#stars and satina

[lackadaisycats]

Since it's Indie Animation Day...

I figured I'd repost that list of other animation creators on YouTube that I shared last week, separate from it's original, weird context. I've also included several more entries based on suggestions in the comments. Thanks for the feedback! General Content Warning: Some of the below is not for kids, or contains violence or other subject matter some viewers might find distressing. Please use your adult discretion. Also, this is not a list of moral endorsements. I know some of these creators personally, but many of them I do not. While I have tried to make sure I'm not listing anyone who is a criminal or otherwise objectively harmful person, I don't have encyclopedic knowledge of every little internet drama that has gone down (and chances are I'm not super interested in hearing about it all because it's really difficult to tell fact from fiction from hyperbole around here).

Anyway, check out some Indie Animation:

Far-Fetched Worthikids Satina | Scumhouse Noodle and Bun Punch Punch Forever Ramshackle Noodle Papajoolia | Pipi Angel Hare | The East Patch Jonni Peppers Salad Fingers Monkey Wrench Studio Heartbreak Felix Colgrave JelloApocalypse Odd1sout (started indie, got picked up by Netflix) Allie Mehner JaidenAnimations Lumi and the Great Big Galaxy Cloudrise | The Worlds Divide Telepurte RubberRoss James Lee ENA Godspeed | Olan Rogers Ollie and Scoops Meat Canyon Port by the Sea Kekeflipnote Boxtown Kevin Temmer Weebl Joel Haver CircleToons Long Gone Gulch Atlas and the Stars Animist Skibidi Toilet A Fox in Space Alex Henderson Talon Toniko Pantoja Sr. Pelo Hullabaloo Kane Pixels (started indie, picked up by A24) Homestar Runner Fennah Gods' School Alan Becker Dungeon Flippers JazLyte Psychicpebbles (started indie, Smiling Friends picked up by AS) Piemations vewn Metal Family Dead Sound chluaid Jacknjellify Betsy Lee | No Evil My Pride Cranbersher GeoExe | Gwain Saga Horatio the Vampire Mech West Playground | Rodrigo Sousa The Brave Locomotive Finchwing (+ check out other Warrior Cats animators) Quazies SamBakZa Kamikaze: Trial by Fire Parasomnia

[man-in-jumpsuit]

Hey, it's a casting announcement!

But first, a synopsis:

Coming in 2025, Heartglass is a modern urban fantasy that centers loss, grief, and corruption in a package that feels like a fairytale. The story is divided between two main throughlines. The three living relatives of the victims of a tragic accident on a viewing platform over the Heartglass desert are attending a memorial service when a violent storm hits the city of Robeson, a storm that shouldn't be possible. In its wake, it drags a whole host of impossible things - including people turning into trees, invisible monsters, and a mysterious cowboy shaman. They are forced to navigate a world that they rapidly realize they do not truly understand.

Meanwhile, the three departed relatives of our protagonists are stuck living in an ice cream shop in Hell. They remember almost nothing about their lives, but they do know they're all bound together by some means that prevents them from separating. When the concept of a communistic scare drives them from their makeshift home, they set off to journey to Hell's only visible landmark - a spire set seemingly forever on the horizon, above which a singular white light radiates the otherwise formless gray expanse. Heartglass is a bizarre and poetic look at the relationship between life, death, and the surreal spaces in between.

Without further ado, our cast!

Starring

Ashleigh Morgan as Maya Graves

Ashleigh has been in several productions both for VO and camera acting, including Simone on the Grand Crew (NBC), Paramedic/Ashleigh on The Rehearsal (HBO), and as Mina Nihrum in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Shannon Hobby as Piper Stewart

Shannon has been in a number of VO productions for both web series and video games, such as Hannah Daigle's Satina as the titular character, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries as "Samantha Cole" and as "A5 Strata" in Popup Dungeon.

Adam Pilver as Mark LeBeau

Mark is an accomplished screen actor making his break into VO work in this role. His previous roles include parts on I Love That For You as "Dr. Gilberg" (Showtime), "Keith" on Shrinking (Apple TV+), and "ICE Agent Jones" on S.W.A.T (CBS)

Henry Korba-Babcock as James Gently

Henry is a voice actor, appearing on audiobooks previously, as well as appearances on The Innkeeper and SCP Un[REDACTED].

Rae Lundberg as Allan Coleman

Rae is an accomplished audio drama actor, with appearances on their show The Night Post as "Val Torres" and "The Stranger," as well as "Ran Fishercliff" on Eeler's Choice and "Jamilla Gardner" on Woe.Begone

Jamie-Lyn Markos as Mother Seraphina

Jamie-Lyn has appeared on both audio dramas and screen as a talented VO artist, as well as being an accomplished stage actor. Her latest appearances include as "Sister Genevieve" on The Love Talker and as "Sally" in Close Your Eyes.

Also Starring

Aud Andrews as Venan Kamen

Aud is a phenomenally accomplished voice actor, with a nomination for best performance at the 2023 Ambies for his performance as the titular character in The Madness of Chartrulean. Aud also appears in the forthcoming The Dope Show as "Ben."

Rae Witte as Melanie Pappaspiradakos

Rae is another phenomenal actress who has appeared in our very own What's in The Rift as "Alana Rietzkopf" and in Observable Radio and The Dex Legacy. She is also involved in forthcoming projects for Packhowl Media.

