#that's way more dalmatians than disney gives you

[rabbiteclair]

i spend all of my money on immortality pills and uploading my brain to a robot body so that I can live for decades past my natural lifespan, all so I can wait for a certain copyright to expire and release my new movie, A Shit-ton Of Dalmatians

[frenchgremlim1808]

Why Midori is such a breath of fresh air or how to actually write a Villain.

So the awaited essay, the winner of the FrenchGremlin polls of laziness finally has come! It took some time but it’s finally over. If your choice didn’t get chosen that’s okay! I’ll repost a new poll with old and newer options. Please reblog this one i put a lot of time in it, it's like, five pages long over a silly goose. Also sorry for the grammar i sucks and i'm not native. So let’s begin:

(also here is the link to the video format)

So first let’s make things clear, What IS a villain?

“A villain is a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot.” That is why I do want to make a difference between a villain and an antagonist, an antagonist is a character who are a plot devices that creates obstruction to the protagonist. That means that a villain is forced to be an antagonist while an antagonist is not forced to be a villain. For example shin is an antagonist but not a villain, he is driven by selfish desires which are themselves fueled by fear anger and loss, he is the protagonist of his own story and is a sympathetic character despite it all, and Midori is just a bitch. Midori falls under multiple stereotypes of villains. Such as “the mastermind”, “evil incarnate” (lmao),”related to the protagonist” etc. Midori is evil, there is no denying in this, he is purely evil, and he doesn’t have a sad weepy backstory, he doesn’t feel empathy towards other, he is a despicable piece of shit who ruined so many lives. I won’t list everything but here is a list of his crimes, murder, assault, domestic abuse, grooming, verbal abuse, and torture, crimes against humanity lmao, stalking, violent crimes, and participation in a cult. And his worst crime is being a pussy bitch of course. So now that we have put the bases up let’s really begin.

Hollywood has a hate boner against villains and I hate them for that.

Recently Hollywood decided that pure evil bad guys is actually a bad thing, so now they decided to do stupid side story with them, to give them ”””depth””” since I guess how could we like those villains since they are bad. A great example of this is the Disney remakes which I loathe so much oh god I hate them. So first they did a maleficient it was okay honestly, then they did a freaking cruella movie where her mom gets killed by Dalmatians, that’s not a joke, in the peter and wendy movie that nobody saw they decided to have made the captain hook be a lost boy who was abandoned by the lost boys and peter, oh also they decided that PETER CUT HIS HANDS OFF AND LEFT HIM TO DIE BECAUSE HOOK WANTED TO SEE HIS FAMILY. They are going to do a freaking mufasa movie, in no time I can’t wait to have a Ursula movie where it’s discovered that ariel killed all of her family in cold blood or something’s. So you might say what’s the problem? I mean isn’t that supposed to make the story more interesting. No, no it doesn’t, because first they take all of the character personality traits and throw them in the bin, second they are supposed to be the vilain in a musical animated movies, I am not against complex villain, I love them, but by doing this, the original character doesn’t exist anymore. Just create original content with new interesting characters instead of doing stuff like this. Also it’s kind of funny than in all of those interpretation they take all the fun and sucks it out, what do I mean by fun, the gayness, Disney vilain are fun because they are camp, they are fabulous extravagant extra in all the ways possible, and that’s the reason we liked them. Not every character needs something super deep, like “my family was burned down at the stake and my dog was eaten by my ex”, sometimes we just like bad fun people, they are the story, and Hollywood hating them so bad just bothers me a lot. Also now the new thing is to not have a villain at all which can works in some narrative but not all of them, it gets boring after a while. In the past people were angry that villains are bland, but now I kind of miss it. While I will critique villains who have no purpose outside of being evil that’s dumb, like for example Voldemort is bland like white bread because his only motivation is being evil, but evil people do exist compared to what some Hollywood writers think, they should know. So that’s why I will put a difference between evil villains and villains whose only purpose is being evil; we loved Disney villains but they still had motivations, goals, reasons that to them a least were worth everything. World domination isn’t enough, why do you want world domination, what is the true reason deep in your heart, is it an inferiority complex, is it a savior complex fuelled by xenophobic beliefs.

That is how to write a pure evil villain, evil people exist all over the world, but I have never seen one who doesn’t have they own reasons to be so bad, it doesn’t excuse their actions nor really explains them. We do not want justifications we want explanations. If you are justifying evil behavior then do it, but don’t claim that it is a pure evil character. A pure evil character can be fun, can be interesting, he can be deep, it’s all about balancing all of their traits to truly make them greats. Which is why midori succeeds while current villains fail. Current stupid remake/spin off try to justify the behavior because they feel like this is what the audience wants, but it’s not what we need. So I will defend to the grave evil villains.

Creating an evil villain doesn’t make them boring guys.

Why the heck does big budget movies have either the blandest protagonist or the blandest villains sometimes both, like I said evil people do exist but comically evil character only works in satire not in a serious multiple millions of dollar movie. Example that boring ass avatar movie, the one with blue people, none of the characters are interesting the villain is one note. The lords of the rings also suffers from that, but I don’t care because the protagonist are so awesome that sauron being personality less doesn’t matter. Also sauron is more of a force of nature villains so it’s not the same. The recent kingsman movie has a bland one note villain, there is nothing entertaining, funny, about him he’s just evil, borrrrring. Every Disney remakes depiction of the characters are boring. I just feel bored out of my mind. Atla one of my favorite shows of all time has a main villain that’s kinda one note, Ozai, but he is actually intimidating guy, azula is the superior character, but I wouldn’t consider her a villain she is an antagonist though. I honestly don’t get why Hollywood thinks that just creating a character with no personality and whose only goals is to be evil is good.

So back to midori for a second, here is my question, when midori was on screen did you ever feel bored? Never right! Because despite midori being an evil character he has an actual personality, he’s fun, you want to punch him in the balls. Because midori has other personality traits than evil, midori is petty, childish, extremely intelligent, controlling, a natural manipulator, he is a trickster, he doesn’t seem to get some social norms, he is narcissistic, easily angry, and fears death etc See how I counted a lot of traits, traits that in other character would works, midori has positive traits, and I think that is the best thing nankidai could have ever done, midori has traits that a regular person could have. Which is why if I put midori in any settings his character would work.

Example, instead of a death game the cast is under the sea to discover the insane wildlife and supernatural stuff happening, what would midori do in this situation? Well he would very passionate about finding all of what’s happening, he’ll do anything to find out, even sometime sacrificing others, not only will he try to find what’s happening, but he is also going to try to find a way to make this discovery favour him in the end. Or let’s imagine it’s a vampire situation, where a vampire attacks  the city, midori would try to stop it, not because he cares, but to experiment on them to get their biology and finds the real secret of immortality since he fears death.

Here is my second advice, after creating your character try to imagine them in another completely different situation, like normal life, or a fantasy world, ask yourself the question what would they do in that environment? If you can find a real complete explanation of their actions then yes your character has multiples dimensions if not try thinking about it again. Some example of questions I do want to point out are some like “if my character had all the power in the world what would they do first or”, “if my character had only a day left to live what would they do”

Why is Current media incapable of creating good threats like bruhhhh.

Okay so first of all let’s talk about stakes in a story, let’s say you are watching a slasher movie, slowly the cast gets slimmed down and people die in horrible ways, that should set stakes right ? Well if the villain is an absolute buffoon who makes the stupidest actions and decisions in the world, you wouldn’t feel intimidated at all because despite what the filmmaker might try to say the plot armor will NEVER make a character intimidating. It’s just like a detective character who just seems to know everything without a thought, well you won’t really fear the character failing. Worse is the the final girl, who is for some reason always escaping the slasher guy by pure luck every time, she is shown as incompetent but still she survives, which make the villain seem completely incapable so now you feel nothing.

To avoid this filmmaker often use techniques such has unpredictability, I mean good I mean good ones, for example instead of immediately seeing whose going to survive because the black guys always dies first and the virgin white woman is the last survivor, change the status quo, make us think that this character is obviously safe while they actually aren’t at all. Or actually make them menacing by SHOWING to the audience how horrible dangerous they can be. Which is why SHOW DON’T TELL is so important, telling us how dangerous someone can be only to see them get beaten to death at the end of the movie makes us feel nothing.

Midori felt like a impossible person to beat, he is smart, had twenty plans in advance, even in situation where the cast felt like they might have a chance he was always armed, just like the gun he promised to use or the rocket punch. When they felt like they were finally advancing, he put obstacle in their ways, such as the collar game or the moment he put the collar on explode mode for  ranmaru. The entire point in the murder game was to make time pass, it took a long time for the cast top realize that this whole time they were losing precious time not realizing that the dummies were the real problem. The characters that made you feel the most hopeless were the dummies, if you won by killing midori they would die, but if you lost you might lose people you love (keiji or gin). It felt hopeless because they were no solutions in the end. That creates tension so that creates stakes. If we were told how dangerous unpredictable sou was then it wouldn’t hit the same, we are shown that he is that terrible. There is a scene ingame where bbg shin ai tells us that midori tortured and like to destroy people. That’s exposition so TELL, but do you why it works, because we are SHOWN before his behavior. Midori felt unbeatable, so the fact that we were shown his weakness such has his petty behavior, hatred of minors, and fear of death, for the first time it feels like there is a chance that we might survive this. And still after he isn’t shown has an incompetent buffoon, he is one, but the narrative doesn’t show us that he is.

What is also consider is good to make the audience feel actual stakes is to first really develop well the main characters, how can we feel worry for a character if we don’t know them, the audience need to feels emotional connection to the main cast to actually care. You can use things such has moments where there is nothing special happening just character talking getting to know them. Make us feel why we need to care about them possibly losing, instead of being indifferent. Or I don’t know maybe make an entire spin off game where we get to have the cast talk to each other and seeing dynamics between character that died early to get them a chance to shine and make their death even more tragic, or even make mini episodes of characters who only got a single chapter to show off their characteristic, to get us to know them better? But that’s just a silly idea of course, wink, and wink.

My favorite thing about Midori is that he is actually pathetic, like really pathetic, but weirdly realistic?

Midori is the most pathetic character in the cast, yes more than shin, shin is leagues less pathetic. No I’m not saying that midori is not intimidating or scary, I would piss myself if I saw him. He’s a scary guy. But if you look at him more closely you can see that he is a baby brat in a big boy suit.

