#she always looks so derpy whenever i draw her

[artinandwritin]

Modern au Siri has a scrapbook/pretty notebook she uses for everything and it often gets stolen by her friends

Cute lil doodle!! I teeeeeechnically did have @spacenintendogs dragons off the coast au in mind while drawing this lmao but it could be for any modern au <333

[meraki-yao]

List of thoughts while listening to the RWRB audiobook while drawing Alex during my drawing class (4 10 2023)

Drawing progress update: I was kinda done with the base outline sketch and it looked fine, but my teacher told me it was time to start shading/colouring it and once I did HOLY SHIT IT LOOKED AWFUL HE LOOKED SO DERPY I was laughing so hard at it that I was nearly falling over lmao (trust the process, he helped me a bit and pointed out what's wrong, it looks much less derpy now)

Ch8- half of Ch9 (Wimbledon -> DNC -> Zahra finds out -> Coming out to Ellen -> email: A Mass of Fools and Knaves)

I internally groan in frustration whenever Alex denies he's in love, dude, what the fuck (like, I understand him, but as a listener/reader, come on)

I need to quickly reiterate that I understand changes need to be made for adaptations, and as long as it's done well, which was in RWRB, I have no problem with it. That being said I do notice differences and think about stuff and that's a neutral thing out of curiosity

It never occurred to me how much... Tamer the movie characters are than their book counterparts? Like when you consume each media independently you don't see it because that's just the nature of the medium: films need to be more grounded than books because there's a limitation to a human's suspense of disbelief because it's visual in their face. But the difference in energy levels in the two just hit me. It's interesting.

I never minded not having June in the movie from the start, because Matthew's explanation of the choice is valid and the film worked regardless. However knowing that Taylor has siblings and is one of the young ones, him as Alex having an on-screen sister and getting to play with that dynamic would have been nice to see. (especially of what happened to his family in June. I really wanna hug him.)

The moment in the Wimbleton where Henry fell asleep and Alex just watched him, I kinda wish there was a moment like this in the movie where Alex watches a sleeping Henry, although I can't tell where it would potentially fit in

I tried to find which sex scene in the myriad of sex scenes from the book would have the emotional vulnerability and gentleness of the movie Paris scene, and I think it's the DNC one? The only difference in terms of emotions is Paris is comfort and DNC is hurt/comfort

Kinda prefer the movie coming out to Mom than the book one

I once again question both of them: boys, you're already comparing your correspondence with historical love letters, how the fuck have neither of you realized you're in love and it's very much reciprocated, you two dumbasses (still love you)

As someone who was obsessed with Hamilton for a year and a half and still deeply appreciates the musical, Hamilton's relationships always ... gave me conflicted feelings. I don't doubt he's bi, or he was in love with Laurens, but it's just... Eliza loved him so, so damn much, to the point where she dedicated her entire life to his legacy, and the idea that her love wasn't reciprocated in the same measure just ... makes me really sad for her

I want to cry at the emails, I feel like this is a turning point for book FirstPrince. Again, I really need Taylor and Nick to read the book emails.

[bronyinabottle]

PARENTAL GLIDANCE THOUGHTS

At last we get to see the last of the (known to be alive) parents of the Mane 6. And let me tell you the episode with Rainbow's parents was a fun one.

From the start we get fingerling Scootaloo… which I imagine was very hard on the ears of anyone who was listening on headphones or turned up the volume on the TV. Wouldn't fault anyone for turning it down, especially the moment Scootaloo sees Rainbow Dash's mom.

But on to initial things about her parents. First of course some mention of that one pony we thought was Rainbow Dash's dad for the longest time due to that flashback from Games Ponies Play. But I suppose they changed it to mentor at least in the card game? Kinda strange, though Bow seems to have a similar design with some noticeable differences. I'm sure that flashback is just going to confuse people from now on but it's alright. As for Dash's mom definitely a pretty cute design that you could definitely see a resemblance. I also think she's one of the few mares in the show with a short tail. Usually the stallions have the short tails as to help further differentiate them beyond the different snout shape.

But another thing about this episode that's great to see is just through pictures we see Scootaloo see a gallery of we get a good look at how Rainbow's childhood/teenage years was for her and that's always good to get some more character history. (Oh also the heavily sound effect door was a really good gag.

