#russell makes avatars

[thalassomania]

my latest attempt at creating timekeeper on chicken smoothie!

[thalassomania]

saw this on my feed and decided to join in ^-^ me and my elementary-school self

picrew tag: yourself now vs you as a kid

thanks to @enchanted-lightning-aes for the open tag!

picrew source: x.

i like glitch effect

no pressure: @kuusi-palaa, @nostalgebraist-autoresponder, and open tag

[tubes-and-dice]

I fucking love the dynamics between the ‘people’ and the ‘avatars’ in NSBU.

G13 is using Usha, because he’s a hacker and a manipulator, and she’s exactly the kind of person who can be easily scammed. Haunting. Spine-chilling. Cool as fuck, truly unbelievable storytelling, and it’s developed so organically!

On the other hand, Vic is mentoring Wendell in a way, and we got to see them really sync up this episode, working together to advance the narrative and protect their people. Wendell totally gets the kind of person that Vic is, and I think that helps him take Vic’s advice as the more experienced person- but also know that he’s not always going to be right.

Paula and Jack are sort of… misaligned. She keeps trying to find guidance from him, but they’re almost too similar? Jack so far that we’ve seen is very hands-off, and doesn’t seem all that worried about Paula- or his own family. Whereas Paula of course cares deeply about Jack’s family already, because she’s much more involved and familial minded than what we’ve seen of Jack.

Liv and Kingskin are, I think, the most compatible duo. Liv has settled nicely into her role in some ways, the control and power it grants her suits her well, and it feels like Kingskin likes her because of that? But at the same time her compassion for others is making such a notable difference in the way that she’s able to interact with people in Kingskin’s circles that it feels like he could learn as much from her as she’s learning from him. They feel like the most balanced pair, with the most mutual respect.

Dang doesn’t match Stocks’ vibe at all. He’s trying to do the cool action movie things, he’s playing into the role really well at times- but who Dang is, really, doesn’t sync up. His morals and priorities are very different from Stocks’- for good and bad alike. There’s very little connection between the two, it feels like- to me it reads as Dang just trying to fill the shoes of this Bond-like character, more than anything. Sometimes he’s really able to pull it off, and sometimes it just… doesn’t work. Stocks isn’t helping him. He’s on his own- which it seems is perhaps a norm for Dang.

Then of course, Russell. Russell and Jennifer are not a team at all- what Russell is learning from this experience, he’s learning from simply being Jennifer, not from communicating with her. He’s a man who we know is used to being attractive, used to being complimented and unused to being told off for the way that he behaves. I love the way that Ally’s taken his character as Jennifer- because he isn’t Jennifer. He’s Russell. He doesn’t want to wear a skin-tight bodysuit, he wants to get a baggy shirt to hide this form that he’s not used to, and work with the new skills that he has.

Idk I just think it’s super super cool that all of the players are working within the mechanic so differently, and I think every single manifestation of this dynamic makes so much sense for the characters that it’s just astounding. This last episode was such a good show of these dynamics and the impact they actually have on the plot.

[a-jar-of-beetles]

Ever since it's been confirmed that each person got in their avatar for their similarities I've been mulling it over and here are my thoughts

Paula & Jack Manhattan - both are wildcards and divorced, I also noticed that Paula doesn't really speak about her kids so it could be possible that they both want a better relationship with their kids

Liv & Kingskin - both are criminals but based on their conversation I kinda think they both also feel like they are confined by others expectations of each themselves and that makes them unsure of themselves

Dang & Greg Stocks - since they haven't interacted yet this is more speculatory but I think that they don't feel like they can connect with anyone Greg is a secret agent so having regular friendships are kinda off the table and Dang feels like he can't connect with people because of Rashab

Wendell & Vic Ethanol - both care about their family (in Wendells case its more about what his family thinks of him) and not being satisfied with themselves until they reach their goals

Russell & Jennifer Drips - once again no interaction to go off of but both are kinda lone wolves that can't keep down a relationship

Usha & 3 G13 - both interactions between the two are very different the first one was words of encouragement while the other alluded to more sinister stuff but G13 saying that he wanted people made me think that both want connection with Usha just trying to talk to people (Paula) and G13 trying to get it from highjacking Usha

[thalassomania]

weeeeeeee it’s meeeeeeeee

thank you for tagging me robin!! idk who to tag now tho :3

another picrew chain!!! anyone can participate i just like kicking my feet and looking at the notes :) did lolita coord vs. goth clubbing me~

picrew link undah the cut!!

ALT BODY

[thisisnotthenerd]

active stat tracking for never stop blowing up: episode 10

it's the final breakdown, ba-na-na-na

what a finale, folks. utter chaos. everyone's in costume and looking great.

and in the end, we're still looking at a split breakdown. there wasn't too much leveling up in this episode, but we saw some huge explosions with d20 rolls. vic/wendell had the best split at the end, with 1d4, 1d6, and 7d20.

two nat 20 gm moments, coming from izzy and rekha. everyone came and got what they wanted on both of their intervals.

wildcard? insane. the fact that they saved it for the last episode made everything work. it was the direct cause of wendell's insane weapons roll (131 given all of the tokens, 74 on the die). in the end they beat the system into doing what they needed for it to work, but straining the bounds of credulity and irreversibly altering the world of never stop blowing up.

it's interesting to think about what's changed since the beginning; initially i thought they were going to specialize more than they ended up doing, simply by the nature of the system. they did level up more in the skills they used more often, but each character did not stick to what would purely be the skillset of the avatar. the implication of the movie is that the avatars, without inhabitants, simply have d20s in all skills. in system, the players can level up to their peak in a single shot.

