#on comic book characters as aspirational figures

[leam1983]

The same works for the other publisher, too.

I don't much care for Captain America because he's from Brooklyn, or because he's American - I'm Canadian. From a purely geopolitical point of view, he can't speak for me. You sometimes spot people mention that Steve Rogers gets their vote of confidence because he's a good Christian, and you feel that they're missing something important.

Steve Rogers isn't a good man because he's a Christian, or because he's White, or from Brooklyn or even close to a representative of lower-middle class as of the Great Depression, elevated to near-godhood.

Steve Rogers is a good man because he began like me. Like I did. A runt, almost clinically disabled judging by how frail even the oldest comics depicted him. Sneeze next to him and he'd catch his death. Push him with two knuckles and he'd keel over. Actually strike him and, well, you'd lose all sense of respect from others. Nobody likes a bully, after all.

What makes him more than me, though, is how aspirational he is. I've been fucked up by life often enough where there were times where I gave up, laid in my bed and cried my eyes out. Not him, though - even way before the serum got involved.

Steve Rogers is that special kind of stubborn - the kind that moves mountains. The kind that gets unfair rents lowered or that helps a community pull through during the pandemic. The kind that seeks justice not for himself, but for others. The fact that he remained this after becoming superhuman? That, right there, is the miraculous part of it all. Most of us who self-insert as Captain America would've turned into Wiliam Burnside or USAgent, instead - because power corrupts.

So when people ask me what a guy from Montreal like me is doing thinking Rogers is aspirational, I remind them the patriotism, the schmaltz of it all, the stars-and-stripes as a suit - none of it defines Captain America.

What defines Captain America is that he began as one of mine - one of my people. One of the disabled, the runts; the guys who receive pithy looks from pediatricians or educators and who have to live knowing that their teacher looked their parents in the eyes and said I hope you didn't hope he'd become an athlete or something, because that's never going to pan out.

Nobody can become the living symbol of any one nation. It is possible, however, to become one damn fine human being, morally and ethically. That's what Steve Rogers is. A one-man judge and jury I'd trust, and one that would be sure to infuriate America's best self-professed Bible-thumping Christians, because empathy isn't on the Evangelical menu.

you’re twelve years old and you break your father’s hand when he hi-fives you. the first thing you learn is that the smallest slip up can hurt the people you love. your (foster) father smiles and says it’s okay (it’s not). 

your parents are not your parents. the idyllic farming community that raised you is not your home. you’re a You-Don’t-Know-What from You-Don’t-Know-Where. all you know for sure is that you’re not human. 

so you can fly. so you can run fast. so you can lift cars. so what? why do you even have this power? what should you even do with it? 

your father said do what’s right, so that’s what you do. 

you stop a robbery. the man’s knife shatters against your skin and you see the same fear in his eyes that you saw in your father’s when you were twelve. you catch a falling child before it can hit the water. his mother looks at you like you’re a god. 

they love you, even though they don’t know you. the most powerful man in the world hates you because they love you. 

you wanted to write when you were younger. you wanted to tell stories that needed to be told. you never wanted to star in them. you never wanted super-geniuses and demi-goddesses looking to you for advice; like you have any idea how to handle threats to reality itself. you’re just a kid from smallville who’s trying to do the best he can with what he’s given. 

you try and get back to the farm as much as you can. it feels normal being back among the open wheat; where everyone smiles because you’re that nice Kent boy. 

when you were younger, you pretended to fly, hands out to your sides and running through the tall grass by the river. it doesn’t look as beautiful from on high; the details get lost and the colors of your hometown blur together from a mile above ground. 

the problem with flying is that it puts you so far above people you care about

[neil-gaiman]

Hello Neil. I'm a little nervous writing this, but I'm an aspiring comic book writer/artist in high school and I was looking for some guidance on the writing side, and I figured you'd be the best to come to as I love what you've done with Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern. I'd really love if you could help me here.

Y'see, Mr. Gaiman, I've started outlining the plot, but I can't come up with ways to make it self contained. I find myself drawing things out too far, to the point where it feels agonizing to write. How could I make my stories more concise while still including things such as exposition, especially in the case of a one-shot comic?

Also, I find myself with a lack of creativity when I try to build a story around a theme/message. It feels limiting, but I also feel like it's needed. Is it necessary to have a theme before anything else at all? If so, how can I implement it without limiting myself?

I think that's the end of my questions, thank you so much for your help, Mr. Gaiman

A story is the best thing to have. Themes turn up second, and aren't on the list of things to worry about.

Worry about your characters, and what they want. Worry about surprising your audience and not showing them something they've seen a hundred times before. Worry about working out how to end in a satisfying way.

In comics it's a very good idea to know how many pages long your story is, then to write a note for yourself of what happens on each page. (It doesn't have to be precise. "They argue." "Jackie turns up with the rabbit ears" or even "not sure. Stuff happens". )

But the most important thing of all is to do it. You may have to write hundreds of pages to get good. So start now.

[gigi-journaling]

Many of us will be starting new journals soon, some of us will be starting our first journal ever! Whether you’ve been knee deep in this hobby for years or a just starting your journey,

Journal Ideas: “About My Life” Pages

“Get to know me” Page

We are constantly changing! This goes for our values, our personalities, our interests… who are you in this current moment?

Take a picture! This is a great memory to have of what you looked like at this time!

What are your favorite songs, bands, artists, books, shows, movies, etc.

List your favorite things about yourself. Talents, skills, character, style, accomplishments, etc.

List what you struggle with the most. (How do you plan on overcoming it?)

Take all sorts of personality quizzes and record your results (16 personalities quiz, alignment test)

Questions: What are your current interests? Have you been really into gardening? Ocean life? Knitting? Space? Ramble about it! What are your current values? Ideals?

“My Bedroom” Page

For many of us, this is room that we spend most of our time in. It’s also a place that will undergo many changes throughout the year. Record what it looks at the moment!

Take a picture! Or make a drawing!

List your favorite items, the most important items, the items with the most sentimental value…

Questions: What does the decor say about you? What does the room itself say about you? Is it messy? Neat? Do you share it with someone?

“My Favorite Place(s)” Page

Sometimes, being in one place often can make us feel caged, or make us feel uninspired. Where do you go to think? To find motivation? To de-stress/recharge?

Include pictures or sketches

Souvenirs! If it’s in nature press some leaves or flowers. If it’s a commercial place, save a receipt! If it’s a library… don’t commit theft 😅 (maybe a bookmark or brochure?)

Describe it using your five senses: sight, touch, sound, smell… taste?

Questions: How often do you visit, do you wish to visit more often? When do you find yourself seeking this place ? How did you come about it? How do you feel when you’re here?

“Meet My Collection” Page

Whether you collect stuffed toys, figurines, dolls, plants even! Chances are you are very attached to them as they bring you joy! Let’s record their memory.

Include: tags, labels, packaging scraps, pictures, drawings, etc

What is its history? Was it a gift? A personal purchase? A hand-me-down? Second hand?

Does it have a personality to you? Lore? Interesting facts? Write about it!

Is it from a show? Book?

Why do you love it?

“Wish List” Page

This can be anything really! It can be about yourself or material objects. Future aspirations!

About yourself: what are your short and long term goals? What style/aesthetic are you striving for? What are some good habits you wish to form? What are personal traits you wish to nurture? Are you looking for love? A career?

Material objects: what video games, books, plushies, comics, figures, are you looking to add to your collections.

Environment: what do you wish to change about your environment? It can be as small as your room layout and decor, or a remodeling project, or something huge like moving out of state!

Traveling: Any local places you wish to visit? Restaurants, small shops, parks, museums? Or maybe you’re looking to backpack Europe? Write down those places and what you’re looking to experience!

“Meet My Pets” Page

Pets are a large part of our lives, each with their own appearance, personality, likes, and dislikes. Dedicate a page to them!

Include pictures, drawings, snippets of fur, inked prints

Tell us about the animal/species/breed in general!