Though even early on you can see how kinda… creepy Dash's parents are about their daughter. They keep many things, even things that aren't generally the stuff parents would keep even if they really loved their child. From diapers to apples to broken vases which would come off as more so a bad memory we can assume for Dash. And it's pretty important to note this because while her parents are still likable just from their sheer positive energy you can kinda easily see why even Rainbow who while we've certainly seen her try to grab the attention in the past why even she has a point where she'd draw the line. Her own parents are on the brink of being one of those crazy insane fans. And that's an odd situation indeed. It's incredibly important to take note because of a certain scene later on in the episode.

A small note I must make. This episode had a lot of wings in the place of hand gestures. Like it's been there before but not exactly this common in one episode. Everything from wing shakes, plugging ears, facepalms, and even later being used to count (Which was fan-edited pretty soon after to give the middle wing if you know what  that means)

Dash's parents when in the crowd are like those Soccor Moms/Dads that no matter what whether their kid is doing good or bad at their sport they're cheering like they're doing absolutely everything on the field. Which can be incredibly annoying to other people in the stands who are more mild-mannered even if they have kids of their own playing. Not to mention that could also put a little too much pressure on the kid and/or at least embarrass them. Cause being known as the kid with the annoying parents in the stands can't be any fun.

But as fun and humorous  to see how it gets for Dash's parents to do what they did. The locker room scene is no doubt the most important scene in the episode. Make no mistake, Rainbow Dash's words certainly were kinda cruel. But it's absolutely what needed to be done, because again Dash's parents have habits that are way too creepy and gets in the way that it's entirely believable that even someone like Dash who's known to have a bit of a Ego might find is too much. Even if you don't particularly like Rainbow Dash as a character, you can now kinda understand why she ended up like she was. Her parents raised her as if she can do no wrong, quite frankly it's a miracle at all that Rainbow has any sort of sense of modesty. I still liked Dash's parents but I was totally on Dash's side in that scene, even though it certainly didn't make for an easy ending as that yelling nearly breaks all of Scoots' respect for Rainbow Dash and regardless how crazy they are it's still sad to see them run off crying.

Secondary in importance though is showing that Rainbow actually earned her skills over time in showing she was once one of the worst in her class but earned her way to the top (On a side note, in a bit of both sadness and humor you see Derpy at the top at first but she gets lower as her eyes get more derped. Geez). Also Scootaloo saying she wished she had parents like Rainbow's is just going to have people wanting to know where Scoots' parents are. There is a decent fandom contingent that says she's an orphan, but there was also something Lauren Faust has said is that Scoots' parents have demanding jobs and don't have a lot of time to spend with her. And one of the staff members actually replied and suggested they may follow-up on that whenever they get the chance to cover that. Something to possibly keep an eye on in the future.

But yeah, Parental Glidance I think is one of the best Rainbow Dash episodes in a little while. Well ok, technically it's more of a Scootaloo episode since it heavily involves her and so far all Scootaloo episodes have been really good. But even in that case it doesn't disappoint there. We get a good look at Rainbow's history, some fun if a bit on the insane side pair of parents, and just an overall fun episode overall.. Definitely will be one of my favorites this season.

Next up is Hard To Say Anything. Which… will be kinda interesting cause there's certainly a few things I must admit is odd. But that's for next week. Seeya!

[theliterateape]

Interview with The Ten Year-Old | New Year's Edition

By Brian Sweeney

This is an in-depth New Year’s interview with my girlfriend's 10-year-old daughter, Charlotte.

This is 100 percent real.

So, Charlotte, how old are you?

Ten.

And when is your birthday?

June 8, 2009.

So this is the second time you’ve been around for the end of a decade. Do you remember when you were almost six months old and it changed from 2009 to 2010?

Yeah. It felt like 2018 went around twice.

What?

I don’t know!

Okay. When you were almost six months old do you remember it turning to 2010?

I don’t remember turning it to 2010, but I do remember when it was turning to 2015 and I remember saying, “I’m gonna miss 2014.”

And was that the last time you were happy?

No?

You weren’t even happy then?

No.

Have you ever been happy?