So let’s start by something clear, Sou Hiyori clearly displays antisocial behavior, or in common terms he is a psychopath/sociopath, this illness is very badly seen in medias, I am not saying that people who lacks empathy like him are inherently bad, he is, a lot of people with antisocial behavior actually suffers a lot and have a difficult life. Sou real issues is not his antisocial behavior, it’s his narcissism and god complex. Sou feels the need to HAVE CONTROL over others, he like the feeling of being in power, he sees the rest of the world has beneath him, toys for his pleasure. He says that he “really like humans” because despite it all he seems to put himself in a different categories than regular people, they are beneath him. When he loses control his calm and cool behavior disappears and we see his true face, a grown man who has throws a tantrum like a baby. One of the best representation of this is midori views on the cast:

Midori hates kanna, like no jokes he has beef with her, a fourteen years old, actually he has beef with a lot of people in the cast. Midori views emotional people has weak, people who are loving optimistic as beneath him and useless. He preferred when sara was cruel and horrible, that’s what he loved about her, he liked seeing her scary emotionless side. But Kanna, kanna is everything he hates. A crybaby who not only puts the group in harmony, is a source of hope in general, is the reason he near got to have closure with shin (killing him), he views kanna as “not fun shin”. We have many proofs for this, if you type the word kanna kizuchi he says this: “Poor Kanna'd weep! I think a more worthless name would be better for someone like me” He mocks her, but also himself (I’lll come back on this later), he calls her worthless. Also in the electric charge minigame, when he can choose who to shocks he chooses two people in particular, kanna who he hates and hinako who ruined his fun by giving the cast a chance in saving ranmaru. But he does also says mean spirited stuff to other people, qtaro and gin. He also says some sarcastic comments about nao and joe, saying that it’s such a shame that they died so young. But you might say why kanna especially? Because he is a petty baby who is jealous of kanna, Yes jealous, of kanna, a fourteen years old. Because he feels like she stole his hubby wubby shin away from him…. God I hate him. And you know what that make him a pathetic idiot, after the scene where kanna beats his ass, he’s all mad and like “uhh I’m going to pout I wanted you to cry like a lot, now I’m gonna cry”. An that’s actually god, because it humanize him, he wants need thoughts, he isn’t one note, and that’s the most important!

Sou is a villain but before that he is a character, a fully developed character, and THAT’S WHAT MAKE HIM GREAT, Sou works because he works realistically, I mean if you forget the robot part, it’s easy to imagine a narcissist man child who needs to feel in power towards other, so his main prey are young vulnerable people.Which leads me to my next point:

Sou is a failure like really, and we aren’t sad for him.

Sou failed everything he worked on, he failed to get the paper from alice, he failed whith shin since he had to leave earlier than he thought he would leave, because of his mistake he lost his position in the death game, then he failed to kill gin or keiji, and then he died like an idiot losing his cool and acting like a toddler. And he knows it that why he is a bit self-hating (he should be). And yet none of us feel any sympathy towards him, why? Because sou is one of the most despicable guy in existence. He is a disgusting pervert, sadistic asshole, and abusive narcissistic cunt who thinks he is better than everyone. From the bottom of my heart I hate him sooooo much he is literally the character I hate the most in existence. He abused shin, ruined keiji’s life, traumatized the entire cast, literally assaulted sara like he physically assaulted her. He mocked nao and joe and kugie life as useless. He is an obsessive jerk AND I HATE HIM. And you know what…… It’s good. Like I actually feel a lot of emotions when I think about him, he fuels me with anger and disgust, and if your characters can make me feel that much rage then you did it, you created an actual perfect character. Hiyori is such a shit person that I think about him a lot, writers shouldn’t be scared to make a character such hittable assholes, example bojack horseman in bojack horseman is the vilest man on earth and I love it, because I genuinely hate him. Just like I genuinely love kanna, like really I really love her, I in the same time despise midori so bad. We hate him because he is horrible to good people that WE KNOW AND CARE ABOUT, not random npcs. There is a lot of… disgusting implications in his story with shin that I will not talk about it makes me really uncomfortable right now. SO HERE IS A VERY TACKY TRANSITION TO TALK ABOUT WHY I HATE JUNKO FROM DANGANRONPA.

Junko is boring, that’s it, she is boring, not funny not interesting, she is a fetish, she is the biggest Mary sue on earth, she is a gross character made to make fun of people with disabilities and queer people. Her only traits is being crazy, that’s it. I wouldn’t call midori that crazy actually, he’s methodical calculated, and precise. Crazyness is a term for people who aren’t in control of their actions and delusional about reality, sou is not crazy, he knows what he is doing, he is in full control, while characters like shin should actually be consider crazy, like shin is actually crazy but sou isn’t.

Conclusion:

Sou is a breath of fresh air, because nankidai had the balls to write an actually interesting deep and threatening character AND make him a villain. He didn’t fall into the trap of making him have a sad backstory or good motives, sou is just selfish, that’s all he is. He make him a fun entertaining guy who you absolutely hates, he made him threatening and at the same time a complete doofus. He made him humane and pathetic.

But the thing that make me love nankidai the most is this

The fact that he actually killed him that takes courage as a writer to just end a character THAT WAY, which is why midori will never come back alive he is forever dead. And that take a lot of talents as a writer to just take one of the most important characters and just get him drilled to death in the anus, like dammn nankidai you are a savage. That fact alone makes him one of the best characters in game, I hate him as a person, but has a character he is a masterpiece.

Though Kanna could solo him

this was posted as a video on my blog this is mainly so people who don't want to stay there reading a 24 minute video of my stuttering can have a bit of quiet

[gavillain]

I was talking with @marciabrady the other night about ships and the aesthetics of our favorite couples, and it made me really want to do a break down of one of my obscure crossover OTPs:

Grimhilde/Cruella, a.k.a. EvilPuppies!

Because I feel like Grimhilde/Cruella, out of all my ships, looks the most like crack at first glance, but there is so much more to it than just sticking two random Disney Villains together.

So, first and foremost, I started shipping them because of Kingdom Keepers Book IV, Power Play:

Despite the fact that Frollo is on the cover of the book and was the heavily promoted new Overtaker before the release of the novel, the main villains of the novel are actually Grimhilde and Cruella. The premise is that after Maleficent and Chernabog were captured at the end of the previous book, the Disney Villains who are trying to take over the parks have had to take on new leadership to get Maleficent and Chernabog out of Imagineer-prison. Grimhilde is the next in the chain of command, so she's in charge and has Cruella De Vil as her companion who follows her everywhere. They are ALWAYS together in the book, and Cruella, naturally, has a very flirty and complimentary demeanor towards Grimhilde that the Queen naturally just adores. Their chemistry is great, and there is even one part where the main hero finds the two of them asleep together on an air mattress and a bundle of furs (it makes sense in context) and, well... yeah XD The novel really glued the two of them together in my head.

And that togetherness, as you can see above, blends over into the parks. Grimhilde and Cruella are the only two main Disney Villainesses who are out with some regularity as face characters in Disneyland. All of the villains in the Disney Parks have a familiarity with each other, and you can get similar gal pal dynamics with them and Maleficent (and Lady Tremaine) around Halloween time. However, because Grimhilde and Cruella are out together for so much of the year, they tend to carry the brunt of that sort of "evil besties" friendship, leading to cute photo op moments like this...

So Disney is already doing a lot of the leg work to make them come across as girlfriends and to give them chemistry and a ship dynamic. However, if that was all there was to it, I probably wouldn't love this ship as much as I do. I need that interesting and thought through layer of shipping, and thankfully, these two have it in spades.

So, despite being from different time periods and wildly different worlds, Grimhilde and Cruella are aristocrats through and through. Grimhilde is literally royalty, and Cruella an over-financed heiress to the remnants of England's aristocracy (and she's the head of a corporate fashion empire in the Glenn Close movies). The House of De Vil dates back to medieval times, and evidence of that extensive and wealthy history is littered all around Cruella's mansion.

Cruella is in essence, the remnants of an old world that no longer exists, one of royalty and station that Grimhilde herself was a part of, and though the times have changed, Cruella keeps that class and regality alive. In that way, I think it blends perfectly with her taking on a lover who is quite literally OF that time period, and it also helps tie Grimhilde in with the modern world, giving Grimhilde a sort of immortality and transcendence that I think she'd very much value with her desire to be eternally young and beautiful. And, along those same lines, they are both very strong examples of matriarchal authority and power with Cruella bemoaning the uselessness of men and the pitfalls of women losing themselves to marriage, whilst Grimhilde murdered her own husband in order to reign alone without a man over her. They fundamentally get the sort of twisted villainous feminism that they are peddling.

Next is the themes of beauty and glamor. These are two women who are fundamentally motivated by vanity - Cruella wants to design her original Dalmatian puppy coat and stun the art world with her ruthless originality whilst Grimhilde wants to kill her stepdaughter so that she can reign as the Fairest One of All. For them, beauty and aesthetics are absolute, and they share a willingness to buy their glamorous ambitions with the blood of the innocent. They would fundamentally GET each other in that regard. However, and this is important, they GET that same motivation for vanity, but they don't COMPETE with each other. Cruella is a pretty woman, but she's older and she's a chain smoker whose habits have caused her to become a bit emaciated. She's beautiful in her own way, but she's never going to rival Grimhilde as the Fairest One of All. Likewise, though Grimhilde has extravagant fashions and jewelry, she's not setting out to be at the forefront of clothing design and art. She would certainly WEAR outfits Cruella designed for her, but she wouldn't want to supplant Cruella either. They're going to make the world kneel before their beauty, but they're going to compliment each other rather than rival each other or have to set aside their vanities for each other.

Then one of the big important elements that makes this ship appeal to me so much is the motif of DUALITY. Cruella is noteworthy for her hair that is half-black and half-white. It's her signature style, she's well known for it, it ties in with the black and white dogs, and it ties in with how she has her likable and admirable public face but also her sinister and dark side that the rest of the world doesn't see. Grimhilde also has the duality motif. Hell, she has BLACK HAIR as the Queen and WHITE hair as the hag, and the whole black and white motif shows up in her potions ("Black of Night" and "To Whiten My Hair, a Scream of Fright"). Grimhilde literally has two faces and two forms. She is two villainesses in one, which is such a tasty match for the woman with infamously two-toned hair. And what I like about that too is that Cruella BLENDS with both the Queen and the Hag. With the queen, she has the aristocratic and blue blood regality and beauty that I mentioned before, but with the hag, she has the cackling maniacal bloodthirsty side that would have an absolute riot bringing death to innocents. It's so symbolic, and they're the only Disney villains who have that duality motif in that fashion.