Heartglass will release its pilot episode in February in conjunction with our Kickstarter.

Can't wait to see you then!

[gartenofbanny]

Hell as it is shown in Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel is really underwhelming because Vivziepop for some reason decides to make Hell very similar to Earth which in my opinion limits what can be shown and limits ideas as well. So I'm gonna discuss my problems with the rings that were shown thus far and how other pieces of animated media showcase Hell within their own series.

The Pride Ring

The Pride Ring is one of the main settings of Helluva Boss and will most likely be the only main setting of Hazbin Hotel. Right off the bat, The Pride Ring is literally just any big city, but with a red sky, more clubs and drug stores, and somewhat bizarre-looking buildings such as the Hazbin Hotel. The only creative things I can really think of when thinking about the Pride Ring are the cannibal colony and the fact that certain buildings look bizarre.

There are also signs that tell us what the buildings are or where it's at as if we couldn't have picked up the pieces on our own.

The Cannibal Colony is a location in the Pride Ring with its main residents being cannibals with the entire theme of the place being the early 1900s. It's interesting to me because Sinners were once human, but they don't want to move on from their times and want to stick with it for as long as they want. Plus they're all cannibals you don't see that every day.

Anyway, there are certain buildings shown in HH and HB, and the reason why I believe those are creative is that they don't look like any regular building you can find in the big city. Aside from those two creative stamps, the Pride Ring doesn't have anything else going for it.

Blitzo literally acknowledges this in Seeing Stars as when they went to LA, he literally says that it isn't any different from Hell. Why would I believe that Viv's version of Hell is unique when the character says that it's almost the same as Earth?

The Greed Ring

The Greed Ring is literally just the same as the Pride Ring except with more pollution for some reason and there's a green sky instead of a red one. That's all it is and it's very underwhelming because I really expected the Greed Ring to be very different, not just another Pride Ring but with a changed color scheme. At least there are more neighborhoods so that's something different from the Pride Ring, but nothing different compared to Earth

The Sloth Ring

The Sloth Ring similar to the Pride Ring and the Greed Ring is a big city with a different color scheme. Instead, it's more unique compared to the Greed and Pride Ring because it has floating rocks that hold buildings and it actually looks less chaotic and dangerous compared to the two previous Rings. But alas, that's the only thing that really makes this Ring unique.

The Wrath Ring

The Wrath Ring is the most unique and stand-out Ring of Hell in Helluva Boss as of making this blog. It has a Western cowboy theme to it which is something you don't really see on Earth at face value, the Wrath Ring has unique wildlife like Striker's horse or the hog that Striker killed. Yeah, they are similar to the wildlife that's on Earth, but they're actually really strong and look hellish.

There are volcanoes in the Wrath Ring which makes sense as to why the animals look a certain way because they were born there. Plus the volcanoes look very pretty as well.

I basically described the Rings that we were shown thus far because there's a running theme with most of them and that theme is, the Rings are a big city with a different color scheme. The only Ring that's actually different and creative is the Wrath Ring and it's telling a lot when one out of the four Rings of Hell is actually creative. There are two indie animation projects that I believe represent Hell way better than Vivziepop does. Those projects are "Welcome to Hell" by Erica Wester and "Satina" by Hannah Daigle

Welcome to Hell

While Hell itself isn't really shown in Welcome to Hell, the entire concept of it is that Hell is currently being renovated by the ruler Mephistopheles and that every sinner isn't suffering at least not now. So first off, Sinners actually suffer the consequences of their actions at least for a time they did but due to this lack of suffering and chaos, Mephistopheles is losing his shit.

To Mephistopheles, Hell is similar to a business but when it's out of control he tries to make the most of it. I don't know why Mephistopheles wants Sock to convince Jonathan to off himself, but I believe it will be answered in the next episode. All and all, Wester's version of Hell is actually good in my opinion because it's what we expect and I like the fact that Mephistopheles views Hell more like a business instead of a circus like Lucifer from HH. If you haven't checked out Welcome to Hell, I suggest you all do so and stick around for the second episode or installment. It's on Erica Wester's Youtube Channel.

Satina

Satina is an indie series created by Hannah Daigle and with her latest teaser of Satina Season 1 being released, I can safely say that Hannah's version of Hell looks 10X better than Viv's version. And it wasn't even a full showcase of Hell either. What was shown to us was very unexpected. Her version of Hell is something I never even predicted and that's what makes her version leagues better than Vivziepop's, it's unpredictable and creative. The four horsemen of the apocalypse are literally inside a bar that's most likely alive. Not to mention the humor in the teaser is also much better than Helluva Boss'. The designs of the demons are all unique and not just tall stick figure people in suits.

But anyway, long story short, Viv's version of Hell is just barely creative and is quite boring which is disappointing because you can do so much with Hell. We don't know what Hell looks like or if it even exists, you can come up with a lot of creative ideas for Hell and I'm pretty sure that people will like it because we don't know what it looks like. But making Hell just Earth 2.0 is disappointing because I and some other people want to see something different but what's done is done.

Thank you all for reading and I hope you all have a nice day! ❤️

[raitostr]

Welcome Home Oc:

Star ⭐‼️

(I was inspired by star butterfly and satina-)

[partystoragechest]

A story of romance, drama, and politics which neither Trevelyan nor Cullen wish to be in.

