#spur-of-the-moment

[reniors-artcorner]

A short review of Mononoke (2007) and Mononoke: Phantom in the Rain (2024)

I'd like to preface this review by quickly retelling about my excitement when I discovered that a feature film was being developed for the Mononoke (モノノ怪) animated series by Toei Animation, and what I enjoyed about the series.

I was ecstatic! I loved the cartoon, and have revisited it many times over the years. Although I have never read the manga or the light novel adaptations, mainly because much of the charm of the cartoon lies in its visual and audio storytelling.

Mononoke made clever use of its limited budget by mainly using stills, which gave it a characteristic creepiness and stiltiness. The art design also made a creative use of colour, using it to convey what the viewer ought to pay attention to, by contrasting it to an overall dimmer palette. Overall, the backgrounds are also rich in detail, and many convey another layer to the narration, and many times outright show you what happened before the narrative came to that as a spoken conclusion.

One scene, in the first arc (Zashiki Warashi), they give emphasis to the dialogue by having the camera follow it: the character of the Medicine Seller is talking with a pregnant woman, who alleged that something twisted a man 'round and round and round and round' to murder him. As they speak, the camera pans around them in a rough circle. This room also has many paintings, some of which hide further meaning than merely being embellishment, such as the prostitutes, or the fire painting for the crematorium.

The music does a phenomenal job in setting the tension of the scenes, and the sound effects in general are another strong point.

By far the weakest parts are the fight scenes, as they do not benefit from the cuts, angles, or the general tension of the story: it renders them clumsy and out of place. You could remove them from the narrative altogether, and it would likely be of great benefit, as then the mononoke and ayakashi would have to be exorcised in a manner more befitting of the tone of the rest of the cartoon.

The cartoon also uses the reactions of the characters to convey the horrors of the mononoke, rarely showing them outright. This is a positive, because the character design is overall pending for the caricaturesque, instead of the art style more traditionally associated with the medium. This allows them to express emotions more freely, in a manner easier to connect with, thanks to the expressive faces of the characters.

Typically, the cartoon starts the episodes out in a light-hearted or even-toned fashion, and as the mysteries are uncovered, the tone gets more tense, although never outright dramatic.

However, I would not recommend watching the Zashiki Warashi arc first, even though that is the order it is in. Each arc, which takes about two episodes, is entirely divorced from the rest of the series. Instead, I would recommend to start with the Nue arc, as it deals with lighter materials than the Zashiki Warashi arc. Furthermore, I would advise viewers with pregnancy or abortion triggers to avoid it altogether, particularly due to its needlessly cruel ending.

Concerning other possible triggers, I would also advise avoiding the Umibōzu arc: it contains an incestuous unrequited romance, and it implies on sexual abuse of a subordinate. At the end of the arc you discover that the incest was unilateral, and possibly not real, but the vast majority of the arc operates under the impression that it is. It is also one of the longest arcs of the series, totalling in three episodes, the other one being the Bakeneko arc.

The Noppera-bō arc deals with domestic abuse and violence, as well as child mistreatment and neglect, although that is implied more than shown. It, and the Zashiki Warashi, are the most chilling arcs, as they detail, to an uncomfortable degree, their themes.

The Nue arc is by far the lightest. It has a pleasant conclusion, and it would provide a good palate cleanser, if you watch the arcs in order. If you choose to start with it, it showcases much of what the series does with visual storytelling, pacing, and colour use, which makes it a good way to measure if it's something that you would enjoy.

The series closes off with the Bakeneko arc, which ends in a somewhat dissatisfying manner, as it is never shown that the culprit was punished. This is not a problem in the previous arcs. Also, I would recommend this to be the last arc, as it is set closer to the modern age, as opposed to the rest of the series, which is set in an unspecified feudal era.

Now, as to the film…

If I were to sum it up in one word, it would be 'confused'. Because only the director remained from the original crew, it is unsurprising that none of the interesting elements are present.

The story is boring, without any of the emotional charge it once carried, sanitised of its challenging elements. The art direction is entirely misguided, far too bright and visually confusing: at many points I had to take a break from it, as it was overwhelming even to my neurotypical self. There was no interesting use of the camera, and the sound design was nothing of note. The fight scenes are just as clumsy and bad as the series, if not worse, as there was more of it.

Indeed, the highlight was the ending, because it meant I could do something else.

Overall, I must say that I am no longer looking forward to the next films. It seems to me that Mononoke was, as a series, best left in the past, as something interesting to point at, reference and reflect. It does better as a horror story than many of the ones currently being told, including the film that's based on it.