And the fact that they have all of these interesting parallels and motifs while also being from two different worlds and two different time periods (medieval and modern) is a lot of fun purely from a crossover perspective but also as ANOTHER manifestation of their duality motif! And THAT is the type of tasty shipping fuel that I LIVE for!

So with Grimhilde and Cruella being of two different time periods, they also simultaneously coexist in one time period. Cruella in the original animated film may have been released in the 1960s, but her animator, Marc Davis, designed her to be a throwback to the old Hollywood glamor of the 1930s. Most specifically Tallulah Bankhead...

And Marlene Dietrich...

Cruella is pure Old Hollywood 1930s glamor trapped in a late 50s/early 60s modern domestic setting. And you know whose movie was made in the 1930s and has a very 1930s cultural aesthetic to it?

And Grimhilde herself is designed based on ANOTHER 1930s film villainess, She (Who Must Be Obeyed):

A movie that was famous for its Art Deco sets, and Art Deco is one of the main aesthetic motifs attributed to Cruella in the Glenn Close movies. So stylistically speaking, the two of them despite coming from different time periods and different worlds coexist in a way that is very old Hollywood. And with that combined link to the 30s, it helps the two of them to coexist peacefully and harmoniously in the same time period. They meet in this glamorous and mythologized liminal space. Heck, with Cruella's aesthetic links to the 1930s, I personally headcanon that she grew up absolutely obsessed with old Hollywood and making a concentrated effort to emulate that energy in her own style. Since Grimhilde is kind of an Old Hollywood character come to life, it's almost like Cruella can be a fangirl of something that she's admired for her whole life when she gets with Grimhilde, and you know Grimhilde is gonna LOVE that attention.

In addition, I personally like to be very cognizant about my ships with regards to what the individual character is going to look for in terms of a romantic partner and why the character that I've chosen for them suits that specific need. With Grimhilde, we know that she was married to Snow White's father and that she killed him, so we know that she didn't have any real love for that man, possibly any man. She rules over her kingdom alone and doesn't want anyone to rule beside her. In the Snow White comics and deleted scenes from the film, she showcases a sort of romantic rivalry for Prince Florian, but her affections for him are never about wanting an equal. She wants him because he is young and handsome and compliments her beauty and elevates her image in a way that helps give her more power through her beauty. So for Grimhilde, she needs a lover who can fill that niche - not someone to rival her or rule beside her, but someone who can be a perfect accessory to her beauty. Cruella being all about fashion and style is absolutely that person. She's very cognizant of appearances and what can accentuate or take away from beauty and aesthetics. That inherent utility to their relationship means that it would be something that Grimhilde would be open to indulging, and from there deeper feelings can develop under the right circumstances in a way that they wouldn't without having that utility first.

So that's Grimhilde's side of things. But what about Cruella? Well, we see Cruella's relation with love mostly revolving around this sort of one sided attraction that she has to Anita. And at first glance that seems contradictory to her getting with the queen, because Cruella is obviously going after a dainty and demure woman who she can kind of steamroll and collect as another fashion accessory. However, I think what makes this work so well is that it really showcases that Cruella has an attraction to traditional feminine beauty and women in general, and Grimhilde is of course is the fairest woman of all. The Glen Close movie adds an interesting dynamic to Cruella's attraction to Anita in that she enjoys the creative interaction that she has with Anita. Never really noticed Anita until the two of them started to collaborate creatively, and I feel like that's a big thing that Cruella needs and wants in a partner, someone who engages that creative side of her brain and understands her drive for aesthetics and beauty. And, as previously stated, who better to do that than the Queen of beauty herself? Grimhilde is a perfect model of unlimited dramatic creativity wrapped in a feminine and beautiful package that would set Cruella's heart ablaze.

Together the two of them fulfill that perfect niche for each other and foster a creative, beautiful, and bloodthirsty ruthless energy that would make them feel seen and supported. They effectively create their own little world of 1930s fantasy glamor when they come together, and that's just beautiful to me.

Those are the biggies, but some other really fun pieces of shipping fuel: *I love the aesthetic they have with them both being tall women with dramatic almost drag queen makeup and outfits that have tones of black, white, and red in their own signature styles. And Cruella has the flowing fur coat with the red liner and Grimhilde has the flowing cape with the red liner and so they can be very flouncy and twirly with their styles. *Grimhilde keeps a royal huntsman who can kill all of the animals for Cruella whenever she wants. *They both have similar structures to their stories - they start out on friendly or familial terms with the protagonists before they show their true colors, then they entrust men to kill the innocent creatures needed to enact their plan but those men fail them, forcing Grimhilde and Cruella to take matters into their own hands, and then the finales showcase them both transforming into frightening demented versions of themselves (old hag and crazy demon eyes Cruella during the car chase) madly pursuing their goals until they ultimate bring about their own defeats by the environment turning against them *Cruella has the green smoke of her cigarette which echoes the green and smoke of the Magic Mirror, and also Cruella's chain smoking being a sort of poison in and of itself links back nicely to Grimhilde's literal poisons. *OUAT gives Cruella magic powers and ties to the Author, and Grimhilde also has magic powers and is a literal storybook villain.

So, yes, at first glance, EvilPuppies may seem like just a crackship, but it's really not. There is SO much here in both their canon interactions and in their numerous parallels, and there are honestly probably even more that I'm forgetting. They are the crowning queens of femslash for me for good reason, and I adore them, darlings!

[cantfakethecake]

Tagged by @sage-nebula - thanks! Haven't done one of these in ages!

Last Song: It's Not a Fashion Statement, It's a Fucking Deathwish by MCR. Managed to get tickets to one their shows next year and I'm getting way back into them.

Favorite Color: It's a toss-up between yellow and pink. Gave into the urge to live like a 12 year old girl and decked my room out in pink and gold when I got my own place!

Last Book: In all honesty, I haven't finished a regular printed book in ages. I think the most recent thing I read a part of was a book about childhood nutrition by Ellyn Satter. I really struggle to stay focused for long enough to enjoy reading a plain page of text, and tend toward graphic novels because it's easier to keep my eyes focused where they should be/my mind from wandering. More on those later!

Last Movie: 101 Dalmatians. My niece has been getting into old Disney movies lately and I'm loving it! It was my favorite growing up, and WOW it's darker than I remember.

Last TV Show: Brooklyn 99. We're one season away from done, and it's been pretty good? Not my favorite show ever or anything, but a fun thing to have on in the background while I'm working on another project!

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: Savory! I have a pretty minimal sweet tooth, and while I don't hate spicy food I feel like sometimes the heat overpowers the flavors.

Relationship Status: Single, 33 years strong. Mixed feelings on that.

Last Thing I Searched: Local assisted living options. My grandpa might be moving out here in the near future - still not 100% clear on if that's actually happening or not, but better to be informed!

Current Obsession: Lame answer, but my job! I just changed positions in my agency (Children's Services) and it's so fucking cool to see how things work on a wildly different end of the process from what I've spent the last 5 years on.

Looking Forward To: Vacation! The end of my job training and the start of my new work schedule lined up with the holidays in a way where I have nine full days off. (Close second: My roommate's birthday. I've been holding off on getting Veilguard until we can play it at the same time. Her grad school exams will be wrapping up right around then, and she already knows she's getting it as her birthday gift, lol.)

Favorite Drink: Latte, either iced or hot depending on the weather. Second place goes to the limeade flavored energy drink I had yesterday, which I can't stop craving.

Song Playing on a Loop in Your Head: Theme of Laura

Current Favorite Character: Hazel from Saga. Seeing her turn into a whole-ass person is so, so cool. I love her.

Fun Activity You Would Like to Get Into: I want to train Clover to ride alongside my bike. Still working on those leash manners, but someday!

Last Video Game: Silent Hill 2 Remake. I can't even begin to say how happy I am that it exists. I've always been into Silent Hill, but the old games were 100% inaccessible for me because I can't handle tank controls. I never thought I'd get to experience it firsthand, and it's been fucking delightful!

Last Comic/Graphic Novel: Saga. It's always Saga. My favorite story I've ever read, no competition. I'm in the middle of a reread, and it still either gives me goosebumps or makes me cry at least once a volume.

I'll tag @vodkacheesefries and @blondepomeranian! No pressure, but it's here if you feel like doing one of these!

[pttwice]

For little!Tzuyu 🐟 and 🦕

hi anon! :) thank you for sending in an ask game request!

🐟what is a positive trigger for your regression?

disney movies & airplane rides

disney movies have always been tzu’s favorites

she really likes all the old ones and some of the newer ones

her favorite disney movie is obviously 101 dalmatians. if she had to, tzu would watch only that movie for the rest of her life

any time one of the girls puts a disney movie on, it’s oh so easy for tzu to slip. she doesn’t fight it either, knowing that it’s safe when she’s enjoying her favorite kind of movie and usually cuddled up with her unnies or mamas

tzu used to hate riding on airplanes. she thought they were scary and uncomfy and the flights were always way too long

when her mamas made sure that minjoong (tzu’s stuffed dog) was on every flight with her, it made things a lot easier

it also made it a lot easier for her to regress. other than being in a giant metal box in the sky, tzu knows that planes are safe for her to regress on

tzu on a flight is honestly the easiest to take care of. she just needs a little food, some apple juice, and a good movie

give her those three things and she’s out by the middle of the first movie for at least two hours. after that she either watches more movies or asks her mamas questions and plays games with them

🦕what is an uncommon thing about your regression?

she can be talkative at times with her members, but when she’s regressed, she talks almost as much as sana

it surprised the girls when tzu first regressed because she asked question after question, not really even caring if she got a real answer

even though her voice can get quieter when she’s little, the girls still absolutely love that tzu talks more (well not when they’re trying to go to sleep, but other than that)

whenever she asks questions now, tzu will ask whatever’s on her mind. the questions don’t even have to make sense

the other day, she asked one of her mamas if penguins could do a winter spot would they ski or snowboard? (she asked mina too and mina said they would ski and tzu knows that mina has all the knowledge about penguins so she trusts mina)

[thessalian]

Thess vs The Media Machine

There are three upcoming things that I just ... do not get.