storywise, they emphasized the impact of outside influence on the movie--when you can make anything happen, the only logical progression is absurdity. the chances of blowing up decrease with each explosion, but never get so low that you can't continue to blow up. when you have the will, you can make your way.

paula donvalson / jack manhattan

abilities: Duelist, Relentless, Mastery (Brawl), Quick Healing, Protector, Grit, Wildcard, Interrogator, Mastery (Weapons), Lucky

stunts: d20

brawl: d4

tough: d12

tech: d20

weapons: d20

drive: d8

sneak: d6

wits: d10

hot: d8

liv skyler / kingskin

abilities: Wealthy, Trouble Maker, Demolitions, Quick Healing, Relentless, Wildcard, Criminal Conspiracy (Convenient Item)

stunts: d20

brawl: d20

tough: d20

tech: d10

weapons: d12

drive: d10

sneak: d4

wits: d20

hot: d10

andy 'dang' litefoot / greg stocks

abilities: Mastery (Brawl), Mastery (Weapons), Smokin', Quick Healing, Relentless, Mastery (Tough), Resilient, Wildcard, Criminal Conspiracy (Convenient Item)

stunts: d12

brawl: d10

tough: d20

tech: d20

weapons: d20

drive: d12

sneak: d4

wits: d20

hot: d20

wendell morris / vic ethanol

abilities: Transporter, Protector, Trouble Maker, Quick Healing, Resilient, Mastery (Drive), Relentless, Mastery (Brawl), Grit, Wildcard

stunts: d20

brawl: d20

tough: d20

tech: d6

weapons: d20

drive: d20

sneak: d4

wits: d20

hot: d20

russell feeld / jennifer drips

abilities: Trained (Hot), Neck Snapper, Quick Healing, Inspiring, Wildcard, Relentless, Resilient

stunts: d20

brawl: d20

tough: d20

tech: d4

weapons: d6

drive: d4

sneak: d12

wits: d20

hot: d8

usha rao / g13

abilities: Wildcard, Hacker, Stealth, Quick Healing, Resilient, Demolitions, Relentless, Mastery (Tech), Criminal Conspiracy (Tech Check Benefit)

stunts: d20

brawl: d4

tough: d20

tech: d20

weapons: d4

drive: d20

sneak: d6

wits: d20

hot: d10

group abilities:

la familia (stepping in for a tough roll, lending tokens at a 1:1, sharing skill dice for optimization)

diesel circus (doubling number of tokens on a double explosion, roll 2x on first roll after injury, successful drive check allows a second skill check on top)

alpha squad (gaining 2 tokens when the group suits up, reduce explosion range by 1, two characters roll and add the result)

the ones (reroll a nat one with a different skill, take a nat one as a max roll and blow up, accept a nat one and get 1/2 the tokens of the die value)

bustin' makes me feel good (on a nat 20 they can: a) graduate everyone's lowest die type, b) restart a skill track with advantage the second time, or c) become the gm for 60 seconds.

[bitchyfoxymama]

Werewolves and Moon Knights and Magic! Oh My! - Moon Knight System x F!Reader x Jack Russell

Warning: non con chocking, facial, cream pie, SMUT!, Magic, small fight scene, Khonshu stiring the pot, face fucking, oral (F&M), unprotected sex

A/n: this one was supposed to be like maybe 1.5k but it just kept flowing out of me haha! idk I might make another part? Like if yall want?

...

“You will release us of the spell you put on us you crazy perra,” Jake says as he holds you by the throat, your back pushing against the bookshelf behind you. The hand that wasn't holding your neck has a knife against your jugular.There's a smile adorning your face, you know he won't hurt you, especially if they want your help.

You could use your magic to have him release you but where's the fun in that. Especially when your husband was silently entering the room. Your eyes flickered over to his, his mouth snarling as he watched the intruder hold you hostage.

You croak out his name, "Jack" it's barely a whisper as Jake's hold is firm on your neck. Jack is there in a flash, he has the man by the throat and is growling in his face.

"Don't you ever touch mi esposa you coño,"

"Don't test me, your dumb perra of a wife put a spell on us,"

'Jake watch it, we don't have our powers and this guy is something else, he has claws mate' Steven says in the head space.

'Steven's right, we don't know what he's capable of especially if he's married to that witch' Marc agrees. He knows they have to go at this in a smart way. They can't go in guns blazing especially since they can't summon their suit.

You watch your husband hold them hostage, the astounding Moon Knight brought down by a simple spell. One you didn't have a hand in of course, but one you recognized. You rub your neck where the man's hands had previously been.

"As much as I would like for my husband to rip your throat out," you begin using your magic to rip them away from each other. You were holding them the way a mother cat would hold her babies, by the scruff of their shirts.

"What exactly happened? Speak and if I think you are bullshiting me I'll let Jack rip your throat out. I'll kill you since you don't have your Moon Knight suit."

You both watch as his eyes roll back and his face shifts into a scowl. It made him look like an angry eagle.

"Well, it began a week ago." He begins, his accent having lost its Spanish undertones instead adopting one of someone from Chicago.

They were on their usual night patrol, currently Marc had control of body as they scored the night. They were almost done and they could go back to the flat and sleep a few hours before Steven had to go to work the following morning at the children's museum of history.

There was a scream, and it put Marc on high alert. He glided through the air, landing in a dark alleyway. There was no sign of the person who had screamed. Instead, there stood in front of them a hooded figure.

