#the animatic to blue sky was another thing that made me want to be an artist

[spookybeandoodle]

Blue Skies~!

Recently replayed the portal series after years of not playing it and now I’m sucked back in to my obsession of this series. It’s sooooo gooooood! So I did a doodle to celebrate me getting back intoy obsession with Portal! There’s a bit of a reference to a certain *cough cough* popular fanfic-

[novisius]

Thunder Bringer

Starting in the middle I guess, I have also been actively listening to it and thinking on the animatic, so that's another reason. I also have to apologize, my brain moves fast and each time I hear it, it mutates a bit, so some of the things I describe may not be possible given the implied timeframe.

[Beginning music] Everyone is looking to the sky, clearly scared, and expecting something. Possibly some shots of the ship moving away from an island. The crew are thin, they have been starving for some time.

[Once the electronic music begins blasting] The blast is proceeded by a wave of water and a wave of clouds. This music is not just blasting for the listener.

[During the blasting electronic music] Zeus comes out of the clouds, his black hair and robes being made of the clouds as he descends enough to be seen. He smiles at them, knowingly. My version of Zeus has claws, pointed ears, black sclera, grey/white/yellow eyes (depending on mood and lightning useage) but are undeniably and eagle's, his is thin yet very clearly muscled. Now, to explain why his hair is black, from what I remember of a mythology class, that was like, the color his hair was, and he looked like thirty bc that was old for the time. So I'm good with that, and it also makes his hair similar to 'storm storm' clouds, as they remain like clouds even when he eventually removes himself from them. His hair generally covers his back, which there is a reason for this later. His robes are black with the blocky sorta swirl decal on the edges, though the swirls are sky blue and in-between two lines of gold. Again, 'storm storm' clouds, clear skies, and lightning for the color scheme of the clothes. I will be the first to admit that @Duvetbox has absolutely influenced what I see when I think of Zeus. Its a good look, it does things I want to put on other gods, yeah. Beyond what has been mentioned, I don't have a strong opinion on appearance.

Pride is a damsel in distress Grabs a female shaped could out of the storm clouds around him. My thoughts are that Athena and Penelope have a similar body shape 'in this animatic continuity'. Reason being is simply bc I want the cloud here to have a lot of threatening double meanings based on the line and 'who' it is at the moment. Anyways, beyond being grabbed and being brought close to him, I don't have any specifics here. Hiding away where only I can undress her Zaps a shoulder and the 'cloud's clothes' fall away like it was cut...Penelope mode. Also, to be clear, no nudity, simply an implication. Try all she can not to confess Inanimate object resists god. In the end, it's all the same once I apply all the pressure Resistance failed, pulled back. Zeus is eyeing Odysseus.

Thunder, bring her through the wringer Begins dancing with the cloud in the air, even doing a lil twirl. Show her I'm the judgment call Zeus is getting frisky with the cloud, a hand brought up to the cloud's...face area. The one who makes her kingdom fall Once he says 'fall' he grabs the cloud's throat. At this point I believe it is shifting to Athena mode. Lightning, wield her, use and yield her Holding the cloud out to the side, he begins blasting it with lightning. The cloud is colored lightning yellow and seems to be in pain, darkening from the grey/white it was a moment ago. Show her what she can't conceal The crew is collectively shitting themselves at whatever they are watching. For true nature will be revealed The cloud dissipates, throat crushed and electrocuted, back to the other clouds in the background of the scene.

Tell me, Odysseus, If I were to make you choose Zeus sits down in a throne of cloud, though due to perspective, he is massive, his foot next to the ship and about as large. He looks somewhat like a bored monarch on a throne. The lives of your men and crew or your own No strong opinions. Why do I think they'd lose? If we see Zeus, he smiles. Enlighten me, King of Ithaca No strong opinions. Since hunger was far too great No strong opinions. I wonder who'd take the weight of the damned Barometric pressure on the crew go brr. They are all brought to their knees, including Odysseus. And suffer a gruesome fate to the Zeus is suddenly on the ship, fun-sized human-sized, walking through the crew, to Odysseus.

Thunder bringer, here to ring your Continues walking, smiling whenever we see his face. Ears until you're deaf with fear Continues walking, but looks to the right with his eye. And spear you while your death is near Spears Eurylochus' shoulder with some lightning from an open hand, then he turns his hand to a 'no no' or 'tsk tsk' fingerwag as Eurylochus falls to the ground. My brain says that happens, the wag, to the beat of 'your death is near'. Lightning wielder, here to yield your The rest of the crew has begun to stand up. Time, for you have passed your prime He grabs Odysseus by the hair or throat and lifts him into the air. Sublime you for your act of crime His feet divorced from the ground just enough so that when Zeus puts him back down, he can stand.

Choose. Zeus looks more cordial than threatening, having released Odysseus unharmed.

Choose? Odysseus is obviously confused.

Someone's gotta die today Zeus dusts of Odysseus' shoulder. And you have got the final say No strong opinions. You? Zeus gestures to Odysseus. Or your crew? Zeus gestures to the crew.

Please don't make me do this Odysseus is falling to his knees, beginning to cry as he grabs Zeus' robes begging. Don't make me do this Zeus for his part, doesn't do anything or react.

When does a comet become a meteor? Crew shots, the ones who weren't standing are getting up or already standing. When does a candle become a blaze? (I can take the suffering from you) A yellow Penelope appears behind Odysseus, smoothly going down to the same level as Odysseus initially hugging him from behind and moving to be before him. Throughout her singing parts, she is comforting Odysseus. He is, for a lack of better words, melting into the embrace. He hasn't seen her in years and...he has been worn down, he is exhausted, and he is ready to stop this journey. She is kneeling with him, holding him, though we never truly see her face. When does a man become a monster? Most of the men are fearful. When does a ripple become a tidal wave? Some of the men look to the side, thinking of bolting. When does the reason become the blame? (Let me take the suffering from) Some of the men draw their weapons. When does a man become a monster? No strong opinions beyond crew shots assuming that time allows.

[The thunder after Penelope finishes singing.] Penelope for like, a frame, is replaced by lightning. Odysseus has his eyes wide open, realization and despair written on his face. Near this time was another thunder sound, that is when Zeus appears behind Odysseus, impassive, watching him, hands behind his back, patiently waiting for Odysseus' decision.

Captain? Eurylochus steps forward before the rest of the crew, asking the question as he holds his wounded shoulder.

I have to see her Odysseus can't look at Eurylochus or the crew.

But we'll die Eurylochus says with a hopeful smile.

I know Odysseus looks at Eurylochus, pained, devastated even. Killing his friends to see his wife again does hurt him, but he also knows that there wasn't a choice here. In his head, Zeus just came down here and told him 'I'm going to make you tell me to kill your crew'.