[vadlings]

Represention of Autistic Frustration in Laios Dungeon Meshi

Like many other autistic people, I related strongly to Laios Touden while reading Dungeon Meshi. This post isn't going to spend time disputing whether he displays autistic traits or not—while I could do that, I want to focus on why specifically his portrayal struck a chord with me in a way the writing of most other autistic-coded characters has not.

Disclaimer: as the above suggests, this post is strongly informed by my own experiences as an autistic person, as well as the experiences of my neurodivergent friends with whom I have spoken about this subject. I want to clarify that in no way am I asserting my personal experience to be some Universal Autistic Experience. This post is about why Laios' character feels distinct and significant to me in regard to autistic representation, and while I'm at it, I do feel that I have interesting things to say about autistic representation in media generally. This also got a bit long, so I'm sticking it under a read more. Spoilers for up to the end of chapter 88 below.

The thing that stands out most to me in regard to Laios' characterisation is the open anger he displays when someone points out his inability to read other people. This comes up prominently in his interactions with "Shuro" (Toshiro Nakamoto):

The frustration pictured above (Laios continuing to physically tussle with Toshiro, using crude language toward him) becomes even more notable when you remember that this is Laios, who, outside of these interactions, is not easily fazed and often exists as a lighthearted contrast to the rest of the cast. Then we get to Laios' nightmare.

In Falin's words: "Nightmares love emotional wounds. Wounds you hold in your heart. Things that give you stress, or things that were traumatic for you. They aggravate memories like that and cause the dreamer to have terrible dreams." (chapter 42, page 10.) (damn. i'm properly citing for this post and everything.)

Thus, Laios' nightmare establishes an important fact: even if he is unable to recognise social blunders while he's making them, he's at least subconsciously aware that other people operate on a different wavelength to him, and that he's an outsider in many of his social circles (both past and present). His dream-father's disparaging words stress the impact this has had upon his ability to live up to the expectations set out for him, and we also get a panel of kids who smirk at him (presumably former bullies to some degree). Toshiro's appearance only hammers home how much Laios is still both humiliated and angered by his misunderstanding of their relationship.

I've thought a lot about anger as concomitant to the autistic experience. When autistic representation portrays ostracization, it's generally from an angle of the autistic character being upset at how conforming to neurotypical norms doesn't come easily to them; as a result, they express a desire to 'get better' at meeting neurotypical standards, a desire to become more 'normal' (whether the writing implies this is a good thing or not). In contrast, not once does Laios go, "I need to perform better in my social interactions, and try to care less about monsters, because that's what other people find weird." His frustration is directed outward rather than inward, and as a result, it's the people around him who are framed as nonsensical.

The Winged Lion starts delineating Laios' anger, and Laios' reaction is to think to himself, "It can sense all my thoughts, huh?" (chapter 88, page 16.) This is the scene that really resonated with me. I'm not saying I have never felt the desire to conform to neurotypical norms that is borne from insecurity, but primarily, I know that I don't want to work toward becoming 'normal'—I don't want to change myself for people who follow rules I find nonsensical. It's the difference between, "Oh god, why can't I get it," and, "WHY CAN'T YOU GET IT?" (phrasing here courtesy of my friend Miles @dogwoodbite). And for me personally, Dungeon Meshi is the first time I've seen this frustration and the resultant voluntary isolation from other people portrayed in media so candidly. Laios' anger is not downplayed or written to be easily palatable, either.

The culmination of Laios' frustrations in this scene wherein we learn that Laios has fantasised about "a pack of monsters attacking a village" drives home just how alienated he really feels. I need not go into his wish to become a monster himself, redolent of how many autistic people identify/have identified with non-humans to some degree as a result of a percieved disconnect from society (when I was younger, I wanted to be a robot. I still kind of do.)

Obviously, wishing death upon other people is a weighty thing, but the unfiltered nature of this page is what deeply resonated with me. The Winged Lion is laying Laios' deepest and most transgressive desires bare, and they are desires that are a product of lifelong ostracization by others (whether intentional or unintentional). This is the brand of anger I'm familiar with, and that my neurodivergent friends express being familiar with, but that I haven't seen portrayed in writing so explicitly before—in fact, it surprised me because most well-meaning autistic representation I've experienced veers toward infantilisation in trying make the autistic character's struggles easy for neurotypicals to sympathise with.