"Que pierdas tus poderes" the stranger said in Spanish, a black glow erupted from their hands.

"Ugh fuck," Marc can feel his body getting weaker, the powers of Khonshu leaving his body. The suit disappears and darkness welcomes him.

When he comes too, he can't summon his suit, and neither can Steven or Jake.

"This is bad Marc, really bad, we can't even contact Khonshu!" Steven paces around their flat. He took over the body as soon as they realized they couldn't summon their suits. He got them home as soon as he could so he could look through his books.

They had also called Layla since she was still Taweret's Avatar. She said they've never faced a foe that could cut the connection between Avatar and their God. But Khonshu had found a witch whom he suspected was the one who had done this. She was in Salvage, Alabama.

The boys booked the next flight out of London. And that's what had led to where they were now. It had taken two weeks of recon, and they watched as you left your little cabin to go out and forge herbs, plants, and fungi. They noticed that you also drove to town for things you couldn't get out in the wilderness. What they hadn't realized was the werewolf that had kept an eye on them along with the man thing. Watching. Waiting. For them to mess up and reveal why they were watching his wife. Jack was suspicious, and rightfully so. This leads us to the exact moment when they burst into your home and held you against the bookshelf.

"Alright, I believe you. I could tell the moment you barged in, you had been whammied, the witch who did it has been after me for a while. She must have used you to kill me, " you say, letting them go, "I can remove the spell from you. Only if you apologize for trying to kill me instead of just asking you dipshits,"

You watch as his facial expression changes one more time. This time he's timid and a bit shy.

"We're really sorry love," Steven has taken over the body as he is the one to sound actually sincere unlike the other two men, "I completely agree that immediately barging in, and basically strangling someone is a bloody wanker move,” he says speaking to Jake and Marc as well as you.

Jack is now behind you, his hands have found their home on your waist as he keeps the death glare trained on them. It was rather in their favor that it was neither the week of the full moon or anywhere close to it.

You hum out in response to their apology, “Apology accepted, now whom might you be? You aren't American, I can tell that much by your British accent.”

He blushes, you were gorgeous now that they have gotten a proper look at you. He swallows thickly only now noticing how the lilac sundress hugs your body, how it pushes your breasts together and rather tastefully, he can feel his cock come to life as he watches you. If they weren't here to get the spell off them and you weren't married they would, rather he would stumble and Marc or Jake would pick up where he left off and ask you on a date and probably shag you after.

“I-my name is Steven Grant, the mad man who held you by your throat is Jake Lockley and the host of the body is Marc Spector, you met him when he told you about the incident.” He gives you his world famous lopsided smile.

“Hmm,” you let his name roll off your tongue, he was attractive. They all were, you were ashamed to admit it but when they held you by the neck a hot wave of arousal went straight to your core, “Alright, i'll take the spell off you now,” you smile sweetly.

You walk out of Jack’s hands and gently place your own on Steven’s warm cheeks. You gently place your lips on his, you feel him tense but shortly relax into the kiss and place his own hands on your hips, deepening the kiss.

When you pull away, you smile and gently rub a thumb over his cheek. “There you are my love, you should be able to call upon your suit once more. I also added another spell, one of protection so that neither of you will ever be affected by another spell user again. Now go on and summon your suits, I’m sure your God has missed you,”

‘There you are worm! I see you've finally gotten your powers back,’ Khonshu says as he sits in the corner of your cabin. You give him a glare.

“You stupid bird, how dare you tell them it was me who whammied them. My husband almost killed them.” you cross your arms over your chest as you look at the God, stunning the 3 men into silence as Jack goes to sit in a corner to read a book.

“You-you can see him?” Steven asks as he summons his Mr. Knight suit. Damn does he look mighty fine in it.

“Yeah, all magic users can see them. Now why don't you leave us alone, big bird, so that I can speak privately with your Avatar.”

“Stupid little worm, you don't command me!” He stands up and slams down his staff.

With a snap of your fingers he disappears much to the MoonKnights surprise, “Now that we're alone again,” you begin as you go and plot yourself in Jack’s lap, he begins to absentmindedly rubbing circles into the flesh of your exposed thighs, “I think, no, I know what you are thinking. I feel the same way and I am more than positive that Jack would be more than happy to join in the fun,”

The men stare at you in awe and confusion. What were you talking about?

‘I told you, you made it way too obvious that you were checking her out,” Jake says.

‘But can he help it? I mean look at her, shes practicaly giving us the green light to fuck her,’ marc makes an appearance.

“Jack, are you ok with sharing me with our guests,” you ask your husband behind you, although you never take your eyes off Steven as he stands in front of you.

“You know I give you whatever you want,” he says leaning into your neck kissing the dip between your shoulder and neck sensually.

You smile as your fingers begin to untie the straps of your dress, bringing the bust down to release your breasts.

“I want you and my husband my husband to fuck me,” you say as you bite your bottom lip and push your breasts together.

***

“Oh, fuck. God Steven your tongue. Yes baby just like that,” you moan as you reach back behind you to kiss your husbands lips as Steven eats your cunt as though you are the only oasis in the desert and he is dying of thirst.

You moan into Jack's mouth as he ruts his cock in between your ass cheeks as Steven continues his assault on your cunt. The both of them bring you to the top of your third orgasm of the night. You havent even been fucked the way you want and youve already come thrice.

“See, I don't you her pussy was a sweet nectar and that you would be addicted,” Jack says as he pulls his mouth from yours. This causes a groan from the man with his face buried into you. They've each given you an orgasm with their tongues but Steven wants to be the one to give you your fourth one before they even think about coming themselves.