Canon divergent fic in which Josephine solves the matter of post-Wicked Hearts attention by inviting four noblewomen to compete for Cullen's affections. In this chapter, Trevelyan is called to see the Commander.

(Masterpost. Beginning. Previous entry. Next entry. Words: 3,639. Rating: all audiences. Warnings: talk of addiction withdrawal.)

Chapter 21: Forgive Me

Trevelyan did not usually take her morning walk in the courtyard, so near to the infirmary, but a change of pace was often a beneficial remedy to the boredom of routine. That was her excuse, at least.

But she was far too cowardly to actually step into the infirmary, and enquire after the Commander’s health. It wasn’t her place to ask, really, and it was better for him to rest. That was her excuse, at least.

So, she diverted course. Turned about at the armoury. Greeted mages as they passed. Kicked the weeds outside the Herald’s Rest. And meandered down to the courtyard below.

Soldiers trained here. Feet churned up dust as they pushed forward into attack; grass tore beneath heels that dug in for defense. Trevelyan skirted the clattering horde, an eye kept upon them, just in case.

But they were under the watch of no Commander. Captains appeared to patrol the lines instead, and conducted their instruction with an admirable accuracy.

So Trevelyan wandered on, to the market just beyond the bridge. Sellers had set up there, and were already doing business. Denizens of Skyhold bustled about the tables, examining the wares on offer. Being in the mountains, this was likely the only taste of commerce they got.

Trevelyan joined the crowd. Perusing the stalls might help keep her mind off things.

And there was one in particular that caught her attention: a bookseller, with an array of tomes on a pantheon of subjects, displayed elegantly on a ream of purple crushed velvet. The dwarven man behind the stall—his bearing typical of a merchant surfacer—gave her a beardy smile as she approached.

There were only so many books in Skyhold’s library. Trevelyan wondered if she might find something new here.

An Astronomer’s Illustrated Guide to the Stars, read one golden title, embossed onto blue leather. Trevelyan certainly didn’t recognise this one. The moon and Satina were even engraved into the cover! It was beautiful.

“May I look at this?” she asked the seller.

“’Course,” said the man.

Trevelyan carefully opened the book. The Inquisition had literature on the stars, of course, but none illustrated so. There were the constellations she knew—the Oak, the Maiden, Sacrifice (their Tevene names included!)—but also their Elven and Avvar interpretations. Comprehensive indeed!

“Lovely book, isn’t it?” the seller-man commented. “You don’t get many like that.”

“It’s wonderful,” she agreed.

“That does mean it’s a bit pricier than the rest, but it’s worth it for the quality. Most books I stock are about ten to twenty silvers; this one’s forty.”

Trevelyan stared at him, mouth agape. “Oh.”

She hadn’t quite expected to be buying anything. She was confined to the mountains as much as these other folk. This was the only taste of commerce she got.

Besides, it wasn’t like she had any money.

Her father hadn’t wanted her to possess a (what he called) ‘running away fund’. Trevelyan had begged her parents for something, only finding success when she mentioned how poor they’d look if they sent her with nothing.

The compromise? All her money was kept in a lockbox, and Cara had the key.

Forty silvers was nothing to her parents. And Trevelyan had been doing quite as they asked, spending so much time with the Commander it had driven him to sickness. She could persuade Cara.

“I don’t have any coin on me now,” she told the seller, “but I can fetch some! Would you be able to hold this until I return?”

The man shook his head. “Sorry, miss, had too many occurrences of holding things, only for people to never come back. Impacts trade.”

“Fair. Then I’ll be as quick as I can!”

Trevelyan hurried away, as promised. Out of the market, past the soldiers—she took the stairs back to the upper courtyard two at a time! (She took the ones to the Great Hall a little slower).

Catching her breath at the top, she locked eyes on the next flight that awaited, and—

“Lady Trevelyan!”

Couldn’t go anywhere in this damn castle without finding oneself summoned to conversation. A messenger, from the direction of Montilyet’s parlour, swerved towards her.

Trevelyan permitted them their approach. “How may I help you?” she asked.

They bowed. “Your Ladyship, the Ambassador wishes to see you.”

“Right now?”

“If you’re available,” said the messenger. “I can tell her you’re delayed, if you wish.”

Trevelyan thought on it a moment, but shook her head. “No, no. Thank you.”

After all, she had something of an idea as to what this might be about. As urgent as the book was, this was more so. Montilyet’s open parlour door beckoned.

She surrendered to its pull. “Lady Monilyet?” she called, upon entering.

Montilyet, behind her desk, stood on sight. “Oh, Lady Trevelyan! That was fast.” She stepped out to greet her properly, and asked: “How are you feeling, this morning?”

“I’m fine,” said Trevelyan, who was actually a concentrated mess of worry. “How is the Commander?”

“Better,” Montilyet reassured her, “but still recovering. However, he has asked to see you—that is why I called you here. He is waiting now”—she glanced at her parlour’s other door, that led to the secretive war room beyond—“but only if you are happy to see him.”

Trevelyan pushed out an uneasy breath. “Is he well enough for this?”

Lady Montilyet sighed. “He and I have different answers to that question. But, he insisted.”

“Then, all right.”

Montilyet nodded. “Please, take a seat.”

Trevelyan did as requested, taking her usual place on the sofa. It felt odd without Lady Erridge sat beside her, or the Baroness sewing in her chair, or Lady Samient reclined on hers.

Lady Montilyet, meanwhile, had gone to the door, and disappeared within. Trevelyan took this moment to prepare herself for the man that might emerge.

The door opened. She was pleasantly surprised.

The Commander stepped out of his own accord, firm on his feet, at least. His skin had its colour back, and his eyes seemed more alert. He did not wear his armour, nor his mantle—just a simple shirt and a quilted jacket, left open at the front.

He was good at masking the pain.

“Commander,” she said, standing by instinct, “how are you?”

His voice was hoarse, quiet. His reply: “How are you?”

Trevelyan forgave him the trespass of not answering, as she recognised an audible guilt in his question. “I’m well, thank you.”

He managed a subtle nod in response. Lady Montilyet came to his side, and directed him to a seat. The walk over was stable, but slow.

His weight sank onto the chair with a creak, evident of the heaviness of one whose body felt as lead. At least sitting seemed to settle him. Trevelyan waited until he was comfortable, to ask again:

“Commander, how are you?”

“He is better,” answered Montilyet, for him. She remained at his side, observant. “The healers said he recovered well enough in the evening to return to his own bed—but aches and pains still linger, and will for a few days yet.”

Though that did not prevent him from mustering the courage to speak: “I am sorry you had to… witness that.” He said it without ever meeting Trevelyan’s gaze. “Thank you, for fetching help.”

Trevelyan shifted along the sofa, to take Lady Erridge’s usual spot. She tried to catch his eye—and, when she did, smiled at him. “I am glad to see you better.”

“I am sorry,” the Commander repeated. “That day… I had forgotten my medicines. I—believe Josephine told you about them?”

‘Josephine’ interjected: “It was not just that day. The healers said it was four of his last six doses that had been missed—hence why this flare was so terrible.”

Trevelyan’s next question, of how such doses had been missed in the first place, was answered before she could voice it:

“Lyrium affects memory,” the Commander explained. “I forget things, on occasion. But forgetting my medicines meant that the forgetting only worsened. One missed day, turned into two, turned into four. I’m sorry.”

Trevelyan regarded him gently. “I hope you do not mean to blame yourself, Commander.”

“It is my fault.”

She shook her head. “With things like this… lapses happen. No matter how you try or how you prepare, as with anything in life, we are still prone to stumbling. I fear if you blame yourself, it will only dissuade you from continuing this path.”

He seemed to find strength in this, and sat taller. “I do want to continue,” he said, voice full of conviction, “if I prove it’s possible, others may have a chance...”

Trevelyan smiled. Perhaps Baroness Touledy was not compatible with the Commander romantically, but she was not wrong that he was like-minded. Trevelyan was determined to have them make friends of one another yet.

“That is an honourable purpose, Commander,” she told him, “and I think you will succeed in it. I believe you have the fortitude.”

“Some call it stubbornness,” Lady Montilyet commented, with a smile.

Trevelyan shared in it. “That too.”

The Commander, shy again, evaded her gaze, and murmured, “I appreciate your faith in me.” He took a breath before continuing—“I, ah...”—but lost his chain of thought.

“Commander?”

He shook his head. “Forgive me. My head aches.”

Lady Montilyet’s smile dropped, and her regal demeanour returned at once.

“You had best return to your room, and take the rest of the day,” she told him. “And do not think you may work. I have had all your reports removed.”

His displeased frown was rather funny—but it soon turned to one of effort, as he pushed himself up, out of the seat. With a grunt, he managed to stand. Trevelyan rose as well.

“If there is anything I may do to help,” she said, “please, do tell me.”

He smiled, albeit weakly. “Thank you. I hope you are all right.”

“I am, I promise you. Rest well, Commander.”

“Thank you.”

Satisfied, he allowed Lady Montilyet to escort him to the hall door. They were met by a guard at the threshold, who took the Commander’s flank, and marched with him as if following his lead.

Trevelyan stretched as much as she could, to watch him go. But, eventually, he vanished from sight—and Montilyet let the door shut close.

“I am sorry for surprising you with this,” she said as she returned, “but the healers tell me that as soon as his mind was present yesterday, he was asking for you. He was terribly concerned that he had caused you upset.”

Technically, he had, but given that it was hardly intentional—and that the majority of the upset was her own anxiety—Trevelyan had little injury to report.

“I’m all right.”

“Indeed,” said Montilyet, arriving at her desk. “Thank you for agreeing to this. It will have settled him greatly.”

“Of course.” Trevelyan patted down her skirts. “I take it all engagements between he and his suitors are cancelled for now?”

Lady Montilyet, though she had taken to counting out coin, paused to address Trevelyan:

“Naturally, until he feels well enough… and, after I have informed the other Ladies.”

Ah. Time to save her Ladyship a job.

“They already know,” said Trevelyan. Montilyet’s eyes widened. Trevelyan quickly clarified: “It was not me who told them. They had figured it out from the rumours they’d heard.”

This, seemingly, was accepted as adequate explanation, and, thank the Maker, Lady Montilyet pressed no further. She finished counting her coin, and with her quill, struck through an entry on a ledger.

Trevelyan would have left her to this work, but hesitated. There was still something she needed to know. After a moment to build her resolve, Trevelyan crept closer to Montilyet, and asked:

“Your Ladyship, just in case, may I know—what are the signs of one of these flares? If you can tell me, that is.”

Montilyet thought a moment. “Few have happened while I have known him, but… I suppose there are commonalities. First, there is the distractedness—he always seems to lose focus, in the days before.”

Trevelyan thought of the chess match between him and Lady Samient. Not his best play. In fact, he had been rather… distracted.

“Then, of course, the irritability—more so than usual!”

The training, which she had interrupted with the Baroness. It took very little for him to leap to her defence that day. Trevelyan wondered that she had not realised it before.

“And… also hunger. I worry when the cooks say he is eating well. A healer once described it to me as like the body is trying to satisfy a hunger that it can never fulfil.”

That damn crumble. Of course he’d eaten the whole thing. Trevelyan cursed herself.

“Thank you,” she told Lady Montilyet regardless. “I shall bear it in mind.”

Her mind, indeed, ran over the three almost obsessively, so that she would not forget. Eager to be away and write them down, she curtsied, opening her mouth to give a farewell and take her leave. Montilyet raised a hand.

“Wait a moment,” she instructed. “I have something to give you.”

She collected from her desk what she had been preparing—a small coin purse. It jingled pleasantly as she picked it up, and offered it to Trevelyan.

“Here. Your wages, for the last week.”

Trevelyan blinked. Wages?

She accepted the satchel, and drew it open. Golden coin glittered within a silver sea. Maker, this couldn’t be right.

“Usually this would be the bursar’s role,” Lady Montilyet explained, “but I wished to give you this first one myself, as personal thanks for your work.”

Trevelyan counted the coin. “But… this can’t be the right amount?”

“Seven royals is a good wage,” Montilyet told her. “Better than most.”

But Trevelyan’s head shook. “It’s too much.”

A realisation came across Lady Montilyet’s face. Her open mouth closed into a sympathetic smile.

“This is not a Circle allowance,” she explained, “this is a fair wage for fair work.”

“Are you certain?”

Lady Montilyet placed her hands on Trevelyan’s, and closed them around the purse. “This is your money, Lady Trevelyan. Spend it as frivolously or frugally as you wish. It is yours.”

Trevelyan already had an idea. “Thank you,” she said, tying the purse-strings back up tight, “thank you.”

With a low cursty and a very fond farewell, she hurried out of Lady Montilyet’s office. There was a book in the market that required her attention.

And now, it would not even be her parents’ money with which she bought it. It was her own money. She would pay for that book, and it would belong to her, wholly and completely. They could never take it from her, claiming they were the true owners. It would be hers.

Trevelyan almost tripped over herself, running down the steps to the lower courtyard. Clutching the purse to her chest, she weaved her way through the dilly-dallying crowd of market-goers, and found that velvet table.

But the book was gone.

“Do you have that book?” she asked the seller. “The astronomy one?”

She did not like the expression that marred his face.

“Sorry, miss, sold it just a minute ago; I did say someone else had their eye on it, but they were keen as you.”

“Do you have no other copies?” she asked, desperate.

He shook his head. “Sorry, it’s a rare one. But, I could have another by the time I return.”

“Oh! When will that be?”

“I pass through here whenever I’m travelling between Ferelden and Orlais—should be back in about… three weeks, say? Maybe a month.”

Too long.

“I’ll be back home by then,” she told him. And she’d be returning with nothing of her own. “Thank you, anyway.”

“Wait, wait!” He scribbled something on a scrap of vellum, and offered it to her. “This is the name of the book, and the author. Show that to any bookseller worth their sovereigns where you live, and they’ll find you a copy, I’m sure.”

Trevelyan smiled, and took the slip. “Thank you.”

But it was a poor consolation prize. She trudged back towards the stairs, contemplating her misery. No pretty book. But the money was something, at least. She’d have to hide it, where the snakes that called themselves her ladies’ maids would never find it. If they knew, then her parents would, too.

Sure enough, when Trevelyan arrived in her room, one of the little vipers (Cara) was turning down her bed. She thanked the Maker for her smock’s large and concealing pockets.

“Your Ladyship,” greeted Cara, “some things arrived for you. A letter from the Bann and Lady Trevelyan, and an Inquisition woman delivered a parcel.”

“Thank you,” said Trevelyan, “you may go.”

Cara curtsied, and left. The second she was gone—with a glance down the corridor to check—Trevelyan scurried to her bed, poked a hole in the mattress beneath, and stashed her money in there. Worked well enough in the Circle.

Satisfied it was adequately hidden—though she would make sure to check every morning and every night—she turned her attention to the post waiting on the table. The parcel Cara had mentioned was a rectangular sort of shape, and decently thick. The letter was a letter.

Trevelyan forwent her parents’ admonishments for now, and took up the parcel. Wrapped in brown paper, and very poorly too, she quite easily found a gap to tear into.

And revealed a blue leather beneath.

In disbelief, she tore the rest of the paper away. The book! The book of constellations! Illustrated, complete! Here. How?

She opened the cover. A note awaited her.

To Lady Trevelyan, it read, something for you, by way of apology. C.

Her heart fluttered. Buying something for herself was one thing, but having something bought for her was another. Trevelyan had never had anything so lavish bought for her—at least, in earnest. All her parents’ purchases had been begrudging.