Let's also not neglect the symbolism inherent to Laios' daydream. "A pack of monsters attacking a village". Functionally, monsters are Laios' special interest—he percieves everything first and foremost through his passion for monsters. His daydream of monsters attacking—killing—humans, is fundamentally a daydream of the world he understands (monsters) overthrowing the world that is so illogical to him, that has repeatedly shunned him (other people). I joked to my friends that it's an autistic power fantasy, and it actually sort of is. And in it, his identity is aligned with that of the monsters, while his anger manifests in a palpable dissociation from the rest of humanity. This is one manga page. It's brief. It's also very, very raw to me. I think about it often.

To conclude, I love Laios Dungeon Meshi. This portrayal of open frustration in an autistic character meant a lot to me, and I hope I've sufficiently outlined why. Also, feel free to recommend media with autistic representation in the notes if you've read this far—I would really like to see if there is more of this nature. Thank you for reading. I'm very tired and should probably sleep now.

[doodlethedrawer]

I've seen a few people now say that people won't be able to make dramatic winner art/animations out of Joel, and that couldn't be further from the truth

Yes, Joel doesn't take anything seriously. That what makes him terrifying.

Think about it. He's stuck in a death game and he is having fun. When everyone is chasing him down in the finale, he easily uses the teleport power to evade them while barely trying. He can taunt and laugh at them, confident he can't be caught, and he's RIGHT.

Joel feels no fear. He plays the game. He revels in the chaos with a smile on his face. If that is not an epic setup for a villain I don't know what is. It also creates a fun dynamic between him and the other winners. He doesn't care, he can taunt them with memories he's now regained ("Weren't you and Scar friends Grian? How's your soulmate Pearl?") and it throws them off because never has a winner been untouchable like this before. He has no guilt to grapple with, but everyone else does. That gives him innate power over the others

Joel himself is a wildcard. He enjoys the game as much as the watchers. He can adapt to anything, as proven by the series he won in. He has loyalties, sure, but in the end he didn't really care about killing Grian. He thrives when others struggle to survive, and he LOVES chaos.

In conclusion, Joel is the life series equivalent of Bill Cypher. In this essay I will-

[cosmicwhoreo]

Silence -Ocean Breaths Salty ZINE Comic-

I was a part of a Sea Cookie-themed Zine recently and have now been gifted permissions to post my work on my socials I won't be doing so on twitter that hellsite can burn

But you can view this and other talented artist's work AND donate to PCRF🍉 where all the proceeds will be going, if you buy the full zine vvvv here! vvvv https://ocnbrthssaltyzine.gumroad.com/l/oceanbreathessaltyzine

[alleesaur]

palette

[lamb-teaa]

` Choose Us, Choose Me

` pairing: colonel!Caleb x mechanic!reader

` tags: canon divergence!! strictly doesn't follow canon timeline!! but might seem similar?? idk tbh. anyway ANGST. full hurt no comfort. vague plot. vague relationship. vague mentions of betrayal and double agents. vvvery short scenario.

` teaa's note: having to wait for 22 Jan for Caleb's full lore to drop, imma indulge in my personal headcanon for this ficlet instead - a special (&painful) treat for all the Caleb girlies (and me ehe!) (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+

Your silence is the cruelest punishment he had ever endured.

Yet Caleb too remained silent as he watched you meticulously work on repairing his damaged bionic arm, not once had you uttered a single word since his impromptu arrival at your workshop stationed within the massive spaceship.

You merely glanced at him, your tired gaze instantly flickering towards his shortcircuiting arm before letting out a small huff of annoyance as you slammed the coffee mug on the messy table. Like a routine checkup, you wordlessly pointed towards the empty seat and began working on fixing his bionic arm back to good as new.

All the while the tense atmosphere remained palpable within the workshop. Even your trusty little invention-slash-companion robot, Brownie had jumped over the table, holding out all the necessary tools for you to fix Caleb up, yet the presence of the adorable little brown robot cat wasn't enough to shimmer down the tension in the air.

Your expression remained aloof yet the look in your eyes held a strong suppressed rage. Caleb winced when you purposely handled his arm a tad bit too roughly, shooting a side eyed glare at Brownie snickering at him, a clear message of 'you deserve it!' written all over your little companion's face.

Caleb was tempted to send the smug rascal flying across the room using his Evol.

...But he wouldn't want to risk facing your wrath, not when you're still mad pissed at him right now.

"...You know I had to do it." Caleb decided to break the silence first, his eyes locked onto your face, hoping to ease down your anger even just a little bit. "I was following orders."

You stayed silent, nonchalantly avoiding his gaze as your attention was solely on the holographic screen displaying the restoration process.

Caleb gritted his teeth, growing agitated by your lack of response. Why were you so stubborn? Why couldn't you understand him? Why do you have to subject him to this stupid silent treatment of yours?

Why can't you see he's doing all this for your sake?