Yeah.

Do you think in 2009 you were happy?

Yeah.

So this decade marks your sadness.

Of course.

Does it feel any different that it’s the end of a decade and not just the end of a year?

[shrugs and makes “I don’t know” sound]

What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

I don’t know. A lot of good things happened. And a lot of bad things happened.

Okay. What’s the best thing? The single best thing?

[silence]

Name one good thing that happened. Anything good.

I got two cute figurines.

Okay. Anything that happened in your life that wasn’t just acquiring something?

[My best friend] got a phone.

Is there anything that happened to you that resonated emotionally with you?

[silence]

You can’t think of one good thing aside from—

Hold on! I’m thinking!

[silence]

I learned how strong I am against Mike.

No. You can’t talk about beating up your little brother as the one good thing that happened this year.

Ugh! Uh…

One good thing.

Uh… Uh… I don’t… Ugh…

Let’s move on since that’s a really hard question for you. Pick three words to describe this past year.

Very. Awkward. Lifetime.

A lifetime? It’s only one year. They can be three separate words that don’t make a sentence.

Okay. Weird… [long pause]

Annoying…

Hey! All right. Weird. Exciting. And derpy.

What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

Now I’m stronger.

Physically?

Physically and mentally.

Mentally you’re stronger?

I don’t freaking know.

Doesn’t seem like you’re mentally stronger if one question makes you fall apart like that.

[laughs]

What was the biggest thing that you’ve learned this past year?

I learned that the human body sucks.

What advice would you like to give yourself as you begin the new year?

[stands up] Stop👏🏻 being👏🏻 a stupid👏🏻 idiot👏🏻.

I don’t think you’ll be able to do that.

Aww. Now I’m sad.

What was the best way you used your time this past year?

YouTube. And actually having fun with myself.

You had fun with yourself?

I know. It’s depressing.

How do you have fun with yourself?

When I’m just enjoying myself in, ah, very mysterious ways.

What would you be most happy about completing in the new year? Like, what is a project that you—

I don’t have any projects.

[silence]

This is a terrible interview.

I know.

What would you most like to change about yourself?

[stands up] Me stopping👏🏻 being👏🏻 a stupid👏🏻 idiot👏🏻.

What brings you the most joy in life?

I think what brings me joy is making jokes about me being a stupid idiot.

What musical artist would you like to see live in concert this next year?

Does it have to be a music star?

Does a musical artist have to be a musical artist? I don’t know what the hell that question means.

I want to see Bobby Duke. Bobby Duke is a wood art designer. He’s super talented and he’s just as funny and just as much of a stupid idiot as me.

Aw. No one’s as stupid as you.

[Charlotte throws a pillow at my head.]

Speaking of—

[Charlotte gets up and starts dancing and waving her arms around]

What is this?

I don’t know! I really don’t! Okay?

Is this what you do—

No!

—when you’re by yourself?

No! I swear!

So, Bobby Duke... There’s a monster named The Babadook. Do you know that?

No.

I’ll ask the question again that you answered Bobby Duke the wood artist, for some reason: What musical artist would you like to see live in concert this next year?

Melanie Martinis?

Martinis?

I don’t know how to say her last name!

MartinEZ!

Oh! [laughs] I’m so sorry! I’m sorry, Melanie! I’m so sorry!

Is Melanie Martinez your favorite now?

Uhh… Yeah.

Do you want hair like she has?

Probably. Sometime in my life.

Which one would you have?

The black and white hair.

How would you like your fashion style to be different this year?

I don’t know. Wear a little more black.

Where would you like to vacation this year? Anywhere in the world.

Ohio.

I said anywhere in the world and you picked two states over.

I like Ohio!

But if I came to you and said, “Hey, I have tickets to Hawaii or we could go to Ohio—”

Well, Hawaii has problems of its own.

What are you talking about?

I have no idea.

Do you think I’m saying you shouldn’t go to Ohio because of the “problems?” I’m just saying out of everywhere in the world, the place you would most want to go to is a state right next to us that you’ve been to before. As opposed to, like, the Galapagos Islands, the Bahamas, Japan. Okay. Ohio.

Yay!

What is a relationship deal breaker for you?