Tell us about their personality! Their funny habits and the ones that annoy you

Do they have an enclosure? What does it look like?

What work do you put into their lives to make sure they’re happy and healthy? Walks? Catch? Enclosure enrichment? Treats?

“Meet My Friends/Family” Page

Friends and family surround us with love and support! Friends are often found in unlikely people, and family is sometimes chosen, dedicate a page those important people in your life!

Where did you meet? How?

What are they like? What makes them unique? What attracted you to them?

How do they show their love? How do you show them yours?

What traditions do you share? Habits? Regular outings?

And of course, include pictures or drawings! 💛

Hope you’ve found something to include in your journal!

Come our journaling community here! Let’s inspire and motivate each other!

[pansy-picnics]

First off I need to just mention that your Uknighted dream art is top tier elite and i am in love. Like you have no idea.

Okay, now thats said, do you have any soft ot3 headcanons/scenes that you can imagine happening but can’t figure out how to write etc etc.? 💕

God is all of them an option bc the answer is all of them

I SWEAR I. HAVE SO MANY IDEAS AND THOUGHTS TAKING UP SPACE IN MY BRAIN (Both for ukd and for the entire family tbh) that i just CANNOT bring myself to draw or write or anything. If i had the time to be able to draw everything that popped in my head it would be OVER for yall i stg. And then theres my in progress fic i have up right now which i last updated in like (checks notes) January but i swear i’ve been THINKING about updating it again and that counts right

- Ummm. this is just something i find very funny but i absolutely love the idea that before they “Formally” announce their relationship, the public have just been spreading rumors left and right about the princess’s “affair”. cass and rapunzel somehow NEVER notice this but for a while it seems like eugene cant go ANYWHERE without someone either awkwardly being like “Soooo how are things going with the princess ^_^;;;” or just straight up asking “Hey is your wife cheating on you?” with no hesitation.

and eugene, being the attention whore he is obviously just Went with it and was like “Well yeah duh. Who do you think set them up”

EVERYONE GOES CRAZY.

before long literally EVERYONE has heard about it. rapunzel’s fucking Parents have heard about it. people in other KINGDOMS have heard about it. Meanwhile eugene’s having the time of his Life. He’s got disguises just to go in and listen in on the servants’ gossip. at this point he’s just started Making shit up and every day he’s spreading a proposition thats somehow even more absurd than the last. Most of them don’t even make sense. Like “Oh yeah no the reason rapunzel and cass are always sneaking off together isn’t because they’re having a steamy love affair it’s actually because they’ve been making blood sacrifices to the underworld to make sure zhan tiri never returns. Just girl things yk?”

“No see you’ve got it all wrong thats not cassandra at all. That’s shorty. He and rapunzel are having a book club together. It’s not going very well because shorty keeps eating all the books.” Or his personal favorite, “Wait you thought RAPUNZEL was the one having the affair?” gets them EVERY TIME.

Cass and rapunzel finally declare things officially only for everyone to become even MORE confused and they finally realize eugenes been fueling the fire for the past 3 months and he had just Assumed they were already aware of it

eugene: ….Wait you guys didnt know about that?

raps: i

raps: NO????

eugene:

eugene: um. Oops

cass: THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN “OOPS”?????

- this is kind of random but i PROMISE its going somewhere bear with me. In my head eugene is NOT the captain of the guard because a character becoming a cop is literally a fate worse than death. instead i like to imagine he does some kind of social work and is also an author…Eugene has a rlly strong connection to literature and is a great storyteller, hes got a flair for the dramatic and a strong imagination and seeing how much the flynn rider books meant to him in his childhood, i think he’d absolutely want to create something like that for other people 🥹

Anyways one of my favorite ideas w them is a modern au where rapunzel and eugene are both starving artists who are making a webcomic together…Eugene is still trying to publish his first novel and is writing for the comic in the meantime. theyre aspiring towards turning it into a graphic novel. Cass is literally just forcing everyone around her to read it. You’ve already read it? Read it again /J. She’s their number one hypeman but she’s trying to act sooo chill about it to keep up her Cool stone cold butch aesthetic. She’s like going to cons with them and hands out business cards and helps sell merch and she has a side account on twitter where she gets into heated arguments with anyone who hateposts about it.

Bonus points: it’s a fantasy comic about a lost princess, her knight girlfriend and her rogue boyfriend and is loosely a reference to the events of the canon show

- OH OH something that DEFINITELY fits this category has to be the girls taking eugene to the lagoon for the first time…….I think cass and rapunzel still spend a lot of dates there just the two of them, and no matter what it is very much Their Spot ™, but after things become official it just. Doesn’t really feel right to keep it exclusively between them anymore. i have a LOTTTT of thoughts on this…..rapunzel bouncing around and showing everything to him and cass just being dragged along for the ride…picnics together by the water while cass and raps are eagerly telling him all the stories of what he missed out on. it’s their quiet place i think they escape to whenever they don’t want to be bothered at the castle LOL. eugene officiates the cassunzel wedding there….. not to mention if/when they have kids 🥹 Augh. They make sooo many memories there i think🫶🫶🫶

- Not a specific scene so much as just a silly hc but rapunzel LOVES it when they “fight” over her. Usually it’s just a playful thing and rapunzel finds it so cute and endearing. They have the exact same banter every time and the same fake “duel” for her hand and raps will NEVER get tired of it

- oh and SPA DAYS. God cassandra’s self care routines by herself have always been SHIT. I love that girl but i think she absolutely reeks. Her hair looks like something died in it and whenever it gets too long she just grabs the nearest sharp object and cuts it off in one swoop. Eugene and rapunzel are UTTERLY horrified by this and they do not let that shit fly as soon as she’s living with them. They have little self care nights at least once a week, sometimes just with the three of them and sometimes the rest of the family gets into it too, it depends on the day. eugene helps do her hair for her and they pick out all sorts of fancy products for her skin and her curls and just absolutely SPOIL her. at first shes kinda whiny about it but once she realizes how much better she feels on a day to day basis she reluctantly apologizes for ever doubting them

[idkaguyorsomething]

Is it weird that I am perfectly fine with Araki giving Jodio a severe mental illness but still wish he had given Jodio a different one?

sorry it took so long to answer this one, i was trying to figure out how exactly to answer it, and it turns out there's a lot of different ways:

from a perspective of representation: mental illness is an incredibly stigmatized subject, and in mediums like manga and comic books even more so, as it is incredibly common for a lot of popular plots in those mediums to go "well, x character went crazy, that's why they're evil", as well as stories in general to associate a lack of empathy with a lack of ability to act in traditionally heroic ways. jjba itself has shown that, as part of dio's initial villainous characterization involves him showing a lack of empathy towards various figures such as dario or george (although this isn't the only way his villainy is characterized, as we're also shown right off the bat that he's very deliberately cruel). with jodio being set up as more of an anti-hero, giving him more traits that could be considered unheroic as well as a commonly stigmatized mental disorder, it makes sense to not have that sit quite right. but taking the history of the series into mind, jojo's is no stranger to exploring more shades of gray in its protagonists in its past. johnny and gappy have certainly committed far greater acts of brutality in their parts, while giorno, who jodio is set up as a parallel to, outright aspires to be a head of organized crime. even josuke, who is portrayed as one of the kindest and most pure-of-heart jojos, basically condemns a guy to a fate worse than death in his first arc. this isn't necessarily anything new the series is giving us, and the fact that the jojolands is largely portrayed from the perspective of jodio himself is a massive plus, as it gives us insight into his thought processes and helps us sympathize with a character we might not have done so otherwise (telling a story from the perspective of someone doesn't necessarily ask us to sympathize with them, but things like the goofy jokes he makes with dragona, his own insight on his diagnosis, and his clear love for his family go a long way towards making jodio likeable). one could view this as the natural progression of jojos tending towards the anti-heroic while araki explores more marginalized communities he's interested in portraying, or a poorly thought out decision that furthers stigma towards said marginalized communities. personally, i think it's still too early in the story to make any real judgements, but the way i see it it's kind of similar to the situation with jolyne. she's the only female jojo, and the only one besides jonathan who ultimately fails in her quest at the end of her part. there are narrative and thematic reasons for doing so, but it doesn't sit right with a lot of people, and that's perfectly fine.