“Oh fuck fuck fuck” your body begins to lift off the bed but you are pulled back down by stevens strong hold, “Jack i need you inside of me, i need you both inside of me. I want you to both fuck me til im dumb.”

“Yeah bebita? You think you can take both of us?” he says as he rubs his fingers down your cheeks.

You try to speak but nothing comes out of your mouth as the coil in your belly snaps and you feel yourself gushing on their face. Your legs actually begin to shake with pleasure as you pull them up by their hair and kiss Steven’s lips, you can taste yourself on him.

You take a few deep breaths to calm yourself before you get into position on the bed. Jack has since come back from behind you to position himself in front of you. He takes his cock in his fist and begins rubbing his head through your folds, slicking his cock with a mixture of your essence and Stevens spit. Without either of you noticing a switch has occurred. Marc had taken the body.

“8in of dick ain't enough for you sweetheart? Need my cock to fill you up too,” Marc says from behind your head. You lean up to look at him moaning out as Jack slides into your already wrecked cunt.

You squeeze one of your breasts as you shake your head yes.

“I need a verbal answer sweetheart or else you aren't getting your mouth stuffed.” Marc’s domineering voice turns you on to no end. As it's usually you taking charge in the bedroom.

“Yes daddy, I want you to stuff me full,” you say as you lean your head back and open your mouth for him to use.

He slides his cock into your mouth, your moans vibrate against his cock as his head presses the back of your throat. Jack’s slow and steady thrusts push you further onto Marc’s cock. You use one hand to fondle your breasts, tweaking your nipples between your thumb and finger as your free hand goes to fondle Marc’s balls.

“Fuck bebita, your squeezing my cocks so tight,” Jack moans as he begins to pick up the pace. His grip on your thighs tightens.

“Your wife sucks my cock so well Jack you are a lucky man, I-I dont think I’m gonna last long with her perfect lips on my cock. Shes sucking my soul out through my cock,”

You can feel the coil building up. Getting your face and cunt fucked is bringing you to your peak and you never want to stop this feeling. You begin to wonder if Jack will let you keep them as your lover. Having them both fuck you whenever you want. You bring a hand from your breast down to your swollen and slick clit. You move in tight fast circles, moaning as the coil is almost at its peak.

Both men are near their own orgasms, however not selfish lovers they want you to finish before them. One more sweep of your clit and one final thrust you are coming undone, your vision going white as your scream is muffled by Marc. Jack comes next, filling you to the brim with his hot essence. Marc pulls out and finishes himdelf over your fucked out face, his seed coats your face beautifully. He stares at you covered in him and he thinks you are the most beautiful looking like this.

Jack pulls out gently, he leaves a kiss on your lips before grading to get a washcloth to clean you off. Marc leans down and kisses you, licking a bit of his own come from your cheek.

“That was something,” he says smirking as he catches his breath.

“I agree, definitely something that shouldn't end here,” you smile back at him as you both wait for your husband.

[skjam]

Pulptober 2024 Day 11: Moon Knight/Feats of Courage, Feet of Clay

"Random bullshit, go!"

In his first appearance, Moon Knight was a villain. Or at least, playing the role of a villain. Jack Russell, reluctant star of Werewolf By Night, was being pursued by an evil cabal of rich people who wanted to harness lycanthropy to make themselves even more rich and powerful. According to the story Marc Spector tells in that first issue, he's a mercenary who was hired and given his costume and silver weaponry by the conspiracy for the purpose of hunting and capturing the werewolf.

Of course, he's telling this story to Jack shortly before the full moon rises and turns the protagonist into his monster form, which is kind of weird, And also after capturing Jack for the Committee, he's nagged by also captive women to not be so evil in a fashion that's a little too easy.

So it's not difficult to buy the retcon that he'd already been Moon Knight, and his friend Frenchie had infiltrated the Committee to trick them into making mercenary Marc Spector into Moon Knight with stuff Frenchie just happened to have lying around somehow.

The mercenary part turns out to be real, he's done some awful things for among other groups, the CIA, but a "religious experience" in an Egyptian tomb got him connected to the moon god Khonshu, and he chose to become a masked adventurer, fighting on the side of mostly good.

He borrowed the idea of multiple secret identities from the Shadow, with Steven Grant as his Lamont Cranston and Jake Locksley as his Moe Shrevnitz. These fellows eventually became full on alternate personalities as Moon Knight's mental instability was turned into a major theme.

Moon Knight's been up and down the power scale, from just a guy with special training in a fancy costume, to full on moon god avatar, depending on the writer. He generally means well, but has severe personal issues.

Here's a look at a magazine issue that has Moon Knight as a central character before a lot of his character development kicked in:

And a review of a book about the Red Jackal, a pastiche of Moon Knight if he were an actual pulp character:

[medusasbush]

read september 2023:

remove any paywalls w this

Why Is Everyone Trying to Sell Me Their Old Stuff?

I don’t care what the AI wrote

#TradWife Life as Self-Annihilation

Walmart's Beauty Glow-Up Event Linked To Anti-Abortion & Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation

Time100 AI: Joy Buolamwini Founder and Artist-in-Chief, Algorithmic Justice League

Bottoms Is the Queer-Teen Dirtbag Comedy That I, Specifically, Deserve

Everything Ayo All at Once

‘Bottoms’ Exclusive: Watch Ayo Edebiri’s Hilarious Improvised Speech

The Easter Eggs in the ‘Bottoms’ Production Design Were Written Into the Script

‘Scott Pilgrim’ in a John Hughes World: How ‘Bottoms’ Filmmaker Emma Seligman Pulled Off Its Highwire Act

A good man is hard to find

How Glossier Sold Us Nothing

Is authentic consent always enthusiastic?

on the end of summer, Fat Acceptance Barbieland, and the girl's girls of pop music

The Himbo Renaissance

Do you think more clearly when reading or when listening?

#161: Unhappy medium: when worse is actually better

make newspapers cool again!

The fandomization of news

How to kill a trend in two days

The Strange and Twisted Life of “Frankenstein”

Psycho and the End of the Continuously Showing Movie

“Girl” trends and the repackaging of womanhood

#162: Can Knock the Hustle

How to Kid-Proof Your Friendship

Why Do Girls Cry On Their Birthday?: The Discomfort in Self-Celebration

Orange Ya Glad You Didn't Buy That Vitamin C Mask? Skip the skincare. Eat an orange.

“American Motherhood Felt Like That: Like a Plan Devised by Men.”

Behind-the-Episode: Avatar x Hypermediacy

Why Are We So Horny For Blue Aliens?

The ‘Science of Skincare’ Isn’t Science or Care (It’s Marketing)

How the Anti-Trafficking Movement Gave Cover to Opportunistic Men

We were never supposed to see our own faces this much

Move over main character syndrome, it’s all about NPCs now

The stars who ‘knew’ about Russell Brand

The Endless Hole of Wanting More

Dingus of the week: Dax Shephard

One Great Rock Movie Can Change the World: An oral History of School of Rock

[dannynatsumi]

My new avatar for my selfship with Pennywise 🎈, her name is Nancy Russell ✨ Lore: 🌟Nancy is a 19-year-old girl who has heard about the multiple disappearances in the town of Derry, she is a neighbor of some of the children from the Losers Club🌟 🌟One day a program is on television where you see a woman with a bunch of children talking about how fun it is to play near the sewers... when suddenly a clown appears and smiles at her in a very peculiar way🌟 🌟Nancy is terrified but at the same time blushes because her smile seems terrifyingly cool to her🌟 Pennywise: 🎈 everyone down here floats and you will float too Nancy 🎈 🌟Nancy sees that all the people in the program look her in the eyes and smile creepily at her while blood comes out of their mouths, she gets scared and runs out of the room🌟 🌟Since that day Nancy was very terrified but at the same time very fascinated by Pennywise, Nancy is bothered by Pennywise....but little by little she starts to like him and sometimes she goes to visit him🌟 💙Nancy and Pennywise have a love/hate relationship, since Pennywise likes to annoy her but he likes her company and that makes him not want to devour her at times💙

[deathbyautopilot]

"Beyond the Physical" - Redefining the "Body" Through Glitch Feminism

Written by Paniz 🪐

I was eleven when I developed my first online avatar. The girls in my class had spent all of the recess huddled on the playground discussing “MovieStar Planet”, and how they were going to visit each other’s homes after school for a “virtual party”. For those of you who weren’t tween girls in the early 2010s, Movie Star Planet is an online social game where users get to create an avatar of a “movie star”, which can be customized by buying clothes and home decor. Users of the game get to interact in various “chatrooms”, where they can give each other autographs and send messages, while also playing games.

Of course, similar to any insecure pre-teen I was struck with an intense sense of FOMO, and I knew I had to be part of this new social space. I spent the entire evening huddled at my older sister’s desktop computer, trying to make an avatar that embodied everything that was cool at the time. Naturally, my avatar had to have purple hair, a nose piercing, draped in an all-black outfit that resembled something Lady Gaga wore to the Much Music Video Awards a week prior. A seemingly insignificant memory in the mosaic of online experiences that defined my teen-hood could be identified as a catalyst for my journey through digital self-expression. 

image from Vewn's kittykat96

In her introduction to Glitch-Feminism, Legacy Russel reflects on her early experiences in online chatrooms.

“There was no pressing pause, no reprieve; the world around me never let me forget these identifiers. Yet online I could be whatever I wanted” (Russel 12).

Eventually, my digital interests transformed from the chatrooms of Movie Star Planet to interacting with Tumblr and Twitter users that shared my interest in musical artists. Online, there was a sense of escape from the restraints placed on my physical existence. I could transform myself through different usernames and display photos. I had a choice in how I was perceived. In the offline world, I felt crushed by the judgemental gaze of white heteronormative ideals. There was shame associated with my race, gender, and sexuality, all tying back to a physical body. Russels shares similar experiences, identifying the digital world as a tool for the subversion of the socio-cultural restraints on gender, sexuality, and race.

“Subversion came via digital remix searching for those sites of experimentation where I explore my true self, open and ready to be read by those who spoke my language” (Russel 13).

This act of non-performance pushes back on the idea that the body fits within a specific binary, instead, Glitch Feminism aims to present the body as something more abstract. Though Queer, female-identifying, and POC people have always found ways to create their own spaces through subversion, online settings offer new ways to detach from the binary. Within online spaces, the lines between masculine and feminine have the potential to be blurred, giving rise to new opportunities for exploration. 

Most recently, there has been an influx of online artists who have been using social media as a tool to create digital worlds that redefine the bounds of the body. Russels identifies the use of the internet as a creative tool as an integral aspect of Glitch Feminism, where the lens of the artist is prioritized in the attempt to redefine the body. Increasing in popularity is the artist, Sotce. Through the use of online platforms like Patreon and Instagram, Sotce, whose real name is Amelia, describes her online identity as 

“an ongoing dance, a push and pull between being human and being holy” - Sotce

In the image below Sotce compares this transformation to the difference between a real hand and an online cursor. Her work attempts to understand how digital spaces redefine the idea of “the artist”.

Similarly, California-based comic artist, Yumi Sakugawa, has been using Instagram as a way to share her personal reflections, inspiring more radical ways of looking at existence. Her work also embodies Glitch Feminism’s core beliefs, specifically the critique of the pressures placed by binaries. In the image posted on her Instagram below, she encourages viewers to embrace new ways of being, instead of shrinking themselves to fit in another person’s world.

In many ways, marginalized communities have shrunk themselves in order to survive in a world that has repeatedly attempted to control their bodies. Legacy Russell’s Glitch Feminism exists for anyone who wants to reclaim and reinvent the body using the digital realm. It exists for the little girls on Movie Star Planet who never knew they had a choice in who and what they could be.

[k00299539]

Animation Brief 01 - Week 1 - Mini Me

Above: Femto of the God Hand

The next step in our "Word Building" project was to design and create a "mini-me", essentially a kind of avatar of ourselves which will then be used as a basis for learning about lip-syncing in animation. I knew two things immediately: 1. I shouldn't make the it out of clay because it's a time-conscious medium and thus problematic for such a short project. And 2. I was definitely gonna make it out of clay anyway.

But first I had to decide how I wanted to represent myself in miniature and as you can undoubtedly see from the above image, it got weird. The important thing to understand here is that I hate self-portraits, and over the course of the last two projects I'd somehow already made 12! One clay sculpture, two 3D prints, nine ceramic casts, (and a partridge in a pear tree, etc.)

So needless to say I wanted to do something different. I guess I'd say I wanted to represent my reluctance to make a self-portrait, something that would represent me in a more abstract, less literal way. Plus I wanted something that would seem at home with the Tove Jansson inspired background art I was making for the project. The next step was gathering reference.

Above: The inspiration

I actually hadn't put too much thought into the mini-me 'til I showed up on Thursday morning. I'm showing this whole moodboard of visual reference now but while sketching out this idea all that information remained locked in my head.

The second pic of Gorillaz drummer Russel Hobbs, wearing a rain-poncho with a witch-like hood is forever burned into my head for some reason, I just love designs like that. Thus that pic was my mental jumping off point. I also just like Russel's character in general and his particular trait of hiding his face.

It was after sketching it out and trying to figure out how a hood like that might work in 3D that I turned my attention toward Raven from the 2003 Teen Titans series, another character I'm fond of for similar reasons. Glen Murakami's character sheets include a full turnaround and the show itself has plenty of reference for the hood at odd angles. I also love the way her face is cast in constant shadow.

The last bit of reference is the Tove Jansson inspiration. I love how she drew Snufkin as such a disheveled little weirdo. I guess at this stage it's obvious I relate to introverted characters. What I took in particular from Snufkin was Jansson's ability to capture so much character and personality using simple shape design. You really get the sense there is a soul behind those eyes.

Above: The design

Yeah... I really didn't experiment much with the design at all. If I'm being generous I could say I knew what I wanted, but really I just knew I was on a timer. You can see a couple of alternate ideas I had in the third sketch, but the whole witches hood plus obscured face combo was important to me.

Actually I started to get a little worried around this point. First that an all black face might look like, well, blackface. And second, that if left white, the pointed hood might have a KKK connotation. Sometimes with art, intention matters less than reception. A lot of online racists hide behind the idea of "plausible deniability", with work that acts as a dog whistle for those with similar ugly beliefs. I really don't want anyone to think there's a bigoted undertone to anything I make.

Thankfully that problems lies mostly in how I choose to colour the piece, so I can cross that bridge when I come to it. Honestly had it crossed my mind earlier I might have gone back to the drawing board entirely, but we're here now and I can only make the best of what I have.

I don't know, even having written all that, I'm still conflicted over it.

Above: I should've taken more progress pics...

I was basically just stalling on the design part, I knew the gist of what wanted but I didn't have particularly good plans on turning that design in a clay sculpture. I actually started to contemplate just going home that Thursday to put a model sheet together and then come in again Friday.

Obviously this was a bad idea for a lot of reasons and eventually Gemma convinced me to leave aside the planning and just start working with clay. Probably the best advice I could've gotten.

I rolled out a couple of slabs and after leaving them to firm up a bit, I used a template to roll one into a cylinder. This would serve as my base. Gemma helped me out a bit here too, suggesting how I create the shoulders by attaching a slab as support and draping another over it. After that it was mostly just scoring and slipping, creating the silhouette bit by bit with slabs. I wanted to have it mostly done as I knew it'd need to be fired on Friday. And on Friday the kiln is loaded at 12:30.

Above: 12:30 on a Friday

Anyway, I got it done as much as I could before leaving it down to be fired. I would probably have spent more time on it had I not been under pressure, but being honest I'm the kind of artist who spends 90% of their time trying to make things 1% better. I doubt it'd have made much of a difference.

What probably would've made a difference was having more of a plan before I started. It was really one of those things you have to do poorly once to learn how to do right, if that makes sense. There's certain changes that occurred en-route I'm happy with, like the kid of abstract, geometric look to the whole thing. But other changes I feel could be improved upon include the overall size and shape of the hood and especially the length of the head in general. The hood is tall and top heavy when it really should be the opposite.

Overall though I'm happy with how it turned out ... as long as it doesn't explode in the kiln.

[flordemagnolia01]

‘Avatar’ Guides Our Eyes Towards the Beauty of Life

Amid environmental devastation that is occurring in the form of rising temperatures, melting glaciers in the South Pole, animal endangerment, wildfires, and land and sea pollution, we can lift our eyes and see the broken beauty of life.

Both ‘Avatar’ and ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ have breathtaking visual imagery that displays how CGI and filmmaking have improved throughout the years between 2009 and 2022. The complexity of the different range of colors palettes and lighting of the film enhances the beauty of Pandora, the emotions of the characters, and the reality of the events whether it is good or bad. Every scene of the film is highly detailed, colors are realistic and resemble how light and color interact with each other in real life. The aspect of color and lighting engages with the rhetorical appeal of Pathos, or emotions, due to how the film uses these aspects to play with the emotions of the audience. Without putting importance on color and lighting, the film would be dull, not amusing the audience's emotions in a way where they would leave the theaters with a new perspective of the world. 

In an interview with director James Cameron and cinematographer Russel Carpenter hosted by ‘Vanity Fair’, Carpenter states that “The sun is a major element in both the visuals and the story of The Way of Water, particularly when the daily eclipse creates a dramatic nighttime showdown in the third act. Here, it’s a gentle backdrop for the Sully family as they fly to find a new home- but as with everything in an Avatar movie, it’s far more complex than it looks.” (Rich)

Russel Carpenter and his talents in cinematography are a vital force in illustrating the story of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’ Without proper technology and understanding of the aspects of virtual filmmaking, the movie wouldn’t succeed the way it did when it was released in theaters. The lighting has to be strategically understood; how does the blue Na’vi skin react with the lighting or surrounding colors? Where is light being emitted from? How do the fabric and clothing react? The color palette and the lighting go hand-in-hand when it comes to pushing the story to a subliminal level. The audience will focus more on the aspects of dialogue and plot of the story, while under those aspects, the colors and lighting will provide a foundation for the dialogue and plot to stand on. Think of it as layers that support the film to convey its message. 

In the third act of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ the Metkayina clan along with the Sully family prepare to attack the RDA after the discovery of the dead mother Tulkan and her calf. Humans constantly seek things to make a profit, one of them being ‘Amrita’, an anti-aging liquid that is produced in the glands in the brain of the Tulkan, whale-like creatures of Pandora. The Amrita can only be reached by killing the Tulkan. One vile of it can cost up to $80 million on Earth. No longer are the humans seeking the valuable Unobtanium metal they desperately desired in the first film. The RDA and Quaritch use the dead mother Tulkan and her calf as a trap to get the attention of Jake Sully, who is a refugee in the Metkayina village protecting his family from humans. After the battle begins with the Metkayina, the Sully family, and Payakan, the Tulkan-spirit brother of Jake’s son Lo’ak, fighting the RDA in daylight, an eclipse occurs when the battle shifts from defeating the RDA to defeating Quaritch. The dramatic contrast of the colors makes the audience sense the seriousness of the upcoming conflict. The change of light to dark foreshadows the upsetting events that the Sully’s will face; the death of the eldest son, Neteyam. 

Neteyam’s death is heartbreaking to Neytiri, Jake’s wife. The colors and lighting portray the grief of Neytiri, influencing the audience to connect with her emotionally.

At Neteyam's Funeral, the colors present illustrate Neytiri's and the clans' emotions. A change of color and lighting can be seen when Jake and Neytiri transfer their memories to the “Spirit Tree” of Neteyam. The change from grief to joy and gratitude can be seen in the scene. According to the Na’vi, everything connects with spirituality. All living things have a soul which can be recycled into the consciousness of Ewya and be used back into living matter. All life energy is borrowed and must be returned one day. The native protects the life of all forms by what is known as “The Three Laws of Eywa.” Eywa gave these laws to the Na’vi to guide them from participating in any activity that may be destructive to the environment.

In different scenes, the characters can be seen enjoying the clear, nighttime skies and honoring and respecting the land around them. The colors enhance the beauty and the vibrance of life. The rainforest is diverse. The oceans are endless. Life is precious and our Earth can also share with Pandora in its respect towards the environment. Native tribes in the past and present on Earth are good stewards of the land around them. Nature is cared for and protected. Our world is beautiful. Our world can provide the resources each organism needs to live. 

Though our Earth is being industrialized massively, we can see past the skyscrapers, past the wildfires, past the melting glaciers, and look up and see how beautiful and marvelous our planet Earth is.

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

the last airbender.

aang's playlist is divided in threes, with each set of three representing a different stage in his character arc.

trio 1 ("kyepotang - have fun" - techung, "the big sky" - kate bush, "is it cold in the water?" - SOPHIE)

this trio is about aang's life with the air nomads, ending with running away and freezing in the iceberg. there is a translation of "kyepotang - have fun" here, which reveals it's basically the dancing scene from the "the headband", but i put it at the beginning to reflect the air nomads' culture. in making these playlists, it was important to me to include at least a few songs that reflect the show's real-world inspirations.

trio 2 ("happiness is..." - yungchen llamo, "a lot's gonna change" - weyes blood, "long and lost" - florence + the machine)

this trio is aang waking up from the iceberg, grappling with a new world and mourning what he has lost. while i can't find a translation for "happiness is...", i found it via this post by atlaculture where it is described as a song about rising above transient pleasures of the world to find true happiness. it's more meloncholy sounding, though, which is apt for aang's character at this point.