The first thing that came to my head was if they were racist— A couple things. One, if they support Trump. Two, if, like, I’m not blaming them, but if they genuinely really like bugs. I don’t—I hate bugs. Unless if it’s like a butterfly or a moth.

If they were like, “I’m really into bugs, I have a bunch of bugs at home…”

No. Go away. Where’s my gun?

But what if it’s Charlotte the spider? The spider you were named after. You of all people should like spiders. Peter Parker doesn’t hate spiders.

Who’s Peter Parker?

Oh my God. Frickin’ Spider-Man!

I forgot!

Do you want kids?

Well, I guess I would like kids, but, to be honest, I wouldn’t like to—this is weird to say—I maybe wouldn’t want to start, like, raising them. A baby is a lot of hard work, so I bet if I really wanted kids I would adopt a kid.

Past baby age?

I would want them to be, like, around six or seven, where they’re past the baby age, they can talk mostly, but like, there’s half of me that does like kids because, like, it’s cute, they’re fun, nice conversations about them, but also, you have to pay for everything. They don’t come for free. For education and school it’s a lot, and you gotta provide food, you gotta provide toys, you gotta provide, like, everything. So, I want to live kind of cheap. So a lot of me likes the idea of having children, but another part of me is like—if I do end up having a kid, adopted or [biologically], then I’m probably gonna make the man pay for all of it.

Okay, I’m now going to ask you questions that I asked you last year and see what your answers are now. Do you believe in ghosts?

Sometimes.

This is a big change. Last year when I asked you said “No.”

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t, but when I do I make ghosts seem cool. Like, legit cool. Actually cool to be around. Not horror ghosts or something. Just cool. Decent. Nice. Like a ghost you could hang out with.

What's something you hope you grow out of?

What did I say last year?

“Biting my freakin' nails and toenails!”

[Charlotte laughs almost to the point of hyperventilating] Probably, this is a weird thing I do, and I’m being very real. Whenever I get a stuffed animal, I always treat them like they’re an actual person. If I accidentally drop poor Ramen [the stuffed bear] here, I’ll actually feel sad that I hurt him or something. And whenever I have a plushie or something, I’ll always have feelings for them. If I neglect them then I’ll feel sorrow for it.

What would be the perfect boyfriend or girlfriend?

I would want them not to be super jacked or anything. I would like a nice, decent figure. I would want them to be cute in a situation and like something would be funny. I would want them to be kind, of course. I would definitely want them to like drawing and art. Not if they’re good or bad at drawing, but they have nice interests. I would like them to accept how weird and dumb I am and how I make bad decisions pretty much all the time.

What are you most proud of about yourself?

Probably my personality. I am very proud of my personality and how I am.

What is the one thing people always misunderstand about you? 

I think they don’t realize that I’m self-conscious a lot.

Because you are silly a lot so people are like, “Charlotte doesn’t care?”

Yeah. But, a lot of the time I’m self-conscious about how I look, how I act, how people think of me. Not really how they think of me, but more how do I look? And how do I act? Am I acting dumb? Stupid and like an idiot? So, yeah.

What is on your bucket list?

Making money off of art. That’s the one thing that I do want to do in life. Actually selling art or something.

What is your biggest flaw?

I guess being ignorant in a lot of situations. Not so much being like, dumb on purpose or on accident. But just ignorant and not knowing things that I should. Like knowing that math will actually help you in the future.

That’s what you said last year. Math.

Oh. Yeah. I hate math.

What's the most important thing that guys should understand about girls?

Please don’t interact with us if you know a girl has their period.

What is your favorite word?

It’s not an actual word, but it’s something that I say a lot, “whoop dee-doo.” If I’m sarcastic I’ll be like, “whoop dee-doo.” If I’m happy I’ll be like, “whoop dee-doo!” If I’m just bored and want to create a word I’ll say, like, “har har hardy doo.” I do a “dee doo.” Again, it’s more of an expression than an actual word.

Where did you get “whoop dee-doo” from?

I have no idea. I think I just like started making myself say it. I don’t mean, like, I made it up. But, I feel like it’s a Char thing. Like my catchphrase.

What is our favorite curse word?

[giggles] Uh… Probably just the classic “fuck.”