from a medical perspective: according to the dsm 5, a person must fit at least three of the criteria for antisocial personality disorder in order to be diagnosed as having it, most of which jodio does fit. failure to conform to social laws and norms (he's a teenage drug dealer), deceitfulness (when barbara ann asks him where he is and if he's hanging out with paco, he lies), impulsivity (he destroys one of the lava rocks to try and get rohan to cooperate), aggressiveness (he kicks that one fucking cop until he's a stain on the ground, twice, although he is justified in his actions and this kind of willingness to fight people is essentially a requirement to be a jojo), reckless disregard of safety (again, practically a requirement for most main characters), consistent irresponsibility (assuming what we've been shown of him is how he acts all the time, yes, although the story so far takes place over too small of a timeframe to determine that), and lack of remorse (dragona has to remind him not to get too violent in the opening chapter with the cop). so he does fit most of the criteria, but it is also a requirement that, to receive a diagnosis, a person must be eighteen or older, with evidence of having fit some of the criteria before the age of fifteen. so by real world standards, jodio would be on track to being diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, but actually receiving it from a high school psychologist is bullshit. then again, this is the universe where the president made a cowboy race battle royale where the contestants had to collect magic body parts, so it's entirely possible that psychiatric standards in that world are just different. but you would be entirely justified in not liking his diagnosis, and there are several other disorders that fit the behavior that jodio shows. there's adhd (the impulsivity and tendency to get lost in daydreams and beating the shit out of cops), depression (the sense of emptiness he describes upon being given his diagnosis), anxiety (irritability and angry outbursts), and that's just some of the more common disorders. we haven't even gotten into some other full-on personality disorders or common comorbidities with antisocial personality disorder! from this perspective, your assessment is totally fair.

from a thematic perspective: as mentioned earlier, jojo's is no stranger to making its heroes increasingly reflected in shades of gray, and parts seven and eight especially make a point of contrasting their protagonists with their respective foils from parts one and four. johnny is a paraplegic gringo jockey twink that murders people so hard his friend the executioner had to tell him to slow down, in contrast with the jacked and kindly gentleman jonathan who impressed a stranger so much with his dignity that he immediately joined him in his quest. gappy is a quirky lil amnesiac who beats people to death with shovels while josuke has one of the more normal personalities of all the jojos and possibly the lowest kill count. at first it might seem like giorno and jodio are the most similar duo, since they're both criminals that act a-okay with murder, but while giorno's goals and reasoning for joining the criminal underground are motivated by a sense of empathy towards the people of italy and a belief in a higher ideology that passione can aspire to, jodio is a very self-centered kid. he has a very inflated idea of his own reputation, can't spot obvious traps, and the very first thing we're told about him is that he wants to be stinking rich. he also believes in the ideology of mechanisms, but it's an ideology that is explicitly centered around gain and his own material wealth, in contrast to giorno's philosophy, which involves ideals of self-improvement and certain boundaries that should not be crossed in the pursuit of power. giorno's ruthlessness stems from a place of compassion, so having his counterpart being someone who lacks the ability to feel empathy is a really interesting choice that gives the story a lot of places to go. the fact that the other criteria he fills, like impulsiveness and irresponsibility, stand in direct contrast to giorno's ambition and planning ahead, also adds further potential for the jojolands to explore a completely different sort of crime story than golden wind. so from this perspective, i'd say that your assessment is rather harsh.

tl;dr there's a lot of different angles to approach this question from. it's 90% probably that i completely misunderstood what you were trying to ask, though, so please tell me what i got wrong :P

[theromanticscrooge]

Rob, Gumball, and the Villain Rivalries That Belong on a Sitcom Set and in Couples' Therapy

So, the episode "Glory Hog" of the 2009 cartoon League of Super Evil follows the attempts of a lame supervillain team to net a big-time hero rival. They manage to draw the attention of Captain Glory, an even more extreme boy-scout parody take on Superman. L.O.S.E. are known for playing Ding, Dong, Ditch and jaywalking. They're a better fit as the opposite of an aspiring Scooby Doo gang vs a guy with super strength, flight, and laser vision. Captain Glory's usual nemesis is Skullosus, a skull in a jar atop a mech suit. He has a full flank of minions, a space ship, and a planet-decimating death ray.

Skullosus almost destroys Earth in Captain Glory's absence, but gives up when his beloved hero rival fails to make his timely appearance. When the two finally reunite, Captain Glory and Skullosus' rivalry carries the subtext of a romantic couple making up after one of them was caught exploring their options or emotionally cheating. They're a Rupert Holmes Pina Colada situation where Skullosus reminds Captain Glory about the mutual excitement they glean from fighting each other. Skullosus is an even match for Glory Guy's powers, might, and tenacity; just like the jaded man's wife in the aforementioned Pina Colada song hates yoga and loves getting caught in the rain as much as he does.

Another fun and more well-known take on this goofy hero-villain dynamic are Batman and the Joker in the 2017 Lego Batman movie. The Joker considers Batman a centerpiece of every villainous scheme and exploit. How the Bat will react or interact with various parts and pieces of his plan, as well as the Joker himself, are elements he actively anticipates and consciously thinks about. It's a highly personal and devastating blow when Batman asserts the Joker's rivalry is one-sided.

As Batman learns to appreciate and better understand the importance of having other people in his life, one of his penultimate "I'm learning" moments is when he finally delivers a heartfelt, genuine "I hate you" to his rival. That's all the Joker wanted. It's his equivalent to a rough, stoic sitcom husband telling his taken-for-granted housewife "I love you." That first confession opens the floodgates. From now on, the Joker can have the meaningful banter and earnest effort he deserves from his heroic rival.

More serious hero vs villain conflicts in comic books present the hero and villain respectively as opposite sides of opposing themes. In the specific case of Batman and the Joker, they can be generalized as order vs chaos. They're both the most extreme ends of a very black and white sense of morality. Both are deeply traumatized men with enough presence and power that whatever actions they take can shape Gotham for the worse or the better. Most stories focusing on the Batman vs Joker dynamic are interested in exploring the consequences of two clashing extremes in regards to social issues or exploring the psychological impact of this all-consuming obsession with each other on Batman or Joker respectively.

A huge part of what makes Lego Batman work as a satirical lens is that Batman becomes a self-obsessed narcissist and the Joker becomes an "I'm evil for the fun of being evil" villain that exists more in the realm of Saturday morning cartoons than otherwise. The Batman caricature is a subversion of the generally gloomy, dark, and severe character most modern takes are. This combines the camp of the 60's Adam West series or even the 90's live action bat credit card antics with the fixation and obsession superhero pop culture has with Batman at large. When Batman is such a self-interested figure, it makes sense to paint this variant of the Joker as more sensitive than he would be otherwise. Gotham is at the mercy of a "notice me, senpai" Joker instead of someone that wants to watch the world burn.

In a nutshell, the rivals with romantic subtext framing works beautifully in a more satirical work. If these characters can pull from a more serious framework where the characters are so fundamentally at odds they have to seriously consider whether or not they should kill each other, it's that much funnier to place them in a strained sitcom couple dynamic. The more extreme debate of this fictitious world would be a dramatically different place without this hero or villain becomes a simmering argument about whether the hero or villain is sleeping on the couch tonight.

Keep this in mind and then look at The Amazing World of Gumball episode "The Ex." Both previous examples rely on the existing library of comic books and characters as a foundation for their goofier hero and villain. The Amazing World of Gumball can similarly pull from this library but builds up the characters and story involved to the point they can and do stand alone. They present a new and deliciously bizarre template that other future stories could borrow from for setting up further hero and villain rivalries with a frustrated set of not quite sitcom spouses.

