings.

Can't help but feel like there are other scenes like this and it gave me so much sweats like....

I'm not the type to gasp and yap and scream when reading intense moments in the books and fanfics but I couldn not not to.

[kursedmayo]

This is gonna be a a bit of a controversial take but to me Farcille to me is not very appealing since Falin and Marcille's relationship is a bit too complex to be boxed into a simple ship. There's both gay, platonic and familial implications and I don't think I've seen this type of relationship in media before actually.

In the Anime they really went all in on the yuri domtext- I refuse to call it subtext because its not, in fact sub (jk) but in the manga it's a bit more ambigious. In both media though they're portrayed as close, like way too close just to be friends. I think this might have to do with initial impressions, Marcille treating Falin like a little sister while Falin treats Marcille more like friend.

If you've read the Manga there was an implication that at some point Marcille wanted a younger sibling, but apparently she ended up being the youngest and the last child (if my memory serves correct). When she met Falin, she was a bit shy, tomboy-ish, and seemingly carefree when they met, which can sometimes be perceived as someone being pretty childish. Because of that, in her mind Marcille may have somewhat adopted the idea that Falin is younger than her and such, and then her subconscious childhood desires made her think of Falin as a little sister. I myself is more receptive to receiving or initiating touch with my brothers since I'm comfortable with them, so I can see why they're comfortable being physically close often.

This may also be why she dislikes Toshiro (Shuro) so much, she was particularly defensive of her little sister. I kinda doubt Falin discussed ever wanting to get into a relationship so maybe Marcille wanted to beat back unwanted suitors? At the same time this may just be her being jealous and not wanting to let Falin go, which can be interpreted to be something due to romantic feelings for Falin.

Meanwhile, when Falin met Marcille her impression was that she was a cool academic girl that took interest in her and befriended her. Marcille is most likely her first friend at that point and quickly became her best friend. She clearly admires Marcille and good LORD have you seen that bath house scene?? It was much less yurified in the Manga since Marcille was clearlu tired from using ancient magic and was having delayed reactions but I really dont think that was sisterly in any shape or form, it seems far too intimate. Keep in mind she was the one who initiated the hand locking in the bath house, not Marcille, so that may imply sometjing. So this brings me to my final conclusions.

Marcille probably thinks of Falin like a little sister or at least perceives Falin as someone younger than her that she wants to take care of. At the same time though her relationship with Falin is also hard to define completely by familiar or platonic because Laois is literally there for comparison and their relationships don't seem very similar to me.

On the other hand, Falin most likely sees Marcille as her best friend, someone either her equal or greater in skill or talent. When she has a slightly embarassing problem (like her constant flushed cheeks) she wants help with, she trusted Marcille enough to go straight to her instead of figuring it out herself so that says quite a lot, considering Falin seems to be of the independent type and don't like bothering people. However, there are also some odd vibes regarding her behavior with Marcille that prevents me from also waving Farcille off, so again I hesitate to box their relationship nearly into a single category.

So yeah. No hate to Farcille but I think I'd rather label these two weirdos with "???" instead of just friends, sisters or girlfriends. It feels a bit more accurate that way.

[lokiondisneyplus]

Sophia Di Marto [sic] knows why the Marvel Studios breakout series “Loki” was so successful creatively. It was partially due to the casting. Much of it was in the writing and the direction, but mostly, it was about the dynamic between the title character, played by Tom Hiddleston, and Loki’s multiverse doppelganger, Sylvie, portrayed by Di Marto herself.

“Some of it’s in the writing, some of it’s in what Tom does, a little bit of it’s what I do, but that it’s how these two characters rub each other up the wrong way,” Di Marto says. “They’re so similar but so different. And I think that fine line between the two is what’s really entertaining to watch because they know exactly how to wind each other up. Sylvie knows exactly how to wind Loki up and audiences love watching Loki being wound up. So, it’s just really entertaining and that’s part of the chemistry because they sort of hate each other, but love each other and will always be connected now. So it is this really specific dynamic, which is a massive gift to be able to play with.”

Over the course of our conversation centered on season two, Di Marto reflects on whether Sylvie found peace at the end of season two, how the stunt choreography keeps her in shape, what new directors Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead brought to the series, and much, much more.

____

The Playlist: First of all, I have to tell you, that even though it aired last fall, “Loki “is still one of my favorite programs from the past 12 months. I just thought it was so well done.

Sophia Di Martino: Thank you.

When you found out you were coming back for season two, did you have an idea already of where Sylvie’s arc was going to go?

No, I had absolutely no idea until I read the script and then I had to read the script like three times because it was quite confusing.

Did Eric Martin, who was the head writer, sort of sit you down and give you a heads up, this is where we’re going, this is how we see her?

I’m trying to remember exactly what happened. If anyone sat me down, I think Tom might have given me because an executive producer as well, so he’s more involved in the writing and all the behind-the-scenes stuff. I think he may have given me a little headline sort of idea of what the second series was about, but I didn’t really know what would happen until I read the scripts. And then as we’re shooting, it’s changing all the time as well. The main structure is the same, but it’s really a moving beast and a big collaboration. So we’re rewriting it all as we go with Eric.

After reading the initial scripts, did you at least think to yourself, “O.K., we’re going to get to a point at the end of the season where Sylvie is at least at peace?” Or do you think part of her is still out for some sort of revenge”

I dunno if she’s at peace at the end of series two. I don’t think she goes back to Oklahoma. I don’t think she tries to get that peaceful human life again. I think she’s on another adventure, but I dunno. I feel like she just keeps casting an eye over what’s happening with Loki and with Sylvie. I don’t think she’s ever going to be truly at peace. I think she’s a sort of natural-born fighter. I think she’s only ever truly herself when she’s fighting for something. So she’s perhaps gone to look for the next fight.

Do you think that’s the big difference between her and her alternate timeline version of Loki played by Tom? That’s the inherent difference because Loki doesn’t seem to always want to fight.

I don’t think he wants to fight, but he has something within him that’s unfinished and he’s always searching for his glorious purpose. And I think they’re both doing that in slightly different ways.

And I know every member of the media that you’ve spoken to has asked you this in some way, but have you been given any tea about whether Sylvie will continue looking for her glorious purpose down the road?

I have no idea. They’ve told me nothing.

Do you like that in a way?

Yeah, I mean, because if you can just get on with your life until you get a phone call that says you have to be somewhere at a certain point, do something. Yeah, it’s an exciting part of it.

Was there any scene or moment in particular where you were like, “O.K., this is a moment that I’m going to have to dig deep into. This is a tougher scene than maybe I might’ve expected this day”?

The scene that was most interesting to play was that moment in McDonald’s when Loki and Sylvie meet again for the first time. I don’t think there were hardly any lines in that scene. Maybe she says, “Are you going to order something or not?” And it is very sparse the dialogue, but there’s so much unsaid, there’s so much acting going on and they look at each other for the first time. And that was really, really cool to get to play that. It’s bumping into your ex for the first time.

And I’m guessing there is not a lot of rehearsal time correct? It was mostly working it out on the scene on set.

Oh yeah. Yeah. The only rehearsals that we got were some choreo or some fight stuff. Yeah, we didn’t get much rehearsing for the actual dialogue scenes, but I like it that way.

Do you feel like there’s more spontaneity?

For me? Yeah. I like to rely on my intuition and my spontaneity.

Well, I always heard that when you put good actors together should get good results. But this cast in particular had such great chemistry. Even in season one. Do you think that that was just luck? Is it just the talent of the actors?

I think it’s also the characterization. Some of it’s in the writing, some of it’s in what Tom does, a little bit of it’s in what I do, but that it’s how these two characters rub each other up the wrong way. They’re so similar but so different. And I think that fine line between the two is what’s really entertaining to watch because they know exactly how to wind each other up. Sylvie knows exactly how to wind Loki up and audiences love watching Loki being wound up. So, it’s just really entertaining and that’s part of the chemistry because they sort of hate each other, but love each other and will always be connected now. So it is this really specific dynamic, which is a massive gift to be able to play with.

I know you had stunt doubles for a lot of it, but you did do a lot of your own action choreography, correct?

Yeah, yeah. We learn it all and then they sort of swap it and change it when they need to make it look better.

Was it fun? Is that stressful as an actor to have to do that stuff compared to just regular scenes?

I love it. It was a really great opportunity for me. I mean, I was like three months postpartum on the first [season]. It was a great opportunity for me to get fit. I don’t go to the gym. I was the most unfit person when I started, so it really kicked my ass into gear. But I really enjoyed it. And it’s watching the finished product, it just makes you feel like an absolute badass, even though it’s not me. Some of it is not me. It feels great to be a part of it, and it really helps me get into character as well as Sylvie because she’s such a brawler. She loves fighting so much. I’ve realized that I do too. And I’ve carried on. I box a couple of times a week, and I really enjoy the feeling of being able to channel my aggression somewhere. And as a woman, I think it’s quite rare to be able to be given the opportunity to be able to be aggressive and I love it.

At least for season two, do you recall one sequence or set piece that was tougher than any of the others?

There was two of the fighting stuff. I’m trying to remember. The stuff on the Ferris wheel was quite tricky because the space was quite small and there were wires. We were doing wire work, so that was tricky. And a lot of it gets changed last minute. So, you learn the sequence and then they figure out how they’re going to shoot it, and then they realized you can’t do the sequence anymore, so you have to do a different sequence. And so a lot of it is learning choreo on the fly and changing it up and doing something different that works for the camera. So, that was challenging. And I remember I had to throw the TVA guidebook and I couldn’t get it in the right place. Things like that, take ages to try and do. In the first series, there’s a sequence where a knife lands right next to my face, and one of Loki’s daggers stands right next to my face. Little things like that take hours.

In the final episode, you have a great moment when Loki continues to go back to sort of the workroom area where you guys all keep getting killed again and again. And Sylvie sort of imparts on him one last time about what he needs to do. Do you remember that scene that I’m talking about?

Is it in Key’s workroom or the Key Lime Pie?

It’s the last time that we see that version of Sylvie. The spaghetti is coming to sort of wipe her away. It’s before he goes back and realizes that he has to go into the…

Oh, yeah.

I don’t know if you remember that scene, but it seems like such a rich moment for Sylvie. I was wondering, did those moments at least sit with you at all about how emotional Sylvie’s connection had become with Loki?

Yeah, definitely. And I think she’s the spokesperson in a way for his friendship group. It becomes a real ensemble by the end of series two. It’s not just Sylvie. He’s made quite a few friends and they’ve become almost like a little bit of a team and he’s watching each one of them disappear. And I think Sylvie’s the last one to be turned into spaghetti. And that’s the moment where he realizes he needs to figure out how to control this time slipping so he can change what’s happening because otherwise, he’s going to lose everyone.