"It's done." You finally spoke after a long tense silence, your voice cold and detached as you did the final adjustments on his bionic arm. His piercing stare was suffocating you and you wanted nothing more than to be out of his sight. "Now get out."

You had only turned around for a brief millisecond before his hand suddenly snatched your wrist, pulling you close to him. His taller frame towering over you, his face confronted in a mixture of anguish and pain - a sight that made your heart ache, but you refuse to show any weakness, not in front of him, especially not in front of a cruel man like him.

"How long are you going to keep this up?" Caleb spoke lowly, struggling to suppress his own anger. "Aren't you tired of these charades of yours?"

You glared up at him defiantly, despite the slight tremble from his iron grip. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me." He scowled, his grip on your wrist tightened slightly. "How long are you going to play both sides? Do you think they're going to let you off easily once they find out you've been secretly colluding with the enemy?"

His heart sank in dread at your unfazed reaction, as if you've been expecting this to happen sooner or later, that the consequences be damned if it meant fulfilling your own secret mission no matter the cost.

Even at the expense of your own wellbeing.

"..Choose us." Choose me. Caleb shut his eyes briefly before letting go of your wrist, his voice strained with a soft plea as his hands gently cupped your cheeks, forcing you to look up at him. "I can guarantee your safety if you choose our side, please Princess. You'll die if you keep this up."

He sees the flicker of hesitation in your eyes, the conflict swimming in those alluring gaze that never fail to make his heart stutter. But as soon as that raising hope for you turn to his side came, it vanished in an instant when you slapped his hands away.

"I'd rather much die." You spat, your fist clutched the collar of his shirt as you glared up at him, the hatred and disgust written all over your face as your final words shattered his heart into pieces.

"Than to serve the likes of abominations like you.”

[wheatormeat]

aa dump

[ghostbsuter]

"Quick!" A- a girl? Wraps their arm around Steph's own, dragging her close and shielding their own face. Their eyebrows are knitted together, they're biting their lip.

"Pretend we're out together please– there are some creepy people following me for some time."

Steph's eyes narrow, she scoots closer, practically glueing herself to the strangers side and smiling brightly.

"Gosh," she starts, then lowers her voice, "what should I call you?"

They fumble for a moment too long, and Steph takes a leap of faith.

The blond grins. "It's been so long since we met up again, isn't it, Beatrice!"

The stranger plays along, giggling behind their hand. "I'm sorry, you know I've been terribly busy," they raise an eyebrow at steph, asking for her name silently.

"Agnes," she whispers, and they repeat. "Agnes! My cats have been missing you too, you should come over more."

"I will, I will," Steph promises, peering behind her to watch out, and just like her new friend warned her, there were some weirdos in white lab coats and some in suits walking around, searching.

"Thank you." 'Beatrice' whispers as they walk around a building, leaving the place in the dust.

"No problem." Steph replies with a smile.

They separate once far enough, and 'beatrice' fiddles with something before handing it to her.

"My number," 'beatrice' explains at the bewildered look. "You're pretty cool, I thought– maybe you'd like to stay in contact?"

"Yes!" She jumps at the opportunity, taking the number with care and getting out her phone.

"My name is Danny, He/him." they speak in low tones, steph following right by their side as they continue.

"Steph, She/Her." She shoots him a quick wink before sending a text and hearing the sound of Danny's notification ping.

"I gotta go now. It was really nice to meet you, steph."

"A joy for me as well."

[ozzgin]

Hi Ozz! I just wanted to say something I've been thinking these days... So many human Yamderes, Fairies, wolves, criminals, sharks and more monsters. I'm not saying I don't like them, I love that type of content.

But ABSOLUTELY NO ONE! Some of these examples would be: The Loch Ness monster, imagine that you are on vacation and you just want to enjoy the beautiful places that Scotland offers you, such as “Loch Ness”. You're just walking around taking photos of the landscape and you're in the famous Urquhart Castle.

Or even the most normal ones, a male giant leopard seal trying to conquer a female ringed seal with the carcass of what would be an emperor penguin, or a sea snake with such a deadly venom wanting a chance with the female koi fish, or a polar bear relentlessly pursuing a perfect prey but in this case not to buy it but to reproduce.

ᯓ☁️

Alright, hear me out. Loch Ness Monster partner who takes great pleasure in messing with you. It will show itself to you without any issue, but will vanish every time someone else approaches. Moves around when you try to take pictures together, so everyone thinks you're crazy. I mean, you are, but a different kind! You're no liar! Why is everyone leaving the dinner table? You just wanted to introduce your beloved.