Cruella 2: Yes, the movie that mostly only got talked about because it literally established Cruella de Ville's origin story as "Dalmatians killed my parents" and became a meme ... is getting a sequel. Why? How? I mean, I thought a Villain Origin Story Prequel for Cruella de Ville was stupid to begin with, riding on the coattails of Maleficent (who had a much more compelling origin story, thanks), but a sequel? Disney, if you have to give us Villain Origin Story Prequel Movies? GIVE US URSULA THE SEA WITCH FROM THE LITTLE MERMAID! Don't give us a sequel movie of the origin story of a woman whose sole motivation was supposed to be, "I want a spotted white fur coat and snow leopard's too expensive so I'll make it out of puppies".

How To Train Your Dragon Live Action Remake: Oh, come on. Half the beauty of that series was the character design. And you want to make it all just ... live action people? Do you have any concept of how boring that is by comparison? And I still don't get why. Like ... the movie's right there. I have it on DVD. It's still awesome. We don't need live action remakes of everything, for fuck's sake. Half the time, the live-action (or at least photo-realistic) version is just ... this soulless husk of the animated one. See for example ... Aladdin, The Jungle Book, The Lion King... (I'm not sure how I feel about The Little Mermaid but ... lemme put it this way. I don't care what colour skin Ariel's actress has, but if they make Ursula some slender waif, I'm going to be pissed. I mean, I get the issues involving villains being fat or otherwise conventionally unattractive, but the Ursula in the cartoon version owned her deal and made it ... frankly, sexy. So really, no, leave her fat and living her best life.)

Watchmen: The Animated Series: ...dear. Fucking. Gods. The Zach Snyder version was ... okay, but they really did tone Rorshach down. Like, a lot. But from what I saw of the trailer for the animated version? They put him as a centre-stage hero in the style of Batman. Did the jackasses who wrote the premise for this even read the comics? Sure, some guys decided that Rorshach was the GOAT from the comics, but they had a tendency to be ... well, in the same basic family of incel that Rorshach himself was as a character. That got whittled all the way down in the Snyder film, and now they've got Cartoon Rorshach acting like Batman. No one needs, wants, or asked for this. Alan Moore must be spinning in his grave. (No, I know he's not dead, but have you met Alan Moore? He's totally the type to sleep in his own grave.)

Gods, no wonder studio execs think they can replace writers with AI. So much of this seems to be entertainment by marketing committee while good shit gets cancelled Because Reasons. Though I guess they're at least somewhat less obvious about "Give us something that we can get a merch line out of" than they were in the 80s, because no one is getting a line of action figures out of Watchmen because there is only so far they can sanitise it. (I think. The trailer gives me some concerns in the "We animated just enough of the Zach Snyder film to get people watching and then just turned Rorshach into Batman" sort of way.)

[whencartoonsruletheworld]

I totally get if you dont wanna reveal the answers but im also SO curious abt the answers to your Disney trivia (esp the 101 dalmatians book one!!!)

I thought I checked a box that said they would tell u the answers if u got it wrong but apparently that's not working so absolutely.

Quiz is HERE is you guys wanna take it before reading this! I worked very hard on it <3

Anyway, infodump time

How Many Banks Children were in the first Mary Poppins book?

A: Four. While Jane and Michael were the main characters of the book, they also had infant twin siblings. I had to edit this question to include “first book” after finding out that they get another sibling in later books; so the first book has four, and later books have five.

2. T/F: In 101 Dalmatians, Pongo's mate is named Perdita after she is found alone on the street.

A: False. Perdita is not Pongo's wife or the puppies' mother, but a nurse for some of the pups. She was indeed named Perdita (meaning "lost") after being found on the street, and was a liver-spotted dog looking for her own lost puppies. Pongo's wife is named Missis and she's a bimbo and i love her

3. Disney added multiple characters to Bambi. Who of the following was actually in the book?

A: Faline. Thumper and Flower were added to the Disney film and did not appear in the original book.

4. T/F: In the original Pinocchio book, the character who would become Stromboli was actually more sympathetic than Disney portrayed him as.

A: True. Stromboli's character, Mangiafuoco, is at first annoyed at Pinocchio for ruining his performance and threatens to burn him. However, he takes pity on the boy and later lets him go, giving him some gold coins for his journey.

5. Which of the following is NOT something that happens in the original Peter Pan that Disney cut from the ending?

A: the answer I made up is the one of Nana going to Neverland. In the original book, at the end, Captain Hook is eaten by the crocodile, the Darling children return to find that they had been reported missing for several months and their parents were frantic, the Lost Boys move in with the Darlings, them and John and Michael forget about Neverland, and Tinker Bell dies offscreen. Peter forgets about her cause his memory is shit.

Other Peter Pan fun fact: There are actual canon nonbinary fairies in this 1911 book! Wendy talks about the fairies, and says, “The mauve ones are boys and the white ones are girls, and the blue ones are just little sillies who are not sure what they are.”

6. T/F: Tarzan’s foster mother, Kala, dies in the book.

A: True. She’s unfortunately killed by some tribal African stereotypes which. oof.

7. What role did Ariel's sisters play in the original Little Mermaid?

A: They sold their hair for a way for the Little Mermaid to return home. The sisters gave the Sea Witch their hair in exchange for a dagger for Ariel to use to stab the prince; if she did so, she would revert to a mermaid. Ariel considered it, as the prince had fallen in love with someone else and thus she would not be able to marry him by the time limit, but decided against it.

8. T/F: Dumbo's mouse friend was present in the original story.

A: False. Timothy Q Mouse was made as a replacement for a wise robin named Red.

9. What are two of the ways the wicked Queen tries to kill Snow White before using the apple?

A: She tries to suffocate her with a laced bodice, and then brushes her hair with a poisoned comb. These both fail, as the dwarves untie the bodice and remove the comb. Fun fact: the reason the apple failed in the OG story was actually because when the prince moved the coffin, it fell from her mouth!

One of the fake answers is “She gives her slippers that make her dance endlessly,” which is the Queen’s fate in the fairytale. Another fake answer is “She sends crows to peck her eyes out” which happens in the Grimm version of Cinderella to the stepfamily. “She tries to get her to prick her finger on a poisoned thornbush” references both Sleeping Beauty and the beginning of the story where the good Queen wishes for a child as red as blood and white as snow after pricking her finger and seeing blood in the snow.

10. T/F: In the original "The Fox and the Hound" book, the Hound kills the Fox.

A: True. Disney switched the names of Copper and Chief, but the character who would become Copper does chase Tod until he dies of exhaustion. The dog then dies at the end of the book. Cheery! The whole book is full of death and despair I only recommend it if you want to make people uncomfortable at parties.

11. What was Jasmine’s name in the original folk tale?

A: Badroulbadour. As for the other answers: Yasmin is her name in the Arabic dub of the Disney film; Scheherazade is the main protagonist of 1001 Arabian Nights; Dalia is Jasmine’s handmaiden in the live-action reboot; Fatimah is the pestering wife of Maruf the Cobbler in his Arabian Nights story; Morgiana is Ali Baba’s heroic daughter-in-law from Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves; Nouronnihar is another princess in The Three Princes and the Princess Nouronnihar, and Zumurrud is one of the protagonists in Ali Shar and Zumurrud.

12. In The Frog Princess, which The Princess and the Frog was VERY loosely inspired by, what is the actual reason that Emma (who would become Tiana) turns into a frog after kissing the prince?

A: She is wearing a curse-reversal bracelet. It was given to her by her adventuring Aunt, and she has to retrieve the bracelet in order to turn into a human and then kiss the prince again.

The fake answer “She is not a real princess” is the reason used in the final film that Tiana transforms.

13. T/F: In 2022, Disney released a sequel film to "Hocus Pocus." However, a book sequel was created in 2018 with a drastically different plot. In this plot, Max and Allison's daughter is canonically gay.

A: True! Her name is Poppy and she summons the Sandersons while trying to impress a cute girl. Queen shit

14. Which of the following is NOT true about the book version of Eilonwy?

A: The false statement was that her bauble was a fairy. The true statements are that her mother was a princess but her father was a commoner, the women of her family were all enchantresses, but she loses a good chunk of her magic by destroying The Book of Llyr.

15. T/F: Disney’s Alice in Wonderland changed the ending to make it all Alice’s dream instead of a real adventure.

A: False! The book did originally end as Alice's dream, as did the sequel. Fun fact, though: The Wizard of Oz was not a dream in the book! As stated before, neither was Peter Pan.

16. What role does Sleeping Beauty's Husband's Mother play in the story?

A: She is an ogre that tries to eat Sleeping Beauty and her children.

17. T/F: While Treasure Planet changed a lot from Treasure Island, Jim's backstory of being abandoned by his father is the same.

A: False. In the book, his father died instead of left.

18. What was the Rescue Aid Society’s name in the book?

A: Prisoners’ Aid Society. The first book actually featured the mice rescuing an adult poet from prison.

19. Esmeralda’s goat sidekick, Djali, was actually in the original book.

A: True.

20. What is the plot to the official book sequel to 101 Dalmatians?

A: The humans all fall into a magical coma and the dogs, now with psychic powers, must save them. Yeah! That’s canon! Written by the original story’s author!! Why did Disney never adapt it!!!

Of the fake answers, “Cruella attempts to kidnap puppies again, only to be thwarted by the original dogs” is a slight ref to 101 Dalmatians 2: Patch’s London Adventure; “A dalmatian without spots saves her family” and “Cruella attempts to reform and becomes a dog lover” are both descriptions of subplots in 102 Dalmatians, and the mention of Cruella’s cat in one of the fake answers does refer to a book character.

21. T/F: The talking snowman was an actual character in The Snow Queen.

A: False.

22. What are the names of Rapunzel’s twin children?

A: The twins are unnamed in the original story. Of the fake answers, “Ruby and Rampion” references a background character in Descendants and the alternate name for the Rapunzel plant; “Dawn and Day” are Sleeping Beauty’s children; “Elba and Saiba” I got from googling fairytales with twins, and the site says it’s an African fairytale? I’ll have to look it up tbh cause I’m not sure; “Zjema and Handa” are from the Albanian folktale The Twins, and “Cassandra and Varian” are two characters from the Tangled TV series.