The drop-off between season one and season two from Kate Heron to Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead was almost non-existent. They certainly have their own directorial style, but the quality is just so good. Can you talk about what they’re like to work with as directors on set and what you thought they brought to the series?

They are so relaxed at times. I was like, “Why are you so relaxed? It’s making me feel nervous. Why are you so confidently cool and calm?” They just know exactly what they want and what they’re going to do. And they have their own style and they’ve done a bunch of indie films, so they’ve done their time and know how to do it, and they know how to work with each other so well. I dunno if it’s about something to do with being two of them so they can share their stress or something just so chilled out and so open and collaborative and funny and just so easy.

I know you recently wrapped “The Radleys” with Damian Lewis. It’s a horror vampire comedy, right? Can you talk about it at all?

Honestly, I dunno when it’s going to be released, but it’s a vampire movie about a family of vampires trying to live in suburbia and not drink blood.

And it’s funny. It’s hopefully funny.

Hopefully. Yeah.

[swanqueendaughter]

911 BUDDIE THOUGHTS

So after the last episode of 911, I need to speak out:

1. I'm so sick of people who write that using buddie scenes to promote an episode is the norm of media production, not queerbaiting. Of course, Buddie's fandom is the most numerous, it can be seen from any social networks and comments, so this step is quite dirty, but of course effective for promotion.

2. I've been watching this series for the last 7 years since season 1, but I wasn't buddie shipper until season 7. I mean, I caught a certain vibe in seasons 2-3, but only 7.04 made me consider this pairing seriously. The whole episode was literally saturated with Buck's jealousy of Eddie. And no, fans of Buck and Tommy relationship, we're not delulu. Buck literally tells Maddie when they have lunch at the call center that he was jealous and wanted to get EDDIE's attention. However, in the last scene, he really tells Tommy that he wanted to get his attention, which of course does not fit into my brain, but the kiss and the arc of bi-Buck really distract my attention from this mess. I would also like to highlight the scene in the gym where Tommy wasn't even there and the scene where Buck pushes Eddie on the basketball court. Can you imagine that Buck, our sweet kind-hearted Buck, is pushing his best friend for the guy's attention? No way. What I see is an incredibly jealous friend who is seething with indignation that Eddie is trying to replace him in his opinion. And the scene with Tommy, where he assures Buck that no one is going to replace him, especially since Christopher wouldn't allow it? The whole arc comes down to the fact that no matter how selfish it is, Buck wants to occupy all areas of Eddie's life (his free time hanging out as best friends, being part of his family with Christopher and being number 1 for his child).

I mean, this whole arc has only two readings - the first is Buck, who is not aware of his feelings for Eddie, being burdened by his heterosexual role and their friendship, chooses to turn his attention to a more accessible option - Tommy, who has a similar background and interests with Eddie. The second is, of course, buddy's queerboating,  writers/producers might well have no desire to lose some of the conservative audience by making Eddie queer character. So in this matter, maybe Oliver/Buck was just lucky to pull out a successful plot straw (I mean, at least for media PR), while Ryan/Eddie (who originally should have had a love line with Tommy) got an unenviable plot with Marisol. 

3.I can't help but speak out about this absurd Eddie/Marisol arc. I mean, it hardly seems to be successful in any way, not even for buddie's shippers. This is literally Cap saying that love can be met by chance, implying his relationship with Athena. Eddie listens to him and, as if trying to copy this scenario, "falls in love" with the first girl he sees. It's absurd.

4.Eddie definitely has a problem with relationships with girls. There is a clear feeling that he chooses them relative to their qualities, and not the special bond they share. He married Shannon because she got pregnant, and the opinion of religious parents played a role. Over time, Eddie could love the idea of their small family, because Shannon was a good woman, but she was not Eddie's partner, so as soon as the first difficulties arose, Eddie ran away, instead of somehow solving the problem, and then Shannon ran away. Sad.

Eddie and Shannon's attempt to rekindle their relationship was doomed from the very beginning, and I think when Shannon realized the dysfunctionality of their marriage, she asked for a divorce. Thanks Shannon!  

Anna was just another girl who met Eddie's criteria, an ideal potential wife and mother for Christopher, but who did not have an emotional connection with him. And although the screenwriters tried to fool us with a picture of the perfect happy couple, albeit slightly unsettled Eddie, as a result it turned out that he did not develop the slightest feelings for Anna. I mean, he had a panic attack at the thought of Anna as his wife!! What a shame!

5.I understand that some people have been watching the show for so long that they start to forget the plot of the first seasons of the series. However, I advise you to review the flashbacks with Tommy in order to form an opinion about him not as Buck's love interest. but behind the beautiful picture there is a completely faded and indifferent character to the fate of the team members. His evolution after he changed jobs and came out of the closet is pretty ridiculous. Yes, I see a handsome, confident man who has done just one good deed so far. But I still have no idea where this evolution comes from. Does coming out make you a different person? Doubtful. Lou is a wonderful actor, but I don't share Tommies's admiration as a character. He's cool and confident, but there doesn't seem to be anything behind that facade.

6. Buck and Tommy. The sexual energy between the characters, which is useful for creating spectacular passionate kisses and perhaps something more, is undeniable. I like to see Buck exploring his sexuality. But as for the emotional component? An absolute hopeless abyss. The scene with the costumes for the bachelor party was quite revealing. Is it possible to fill it with a decent emotional component? With the good work of the screenwriters, yes. But the truth is that good true canonical engames click right away (Madney, Cap and Athena).

7. Should we expect a Buddie canon? I think season 7 can be considered the last to summarize this issue. Remembering such series as Castle, Bones and the Mentalist, the pairs of main characters did not become canon right away, where by season 4-6. Perhaps the pair of Jane and Lisbon was the longest in this matter, and the most controversial according to the reviews of the audience (meaning that not everyone believed that there would become canon couple). They only got together in the season 6 finale. This is also season 6 for Badie, so I think everything will be resolved this season. Waiting for the canon in season 8, unless a direct indication is given in the finale 7 (awareness of the feelings of at least one of them)!would be absurd. I'm not calling on buddies's entire fandom to quit watching the series (although in the case of outright queerboating of this fandom, it would be fair), but I would urge my sensitive friends to stop deluding themselves at the end of this season.

7. To sum up, I would advise the screenwriters to start writing good love lines for Buck and Eddie, if they are at least as capable of it. Because what's happening on the screen right now is pretty disappointing.

[magentagalaxies]

Kids in the Archive: Episode 7

currently procrastinating on writing my own comedy sketch for my college class that's due tomorrow which means it's time for another episode of kids in the archive! the show where i highlight iconic kids in the hall sketches that i have procured the original scripts for and break down a behind-the-scenes comparison of script and screen

Previous Episodes: Episode 1 - armada finale ("do we make it?") Episode 2 - fran & gordon: the vacation Episode 3 - comfortable Episode 4 - cathy & kathi: is he? Episode 5 - danny husk: kidnapped! Episode 6 - Trappers

on today's escapade, i take you to the s2e5 sketch Sizzlers and the Bank!

imo sizzler and sizzler embody the best things about kids in the hall's recurring characters that you don't get in any other show. despite only appearing in 3 main sketches, none of their appearances were formulaic and they were given genuine depth and character arcs while still hitting all the beats of great sketch comedy. i truly hope i get a copy of "treatment" someday so i can go even deeper into what makes them some of my favorites

Bruce's Character

The first notable change in this draft version of the sketch is that Bruce's character is present from the very beginning. Now, in the first Sizzler and Sizzler sketch, Bruce's character of the nightclub owner provides some of my favorite lines (I still quote "the pre-show part of the show", "the show part of the show", and "the describing the show to the police part of the show" all the times, or some variation like when i tell a rambly anecdote and refer to "the story part of the story"). however, there aren't really any notable bruce lines in the first half of this sketch, so it's unsurprising his character was cut until the second half.

The Love Triangle

as the sizzlers are playing with their hostages, in the sketch that aired their antics are limited to making people put their hands up, mixing up the shoes, and choosing two people to fall in love. in the original draft, their antics are more drawn out, including setting up a love triangle

The Ending

the ending of the script is largely similar to the version that aired, albeit with some extra dialogue upon leaving the bank. the most major addition is that both jerry sizzlers shoot each other prior to proclaiming the city a "madhouse" (which happens on the following page, it's the only line on that last page so i didn't include it)

out of the three sizzler and sizzler sketches, i'd probably give sizzlers and the bank the bronze medal. this isn't because the sketch is bad, it just doesn't hook me as much as the first and last of their trilogy. i always found the turn of jerry shooting jerry a bit abrupt (that is slightly lessened in the script with the stage direction but not by much) - and while i know the justification for every sizzler and sizzler action is "he's crazy," it just typically doesn't manifest in explicitly violent ways so the turn feels jarring. still, i appreciate its place in the sizzler trilogy and the fact that it managed to build continuity (you can still see the bloodstain on the robe in "treatment," and it could be argued that jerry got put back in custody after the shooting leading to the final sketch)

the sizzler sisters are a bit similar to tammy in how, despite being common character archetypes, they are dealt with so differently in the course of their 3 sketch runs that they would never fit on a more formulaic show like snl. both the sizzlers and tammy go through full arcs in their trilogies (god i hope i find an excuse to do one of these about tammy), cross between live sketches and prerecorded media, and are given satisfactory endings. snl will occasionally do a sendoff for their characters when the actor leaves the show, but those tend to be the only break in their pattern. vs kith, where the pattern is fully realized characters who can still make you laugh in under 5 minutes.

[not-wholly-unheroic]

A Comparative Analysis of Hook’s Ship and Cabin in Popular Media Portrayals

Part 3: Steven Spielberg’s Hook

Not gonna lie—visually, Hook is one of my favorite versions of the character because both the captain himself and his living space are just so incredibly over-the-top with lots of attention to detail. The costuming and set designers really went all-out on this one.

Dustin Hoffman’s Hook has a ship like no other! His Jolly Roger leaves absolutely no doubt from the second you lay eyes on it that it is a pirate ship and throws all sense of practicality out the window in favor of lavish decadence fit for a king. From the outside, the cabin itself is reminiscent of a large skull wearing a bicorn hat with two large windows serving as the eyes. Perhaps most interestingly, the very center of the hat bears what appears to be a slightly altered version of the Eton crest with a skull and crossbones over it. This “knock-off” Eton crest (which was probably altered in the film for legal reasons) or one similar to it, shows up in multiple places inside the cabin as well.