Her fingers stroked the pretty pages—all hers, every constellation, every star—before she snapped the book shut, and held it to her chest. Apology most certainly accepted.

She would have to do something for the Commander in return. A book for him, perhaps? It would be nice for him to read something other than a report, during this mandated rest of his. She could get him a romance! A better one, too, than his current recommendation.

Though… such a thing might be taken the wrong way. Like a winking suggestion. But, she could always—

Her reverie was cut short, as she snatched a glimpse of the waiting letter from her parents. Sighing, Trevelyan set down her book, and picked up the letter. The seal of House Trevelyan cracked open, and revealed its contents:

To our daughter,

I am writing to remind you of the upcoming banquet, for which you shall be in attendance. I faithfully request that you comport yourself with utmost dignity and elegance. Nobles of all regions shall be in attendance, and our reputation should be kept polished in their presence. Remember to—

Trevelyan set the letter aflame in her hand, and watched it burn to nothing more than ash. She had something better to read, now.

And she knew the perfect place to read it: the battlements, that very night.

***

And Maker, it was a lovely night.

With the same flame she used to light her parent’s letter, Trevelyan illuminated the pages of her new book—careful so as to not award it the same fate—and used it to map out the stars above.

Each culture had a different story for them. It reminded her of the Commander. So many different interpretations she had heard. But as with the stars, she need not adopt any for herself. She could have her own meaning, for the heavens, and for him.

She wondered how he had fared today. If he had actually taken his rest, or instead intimidated some soldier into bringing him his reports. Likely the latter.

Had everything been all right, they would have their usual Montilyet-appointed walk together again this afternoon. There was a pang in Trevelyan’s chest when she thought of it. A shame.

“Comman—oh!”

The nightwatchman’s call startled Trevelyan. But it seemed she was not the only one.

She whirled, to see the Commander in retreat. Still in his lighter clothing—though his jacket was now buttoned up against the cold—he was attempting to return the way he had come.

Trevelyan hurried to catch him. Not hard, considering his present state.

“Good evening, Commander!” she called.

He stopped and faced her, reluctant—or perhaps shy. He gave a subdued bow, likely all his aching muscles could manage.

“I simply wished to say thank you, for the book,” she told him, smiling—brighter and more genuinely than she had for him all this time. “It was very kind of you. I had been looking at it myself this morning.”

“I’m glad you like it,” he replied, “it was the least I could do.”

“You didn’t—oh, well.” She wouldn’t argue with his stubbornness fortitude tonight. “I shan’t keep you. I just wanted to thank you.”

He smiled, at least.

“If you were headed this way, you can pass,” she reassured him. “I don’t mind.”

“Oh—if you’re sure.”

“Whatever gets you back to sleep the fastest,” she joked.

He chuckled, but it soon turned to a cough. “Right... then, I’ll be on my way. Good evening, your Ladyship.”

“Good evening, Commander.”

Though she smiled as he departed, though she held her book close, there was a little sadness that came with her return to the stars. If he were not so unwell, then perhaps he could have joined her.

That would be… nice.

[historyhermann]

My Adventures With Superman Season One Spoiler-Filled Review [Part 2]

Continued from part 1

The voice cast is talented. Jack Quaid lent his voice to Peter Parker / Lizard in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and more prominently as Ensign Bradward "Brad" Boimler in Star Trek: Lower Decks. This series marks one of Alice Lee's first voice roles, apart from voicing a character in Mickey Mouse Funhouse. She has played characters in TV series since 2009. Ishmel Sahid has been working on similar series since around the same time. In an exclusive interview with Lee and Sahid, both said they were excited to see fanart, but also said it was challenging to maintain the high energy of Lois and Jimmy. Both noted the writers and producers helped them. They described how they had to adjust their speaking voices to the characters and explained the flair they gave each character through the voices.

One member of the voice cast, Kari Wahlgren, is well-known. She voiced Martha Kent, and young Clark Kent, in this series. She has done dubbing of anime characters since 2002, and has voiced iconic characters in Western animation. This includes Electronique in Kim Possible,  Suzy Johnson in Phineas and Ferb, Tigress/Sheena in Carmen Sandiego, Callie in the somewhat underrated Cleopatra in Space, and Zatanna in DC Super Hero Girls. She also lent her voice to characters in Sym-Bionic Titan, Young Justice, Infinity Train, Dota: Dragon's Blood, The Ghost and Molly McGee, The Owl House, Velma, and OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes.

Wahlgren is voice actor powerhouse in her own right. There are few voice actors, in the cast, who have voiced as many characters as Wahlgren. One exception is Zehra Fazal. She is recognized for voicing Nadia Rizavi in Voltron: Legendary Defender and Halo/Violet in Young Justice. She also voiced Faraday and Shannon in Craig of the Creek, Mara in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Zahra and Sabrina in Glitch Techs, General Yunan in Amphibia, and Tassia in Dragon Age: Absolution.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the forty-ninth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on September 21, 2023.

Others have voiced just as many characters. Chris Parnell voiced characters in Gravity Falls, BoJack Horseman, Elena of Avalor (Migs), Samurai Jack, and Dogs in Space (Ed). Debra Wilson previously voiced characters in Cannon Busters (Lady Day), Final Space (Quinn's mother), The Casagrandes, The Owl House, Star Trek: Prodigy, Black Dynamite, and The Proud Family. Catherine Taber voiced her share of animated characters including Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Lori Loud in The Loud House. Lucas Grabeel voiced characters such as Jiku in Elena of Avalor and the haughty scammer Julian in Spirit Riding Free.