23. T/F: In the original Tarzan series, Clayton is revealed to be Tarzan’s cousin.

A: True. Tarzan’s birth name is John Clayton II, and Disney’s Clayton is William Cecil Clayton. While this plotline was dropped in the movie, fun fact: Clayton’s VA provided Tarzan’s famous call for the film!

24. What is Ratigan’s first name in the original stories?

A: Padraic. Of the fake names, “James” and “Moriarty” obviously reference the Sherlock character he is based on; “Proudfoot” is a family in the first 1958 Basil story; “Doran” was Ratigan’s lieutenant based on former tumblr blorbo Sebastian Moran; “Vincent” comes from Ratigan’s VA Vincent Price; “Ingham” was the surname of Basil’s VA, Barrie Ingham; and “Leslie” came from one of the inspirations for Basil’s animation, Leslie Howard.

25. T/F: Roger Rabbit dies in the original book.

A: True. I do not know how to convey to you how INSANE the Roger Rabbit book is. It’s so fucking nuts.

26. The Lion King is famously based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. What characters inspired Timon and Pumbaa?

A: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They ended up serving very different roles in the plot, but originally Timon and Pumbaa’s characters were meant to be Simba’s childhood friends like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were, and they eventually evolved into caretakers when they needed someone for Simba to grow up with.

27. T/F: Maui is a character in Māori and Hawai’ian mythology, but not any other Polynesian cultures.

A: False. Maui appears in Māori, Hawai'ian, Tongan, Tahitian, Samoan and Mangarevan mythology.

28. How Many siblings does Hua Mulan have?

A: Two. She has an older sister and a younger brother. They were combined into Hua Xiu in the reboot, and aluded to in the original movie with Mulan’s dog being named Little Brother. Personally, I like the change of having her being an only child, it puts a lot of implicit pressure on her that she is the ONLY one who can make her family proud and guarantee them a future. However, I also like middle kid rep so lol

29. T/F: Gaston was more sympathetic in the original fairytale.

A: False. Gaston did not exist in the original fairytale. The antagonists were  Belle’s two wicked sisters.

30. Final Question. Which of the following was an actual original story, and NOT based on a pre-existing book, fairytale, myth, etc.?

A: Brother Bear was not based on anything pre-existing, though it did of course draw inspiration from Inuit culture. The other movies listed are Song of the South (based on the Uncle Remus stories), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (based on The Magic Bedknob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons and the following Bedknobs and Broomsticks), Fun and Fancy Free was based on Bongo and Mickey and the Beanstalk; Frankenweenie is ofc a Frankenstein adaptation but also based on an early Burton short film; and Oliver & Company was based on Oliver Twist.

[notmariolevi]

The Buddies universe and Elderitch Horror: An essay

Okay, so you probably read the title and asked yourself: “What the fuck did I just read?” And That’s a justified reaction. I mean, who even gives a shit about some shitty disney direct to DVD franchise that’s a spinoff of some stupid dog sports movie?

Me, I do, all too much. Let me explain.

For context, the Buddies franchise is a spinoff of Air Bud, a movie series about a Golden Retriever who plays basketball. Why they decided to make a spinoff about Air Bud’s offspring is… I don’t fucking know, Puppies sells more DVDs and VHSs. The First movie, Air Buddies, was just 101 Dalmatians but with 92 less dogs and Golden Retrievers, and overall wasn’t a great movie… But it sold quite well, and so Air Bud died so Buddies could dominate.

Next was Snow Buddies which, than having 5 dogs die on set and using underaged dogs, thus making causing the “No animals were harmed in the making of this film” Disclaimer to be removed, it still sold quite well, and the franchise continued, much to the dismay of the USDA…

And from there, the franchise went off the rails.

Instead of making normal talking animal movies like everyone else, the Buddies decided to smoke a shit ton of crack and made 5 sequels (7 if you count the Santa Paws spinoff) that are so bizarre, that I need to talk about them or it will eat me up inside.

So, without further ado, let’s begin.

To start things off normally, Santa Claus exists, thanks to Santa Paws and its sequel, alongside the crossover movie Santa Buddies. Now, there’s nothing much I can say here. I mean, that’s pretty normal for kids movies. Santa is a part of childhood for many and, naturally, his existence makes sense in family media.

“Really,” I hear you asking, “Santa Claus is normal for kids' media. Where does it start getting complicated?”

Don’t worry, you’ll see soon enough.

We next go to treasure buddies, where we learn magic exists alongside ancient curses. Evidence for this includes that one moment when B-Dawg (the thug one) gets turned into a cat and Ubatsi (the cat) gets turned into Stone like Ash Ketchum at the end of the first pokemon movie. Now, of course, Santa Claus’ existence paves the way for more magic to exist, so it’s only natural that magical curses and shit like that would exist. But that’s it, right? I mean, those two instances of magic are all that exist, right…?

You see, when I said Treasure Buddies introduced magic into the world of Buddies, I was lying. It was actually introduced earlier, and with far, far more sinister implications.

And this is where the eldritch gods come into play.

 In Spooky Buddies, we are introduced to the Halloween Hound, an eldritch demon who seeks to bring hell itself to earth and destroy humanity. And not only are we introduced to him, but we are also introduced to an Occultic follower of his, Warwick the Warlock, who has a magical staff that can bridge the worlds of hell and earth together. And also we’re introduced to ghosts, but that’s not really important. The existence of Santa Claus and Egyptian curses are somewhat normal for kids' media, but Eldritch gods aren’t. The truth of the matter is, that this world is at constant threat of demonic invasion and the apocalypse.

But there is more than one way to end the world, as we see.

Let me explain why Space Buddies is here.

In the movie, we find out that technology has developed to the point that faster than light communication is possible and that Shuttles are able to be piloted from control and launched into space without the need of rockets. We learn why technology has developed so fast, as we see that the Soviet Union still exists, with Yuri and Sputnik being cosmonauts aboard a Soviet Space station. This implies that the Cold War never ended and that, instead, the two powers still face each other. Such advance technology implies a very tense atmosphere between the two powers and, thus, the high likely hood of nuclear war.

But why does this technology exist? Hyper advanced shuttles, faster than light communication, all of it implies that the two powers are far stronger than in our timeline. Or maybe, that they are not preparing to destroy each other, but instead preparing to defend against something far, far worse than anyone could ever imagine…

We find out the real reason why technology is so advanced in Super Buddies, where it is revealed that an alien technology exists, including the rings of Inspiron which give the Buddies super powers. But technology doesn’t come out of nowhere, and it’s not all that comes from beyond. In the far reaches of the galaxy, Commander Drex, healing from an alien empire, seeks to conquer earth for itself, as it had done to the planet Inspiron before. The few survivors of the massacre on Inspiron, including the exiled leader Megasis, who took on the name Captain Canine in order to hide from the empire, are scattered across the galaxy, unable to prevent the coming conquest of all worlds. Even with the defeat of Commander Drex at the end of the movie, the empire still lives on and Earth is now defenseless without the rings that once protected it. In truth, the world of the Buddies is now doomed to destruction.

And I know what you’re going to say: “Dude, you’re crazy. It’s not like all of these movies are connected, right?” Wrong. At the end of Super Buddies, Commander Drex, distracted by the decoy rings melting, crashes into an asteroid field and dies. But not just any Asteroid field, mind you, it’s the exact same Asteroid field from Space Buddies, thus proving a connection between atleast Space Buddies and Super Buddies. And if I’m right, which I have every reason to be, then a horrifying conclusion has to be drawn.

The Buddies universe is an eldritch nightmare.

This is a universe where Eldritch Gods exist, tearing away at the fabric of reality, where Egyptian curses lie in wait to be unleashed upon the world, where Cold War tensions continue to tear the world apart through technological progress and political chaos, where the world is on the brink of Alien invasion, where not even the concept of Childhood himself can stop the apocalypse, and all that stands in the way between earth and oblivion, are 5 Golden Retriever Puppies. It’s a miracle that earth has survived this long, but the buddies will eventually fail to stop the inevitable end.

 And with Jungle Buddies coming out in 2025, I have high reasons to believe that the world of the buddies will be fully unrolled for what it is, the perfect Eldritch horror story, disguised as a shitty direct to DVD turned Disney plus exclusive franchise…

Or maybe I’m just fucking stupid and this whole essay was just my insane ramblings at 11:25 PM EST, that could work too.

[jayofthetrees]

Just a big dump of drawings.

I imagined Fergus saying something like this since I first drew Sponge. She doesn't mind it...It's Dylan who's embarrassed. This was also the last sketch I think I inked.

This was the first sketch I did where I found out I didn't have to do the slower process of inking the areas I wanted to color with a pen if I just copied/pasted the sketch on top of itself a few dozen times.

I recommend it. You get thicker, more defined lines, and you can color right away, providing you haven't left any open spots.

I did this one to practice doing backgrounds with the same method. Just dropping a layer behind the sketch and boom, you're free to do any background you want.

And didn't forget about her, I just had to experiment a little with other characters.

Same as the above, but with Dolly. This only took me about 20 minutes to sketch, color AND do the background.

I've also been trying things with text tools, since my handwriting is a little sloppy, and while the text tool is cleaner, it's a little too robotic for my taste.

Did this one for SumaQosh over on Twitter. Been wanting to draw their Yoshi/Dalmatian OC for a while.

I probably SHOULD practice drawing backgrounds, but I still haven't...

Oh well...

Sponge looks so different now than when I first drew her that I've just dubbed her first drawing to be her as a puppy.

Something VERY different. I got to wondering about what if in a hypothetical season 2 of 101DS, they meet the descendants of other Disney animals, and my mind focused on the Hyena's from The Lion King...

Not sure HOW they'd meet them, but I drew this.

Haven't given her an official name, but the first one I considered was "Neela."

Just one of me trying to get Deepak down.

I don't draw him much, mostly because his spot pattern is a bit of a pain, but with the new way I do things, that might change.

I remember that the first thing I drew on Krita that I was serious about getting right was a headshot of Pongo copied from a Hotwheels package. That took me about 2 hours, and looks VERY rough.

This took me less than one, and is my cleanest pic of him thus far.

Just a headshot of Sponge.

You'll notice I started doing the "Shadowed backdrop" background style with these. Still not a proper background, but an easy way to give the drawing some depth.

I've been practicing with drawing anthro bodies for a while, and this was the first I feel I got right.

Did this one to answer the question of how a dog wears eyeshadow...