If you look closely and zoom in on the two images above, you’ll notice one (not colored) crest over the piano, one on the desk, and one over the fireplace (which, by the way, does not seem practical on a wooden ship). Some other neat details I noticed in these shots include what looks like gramophones on the desk, images of fencing stances on the wall, and that the bottom of the bed which lowers down from the ceiling appears to be painted. I don’t know for certain but believe that the painting is meant to be this image used for promotional material but not ever actually visible in the film. (Thanks to the HookPosting community on Facebook for the image.)

Interestingly, it still features the hook on the right hand. Perhaps that’s why it was never shown in the film. If this godlike portrayal is how Hoffman’s Hook sees himself, it borders on pathological narcissism.

Back to the cabin itself… When the camera pans over to the other side of the room, we see another mock Eton crest in the background. In another, closer shot, we can clearly see the words “Good Form” over this one. This guy is Eton OBSESSED! (Which, to be fair, is pretty canon.)

We get a few more interesting views of the cabin in the scenes where Hook is attempting to teach Jack and Maggie. There is another self-portrait—though this one is a bit humbler and more realistic. Again, narcissist much? But what’s especially intriguing to me is the fact that if you zoom in close, you will notice that below the painting, there are black and white photographs. Now, so far, everything else about this Hook screams 17th century with the one odd exception of the gramophone(s) on his desk. But one might explain that away as something he picked up while visiting the outer world. But to have photographs would seem to imply that he (or someone he cares about) is from a much later time period. The one seems to be a photo of a young man (Perhaps Hook himself?) while the other is, I think, a couple (His parents? A younger Hook and his former love?). There is another black and white photo, too, that you can see in a shot behind Jack and Maggie that looks like it might be of a sports team… Might this be a team photo from his time at Eton? Unfortunately, without better quality close-ups on these images and input from the set director, there is no way to know for certain, but it certainly is intriguing…and it might explain Hook connecting with Jack over his love of sports.

Hoffman’s Hook is an enigma. His ship is unlike anything that sailed during the Golden Age of Piracy—far too gaudy and over-the-top, both inside and out, to be practical. And yet, there are details that no child would think to make up like the ever-present Eton crest and the black and white photographs. The clashing of time periods apparent in his wardrobe and personal effects lines up well with Barrie’s own conflicting information regarding Hook’s murky past, but it leaves us as the audience a little unsure what to make of this man. Perhaps, Hook and his ship are still the product of Peter’s imagination…but since Pan has grown up in this retelling, the details of Hook’s cabin have shifted to reveal the same larger than life character as imagined by an adult.

[tuhhadkeryo]

Two rant posts in one day?

Anyways.

Hacker’s tiny legs.

I believe I am the sole person who does not enjoy this aspect…but let me tell you why.

Hacker’s legs are first mentioned in a flash episode. We all know how seriously I take flash *cough* sarcasm *cough*. What I believe the writers did in whatever season that was (I believe Team Spirit is the first mention) - was mess up the mix between cartoon and reality.

To me, the first few seasons give the impression of a lot of exaggeration to help kids immediately identify a character’s chief traits. Hacker is egotistical and threatening - therefore they give him a massive chest, large chin, and smaller legs to exaggerate the chest. Make it look even bigger than it actually is. We see this in other strong characters like Deci and Zeus.

In the beginning seasons, Hacker does not have difficulty keeping up with the other characters, for example: Eye of Rom, A Whale of a Tale, etc.

He is shown to run just as fast as Buzz or Delete in these instances.

In one episode specifically, it’s hinted that we see Hacker’s footprints!

As we can see, the footprints are large.

In the episode about human proportions, the writers purposely avoided using any borg people to avoid giving anyone a set size. Even when the earth kid’s proportions are seen in a more detailed way, they are different sizes than what is animated usually.

I think these things - Hacker’s footprints, the kids’ footprints, other similar stereotypically ‘strong’ male characters, not being shown to be slow in other scenes - all point to that little bit of cartoon exaggeration. Meaning in reality, of course Hacker’s an adult with adult sized shoes.

But flash did the same thing with others! From the model that flash used for the earth kids without sweaters, their wrists are wayyyyy too skinny. Their hands are too big. The whole thing is just awkward. Not to mention Hacker’s hands are smaller than Jackie’s in A Perfect Score!

But if Hacker has tiny legs like that, then that means the same logic should be applied to the rest of the world. So Matt, Jackie, and Inez are all terrifying looking in real life.

I feel like it’s another instance of the animators/writers/whomever forgetting the rules of the universe and something made for a cheap laugh. I’m not tryna be all like ‘oH hAcKeR CAn dO EVerYThINg’ but dammit let the man walk!

Of course we all know I like to make everything ‘realistic’ or whatever. And there are probably plenty of counter points but the cheapness of flash comedy in the later seasons gets me sometimes and I refuse to enjoy >:0 (unless one of my mutuals does it it’s okay then. Don’t worry I separate these thoughts from my enjoyment of other fan media!!!)

It is kinda a zany show and I get that it’s in a different universe where all is not applied the same way as with earth physics. So I try to compromise by drawing him bowlegged or with slightly shorter legs than average. And obviously I still exaggerate some features.

(I hc that he actually can’t run very fast because of a knee injury in college playing football or smt.)

Just agh. It sucks seeing something pathetic come out of nowhere about your favorite character.

Anyways don’t worry if you like him with teeny legs I’m just never really going to draw him with them lol.

[erika-xero]

Thinking a lot of how social media affect art, how it is getting increasingly more difficult to earn money with it and honestly it just... makes me so sad?.. Disclaimer: I do not want you to pity me. I just want to share some thoughts. Some fears, maybe. Some regrets.

I know that I might never be able to make a good fortune by drawing illustrations, because it seems that I was entirely wrong with my priorities? I always wanted to do more: bigger pieces, more characters and hidden details. I wanted my art to tell a story, if possible.

Who could possible know that most of the people will move to mobile devices with small vertical screens, on which wide detailed illustrations with cinematic feel will look the worst?

Who could possible know that the algorythms of the social media would want you to draw MORE yet, somehow, draw less? I could go insane doing the same stuff over and over again: small portraits, halfbodies in the same simplistic style because they look best in instagram or on tumblr mobile app and gather more attention? And they are also faster to make, thus you can please the allmightly algorythm posting every day or two?..

I love my work, I adore doing various things, I love it when one week I work on a traditional art fullbody with a golden halo and the other three weeks - on a digital artwork with a dynamic fighting scene. But gods. How tiring is it to know that the piece you've been working on will get barely any attention, because three-weeks gap in my posting schedule will, for sure, upset the allmighty algorithm.

They say that it is always bad to switch style or a theme, because people get upset and unfollow you once they see something they aren't waiting to see. Different character body type? Unfollowing. Different facial feature? Unfollowing. Different aesthetic? Unfollowing.

Slightly different shading and coloring? Unfollowing.

But variety has key importance to me. I wish to draw characters which are drastically different from each other. I want to experiment. I want to explore. I want a drawing to be a puzzle I will be solving for hours, days, weeks, never getting bored. I do not wish my work to become a rutine to serve the algorithm or even the general public.

I see, like, those commercially succesfull artists, who post every day earning more money per week than I will be ever earning per month. It is all the same story over and over again: conventionally attractive characters. Halfbodies. Pleasant facial expressions: faint smiles, slightly raised eyebrows. Simple pose, 3/4, detailed clothing. Always the same stylistic choises. Always the same aesthetic.

Of course, sometimes they do draw stronger, bigger pieces, they experiment, they search for something new - but mostly secretely. In private. During the free time they earn - by their hard work and dedication.

I... can not afford drawing stuff for myself in my free time. Honestly, I don't have free time either than the time I spend on my trips to hometown - the only moments I could spend with my family. Neither can I draw five similar pieces in a row, because my brain starts to melt like a strawberry sundae?.. Because when I get bored, I lose concentration? Because, I made variety the key feature of my art and this turned out to be the worst decision an artist can make?

Am I just... weak? Am I stupid? Am I unworthy? Am I childish for wanting my job to be fun and entertaining and fulfilling to do?

There's this group chat I am in, and today someone, the succesful artist, said that anyone, who has less than 10K followers are, to say so, a no one? All of a sudden I feel so upset. My day is ruined. I never had 10K anywhere but VK (which is absolutely useless to anyone doing commissions). I never even cared about numbers... I never wanted to be big. Be popular. For most of the time, my biggest wish was to feel... fulfilled? To be happy, be proud of what I am doing?

I feel fulfilled. But I also don't want to starve myself to death. And I certainly feel like if I, one day, will want to have family, I wouldn't be able to make enough money to afford having a child.

Was I... entirely wrong? Did I waste my time chasing phantoms? Is it too late for me? Will I be among those, who might not survive the hard times, at least, as an artist?

[blueikeproductions]

I’m gonna be honest, I’m falling a little out of love for EarthSpark because of the last batch of episodes. Part of it is the same reason I didn’t like Cyberverse: the absolutely crap pacing and decision making.

Now EarthSpark did start off well enough, I think the first two episodes remain my favorites because it sets the tone and world up pretty nicely. After that it starts getting … messy. Nitpicks abound! As much as I do enjoy the Terrans, Thrash remains the forgettable one to me. He’s just kinda there and has nothing really to do. He gets overshadowed by his siblings being more memorably quirky (Hashtag and Twitch) or having their own arcs (Nightshade and Jawbreaker). Thrash being the somewhat immature, lackadaisical, older brother IS fine, I just wish he had something to help stand out more.

Megatron’s redemptive antihero role is pry the best it’s been written. Not even Roberts, who ushered it in, really handled it that well since it was somewhat forced and skewed into Twitter/Tumblr stereotypes. Imma be blunt: Cyberverse didn’t even try when they did it. The staff patted themselves on the back for a repenting Megs, but didn’t even bother explaining it in-show, instead giving a lengthy explanation on TWITTER. Stuff like “Oh Bisk got arrested because he beat up another Transformer he lost to at a space video game event” is harmless fluff, describing a major component of what your story is trying to do meanwhile is just mind bogglingly horrendous. Not helped is despite this, Megatron is still torturing Autobots, smacking lunch trays and being a huge dick, which runs counter to him having changed upon seeing his worse Robo-Robotnik counterpart. But CV Megatron was still his more traditional villainous self intentional or not, and I do think ES trying to keep Megatron as a heroic character is hurting the overall series. Transformers has a huge villain problem currently, and it’s only gotten worse with modern media trying to make all the Decepticons sympathetic. EarthSpark, the longer it went on, really seems confused as to what role the Decepticons are supposed to have. Are they still trying to cause trouble, are they just trying to survive, were guys like Breakdown simply on the wrong team in the first place? It’s all very muddled, and I NEVER liked the idea that the Decepticons are just slightly more irritable Autobots because you loose the franchise’s defining good vs evil dynamic that’s helped keep the thing going this long. Even stuff like Superlink, RiD15, and the G1 cartoon make it clear the Decepticons are stubborn and refuse to give up to prove a point. They WILL conquer the galaxy, dammit. And stuff like EarthSpark is just… taking the fight out of them. Which gets to my next nitpick…

So the Decepticons, understandably, are locked up by GHOST for their crimes, and the humans are trying to study them/torture them to make weapons. Naturally, the already angry robots would be pushed to the brink, want to escape the fleshies’ grasp, and lay down the pain similar to Dreamwave and Bay, and while we do see a bit of this, at the end the Decepticons just decide they’re suddenly friends with the Maltos? Something here feels very rushed, along with Shockwave also suddenly wanting to be pals after initially finding the Terrans disgusting. The pacing here is just odd, and a deleted scene shows Shockwave petting Fluffy Ears after he was just about to turn her into hamburger meat a moment before. It’s funny out of context, but it still doesn’t make sense. It skews uncomfortably into Diamond territory for me, where I get the logic, but how they got there doesn’t work (at least for me). You CAN have redemption stuff, heck Decepticon like robots like DragoBurst from Daigunder came around, but they, for the most part, properly built up to this. The Decepticons being “good” feels like a split second decision that had no real pay off. Because again, in the past, if the Decepticons helped the Autobots, it was an enemy of my enemy/Earth is where we keep our stuff thing, and they’d go right back to trying to destroying it once the third party was dealt with.

And I feel like EarthSpark may have had some internal problems with the story. How much of this was Nick not being cooperative ala Rise of the TMNT or just genuinely bad planning I’m not sure. The biggest issue for me was Ravage, and, to an extent, Starscream too. Early on they had Screamer, Wave and Ravage concocting a scheme by letting the dog-cougar cassette out into GHOST to snoop around, Starscream laughing evilly with his glowing red eyes. Inexplicably, Starscream’s eyes are blue, even in flashbacks, which has confused a lot of people, and the show doesn’t address this. A characters’ eyes turning red to accentuate a point isn’t a new thing in animation, but I don’t think that’s what this was…? I was assuming it was Allspark Affinity, but I don’t think it’s that either. More than likely him having blue eyes is meant to show he’s a good boy deep in his shell, similar to IDW’s “true inner Starscream” thing. …However, and this comes back to Ravage, Starscream was originally planning to sic Shockwave on Megatron for what amounts to the usual petty revenge on Starscream’s part. Ravage was sent out to get the remote that controlled Shockwave’s stasis pod, but this scene was cut entirely, instead explaining Shockwave’s escape as simply poor upkeep on his pod. The scene was cut for time, but … WHY? There was surely a better means to incorporate Ravage snooping around instead of just turning it into a dropped sub plot. The show attempts to course correct by suggesting via Swindle this was an attempt at a prison break until Hashtag and Mandroid initiated it instead, but Ravage is unaccounted for. I’m assuming this was a plot point that was debated on, as the official guide book INSTEAD says that Soundwave had Ravage snoop around for info on the Allspark due to an agreement they had with Prime and Megs when they got arrested. It feels like they just couldn’t decide on what to do, and chose neither, and while they could have Ravage later reappear and go “Hey guys I found the Allspark’s location and a whole bunch of ancient Cybertron relics on GHOST’s computers!” in S2, that’s fine, but I don’t trust the writers atm to do so…

There’s also turning Starscream into a trauma victim. Again sort of that Steven Universe/fandom mentality made canon thing that bothers me, BUT I completely get what they were going for. The problem for me is that even in the 80’s, Starscream’s constant beatdowns were played for laughs, and frankly a lot of the time Starscream had it coming in the first place. Starscream may have had more common sense than Megatron, but he was also driven by his pride, ego and his comedic sense of self preservation. Starscream also would bite off more than he could chew by messing with relics like the Enigma of Combination, Omega Lock and the Underbase, usually destroying himself in his quest for godhood to simply one up Megatron and show how much better he is at being evil and/or just being a petty glitch. So to play the dynamic straight and make Starscream more of a domestic abuse victim feels… wrong, especially when I’ve seen plenty of Megscreamer ship art of the G1 and Prime versions that suggests… a bit of hypocrisy in the name of a ship. I think Micron Legend Starscream handled the idea the best, though there Screamer was more a young warrior looking for approval, but Megatron thought he was weak and selfish, and the two would fight, but it was more of a anime warrior’s honor kind of way and not the more slapstick marriage falling apart way G1 and other shows did it. I do like Starscream becoming friends with Hashtag, reminds me a bit of ML Starscream becoming friends with Alexis, and I think that’s handled well enough. At the very least Micron Legend shows what EarthSpark wants to do with Starscream CAN work, it just needs a bit more fine tuning to make sense, and I feel internal decisions saw the clearly G1 and Prime inspired Starscream hugely rushed into a role he’s not ready for or arguably suited for. It’s a similar problem I had with Donald Duck in DuckTales 17: he’s barely in the show, clearly has a chip on his shoulder over Scrooge’s role in Della’s disappearance, and off screen he just sorta changed his mind and is suddenly wanting to help Scrooge. I get that part of his decision was influenced by how it was affecting the boys, but I never liked how we never saw Donald change, he just … does.

Mandroid’s descent into villainy is also rushed. Starts off well enough and him Roboticizing himself into a monster by the end makes sense, but it feels like some steps were skipped to get there, which was the same problem I had with IDW Megatron going on this big quest off screen we never saw. Also, a plot point is the Terrans don’t actually use Energon, and instead power up with Emberstone blessed Earth water… but there’s a few instances that contradict this, such as Mandroid’s Doomsday Project that shouldn’t affect the Terrans at all, but it… does anyway. Like… what? Also Mandroid and Alex knowing each other doesn’t appear to be addressed either. Especially notable when Mandroid went out of his way to AVOID killing him, only to not have this qualm anymore. It feels like a step was skipped, I get Mandroid is too far gone but even that was a huge leap in context.

Not a big deal, but do the Sharkticons Transform? Their design seems to skew to Terrorcon Rippersnapper, RiD15 Hammerstrike, and the Street Sharks style Sharkticons of Cyberverse, but I never liked how the later didn’t Transform into a robot or a speedboat or something. I get Mode Attachment, but even guys like RiD15 Grimlock and IDW Leviathan walked around in Robot Mode once in awhile.

Similarly, Jawbreaker scanned an actual fossil to get his Beast Mode, but doing so was new to Grimlock… who has a dinosaur Beast Mode which has left fans puzzled. Fans theorize Grimlock may have scanned a toy of a picture, similar to Nightshade, or that Wheeljack helped reformat the Dynobots into Dinobots as a G1 nod. However a stylized flashback shows Grimlock in Beast Mode on Cybertron, which makes me think in RiD15 terms that Grimlock may have already BEEN a dinosaur, just a “space” one. Though that runs contrary to the discussion how alt modes can help define a Transformer, and Grimlock is shown to be reluctant in the current era to Transform, as he can’t quite control his Beast Mode due to anger and PTSD caused by Mandroid. I never liked FOC’s Hulk like take on Grimlock though, and seeing that be an influence here kinda sours Big Grim for me, especially since my favorite incarnations, G1 toon and RiD15, LOVE being dinosaurs. Grimlock is still handled well otherwise though.

A lot of modern shows like this I’ve noticed have this out of balance tone where they can’t decide what they should be. It’s either super weird and cutesy or hard core darkness and angst. The one time I’ve seen this handled well was Bomberman Jetterz of all things, and that’s a kids anime about a little bomb throwing goofball that was never brought over here. It organically builds up to its darker elements, while the show starts off fairly goofy and weird it still lightly explores some things early on like Mighty’s sense of self and successfully builds on it.

Also Nightshade. Oh poor Nightshade. They continue to be the punching bag and poster child for some why this show is bad because it has The Gay TM. I do think kids can handle the concept of being gay, and I think kids can understand to some degree why a person would choose not to identify as either gender. But I also understand why parents don’t want to have such a conversation and there’s a time and place for this sort of thing, especially in kids media. (Blue’s Clues’ Pride parade animation was well intentioned but a little too… much for preschoolers. Same sex couples, sure, the nitty gritty stuff beyond that, not as much… And I say that knowing an older lesbian couple in college who thought what Adventure Time was doing with PB and Marcy was inappropriate for kids). Nightshade has more stuff going on besides their gender, but those stirring up trouble and even the owl’s supporters tend to ONLY focus on their being non-binary, which isn’t helping. The show only focused on it twice, and I think the first time was enough to set the tone. Optimus wasn’t sure if Nightshade was a boy or girl, NS and Moe clarified they/them, and Optimus warmly accepted, and that’s really all you needed for a children’s. Easy to understand for the target audience. The show then has Nightshade learn the definition of being non-binary by a human teen they help out and become friends with. The scene is fine, but I think it’s a tad over-explained keeping in mind the target audience. It also feels like an artifact of the original intention that was scrapped. In the planning stage, Nightshade simply identified as Terran because gender wasn’t important to their identity as a robotic being. Keeping it simple for the kids at home, as well as for those who might feel like Nightshade where they can go “I’m a Terran!” The official guide book also goes with this explanation. With Nightshade then learning about being NB from Sam makes a little more sense with this older concept in mind, but I think a simpler “Thanks for the save, uh…. I wanna say mister…?” “Oh I’m a they/them! Nightshade the Terran, at your service~!” “No way, I’m they/them too! I’m Sam!” “Ooo, delightful! Oh do you like the Winged Sentinel too?” “Do I? I run a big fan blog about it and Changaliens!” “-Nightshade Transforms and makes happy owl noises-“ sorta thing. At the very least, that’s been my experience being reintroduced to a friend that’s now trans or NB. “Oh you’re a dude now? Sweet! So what’d you think of the latest Digimon episode?” is a typical exchange. Unfortunately no matter of simplifying it is going to keep people from disliking the character as being a form of “indoctrination”, and I worry that’s affected the availability of the toy. I’ve seen people show they have Nightshade’s toy, but locally I’ve not seen Nightshade’s toy at all, and I wonder if controversy has led to stores refusing to carry it. That being said I’ve not seen the Arcee or Hashtag finger puppet toys, the Deluxe Grimlock or the Twitch One Step Changer, but I have seen Shockwave and Jawbreaker, and they went quickly, and as of typing weren’t restocked. So could be crap distribution again, but I can’t help but worry the toy is functionally “banned”. I may not be NB, but I do jive with Nightshade being a reclusive, yet happy go lucky nerd. I enjoy their swagger too, something I wish I had, so there’s plenty to like on top of them having a owl beast mode. I was a Beast Wars kid so Beast Modes rule, man.

Anyhow, going back to another point, this is why I like RiD15 so much. It knew what it wanted to be, a mostly low stakes action comedy, and even when it leaned a bit into darkness, it still felt tonally correct with the show. Here we have a wacky episode about an Energon parasite possessed bear, and then they jump into heavy handed discussions of racism, violence and post apocalyptic disaster the next. That’s not organic, that’s just being indecisive on the tone of your show. It’s this awkward trend of trying to make your kids cartoon into a mature, sophisticated thing, but no one has the patience or finesse to pull it off anymore and it drives me nuts. And I don’t think kids care for it either. The age range for EarthSpark I spoke to are watching the Super Mario movie, classic cartoons and older Disney movies (a lot of them, especially boys, were into Princess & The Frog and Moana in particular as it happens) when it comes to western animation. Last time I saw kids interested in Transformers was Prime, Rescue Bots, RiD15 and Bumblebee. Outside of RotB, I don’t think recent stuff has been doing it for kids, as I haven’t found any kids hugging an EarthSpark Bumblebee like their life depended on it like I did with RiD15 Bee.

I want to be clear I still like EarthSpark, and I like a lot of the characters like Alex, Mo, Jawbreaker, Bumblebee, Frenzy and Nightshade, but the cracks have been starting to show and grow larger. 26 episodes and the end goal still felt very rushed as if they thought this would be like a long running anime and didn’t utilize their time the best, and with the current strikes as of typing, I fear that’s not gonna bode well for season 2’s production either. I am very skeptical atm we get a S3, so I hope they were more careful in crafting the next phase of the story. A second season was greenlit when the first season was still being worked on, so it seems odd to me they still felt the need to rush through things as if they didn’t have time. Maybe they didn’t due to other factors? Still I hope for the best, but I’m not as exited as I once was, and a possible Prime style Relic Hunt potentially being next makes me concerned…

[muninnhuginn]

So, going to link a couple of things before I start with this.

Firstly, the new MV for the Vortex/Overthink/Tides medley which is going to form the basis of my observations.

Secondly, this post, which makes a strong argument that Link Click is deliberately drawing from other time travel media. In this case, the 2002 version of The Time Machine. Also, a fun fact not mentioned in the linked post, but that I recently discovered is that the name of the girlfriend the time traveller is constantly trying to save is *Emma*.

Now that I've linked these two, I just want to say that this rest of this post is me having fun and I would love for these to be deliberate references, but let's be real, a lot of time travel media understandably shares a lot of visual language. Hourglasses, butterflies, and clocks are all fairly recurrent themes.

Click the read more for a mix of potential references to other time travel media and screenshots of specific details of the new MV I found interesting:

Left: Link Click (note the photo reel design). Right: Doctor Who (specifically one of the intros for the Twelfth Doctor)

And to add to the photography aesthetic present throughout, the photo reel clock resolves itself into a camera lens:

Next, we have a main character centred within a clock. In both cases, the character casts multiple shadows that resemble clock hands.

Left: Link Click. Right: Steins;Gate

The shot where Qiao Ling is stood still amongst a moving crowd is neat for two reasons. First, the people she's surrounded by seem to be those related to the cases CXS/LG have taken on. You can see Emma just behind in the above screenshot. And the other thing is that the first time this sequence plays the moving characters are too blurry to easily make out. When the sequence reverses however, and the lyrics speak of "pausing" the scene actually freezes with all the characters clear for a tiny bit. (I didn't screenshot purely because it was a pain to get the exact moment but you can check this if you want)

Upper left: Link Click. Upper right: Higurashi Gou/Sotsu. Bottom: Steins;Gate 0.

Next up: fragments! This one is honestly a real stretch, but hey, there are at least two other time travel adjacent shows that use them as visuals in their openings. I would really like the use to be similar to in Higurashi (the example screenshot is from the anime sequel Gou/Sotsu but the sea of fragments is present in the og too). In Higurashi, each time "loop" is actually an alternate timeline (wherein events would differ slightly even without intervention) and so each fragment represents another timeline. For Steins;Gate, it's more a visual that exists purely in the opening sequence to play into the whole shattered clocks aesthetic.

Left: Link Click. Right: Steins;Gate.

This one is inspired by me watching the opening only to go "Okabe Rintaro????" when Qian Jin showed up. But also. We can clearly see some of Qian Jin's scars in this shot. There appears to be one on the back of his neck and two over his left shoulder. These have to be relevant and obviously his eye colour has me side-eyeing but I don't think we have all the pieces for this character yet. (Him being a former cop with a connection to both of our focus cop characters though makes me think)

And a final one with generic anime trope no 58382929:

Left: Link Click. Right: Steins;Gate

I know, I know. This is typical anime/donghua. But! It's deliberately a shot in Steins;Gate that returns again and again throughout the series. It's also very associated with the character of Mayuri so take that as you will.

Bonus whatever this is:

Multiple Cheng Xiaoshis in different states of doing badly. I wonder if the centremost one is the one Lu Guang appeared to be thinking of in episode 1? Possibly another "fragments" situation or if not then it may be various things Cheng Xiaoshi will go through in this season

Anyway, the Steins;Gate opening visually has a lot of similarities and of course a lot of it is natural overlap because they're both time travel series. And they both draw inspiration from The Time Machine (especially Steins;Gate's sequel, Steins;Gate 0). But I find it pretty neat how all these series from different times and places do have these recurring themes.

[soapdispensersalesman]

I finished watching The Cleveland Show last Friday, been wanting to write a review of some sort about it but couldn't really find the words to do so yet.

It's an interesting spin-off, I remembered when it first started airing in the Netherlands around 2010-ish that I was intrigued by the idea of a "black" Family Guy spin-off, not yet realising that Cleveland was being voiced by a white guy at the time until shortly afterwards. I did remember the characters from the show, the slightly uncanny character designs compared to Family Guy, and of course Cleveland's rap! I used to keep an mp4 of that rap on my MDA Vario IV Windows Mobile PDA, playing that on the Windows Media Player app as I fantasized about becoming a musician as I was listening to very niche music from chiptune to underground rap music I came across on YouTube that mostly sounded catchy as my English listening skills weren't up to scratch yet.

I vaguely remembered episodes where the stories just felt "off"

But enough rambling, let's get to the actual review:

(Beware of spoilers)

The first episode was MUCH funnier than I remembered, I was prepared for the absolute worst and poorly aged jokes for a 15 year old show but I honestly thought it was hilarious! The meta joke of the "black show written by white people" sets an interesting tone for what I think the idea of The Cleveland Show was. I genuinely enjoyed the first season of The Cleveland Show, the cutaway gags were neat too, although one might notice that there's just a different vibe in the air, I still struggle to put it into words in a way that makes sense, but the animation style feels different from Family Guy and American Dad. I should mention that beyond looking up the writers, I have not yet looked into the team behind The Cleveland Show (or any of Seth's shows for that matter), so it wouldn't surprise if different animators worked on this.

I've mentioned this before, but The Cleveland Show's animation style resembles that of a Playstation 2 game. It might be the fast-paced "stop and go" animation where characters quickly move from pose A to B when talking ans background characters sometimes being so static that they keep staring at a subject that has since disappeared. There are so many scenes where you could add a loading screen behind and it would feel natural lol I'm on the spectrum btw

Season two was also pretty funny and enjoyable! I do start to notice that the whole "black comedy" part of the show starts to disappear, but the stories surrounding Cleveland's family still make sense to me and show interesting characters dynamics and growth.

Season three is where the show started to lose me a little. Even though this show has little to none necessary need for canon events and continuity just like Family Guy and American Dad, the stories just did not make sense to me strangely enough. What might have been a contributing factor for me is the character designs on The Cleveland Show being far more detailed than any character I've seen in Family Guy and American Dad, most camera compositions being in medium-medium close added to those details as it felt more like a "single camera sitcom" compared to those total shot multi camera sitcoms.

I feel like I was "hate watching" season four to some extent. But the episodes just did not feel interesting to watch. A large majority of season three and four felt like "filler episodes" if that make sense. Not literally but there's that feeling you experience when watching those episodes that feels similar to watching a filler episode of any show with a more canon storyline.

I can see why the show got cancelled because you could feel the decline, I do wonder what a "finale" would've looked like. In any scenario, the family would probably return to Quahog either way but it would be nice to give the characters some closure.

Here's a list of other thoughts as the formatting of this pose is already messy enough:

Love the guest stars brought on this show, Ye's character Kenny West still gotta be my favourite character. Ye's voice acting sounds a bit monotonous as of he's either reading the script out loud or having a difficult time saying his lines with the time codes. I'd kinda love for his character to make a return to Family Guy or American Dad.

Gus is another character I love and HOLY MOLY you're telling me that David Lynch voiced Gus?! That discovery made me love Gus' character even more!

The hurricane episode missed the mark for me! The family trying to navigate around Junior being an atheist has such potential to make for a powerful storyline, but sadly misses the mark so much! The family does not find common ground with Junior and then completely ruins it when Cleveland sneezes and Junior says "god bless you!"

Choni's introduction to the show feels so unfortunate. They painted her so cocky and it made it difficult for me to sympathize with her during her first episode. it's sad because her character in general is pretty lovely.

Cleveland Junior being a spy who got rid of the original Junior is so funny to me and I choose to believe that this is (still) canon in Family Guy

I disliked the international episode with a passion, but the German segment parodied a certain "Persona 2 character" that acquainted me about info surrounding the writers that suddenly made me aware why so many characters were... like the writers (Forgive me for the vague wording for I'm not informed enough but have zero issues with these characters, it was just a bit notable, especially as they kinda took the place of what I feel like initially was supposed to be black characters)

I watched multiple reviews about the show on YouTube to see if they experienced similar things I did and could put them into words, I agree with how all of them point out the bond in Cleveland's family and how everyone learns to get along, make mistakes, and learn/grow from them!

Like most other fans, I wish that Family Guy involved Cleveland's family more often! Seeing Rallo and Roberta just standing in the background despite probably being the strongest two characters back in The Cleveland Show is such a shame to seeing them reduced to a "Boondocks ripoff" punchline.

Donna's ex husband getting together with her mom makes me realize that Donna is now technically canonically also the older sister of Roberta and Rallo.

That's pretty much all, might add more thoughts later.

[pumpkinstrawbrew]

Out of curiosity, thoughts on Scriddler?

i thought, that one day, i’d might be asked this lol. 

i’ll be frank, the nature of popularity of that ship kinda confuses me to this day. not in irked sense, i just generally was surprised to see so much stuff for them. like, i don’t remember them interacting in anything, that i’ve watched / read. which tbh, doesn’t say much, since i’m very picky about what i engage with, when it comes to superhero media outlets. so maybe, it did happen somewhere an’ i just didn’t see it. i remember casually browsing a few of accs, who shipped it, curious, if they had some specific comic strip or cut scenes from the game, which depict those two together an’ that’s what lead them to idea of this ship. but i saw nothing of sorts. an’ it’s not a problem, naturally. but for me, an outsider, who ships a completely different thing, it was a bit puzzling. just how it came to be this broad, if there wasn’t any huge kickstarter. or well, not the one, that i’ve glimpsed. 

either way, i’ll begin with saying scriddler doesn’t personally work for me. nor does it have smth, that i seek in my otps. with this in mind, i have no intention to belittle anyone with what will follow below. it’s just my own whimsical outlook on it, based on many individual criteria, that might be vastly different for others, who see things in that ship, that i’m incapable of. similar to how i see things in my rare ships, that i know would make many folks quirk a brow as to why ‘that’s even a thing’. 

now, about jon an’ edward. a pair that might sound good on paper, depending on what you include in said paper, but for me it’s like putting a hardcore dnd fan into a pit with hardcore bookworm, an’ expect them to get along swell, just bc they’re both outcasts. ignoring how the first one is more show-offish an’ loudly proud of his abilities, an’ the other one is kinda shut-in with occasional god complex lol. one of them tends to throw ugly tantrums, the other one prone to meltdowns. both are sociopaths, who have little understanding of ‘how to human’, unless they need to pretend *for small periods of time*. 

in short, i cannot see them having enough patience to handle one another in almost 95% of their interactions. i can’t imagine antisocial, snappy jonathan to be able to tolerate edward’s endless need for praise an’ attention. more so, i struggle to picture jon even knowing how to react in those situations, or being willing to put aside a book, an’ listen to nygma’s newest scheme, if he’s not in the mood for it. or see edward going along with whatever crane has cooked up *some fear plan*, if he already has his own in drafting. it doesn’t help, that they’re also a slightly different ‘breed’ of villains too. 

indeed, they’re both operate more on intellectual level vs brute force *not without use of it tho*, but where riddler’s tick is the actual level of intelligence or level of knowledge, the scarecrow is a mindrape kind of villain. nygma likes building traps an’ labyrinths, giving quests an’ a chance to ‘win’, even if it’s all be a faux in the end. jonathan, on other hand, is mix between being sadistic an’ pragmatic. they both want / need a very different things *usually*, when they kick bruce or whoever else around. or in other words, they’re kinda useless to each other’s obsessions an’ it’s hard to imagine them functionally combining their efforts, without smth going wrong or one of them getting pissed off at the other. which was one of few reasons why jonathan got fed up with the joker, when they had their team-up *during the bane era*. crane doesn’t play well with others, an’ he also has a short temper, when someone keeps doing things, that he views as useless or silly. an’ nygma being prideful as he is, most likely won’t just swallow jon’s critic, esp bc he would have some of his own stored as well. neither of them is actually a team player. so here goes their supposed villain team up for me, like even from a technical aspect. they don't strike me as villains, who can have buddy-buddy relationships, even in part bc of their 'big personalities'.

an’ circling back to their obsessions, it’s pretty much a core of their persona. the root of their disease an’ addiction. an’ also a thing, that usually pushes them to engage with anyone in a meaningful way at all *at the very beginning, at least* an' it’s kinda clinical in that regard too. i don’t think that jon would be engaged with riddler’s fear in any intimate fashion, for one. i don’t think, that past abuse or trauma or hardship is enough for him to get obsessed with a person. in fact, i think that he usually simply gets pleasure from making someone feel awful as simple as it sounds. unless, they’re his bully or someone, who has wronged him, he seems to just forget about those, who he hurt along the way. it’s unflattering aspect of the antisocial brain, but that’s just how it is. nygma’s past won’t be able to be memorable for him, partly due to crane’s general lack of ability to relate to others, without it being very heavily connected to his own woes. an’ even then, he tends to misunderstand it. an’ in return, doubt that nygma would understand why jonathan was that affected by bullying, considering that in edward’s eyes, it’s an attention *no matter what kind* an’ attention is good. after all, he did say that people usually literally looked past him, not even jocks were interested in tormenting him, until he became smth ‘worthy’ of their aggression. so from his perspective, he might think that jon being dramatic about it, since crane was on opposite side of the issue, he always attracts attention to himself. a very bad, bad kind, but attention anyhow. meanwhile, nygma *in his own eyes* has to fight tooth an’ nail to get any. an’ it might start as one time fight, but it will be an always looming issue, that eventually would blow into their faces. there is no denial, that it played a huge part of what made them so dependent on their gimmicks in the first place. the way the world around them engaged with them or in nygma’s case, the way, it did not. so yeah,  it’ll be a big ole mess, an’ neither would be able to navigate such a situation. 

from what i saw, people tend to depict them as ‘two evil old men in relationships’, an’ it feels like they both more put together in those set ups, than they usually are. or like jon is very receptive toward edward’s attempt to befriend him, an’ nygma actually is pretty good at figuring out what scarecrow might like an’ what not. an’ the problem with it is that i don’t see edward being this thoughtful about anyone. ever. period. in most cases, his disorder just won’t let him be this considering, even if he would have wanted to. like, even if we take newest batman 2022 movie, in there riddler is very-very delusional about the bat, an’ it doesn’t even occur to him, that bruce might have different needs / goals vs what edward imagined him to lol. an’ jonathan is this, but even worse. he openly tends to dehumanise an’ objectify others, seeing them only as tools or props to get what he wants. i don’t think that such person would suddenly act differently around nygma, who on top of everything is also clingy an’ needy. for jonathan, who doesn’t have any experience with companionship at all, an’ who lived most of his life alone, that’s be overwhelming an’ confusing, an’ also annoying. whatever good qualities they have, an’ whatever we love them for, it’s given that both jon an’ nygma be hard to be around in long term, an’ would at times get hella unpleasant too. picturing them trying to mend things in 'normal' ways, or talking about it like normal people is smth that i personally cannot invision at all. or in other words, from my perspective, they’re too mentally ill for each other. in fiction, it's often be a positive thing. like, that two mavericks with huge problems can make it work together, but my personal experiences pretty much prevent me from seeing it this way. unless, one of the two is at least somewhere leveled or tries to be, there is just no way for such relationships to hold on for too long. in jon's an' riddler's case, we talking about an actual extremes on top of all, so it's be even harder for one of them to pull up the other, when they themselves unwell. one might argue, that there is potential for them to make each other worse, then. but they already *objectively* suck on their own as people. the corruption only works if there is smth too corrupt to begin with. some versions of the scarecrow an' riddler are already too far gone, for anything else to make them suck more lol. an' once again, they don't share gimmick, they don't share worldview or have the same goals, so it's hard to picture them infecting the other with their own desease, so to speak.

there is kinda more, that i can say on the topic, but it’s getting hella long already, so i’d skip a few things an’ will go straight to my next point. i suppose, that i already gave an outline of why i cannot see them working together personality wise, so next i’d get to their general aesthetics or visuals. the surface stuff, if you may.

i love their general designs *some more than the others, naturally*. but when i look at them side by side, i’ll be honest, i just see two bottoms lol. an’ while yeah, there is such a thing as switching, i kinda rarely vibe with it. an’ with jon an’ edward, it’s just that. they're purebred bottom cocksuckers in my eyes. them havin’ twink on twink sex isn't very sexy or hot to me. i feel like they both would want or at least have that not-so-secret fantasy about being domed into ground by a 'superior man'. bottoms fighting each other about who should top is more of a comedy set-up in my eyes, than anything else. esp bc they both will be like 'you should top' vs 'i wanna top' lmao. i also will add, that i hc both edward an' jon as kinda shallow in sense of who they find attractive. i picture them pawing after men, who are *technically speaking* out of their league. my personal joke about them is that they're both middle aged virgins with hilariously high standards, who won't beat it just to anyone or anything. they pick misery over everything else lol.

an’ that’s all that i’ve got on the topic of scrridler, pretty much! hopefully, this mini essay did explain my view on the pair. an’ i also hope that it was at least, kind of entertaining to read as an outsider's pov. in the end, if you ship it, i do encourage you to just see this as some rando sharing their opinion an' nothing more.

[deyaviews]

Part 2 of the robot x trans girl story I wrote! Posted part 1 two weeks ago here. Recommend that you read that first. Unless you purely want to read a sex scene without context?

CW: sex

Part 2 - Robot x Trans Girl

“May I kiss you?”

Ellie didn’t respond immediately. How could she? Her brain was scrambling to find a cell that was working properly. The air felt thick with the pause left between them. She stared into Abby’s eyes, at every colour and line within them, until they became blurred as she gazed beyond them, staring into infinity and into Abby herself. Her mouth hung open, as if she’d been ready to say something, but left it hanging there, dumbfounded. She recalled how Abby had once praised her knowledge on many subjects. Now, Ellie found herself in the knowledge that she had precious little of it when it came to kissing. She’d wanted it, of course! The circumstances of life had conspired against her to offer her few chances, and her choice in career had decreased them further still. At the same time, that career had led to this moment. To this beautiful creation before her, asking her this. Was this… ethical? She’d never treated Abby like a child, always as an equal, a friend, simply one that still needed to learn more about the world, and she had provided plenty of space and materials for Abby to do so on her own. Her own fears of seeming controlling of someone else kicked in now too, but they were also the reason she had focused so much on making sure Abby had agency. That she could feel as human and independent as she wanted to.

That Abby could consent too.

Ellie swallowed nervously. Coming out of her thoughts, she found herself staring at Abby’s slightly parted lips. Ethical concerns considered, she did want to kiss her friend.

“Yes?” Ellie said.

“That does not sound like enthusiastic consent.”

“No. I mean yes! Yes, kiss me.”

Abby smiled instinctively. She leaned in and pressed her lips against Ellie’s. It was warm, a little wet, and she could feel the excited ba-bump of her heart beating.

Ellie tilted her head and leaned back into the couch, pulling Abbie along with her to not break their kiss. She parted her lips and with some uncertain hesitation let her tongue slip through and into Abbie’s mouth.

After a few seconds, Abbie drew away.

“What was that?” She said.

“What was what?”

“There was a sensation in my mouth.”

“My tongue?”

“Is that something people do a lot?”

“Only when kissing, but I think so. Did you not like it?”

Abbie seemed to calculate her feelings about it for a moment. “I liked it! It was surprising and my body’s alarms went off, but the sensation itself was pleasant.”

Ellie couldn’t help but giggle. “My body’s alarms also go off a lot, even when things are pleasant. Sometimes especially when they are pleasant.”

“That seems inconvenient.”

“It can be, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“Have your body’s alarms gone off with me?”

“Um… yes? They uh… they’re kinda on high alert right now.”

“I see. Should I stop?”

“I don’t want to stop. Do you?”

“No.”

“Then…” Ellie placed a kiss on Abby’s lips. “What do you want to do?”

Abby’s brain races through various searches and possible responses, filtered by ones appropriate to the situation. She had seen similar situations in the media Ellie had given her to consume and learn language and things about the world. Once she had all her possibilities, she chose a response tailored for Ellie.

“You.” Abby said. “I want to do you.”

Ellie felt her face flush. The alarms were going off, ready to kick into a fight or flight response, but she noticed that Abby was so near to her and her hand rested on the couch’s arm rest, barring an escape if she had desired it. Her desire was not for escape however, and it wasn’t for fighting either. She swallowed her anxieties and put on a brave face.

“Oh really? What do you want to do to me?”

Abby’s eyes scanned over Ellie’s face. “I want to ease your tension. I can sense your muscles tightening. Your face temperature has increased by several degrees. Your pupils have widened.”

“Th-that’s all natural in a situation like this.”

“It is? Oh. Should I not offer release in this kind of situation?”

“Um. Not to everyone, no… but I don’t mind it. I… would like it.”

“Okay. Shall I proceed slowly?”

“Yes!” Ellie said eagerly, then pressed her lips together as if she’d spoken too quickly. “Maybe not even slowly,” she mumbled after it.

Abby nodded with a smile. She propped her legs up on the couch and came in close again for another kiss. Her hands moved to touch Ellie’s body, trailing over her arms and up her sides. Ellie’s skin got goosebumps underneath Abby’s touch. The girl’s eyes were closed in the bliss of kissing. Her hands moved to unhook the clasps of her overalls, and then to find Abby’s, taking hold of them and moving them towards her breasts. Abby hummed in satisfaction at Ellie’s enthusiasm and gently massaged the girl’s breasts. Ellie squirmed underneath her at her touch.

Abby broke away from their kiss to let Ellie breathe. Her breath came out as a satisfied sigh and a disappointed whimper at her want for more. Abby reached over to Ellie’s knee and pulled the girl’s legs onto the couch, turning her towards Abby completely. Ellie’s eyes went wide as Abby pulled her close, now fully hovering over her as she lay flat on the couch. Abby straddled one of her thighs and leaned heavily on one hand places next to Ellie’s face.

“Is this going slow enough?” The robot said.

“You’re doing great.” Ellie said with a hint of amusement. “You learned well.”

“You gave me good resources.”

“Maybe you can be the one to teach me a thing or two then.” Ellie giggled.

“Maybe so.” Abby smiled.

She leaned in close again to kiss Ellie more. Her body lowered into Ellie’s, lying down tightly against her. As they kissed, one of Abby’s hands moved down across Ellie’s overalls to between her legs. When it arrived there, Abby could feel a tremble through Ellie’s body, and the girl pulled up her free leg, the other one held back by and moving against Abby’s body.

“Ah, you like that, don’t you?” The robot said, her voice dropping lower.

Ellie’s response came in gasps. Had Abby made some assumptions about her from what she’d given her?

Abby smiled, as if she’d read the girl’s mind. Her hand moved up and down, applying a little pressure.

“You like me being assertive, don’t you?”

Ellie bit her lip and nodded. “I do.”

Abby chuckled and kissed Ellie’s forehead. “Good girl. I like how you communicate so well with me. It pleases me, and I’d like to please you.”

Ellie bucked her hips into Abby’s hand. The robot rose up and took hold of the girl’s overalls. With Ellie lifting her butt, Abby pulled the clothes down. She moved aside to free Ellie’s leg and pulled the overalls off her.

As they came off, Abby caught Ellie’s legs, pointing up at the ceiling. She looked down at the girl from between her legs, hugging them against her shoulders.

“You have given me a lot of poetry to read,” the robot said, “but I have difficulty finding the words to describe your beauty beyond its physical elements.”

Ellie smiled shyly. “How would you describe its physical elements?”

Abby processed for a moment. “Warm. Light. Curvaceous. Soft. Moist. Shimmering. Opalescent. Gleaming.”

“Are you describing my eyes?”

“Your eyes are beautiful.”

Ellie giggled and hid her face in her hands. “Stooooopp!” She said, paused, then peeked through her fingers. “Go on…”

“Your face is beautiful.” Abby continued.

“Your legs…” She kissed Ellie’s calf. “Are beautiful.”

“Your thighs…” She moved backwards and lowered her head, kissing the inside of the opposite thigh. “Are beautiful.”

Ellie shuddered.

“Your tummy…” Abby moved forward and kissed it. “Is beautiful.”

“Your panties…” She kissed the bulge in Ellie’s panties, invoking a twitching reaction. “Are beautiful.”

Ellie moaned. Her hands slipped underneath her shirt. “Keep going.”

Abby rubbed the panties and lifted them up to move them aside, slipping fingers into it to take out Ellie’s girlcock.

“Your girlcock,” she said, kissing it, “is beautiful.”

Ellie gasped.

Abby’s tongue poked at the member and then drew languidly across its length. It twitched and grew firmer under her touch as she repeated the motion on either side. When she did it a fourth time, her lips closed around the head and her tongue swished around it, drawing louder moans from Ellie.

Abby drew back, placed a kiss on the head of Ellie’s girlcock, smiled upwards at Ellie, and then took it back into her mouth.

Ellie trembled in pleasure. The way Abby moved and felt, she was indistinguishable from human. Her skin, her lips, her tongue, her fingers… The only things that showed she was different, that she was more, were those beautiful eyes with a light inside, and the gentle vibrations she could feel thrumming inside of her mouth and underneath her fingertips.

Under such influence, it did not take long for Ellie’s gasping “I’m coming! I’m coming!”

Her hips bucked. Abby’s hands held onto Ellie’s butt tightly, the motions of her mouth continuing until that first release came out.

Ellie’s body sagged back down, guided by Abby’s hands. She was mush, laying down, trembling in aftershock. Abby’s mouth came off her girlcock and the robot swished her tongue over it again to clean it off. She giggled as she finished her job, then crawled over to lay down and cuddle up next to Ellie.

“How was that?”

Ellie’s exhausted face broke into a dopey grin. “That was really good, thank you.”

Abby smiled and closed her eyes as she wrapped an arm around Ellie. Ellie put one arm on top of Abby’s.

“I’m very happy to have you.”

“I am very happy to be.”

“Can we do this again sometime? Let me return the favour?”

“Maybe, if you like. I would be up for it, provided with the right parts. There are also things I haven’t shown you yet.”

Ellie laughed. “You make me curious.” She closed her eyes and nuzzled her face against Abby’s. “But for now I wanna just lay her like this.”

“I am also up for that.”

And they lay like that for a while.

——————————

(Reblogs and comments are super welcome! Thank you for reading, and have a great day!)

[idv-thespians]

INTERMISSION #1

You might be wondering what this is! Well, simply said, these Intermissions are scenes of the people involved in this case so you can understand what they’re like are like. The detectives won’t have knowledge of what happened during them, and they won’t use them as evidence. This is simply for you to get a feel of the characters in a way the officers might not. It also helps you understand the true depth of some relationships better than on paper. Alright, that’s enough for the OOC part.

Miss Ellie was ending work, when one last customer came. Her eyes lit up upon noticing who was at the counter, she remembered that face well. She was so relieved to see a familiar face.

“Mr Deross? What are you doing here?”

“Ah, the people at Club Happy told me you were working here now.” Orpheus chuckled in response, smiling to her. “I hear about Monroe’s death, my condolences. The police must be hounding you for details. That horrible man… bothering you even after death.”

“Oh… I’m surprised you knew it was him.”

“Of course I knew, the name “Monroe” was up there, and I’d never forget that face.”

Orpheus remembered back then, when Ellie showed up to work with bruises on her body. No matter how well she hid them with makeup, he noticed them anyway. He once offered to get an attorney for her, but she refused him.

“… The police did come talk to me a few times.” Ellie tried to change the subject, thinking of her ex left a sour taste in her mouth.

“Have the media been after you too?”

“Oh, no. Not at all.”

“That’s a relief, I doubt his death would attract too much attention, but you never know. If you ever have trouble with them, feel free to let me help you out.”

”Mr Deross… You’re far too kind…” Even when she was married, Ellie was affectionate of Orpheus’ kind, gentle nature. She always kept their interactions strictly platonic, but she noticed he harboured similar feelings to her.

“Did he come to visit you at all? You both have been separated for years now.” Orpheus tilted his head slightly in worry.

“No, not at all.” Ellie sighed.

“Ah, enough about him. I almost forgot. Would you like to have some coffee? My treat, as usual. Take it as recompense for not having come any sooner.”

“Oh, that’s perfectly fine by me, but what about my son?”

“I can get him some food, does he still like pizza?”

Ellie chuckled, shaking her head in bewilderment. “Oh, you. You know his tastes…”

Once the two were finally done with their meal, Orpheus drove her to her home, as it began to rain. As she alighted, she turned to him, talking about a few last small nothings. After that, she closed the car door and left smiling, opening an umbrella to walk the rest of the way.

She noticed a silhouette, standing in the rain with an umbrella. Recognition struck her, but she didn’t make a move. She daren’t. The figure walked away, before she decided to walk, going to her house in silence.

[squeiky]

BEASTARS PARALLELS

Volumes used: 10-13 (with slight mentions of volumes before.)

WARNING: Images are edited to fit the book that I (myself) was reading. Since I've been reading the VIZ media books, Its come to my attention that the translations very are different online than it is here. Thus, I've concluded I must translate it all, in order for my points to come arose clearly.

Reminder: Click for better quality, or if you want to read it.

First parallel, is the "I love herbivores/I love carnivores" moment between Legoshi and Louis. Even funnier is that, it seem seems Legoshi is the reason, and Ibuki is the realization.

Also, in my book, When Ibuki ask if his freind is more important to him than the Shishigumi, Louis mentions that both the Shishigumi and Legoshi are both equally important to him. Which is a lot, considering that a parallel drawn within the manga itself is Louis comparing Ibuki to his father.

With the Shishigumi being basically family to him, its astonishing that Legoshi is on the exact same level of importance.

Another note, is that before this interaction and declaration about herbivores, Legoshi was thinking of Haru.

Unironically, Louis made a "eat me" joke to Legoshi, which (atleast in my book) is similar to the "how would I taste?" joke Haru made. This joke was duiring Louis's dream of Haru, before being waken up by Ibuki. This was after Legoshi thought of Haru, though.

Second parallel between the "dreams" and "nightmares" of Louis and Haru. Unsurprisingly both herbivores, that of which he keeps having repetitive dreams/nightmares about.

Weirdly enough, Legoshi agonizes about both of them. Unable to control what he's dreaming about, and slightly suffering because of it. Albeit, different levels of agony.

^goes with Juno and her realization, but eh

Third parallel with Riz vs Legoshi and Louis as the Moth.

In my book, during the fight with Riz (the last panel before he turned into a illusion of moths), Legoshi says "Isn't that right, Moth?", which was within the page that Legoshi was reminiscing over the Moth. Here, instead of a Moth, its Louis. Instead of Riz, its a bunch of drug dealers. Yet, its still the same concept of: for the sake of herbivores.

Of which both battles, he has the enemy surrender.

Also, Legoshi visualizes Louis similarly to how he did the Moth, which... weirdly enough, have both entered his body. Both the Moth and Louis visuals motivate him, and both Moth and Louis teach Legoshi something that he later carries on. (In my book, while conversing with Louis- before eating his leg- he tells him, "That's not all I remember. A lot has happened to us over the past year.//Louis, thanks to you I didn't become a monster.".

Moth and Louis both teach him, or help him in some way. They also motivate him during his fights for justice. They are also both were consumed by him (although Louis is still alive, of course.) Oh, and they were both dreamed about (as the Moth interaction took place when he was knocked out).

Forth parallel is this Louis and Legoshi scene with Juno and Haru's.

(My book for this scene is unavailable, so a direct translation cannot be made. That's why I don't have a picture.)

The scene at the gardening club where Juno calls Haru "cute" and interacts with Haru, realizing why carnivores can never "win" against herbivores

It's not an exact parallel between the two wolves, but its interesting that scenes like this take place in locations where hthe two are alone and simply enjoying anothers company.

The difference being while Juno rejects her emotions towards Haru in fear of ending up "wrapped around her finger" like Louis and Legoshi", Legoshi ends up admitting his emotions towards herbivores, fulling embracing them. (Louis does the whole, "I know." thing too, its great.)

One detail added are the soft hexagons and the dotty gradients that appear in the room. The soft geometric shapes only appear when he's thinking of Louis (see the soft triangles during his "reminiscing over getting high" scene), when he's admitting something deep/personal and when Louis sits next to him/ when they have a nice heart-to-heart.

It's not a parallel, but its a detail I noticed and wanted to bring up.

Thats all for now.

(I'm still learning about Yahya and Gosha, but I can see parallels between the two and Louis and Legoshi. The difference is that I don't think Louis has a grudge against Legohsi for wanting to date haru and stuff. They're not important to this post yet, but I'll bring it up.)

[aly-san]

Finally, years after seeing the first ep and being very impressed and then forgetting all about it, I've finished the School-Live anime and manga.

My overall opinion is that, the anime improved a ton of the first arc! The various psychological reveals are done much better imo, with significantly more lead-up and foreshadowing that makes the reveals more impactful. Ep1 is much better than Ch1--we get more time to experience the world Yuki lives in, and the bits of foreshadowing are subtle hints that something is wrong, but you can't quite tell what. Ch1 is fairly short, so you don't really get THAT much time before the reveal drops. I also, personally, prefer Miki being there in the anime, so we get that outside perspective of Yuki's behavior. It also adds more to the reveal itself, because suddenly you understand a lot more about how Miki acted, and how she responded to certain things Yuki said. ("Mii-kun, they're in class right now!" "Oh...right...") It gives you both the shock, and the "ohhh, I see". The manga just delivers the shock, which IS still good ofc; the two-page spread has great atmosphere, but it just doesn't hit as hard as 25 minutes of build-up lmao.

Megu-nee was also done much better in the anime imo. Like ep1 vs ch1, there is much more time to settle into the world and the characters, considering the moment is in ch5 of the manga and ep6 of the anime. While that sounds like a similar amount of build-up, I read those 5 chapters probably within one hour, while 6 episodes is inherently approximately 3 hours. Also, it felt like Megu-nee was given a smaller role in the manga, although that does prevent the audience from necessarily picking up on the reveal before it occurs. I definitely knew something was up with her when I watched the show initially (never made it to ep6 back then) and had guessed the reveal before I got it spoiled for me. BUT that just gave me new perspective while watching it all the way through this time. It's easy to miss if you're not paying attention, but when you know what to look for, it's very very obvious. I think that's super cool.

That, and the way it's revealed, imo, is fantastic in the anime and kind of uncompelling in the manga. The pacing, tone, and music in the anime are incredible, and adding Miki into the scene once again to be give the audience's this new perspective hits much harder than Yuki just remembering on her own.

That said! The anime cuts out a lot of interaction between Yuki and Miki before Miki properly joins the club, and that's a shame. Those moments are very good. Some of them are adapted into the anime slightly differently, but the scene in the manga where Miki confronts Yuki in the middle of the night, and it culminates in us getting some insight into how Yuki's mind is working, is a great character moment and it's a bummer that isn't in the anime.

Yuki as a character in the anime isn't quite as deep as she is in the manga. I think it's overall okay, because Yuki's depth is explored more in the arcs after the School arc which the anime didn't get to, but it is certainly a shame. The whole cast, overall, is a bit softened in the anime. Miki gets into some fights with the others that are definitely toned down in the anime, if not removed entirely.

Ri-san gets her moments of tension near the end, but they're also significantly different (due to the context also being different). This is also a bummer, because I loved her breakdowns in the manga. I love seeing the cool, calm, collected characters in media lose their shit lmao, and Ri-san DELIVERS in the manga.

Considering the ending changing a decent amount of how the end of this arc goes down, it's not entirely surprising that this breakdown isn't included, so I get it, but I'm still sad about it lol. That said, I do have mixed feelings on both ways the end of this arc plays out. The broadcast being used in the anime to get the zombies to leave is very heartfelt and feels like a proper finale to all the mentions of loving school, and zombies following their routine in life, etc. That is used in ch5 in the manga as like...a one-time solution? Which I felt underwhelming in comparison. That said, the intensity of the events in the manga is much higher, and it did do a better job of making it feel like these girls were at their absolute limits. I also prefer the moment of Kurumi waking up in the manga, as it felt a bit awkward in the anime somehow.

Speaking of, Kurumi as a character is still pretty similar across the board. We get a bit more about her being the sporty one and being just as bad at studying as Yuki, but her characters is largely unchanged from what I recall. The anime did a weird thing, where it put a ominous filter over any moment Kurumi was going to kill a zombie. I'm not sure what that was about. I didn't dislike it, but it felt strange. If that were a thing that happened in the later arcs of the manga, I'd get it, but in the anime, it just confused me.

Moving on. Miki! I love the anime swapping around the timeline and having Miki there from the ep1, and then doing a flashback to show her joining the club. It gives us a better sense of how long she's been with the club, as in the manga, it didn't feel like they were together that long. In a similar vein, her time with Kei in the mall felt much longer in the anime than the manga. I also prefer them being alone from day 1 in the anime, finding a spot to hide and staying there for days? Weeks? All alone with no sign of help. In the manga, they have a whole group of survivors they stay with, and while that ends in disaster, I didn't get a feel for how long they were together, and it felt kind of muddled by some of the interactions (the older man getting drunk and hitting on Miki). These characters weren't around long enough for me to get attached, and I didn't quite feel like Miki or Kei got attached either. I could tell Kei probably got a crush on the leader, but it didn't have a ton of emotional weight to it. (This might have been the fan translation, in fairness.) This made Kei's choice to leave feel sudden and out of left field...it didn't feel like she grieved after the disaster, and it didn't seem like she wanted to leave before it...it felt much more natural in the anime, and the pacing felt better.

The change in role for Taromaru in the anime, I also prefer. It gives a bit more room for angst for Miki (which, tbh, she didn't really need, but yknow), and offered some motivation for the girls during pivotal plot moments that I found felt a little rushed in the manga. I also honestly didn't really see a point to the scene about him in the manga? It felt very unimportant, and I can't think of any point where it came back up or was relevant in any way. I guess maybe it was just meant to illustrate the zombie's coming back to places that were important to them in life, but that felt pretty well established by that point...maybe I missed it, idk. I like his role in the anime much better, although the moment at the end of the last episode was a bit of an unnecessary cruelty imo lmfao.

We also can't talk about the anime without discussing the opening theme!! It's by far my favorite part of the adaptation. The way it changes every episode is so so good, keeping the cheery tone while showing the awful reality. Openings that evolve as the show goes on is one of my favorite things, and I think this is my favorite example. Even just the way that the opening shot of the school changes from mid-day to late dusk... so good!!

In both versions, I got frustrated with the ways the girls acted lol, speaking loudly when trying to hide from zombies, not taking proper precautions when scouting, not thinking to try and leave the school in the car earlier, etc etc.

I don't have too much to say about the arcs following the School arc. Kurumi's symptoms were interesting, and the reveals about the virus were as well. There was a decent level of tension during the last stretch, although I think the time-skip last chapter does kill that a bit. The whole arc involving Risa and Ruu was a bit strange, the way Risa just seems to get better after a certain point. Like the situation with Megu-nee, I could guess what was going on, but the way she just kinda...idk...snaps out of it? At a certain point, was very odd to me.

I've talked a lot. One last point!! The art is very good! I had a bit of an issue telling the difference between Miki and Yuki at certain points, when Yuki wouldn't be wearing her hat and we'd have a panel that was close up on one of their faces. Their light hair-color and similar bangs made it hard to tell which was which sometimes. But other than that, the intense expressions and the artist's ability to show grief and especially absolute exhaustion is so good.

I also greatly prefer the zombies in the manga compared to the anime. They aren't always detailed looking in the manga, but I like their look more than the weird miasma they're made of for most of the anime. The anime almost felt...censored? While I was watching it. Which, I guess, is possible. I was watching it on HiDive and it's entirely likely they would have a censored version if that was the case. But the zombies were MUCH scarier in the manga, even compared to the more intense moments of the anime (Megu-nee) where we actually get to see more of how the zombies look.

Anyway I like them both a lot, I think when put together they make a fantastic product and make up for each others flaws. Which is honestly, very fitting for the content and themes of the series! A happy coincidence lol!