The voice cast includes other prominent voice actors. Vincent Tong voiced characters in 16 Hudson, Ninjago, LoliRock (Mephisto), My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Polly Pocket, and The Dragon Prince (Prince Kasef). André Sogliuzzo voiced King Bumi in Avatar: The Last Airbender and King Verago in Elena of Avalor. He also voiced characters in Samurai Jack, Star Wars Rebels, and The Owl House. Darrell Brown previously lent his voice to characters in Gabby's Dollhouse and Madagascar: A Little Wild. Azuri Hardy-Jones voiced Jade in Deer Squad. Kenna Ramsey voiced various characters in video games.

Apt viewers may recognize Jake Green, Laila Berzins, Jesse Inocalla, David Errigo Jr., Max Mittleman, and Andromeda Dunker. Errigo Jr. is known for voicing Ferb in the 2020 film, Candace Against the Universe. The film is the most recent iteration of the Phineas and Ferb franchise. Inocalla voiced Soren in The Dragon Prince. Berzins voiced characters in indie animations such as Satina, Wild Card: Shuffled, and Monkey Wrench.

Other well-known individuals voice bit characters in the seventh episode: Kimberly Brooks as Jalana Olsen, Osric Chau as Lewis Lane, and Lauren Tom as Leader Lois. Brooks is best-known as Princess Allura in Voltron: Legendary Defender and the rough-and-tough Jasper in Steven Universe. Some may remember Chau as the one who voiced the villainous computer hacker known as The Troll in Carmen Sandiego. Tom voiced Mop Girl in recently ended a mature animation, Disenchantment, and Amy Wong in currently airing Futurama, another mature animation. This differs with actors such as Reid Scott, Joel De La Fuente, Melanie Minichino, and Michael Emerson (as Brainac). All four do wonderful voice work on this show, but have almost exclusively, or exclusively, previously done live-action TV series.

Warner Bros. Animation is a subsidiary of the Warner Bros. Discovery conglomerate. This subsidiary produced Velma, Harley Quinn, DC Super Hero Girls, Young Justice, Justice League Unlimited, Teen Titans, Justice League, Static Shock, Superman: The Animated Series, and Batman: The Animated Series. Rooster Teeth, another subsidiary, is recognized for RWBY, its flagship series. The CRWBY is doing all they can to ensure RWBY gets a tenth season. The RWBY superhero crossover film (part 2) is coming out this fall. It may include a version of Superman, like part one.

A largely-circulated spreadsheet in which people anonymously described their conditions in animation studios mentions Warner Bros. Animation. In one entry, Warner Bros. Animation is said to have too much work and treat workers badly. However, it acknowledges that each production is different. People on Glassdoor praised Studio Mir for high-quality projects and talented colleagues. Others were more critical.

Whatever the second season of My Adventures with Superman brings, the number of fans will continue to grow (including the  10,000+ fans across two subreddits), regardless of the corporate decision to air it on Adult Swim rather than Cartoon Network, possibly because of "dark moments" in the series. Hopefully the next season goes above and beyond what the first season delivered. Even so, I can't rate this series high enough, as it is just as strong as Harley Quinn and superior in many ways to the sometimes-convoluted Young Justice and mediocre Velma.

My Adventures with Superman can be streamed on Max or Spectrum. It can also be purchased on Prime Video, either as an entire season or individual episodes, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, or Microsoft Store.

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[couriersiccs]

Gift and kiss !

GIFT: What was the first important gift your OC remembers receiving? Who was it from, and what was the occasion? Do they still have it?

The first truly unique gift that Mar received was a braided lock of her partner Angie's hair, woven into a bracelet. Angie had given it to her on the first of Mar's birthdays they'd celebrated, along with a drawing of Mar's "big three" star signs (Pisces Sun, Taurus Moon, Capricorn Rising). The drawing is thumb-tacked onto Mar's bedroom wall above her disorganized, dusty little "witchy shit" altar, upon which the bracelet rests as part of the centerpiece.

KISS: What was your OC's first kiss like? Who was it with? Do they remember it?

Ghilya was close with another girl in the Denerim Alienage named Amethyne, whose mother, Iona, worked as lady-in-waiting to Lady Landra, the wife of Bann Loren at Caer Oswin. Ghilya's parents looked after Amethyne often, so she and Ghilya were childhood friends.

On Satinalia in 9:29, while Iona was visiting for the holiday and talking with Ghilya's mother, Serenna, a fourteen-year-old Ghilya and Amethyne snuck out and climbed to the highest roof of the alienage's apartments to watch Satina crest over the horizon together. Amethyne kissed her, and Ghilya hadn't expected it, got scared, and ran all the way back home. Ghilya couldn't risk her getting close. If anyone found out she was a mage, she might get taken away to a Circle like her father had been four years prior. They stayed friends, although Ghilya wished they could've been more.