Thunder, bring her through the wringer Zeus smiles as his cloudy hair stops being so poofy and 'long' (short hair Zeus) as the portion on his back forms into wings, launching him into the sky. Throughout the rest of this song's lyrics, some of the crew runs even jumping off the ship in desperate, while others charge at Odysseus with weapons desperately trying to kill him, sparks and lightning deflecting their weapons. Odysseus is not emotionally okay while this is happening. Eurylochus, for his part, is not doing anything. He knows that he is not making it home, he is tired, and he knows that nothing he does will matter here. To a degree, he welcomes the end of the journey. Show her I'm the judgment call The one who makes her kingdom fall Lightning, wield her, use and yield her Show her what she can't conceal For true nature will be revealed

[Final Lighting] Zeus flicks his finger downward. Obliterating this ship and her crew is effortless, unlike the other Zeus' that build up these grand attacks, this one just does a simple motion. The musical build-up being used more for the crew and their desperation.

[The end bit] The ship gets more or less vaporized, only Odysseus and the immediate area around him are unharmed. The first place struck is Eurylochus who stands near the center of the deck. Those who jumped overboard are electrocuted. It ends as Odysseus closes his eyes in acceptance.

[oh-snapperss]

Ship Fic Masterpost

Hi!! Below are all the fics I've written that contain shipping, along with links to any fanart made for them. (if i'm missing art i am so sorry, i'm trying to keep it updated so feel free to tell me if your art is missing KSDJHFSKHJFD)

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And it's not tonight where I'm set alight (it's not tonight you hold me tight) - Life Series

this is a cowritten fic between myself and @hitheeprithee!)

Pairing: Ren/Etho

Words: 51,048

Status: Complete!

Summary: Five times Ren wants to love his loyal knight, Etho, and be less than a king, and the one time he gets to.

or, Ren is the king, Etho his second in command. It's part of Etho's duty to remove the king's armor after battle--but sometimes, it's the other way around.

Fanart:

So Close to that Happy Ending by @/zeroideaman

Heavy in Your Arms by @/coppercrafter

Knight Etho Design by @/stitchthesewords

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now you'll live through the ages - Hermitcraft

Pairing: Etho/Ren

Words: 1,178

Summary: The sky thundered despite the clear as day sky, and Ren had shared a look with the ground before opening his mouth, undoubtedly to beg Etho to take his rash statement back.

He had not taken it back, it was a miracle, a gift! Finally, at last, the gods were worth something to Etho.

Ren had fallen in battle less than a year later. He’d held Etho’s hand that night, and cried. That was the first time Etho felt the prickle of regret spark in his chest.

or, a series of three letters spanning hundreds of years as an exploration of what mortality means, written by immortal etho to his long-lost mortal lover.

(Note: This fic is a project from college I did as my creative final in mythology, hence the amount of Norse culture and different vibes)

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all the stars/to build a home - Hermitcraft/Life Series

Pairing: Etho/Cleo

Words: 5,245

Status: Complete!

Summary: “Being in it all… it was out of control, we all were. It was like… if we looked in a mirror, it wouldn’t be ourselves looking back at us. All those actions, things, the way we looked, nothing felt right.”

“I get that,” Cleo said simply. Etho hummed – it made sense, with the dysphoria she’d talked about before. He’d never really considered the zombie apocalypse in that light, but-

“But that’s where–I don’t think–” Etho started, then stopped again. That’s not where-

“Hmm?” Cleo prompted him anyway.

“That’s the part that felt easy to deal with. Or familiar.”

(or, ethoslab realizes she's trans, and the meaning of home)

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Can You See Me (or Should I Keep Waiting?) - Hermitcraft/Life Series

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 11,091

Status: Complete!

Summary: Stranded in space, Etho records logs daily to pass the time, and transmits them out to space without a recipient in mind. Unbeknownst to him, the logs are intercepted by the ship Bdubs is on.

or,

a study in grief and what the universe can be to an individual.

please read the tags on this fic before reading!

Fanart:

Bdubs receives the first log by @/echoing-blues

Memories of happier times by @/echoing-blues

Impracticality by @/echoing-blues

715 by @/nuggiesshipbroombroom

Suffocate Animatic by @/bdoub-leo

And it was your heart on the line by @/setacin

alone at the edge of the universe by @/setacin

a cross-stitch by @/stitchthesewords

I will tell the player a story (but not the truth) by @/bdoub-leo

I'll be Back by @/varteeny1234

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ripped at every edge, but you're a masterpiece - Life Series, Hermitcraft

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 21, 109

Status: Complete!

Summary: “Etho....?”

He doesn't even know who said it.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

(Somewhere in another game, Tango tells Bdubs: He's a survivor, man, that's what he does.)

Etho swings.

--

Etho kills Skizzleman for time, and is struck by lightning. Upon returning to Hermitcraft, the damage follows.

or, an exploration of shame, grief, anxiety, and the idea of selflessness, along with healing.

Fanart:

I forgave you, a long time ago by @/offixmax

He's a survivor, man by @/makesnodamnsense-compelsmethough

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Watercolour Blues - Last Life/Hermitcraft

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 5743

Status: Complete!

Summary: “Oh, you’re such a fragile flower,” Etho mocks, but Bdubs doesn’t miss the way his eyes scrunch up or the underlying fondness in his tone.

“Shut up!” He’s quick to defend himself anyway. Years of avoiding any serious talk between the two have resulted in constant banter and rare genuinity, so Bdubs is typically quick to defend himself on any insinuations of vulnerability.

And yet… there’s still the occasional drop of persona and walls. Late nights, early mornings, and when they truly needed each other–those were the moments Bdubs treasured. So why was it so hard to let himself be that way with Etho any other time?

Fanart:

The Vase by @/setacin

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in the hues of sunset - Empires SMP/Hermitcraft

Pairing: Jimmy/Tango

Words: 2307

Status: Complete!

Summary: The rancher reunion, and snippets of their dynamic told through flower giving.

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I love you, I made you tea and Promise I held, Just out of Reach - Hermitcraft/Life Series

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 1,093 and 3788

Status: Complete

Summary: Stargazing, a quiet night on Hermitcraft

Summary for the second hot tea fic: Something's changed between them. But it's just one day. 24 hours. Surely, Bdubs can handle that?

Note: a huge shoutout to @/tunastime for cowriting the second fic in this series with me and for bringing my hot tea fic into the same universe as theirs<3

Fanart:

Art by @/Shepscapades

Cross-stitch by @/stitchthesewords

the tea is bitter by @/team-clockers (second fic art)

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Sweater Weather - Hermitcraft

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 1238

Status: Complete

Summary: ice skating fluff!!

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fruity/delight fic request! - Hermitcraft

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 634

Status: Complete

Summary: Etho lets Bdubs take his mask off

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higher than my rain clouds (high up) - Hermitcraft/Life Series

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 3013

Status: Complete

Summary: an exploration of learning to forgive yourself and learning to let others love you

Fanart:

it's the end of the world by @/briseise

nightmare by @/pebbltree

there's monsters in my dreams by bdoub-leo

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let the years be kind - Hermitcraft

Pairing: Ren/Etho/Bdubs

Words: 2636

Status: Complete

Summary: They’ve got twelve hours left on the server, and Ren can feel the server settling into itself, becoming its final version of itself–turning into a picture rather than home. The stairs sigh when Ren ascends them to the kitchen, the wood full of the happy memories he’d built here just over a year ago with Etho and Bdubs.

or; the monolith boys say goodnight to season nine.