Simple. She applies it carefully...

And finally, an answer to ChelleDoggo over on Twitter as to how she gets her eyeliner wings so sharp...

Easy, she traces them over a knife.

And that's it. I'll be the first to say that it genuienly feels good to be getting better a this, when last year, I couldn't even consider doing this kind of thing, and it's in now small part of all you supporting me, so thank you, very much.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Lotta Stuff

The Annecy cool-news train keeps a-rollin', while I'm still reeling in from the delight that is ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

Speaking of SPIDER-VERSE, more on Sony Animation's 2D animated Genndy Tartakovsky adult comedy FIXED was unleashed, though still no release date or how it'll be released - despite strong implication that it's bound for... The big screen! It's going to be completed in September, too. Right around the corner. I wouldn't be surprised if this dog takes BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE's 3/29/2024 release date, giving the crew the time they need to perfect the closer to this multiverse-spanning spider trilogy.

We got some of the major cast (such as Adam Devine, Idris Elba, and Olivia "Liv" Octavius herself, Kathryn Hahn), and Tartakovsky continues to describe it as more classic-like, an R-rated LADY AND THE TRAMP and ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS. "A very sweet, charming, sincere story of friendship and romance.” Basically, everything they revealed and everything they've been saying make this sound like a winner. Plus it's Tartakovsky, you can't go wrong. We get this - and possibly his action movie BLACK KNIGHT later on down the line - instead of his POPEYE... It's been hinted that some legendary animators have been brought to this project, too. Ones that the crew didn't think they'd get... Intriguing...

Also, it could be the first major-release theatrical 2D animated movie that isn't based on a beloved property or a sequel since... THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG? Because since then... It's been films like WINNIE THE POOH, TV series-based fare like SPONGE OUT OF WATER (mixed media) and MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE. KLAUS was a Netflix film, though it did have a few screenings in theaters.

If it goes to theaters, and does pretty well relative to the budget (I'd imagine this didn't cost more than, say, $30m to make?)... Well, I don't know if it'd move the needle on more 2D films being made, let alone more adult 2D films being made... But it'd be notable and quite nice for this type of film.

In the world of streaming comes a Netflix-exclusive DreamWorks animated film written by Charlie Kaufman, of all people! (He did do uncredited rewrites on KUNG FU PANDA 2, to be fair, one of my all-time favorites.) Directed by Sean Charmatz, in his feature directorial debut, ORION AND THE DARK (based on the book of the same name) sounds like - seemingly - a whole-hog meditation on fear and the dark and the beauty the night can be... Wait why is this a streaming movie, then? I get that it's being produced up at Mikros, like the studio's CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS was, but I feel it should be a theatrical release. Sounds every bit as worthy of big screens as RUBY GILLMAN is. Either way, it's interesting to see DreamWorks having two theatrical titles a year (a sequel and a non-sequel), and also beefing up the slate with smaller, quirkier Netflix pictures. As expected, the look of the film is stylized and cartoony.

The teaser for Pixar's ELIO is finally here, from COCO co-director Adrian Molina. Just in time for ELEMENTAL's release. It looks like the colorful and fun-looking space adventure that was promised at this past D23, with neat environment and creature design, and alien humor to spare. I'm here for more space adventure animated movies. There's something rather amusing about this trailer debuting when virtually everything else on Disney's whole slate of live-action/VFX-heavy pictures got shuffled... Like almost aggressively so. AVATAR 5 pushed all the way back to 2031 (what the hell are our lives gonna look like at the end of this year alone??), STAR WARS here, Marvel there... Meanwhile, the animated pictures remain in place... Pixars in March and June, WDASes in November... Quite something.

Elsewhere, Jorge Gutierrez expands on MAYA AND THE THREE and, surprisingly, his THE BOOK OF LIFE... A new story set in the same universe, perhaps a new dynamic way of doing a shared universe that won't feel as complicated and tried-and-true as other ones out there? Good to see him getting to play around with that world of his, in addition to other projects he has lined up, including an adult dog cartoon of his own: I, CHIHUAHUA!

THE SPIDER WITHIN also sounds great: Horror and an abstract portrayal of anxiety attacks by way of the SPIDER-VERSE series, and one that I - an anxiety-sufferer - am game to check out. I'm guessing they'll put this on the Blu-ray/4K set of ACROSS... I mean I hope. That they didn't say where it'll be released colors me skeptical.

New WDAS short ONCE UPON A TIME UPON A STUDIO could either be a fun tribute to the studio's 100-year legacy, or just a cynical self-congratulatory cameo stew. I like that they're using hand-drawn for this, but there's something kind of... I don't know... Off-putting? About a studio celebrating its legacy in hand-drawn animation while... Actively not pursuing hand-drawn animation for feature films in the foreseeable future... It's only used for maybe shorts and Disney+ projects. I know they keep saying "We're gonna do 2D!" or "The director chooses CG or 2D", but I also know that that's bunk... Until an actual 2D feature is greenlit and is actually in production, then I'll believe it. Also... Making use of previously-unused audio of Robin Williams recorded during production of ALADDIN... Given what hell Disney put Williams through with that film, and since it's been almost a decade since Williams' death... I'm also a bit struck by that. I like the premise of this short fine, and it's cool to see characters spanning over 60 films and a plethora of shorts, but... given how Disney can be a little excessive in their self-congratulations and such, on their centennial year? We'll see. What I want to hear about is what WDAS is releasing Thanksgiving 2024... That's where my mind's at.

[fuzziekins]

101 Dalmatians, the live action version. i remember loving it when i was a kid because Dalmatians and i love dogs, and with all the live action remakes Disney has made (the wave in remakes seem to have started with Cinderella but 101 Dalmatians was actually one of the first in the 90s i believe) so i decided to give it a rewatch this week because i could...also because i love Disney and wanted to watch a Disney movie (disclaimer: just because i do love Disney does not mean i agree with everything Disney has said/done, that i do not like all of their movies, and i am still mad at them for not giving us anywhere near enough gay).

It was definitely not as good as i remember it. Some parts i remembered clearer than others and some were funny. The animals in the barn going after Cruella, for one thing. And, as suspected, the puppies were a highlight. One of my favorite scenes was still after the puppies were born, they had been watching a scene from The Aristocats followed by Homeward Bound and then they were given their collars with their names. Not all were the same as the animated movie, and i'm not sure how many of the names from the original book were for the 15 puppies versus how many of the names were for the other puppies they found later. i think my favorite part about though, specifically, was how the spots on each individual Dalmatian can play a part in their names (the tail of Dipstick's tail being black, the spots around Jewel's neck resembling a necklace, for example, also similar to how Lucky's spots in the animated version on his back resemble a horseshoe) and that's what i always loved about Dalmatians; that no two spots on every dog are alike and that they're all so unique. The fact that they incorporated the video game into the movie and you could actually see some scenes and graphics from it definitely brought me back, i loved that game so much. And, obviously, Glenn Close was AMAZING. She gave everything she had into playing Cruella and made her completely believable. She sold every scene and was probably the closest thing we'd get to an embodiment of a real life Cruella DeVil. i wouldn't quite compare her to Angelina Jolie playing Maleficent because while both are classic, evil, and perhaps two of the worst (aka best) Disney villains in existence they are still very different. But as far as that statement goes, i was never a fan of the Maleficent movies (if one happens to be on i might put it on in the background but they'd be far from my first choices to actually watch) and while i'm not as much a fan of the live action 101 Dalmatians as i once was, credit where credit is due - these women portraying these villains are absolutely FABULOUS.

The rest of the cast of the movie was so meh to me. Roger and Anita were two completely different people and, while i believe the take of Anita working for Cruella and enjoyed the idea of Perdi being the inspiration for the spotted coat, i don't like the other changes. Especially the way in which the two of them met. Pongo pulling Roger on his bike desperate trying to look for/catch up to Anita and Perdita lasted WAY too long and it felt more like something directed at little kids where they could laugh at the dog pulling Roger and getting him hurt and into all other sorts of trouble (i mean, yeah, it's Disney so it is directed for kids but there were so many other things they could have done). While in the animated movie i don't believe it's explicitly stated how long they're together before they're married the meeting was far more enjoyable and cute. The live action movie felt like it went from 100 down to 5 so quickly; they started so angry at each other but as Roger's leaving he's all "but it's not because i like her" and that night it's not only revealed they basically made out after he saved her but he also wanted to marry her that day? That's not how it works (and not just because this is pre-Frozen with the whole "you can't marry someone you just met"). Not to mention Anita's pregnancy. That went completely over my head as a kid (understandably so) but watching it now i'm not sure what bothers me more. That they find out in the first month (which, in current times does make sense but should they even be announcing it?), or that it feels completely unnecessary. (Or maybe it's just my personal awkward feelings, i don't know.) i also wasn't a fan of Horace and Jasper. i'm not sure if it was the characters or the way they were written or just the actors playing them or maybe it was the chemistry between the two but...they were NOTHING like their animated counterparts. And the electrocution scene...ok yeah it's funny, they tried and failed to go over the electric fans and got their crotches shocked badly. But as an adult i could totally see that coming and it lasted for too long, taking the full humor out of it.

i have a LOT of feelings about Disney doing all these live action remakes. Some of them feel completely unnecessary (Jungle Book, Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, Robin Hood to name a few). Some of them turned out ok and are decent movies if you don't compare them to the animated movie (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin). The only movie i thoroughly enjoyed as a live action remake was The Little Mermaid (save for Scuttle's rap and Flounder's design primarily). As to where 101 Dalmatians sits on that list, for me at least, it's one of those movies that is easily pictured as a live action movie. It can be done and it makes sense. But did they do a good job of it? No. I almost wonder if, it had been remade now, how different it would be and if it'd be remotely more enjoyable. But it doesn't need to be nor do the animated movies keep needing to be rehashed into live action - especially when some of them are more computer animated to look realistic than ACTUAL live action. Even so, if we got 101 Dalmatians now we wouldn't have Glenn Close as Cruella. She, along with the actual Dalmatians, are the only saving graces of this movie.

wait guys. reblog this and tell me what the last movie you watched was. bonus points if you add a short review <333

[popculturebuffet]

Next up for Disney TVA, who is your favorite character from the cartoons in the 90s half of the Disney One Saturday Morning era: Doug (Disney seasons), Jungle Cubs, Nightmare Ned, 101 Dalmatians the Series, Recess, Pepper Ann, Hercules the Animated Series, and Mickey Mouse Works?

Okay so weeding the field, I haven't seen Jungle Cubs, Nightmare Ned, or 101 Dalmations and haven't seen herc recently enough to actually judge it. Like LMM it's just vauge memories. Thankfully I looked ahead and while there will be gaps LATER the next era i've seen pretty much everything. Can't say I'l lhave the deepest opinons or a faviorite characters, but it won't be nearly as sparse as these last two and had I realized that I woudl've had you just cram both together. For now though Disney's Doug: Not sure as I haven't rewatched these lately, but since i'm not sure I named one in the disney section , Mr Dink with Skeeetr a close second: he's funny, goofy and while advice despensing neighbor wasn't exactly new ground, he helped spice it up by being human: he's goofy as hell, up to some down to earth domestic shenanigan. He's basically the american version of red green. (The red green show is great and if you haven't heard of it.. your welcome)

I remember liking this version. While there are a bunch of changes.. none feel bad. A lot of the additions work: Doug having a little sister opens new ground, the rank up to middle school makes sense as they finished elementary last series, and continuing miss dink as mayor and having Bebe's dad become school principal. It also helps one of my faviorite episodes and the only one from this run I clearly remember is here, where Patti finds out her dad is dating her teacher and dosen't take it well. Disney's Doug isn't a super sharp upgrade, it's still pretty standard slice of life but it dosen't SEEM like the downgrade it gets painted as.

Recess: Gus. I thought this would be hard but no, my relatable pov baby boy is still my faviorite. I like Gus in part because on paper he should stop working after a bit.. but unlike other pov everyman characters there for exposition, he has enough outside it, his insecurity, panicky nature, and genuine kindness, to help. I also like the portrayal of a military kid, who his moves around a lot nature was due to that and it makes his friendship with the kids and fight to be seen not just as "the new kid" that more pognaint. They give him just enough depth to make you fully understand why, despite usually being the voice of reason, he sticks around and yet don't have him be a total stick in the mud either. He's usually all for the heists, he's just one of the first to panic about it and even then Gretchen and Mikey just as often chime in.

As you can probably guess... I love recess. It's one of Disney's best shows period, made my top 10 list for Disney TVA"s 10th annviersary (Also a reminder to not forget clerks in these asks) for a reason and is only not at the top of the pile because the network had some of the best shows in recent memory in the late 2010's early 2020's and even with that this still stacks up with the best of them.

Recess captures how it felt to be a kid well, the larger than life worlds we created, how parts of the playground were carved up, how the teachers felt useless or actively malicoius, yet grounds it in reality: both miss finster and principal prickly are slowly revealed to be people. Like Hey Arnold around the same time, but in it's own way, it provides plenty of one offs for the various other clicks and kids, while giving our main sextet a ton of depth, focus and spotlight. The series has a swiss army knife quality to it, ala batman the animated series (A comparrison I never though tof but i've been binging a lot of serum lake on youtube lately. ) but it's one that fits: like BTAS, Recess can pivot between awwkard stories of growing up like mikey's voice changing, a chilling psychological drama like the box, or a simple exploration of language or how adults take shit too seriously like the whomps or trial episodes. The series goes all the hell over the map from heists to mediations on death to using a pokemon stand in to teach economics. I can't say enough about this show. A true masterpiece like almost nothing else and I only say that because it got the perfect spiritual succcesor in craig of the creek and disney woudln't greenlight the revivial because their stupid.

Pepper Ann: Don't have a faviorite as I didn't watch the show that much but what I saw I like and I should revisit it. I got jazzed when it got added to D+ then.. forgot. Which happens often.

Mickey Mouse Works; This is a weird ask as.. iv'e never seen mickey mouse works.. but i've seen the shorts on house of mouse? As such i'll save the discussion for house of mouse for the most part but the shorts are pretty good. There's a few awful ones, the quality coudl vary wildly, but when it hits it hits

[pillow-anime-talk]

their s/o is crying.

request: can we have the crusaders reacting to their s/o crying because they had a bad week? 

# tags: headcanons; current relationships; light romance; kind of angst; crying; rather sfw

includes: gender neutral reader ft. joseph joestar, jotaro kujo, noriaki kakyoin, muhammad avdol & jean pierre polnareff {jjba 3}

author’s note: my fav part of jojo :D

— JOSEPH

↘ He is very caring, of course in his own way.

↘ I think definitely the first thing he will do when he sees that you are sad and your cheeks are wet with tears is to take a nice yellow handkerchief from his pocket and wipe your nose and your red eyes while giving you a little kiss right middle of the forehead. Then he will suggest a conversation and some water/tea to calm your raging thoughts.

↘ I think at such moments he perceives you more as a little child than as a partner, so expect a serious talk, some life tips and promises that in case you need to talk again, drink something or a book to read, he will be right next to you. And then he’ll go to the kitchen to make you something to eat, such as colorful sandwiches full of vegetables, which have cute decorations in the shape of smiling faces from the cut radishes and chives.

↘ Joseph definitely knows how to take care of you during your unpleasant days of stress, pain and uncertainty.

— JOTARO

↘ He’s not very good at comforting you, but I think he’ll make an ‘exception’ for you.

↘ “Oi, don’t cry. Come here, we’ll watch a movie or order food.”

↘ I think his love language is definitely gifts, so if you are sad and your eyes are full of nasty tears, expect both small and slightly larger presents from Jotaro to make you feel better. Usually these will be items that will help you in some way to replace him; for example, a huge plush toy, a new blanket or a oversized sweatshirt in your favorite color. He (for sure) also likes to buy you food or cold snacks such as ice cream or slushie.

↘ Expect comforting messages from him as well, but without emojis. They sound offensive at times like ‘Stop crying, Y/N’ but you know he’s very worried about you. He just can’t find the cute sticker tab on the keyboard, lol.

— NORIAKI

↘ He’s so sensitive and really concerned with your mental and physical condition. Nevertheless, he will approach the topic very calmly, even hesitantly, asking if you want to talk.

↘ However, I think that if he notices any uncertainty in your gaze or in your facial expressions, he’ll suggest you to exchange notes so that you don’t feel his eyes or the unpleasant pressure that is equivalent to talking in person.

↘ Noriaki tries very hard to improve your mood with short trips; even a walk to the nearest park/lake or a short date in the zoo and botanical garden. He likes to buy you small decorations for the fridge or bouquets of flowers consisting of white carnations, irises and pink freesias.

↘ He’s also a specialist in all kinds of Disney cartoons, so expect a small (very big) seance with Princesses, Dalmatians and other animals.

— MUHAMMAD

↘ Literally a husband material.

↘ Therefore, if you are sad, he will be with you all the time until you stop crying. His hand will stroke your back and the top of your head tenderly, and warm lips will always whisper nice words to you that will definitely cheer you up.

↘ I have a feeling Avdol is a great cook, so whenever you have a bad day or time in general, your partner will cook you lots of delicious dishes, especially from his regions. He’s good in stews and spicy dishes.

↘ When you eat, you always talk about more or less ‘normal’ topics. You talk about your gut feelings, work, plans, passions and your relationship, and then you slowly forget what caused sadness in your soul. With your beloved man next to you, delicious food and his jokes, you definitely can’t cry.

— JEAN

↘ Oh my precious, sweet and wholesome boy.

↘ Polnareff, as we all know, is very specific; therefore, as soon as he notices even the tiniest tear on your cheek or just feels from the way you walk, talk and smile that something is wrong, he’ll be very serious and will definitely grab your face between his both, warm hands.

↘ Not only will he give you a juicy kiss on the lips, but he will also announce with a loud voice that you, as his beloved, cannot be sad. Literally, this one thing is enough to make the tears disappear and a huge smile appeared instead.

↘ Then, of course, he’ll take you to his lap or to your bed and give you a tight hug, asking what happened and if he can help you in any way. He will be happy to work with you to solve the problem that is bothering you.

[jinxthejubilee]

Disney Villain Recruiters Personalities Part 5

It's a new dawn. It's a new day. It's a new year for exploring characters nobody cares about! Here we are at number 5, Mr. Dalmatia!

For those of you who don't know, the Disney Villain Recruiters was a Tokyo Disneyland-only show held every Halloween. Basically, the minions of famous Disney villains come to our world to try and tempt us to join their villain bosses.

- By the way, they are not the sons, daughters, or genderbent versions of the villains. They are just minions.

- Just a heads up as well, I do not speak Japanese. Thankfully, there were a few that had English subtitles, but not a lot. These are just my interpretations of him based on the videos I've seen, along with my own personal ideas about his character. So, let's get started!

Mr. Dalmatia 🐾

Serving the "devil woman" obsessed with furs, Dalmatia was one of the dalmatian puppies that was stolen years ago by Horace and Jasper. It is unknown which of the 101, or rather 102 puppies he is supposed to be, nor does the show explain just how he became so loyal to his mistress. However, we can assume that outside forces transformed him into a human for the sake of luring recruiters to work for Cruella.

Dalmatia is very much dog-like, in the sense that he hasn't shaken off all of his canine habits. He's excitable, a bit crude, steals his coworkers stuff, makes dog-based puns, and loves to tease everyone he sees. He is very friendly and loyal to his friends, but he can be vicious and rude when he wants to be. He's pretty active too, and often asks the other recruiters to take him on walks. He takes pride in his fur coat, and loves to show off how beautiful and exotic it is, but thankfully, not to the point of narcissism *cough cough Malfie cough.*

Cruella De Vil: Ooh! He's the third most loyal to his boss. Dalmatia adores Cruella, whenever her name is mentioned he gets all excited and shows off his coat that's waiting to be petted. My take on this is that he was conditioned as a puppy to be loyal to her. After being kidnapped by Horace and Jasper, failing to escape Hell Hall, and losing his family after they left with his siblings and the other puppies, he felt hopeless and tried to make the best out of the situation. Cruella, after losing the puppies she bought and stole, made the best out of it too and took Dalmatia in. Unfortunately, this leads to one of the most toxic mother-son relationships ever. He adores her, she knows that. She can make him do anything she wants, he'll obey her every whim. After all, it's in his nature to serve a master, as he is still a dog at heart.

Horace and Jasper: Unlike Joe, Flotsam, and Jetsam, Dalmatia doesn't respect his "superiors" at all. Despite the fact that Cruella uses him, she respects and butters up Dalma because she knows he's ten times smarter than Horace and Jasper combined. And that gives him confidence in standing up for himself and pranking them at every chance he has. The two of them used to tease Dalma as a puppy, but now that he's his mistress's "favorite," he has leverage against them. Thanks to Cruella's brainwashing influence, he tolerates them and doesn't hold a grudge against them for kidnapping him as a puppy.

Pongo, Perdita, and the Puppies: He feels betrayed by them, but it truly wasn't their fault. His parents, his siblings, the Colonel, everyone tried to save him from the clutches of that wicked woman, but they couldn't. They didn't leave him behind on purpose, but it certainly feels that way. Dalmatia doesn't understand the heartbreak his parents went through after losing him. He was one of their babies, and while they had many, many more children to care for, they could never replace him. Dalmatia doesn't think about them often nor does he want to, but when he does, he doesn't want to eat or sleep, he just lies there sulking or goes to howl at the moon in sorrow.

Jack Heart: Yay! His best friend! Jack was definitely the first person he was introduced to at the start, AND he was the first other extrovert he met, of course they would get along! They're often seen together on stage and perform gags, tricks, and pranks on each other and the other recruiters. Dalma is definitely the "muscle" of the two, if they're ever in too much trouble, he will defend Jack by either turning into his canine form, or fighting and standing defensively in his human form. Jack is his first ever real friend, he can't afford to lose that. His loyalty knows no bounds.

Apple Poison: Okay so, their relationship is understandably a bit messy. Dalma and Jack pull pranks and make fun of him, ALL THE TIME. The poor guy just wants to work professionally, why is that so hard to understand?! However, Apple recognizes that it's not entirely Dalmatia's fault. Human or not, he is still a dog at heart. And he does admire his loyalty to his mistress and friends, the way he entertains the crowds, and how he takes care of himself. He just wishes that he wasn't so destructive- dang it Dalma! I told you not to run with your muddy paws in the house!!

Malfie (Malfi): A guest star in the duo, Malfie often lends a hand when magic is needed for their pranks. Dalma likes Malfie, their not nearly as close as he and Jack, but they get along pretty well. He loves looking at Malfie's magic, it looks so cool! Though just like Jack, he will get annoyed at Malfie if he's responsible for messing up their prank. Bites on the hand are a common occurrence if that happens.

Eight Foot Joe: Sheesh, another wet blanket. Joe is not really happy that they have an actual dog man living with them, but he'll tolerate him. He's slightly less annoying than Jack, so he can deal with it. Although he doesn't like being roped into their shenanigans, since it's such a pain in the neck, they can be fun from time to time. Though, he'll never admit it. Once Joe loosens up, he partakes in teasing Dalma, maybe throwing a ball and playing fetch, or holding out a treat for him to chew on. This leads to Dalma getting him back by biting his arms and legs like a piece of chicken. Fun times for everyone!

Pretty Scar: Yuck! Get her away from the dog man! This one-sided love is not something Dalma likes dealing with on a daily basis. Don't get him wrong, he thinks she's cute, but she is waaayy too clingy for his taste (now he knows how Cruella feels). Whenever she gets lovey dovey or is simply nearby, he often runs away from her. While he does start to reciprocate after getting to know her, that happens much later. For now at least, the poor doggo has to deal with a hyena madly in love with him.

Ms. Hades: How many party poopers are there?! Ms. Hades is a stern, mother-like figure, and perhaps, a figure that he really needs. Someone other than Apple needs to stop him and Jack from goofing around so much. He does respect her, at least more than Apple. Despite her intimidating nature, she is kind and likes to guide others on the right path. She's...actually comforting to talk to. Even though she's a bit rough around the edges, she's pretty approachable.

Lady Hock (Hook): Yeeesss! Our pirate gal! Dalma dreams of the day that he can ride aboard the ship with the wind in his ears, the glorious adventures across the seven seas, and tasty snacks the big burly men are bound to drop under the table. He likes Lady Hock, she's really cool, but that won't stop him from stealing her hook and treasure every now and then. But it's fine, she can get back at him by stealing the bones he buries in the ground. Now they're even.

Veil: Ugghh! His poor sensitive ears! He doesn't really like Veil for two main reasons: 1) Her singing and her constantly ringing her bell is very annoying and it hurts most of the time. Even when he's human, he can hear better than rest of them. He does enjoy her singing sometimes, especially when she sings lullabies, they can put him to sleep in seconds. But. She sings. Constantly. So suffice to say that she can get irritating. And someone PLEASE get rid of that fricking bell! 2) Her rivalry with Jack makes him dislike her. He's gotta support his friend! He won't let Veil take his buddies spot as the most adored character in the show if he has anything to say about it.

Faja (Farja): Oh. Oh dear. The squaking. Dear lord, the squaking. Her nagging. Her speaking is so grating, he can't take it. For real though, he loves pranking Faja, her reactions, despite being loud, are always entertaining. Plus, her trying to show off her magic never gets old to him. It always brings a smile to his face to watch her fail miserably. That being said, they do get along far better than she and Malfie do. But he can't help it if she causes him to cover her ears most of the time.

Overall: Mr. Dalmatia becomes more loyal to the gang as the years go on. They become a part of his family, maybe even more so than Cruella. We can only hope that one day he, along with the others, finds his way, and finds out the truth about himself and his family.

Once again, I fail to commit to a deadline I set for myself 😞. Something came up family wise, so that needed to be taken care of. So I couldn't finish this on time. Sorry guys!

Anyway! Whoop! That's all the male recruiters, now on to the ladies! Let me know which lady recruiter you want me to talk about first.

With that being said, I hope you enjoyed this return to the series. I'll see you guys soon! Byeee! 💗

[latinfaegott]

So in defense of Cruella (2021) with some light spoilers.

- Yea her mom did get pushed off a cliff by Dalmatians. It wasn’t the dogs actively doing it, the antagonist trained her dogs to be that vicious whenever she demands it via dog whistle (that she wears as an accessory...if that tells you something about the Antogonists’ character). So the Doggos are innocent, but their owner isn’t.

-No she does not Murder Them, there are standards. Disney still loves Killing moms tho.

-The twink actually is not a blink and you miss, but one of Cruella’s friends that she makes and does have a hand in her schemes. Plus he is in the major scenes and his fashion sense is blatantly gay. If any homophobic country wants to censor it, they will have ended up covering up major plot points of the movie. Or they’ll have to find away to erase him completely. It’s not ideal, but it’s a hell a lot better than La Fou or Cyclops lesbian. Plus he’s actually a really fun character and he reminds me of that phase a lot of QT folks go through where we dress as blatantly Queer as possible to terrorize the cishets. So Disney did technically delivered us a Gay, but we should still ask for more and better LGBTQ+ characters! This is a step in the right direction and we should give Disney 1 crumb of recognition, imo.

-The way music and fashion was used to elevate the story so beautifully really does help viewers entranced! Plus, like every movie should, they also give more insight to the Characterization of cast. The Grungy/Punk aesthetic, and the Playful yet Bold nature of Cruella’s costumes versus the Baroness’ Sharp and Grande Silhouette and the materials used in her Costuming breathes so much life into the characters! The music dictated the overall tone and emotional beat of the movie so well! It’s one of Disney’s more masterful uses of Sound and Costume design in a live action movie!

-Cruella is basically a Dragsona. Not exactly a whole entity/personality herself. It’s more in line of how a Drag Performer would think of their Personas. An example being my Reyna Terror Dragsona is a total Gothic Dominatrix Grunge Queen with a biting wit vs me and my personality in Boy Mode who has trouble asking for a straw in restaurants to prevent ice coming in contact with my sensitive teeth.

-It’s a prequel/Solo movie. Exactly in the same type of prequel ballpark as Maleficent. It is more of an AU/ Parallel Universe/ Separate Canon that can serve as a prequel to another Cruella Movie if Disney wanted to do it or as a prequel to another live action 101 Dalmatian movie...if Disney wanted to do it in this universe. However, it’s seems like it would be highly unlikely.

- MOST of the “Cruella Bad” takes seem to be done by people who have never seen the movie and are either going off by just reading the synopsis or the Tumblr Discourse. So I mean...people with brain rot dictating “critique” with cold takes per usual. Watch the movie in an accesible way (P*R*T* it) and really let yourself be immersed in it. Plus the lack of handholding through the plot or usual pointless “Meta Commentary” Disney Live Action movies tend to have now is refreshing.

-Y’all need to like....have fun. I mean sure Disney produces shitty things, but at the same time....Disney didn’t really add the type of depth y’all kept claiming it was gonna do. There wasn’t even a real Girl Boss Gate Keep moment for Cruella. This was a fun romp!

-If you hate this movie, you just have worms for brains and are a homophobe in the same branch as Terfs/Swerfs/ and “No Kink at Pride!” Folks. *Sorry don’t make the rules 💋

*Added in the kiss emoji to make sure people understand that last point was a joke and not a critique of the critique.

[pyreo]

There is one scene that I think is more memorable than any other scene I’ve read in a novel. It’s from 101 Dalmatians and even though I haven’t read it in probably 15 years it pops up in my memory occasionally. It wasn’t in the Disney version, understandably because it’s not very high stakes. 

Pongo and Missus have to travel partway across the country on foot to save their puppies and rely entirely on the hospitality of other dogs to keep them fed, give them a safe warm place to sleep, and relay news on the way. They stop by a large country house owned by an old spaniel and elderly man, and they hide behind the man’s tall chair on the hearth as he toasts bread in the fire and butters it for the spaniel. Whenever he’s not looking the spaniel tosses the toast to them. 

And because the elderly man falls asleep at the fire they decide to warm themselves for a bit, and they wake up to the man calling Pongo’s name. He eagerly greets them and seems to know who the dogs are, but it turns out (as his sight isn’t very good) he thinks they’re ghosts of his family’s dogs, and he can see them now because his long life must be nearly over. He knows Pongo’s name because it’s a classic name given to dalmatians who used to run alongside horse-drawn carriages with their family. So the man is delighted to see the dogs he believes he knew as a young boy, and goes back to sleep, and the spaniel helps them sneak back out while thanking them for giving his master a reminder of a lovely memory. 

It’s both informative about the history of the breed, and exceptionally heartwarming. It reminds me that you can pepper your story with deeply serious, moving moments if you feel like it.