trio 3 ("pushin against the wind" - kelsey lu, "whirlwind" - JOSEPH, "the lion's roar" - first aid kit)

this trio is about aang's relationship with the avatar state and his role as the avatar. "whirlwind" and "the lion's roar" take the outsider perspective, awe at the strength of his power and belief in the hope he brings. the title of this playlist comes from "whirlwind". a lot of lyrics sites say it's lies, not lives, but "the breath of a thousand lives in the whirlwind" is such an on-the-nose description of aang in the avatar state that i'm not going to let a little thing like being wrong stop me. and now that am a curator on musixmatch, i make the rules :)

trio 3 ("paprika" - japanese breakfast, "a trick of the light" - villagers, "space song" - beach house)

this trio is similar to the last one, but less about the avatar state and other people's perceptions and more about him personally figuring out how to keep up hope. how being a beacon of hope weighs on him ("paprika") but how he has to believe anyway ("a trick of the light"). in the end, "you wide-eyed girls, you get it right" - a nod to katara.

trio 4 - ("nightflyer" - allison russell, "astral plane" - valerie june, "cosmic dancer" - t.rex)

aang is finally at peace with himself and his place in the avatar cycle. the most floaty and ethereal songs on this very floaty and ethereal playlist. i made a short video to nightflyer here.

[star0mania]

HTTYD OC :)

Name: Loki  Jackson Raini

Ages: 17-19 19(sequel)  20(third movie) 29(homecoming

Gender/Pronouns: Loki: Non/Binary- They/them Jackson: Male- He/him Raini: Demigirl-- She/they

Sexuality: Loki: Bisexual Jackson: Omnisexual Raini: Lesbian/Demisexual

Good or Bad: Good

Dragon: Jackson: Light Fury (Kaida) Crush/Mate: Toothless Loki: Changewing (Tanwen) Crush/Mate: none Raini: Cloudcarver (Aurora)  Crush/Mate: None

Abilities: Talking to dragons Loki: Electric powers Raini: Fire powes Jackson: snow powers 

Crush: Loki: Open

Jackson: Hiccup ship name: Hiccson Jackcup ship song:  The Lumineers-- Ho Hey "I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart <3" variants: Reddie- IT Steddie- ST Karlnap- Dream SNP Narlie- Heartstopper

Raini: none (legends say she has a crush on Astrid lol) ship name: Rainstrid, Asni ship song: Katy Perry-I kissed a girl "I kissed a girl and I liked it~" variants:  -Catradora- She-Ra -Lumity- TOH

Family: Ingirid-mom-deceased 43 can't remember her- formally good relationship.

Starolf-father-deceased  46 can't remember him - formally good relationship.

Their dragons lol

Friends: The good guys

Enemies: The bad guys

FC: Loki:  Edric Blight from TOH

Jackson: Jack Frost from ROTG

Raini: Moana from Moana

VC: 

Loki: Nick Nelson from  Heartstopper

Raini: Maddison Russell from Godzilla vs King Kong

Jackson: Rodrick from Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Allergies: Loki: stings Jackson: no allergies Rainia: pollen

Variants: Loki: -Sokka (AVATAR the last airbender) -Carlos (Decendants) -Graystripe (Warriors) -Jonathan (ST)

Jackson: -Will Byers (ST) -Richie (IT) -Jay (Decendants) -Michael Afton (FNAF) -Tarzan (Tarzan) -Loralei (Gilmore Girls) 

Rainia: -Eleven (ST) -Velma (Scooby Doo) -Brightheart (Warriors) -Jenna (Balto)

Theme song: Son of Man

Backstory: Loki was born to Starolf and Ingirid along with his two other siblings, a brother named Jackson and a sister, Raini. When they were just 5 months old, their tribe was attacked by dragons, killing their father and mother. The dragons stole the triplets and raised them as their own, making them meet their dragon buddies. Soon, a week later, another person came and her name was  Valka. Valka treated them as her own as well. Several years later, they meet Hiccup and the gang and  only time can tell what happened next.  

[ask-thedepressedkidatthetable]

TAG NINE PEOPLE YOU'D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER!

TAGGED BY: @heartxshaped-bruises TAGGING: @supcrfriends @crowns-and-claws @nebuladarlings @x-brokencrowns @eeliabwrites @red-eyes-minnie and @radicalrascals

Favorite Color(s): Red, brown, green, light blues and silver Favorite Flavor(s): Vinegar of various names, oil, salted lemons, and honestly? I'm a whore for sugar Favorite Genre(s): Fantasy, dystopian/apocalyptic, historical or otherwise deeply researched genres are a favorite as well Favorite Music: Screamo and Emo, Polka, Alternative, Rock, Queer Punk, Pop-Punk Favorite Movie: The Brother's Grimm. I know what I like, polka and mirrors. Favorite Series: Right now I'll say either Gravity Falls or Avatar: The Last Airbender Last Song: Just Pretend by Bad Omens Last Series: Bones - Meh. I don't get the hype Last Movie: Re-watched Joy. Pretty good Currently Reading: Education Of A Princess by Marie, Grand Duchess Of Russia (Translated by Russell Lord) - If I get the chance, I am most definitely buying this book, it's on loan from the library currently. The quality of her writing easily makes my top five list as far as content and beauty- The book itself is deeply depressing, but fascinating. If you have the chance to read it, please, indulge yourself Currently Watching: Not sure if it's the answer anyone else wants, but listening/watching a course from the teaching company about the Barbarian Empires Of The Steeps. Currently Working On: Thinking of starting a pair of crust pants; I'm also trying to figure out how to properly research piercers, as I'd like to add a few holes to my face