In general, TAWOG is a delightfully subversive series, whether it's poking fun at a wide breadth and depth of pop culture, delivering fantastic social commentary, or sneaking in surprisingly insightful and heart-wrenching character writing.

To set the stage, the wacky and colorful world of TAWOG relies on characters remaining unaware that they live in a syndicated TV cartoon outside of very limited, special circumstances. Its a couple of steps above how the 90's Animaniacs casually leaned on the fourth wall for jokes and comments vs the very active, deliberate part the fourth wall holds in TAWOG's world-building. The fourth wall becomes the static-filled void just on the outskirts of Gumball's reality. Characters are aware enough of the seams in their world that episodes like "The Money" use storyboards and unfinished CG rigs as parts of jokes about the world falling apart without a healthy budget.

Though, the physics and overall stability of this world rely on characters staying blissfully ignorant or outright forgetting parts of their reality that an amorphous creator, an unseen entity, or what is referred to as 'The Universe' itself deemed as unimportant. Usually, these forgotten 'parts' are jokes about how unanimously unlikeable disco music is, how unfashionable mullet hairstyles are, or bad ideas like the general construction of the Hindenberg blimp. Then, TAWOG takes this one step further and invents the tragedy behind the character Rob as a more existential dread-flavored look at the cartoon's overall relationship with its fourth wall.

Originally, Rob was just a playful background character. The Universe decides that he's a negligible part for whatever reason alongside the tertiary character Molly and mercilessly ejects both of them into this static-filled void. In show buildup to the discovery of the void follows Gumball and Darwin progressing from seeing its existence as a tin-foil hat conspiracy theory to diving into the void itself to save their friend before she's completely erased. In-cartoon logic of scrubbing any part of the world clean is a gradual process. The process can be stopped if its caught soon enough or a particular item is retrieved and reinstalled into the world at large before it dissolves or however else deletion/dissolving occurs within the limbo of the void.

Gumball and Darwin go to rescue Molly from the clutches of the static, but ignore Rob's desperate attempts to draw their attention and get their help to escape. He was already an unnamed background character, but now he's been knocked down one level below that already dubious narrative hierarchical position and doomed to oblivion. He literally clings to the back of Mr. Small's van on the tail end of the Molly rescue attempt, unseen by Gumball and Darwin, and forces the Universe to acknowledge him. When Rob does return to the 'normal' world, he's in an incomplete state. He doesn't remember who he was or what his original connection to this world was. Most of his body are rough polygons with patchy, glitched-out textures and TV static. One of his feet is an incomplete CG wire frame.

Because TAWOG is a satire series, Gumball establishes that all of the recognizable on-screen characters fill some sort of established character archetype. All of the other 'good' archetypes have been filled. Rob is assigned The Villain role and starts to fill said role in large part because he was forced into this. Depending on the episode, Rob is playing a required narrative part as much as any other character in the cartoon, but he also has moments addressing his unique frustration and fight with the construct around TAWOG as a whole. Rob is definitely a sympathetic character.

His worse actions aren't excused but his tendency towards more extreme and forceful solutions or behavior is understandable. He had to claw his way back into the world and more or less fight to maintain his right to exist. He feels unseen and unheard; this isn't helped by Gumball immediately jumping towards "what's Dr. Wrecker's evil scheme today?" vs any kind of more thoughtful and substantive discussion with Rob. There's never a moment of "How are you?" unless Rob literally steals the spotlight and tells Gumball, as well as the watching audience, where his thoughts and feelings are.

After the events of "The Disaster" and "The Rerun," Rob has successfully achieved his goal of destroying everyone Gumball loves. He destroyed Gumball's life by tearing apart his family through the right set of wrong loaded phrases or emotional manipulation and even temporarily erasing all of said family from existence. He backpedaled on and ultimately corrected these actions; as he's said, he never wanted to be the villain but he feels so forced that he has fully become the role where he was just playing at it before. After such an intense scrap with his nemesis, Rob wants something more casual and low-key. He's so locked into villainry, he's downgrading from a Level 10 threat to the more manageable Wile E. Coyote ventures he started with.

"The Ex" also immediately follows the awkward tension between Rob and Gumball at the end of "The Rerun." He isn't sure if he can hate Gumball with the same intensity as he did before and those fierce, bitter feelings were a significant motivator in his interpersonal relationship as Gumball's nemesis. Because of these more lukewarm feelings, he "breaks up" with Gumball and shifts his attention to Banana Joe. Joe is more compatible with Rob's Wile E. ventures as a promising Roadrunner. He's annoying and dim, but the lack of wit is offset by enough sheer dumb luck that helps him avoid Rob's complicated traps. There's strong potential to maintain an ongoing, evergreen unseen nemesis role that Rob had with Gumball before Gumball finally acknowledged him and strong-armed him towards something worse and more sinister.

Gumball is devastated by the breakup. He's been bragging and gushing about Rob to his girlfriend Penny ever since Rob became his official nemesis. There's personal attachment. Gumball is partly responsible for goading Rob towards the horrible, evil depths he's achieved. He was Gumball's project. This new nemesis doesn't know or deserve the results behind the fruits of his labor. As far as Gumball is concerned, there's no Rob without his lovable, rapscallion nemesis Gumball Watterson.

It's especially ridiculous how active a role Penny plays as Gumball's emotional support and advice in his misguided ploys to win Rob back. In other setups like this, such as 2017 Lego Batman, Batman does have a female love interest. The hero-villain rivalry can exist alongside an established heterosexual love interest or love story. If anything, having this dynamic exist next to a blatant, straightforward romance further drives home that the sitcom couple subtext is a comedic framing device. Penny's relationship with Gumball is a separate and distinctive thing from the unique, intimate bond that Gumball shares with Rob as his nemesis.

What's really fun about Gumball expressing such strong jealousy towards Banana Joe is that he brings the same grand gestures and harebrained desperation towards winning Rob back as he would to romance Penny. Rob has carved out a special place in Gumball's life that nobody else could fill. Gumball follows the conventions of a classic "make my ex-boyfriend jealous" story up to the mature move of trying to move on and be just friends instead.

But then he inadvertently reignites the fire of Rob's hatred towards him and gets his own shoujo-romance fireworks and goopy-eyed "I hate you!" declaration. These two have the same kind of chemistry that makes more grounded takes on the Batman-Joker rivalry work mixed with the framing that makes the more satirical takes work as well. It's a weird tight rope walk, but TAWOG has firmly established itself as a story that can swing between genuinely gripping drama and more absurd, outlandish situations. Granted, Rob and Gumball have enough of a genuine connection that there's room for Rob to segue from a nemesis to a real friend. There could be a redemption arc. Every major scene Rob has reinforces the idea that he is on the teetering edge between maintaining his villain role and an honest desire to be allowed to just exist.

Outside of the nemesis story, Rob presents interesting commentary that fits a wide variety of people considered 'other' by society that get brutally demonized, ostracized, and ridiculed. Rob is a case of someone that was pushed so hard that he becomes exactly what society expected and feels so lonely and unsupported that he doesn't see a realistic alternative. Being the Villain is his only means to survive, to protect himself, and is the only tool set he knows of to achieve any kind of results. This is why Rob resorts to kidnapping Banana Barbara and posing as Superintendent Evil in late season 6 episodes rather than trying to launch a meaningful dialogue with anyone else. He's convinced that force is the best method and has no proof of otherwise.

I'm still hoping for some kind of closure for Rob's overall character in a yet-to-happen Amazing World of Gumball series finale. He deserves it. And viewers deserve one final bro hug between Gumball and his closest interpersonal relationship outside of his family and his girlfriend Penny.

[horizon-verizon]

The construction of idols and role models is interesting.I'm thinking about, for example, how one of the struggles is portraying female characters in the media so that girls have good role models.This of course is part of consumerism, many children will spend time in front of a screen so the discourse that I have seen lately focuses on shows, movies, cartoons, etc (without leaving aside those who continue talking about books and comics of course).