[el-smacko]

According to Greek philologist Hesychius, another name for the Pleiades was satilla, “chariot.” The related word satinae was associated with vehicles for women in particular, probably from the association with the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters… despite the constellation only having six stars to unassisted observers. As it’s two leftmost stars for various astronomical reasons beyond my comprehension came to look like one, various cultures invented stories of a sister getting lost or falling out of a boat, as the constellation resembles the indent/cab of a vehicle, hence satilla.

[lackadaisycats]

I hope you know that literally nobody is going to be able to live up to the standard you, V*v, and Glitch have set and your arrogance and exploitation of your fanbase and connections has screwed millions of creatives out of their dreams because Hollywood is a joke that isn't worth telling and wealthy e-celebs like yourself have claimed the indie scene all to yourselves and moved the goalposts into the stratosphere.

Nope. This isn't a zero sum game. There is not some limited, prescribed number of indie trophy slots that a few studios greedily filled up, blocking everyone else out. That is not how it works. Nothing any other creator is doing - short of personally sending hired goons to your doorstep or stealing your credit cards - is taking anything away from you or preventing your success. In fact if an indie creator can manage to demonstrate that they've got something viable going, it may help to map out a pathway for others.

I think I'm not going to bother trying to address whether or not cartoons in return for support from fans - an entirely voluntary exchange - constitutes exploitation. And I'm living in the Midwest driving a 2007 economy car with 200k+ miles on it, but let's just skip past the assumptions that I'm wealthy and connected too.

Instead, let's get to the weirdly myopic notion that the indie scene is held captive by three studios. Maybe YouTube algorithms or Twitter bubbles are somewhat to blame, but in actuality there are so, so many individual people, friend groups, and small production houses out there making independent animation, I cannot possibly name them all.

Here are some anyway:

Far-Fetched Worthikids Satina | Scumhouse Noodle and Bun Punch Punch Forever Ramshackle Noodle Papajoolia | Pipi Angel Hare | The East Patch Jonni Peppers Salad Fingers Monkey Wrench Studio Heartbreak Felix Colgrave JelloApocalypse Odd1sout (started indie, got picked up by Netflix) Allie Mehner JaidenAnimations Lumi and the Great Big Galaxy Cloudrise | The Worlds Divide Telepurte RubberRoss James Lee ENA Godspeed | Olan Rogers Ollie and Scoops Meat Canyon Port by the Sea Kekeflipnote Boxtown Kevin Temmer Weebl Joel Haver CircleToons Long Gone Gulch Atlas and the Stars Animist Skibidi Toilet A Fox in Space Alex Henderson Talon Toniko Pantoja Sr. Pelo Hullabaloo Kane Pixels (started indie, picked up by A24) Homestar Runner Fennah Gods' School Alan Becker Dungeon Flippers JazLyte Psychicpebbles (started indie, Smiling Friends picked up by AS) Piemations vewn Metal Family Dead Sound chluaid Jacknjellify Betsy Lee | No Evil My Pride Cranbersher GeoExe | Gwain Saga Horatio the Vampire Mech West Playground | Rodrigo Sousa The Brave Locomotive Finchwing (+ many other Warrior Cats animators) Quazies SamBakZa Kamikaze: Trial by Fire

By no means a full list. That's just YouTube, and mostly just English language stuff, and I didn't even get to the multitudes of Warrior Cats animation collabs.

The point is, the indie landscape is vast and populated by creators new and old, making all kinds of animated media from skits, to shows, to ARGs, to films. Audience sizes vary as much as the content, stylistic approaches, subject matter, and budgets do. There are no compliance standards, no gateways to entry, no goalposts. There's not even any preset definition of success except what you decide for yourself.

Anyway, instead of nurturing your resentments, consider making something. I assure you, it's a far more rewarding use of your time and energy, and pretty much no one can stop you. ------------- EDIT- Made some additions to the list based on comments. Thanks!

[carabas]

Possible canon evidence for Satina having a longer orbital period: there's a codex in Inquisition where a stargazer wrote "Moon rose a few minutes later today than it did a week ago. I don't think it moves like stars do. Is it because it's closer?" It doesn't say which moon they're talking about, but.

The time a moon rises is related to its position in its orbit.

In the real world, where our moon takes roughly a month to orbit the earth, the moon rises almost an hour later each day.

This moon in Thedas is only rising a few minutes later over a week.

At the risk of starting old drama… wasn’t Thedas supposed to have 2 moons? Didn’t they actually patch that back into Inquisition? One of them was called Satina, right? Please someone tell me I am not just losing my mind.

Now I look at the night sky in Treviso and the Wetlands and I question everything.

[fuluv]

Monstar but in the style of Satina :]

[ass-sass-sin-archived-blog]

what would talon's perfect date be?

Ask me shit about my son

Uhhh I don’t think he’s got a specific “perfect date” in mind, but the ones he’s been on that he likes the most are just...  Really simple and quiet.  I’ve been doing a lot of modern stuff on Discord with @thessitrukona and @flame-of-ostwick, and two that really stand out is when Tal and Sigyn just go on a late night walk to the park (maybe with one or multiple of the dogs), and there was one with Lasair where they took the cap off the back of his pickup, filled it with blankets and pillows and drove down to a little beach and spent the night out there listening to the waves and looking at the stars.

[gleeincorrectquotes]

Sam : It’s time for plan B!

Tina : ….Do we have a plan B?!

Sam : No, but it’s time for one!

[jr-verse]

I only added pentagrams because... obvious, she’s a demon.