#norbez originals

[norbezjones]

Cthulhu's Son Is A Scene Kid?! is RELEASED! :D

Juniper, a disabled & depressed transgender woman, meets a new guy at the CD shop, and the two of them fall in love.  However, it turns out he’s the son of Cthulhu!  Will their love prevail?

This was made for a fuck-ton of game jams—basically, I saw a bunch of jams from May to June that I wanted to participate in, and was like, “Let’s participate in them all with one game!” 

The primary jam that inspired this is the Cringe Culture is Dead Jam.  I got the idea of a girl falling in love with Cthulhu’s son when I adopted the character design of FR3AK a while back, and was like, “Now I gotta make a game called ‘Cthulhu’s Son Is A Scene Kid?!’.”  That jam was perfect for that idea!

I also decided to embrace doing some things that make me cringe, to really fulfill the jam’s purpose.  Because the older I get, the more I realize that if something instinctively makes me cringe, it’s likely I sign I should embrace doing that thing.  That’s why the music is me humming into the microphone, because singing in public is very hard for me to do!  So I knew I had to do it anyway! >:)

Also, this was originally intended for the REALLY BAD IF jam & the Worst Visual Novel Ever Challenge, as an intentionally bad game.  That’s why the writing & art aren't as polished as it usually is.  But as I developed it, (1) I needed more time to finish it, so I missed the deadlines for those jams, and (2) most importantly, this game started to have some actual quality to it (mainly due to the amazing voice work @auroraaveva & @jalenakers did!).  So I couldn’t submit it to those jams anyway!  A good problem to have!

Let me know what you think of this little game of mine.  It was intended to be a short, fun little project, and everyone involved did a fantastic job.

P.S. Whoever can name the games of mine that Dana And The Pains originates from get 1000 internet points.

[sitespeeddiamond]

Grindr ban

Add the hashtag #twinder so other participants can find you!” On September 25th, 2021, Twitter user big relly tweeted the following: “Alright, the #twinder rules: post pic(s) along w/area & what you’re looking for - a date? homegirls? Brunch buddies? winter time boo? A third? I encourage folks to let it be known if you’re strictly het. A Black Girl Protecting Her Magic September 26, 2021 Stumbled onto this #twinder hashtag and…I’m intrigued. However, there was some recent tension about Tinder as a platform, and we want to dive into that before you pick up that app.

If you want to find love with a Grindr alternative, there seem to be quite a few. Or can you? Let’s talk about that in a bit. It’s a definite recommendation from us.įinally, you can’t go wrong with the classic swiping app, Tinder. It’s a clean, virtual experience that promises a more professional experience, as it is also used to find friends and mentors.Īre you a a queer femme person? Then go with HER, a pioneer in the gay dating space that’s still going strong. On the other hand, you might want to consider Bumble, the “hive” where “women make the first move”. But it promises a premium dating experience with others who have also bought into the system. Match is an expensive choice at almost $45 per month. But what other Grindr alternatives are out there? Let’s take a look. Thankfully, Grindr is safe for now, and is still on the app store. This raised questions as to whether apps, specifically LGBTQ+ apps, that promote sexual content will be banned. However, though some of the text is correct, its claim that Apple banned Grindr is decidedly false.īack in June, Apple announced new app store guidelines that states apps “that may include pornography or be used to facilitate prostitution” are prohibited. The picture went viral, gaining over a thousand likes and more than a hundred comments.

Under this text is a cartoon mocking the fact that “teenage strippers” being banned is a bad thing (despite that not being what the original text was saying, but we digress). We are descending into a Christan dystopia and y’all don’t want to see it. Texas just functionally banned streippers under 21 and abortion. Starting the day after tomorrow you won’t be able to buy and sell erotica on eBay. Is it true? Did Apple really ban Grindr from their platform? Let’s look into the facts, and dig a bit deeper into a online chats like Omegle and the viral dating app hashtags in the process.Ī user on Facebook named “Wholesome memes of traditional morality II: Trad dames, and too long names” posted a picture that read the following: By: Naomi Norbez Did Apple ban Grindr? All the gay dating app alternatives

[naominorbez]

You are SAL: Simple Artificial LifeProgram©.  You "love" a human.  Don't you?  Can you, a logical, digital being, love?  And do you want to find out?

(The game has music, so may take a moment to load.)

I’ve released a new game!  It’s a short romance Twine (my first dating sim?) about a logical computer and an emotional human.

Don't forget to read the author's note at the end.  I look forward to your thoughts.  Let me know what you think in the game’s comments, or by tweeting with #SNRtwine.

[norbezdraws]

 More fanart of The Heart of Tales by @katy-133​  (play it here!  You won’t regret it!).  I really like this game–I even put together a jazz playlist for it.

The Mithamoore and Sareth romances are probably my favorites.  Last time I drew Sareth; this time I drew Mithamoore!

Branching off the ending where the Hero (Perri Jone in my playthrough) goes with Mithamoore to try and find the person who turned him human. I headcanon that Perri Jone left Sareth in Cole’s care while she and Mithamoore went on their romantic quest.

I did a few sketches this time, of Mithamoore and the hero chilling, then them being romantic.  The bottom one is when Mithamoore turns human, crying and hugging the hero--you decide whether this scene is a dream or not. ;)

Other headcanons:

--The world is confused.  So confused.  The Hero basically peaces out for two years, then saves the world again out of nowhere, and NOW is travelling everywhere with a “friendly dragon”?!  What is this.  The bards can’t make sense of this craziness.

--Once in a while, they reach a town that was damaged by the Earthburner.  Mithamoore has vowed to make up for his mistakes, so they stay a while and do what they can to help the community.   Mithamoore is a helpful dragon!  He can hunt for animals, make fires, make wind with his wings, among other things.

--Not that many communities will have them.  Most places flat-out refuse the Hero entry--even if they are THE HERO, they still have a huge dragon that is also Mithammore the Earthburner, so.  Nothing personal.  It takes quite a while for people to accept this weirdness and let the Hero in--most places need her to keep the GIANT DRAGON outside, though.  The Hero usually goes inside to do her business, but then sleeps outside with her love.  They spend many nights under the stars, and Mithamoore points out the constellations, the ancient dragons watching from above.

--There’s also a lot of people who think that the Hero defeated Mithamoore and basically forced him to serve her, or owns him now.  It takes a while for that misunderstanding to die--and even after it’s mostly gone, there are still whispers of it.  Some people say that the Hero is in love with the dragon--but that would be absurd!  That’s totally not what’s happening here. ;)

--It gets to the point where the king summons the Hero to his castle to find out what the heck this is.  Needless to say, she tells him.  He’s pretty flabbergasted, and keeps their conversation to himself.

--Things are hard in the beginning.  Not only in terms of acceptance and limited living spaces and dragon killers (more on that later), but also with the Hero and Mithamoore’s relationship. Mithamoore still struggles with trusting, trying to force his cynical beliefs out of his heart and believe in the one he loves.  At night, he has dreams of waking up alone, abandoned--or, worse, with the Hero’s sword in his belly.  At first he tries to hide his fears, so he is not seen as weak.  But after a tense night, after lashing out, he apologizes shares them with the Hero.  He waits anxiously for her response, terrified that his fears will come true, that his anger and fear will cause her to leave him.  But she smiles, and puts a gentle hand on his nose.  “I’m glad you told me,” she says.  “You should know that no matter what happens, I’ll still love you.  We can work together on this, ok?” In that moment, he knows--again--that he chose the right person.  After this, he vows to be more open with his partner, for both their sakes.

--He also has trouble being humble, coming to terms with his new reputation--not as a being feared, not even as one respected by humans (because of his association with the Hero and the ownership misunderstanding).  In his time with the hero, he fosters a new kind of strengh: that of compassion and kindness, a strength discovered when he met the Hero, which he grows as their journey goes on.  He redefines himself, comes to understand and expel the darkness in his heart, respecting humankind along with the words of his ancestors.

--So many people want Mithamoore dead, now that he’s vulnerable and out of the safety of his lair.  Think Inigo Montoya types, except replace “father” with “town/farmland/other family member who died in Mithamoore’s wake (who may or may not be a father)”.  The Hero and Mithamoore pay restitution in the cases they can--Mithamoore’s layer is full of gold, after all, and he has grown to be willing to give it to those in need.  But some things cannot be restored--the lives Mithamoore took as a killer will never return to those who grieve.  The dragon would give his own life if he could, but to do so would seperate him from his love forever.  So he lets the person make a request of him--and no matter how obsurd (within some reason, of course), he will do it.

--Growing is not easy.  There are some nights Mithamoore cries himself to sleep--”I am a hidious beast, a terrible being who does not deserve life--I’ve done such awful things in my lifetime; how can she love such a horrible thing as me?”  And yet she does, the Hero reassures him, and she always will.  Which only makes him cry more.

--When/If, then finally find the sorceress who cursed Mithamoore, it is after a long, multi-year search, following rumor after rumor, person after person, until they locate her tiny shack on the edge of the Fifth Kingdom’s woods.  She recognizes Mithamoore immediately, and smiles as she listens to his and the Hero’s story.  “You are not the same dragon I cursed all those years ago,” the woman says.  “Very well.  I will give you your human form.”  When Mithamoore once again has hands and feet--he wears the clothes the Hero bought him the week they met--at once he runs to his love and wraps his new arms around her, feeling her warmth.  The Hero smiles and hugs him back, patting him gently on the back.  “Good to see you again.”

ALSO

if you have not read the book How To Raise and Keep A Dragon,

I PITY YOU.

That book is awesome!  It’s basically framed like a how-to guide for keeping a pet, but it’s dragons!  It’s adorable!  And also very informative in case we ever discover dragons exist. ;)

Mithamoore would hate it.  But you, the non-fictional human being, should read it!

Anyway, thanks for reading this post!  Hope you enjoyed!

https://katy133.itch.io/the-heart-of-tales

[writingsofawanderingwonderer]

Right. So this is a response to @norbezdraws video, "Should We Fix Our Mad Geniuses?" 

Norbez, you asked me for my thoughts on Twitter, so I'm gonna go post a novel of an explanation here, so get comfy in a nice reading chair. :)

If there's anyone else reading this, go listen to the video first, it's really interesting and it poses a rather fascinating question.

Also, sorry for the long wait for my response. ^^;

Also note: Everything I write here is about and from a storytelling and media perspective. Not real life.

I’m gonna use bullet points for my thoughts.

- On a moral level, the character should want to change. This is why Rick's capture in Rick and Morty and the protagonist in A Clockwork Orange (I haven't seen this film) are considered tragic. Because even though their capture will save people from getting hurt, they don't want to be captured or changed.

- I feel like drugs and other forms of addiction should be separated from mental illness, and that abuse should also be separated in the character examples list of flaws, because audience members' views on those different subjects could be contradictory.

For example:

Drugs/addiction is self-harming (a character flaw), so viewers may likely say, "Yes, the character should be fixed and have this removed."

Abuse (emotional/physical--and quite honestly, I think these two type should also be sub-separated; they're so different) harms other people who are around that character. This can make characters who have this type of flaw more villainous (Gothel from Disney's Tangled has been cited as an emotional abuser to her daughter) because if they don't want to change, then we as the audience see that as bad and/or irredeemable because they’re hurting people they care about and/or are close to.

Mental illness affects the character's mind. The mind is linked with personality. Therefore, if you "fix" the character by removing their mental illness, do you make the character no longer "them"? Who do they become?

Additionally, many works (such as Hellblade--which I haven’t played) frame the main character’s mental illness as not something to be cured. Rather, the story frames it as a part of the character. The challenges in the story come more from the outside world not understanding the main character’s different perception of the world.

Particularly with mental illness, opinions will vary depending on the viewer (as well as the individual character), as to whether the character should be "fixed."

Also, some examples, like Sherlock, make the addiction a flaw rather than a trait that is required for them to still be themselves/a genius. Sherlock would still be a genius without drugs. The drugs are his flaw[1], not his strength (intelligence). Take away Sherlock’s addiction and he’s still Sherlock. He’s still a detective.

*Footnote: In the BBC series and in original novels' canon, Sherlock supposedly only uses drugs when he has no case to solve. So drugs actually equals "Sherlock is not acting like a genius." BBC Sherlock actually wrecked this idea with the plot holes in season 4, but I'm going off tangent at this point (and at this point, a lot of BBC Sherlock fans--myself included--are currently not considering season 4 to even be series canon, given the amount of plot holes, out-of-character moments, and retcon-ing it contained. Seriously, what was up with that last episode?! THAT GUN DIDN’T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE A TRANQUILLISER! ARE YOU KIDDING M--).

- When I read the title of the video, I at first thought you meant "eccentricity": Characters who act outside social norms and don't follow the status quo/expectations (in an unharmful manner). Quirky characters. Characters who walk to the beat of a different drum. I understand that's not what you meant, but I might as well say my opinion on eccentric characters: It takes all sorts to make a world. They do not need to be "fixed."

- I also think misanthropic characters don't need to be fixed. I have to be clear on this, because SO many writers get misanthropia wrong: It's disliking humanity. Not wanting harm towards humanity. They just don’t want to want to deal with humanity. It's like being a hardcore grump/hermit rather than a jerk/murderer/rude person. A misanthropic person can have strong bonds with other humans, they just don't like dealing with strangers (often because they have been "burnt" before in past experiences) and can be very caring, selfless individuals with healthy relationships. Misanthropes are often the way they are because they care a lot, rather than a little (the latter being the stereotype I see a lot in fiction). Often, you can’t even tell if someone’s a misanthrope just by looking for them. A misanthrope looks at a smoker and thinks, "Why do THEY get dibs on the clean air?", etc. There is a difference between a grump and a jerk.

- I think series like Rick and Morty and BBC Sherlock have mad geniuses that treat their partner badly/questionably, yet we still like them as characters is less because of their “gifts,” and more because we see that when push comes to shove, Rick/Sherlock will act selflessly to protect Morty/John.

That’s how I interpret it anyway.

Rick is showing signs of being more caring (and hopefully less abusive) towards Morty. As Mycroft predicted, Sherlock is showing his heart more by being with John.

Their characters arcs are actually “fixing” them.

Another example of this type of relationship (or a similar type of relationship) is Eddy and her daughter Saffy’s relationship in Absolutely Fabulous. There’s an episode where Eddy protects her daughter from a guy who keeps bothering her (Saffy). Even though Eddy and Saffy constantly insult each other, at the end of the day, Eddy cares about her daughter. We don’t necessarily see their relationship as good, but we understand why they stay together.

And Eddy doesn’t even have “mad genius” nor traditionally heroic qualities. She’s the epitome of a “UK Comedy Series’ Unsympathetic Protagonist.”

Okay, now some character examples:

I'll start off with examples of abuse/addiction that are either BAD, start off as bad/questionable, or in a grey area:

These examples don't inherently make the works bad. I like all of the works listed below. These are just examples of problematic portrayals that we should pause for thought and reflect on.

- Bullet in the Face (a Canadian-American series about a criminal mastermind helping cops track down a bigger criminal mastermind) has Gunter attacking other characters to help solve cases. Gunter is portrayed as a villain protagonist, and most if not all of the characters he attacks are villains as well, making the protagonist ironically less problematic than if the writers portrayed him as a heroic character. The series basically says, “He’s a villain. So he does villainous things.”

- Dirk Gently: (We're talking BBC-2010-TV-series!Dirk, not the original books/other adaptations, nor the 2016 series.) Dirk is a detective who can solve mysteries others can't because of his odd philosophies. He has a partner, named Richard, who he hypnotises into giving him money, uses as a guinea pig (he injects him with a computer chip without warning him), and steals money from him. Yet Richard still stays with him (which is considered to be one of the biggest plot holes the adaptation has).

- Rick and Morty: Rick still continues to be abusive towards Morty, his own grandson. Rick's selfless act at the end of season 2 hints that Rick may slowly be trying to change his ways. Unity's note to Rick when it dumps him also implies that the writers are self-aware that Rick's abusive traits are a flaw, not a "kooky trait," so Rick could be interpreted as a "good" example too, because the series shows the negative effects of his behaviour.

- BBC Sherlock: As I said above.

Okay, now some examples (you asked for) of GOOD examples of abuse/addiction being portrayed in a non-romantic/kooky/positive/problematic light: 

 - Captain Haddock: In The Adventures of Tintin: The Crab with the Golden Claws album, Tintin meets an alcoholic who is the captain of a ship. Together, they escape the ship's crew and solve a mystery together. Haddock wouldn't really be considered an archetypal "mad genius," but by being with Tintin, his alcoholism decreases (though never actually disappears completely--writer Hergé liked to portray things realistically). His alcoholism decreases because of Tintin's support and friendship, which is really heartwarming to me.

- Dirk Gently: Here, we're talking book!Dirk. Irony, eh? In the original novels, Dirk is still abusive to his crime-solving partners (he, again, hypnotises Richard into jumping into the River Thames--which is not a nice place to go swimming, unless you like plastic bags and abandoned shopping trolleys). What makes the books different than the BBC series however, are the endings: Every partner Dirk gets, in each book, dumps him by the end of each adventure/novel they have with him because of his abusive tendencies. They don't want to be with him. That paints Dirk’s abuse as a more negative thing, instead of a “quirky” thing.

- Croak: The main character or this novel, Lex, is introduced as a teenage girl who recently developed anger management issues. She lashes out at people, especially at her school. It’s portrayed in an untraditionally human way: She describes it as feelings she knows are harmful, and she doesn’t enjoy these feelings of charged anger. She struggles to stop herself from lashing out. She also takes great care in making sure she doesn’t hurt her sister. (I haven’t finished the first book yet, so I don’t know how her character arc ends.)

- The Jennifer Ann Group’s yearly game jam focuses on creating games that educate people on teen dating abuse. The game Grace’s Diary is a notable example.

I hope this answered your questions on what my thoughts were on this subject.

[naominorbez]

I made a Youtube playlist for @katy-133 's romance VN The Heart of Tales! :D Play it here: https://katy133.itch.io/the-heart-of-tales

Playing the game made me think of some older jazz romance songs because I'm a nerd for jazz.  So I thought I'd assemble a playlist with at least one song for each moment in the game. Thanks for listening! :)

1. What A Difference A Day Makes: A song that covers the whole game, and how over the span of a few days, the protagonist finds what they need in romance.

2-3: Sunday Afternoon & Lonely Town: The protagonist has nice relaxing retirement life.  But it is a lonely life, and the protagonist needs to learn something.  Enter...

4. Mack The Knife: Mithamoore the Earthburner!  An insidious dragon who's been turned human!  And someone else knocks at the door...

5. Stella by Starlight: Cole, a knight who wishes to learn from the protagonist.  This song is meant to represent how much he idolizes the protagonist because of how they awesomely saved the world once upon a time.

6. Hit The Road Jack: The protagonist wants these two to leave her house so she can get back to her life!  But her talking sword convinces her to kick them out in a more roundabout/genius way.

7. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, And Me): So the protagonist keeps Cole (the "echo") and Mithamoore (the "shadow") around.

8. The Good Life: She sends the two on a fake quest!  But it turns about things aren't as good as they seem out there--danger may be brewing. (I'll be perfectly honest: I wanted to put this song somewhere because I love it so much.  But I also can't find a perfectly-good song for this moment either--and the lyrics in The Good Life work pretty well in places, at least to me!  If you have a better song for this moment, please let me know!  Thanks!)

9. Ain't Got No, I Got Life: Mithamoore has a hard Real Talk moment with the protagonist, and the protagonist has a hard Real Talk moment with Cole.

10. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: The protagonist hopes that their words got through to Cole (and Mithamoore to an extent).  Plus, some feelings may be stirring within her heart...

11-13. I Could Have Danced All Night & Cheek to Cheek & Lullaby of Birdland: The protagonist dances with the one they love.  I associate these songs to Cole’s, Mithamoore’s, and Sareth’s dance, in that order.

14. Almost Like Being in Love: The protagonist reflects on recent events, and recognizes their romantic feelings.

15. I Could Write A Book: Mithamoore's declaration of love to the protagonist.

16. Teach Me Tonight: Cole's romance with the protagonist.

17. All The Things You Are: Sareth’s declaration of love to the protagonist.

Love is in the air!  But so is villainy...

18. Feeling Good: As Anemza returns, I can imagine him singing this song! >:) Yes I know that’s not the context.  The context of the song is actually quite interesting actua--OK FOCUS, BACK ON TOPIC.

19. Everything Must Change: The protagonist realizes what it truly means to put her faith in another person, and that she must do it.

20. Where Flamingos Fly:  The Sareth path with Anemza.  It's a powerful scene.  Also applies to Mithamoore’s path.

21. It's All Over But The Crying: Mainly for Mithamoore's ending, where the protagonist must kill him to snap him out of the spell Anemza's put him under.  This song could be taken straight, or Anemza could be singing it sarcastically to the protagonist.  Maybe 1st verse straight, 2nd verse Anemza sarcasm.

The next few songs apply to the ending choices!

22-23. I'll Be Seeing You & Speak Low: The protagonist chooses to let the one they love go.

24. Tea For Two: In the Sareth path, the protagonist chooses to return to retirement with him.

25. Fly Me To The Moon: For when the protagonist chooses to fly away with Mithamoore.

26. New York, New York: A song for choosing to return to adventuring!  With Cole/Sareth.

Bonus: The Lady Is A Tramp: When the game talks about the bards still singing about the protagonist, I'll imagine this song. ;)

Thanks for listening.  This was really fun; I discovered quite a few new songs doing this.  Hope you enjoyed it!  Let me know if you have any suggestions!

[naominorbez]

Made a new Patreon Post (Public, because Halloween).

I have a few things in the works this month, including a fangame of @kirbopher‘s TOME (which I’ve loved since I saw the first episode on Newground’s frontpage).  There’s a Kickstarter for a TOME game right now; check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1660664362/terrain-of-magical-expertise-rpg-a-game-about-a-ga

Read the post to learn more about it & the other things I’m doing this month.  Have a good one! :)

[naominorbez]

The Mouse, my IF Comp game from last year, is now publicly available to download!  

The game, an abuse simulator centering on a college punk named Evelyn Grey, is pay-what-you-want (and you can download it for free!).

The text has been updated from its IF Comp release; it reads and flows much better, and all bugs should be gone. Let me know if you have any issues.

Now a few of you might be wondering: "Why did I wait so long to release this?" It actually isn't because of this year's IF Comp (which also starts today, October 1); that was a coincidence.

It's because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and seeing the game was made to bring awareness to abuse, it was the best time.

There are real Evelyns out there in the world; some of them are abuse victims, some are survivors.  Listen to their stories. Don't mute their voices. Support them.

Here are some resources on domestic violence for you: http://www.nrcdv.org/dvam/about-dv

Now if you excuse me, I have to stock up on purple (the awareness color for Domestic Violence Awareness Month).

[norbezdraws]

“When it comes to stepping out into the Universe, you’re in or you’re out.”

A quick-ish Morwenna from @katy-133‘s Three Guys That Paint.  I had to satisfy my need to draw fanart after replaying 3GTP yesterday.

I’m not 100% happy with some things in this, but I’m happy I drew it.  Morwenna is awesome.

[naominorbez]

Games have the power to change a person's life.  Unfortunately for Adrian and Hanna, it was for the worse.

__________

It’s here!  My first SuNoFes game (it concludes an epilogue I wrote--part 1 of the epilogue is here)and my fanwork of @katy-133's [redacted] Life.  

PLAY THE ORIGINAL HERE!  IT'S GREAT; YOU WON'T REGRET IT!  You also won't understand this story unless you've played [redacted] Life, so you NEED to play it.  It's ~30 minutes, so give it a shot and come back afterward!

Also shoutout to @fakemagicjaye & @yuukipudding for their awesome work on the original [redacted] Life; check them out!

Enjoy!  Thank you for playing! :)

[naominorbez]

I made a vent game dealing with the recent hurricanes and disasters and deaths.

A personal response to Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.  Written August 8, 2017.

This game contains swearing, and detailed discussion of death, self-deprecation, and suicidal thoughts.

Any donations to this game will be given to help the relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey and Irma.

[naominorbez]

I did a new video on a whim, after watching & live-tweeting the new Death Note movie.  This movie displays abuse as necessary for growth and it’s gross.  I analyze its themes of power and romance.  Give it a watch, and let me know your thoughts!

[naominorbez]

Hey, I live-tweeted while watching the Netflix Death Note movie!

Spoilers: I didn’t much care for it.

[naominorbez]

New Public Patreon Post up!  A few important announcements & a new project~!

[naominorbez]

Ask Meme

Tagged by @roboticabirdie (Perfect timing btw!  I’m going on a hiatus from social media soon. :] )

Rules: Tag 9 people whom you’d like to know better

Relationship Status: Single 

Lipstick or Chapstick: Chapstick.  I’ve only ever worn lipstick for theatre; it’s not my thing.

Last Song I Listened To: I think Restrained by tiasu?  I was re-listening to their Fire album; it’s a favorite of mine. 

(Last song I sung is a different story, though.  I have a constant playlist stored in my mind that cycles through all the songs I’ve learned over the years; I was recently re-singing songs from elementary school choir! X) I first learned Waltzing Matilda in that choir, a song that I have come across quite a few times in my life, and will probably see again in the future.

Anyway.)

Top 3 Shows: Steven Universe, Black Mirror, and Merli.

(I just started watching Merli, actually.  Only seen the first three episodes, but I love it.  It has its roots in Dead Poets Society, which is a film I found to be mediocre b/c the teacher put his “carpe diem” philosophy over . . . y’know, actually teaching the material.  I think Merli balances it (that is, the philosophy of the teacher and the teaching of his class material) better, but it also has REALLY interesting characters--some who are interesting because of their tendency to do the wrong thing [the main character is like this!].  It’s on Netflix; check it out.  Warning for adult content though--this show is not for kids.

@katy-133 & @phanatyy , I feel like you especially would find Merli quite interesting; it’s the jerk Main Charater or Rick and Morty combined with Dead Poets Society.  Merli [the main character] is quite Rick-like, and Bruno [you’ll meet him in the first episode] is kind of this show’s Morty.  Like Rick, Merli drags both Bruno and the philosophy class to some strange, bad, and interesting places.)

Top 3 Characters: Oof.  Remind me to redo my Top 10 Characters list someday.  The characters I like change depending on what I’m personally feeling, though it’s safe to say a few characters I will always love (such as Hogarth from The Iron Giant).  For the sake of not repeating myself, here are 3 characters I’ve really enjoyed recently:

1. Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles.  I recently re-watched the film, and spotted quite a few things I hadn’t noticed when I last re-saw it a few years back.  The emotion of Mr. Incredible’s arc is captured so incredibly well (no pun intended), and I found myself really understanding & empathizing with him in ways I hadn’t before.  I can’t wait until The Incredibles 2.

2. Javier from The Walking Dead: A New Frontier.  Ok, let me say this: Telltale just keeps getting better and better.  I was starting to have doubts after the first episode of TWD: Michonne, but the next two episodes were pretty good (not to mention the cinematic battles and Michonne’s mental struggle--I CRIED AT THE END, OK?!), and Telltale Batman was awesome.  A New Frontier is a great step forward for Telltale.

The narrative design in A New Frontier, not to mention the writing and the expressive facial animation, was great.  I really empathize with Javi, and find him to be an interesting and complex character.  I also find it interesting that he’s showing his nephew, who’s going through puberty, what it means to grow up and “be a man”, which gives more weight to your decisions as a player.  This also gives a new light to things when Clementine enters the narrative: How will she, a stoic loner more than capable of protecting herself, impact your nephew’s life as he grows into adulthood, hoping to be the family protector someday?

Honestly, I really like all the characters in A New Frontier so far--yes, even Conrad, who did a bad thing (won’t say what because of spoilers), but had a complex and understandable reason for doing so.  I’m not saying he was in the right or anything, but I could see him and understand why he did what he did.  The characters in A New Frontier are all beautiful, flawed, and relatable, and Javier is my favorite of the bunch so far.  I can’t wait to play the next few episodes!

3. Merli from . . . well, Merli.  

Let’s be straight: this guy is a total jerk in a lot of ways.  He doesn’t play well with other teachers, and unabashedly says that he favors the students over them (the “who do you really work for” thing in teaching is a whole new can of worms that I won’t open right now.  Different teachers have different stances on it, though). Not to mention he openly disobeys his authority figures and doesn’t seem to have much of a moral compass.   Yikes.

But like I said . . . he’s the Rick of this show.  And if you’ve seen Rick and Morty (like I have.  Still wondering if I should have), you know that Rick may be pretty amoral, and is capable of horrible things, but the writers do a really good job of showcasing his talents and making us empathize with him.  And the writers of Merli have done pretty much the same thing.  There’s a moment at the end of Episode 2 that I really like, which showcases this perfectly.

Plus, the guy who plays Merli does an amazing job.  Especially how he utilizes facial movements--the way he expresses is kind of amazing (actually, all the actors/actresses on this show seem to have this talent, but Francesc Orella [who plays Merli] takes the total cake).  I’d show you a GIF, but apparently Tumblr doesn’t have a Merli GIF of Merli, so here’s a video clip instead that shows scenes from Episode 1.  The show is Catalan; this clip doesn’t seem to have subtitles, though.  Sorry. ^^;

(Side note: I especially like the show’s subtle commentary on the education system with the characters Pol and Joan.  Pol has failed twice in school, and is called a “trouble-maker” by one teacher, but his tendency to ask questions about the material Merli teaches is, to Merli, a very good thing, which improves his standing in the class.  Joan is a very book-smart student who seems to follow the syllabus and do the homework strictly, but he’ll have to do more than that to pass the class--he’ll have to be thoughtful about the material, not just regurgitate answers when prompted.  Merli agrues for a thoughtful classroom that is aware, with things that students will take away for their future, not a classroom of students who only memorize material for grades and then forget it the next year.  This is just what I’ve interpreted from the episodes I’ve seen so far; this was probably not the writer’s intent)

But seriously, if you like Rick and Morty and/or Dead Poets Society even a little bit, you need to watch Merli.  It’s Rick-Lite teaching high-school philosophy as Morty tries not to be too embarrassed by him, with a ton of interesting side characters--I have a hard time choosing my favorite.  Like I said though, warning for adult content.

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Thanks for tagging me, @roboticabirdie ! c: Sorry this was so long; I apparently had a lot to say about Merli. ^^; 

I tag: (only if you’d like to do this) @disabledpaladin , @phanatyy , @rosemaryorangelemon , @katy-133 , @somestrangecircus , and anyone else who would enjoy doing this.  (I can’t think of nine people at the moment.)

Have a good one!

[naominorbez]

Hello friends!

I tweeted about this a couple days ago, but here’s the official Tumblr-thing.  Due to health reasons, I will be going on a hiatus until March 19, so no new social media things or projects will be posted until then.  You’re still free to message me on all social media platforms; it may just take me a bit longer to reply.  Give the Patreon post above a full read if you can, please.

Also, some follow-up things:

What about the [redacted] Life comic, etc.?  What’s going to happen to it & your other stuff?  Don’t worry, it’s not canceled or anything, but updates won’t be made until March.  There’s a slim (read: not a very large chance I might come back and finish it before then, but don’t count on it.  Same with everything else I’ve been working on.

I want to reiterate that you can still message me on Tumblr, Twitter, whatever.  And I will reply asap.

Thanks for reading!

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(I might have already tagged you on Twitter; I just want to make sure everybody’s in the loop.) @disabledpaladin @katy-133 @rosemaryorangelemon @somestrangecircus @phanatyy