But this is not something recent and I am fascinated by how they show it asoiaf.The names Jon and Robb shout and some passages from Jaime are the male example, of course, but Sansa and Arya?Sansa concentrates on a much more abstract ideal: the figure of the lady (which will surely be influenced by the figure of the Maiden and the scriptures) and specifically in the songs. There was a time when Sansa aspired to emulate Cersei until the image she had of her and Joffrey was broken, then Cersei becomes a fallacy. Sansa relies on what she still believes, what gives her strength and a guide on how to act in her loneliness and difficult situation.

Arya. I love Arya because she looks at historical figures, these are not archetypes created by society but women who lived, breathed and found goals that Arya aspires to. For me it's important because there are so many people who instead of analyzing how restrictive the environment is with women and how restrictive the ideal of femininity is, they turn Brianne and Arya into"one of the guys" and to me that completely misses the point.Arya (unlike Cersei who has also been harmed by the patriarchy but focuses her anger very differently) is new to restrictions but looks to historical figures who were women AND warriors.

And that brings me to the construction of Visenya Targaryen as a symbol.Even when we are told that she was as comfortable in a dress as she was in armor and we see Rhaenys participating to the same extent as her brothers, both queens have been divided into a dichotomy.The warrior, the lady. Duty, love. Sphere of the masculine, sphere of the feminine. Both women (in fact all Asoiaf women) are much more complicated and complex than that, but what they were actually matters less than how they are described and used retroactively.

Visenya despite her participation in Maegor's reign is not as reviled as one would expect. The most interesting case for me is when Rhaena compares herself to her because I didn't read it as a negative comparison.Even if she is only invoking a small part of who Visenya was during her discussion of all living people she is likely one of the few left who remembers, knew and lived with her.

Even her name does not fall into disuse even though Rhaenys's is used more often (which may make sense since it is her line that the Targs come from... unless we want to go with the HC that Viserys and Viserra have the same root). Rhaenyra imitates her hairstyle which shows her admiration and wanted to name her daughter after her.

Rhaenyra's destroyers called her Maegor with tits, a comparison made several times in Asoiaf when comparing women to historical figures, most of the time in a pejorative way. Rhaenyra is Maegon with tits for her alleged cruelty, which equates her with one of the most hated figures and mocks her status as a woman. Dany is Aegon the conqueror with tits, which although they recognizes her power they wields still marks a negative equivalence and erases Visenya and Rhaenys.Cersei wants to be Tywin with Tits, probably the only one who would not be offended even though the insult remains because Cersei hates other women and is recent to a certain extent with her status as a woman.But if they had asked Rhaenyra? It seems like she would be more than happy to compare herself to Visenya, a powerful woman in her own right who symbolizes many Targaryen characteristics and traditions.

Oh anon...bless you. Visenya falls to the wayside as a model for people to compare Targs to, for Tags to compare themselves as, AND all of which you say demonstrated a clear decline in women (at least Tarb ones) being unattached to a male's legacy. Visenya and Rhaenys both conquered Westeros with Aegon, and I have also made the mistake of linking Dany to ONLY him and not to Rhaenys or Visenya in some ways (and she leans more towards Rhaenys but really--and that's one beauty of her--she occupies many gendered roles or names and acts that she defies them simultaneously). Especially with all the Rhaegar comparisons and paralleling fandom and I have done from her vision of him becoming herself in his armor.

[megamindsecretlair]

1! 5! 9! and 25! *wink wink*

Lmfao, you stay asking multiple ones! Lmfaooo, making me work on my day off, I see you! 😚🥲

1. Song of the year: It's Full of Life by Christine and the Queens. It was my top song for Spotify Wrapped because UGH. That song just GETS meeee 😭🙌🏽 and don't let me be at peak high and that song hits? Ugh, ill be in shambles.

5. Tv show of the year: TOUGH. But I'd have to go with Found on NBC. Idk what I was expecting going into it, I just knew that I love Shanola Hampton from Shameless and the concept was dope.

But??? This show gives just the right amount of dark content that doesn't cross any of my boundaries. I am OBSESSED with the way Shanola plays off of Mark. That show gives me fn lifeeee.

I also love that she's a dark skinned actress lead who's outfit never fails, she's smart, capable, and can still be vulnerable. That's so fn rare. Ugh. Idk if I want Sir to keep playing with her or what, but I be tuned in 🙌🏽

9. Best month for you this year: OOF. Idk. Most of my months are pretty bad, but I'd say October. Which is wild considering I had something to do every weekend this October. I'm a home girlie 👏🏽 but, I did so many things outside my comfort zone.

I wore a dress and actually felt pretty for once. I danced with my bf at a wedding. I went to a comic convention and saw an old friend. And most importantly, I finished a book!

I had written and released a terrible thriller when I was 18 lol. I just knew my writing career would take off then. It took many, many years later to figure out what I want and what kind of stories I wanted to tell. Many years to realize that writing is for MEEE. And now I have a real book to show for it, that I'm proud of, and I'm proud of myself for not giving up like I usually do.

25. Did you create any characters this year? Describe one: I did! Zora Underwood. She's my little bean and I love her.

All of my writing has a piece of me but Zora felt the most like me. The book is part meta, part combo of every Soft Black girl I've talked to, been around, or aspire to be. People may think she's directly me and that's okay. Why shouldn't she be lol.

She's the piece of me I wish I was braver to be like growing up. She's the piece of me I wish more people saw and openly accepted. She's the piece of me that deserves a good life, good friends, and an amazing boyfriend. She's the piece of me I needed to heal before I could grow and accept that I am who I am and I love me. She's the piece of me I needed to write and love on and fill me with confidence to keep going. Keep fighting.

She will.*always* have a special place carved out in my heart. God willing, I'll be 80, still writing, still thinking about Zora.

[e-adlirez]

So I once made a presentation about Thea Stilton for school

Before you ask when I did this, this was in 2023, during my last year of high school :3

So yes, this was very recent, I was very much active on Tumblr at the time, and I was very much aware of what I was doing. We were told to ramble about anything we wanted in any way we wanted (essay, TEDTalk, comic, etc.), and me being me, I knew I had to make a TEDTalk about my eleven-year-long hyperfixation, and I had just the topic for it. I spent a week making multiple drafts before cranking out the final one in time for the deadline of the script and the presentation, and I figured that since I'm still very proud of how the essay turned out, I oughta put it here :3

So this is the script of my talk, Dreams In the Cloud Castle, and spoilers for the aforementioned book, the Cloud Castle. Hope you enjoy :3

I’d like to start this talk by asking a question. Who here knows Thea Stilton, show of hands? (Response based on hands raised.) Alright, so just so everyone knows what I’m talking about, we have this mouse man named Geronimo Stilton, who has a sister named Thea Stilton, who has these students that are the actual protagonists of the Thea Stilton franchise. These students do investigation stuff in the normal world (think the Earth but mouse people), and sometimes they go to some nifty mythology realms to do investigation stuff. Got that? Good, because we’ll be talking about one of those mythological adventures, specifically the book, The Cloud Castle.

There’s a weird scene in the book’s climax where, because of circumstances, Violet, one of the main characters, saves her friend in an act of heroic sacrifice. The cost? Her dreams. The adversary she saves her friend from is this Crystal Eagle, who steals the dreams of those who look him in the eye. Such a fate is permanent, and unfortunately, such a fate has befallen Violet, who now can’t dream anymore.

But what does that mean?

Violet lost her dreams. What does that mean? This is one of those questions where you don’t realize that you don’t know the answer, until you think about it and look into it a little more than what was probably intended. Kinda like how Marvel Cinematic Universe plots start to make less and less sense the more you think about them. In this little talk, I’ll try to extrapolate an answer, and why you should care about it. I am taking up about eight minutes of your time, after all. Hopefully the argument I have for you today is a convincing one. These are dreams, what they mean, and why they’re important to us.

To understand the loss of something, one must understand what was lost. In this case, dreams. In this book’s setting, the Land of Clouds, dreams play a surprisingly important role: the fairies of this world use it to make clouds. How do we do that? Well, when a fairy sleeps, and more specifically dreams, they produce this silver thread that accumulates on their nightstand. When the fairy wakes up, they can use it to weave clouds. They make clouds from silver thread, that is made from their dreams, and clouds are what their entire world is made of. It seems like dreams are very important to this world or something.

Now, even though this bit about dreams was about the harmless visions you see at night, isn’t this similar to how we use our goals and aspirations in real life? We dream, that is to say we aspire to a certain goal, and with that goal, we create. We create something that inevitably becomes a part of the world we live in: construction, technology, music, art– all of these, I’d argue, are important to our society, and all of these things come from here. Isn’t that a powerful thing to have?

Now that we’ve talked about dreams, let’s talk about that hypothetical: the idea of losing your dreams, and the ability to dream. What does that mean? Well, think back to what I said earlier. The fairies’ nightly visions and their ability to have them allow them to create. Our goals and our ability to reach for them allow us to create. The fairies’ purpose is to turn their dreams into clouds. Our purpose in life is dependent on what we want to do with our lives, which is directed by our dreams, our goals. Without our dreams, without our goals, without our aspirations… Who are we if not lost?

Actually, let’s explore this thought experiment a little further. Think about this: Why do we do things? Besides the essentials for survival, why do we do things at all? Because someone else told you to do it? Well, why did they tell you to do that? Because someone else told them? Eventually, this will all circle back to a first person who had some sort of motivation, some sort of dream. The Merriam-Webster definition of a dream is “a strongly desired goal or purpose”. Desiring something can already call it a dream. Maybe you want to run for office, or run a successful business, or make art, or make technological advancements for the good of humanity. All of these things are dreams. If we were robbed of our dreams and the ability to have them, what then? If you didn’t have any dreams, what would you create? Would you desire to create at all? You may think “this isn’t worth pondering about at all. I have my dreams, and I don’t have to deal with crystal eagles.” And yeah, you’re right. We don’t have magical birds that appear out of nowhere and steal our dreams; but what do we have? Burnout? Depression? Intrusive thoughts? If these things conquered us so thoroughly, if we stared into the eyes of the eagle for too long, to the degree that we lost sight of our dreams… I ask again, who are we?

When I read the segment that ensued after Violet lost her dreams for the first time, I wondered to myself what was going on in her head. It was a question that I had for the longest time, and I would scan that third act of the book again and again, to get even the tiniest glimpse into what it was like to be dreamless. I would always end up frustrated, because it seemed like Violet was doing nothing besides going along with everyone else in silence. At most, she’d make some pointless comment that contributed nothing to the conversation, let alone the plot. I originally thought that this was an act of negligence on the part of the author, or perhaps the censorship of the English publishers; but then I realized something: Violet was doing nothing. When she walked through the Hall of Mirrors that she previously said she was scared of, all she could say was that her reflections looked pale. When the girls were presented with a pick-the-door riddle, Violet didn’t give a single word of insight. When the girls finally discovered the reason why the fairies can’t make clouds, Violet didn’t react at all. Violet was doing nothing. Throughout the entire third act of the story, Violet was doing nothing. She wasn’t even making a productive conversation. And how could she make anything in that state of mind, where it is impossible to dream, impossible to create, impossible to… do anything?

After this epiphany, I thought about a scenario where she returned to her home below the clouds dreamless. She’s a naturally creative person– would she be able to make art while she was dreamless? Would she be able to write, make music, play music at all? Since dreams in this case denote ambition or motivation, and Violet’s condition is the antithesis of that, would she be able to do anything at all? If we were put in a similar situation that could happen in real life, would we be able to do anything at all? If we were fortunate enough to lose the dream but not the ability to dream, how would we process the situation? How would we deal with it? How would we get through it? Would there come a moment where we can reach for something again? Or would we be stuck like that forever, wandering aimlessly for the rest of our lives?

Thank Queen Nephele’s plot-convenient healing crystal that Violet got better.

[unmakingandincorporeality]

Spoilers for Scott Pilgrim takes off

So 13 years ago Scott Pilgrim (the film, and then, much more effectively, the comics) called out a bunch of really shitty traits of mine, and it was the catalyst for a lot of self work and personal growth—it said stuff I needed to hear in a way I was able to listen to, and it means a lot to me for that reason.

It was also really powerful to experience a piece of media that showed a protagonist who is simultaneously pathetic and aspirational. Like, ngl, I saw a lot of who I am and a lot of who I want to be in both Scott and Ramona. It felt good to admire them and aspire to their better qualities, while also wanting them to do better to prove to myself that I could be better, and seeing in their depictions the ways in which some of the things I aspired to be actually sucked and needed rethinking.

(that last bit didn't actually feel good tbh, some of those books made me sick to my stomach and it took a long time before I was ready to read them a second time.)

And the new series has so much more in it that I want to talk about. Like, how the whole vibe of the show captures how being in love and being loved back feels, because it's not just that the other person feels really cool, it's that they make you feel like you're awesome, that they make the whole world feel like an adventure.

But the thing that I'm really dying to talk to someone about right this very second is the last episode, the bit where even older Scott is talking about how he spent ten years like a monk training every day to master all sorts of skills and shit, and even older Ramona is just like "it sounds like you just didn't go outside for ten years"

Because that narrative, of cloistering yourself and doing monklike work every day to perfect your abilities, is so, so common, and it's so, so bullshit. But it's SO FUCKING EASY to use it to justify not getting out of your fucking room, which is something I've absolutely been doing lately.

Anyway. I'm glad a work that I love and that helped me grow a lot came back and immediately punched me in the face with more character flaws I ought to be working on, but still made me feel excited about being the kind of person I am. I think, more than the other versions did, "Takes Off" really nails the important nuance that Scott and Ramona aren't truly aspirational figures, but they also aren't bad guys. They're flawed people who often hurt other people with their emotional cowardice, but they're also genuinely cool and exciting and are worthy of love. That the best case scenario isn't that they stop being Scott Pilgrim or Ramona Flowers, it's that they start being better to the people they care about and who care about them.

Anyway I'm gonna go hide under a rock for fear of judgment from people on the Internet seeing me call Scott Pilgrim (the character) cool

[wetcatspellcaster]

i love the way your fic breaks my heart - do you have any book recs or other fic recs that inspired you or have the same kind of angst? it hurt so good 😫

Hi anon! This was a really nice message to receive... I have no idea if I emulate the writers I admire or not, but I certainly figure there are some books that have informed me in my past and it was fun thinking of them to answer this question!

For fic, please just check my bookmarks on AO3! I actually write a little different to what I read (I also don't tend to read much for the pairings I write for, combination of 'feeding myself' and fighting off the potential for imposter syndrome/accidental plagiarism) but the fics I've bookmarked are all ones that I objectively loved and also reveal all of my fictional obsessions... knowing myself, the angstiest ones there will be Spike/Buffy :')))))

As for books! These are some basic bitch recs but I'm a basic bitch so-

Holly Black has a big influence on the kind of heroines I write, and her books are usually a little angsty although they have happy endings... most people have heard of The Cruel Prince which is one of my favourites, but Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a standalone vampire novel and is pretty good for angst that hurts in the right way tbh, that heroine is really Going Through It

Sarah Rees Brennan (good fic author and good author) taught me everything I know in The Demon's Lexicon, which is just a really funny, trashy YA novel except that the plot twist is tragic af and I saw it coming from chapter one and it still hurt so good! In Other Lands is not angsty AT ALL but great if you like slow burn romance.

I write Darklina for a reason :') Leigh Bardugo got good at the right amount of angst with Six of Crows and I KNOW that's a basic bitch rec but KAZ/INEJ ARE THE 'ANGST THAT HURTS SO GOOD' BLUEPRINT!!!!

I remember Marie Lu's The Young Elites trilogy making me cry for hours in the good way and I'm now worried that was formative.

This is not a romance book and doesn't have romance in, but The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly is an amazing novel about grief and processing loss through and using fairytales and I'm reading the sequel now and honestly? God-tier writing.

The Wicked and the Divine is a comic book series but it's sexy af and definitely gets that balance of 'sacrifice' vs. 'selfishness' that it seems I've become lowkey obsessed with.

I also just recently read an amazing fantasy duology by AK Larkwood (The Unspoken Name and The Serpent Gates) and I'm adding it here bc these were the first books that I'd read in a long time that were genuinely... aspirational - I wanted to learn from them and try to write more like that author. They had just the right balance of angst and levity... also there is a peak Astarion coded character in them tbh so people should read them for the hot fucked-up elf boy.

[chacolachao]

Hi! I'm a big fan of your phantom forces comic but I see you've also done original work as well! I guess my question is what advice do you have for aspiring comic artists out there? both for original comics as well as fan comics.

Hi! Thanks for liking Phantom Forces ^^ I don't think I've made it very far in regards to comic industry stuff but the best advice I can give for anyone looking to try and get into it is- 1. just go for it. *A lot of times the biggest excuse to not getting started is that maybe your artwork or writing isn't as good as other comics you see out there. But the only way you'll get to where you want to be is to start somewhere- and even put it out there. This is the hardest thing to do as having no one look at your work is one of the worst feelings, but keep on putting it out there regardless. Your audience will find you. If you've already started and that advice isn't for you, then my secondary advice is- 2. keep everything. *Even the stuff you think are just scribbles. These scraps are great for developing new ideas and seeing how you worked up to something else... like a recipe book. There have been plenty of characters I've made that looked absolutely fantastic, then I dont look at them for a year, I come back, and have no idea how to make that character look just right again. *Keep all your comics, all your stories. For the same reason as the scraps, and because you will get better. You're going to get better and your work is going to be different. All those ideas that you made before when your skills might not have been ironed out- you can do them again. That's something I have to remind myself. Just because I did a version of that story already doesn't mean I cant do it again and better. 3. Lastly, it literally does not matter what program you use, what paper, what medium, whatever *Digitizing is important for uploading your work and editing so figure out how to do that, but if you want to work physically, paint it? You can do that. Digitally? Want to use MS Paint? Do it, it'll look really cool. Have fun and make your work yours. ---

All of this advice wasn't very specific but I'm open to answering more technical questions too.

[disneyvoguemagazine]

#RileyKeough #TheRunaways #DisneyVogue #February2024 #Cover #MarvelComics @runaways #MarvelRunAways

#RileyKeoughDisneyVogue #RileyKeoughVoguecover #MMCXXII

#DanielleRileyKeough is an American actress. She made her feature film debut in a supporting part in the musical biopic The Runaways, portraying Marie Currie. Keough subsequently starred in the independent thriller The Good Doctor, before being cast in a minor role in Steven Soderbergh's comedy film Magic Mike. 

enxantingxmen

When she inquired the vogue Disney editors how she could be 'IN' the graphic novel ‘#enXanting’

i.e[A doujinshi in the likeness of Marvel Comics popular genre X-MEN series, a star crossing of collaborations and ambitions in brand ambassadorships for the celebrities who get to star within the pages for being from the Treacherous horrowing bullying has proved the characters who’s stories are told within the pages of this graphic novel are rewarded with the prize of being a face for a luxury brand or musical aspirational figures getting to participate in the rare slots being featured in the ever popular festival a celebration ‘Tomorrowland’ stages! Those who are suffering at the hands of monsterious bullies and out of control nettizens can find themselves being rescued by the ‘black cat glitch;Chanel’ of the Matrix’s trilogies anthologies. Many find themselves reaching out to the artist and writers of the online publication in hopes that they too will be dawned the spotlight in order to be bolstered by the courage and confidence the new edition has made a name for itself among comic book fans and in the communities for what the cultures about the subject matter captivate.]

Of the first she wasn't taken seriously as the editor politely smiled at her and brushed off the question as if she was asking where the restroom was located in a different language , then in a separate photo shoot, She asked again this time being pointed in the directions of the infamous #Marvel DiscJockey #DjHotWheels [ An ambassador of @MATTEL for the toy car collections this DJ and Disney promoter has helped many celebrities and Disney Stars make a name for themselves using an artist or actors works remixed into their sounds you’ll find this artist music empowering yet fringe.]

During her time at the #TomorrowlandPresents stages at a Disneyland event promoting their #HiddenStages DiscJockeys Tours Riley K, a VIP backstage lshe would ask the music artist between their sets about how to get into the pages. From here the disc jockey pointed her in the direction of Disney and Mattel’s superstar legend #DjParisHilton the princess herself who she got to attend one of the mogul’s famous brunchs located at the top of Disneyland magic castle recently decorated in a ‘Frozen’ theme the very top of the castle is where Paris Hiltons private penthouse is located says a MouseQuteers insider who passed Riley onto the guest list of this most iconic event. Here is where the best view of Disneyland parks epic Fireworks show can be seen from the best view of her Disney castles penthouse windows balcony. This year ‘Jubilation Lee’ also known as ‘Jubilee’ [Of the Marvel Avengers Academy located at California Adventure park] with her dazzling ability to manifest sparkling fireworks and lights from her hands, the popular X-MEN will be hosting the parks fireworks events at both times for the Disneyland parks! Don’t miss this spectacular most Uncanny event as she will only be hosting her show until the last performance being on the 4th of July, after that holiday the fireworks show will continue in its original way #MMCXXII X

#20XX #2024

Disneyland Parks will be hosting this event! When asked, Paris promised that she would get the cover feature for next issue of their online editorial and claim the feature story.

Trusting the alumni #MouseClub/ #MouseQuteer [DJ/ParisHilton: #secretmouseclub circa #20XX #MarvelComicsMouseQuteers ] When skeptics asked insider columnist #DeeryLou @Sanrio the journalist took a moment to call a source and confirmed that she would be gracing next months cover [#DisneyVogue Online Magazines #February2024 ] of the fringed #DisneyVogue a #DisneyMagazine and publication effort still in process / patent. Stay tuned to find out what #NickiMinaj had to say about her #Marvel debut for the magazines cover and the cluster of fumbles that made her miss her cover debut for the magazine, a series of unfortunate events. Riley was photographed by PIBE Magazine Nathaniel

[moe-broey]

YOU'RE FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IN a very strange and funny way I actually. Don't mind this bc when I write/think about characters I literally forget wikis exist until I'm in dire need for very specific information, it's just me and the source material. So. If anything this WILL feed my autism HAHAHAHA

BUT!!! BUT!!! MORE THAN THAT NOW THAT I ACTUALLY HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO HIS VOICE LINES!!!!! Now that I can study him like a bug...

Standout Voicelines to me are:

"One who lacks the will to strike me down is not fit to be king" GAKSHKSHSJSJ LITERALLYYYY THAT SHITPOST COMIC IDEA I HAD AGES AGO HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

From May 2022. I fucking know this man. Personally. Unfortunately.

(AS A SIDE... I am so sorry someone left SUCH informative and cool tags about Alfonse/Sharena grandad lore when I mentioned in a post that we don't know much of their family history, and APPARENTLY!! We know A Little More than I thought! However I cannot find the tags or post ANYWHERE but I think I just need to replay Book 3) (when. The time is right. I have to be autistic about it LMFAOOO)

The OTHER line that's fucking me up right now though is: "Alfonse is strong. Should the time come that he needs to battle his own blood, he will not falter."

I AM. PROBABLY READING WAYYY INTO THIS. But isn't it fucking weird?????? For Gustav to say that????? After he's already been killed by Alfonse?????? He's saying it as if it's a hypothetical. As if he's worried about something to come and Not reflecting on something that has already happened.

LIKE...... I don't think we have to worry about Sharena tbh bc Intsys gives her NOTHING but also. I really can't imagine them taking that route with her character. If they wanted to set her up to be a foe at any point, I think it already would have happened (either in Book 3, where I could see her being like, something Other than Lif and Thrasir. A more neutral party with her own goal/motives, which could make her either be on our side or somewhere else. You know. If they didn't just Leave her dead like Dead dead LMFAOO -- OR in Book 4, but even then it's way less likely bc it's established like. Sharena is more in-line with the good dream fairies than she is the nightmare fairies). And right now, as they Have actually been giving scraps of good characterization/growth for her, it's very much in-line with being a reliable teammate to Alfonse, having them become equals/covering for each other's weaknesses, and aspiring to be/figuring out what it means for her to be a strong queen(?) (Would she be queen actually? Esp since Alfonse is to take the throne?) (But generally saying that bc of the inspiration she took from Acsended Elincia's convos)

SO LIKE......... is Gustav worried about Henriette??????? And her whole deal. Day of Devotion alt where she mentions "That power... Never again", "I don't want to lose control", "I am holding back." Like. Hello

Also "Alfonse... Sharena... My beloved children..." Yeah? Yeah? Yeah? Your Beloved children? Yeah? Is that what you call them? Yeah? Yeah? Sword slash to the chest AND you're on fire. EXPLODE‼️‼️ 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[sanversandfriends]

Fic isn't just an act of repair as Henry Jenkins says, but sometimes a safe place in which to tear everything apart. Here to talk about diving into those darker and grittier character spaces is @nerdsbianhokie, a writer who's been captivating Sanvers and Director Sanvers fans for years.

Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get started writing fic? Have you written for other fandoms? What are your favorite tropes?

Over two decades ago, I was six years old and reading a new book and had the sudden realization that I wanted to make people feel like that book made me feel. Since then, I've been a writer. The first fic I wrote was before I even knew fanfic was a thing. I was barely thirteen years old and all about CSI and had this vivid idea of a very short scene. I quickly found places where fic was hosted, and began to read and post.

Since then, I've moved through fandoms, sometimes staying for a time, like with Bering and Wells, other times only lingering for a brief moment. I watched Supergirl between season 1 and two, after learning that Maggie Sawyer, one of my favorite comic book characters (one of the first openly lesbian characters in mainstream comics? out before the comic code was done away with? what's not to love) was joining the show. I didn't watch beyond the first few episodes of season 3, but the characters have a hold of me and aren't letting go.

Since my time in the Bering and Wells fandom, angst and aus have been my favorite spaces to play in. Exploring darker spaces in the safety of fiction has always been a draw of writing to me, and the Supergirl characters can fit so well in so many different universes.

What were your inspirations for this particular story? What was it about this/these ships that grabbed you?

This fic started as a tumblr post by magicmumu2 about Alex and Maggie reuniting years later because their kids keep getting in trouble at school. I then made it sad by giving Alex a recently dead wife.

I really fell into the idea that Alex and Maggie did move on after their breakup, but then remeet at a later point in their lives. When thinking on how Alex might move on in a way I find interesting, I landed on my beloved Lucy Lane. My ultimate ship for Supergirl is Director Sanvers, so I've written all combinations of Alex, Maggie, and Lucy over the years, but the idea that Alex was happy with Lucy, but then lost Lucy and found Maggie again while still mourning, really pulled me in

Has the time spent away from your story changed your outlook or approach to any of the storylines or themes? Have you had any new inspirations or breakthroughs/revelations in the meantime? 

The time away hasn't really changed much, as I've been distracted by so many other fics, but having new eyes on it has really helped me figure out some things I was stuck on that kept me from working on it more.

 Any advice for new or aspiring fic writers?

Write. The best thing you can do is get ink on the paper. Writing is an art that needs to be practiced just like any other. As somebody with a degree in creative writing, I think the time I've spent writing and the amount of writing I've done has, cumulatively, done more for me than all the classes I took. 

If you were going to promote this fic with a single line, what would it be? 

A deep look into grief and healing, mourning and love.

If you’ve already posted some of your work, please provide a link. 

This is the original post, with the prompt and my initial addition.

I have also posted two separate fics that aren't part of this one but are in the universe as I worked out how Alex and Lucy got together and their family dynamic.

[static-sulker]

The Process of drawing all nine mercs (Sniper And Spy)

haha I know, it's been a few months sense my last tumblr ramble and a good amount of time sense anything TF2 based. I've been really diving into my own fiction, with my book! I haven't talked here on it much, but I am a aspiring writer (cringe I know) and currently want to start getting a full book done and in my portfolio and not just dozens of short stories, which will be daunting but I think I can make it. It's been a hobby and a time consuming one at that, so I really haven't dove back into TF2 with the whole book thing, and my other hyperfixation holding me in a chokehold (COUGH COUGH fnaf, epithet erased and undertale COUGH COUGH). But now I have the mental capacity to continue this little series! Right now I have finished the designs for Scout, Spy, Sniper, Pyro, Engineer and Medic. Solider is almost done, as well as Demoman...Haven't touched Heavy's design but I promise I will soon...maybe...BUT! Today, I want to go over the silly little guys of Mundy, and Pierre (Spys headcanoned name for my canon :D) Anyways lets dive in!

Sniper

Sniper is held near and dear to my heart, but jesus fucking christ I could not get his design for a awhile. It wasn't just one thing and little tweaks, like most of the other members so far--Engineer, Medic and Spy--- whos were pretty simple to fix. Engie just had his hair, Medic on his mature features and Spy with what was behind the mask. Sniper had like 5 different core aspects that I couldn't draw when I first starting drawing team fortress. The face shape was extremely long for my styling and for the first few tries, it just felt too off. Either too small when i tried my original style and too much when I did it more accurate but less trained. his hat sucked the soul out of my body I fucking hate drawing hats. His figure at the time was hard, as when I started this journey I only drew twinks and girls, both being far younger then the main cast. So for awhile, I had to place Sniper on a shelf and studied Dell, Ludwig and Pierre more. When I finally adapted my style to older characters, I finally got to draw Sniper. His flavoring aren't much different, as the usual design was for my style. I think it's crazy that the original base game really doesn't show many visible scars on characters (besides the comics and the meet videos which were both for Sniper so that did help his design). I gave him a few bullet wounds and the Percy classic, wolfcut hair. I would give him some greyer streaks as I bet money that you don't stay to calm under the pressure in his shoes no matter how big his professional persona keeps up. Also I give him top surgery scars because I am trans. What do you expect me to do. I also gave him the trademark teeth impracticalities! He has a lot of chips and uneven teeth, cause he ya know...lives in a van. I also don't think they give dental care in popular game team fortress two.

SPY

Spys design is nothing but iconic. If you don't know the game, you probably have seen either Heavy or Spy in some type of meme template. That was the main intimidating hurdle I had to get across (as well as some minor tweaks as usual) on how to make this character still show as Spy on paper. The mask took a good while to get right, as masks were never my strongsuit, and hats. Fuck hats. Spy is really fun to draw though. My main practice to draw the characters was in dresses or formal attire if not their classic uniforms or cosmetics in the game. Spy felt so much easier to draw if I did in some type of cocktail dress or ever some flowery more formal dress. He just has the perfect slim build to work in my style. It was a fun design to recreate and I do really enjoy drawing him. The main issue, besides his mask which was an easy jump, was his face. Like. Behind the mask. I cannot tell you how I got it done, I just looked really hard at the details in popular fanfiction "Solitude, But Two" (READ IT OR DIE I DON'T MAKE THE RULES) By Lu_undy on ao3 Im rabid im crazy GRAJHAHAHA. Anyways. Ahem. I kinda just blacked out and then I had Spys face. I have him more hair as usual, and I got him a different teeth screw up. Impacted canines! it makes them look like little small fangs that are smaller then the teeth! It's really interesting and I had done a lot of just sharp canine work in Sniper and I kinda knew that already before drawing Spy. Give the man some tiny wrinkles because I want him to be angry and be disgusted by his imperfections because I love him. I also would nail him to a tree, no questions asked.