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canvas - Hermitcraft

Pairing: Ren/Etho/Bdubs

Words: 1988

Status: Complete

Summary: A college au in which Bdubs is a painter, Etho is a compsci major, and Ren is studying business and theatre! Ren and Etho pose for Bdubs' paintings, but there's something more growing between them.

This is a oneshot set towards the beginning of the au.

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Laika - Hermitcraft

Pairing: Ren/Etho/Bdubs

Words: 7082

Status: Ongoing

Summary: The streets of the lower levels of Heremita are never dark. But they sure are damp, and glum, and everything the head council of Heremita loves to pretend isn’t real. The planet is layers upon layers of city, and they say the lower levels have never seen the sun. The council, of course, refutes this claim with the argument that the lower levels are uninhabited save for the rodents and wild dogs, and that the sun can penetrate even the deepest points of Heremita. “Sine sole vivere est omnino numquam vivere!” They laugh, then move on with the next order of business. They’ve got far more pressing matters than the nothing that lives down there these days. They’re wrong, of course. There’s plenty living down there on the streets.

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tangled webs/intertwined lies - Hermitcraft

note: this is a cowrite by @/mochiwrites and myself with a twist! we were not able to see what the other was writing until the end of the fic. we did not communicate during writing. it was very silly.

Pairing: Grian/Scar, Etho/Bdubs, god knows what they all four had going on in this one we sure don't

Words: 5316

Status: Complete

Summary: The moment Scar and Bdubs have stood from the table and gone out the door, Grian turns to Etho, a primal fear in his eyes.

“Dude!” He hisses, leaning towards Etho. He props his elbows on the table–to any other person in the restaurant, one might have thought they were having a pleasant, intimate conversation as most couples were wont to do on late night dates to the romantic restaurant.

But no. Instead of conversing softly about a bottle of wine, they were conversing about-

“What do you want me to do here, Grian?” For his part, Etho seems far too casual for the part he’s playing.

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look at the moon ask - Hermitcraft

Pairing: Etho/Bdubs

Words: 800 ish

this is just a little drabble for an ask game! set during season eight and in my son of stars au i share with pebbl.

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my champion, my god - Parkour Civilization

Pairing: Evbo/EMF (Evbo's Master Friend)

Words: 1,590

Summary:

“You trust me?” Evbo asks, his eyes full of light and laughter and everything M’s come to love in several months. He’s floating just a few inches above the void, his new netherite boots glowing faintly with the runes etched into them. Around his head, a faint, dark purple halo glows around his head, power radiating from it. It suits him in a way that M doesn’t think could ever have suited the previous parkour god, which makes him wonder if that’s some sort of heresy. Probably is. But hey, if it’s heresy to feel a certain–

--- a champion and his god, trust, and learning to create together.

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you’re still here? oh god. welcome to the worst part of my blog. the tall girl au. i’m so sorry. (note: shipping and cursed)

tall girl au 

tall girl au art by pebbl

[inkwell-attitude]

Liebster Award

The ever-wonderful @ettawritesnstudies nominated me for this! Thank you so much, it means so much to me that you would consider me for it! I always love any way to spread some positivity and encouragement through the community :D

Etta explained the award as “similar to a writeblr tag game meant to introduce you to new blogs and get to know the authors behind them!” She was the one who brought it to tumblr, since it originated in blogs/writer’s websites.

Rules: 1. Thank the blogger that nominated you 2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you 3. Nominate 11 bloggers 4. Ask your nominees 11 questions 5. Notify your 11 nominees

Questions: 1. What’s your favourite part about the writing community?

I love the support everyone always gives to everyone else! Everyone I’ve seen has given nothing but support and enthusiasm for both their writing and others writing, and it really makes me happy to see such a wonderful community. 

2. Do you prefer writing dialogue or description, and why?

I prefer description because I love the whimsy I can add to it. Being able to concoct a scene and describe things in ways other than “the sky was blue, the grass was green” is lots of fun. I’m also kind of bad at conversations irl (between my ADD and my minor stutter, I don’t tend to finish a lot of sentences lol) and I think that rolls over into my writing a little bit and makes dialogue a bit harder for me to figure out.

3. Do you have any creative hobbies outside of writing, and how did you get into them?

I am a self-proclaimed proud jack of all trades because I see a craft or activity and MUST try it out. My brain sees a tactile hobby and goes feral. I just really enjoy learning new things :D The recurring hobbies are drawing and very minor animations, but I also have been into embroidery, polymer clay, woodworking (miniatures eeeyyy) and cake decorating? 

4. When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep?

Two nights ago? I usually get 7.5-8.5 hours of sleep because I just can’t function without sleep. Idk if you can call it a good nights sleep because I tend to wake up several times during the night (how many times is too many?) but I don’t usually have trouble falling asleep.

5. Are you reading/watching/listening to anything right now that you’re excited about?

I’m watching Ann with an E with my mom right now and it’s delightful! it’s a very very lovely show and it’s made me want to re-read the book.

I’m also keeping up with the Dream SMP minecraft series, and lemme tell you I have not been this emotionally invested in a story for a LONG time. Sure, I’ve been excited about some things in the last few months, but I don’t think I’ve really been attached to a story and characters like this for a while. (Plus, every single fanart and fan animation I’ve seen has been tremendously well done and more often than not gets me emotional lmao)

6. What’s your favourite YouTube channel?

I don’t know if I have a favourite? Because I hop around between interests so often I tend to change up my subscriptions a lot, too. Currently, I really like Cheyenne Barton, Technoblade, GeminiTay, and Annika’s leaf

7. What writing advice would you give your younger self?

DO WRITING SPRINTS! This is one of my favourite things now and it’s helped break the habit of “write one sentence, edit it, write another sentence, edit it, delete the first and re-write it” habit. Plus, it’s just a really good exercise to stretch your creativity.

8. What’s your opinion on color coding?

top notch! I think sometimes it can be overdone (throwback to jr. high me color coding everything in my notes to the extent that it was detrimental to my studying) but it really helps me out with things. I color-code vocab words and important persons in my class notes now :D

9. Is there a specific theme or aesthetic that underlies all your stories?

If there is, I haven’t seen it. I think it’s funny that Odds & Ends and The Paths That Bind are actually kind of similar (so far) except one is lighthearted feel-good comedy, and one is corruption and angst and trauma :’) Maybe there will be similar themes, but they’re both in the beginning stages so it hasn’t shown up yet.

10. How many WIPs do you have?

I actually only have two WIPs! I have a few other concepts I’d like to explore in the future, but they’re currently sitting as one-sentence explanations in my notes folder and will probably stay that way until I figure out a more solid plan for Odds & Ends and The Paths That Bind. My irl schedule is very hectic and I’m an inherently tired person, so I’m trying to be more intentional with creative projects and realistic on which ones I want to be able to dedicate my time to.

11. What’s your wildest dream as a creator? (For example, do you want to see fanart of your ocs, have a movie made of your book, etc.)

I adore the idea of someone making an animatic or one of those lyric comic things (idk what they’re called) for The Paths That Bind. So much of it is inspired by music and I’d love to see other people’s takes on the history and events of the story and which songs they would associate with it.

Questions for my wonderful nominees!

1. What’s the earliest story you remember writing? How old were you? 2. Are any of your characters “comfort characters” for yourself? 3. What’s your go-to snack? 4. How do you visualize your wips? Movie-format? Animatic? Comic? 5. What’s your favorite part of each season? 6. Would you rather one (or all) of your wips be made into a movie/tv show or a graphic novel series? 7. Is there a particular form of imagery or symbolism that recurs a lot in your stories? 8. What’s a book (or book series) that you absolutely adore and wish everyone would read? 9. Tell us about your favorite video game and why you love it! (If you don’t game, tell us about another hobby you adore!) 10. What’s the last dream you remember having? 11. How has your writing changed from when you first started? (We all get better, but have you noticed any distinct changes? More/less dialogue, different kind of descriptions, different narrative styles?)

Here are 11 wonderful, talented writers I’ve met here, and everyone should absolutely check out their blogs!

@aelenko 

@uraniumwriting

@hueynomure

@writingamongthecoloredroses

@musings-and-writings

@stardustspiral

@druidx73

@eurydice-is-gone 

@atomic-insomnia 

@chloeswords 

@hannahs-creations

[let-me-make-you-proud]

Tangled: The Series Q&A with Kait.

This is a recapitulation from today’s (September 14, 2019) Questions and Answers session with Kait on the Tangled Discord Server.

Q: Which Disney princesses outside of Tangled the series can you see Varian being friends with? Nonfranchise ones included.

A: I think Belle is the first one who comes to mind!! She’s super studious and goes against the grain…not to mention her father is an inventor who’s a little off-base! 🙂 I think he’d be super comfortable experimenting with Belle and her dad and reading awesome stories! (Maybe even sharing the Tales of Flynn Rider with her! …Assuming she hasn’t read it! Haha. ) He could also eat ham sandwiches with Anna. Sorry. Second thought. Lol!!

Q: So Kait, as a storyboard artist on the show what kind of little details, quirks or creative touches did you or any other artists put into Varian scenes you or others storyboarded?

A: Ha!! Any acting scene with Varian I had…I pretty much based off of Anna Lencioni (my best friend/ another board artist on the show.) Anna makes these very specific expressions and she gestures to herself a lot and closes her eyes and creases her brows and says things like “A-huh! Actually…” or “Um!!” Before making a point and it’s always reminded me of him.

She kept a “flynnolium” prop from Halloween with green goo in a vial in her cubicle at work so long it grew mold. She said she was studying it. She found scrap metal in her boot one day. She has a basement lab for her experiments and crafts. She befriended two raccoons at her last apartment. She is the most accident-prone person with freckles I’ve ever met…she’s pretty much him.

Jeremy Jordan’s reads give you so much to work with…and I love that character so much I feel a natural sort of understanding of how he might say something or do something…but Anna would always do these specifically Anna things that I had to use for Varian.

Q: Do you have any specific advice for aspiring storyboard artists or people who aspire to work in animation?

A: Gestural drawings help you learn to draw fast…which is a very important part of storyboarding. I would say storyboarding‘ s biggest requirements are clarity and speed. Lots of productions have different requirements in terms of what they look for from story artists. Tangled‘s leadership cared a lot about drawing skill, animation, layout, etc. because it more strongly informed the animation studio to have those things. The show I’m working on now (Monsters at Work) is a 3D show…so for our production, the emphasis is more on story and speed. We pitch ideas more than we pitch drawings…so clarity is important and acting is too, but we’re far less precious about tying down drawings and animating since we shift into the 3D production pipeline after story. The boards are still very important…but the more technical aspects are a *little* less so. The focus is just more on story and character and what the board artists can bring to their scenes.

So I’d say just practice drawing…maybe try and give someone a prompt or ask a friend for one. Choose a theme! Maybe vampires? What’s the worst thing that could happen to a vampire? What’s the best thing? What’s the funniest thing? What if they were also an alien? Or fused with a werewolf? Or chained to one? What would happen? Giving yourself a starting point for an idea will inspire you to explore all the possibilities for humor, drama, etc. in that idea. If you’re struggling to give yourself a prompt, try looking online…or maybe choosing a song you like or a passage from a book for inspiration.

There’s also this really fun thing you can do to study cinematography and shot composition called a “three tone” exercise. Basically…put on your favorite (live action) film, grab a sketchbook, grab a black and grey marker, and use the white of the page for your third tone. What you wanna do is (as you’re watching or while pausing) sketch a small thumbnail using only three grey tones of what you see on the screen. Draw the shot- where the characters are, try and duplicate the lighting…it teaches you a lot! 🙂 (Phew!)

Q: Do you have any fun non-spoiler head canons about Varian?

A: I think his favorite dessert is apple pie and I think he bakes recreationally very often! He’s probably a good cook. (Though he may have one or two minor accidents……a burnt thing here and there. Minor oil splatters….haha!!)

Q: What’ve been your favorite episodes, both to storyboard and in general? Of course, no specifics if it’s S3

A: Haha! Well…What The Hair and Queen for A Day have special places in my heart because they were such big moments for my favorite character…(Varian, haha.) But I’d say the episodes I had the most fun boarding are all in season 3!!! Which is exciting! I have to start compiling some work to post! 🙂 I think the episode I had the most fun with is one you guys will really enjoy.

Q: Will we get some interesting surprises (In Season 3)?

A: Without any spoilers- absolutely!! The show is always full of those.

Q: So We’ve heard many fans express why they love Varian as a charcter before, I’d love to know what drew you and Anna to Varian as well and why you guys personally found him to be a great character.

A: When Shane Prigmore originally pitched the character to me, he was much younger. He was like 11 or so, I think? Maybe 12? He’s still pretty young…but what Shane said was that he wanted him to go from this wide-eyed kid to this dark, angry person whose bangs fell over those wide, bright eyes…just full of rage. That idea was super interesting to me…it just hit on something in character development that I felt like I’d never exactly seen before? He was so young and it was such an interesting idea to me to make a child the villain and to give that child a strong reason to be angry? It felt like it was taking this child very seriously, which I appreciate. It felt very real and very dark.

The thing that threw me through a loop but also evolved my fascination with the character was Jeremy Jordan’s casting. I listened to a lot of the auditions they had for various actors and I had seen a ton of Shane’s concept art of the character…a lot of them were VERY different than what we have now. One version Ricky Roxburgh (writer) contributed to had Varian cast as an adult in the story. But when I heard Jeremy I felt like I totally understood who Varian really was.

He was a well-intentioned disaster with unchecked emotions. That. Is me! Haha!! I see myself in his imperfections, his emotionality in spite of his creative and often intellectual thinking. He wants to ascend to these levels he may not be ready to ascend to…he feels this need to prove himself and seek validation. I don’t know, I guess I relate to that! And I’m just a sucker for good guys gone bad. The other half of this, of course, is that he’s very charming and cute and super reminds me of my best friend, Anna Lencioni.

Q: Which character do you most like seeing interacting with Varian?

A: It’s a little spoilery for me to reveal that……..but I think you guys are gonna know when it happens! Haha!

I can’t wait to post THOSE boards

That’s actually right out of the episode I think I liked boarding the most, haha.

Q: If there was one prop (furniture, object, the like) from the Tangled series that could be made real and you could keep, what would it be..?

A: I think it’d have to be those little alchemy orbs that Varian throws? They just suddenly clean the whole castle hallway somehow and like…could use me some of that. He also has the one that removes stains from tablecloths, so. I’m sloppy. That’d be a big help. Haha!

Also his staff is pretty cool 😉, I boarded/created that staff…David Lee (prop designer) did its final design…haha

Q: I have a question about a scene in season 1. When Varian got back the first part of the scroll he mentioned that it took him a while to translate it. Has he really been able to read it or has it been a bluff?

A: Varian can indeed translate what’s on the scroll. 😉

Q: Do you have any networking advice for those trying to get into the animation industry?

A: Post your work!! Make it easily accessible, tag it well, just show what you’ve got online! Upload boards, animatics, drawings, etc. Creating an online presence can really help put your name out there. Apply for internships, jobs. I know it’s hard to network because a lot of industry professionals don’t have time to answer specific questions or give portfolio reviews…so it’s sort of important to take some initiative on that and be self-motivated.

For me, I studied the portfolios of Disney feature story artists, CalArts students, etc. and tried to structure the presentation of my work based on that. Also, it helped me get a sense of what pieces of work would best showcase where I was trying to go and what I was trying to do. I’d ask yourself those questions as you develop a portfolio and artistic voice online! 🙂

My first feature job after a trainee program in New York at Blue Sky happened because Doug Sweetland (Pixar animator, feature director, awesome dude) found my work online and liked it. He just reached out based on that!

Shane Prigmore actually reached out to me for Tangled similarly.

Q: Besides Varian, do you have a favorite character that you’ve boarded?

A: I always love Eugene. He’s the second character I think I’m most like. His acting was really fun to play with and I felt like I could push his expressions a lot because he’s so funny. I loved boarding Lance too (I boarded a lot of Lance in S3!!) but MAN was he hard to draw, haha! His face shape is just really hard to draw at certain angles.

Q: With Varian cosplay that is going on, what Disney character would you like to see Varian dress up as next?

A: Jack Skellington! Halloween is afoot. Jack is another well-intentioned disaster. Guess I have a type!

Q: What’s Varian’s opinion on raccoons, are they his favourite animal?

A: I imagine it’s because Ruddiger is always finding interesting things in the trash and giving them to Varian to use in his experiments. Also, they’re fat and cute.

Q: There’s a bit of an argument going on over how many freckles Varian has. Can you confirm how many he has?

A: Ha!!! Yes…one second… 14!!

Q: How big do you think Corona is? Like Vatican City small or Arendelle big?

A: You know, with the wall and all, it actually feels a little on the smaller side to me? I’m sure there’s a little bit of discrepancy between the movie’s version of Corona and our version…but based on where we went within Corona on the show, I’d say it feels on the smaller side.

Q: Are there any non-spoiler Varian scenes or moments that didn’t make the cut that you can share?

A: MAN. Yes. There is one scene that changed after I rolled off the episode and I’m very sad about it. I’ll post it after the episode airs! There was also a line of Varian’s that I boarded to a specific read from Jeremy Jordan and that read was not chosen in editorial later so…I’ll post that one too, haha!

Q: What is your favourite song from the first two seasons so far?

A: All my favorite songs are in season threeeeee…hahahaha!! I think Let Me Make You Proud or the Buddy Song are my favorites. Buddy Song still gets stuck in my head now and then.

Q: What do you think Varian would order at a drive-thru? Specifically at chipotle 😂

A: Chipotle isn’t a drive thru!! Hahaha He’d get the kid’s quesadilla from chipotle. I think Varian is a fries/chips kind of person…something to snack on while he works! He probably also likes milkshakes.

Q: (Continuation from the question above) Chocolate or vanilla?

A: He’d revolutionize by combining them both. FOR SCIENCE!

Q: What is, in your opinion, the most challenging part of varian’s design to draw?

A: His goggles, hahaha. Or just his…hair in general.

Well it’s funny too because when you board these guys, you get used to doing a shorthand for them and then when you go to draw them FOR REAL you realize how complicated that actually is and how wrong your shorthand actually was? Hahahaha

Q: is Varian ticklish at all?

A: I feel like Varian, Eugene, and Lance are all equally ticklish. To the point of absurdity. Cass would fight it as long as she could…but when it finally got to her, she’d laugh uncontrollably. Rapunzel, she’s the TICKLER.

Q: What do you think Varian opinion and belief on magic is now that he’s seen it with his own eyes?

A: I imagine that he certainly believes in it now and no longer underestimates its powers…but I imagine he’s ultimately more comfortable staying in his own lane and working with worldly properties!

Q: If Varian would have been able to meet Demanitus…how would their conversation had looked like?

A: I feel like Varian would have had a TON of questions about his legendary device and whether or not he truly traveled dimensions.

Q: Did Varian have any other friends in old Corona before he met rapunzel?

A: Probably not many…he’s a bit of a hermit. I think Ruddiger is his best friend……. It’s sad but I also think that’s kind of why it hurt so bad when Rapunzel wasn’t able to help him. Also why he was SO excited to have Rapunzel, Cass, and Eugene come visit.

I think the village looked at Varian as a little unstable or worrisome. I’m sure everyone knew he was very nice…but they were likely very unnerved by his inventions.

Q: Do you think Varian ever tried to synthesise gold or the elixir of life like a real alchemist?

A: I’ve wondered that myself!! I think his alchemy has proven to be more about other people…helping others, making people proud. Maybe if someone he cared about was in need.

Q: If you were to meet Varian in real life, what would you say to him?

A: What elixir did you make to get THAT kind of volume? His hair’s so POOFY! Honestly, I’d probably just give him a hug.

Q: How much does Varian know or remember about his mom?

A: I’d say about as much as the photo of her on the wall.

Q: Is there spoiler about his hair streak? Or is it just by design?

A: It’s totally by design. I think it’s safe to assume it’s probably the result of some lab accident!

Q: In what ways is Jeremy Jordan like Varian?

A: I don’t know Jeremy Jordan personally, haha! But I think a lot of these inflections he adds to Varian sort of off the cuff probably come very naturally to him. I know he often wants to do his own pass at the musical arrangement Alan Menken writes…like he’ll want to do something a little different, in his own way, and it will change the song completely!! In an awesome way. That’s a little Varian-esque. In the “Let Me Make You Proud” reprise…Alan Menken had sung that “they are going to pay…they…will…pay” all in a low, downward tone. Jeremy wanted to scream it and make it powerful and angry and loud when he said “PAY” and you could just hear the spite in his voice for the “they will pay.” Genius!

Q: What was the most shocking moment/revelation of the series to you (minus anything season 3)?

A: It’s hard to say because I knew most of what was going to happen long, long ago. I think one of the things that made me go “oh dang!” was something Tom Canfield boarded. It’s that part in Destinies Collide where Lance slices the entire statue down the middle with a sword. What a BAMF!

Q: What were your thoughts on the early concept of Varian having an apple orchard and being a farm kid instead of a young alchemist?

A: He still kinda has those things! Quirin is a farmer as well as the village leader and there are apples on their little farm estate! 🙂 I think that makes Varian very unassuming as a mad little scientist. I’m sure that’s how (Ruddiger and Varian) met! Remember, he used his purple tacky goo stuff to catch raccoons so they wouldn’t eat the crops! And Ruddiger’s favorite snack is apples. 😉

Q: What is his official height and weight?

A: Smol.

Q: How did you guys come up with Varian’s name? And was there any other name suggestions for him before the name ‘Varian’ was chosen?

A: I’m not sure who came up with that name, actually! I’m sure it has something to do with the meaning of the word “variant” which means something that varies, changes in form.

Q: What’s his last name?

A: His last name!! I have NO idea and it bothers me!!! A Disney magazine referred to Varian, Ruddiger, and Quirin as “The Ruddiger Family” and I still haven’t stopped laughing about that.

Q: What sad Disney movie moments would make him cry?

A: Oof. Lion King.

Q: What musicals do think Varian would enjoy?

A: Little Shop of Horrors! I think he’d see himself in Seymour! Or Wicked…you know, that villain arc.

Q: How did Arianna and Fred meet?

A: I actually don’t know off the top of my head!

Q: Would Varian enjoy rollercoasters?

A: I think he’d enjoy how they’re MADE and then scream his head off while riding one, throw up his cotton candy and corndog, and go play carnival games instead. Then get mad that they’re rigged.

Q: So what comes next for you now that the series is almost over? Any big plans?

A: Well the series wrapped for production a while ago! I’ve been on another show for almost a year now! 🙂 I’m working on the new Disney+ show Monsters at Work as a director! It’s an awesome, awesome show…totally next-level…I’m shocked that I’m getting to be apart of something like this. It’s a direct sequel to the movie that serves as an office comedy (a la The Office, Parks and Rec) and has so many characters that fit immediately into the Monsters Inc world. Monsters Inc is my favorite Pixar movie…so I literally come to work and leave work on the same high! It’s an awesome, awesome show with a great crew! 🙂 It’s also just really exciting to be apart of the first original animated property for D+!

Q: How would you compare working as a director to working as a storyboard artist?

A: It’s hard work, just as hard, but in a different way! For me personally, I’m a little easily fatigued by drawing? I get a little creatively frustrated because my thoughts move quicker than my hand. Or because I don’t always feel like I can execute in a drawing what I’m thinking in the way that I want? Part of that is just being an artist…and it’s not ALL the time that I feel that way…but I think I have a certain stamina for drawing that I found challenging to increase.

Directing is just different! It has a lot more to do with managing a team, communication, coordinating, listening, speaking up, problem-solving, being very aware of story as it applies to ALL parts of a production. I don’t draw as often anymore. You have to consider a lot more…more people, more constraints, more difficulties, more opinions, more solutions…it’s just MORE. And you also still have to draw! 🙂 It’s very busy work, but it’s AMAZING and I love it. I feel like I’m contributing to animated storytelling a lot more in this role, actually. I love working with people, I love workshopping, and I love helping! I’m also just spoiled to be working with some great people right now. It’s a blast.

Q: Are any Tangled: The Series crew joining you on that show?

A: Yes!! Tom Caufield and Wendy Sullivan were on it for a minute, but they’ve both moved on to Dreamworks recently! James Suhr (board artist), Isabelle Gedigk (season 3 board artist), Naomi Hicks and Casey Coffey (revisionists), David Lee (props), Ricky Roxburgh (writer), and I are all working together again! It’s awesome.

Q: Does Varian, deep down, blame himself for the amber?

A: I believe he does.

Q: How do you deal with artist’s block?

A: I try to think about the intention behind what I’m doing. Why is the scene I’m working on very important to the story? If it feels unimportant or boring, how can I make it interesting? What can I do on my end to make it more inspiring or fun without going too far off the rails and still serving the scene’s purpose?

If it’s not work-related, I try and start with some fan art or something familiar for me to draw. I have a lot of scribbly Varians in the margins of a lot of my sketch documents. I use him as a warm-up a lot. It helps build my confidence to draw something familiar/ that I think I can draw pretty well.

Q: What’s the hardest scene you’ve ever had to board?

A: Oh God. ANYTHING with action. I’m not an action gal. Lots of stuff in S3. I was board partners with Wendy Sullivan and ended up getting a lot of action to board even though she’s WAY better at it than me!! It was an interesting challenge…but it was very, very challenging. Ben (Co-EP) was a great mentor to me in the scene I did for the mid season. He was very patient with me, despite my shortcomings as an action board artist, haha. I enjoy boarding for comedy much more.

Kait: Anyways, I should probably head off now! Thank you guys so much for all the questions!!!! You’re awesome! I hope you’re all super excited for S3! It’s a great one.

[ilovethetalkingclock]

A Not-Sew-Magical Sequel (LALALOOPSY CREEPYPASTA)

(WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS CONTENT LIKE LANGUAGE, GORE, DEATH, PARASITES, DROWNING AND DARK COMEDY. IF YOU GET SCARED BY THIS, DON'T YELL AT ME FOR IT. YOU CHOSE TO READ IT.) 

(story under the cut, based on a dream I had)

(don’t worry, it’s not a screamer, i’d never do that.)

No matter how many years passed and will pass, I liked and will still like Lalaloopsy. All the characters and concepts were and still are very interesting (though Jewel was always my least favorite) and the couple episodes I saw of both the original show and the reboot of Netflix were cute and in the case of the reboot actually very emotional. I also watched all the movies and while a majority of them were slightly flawed one way or another, that didn’t stop them from being good. Hearing the toys being discontinued and the Netflix show canceled indeed made my heart sink.

But that’s not all what I wanted to talk about. Onto Lala-Oopsies.

If you don’t recall, Lala-Oopsies was a spinoff line. As the name suggested, the characters were in mixed rainbow colors and body proportions that deviated from the usual Lalaloopsy dolls, looking like, in my own words, mutants. They came as princess/ballerina hybrids and mermaids, with the ‘Littles’ (which in the original Lalaloopsy line, were the younger sisters) as fairies. They had one movie, “Lala-Oopsies: A Sew Magical Tale”. It was like all the others, cute, a bit funny, and a simple Lalaloopsy adventure with the Lala-Oopsies.

What I never knew was that they were apparently planning on a sequel.

I was at a garage sale of sorts (i know, very cliche) when I found a blank DVD case. Here’s what it read:

“LALA-OOPSIES-SEQUEL(UNFINISHED)”

“Is this a joke?”

“Oh, that!” The owner of the sale noticed me and casually went on “I worked at MGA Entertainment… they were making a sequel to the Lala-Oopsies movie… some guy decided to make that, apparently as a joke, and he was fired as it had quite a bit of… crazy stuff. We decided to cancel it altogether as we didn’t have any other ideas... We were handed copies of it from the guy who made it before he was fired. The footage is all there. There’s a lot more stuff that happened after that, but I don’t really wanna go into full detail. If you wanna know completely, it’s worth only a dollar. Not somethin’ I’d wanna watch again.”

Out of morbid curiosity, I agreed to buy the thing.

So I went home, made sure to get my DVD player on, and opened the case. There were two discs. One that read “MOVIE” and another that just had random scribbles on it. I tried to make out if the second one actually said anything, but I couldn’t read it for shit. I got out the one that read “MOVIE”, making sure it was the film itself, and placed it in.

Hoo boy, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

There was no menu or trailers, though that was kinda expected considering it was unfinished. It just went straight to the movie.

It all looked official one way or another. Some scenes were fully animated, others were simple animatics, others were in between. But I’ll just say before we get on that it was not at all the usual Lalaloopsy fare. There was no sign of anyone’s pets at all throughout the whole movie.  There wasn’t any music, like, at all, and that just made it a bit more unsettling.

Well, most of it wasn’t. It started off like your usual Lalaloopsy movie. Bea was walking down a path and singing a song about math to herself. A rather bad one, if you ask me. So bad, I have easily forgot about it. While walking, she finds the door that leads to Lala-Oopsies Land.

As the first movie took place in mostly a story that Bea was reading, she is surprised that apparently Lala-Oopsies are true. She leaves to find her friends, the rest of the Original 8 to be exact, and tell her all about it. This exchange from the conversation is what mainly caught me off guard.

Jewel: “So you just managed to find something from a story you read once in reality? I don’t believe it one bit.”

Spot: “Jewel. This is felting BEA SPELLS-A-LOT we’re talking about. The brains? The genius? The nerd? The know-it-all? She doesn’t seem to be making it up.”

Was felt their way of saying fuck? That was not in the other Lalaloopsy stuff I knew, as it was aimed at young children. I figured that was at least one of the reasons it was never finished. I decided to keep watching to find more reasons.

The Lalaloopsies were at the door to Lala-Oopsies Land, and as she didn’t believe it before as shown by the previous exchange I wrote about, Jewel was understandably dumbfounded. “Felt me, there really is a Lala-Oopsies Land…”

So of course they all opened the door and entered. Only as it turned out Lala-Oopsies land… wasn’t exactly as the story told.

The skies were orange like the original, but were more of a sickly shade of it. The ground was grey, rotted, and corpse-like. The mushroom ‘trees’ looked much more like actual fungi, and the strawberry-milk rivers and seas looked spoiled and curdled, and I could even make out a skeleton (presumably of a drowned Oopsie) in them. Bea probably put it best.

“Well… it seems the book apparently romanticized a couple details…”

The group decided to venture in and explore anyway. I couldn’t help but bring up the fact that a couple of them coughed quite a bit when they went in. Okay, scratch that, they were coughing violently, like they just inhaled smoke.

Pillow: “Felting seamstress, this place is polluted.”

As they were walking through, some sort of large insectoid jumped right on Peanut’s face Alien-style. Now I could really see why this movie didn’t make it. Obviously, everyone was panicking at the sight and trying to get the bug off. It wasn’t until like half a minute that Bea managed to find a stick on the ground and strongly swatted the insect away from Peanut’s face, though it seemed she also hit the face from this dialogue...

Peanut: “TRY AVOIDING THE FACE YOU IDIOTIC FELTING STITCH.”

...and stabbed the insect multiple times, pink-ish blood spraying from the body, gore getting everywhere. The other seven were so disgusted that Crumbs vomited right on-screen from the sight. Organs were coming out of the creature as Bea stabbed, and as I looked close enough the organs seemed rather human-like. That was pretty weird as the insect didn’t look human at all. 

Well at least I found another reason for this movie’s rejection.

Before Bea turned the monster into an unrecognizable bloodied mush, I could make the colors of the insect to be that of the Lala-Oopsies fairy Lilac, hot pink and sky blue. Nah, I’m pretty sure it was just a coincidence. And yet…

Oh, that reminds me of another scene that happened later on.

The eight were venturing on into the islands riding on some sort of old rusted boat they found, and then suddenly some sort of sea serpent or something like that i dunno with the same color scheme as the mermaid Water Lily rose from the rotted strawberry milk oceans. Bea tried to row the boat away, but the monster attacked and even picked Jewel up and devoured her. There wasn’t any doll stuffing or anything cute like that. Jewel’s remains actually spurted crimson blood and human entrails as she was being chomped down on and eventually swallowed. Screaming as if the actress herself was getting violently disemboweled.

I can still hear her agonized screams as I write this, so that’s pretty annoying. 

Pillow’s reaction perfectly described mine.

“HOLY FELTING SILK.”

My god... how the heck was a doll said to be sewn from a dress able to have human blood and guts?! Then again, it was a cartoon… a rather gory one if ya ask me.

In all honesty though, Jewel’s death was horrific yet satisfying for me. I never liked her the slightest.

During the attack, Mittens and Spot fell into the strawberry milk ocean as the boat was destroyed. It didn’t show the rest of what happened to them so I can safely assume they were either eaten or drowned. Or both.

So the ones left were Crumbs, Peanut, Dot, Pillow, and Bea.

They latched onto the boat’s remains as they headed to a large island.

The island’s inhabitants were all the princess ballerinas, both in the first movie and toy-exclusive, mutated to grotesque proportions, their hair all mussy and in tangles. Most of the princess’s faces were obscured by their hair, but the ones I was able to see were distorted in such a way I can’t really describe that well, though I’ll admit they looked pretty damn cool. Oh, their clothes were also a wreck too so yeah.

Crumbs became an idiot and decided to go up close to one (can’t remember which, i think it was Saffron?) to try and approach it friendly enough.

Saffron, like a wild animal, lunged at Crumbs and proceeded to violently rip her to shreds, and sure enough it was just as gruesome as Jewel’s death.

I remember just thinking to myself, “what the hell was this person on when making this?”

And yes, the remaining girls were horrified by that too and ran from the princesses as fast as they could.

Remember the scene I mentioned earlier with Peanut apparently getting attacked by that bug? Welp, they didn’t forget about that. Peanut immediately fell over, having a rather violent fit as she struggled for breath, her skin deteriorating as multi-colored insect larva ate their way out of her everywhere, some even lunging out like the chestbursters in Alien. (yes I know I already made that comparison before but still) They then proceeded to lunge at Pillow and devour her alive as she could only scream and the final two, Bea and Dot, could only watch.

As Pillow was honestly one of my most favorite Lalaloopsy, I just felt awful watching that.

Another princess, Anise, which I recognized full and clear with her pink and blue coloring, approached what remained of Pillow and grabbed some of the larvae, putting it in her mouth and devouring it, as her mouth was coated in a rainbow goo like that one My Little Pony episode with the zombies. 

I would say it was disgusting, but a mutant doll eating a worm was the least of my worries. 

She managed to speak words, which was strange because the princesses here were, again, mostly animalistic. Her voice was rather gravely, only vaguely sounding like the original.

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING COMING TO A PLACE LIKE THIS?”

Okay, they weren’t even trying with that line.

Anise proceeded to grab Bea and beat her, but thankfully Bea was able to kick Anise right in the face, knocking her out before the grotesquely mutated princess could finish the job. Dot swiftly took Bea’s hand. Struggling to get up at first, the badly bruised Bea managed to get on her feet and run as Anise came to.

As they ran, Bea and Dot finally found the door where they came in. It tugged my heartstrings seeing the two tearfully look back, apparently reminiscing their friends, before leaving Lala-Oopsies Land for good.

It then cut to Bea in bed, very ill. She was apparently covered in radiation tumors and her hair was almost gone. Apparently the island was highly radioactive. Dot was next to her bed in tears, as Bea weakly said her final words.

“I’m sorry, Dot… sorry… for everything...”

Violently coughing blood, Bea finally kicked the bucket as Dot sobbed hysterically. The movie cut to black and ended there with, surprise-surprise, no credits whatsoever.

All I thought of was “How the hell did Bea get sick from radiation poisoning but Dot didn’t?”

So anyway I took the movie disc out and put in the one with all the scribbles.

It was a compilation of recorded clips, all of them surprisingly in the MGA Entertainment headquarters itself I presume.

One clip I remember was a Lala-Oopsies Princess Anise doll flying, chasing a random employee as said employee was in a panic. Yea it was a weird one.

Another consisted of another employee testing out a Princess Juniper doll. As they were squishing the head, (the Lala-Oopsies dolls had squishy foam heads) the doll suddenly started to bleed violently. Not gonna lie, I laughed at what the employee said.

“GOD DAMN IT GARY WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT MAKING THE DOLLS BLEED.”

Last one I remember was two employees talking to each other. One of them asked the other,

“What exactly was your motivation in making this weird-ass movie?”

The other employee just responded in a weird reverse demonic gibberish I didn’t have time to translate. The first employee’s only response was a flat “what”. Exactly my reaction too. I decided that was enough and took out that disc and put it away.

Where’s the case now?

In one of my shelves. I’m keeping it. I just think it’s pretty unique in a way.

Not like it’s cursed or anything.

The End

[ba2aatomicmoo]

Film Language Notes:

World Of Motion - https://vimeo.com/14773535

Straight away I thought it was the music, colours and wipe of the camera that made this advert work so well. The advert was timed up with the music really well, and they used little rings of black to express certain points of the advert. The colour also changes as the advert progresses, turning from light blues to reds as the sun sets. It’s subtle but keeps the background from being static and also reflects a change. Lastly, I feel the camera wipe works really well, it makes me feel like I’m on a continues journey and the edits are really well hidden into the foreground and look like buildings, trees or rocks. 

The class also discussed the following: 

- The adverts all about transportation and moving forward in the same direction. 

- Colour is of a style and time like it’s drawn out of woodcut, very stylised.

- Punctuation of the sound - structure comes from the music.

- Movement of the camera vs. vehicles changes and varies depending on how close the camera is to the vehicles.

- Speed comes from a mixture of the camera/vehicles accelerating / de-accelerating.  

- Colour and speed changes with the type of vehicle.

- Pace changes by adding things into the foreground. 

- Using another direction to produce an ending. 

- The timing and speed/ camera movements, etc.. Probably would have been planed back in the storyboards and animatic stages of production.  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LOAD - https://vimeo.com/36828172 

The story to this one seems a little open-ended, you don’t know whether the character ends up going to work again or not because of the beginning of the film where we are introduced to this large yellow mass and a huge wave. It could be interpreted as a loop of events, especially since the character doesn’t seem to be aware of his own situation which is reflected through the spider he meets. This actions together with the story don’t leave me personally feeling satisfied. What I do really like about this short movie though is the way they use space, lines, and angles around the character to really emphasize how small and stuck he is in that space. This is also reflected in the colours around the character. They’ re all grey and dark within the building, get slightly warmer when he is in the dump with warmer browns and finally we get blues and yellows from the sky...until he ends back at the workplace which is surrounded by grey rock and a huge grey building.

Class discussion notes:

- We don’t know what big yellow thing is that’s hit by a wave until we’re introduced to the worker.  

- We’re introduced to the character. 

- The post-it-note mass was actually a person. His eyes tell us a lot about how he is feeling.

- This shot informs us of his mundane life and how trapped he is thanks to the lines and light used in the frame and foreground. The lines are small compared to his size and they create a claustrophobic feeling.

- Horizontal lines make him small. The light informs us of direction. He’s round Vs. everyone else is linear. We never lose him in the background. Sound design to make us feel uncomfortable.

- Up movement of the camera to give us an impression. 

Foreground/background to create a feeling. Outside, unconfined. Palet is warming up, warmer, muddy colours to night time.

- One of the few issues we found as an audience was that we weren’t quite clear on was why the man caught fire: 

After watching it a second time it was pointed out that it must have happened at this point: 

Which still isn’t very clear even when you look at the whole frame. 

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Fishing with Spinoza: https://vimeo.com/15798255

I wasn’t impressed by this short film at all. It was boring, the characters didn’t move much and there was nearly no detail to the environment to the point where you’re unable to tell the difference between land, water and sky. The person who made this is capable of illustrating through movement. There was a moment where the two characters are talking but all you can see are their feet which the animator uses to add body language and emphasise to the characters words. Which I did really like. Lastly, the characters would talk over each other which made a very dialogue heavy animation all the harder to interpret. 

Class discussion: 

- Dialogue heavy. Static. Has a strange narrative. Very little camera movement, which is clanky. 

- Animation is meant to be about movement. Character design is poor, they both look very similar and this creates a feeling of carelessness towards the characters from the creator. However not caring also creates an emotion, for example, you want them to be eaten by the fish. There’s a slow passage of time depicted by a camera movement up and down and then the depiction of night passing.  

- Trying to control the timing of comedy isn’t so good. 

- There’s also no space construct. You can’t tell the difference between one thing to another: 

Something I think that does a dialogue-heavy animation better is a programme on youtube called People Watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtKUUkEDetI&t=0s&list=PL_saLI-LH-VrxFpFgk467Jn02i46arTyD&index=4

I find that when watching these episodes they try to tackle deep issues that a lot of people have but might only discuss with their close friends. I appreciate that as some of these episodes have been on subjects or opinions I might not have thought of. 

I like that it’s well illustrated, colourful and animated, even if it’s only basic I still think it works successfully as it doesn’t distract from the main point, the dialogue, but actually informs the audience on how the character is feeling because we are able to see facial expressions and body language. In an animated format. The creator also considers their edits and frame composition. I never notice cuts, unless we were meant to: 

Like here, when she’s discussing a fictional character. We are shown an empty space and I found whilst she was describing this character I was trying to imagine him. 

We also have shots that change from one feeling: 

To another, with the use of a zoom in on the character back to a wide shot and the change of lighting. This shot also allows for the passage of time and to cause an affliction for the audience. This is a visual representation of how this characters depression actually looks compared to how she was describing it earlier in the episode.