[gawrkin]

On making a Welsh version of the entire story of King Arthur:

No Lancelot and No Affair. PERIOD. And absolutely no compromise or cheating on this one: you cannot turn anyone else (coughBediverecough) into a Lancelot analogue. You must sacrifice the Love Triangle completely - no "duty vs. love" drama. You're going to have make do without that conceit. You must exercise your own creativity and forge a different dramatic conflict for Arthur and Gwenhwyfar, if at all.

Supplementary to the above: Divorce is legal.

Arthur is at the forefront. Sometimes, Cai, Gwalchmai and Bedwyr is the focus of a particular adventure, but Arthur is a Man of Action, who often outdoes his own warriors. And in particular, he may not even be a King - he may even just be a military chief (Wleddig, Ameraudur or Dux Bellorum), freeing him up to rove around.

Giants, not fairies, as the primary supernatural race Camelot interacts with. Next to that, Saints and Deities come afterwards.

On the legal side: Celtic Law is Tort Law - a weregild system is at play, known as Saraad (Insult/Honor Price) and Galanas (Injury/Homicide Price). Livestock as a measure of wealth. Inheritance system is Gavelkind (although tribal politics may come into play. See Tanistry).

Emphasis on Poetry, Song and Poetic Speech. Englyns are recommended. Bards as serious authority figures.

Be liberal with the supernatural. Mystical items are always fought over and Knights have cyneddf, or mystical abilities.

The Grail Quest has to be whole sale rewritten and given a new mythos: it's either "The Raid on the Otherworld" where the story is about the capture of a mystical Cauldron (Preiddu Annwfn). AND/OR. It's the Peredur version of Perceval, involving a Severed Head instead of a Grail - Maybe its Bran the Blessed himself! - and possibly a battle with the "Nine Sorceresses"

Exceptions to the "No Affair" rule: Medraut and Melwas. The former requires commitment to Traitor!Guinevere and the latter ends with Arthur winning and taking back Guinevere, whether Melwas lives or not.

The Fall of Camelot - There 3 options for how it should unfold without Lancelot: a) defaulting towards Historia Regum Britanniae's version of events. b) the Gwenhwyfach feud. And c) Non-Traitor Medraut ending. The first, similar to the No Affair exception, requires commitment to Traitor!Guinevere. The second involves establishing Gwenhwyfach as a character in her own right. The third and last is the most difficult: the writer must concieve a sufficiently satisfying third party as an opponent for Arthur and Mordred for a tragic last stand.

No Incest. Medraut remains Arthur's Nephew.

No Villain!Morgan

Optional for the above: Iddog Cordd Prydain as an instigator for the hostilities between Arthur and Medraut

As an extention of the "No Lancelot" rule, No Lady of the Lake and No Galahad either.

Arthur assumes the throne through normal means - No Sword in the Stone or Sword from the Lake. Kings Lot and Urien are allies all they way. Excalibur/Caledfwlch is part of a set of Three Holy Weapons, the others being Rhongomyniad and Carnwennan.

Exceptions to the "No Affair" rule: Edern ap Nudd as Guinevere's lover. Highly unrecommended, either for potentially establishing a Love triangle (defeating the whole purpose of removing Lancelot) and for potentially resulting in Arthur's early, non-Camlann death.

Trystan and Essyllt potentially do not end in tragedy (Total omission of Brittany, Isolde White Hands and the Black Sails motif) (Writer's choice). Although Mark could still treacherously kill them both, ala Prose Tristan.

King Mark as potentially Conomor the Cursed.

[rimatsu]

if tommy doesn't propose by asking buck "will you be my last, evan?" then what's the point of anything really

[quimser]

[rapace-mordace]

I took some liberties from the usual griddelhark dynamics, I guess :P

[hollowtones]

Just wanted to say how much I loved you in the BBVRAI! You had such great little jokes, like needing to "excuse" Hank when you had to switch to Skyler, or towards the end when Wayne was talking to the baby, Holly, and you chimed in out of character like "Yeah, what?" Your skill as a voice actor is phenomenal! Keep being amazing!

The Skylar and Hank bits felt like very frantic fringe theatre stageplay stuff, and it was a very fun space to work in ^_^ I hope it was as fun to watch as it was to perform.

Thanks for enjoying the weird little things we make. I'm always very thankful that people enjoy our work, even if it doesn't turn out how they expect it. It's very gratifying to work on something entirely for yourself / your friends & to find that it resonates (or, hell, lands at all!) with other people.

[mycofaerie]

I am Kenough but it’s Link (he’s also a horse girly)

[marciliedonato]

Laios watching his sister turn into a dragon/chicken like hybrid monster: