#yes this is a remake of an older comic

[dimespin]

Parenthood

[princesssarisa]

Disney's unconventional "Cinderella" (1950) (long)

Having watched most of the many adaptations of Cinderella, I've come to realize what a unique adaptation Disney's 1950 animated classic really is. Unlike Snow White, which only had a few stage and screen adaptations before Disney produced its groundbreaking film, Cinderella had already been adapted many times before Disney's turn came, and Disney's version makes a surprising number of departures from the standard Cinderella "formula." It was definitely a fresh, creative Cinderella when it made its debut, and it arguably still is. Yet because it's become so familiar in pop culture, and today so often serves as our childhood introduction to the tale, it's easy to overlook its inventive storytelling choices. The 2015 live action remake uses several classic Cinderella adaptation tropes that the original 1950 film actually subverts!

Here's a list of the often-overlooked ways in which Disney's Cinderella stands out from earlier adaptations, and from many later ones too.

Cinderella herself. Disney's Cinderella isn't a traditional Cinderella in personality. The "traditional" portrayal of Cinderella, seen in virtually every adaptation before Disney's and several afterwards too, is the portrayal I call "The Waif": a very young, fragile, melancholy girl, dressed in pathetic rags and smudged with ashes, who makes the audience want to rescue her and who wins the Prince's heart with her wide-eyed innocence and artless charm. But whether chiefly to set her apart from earlier screen Cinderellas or from Disney's earlier delicate ingenue Snow White, Disney's Cinderella is none of those things. She comes across as older, or at least more sophisticated. Nor is she waif-like, but instead combines down-to-earth warmth with ladylike dignity, even at her lowliest. She doesn't sit in the ashes ("Cinderella" is her real name in this version), and her servants' dress is humble yet clean and only slightly tattered. She's gentle and kind, yes, but also intelligent, practical, playful, sometimes sarcastic, philosophical, optimistic, genuinely cheerful when she's with her animal friends, and yet angrier and stronger-willed than virtually all earlier Cinderellas. She doesn't beg to go to the ball, but asserts her right to go, and then sets to work fixing up an old dress of her mother's for herself. Only her stepfamily's sabotage, first by keeping her too busy to finish the dress, and then by destroying it after the mice and birds finish it for her, prevents her from taking herself to the ball without a Fairy Godmother. To this day, she stands out as a complex, unique Cinderella, which pop culture too often forgets.

Lady Tremaine. Some critics today complain that Disney makes Cinderella's stepmother a total monster instead of giving her "nuance" and call her portrayal "sexist." But can't we agree that her sheer cruelty enhances the film's dramatic power? And compared to earlier portrayals of Cinderella's Stepmother, it definitely makes her stand out. In most pre-Disney Cinderellas and many after, the Stepmother is a pompous, vain comic antagonist. Once again, Disney was innovative by portraying Lady Tremaine as a dignified, manipulative, and truly sinister villain, who takes quietly sadistic pleasure in abusing Cinderella and will stop at nothing to prevent her from going to the ball or marrying the Prince. As far as I know, she's also the first Stepmother to realize before the slipper-fitting that Cinderella was the lady at the ball and to take action to prevent her from being found. That's a commonplace plot device in more recent adaptations, but in 1950 it was a creative twist!

The mice and other animals. Viewers debate whether Cinderella's mouse friends, Jaq, Gus, et al, and their misadventures evading Lucifer the Cat are a welcome addition or take away too much screen time from Cinderella herself. But there's no denying that the presence of the mice and birds is an inventive storytelling choice, which makes Disney's Cinderella stand out! And I can provide a long list of reasons why they're more than just "filler." (1) They add liveliness, humor, and appeal for younger children. (2) They gave the animators an outlet for the type of character animation they did best, rather than binding them to the harder work of animating realistic humans. (3) They give Cinderella someone to talk to besides her stepfamily. (4) They give her a way to demonstrate her kindness. (5) The struggles of the mice with Lucifer parallel Cinderella's abuse by her stepfamily, and Cinderella's undying optimism not only keeps her from despair, but inspires them too. (6) They arguably provide a further reason why Cinderella stays with her stepfamily – not only does she have nowhere to go, but an entire community of small sentient creatures relies on her for food and protection. (7) They reward Cinderella for her kindness. From the start, her friendship with the mice and birds makes her life easier to bear, both by easing her loneliness and because they do helpful deeds for her, like mending and cleaning her clothes. They fix up her mother's dress for her to wear to the ball – only the stepfamily's last-minute cruelty requires the Fairy Godmother to step in. And in the end, they're directly responsible for Cinderella's happy ending by freeing her from her locked room. They do all these things because Cinderella has protected them, fed them, made them clothes, and been their friend. Therefore, Cinderella's good fortune never feels "just handed" to her: her kindness directly earns it.

The Fairy Godmother. It's always varied between illustrators whether Cinderella's Fairy Godmother is portrayed as a grandmotherly old woman or as youthful, regal, and beautiful, but screen and stage adaptations before the Disney version virtually always took the "youthful, regal, beautiful" approach. That is, when they didn't change her into a wise, fatherly male magician-advisor, as in several opera adaptations! At any rate, seriousness and dignity were the norm for this character in most adaptations from the 19th century through the 1940s. Making her a sweet, comforting, grandmotherly figure, with a comically and adorably absent mind, was another of Disney's fresh choices.

Cinderella's entrance at the ball. We all know the classic image of Cinderella's entrance from other adaptations. Cinderella appears at the top of the grand staircase that leads down to the ballroom, and a hush falls over the assembly, as not only the Prince, but all the guests and members of the court are amazed by the unknown lady's beauty and magnificent dress. Even in versions without a staircase, Cinderella captivates the room the moment she enters. Adaptations both before and after Disney's, including Disney's own 2015 live action remake, play her entrance this way. But the 1950 animated classic subverts it! The grand staircase leads up to the ballroom, not down to it, and Cinderella's entrance isn't a triumph at first, but a vulnerable moment as she makes her way up the stairs alone, dwarfed by the splendor around her. Then, when she reaches the ballroom, no one notices her at first, because the other ladies are being presented to the Prince and all eyes are on him. But then the Prince notices her in the shadowy background as she quietly marvels at her surroundings, and leaves his post to approach her and invite her to dance. Only then does the rest of the assembly notice her, because she's the one the Prince has singled out. It's more understated and it feels more realistic than the traditional entrance, as well as more clearly symbolic of Cinderella's venturing above her station, then both literally and figuratively being led out of the shadows by the Prince's unexpected attention.

The slipper-fitting plan. Over the years, it's been fairly popular to mock the idea of using the glass slipper to find the Prince's love, as if there were no chance it would fit anyone else. Disney's version is creative by having the slipper-fitting search be the comical, hot-blooded King's idea, not the Prince's, and making it clear that it's not, nor is it meant to be, a foolproof plan to find Cinderella. The Duke points out that the slipper could fit any number of girls, but the King doesn't care if they find the right girl or not: he just wants to hold his son to his pledge to marry "the girl who fits this slipper" and force him to marry the first one who fits it. This also means that Disney doesn't do what most adaptations do and have the Prince conduct the search himself, but follows the original Perrault tale by having a gentleman, in this case the Grand Duke, do it instead. This prevents audiences from mocking the Prince for relying on the slipper instead of knowing his beloved's face.

Cinderella breaking free and asking to try on the slipper. Even though in Perrault's original tale, Cinderella asks to try on the slipper, she almost never does in adaptations. In most versions other than Disney's, including Disney's own 2015 remake, Cinderella's presence in the house (and/or the fact that she has the other slipper) is either discovered by accident or revealed by Cinderella's allies, not by Cinderella's own initiative. In some versions, she even tries to hide from the Prince and/or the search party, either out of fear of her stepfamily or because she feels unworthy of the Prince in her rags. But not Disney's animated Cinderella! First of all, she has an assertive emotional breakthrough when she calls on her dog Bruno to chase Lucifer away and free Gus to slip her the key to her locked room. Earlier on, she urges Bruno to try to get along with Lucifer, lest the stepfamily not allow him to sleep in the house – it's clear that Bruno represents her own rebellious side, and in that scene she's really talking about herself, revealing that she tolerates her stepfamily's abuse so she won't lose her own "nice warm bed" and be homeless. But in the climactic scene, when she finally sees a way out, she gives up playing nice and seizes her chance. First she unleashes Bruno on Lucifer, and then she runs downstairs and directly asks to try on the slipper, not caring how her stepfamily will react, or what the Grand Duke will think of her shabby dress, or whether the audience will accuse her of gold-digging or not. This isn't a common breakthrough in other Cinderella adaptations, but it fits perfectly (like a glass slipper, you might say) with the Disney Cinderella's stronger-willed and more self-assured characterization.

"I have the other slipper." We can probably all safely assume that when audiences first saw Disney's Cinderella in 1950, they all expected Cinderella to try on the glass slipper she lost, with her identity revealed by its perfect fit. They never would have expected Lady Tremaine to trip the footman and break the glass slipper... only for Cinderella to calmly reveal that she has the other one. It's yet another clever and unexpected twist, not seen in any other version. Not even Disney's own 2015 remake.

Disney's Cinderella deserves far more credit than it gets for being unique among the myriad versions of the tale, especially compared to the versions that came before it.

[themythicsages]

A more properly structured roleplay request, updated to suit current interests.

Doubles as a profile introduction

What's up Tumblr? As you might have been able to tell through my recent reposts, few analysis posts I've written, and the new aesthetic, things have shifted somewhat in terms of where my interests and musings currently lie as opposed to when I first revitalized this account to start being active again. This of course means that my first request blog may be a little outdated, so I'm going to remake it. Quick disclaimer, this request will be Marvel and Kingdom Hearts centric. While you could ask about any fandoms or ships from my old post, I can't guarantee I'll be as interested as I once was. This does not mean that old roleplays with excluded fandoms will suddenly die off, it just means that I likely won't be accepting anything new from those fandoms outside of special cases.

Before we get to the muses and ships, why don't we hear a little about the mun itself? My name is Devin–though some people call me Somnus or Sage–, I'm a gay ace trans male and my pronouns are he/they/it. I'm 21, turning 22 this August, and I've been roleplaying for about ten years. I live in The States(may the gods spare me) with my time zone being EST. Sharing timezones isn't required to roleplay with me, but it does help with scheduling conflicts just a smidge. I'm more of a listener than I am a yapper when it comes to conversation, so while I may not contribute much, don't be afraid to talk if you need it!

With the preface out of the way, the new ad will be right under the cut.

Alright. Before we move onto the fandoms, let's lay out some ground rules. First and foremost, I need potential partners to be 18 or older. Even without explicit moments, I'm just not comfortable talking with minors who I don't already know. I usually write around 3 to 5 paragraphs per response, but I can adapt to anything from one liners all the way to multi message responses depending on what I get from my partners. I only roleplay on discord and tend to use servers for the sake of organization. Dice maiden is preferred but not necessary. My schedule tends to be all over the place, but I'm usually available early mornings(8 am - 10am EST) and late nights(8-pm - 12am EST) because of work and the need to sleep. If you're alright with getting replies around those times, then I'm all ears. And above all else, just be respectful.

Now, onto the muses!

Marvel

Super quick disclaimer: I am mostly an MCU, X-MCU, and Marvel games(Like Insom for Spidey, the Lego games for everyone else, and Rivals) kind of guy, and I'm still getting caught up with the comics and animated shows. My portrayals are therefore heavily spliced between the movies and the games, and at the same time there may be some references that I need refreshing on. I apologize in advance if I get a few things wrong.

Anthony "Tony" Edward Stark

IronShield/Stony (Romantic. Constant hyperfixation)

Science Bros (Romantic.)

Pepperony (Romantic. More MCU centric. Add in Morgan for a full domestic family plot and my life is yours.)

WinterIron (Romantic or Platonic.)

Stuckony (Romantic. Would have to be gc.)

Stony Superfamily (A mix of Stony and Irondad/Spider-Son. More MCU Centric. Could be a gc, but I can be both Peter and Tony for one on ones if need be.)

Irondad and Spider-son (Obvs platonic, and more MCU centric.)

Domestic OG Avengers (Begging on my hands and knees even though I know this would have to be a gc. They all deserve a break, man.)

Feel free to ask about any I may have missed, or that you may be curious about! Chances are, I'll say yes.

Peter Benjamin Parker

Disclaimer: In pretty much all scenarios, my Peter is assumed to be around college age(early 20s), and depending on continuity is either currently in college or doing internships. Unless specified, assume a mix of insom and mcu for backstory and personality.

Spideytorch (Romantic. Would sell soul for good Johnny to write with. Assume mix of insom and comics. Current hyperfixation.)

Spideypool (Romantic)

Parksborn (Romantic or Platonic)

PeterMJ (Romantic)

PeterChelle (Romantic, MCU centric obviously)

Irondad and Spider-son (Obvs platonic, more MCU centric)

Stony Superfamily (see above in Tony's section.)

Spiderbros/Peter + Miles (Platonic.)

Ask about any other pairs you'd like to do that I may have left out! Chances are I'll say yes, unless it's just incredibly strange.

Loki Laufeyson

ScarletFrost/WandaLoki (Romantic.)

Lokius (Romantic.)

WarLoki (Romantic)

Brodinsons (Strictly Platonic.)

Loki + Frigga (Little Mama's child... platonic of course.)

Domestic OG Avengers (Would have to be gc of course, but still.)

Feel free to ask on any others, as the only ships I refuse to do are sylvoki, thorki, and any others that border on selfcest or incest. They're weird, and you'd be weird for suggesting them.

James "Bucky" Buchanan Barnes

Sambucky/WinterFalcon (Romantic. Would sell soul for more Sams. Current hyperfix.)

Stucky (Romantic.)

WinterHawk (Romantic.)

WinterIron (Romantic or Platonic)

Stuckony (Romantic. Would have to be a gc.)

Domestic OG Avengers (Would have to be gc of course, but still.)

Domestic New Avengers (obvious other gc)(if marvel themselves are going to spoil it then idgaf rn)

Feel free to ask about any ships I may have missed, but be warned I'm more likely to accept queer ships with him since I personally hc Bucky as gay cupio.

Kingdom Hearts

Riku

Soriku (Romantic. I miss them so much guys...)

Riku + Kairi (Purely platonic. Just let them chill together, y'know?)

Riku + Terra (Purely Platonic. Family vibes.)

Riku + Sephiroth (The unofficial father/son duo ever)

Destiny Trio (Likely platonic, unless we go the 'Sora is dating both Kairi and Riku, but Riku and Kairi aren't dating each other' route. Would have to be a gc.)

Offer up your ships if you've got them, just know that I hc this boy as gay and deeply closeted, so any het ships would have to be platonic.

Roxas

Roxner (Romantic or Platonic)

AkuRoku (Romantic or Platonic)

VanRoku (Romantic or Platonic)

VanVen (Romantic or Platonic)

RokuNami (Romantic or Platonic)

Sora + Roxas (Purely platonic, simply because I see them having more of a sibling dynamic)

Xion + Roxas (Purely platonic because I see them having more of a sibling dynamic)

Twilight Squad (Likely platonic, though I can see potential for a polycule. Would have to be a gc regardless.)

Sea Salt Trio (Likely platonic, would have to be a GC however)

Cloud Strife

Clerith (Romantic)

Strifehart (Romantic. Add in Sora for a found family au and my life would be yours.)

Sefikura (Romantic. Yes I know they're basically like toxic exes at this point, shut up. Conversely, add in Riku for a completely different family vibe and my life would also be yours.)

Cloud + Yuffie (Purely platonic because I've always seen them having more of a sibling dynamic.)

Domestic Restoration Committee (Would have to be a gc obviously. Could come packaged with either Strifehart or Clerith.)

Now if any of these sound good to you, feel free to either comment on this post or send me a direct message so that we can figure out plots and share discord tags. I look forward to writing with you all!

Sage, out!

[princeloww]

I met this older doctor who fan at a comic festival today - I was with 2 of my friends, and we were just sort of browsing the stalls. He was selling some old comics and stopped us to talk to us a bit. He saw that I was holding a doctor who book, so he started going on this rant about how new doctor who is lesser and that we aren't proper fans (essentially) if we haven't seen the old one.

It was like, almost sort of condescending? He was the superior fan and we were simple lesser beings and annoying for enjoying something new and "changed" (He had some issue with Ncuti Gatwa's sexuality, race and Jodie Whittaker's gender).

And I appreciate that - he is sentimental when it comes to the original doctor who, and doesn't like the remake as much. But like... shouldn't you be happy that young people are still into the thing you like? That it's being carried on, and not forgotten and left behind? Just because it's not the one you grew up on doesn't mean it's automatically bad. Yes, some episodes are utter shite, and 13's writing wasn't spectacular - but there's no need to act superior. It just seemed quite rude?

He used "I have trans friends" as a justification for his dislike towards having a gay doctor. He also defended his dislike of Jodie Whittaker by saying that new female characters should be made, rather than replacing existing ones with females - but the whole point of the doctor is that they change, isn't it? Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant have completely different faces and bodies. Is it really that big of a "change", having slightly different body parts? Or a different skin tone?

Anyway, and then he came over to MY stand and gave me unsolicited, unhelpful critique on some of the stuff I was selling. Thanks random doctor who fan

[aragarna]

Zorro Vive

And vive bien!

So, I've finished Season 1 of the new Zorro show (available through Amazon in the US and most Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries), and I really enjoyed it!

Without spoilers, I'd say that its main qualities are that it's fun and earnest and more cosmopolite in its retailing of the old story. It doesn't take itself too seriously, there's plenty of little homages to previous adaptations. There's many interesting and well-developed characters - of all genders and ethnicities.

It's (literally) colorful, with a comic/pulp feel that suits it well. There's been a true care brought to the action scenes, and OMG the night scenes are damn well lit. It's rare enough nowadays so points for that. Generally, the show is quite beautiful.

More spoilery thoughts under the cut.

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from a new show. It's always hard to bring new canon to something so established and so iconic. And even though the Disney show is *not* the original canon, for a lot of people, it is.

But as a principle, same as for book adaptations or remakes, I'm not opposed to variations or changes. As long as they're good changes.

And I have to say, the vast majority of the changes in the new Zorro show, to me, were actually good changes, or necessary improvements for today's audience.

The most obvious is giving back a real voice to the Natives and not sugarcoating the colonization aspect. There's tension there. Natives are angry. But as years passed, people born there consider themselves "true Californians". Natives aren't just background characters or peons anymore. They're a driving plot force. They're shown in their own environment, with their own rites (I don't know enough about Natives of this area to know how accurate it is, but it felt a lot more authentic and respectful to me than other versions).

I do like the idea that the Zorro character comes from the Native culture, and that it's been passed on from one person to the next. Though it also brings my one big issue with the show: Diego becoming Zorro reads a lot like "a white dude steals a Native heritage." And yes, it's symbolic, and yes the fox spirit chose him, Diego didn't pick him, but still. Given that the audience is meant to support Diego (who really is a sweet guy!), that the narrative keeps showing us that Nah-Lin is wrong and should accept it, given the colonization context of that story, it's sitting a bit wrong with me.

This aside, I do like the exploration of revenge vs. justice, violence vs. a more measured response, in the face of adversity. When a few months back, the tagline "revenge is personal, justice is for all" appeared on the first poster, I wasn't sure what to think. I don't like revenge-driven characters. It's cliché and wrong. But the fact that the show precisely explored that, both with Diego and Nah-Lin, was actually quite interesting.

Diego, as I said, is a decent guy. A sweet boy really, vaguely immature originally but having to mature really fast, as the death of his father, the business of the rancho, the Zorro thing and Lolita's wedding are all dropping on him at once. Miguel Bernardeau is a clear departure from most of the previous Zorros, who were played by older actors, giving a more "adult" vibe to the character, but given he's supposed to be fresh out of college and out of his element, Bernardeau's more juvenile features fit the character well.

Nah-Lin is a lot angrier, and while in the context of the story, she's shown to be going at it the wrong way, all that anger *is* justified, and not something that can just be brushed off. Peace can't come easy when you anger people that way.

And you know who else I really liked? That damn Capitan Monasterio! Who would have thought LOL No, but seriously. Not sure why they named him that way. He was actually more of a Sergeant Garcia (or Mendoza from the 1990 show) than a Monastario. Obviously without the comic relief and cutely incompetent side of the character, but as the character who is a decent guy stuck between a rock and a hard place, serving a tyrannic boss and chasing a heroic outlaw that he may not hate that much.

I also really liked what they did with Lolita. An opinionated young lady that throws away all the corseting conventions of her time is always very relatable to me. Also, I just love her fashion sense. I wasn't sure what they were going to do with that impossible love triangle (I thought for a long time the wedding wouldn't actually happen). I wouldn't have thought they'd have Lolita figure it out, but I'm glad she did.

I'm glad they kept Bernardo, the mute confident. And I love Mei, too. The dynamic between the three of them (with Diego) is great!

Also, it's great to finally have a Spanish-speaking production, and have the characters speaking in Spanish, instead of having American actors put on fake accents.

I may have a couple of minor complains: namely that I didn't care about Samael nor Alejandro's first love. Not sure planting so early something that they're keeping for S2 is a right move. Feels like a waste of screentime. Also, I'm not particularly found of secret societies trying to rule the world, but it seems to be mandatory to any Zorro story... And the finale episode didn't actually wrap up that many plotlines - every major villain escaped! So that kinda made it look like Zorro didn't accomplish much, apart from breaking Lolita's heart, and his. But none of this prevented me from having a good time watching the show. I just really hope there'll be a S2 cause it'd be a shame to leave things there!

How about you guys? What did you think of it?

[akechis-special-case]

Ok hold your horses and just hear me out for a second!

Alright so I am probably being sideeyed heavily but just stay with me here, ok? Somewhat of a rant because I need more people to know as well that some parts of Persona 4's writing aged like milk and will need to be addressed in a remake (or I wish for them to be addressed). I don't say change the story, I say change some scenes (which are not consequential for the plot) because some characters just look way worse than they are. The biggest offenders are Yosuke and Teddie.

I will mainly talk about Yosuke here but Teddie is in a very similar boat I won't lie. Ahem...

I really hate how Persona 4 aged like milk in some aspects because it makes Yosuke look like the insufferable perverted best friend character. They lean too much into the perverted angel and it is just weird to look at nowadays. Some actions are just straight out too far, though back when they wrote the story it was very common in ecchi anime (at least the ones I watched years ago).

I'm not saying that they can't make him a bit perverted. Stuff like commenting that a girl is cute and being a bit over the top is fine. But some comments and actions are just flatout uncomfortable to watch. And this is not something I fault to the character but to the writing because I read that in later games that they fix this behavior. So it is a product of its time. Thus they brush it off as not so bad sometimes, even though it is worse. To clarify, it is not just a Yosuke thing, Teddie has the same issue. I give Teddie a bit more leeway because you can excuse that he doesn't know better. He has never been outside the TV World so he may pick up on some things he shouldn’t. But what the writers make Teddie say goes too far as well – Hence why I call it a writing issue and not a character issue.

I still dislike it because it overshadows the positive qualities of Yosuke, or rather who he really is. He isn't a half bad guy at all, definitely a buddy type. Also a decent older brother figure for Teddie and I enjoy their dynamic as brothers – Teasing another but also looking out for another. Mostly Yosuke looking out for Teddie as he is the older one. I mean it when I say that he is not a bad guy deep down, the writers just thought that turning his perverted side up to 1000 was a good idea for ‘comic relief’. It's not, obviously. Before you ask yes Teddie can have the same issue, overshadowing his character arc of finding himself with this too far bullshit.

Yosuke’s development in his Social Link, going from disliking Inaba to enjoying his time is also intriguing. He knows that he is unpopular so he puts up a front at first. Most sideeye him because he’s from the city and blame him too for Junes ‘destroying the local shopping district by taking away customers’. He has nothing to do with it though, his father got transferred to the location. But no one cares, he’s the kid from the city. He's guilty by association.

At the same time people just keep walking all over him though and use him, solely for being the son of the manager of the Junes in Inaba. They will ask him for favors and expect him to help. He usually does but he is fed up with it. He also shows care for others, like when the girls badmouth Saki in front of him. I believe that Yosuke didn't care if Saki didn't like him, he just couldn't stand hearing these things, especially since she is dead and can't defend herself anymore (and yes I am of the firm belief that he would do this for anyone who didn't deserve it). As for him being pushy with Kanji in regards to Naoto, I think Yosuke just wants to encourage Kanji in some way (even if it’s teasing). He is going from having no friends to an actual friend group where he can be himself, people he can trust (one rank implies that he didn't have friends in the city either).

That is the actual Yosuke and I think the Yosuke the writers wanted to portray. A guy who struggles at first yet once finding his place and having a bit of a push to not letting people push him around he finds his ground and he really isn't a bad guy.

Is he flawed? Yeah, sure. Being a bit of a perv, clumsy and sometimes saying something without thinking is part of his character. He has no ill intentions yet may say some things without thinking sometimes. But he's still someone who cares for others, especially those close to him.

But when it gets to the comic relief enough scenes take it too far. He’s not like this.

[sunxrice]

weather update‼️

part 2 of this post!!! can i even call this fanart anymore they're like my ocs at this point

isn't the moon beautiful tonight (28 mar 2025) this one is a remake of an older comic i made last year! wanted to practice making comics and remembered that it exists

isn't the moon beautiful tonight (30 mar 2024)

starry night (3 may 2024) haha get it. its a play on the ship name.

plans (15 may 2024) this is originally from an incorrect quote, iykyk

rice moment (12 may 2024) these are, once again, headcanons.

it's okay (26 july 2024) you know that feeling when there are characters rotating in your mind so you feel compelled to draw them even if you don't have any scenes / setting / context to put them in? even if there was context for this one i forgot what it is so /shrug

you know the galaxies of my heart (10 nov 2023) 2023 jumpscare this image was originally going to have the above text on the top right corner but i couldn't stand looking at it anymore so that's why it's empty HAHAHA

my ship in five minutes (9 feb 2024) blank template by @/senaizuuchan on twitter, or at least that's what other people said because apparently the source might be deleted

pairing rundown (25 may 2024, continued 17 mar 2025) blank template by @/strawberrybunns on twitter but i found this non cursive version on pinterest

also yes neither of these are finished 😔

[notesofarichlycolorednight]

rewatching atla and yknow it really is such a shame that the same writers and creators betrayed the ethos and pathos of their own show with legend of korra

i really wish we had gotten to see more older aang in korra, even as just flashbacks would've been fine. but it just would've been nice to see the older gaang interacting as friends, during a peaceful time, when all of them have only known war previously.

and yeah, i know they published comics but it would've been fun to see it animated. them trying to navigate their feelings when they finally feel safe enough to do so. aang especially coming to terms with the fact that his people were genocided and that he's one of the last air nomads (but possibly not the last, last airbender, but certainly the last of his specific culture. more on that in a moment)

and if they had done it thru flashbacks, they could've paralleled those times of peace (but maybe interpersonal drama) with whatever they wanted to do with korra that required the avatar. (and i say it like that purposefully bc i still don't know if i understand what they were trying to achieve with the over-arching narrative of korra)

it feels like they were so afraid of not being able to raise the stakes, they completely forgot what atla was even about.

the thing i think that gets me the most is the fact that instead of finding a better way to integrate air benders back into the world, like say, since they were, oh idk, nomadic, they just decided to randomly make people air benders all of a sudden through oriental mysticism.

instead of smth like, it turns out that a lot of little sects of air benders exist in the wider world of atla bc the air benders were, famously, nomadic. they're literally called air nomads. the writers remember what nomad means right?

like the sandbenders in atla. yes, they demonstrably bend sand. BUT, as my friend @justletmeremember has pointed out, they use tornados of sand to power their ships in the desert. that requires some amount of air bending!

not only that, but the air benders were the way they were bc of their culture, not the other way around. like sure, air bending probably informed some of their choices and culture. but their culture is what made them who the wider world of atla know them as. so to make random air benders just Exist in lok completely disregards and betrays that culture.

they didn't need to remake the air nomads' exact culture. but their culture, alongside evironment, should have informed the writers who they wanted the next air benders to be. i mean, i think there's a crucial reason the air nomads were nomads, monks and pacifists, and the writers lost that reason in lok.

and that's one of the main cruxes of my problem with lok. the writers/creators made aang the last air bender, literally had his people genocided, and didn't understand or even examine what that meant when writing lok.

[tonystarkisadorable]

Making another one of these, what the hell!

I'm 25 and I'm from the U.S. I'm pretty tired of trying to make internet friends online cuz most of them aren't actually serious, don't want to have deep and meaningful convos/connections, are trying to start drama with me, don't wanna put effort, be around, the list goes on! I guess I'm remaking this post again in the hopes that at least one person will message me (I didn't even know I had like 3 messages from people the last time I did this and am just now responding to only one because they were the only one that actually paid attention to the fact that I'm LOOKING FOR PEOPLE FROM THE USA BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE TIMEZONES, SHEESH).

Anyways, I absolutely adore Jentry Chau vs the underworld and I seriously hope they continue to renew it for more seasons! I also really fucking love school spirits, like A LOT AND I AM SO FUCKING PISSED THAT PARAMOUNT+ IS ONLY RELEASING EPISODES HERE AND THERE AFTER PLAYING THE ARE WE OR ARE WE NOT GIVING THE PROPER RELEASE DATE SINCE LITERALLY LAST FALL!! So now who knows when I'll get to watch anymore (cuz there's no way in hell I'm watching one episode then waiting weeks for more). Kipo and the age of wonderbeasts, teen titans (og obviously), she ra and the princesses of power, Brooklyn 99, into/across the spiderverse, unbearable weight of massive talent, the amazing spiderman, r.l stines the haunting hour, big time rush, the hollow, greenhouse academy, house of Anubis, supernatural, doctor who, wizards of Waverly place, wizards beyond Waverly place, and MAAAANY other shows/movies are my favs.

When I'm not sitting around at home being bored out of my mind, I'm trying to binge YouTube, read comics/books, draw, run an online clothing shop, play marvel rivals on my PC, play on my modded ps vita, etc. I love thrifting, shopping, going out, going to dollar tree and buying too much crap (because wow they have the coolest shit now!), going to parks/going for walks, taking nature pictures, going to bookstores, drinking milk tea/Thai iced tea, collecting tokidoki, monster high dolls, skelanimals plush, domo plush, etc!

Games I like to play: marvel rivals, soul sacrifice, until dawn, evil within 2, witcher 3, spiderman 2 (on PS5), monkey ball, crazy taxi, sonic, Kirby, etc

I'm not sure what more to add other than PLEASE BE OVER 20, NO OLDER THAN 40, ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO CARRY ON A CONVERSATION, AND BE RELIABLE/CONSISTENT?? I WOULD HOPE YOU DON'T LIKE SMALL TALK EITHER. I LITERALLY HAVE 0 FRIENDS UGH. I'd also appreciate it if we had similar interests!

[omnikid6]

Mystery kids remake comic pt 10

Dipper pines: So I ran some numbers and it looks like we're going to be in debt forever for the rest of our lives. What are we going to tell Stan? They have spot cyclones in Oregon, right? I'm sure every surgeon is crazy these days.

Rasputin Aquato: Technically, he is a dentist.

Mabel pines: | My dentist just happens to have one of those tiny little moustaches and is strangely fascinated by my uvula.

Coraline Jones: Dentist, baker, candle maker, what does it matter? This chuvai is crazy and he is outside, so I think we have bigger problems than your passive-aggressive uncle.

Dipper pines: Great Uncle

Coraline Jones: Great Uncle

Norman Babcock: I really don't want to bring this up right now, but there's still my dad's looming wrath.

Kris Dremurr: And my older brother too

Coraline Jones: Well, yes, so what. What do you think he and your older brother are doing now?

Mr Babcock: (angry) Let's try again. I need to see the mechanic.

Susan Wentworth: With a mechanic? Why didn't you say so right away?

Mr Babcock: (angry)

Susan Wentworth: You want Spanners O'Malley. You just missed him.

Mr Babcock: Okay, where can I find it?

Susan Wentworth: He's right on the street!

(there is an ambulance there)

Susan Wentworth: Poor Spanners O'Malley. He was the best mechanic in town. He was the ONLY mechanic in town.

Mr Babcock: I hope it wasn't the coffee that did this to him.

Susan Wentworth: Of course not. It was his cat allergy.

(Mr Babcock disgust goes away)

Susan Wentworth: Oh no, you're going to beg for affection around the coffee again!

Norman Babcock: He'll be fine. At least as long as he's looking for us, so what about you?

Sheriff Blubs: be more careful, this is part of the preparation, neatly, neatly almost there.

Deputy Durland: (but he lost) Damn I almost took the treasure.

Sheriff Blubs: The real treasure is the time spent together

Asriel Dremurr: Great, now let's move on to the important matter, about the cries of the mad scientist.

Sheriff Blubs: Oh, sorry, we played a little too much.

Asriel Dremurr: That's what it looks like

Sheriff Blubs: Yes, we know about the mad scientist, our operatives are already on their way to the Mystery Shack, but for now, go to your place and lock yourself in your home well

Asriel Dremurr: Thank you very much Sheriff

Another employee: The whole crew Steve puts a whole melon in his mouth, I repeat, a whole melon

Deputy Durland: This is 2316

Sheriff Blubs: We are leaving

(Asriel Dremurr angry)

Kris Dremurr: He'll be fine.

Coraline Jones: Okay, before that happens, I think we should take care of our friend, the psi-dentist. Who is in favor of not dying tonight?

All: is

Dipper pines: So question to Kris and Susie, did you really move here?

Susie: Yes, we came here for the whole summer, as brother Krisa said, we need to relax in the village.

Mabel pines: True, my brother and I also came for the whole summer, and we also shouted

Dipper pines: So we've already sorted this out... so

(Coraline Jones points to the name)

Dipper pines: Caroline

Coraline Jones: Coraline

Dipper pines: I'm sorry, Coraline. Well, what should we do?

Rasputin Aquato: YOU don't have to do anything Agents of Razputin Aquato

Lili Zanotto: And Lily Zanotto, from Psychonauts, and Dr. Caligosto Loboto is wanted by the Psychonautical Research Bureau for crimes against the psyche.

[fools-fall-much-too-soon]

Leon's personality "change" between RE2 & RE4

Disclaimer: I'm not a huge fan of the remakes so I don't really take them as 100% canon. When reading this, understand that I'm taking parts from both the ogs and the remakes, but primarily the og games. (TD;DR is at the bottom of the post)

Something that's been on my mind a lot lately is how we went from heart-on-his-sleeve, genuine RE2 Leon to loud, confident, sassy RE4 Leon.

RE4 got me into resi as a kid and remains my favorite game in the franchise. HOWEVER, it's pretty clear (on first inspection) that RE4 Leon is an outlier in the character's development.

In RE2 we get to see rookie cop Leon. I've seen a lot of people claim that og RE2 Leon doesn't have much of a personality but I'd have to disagree. Its abundantly clear that Leon is incredibly pragmatic, a very quick thinker, quite friendly and seems to be able to work well with just about anyone, he even kneels down to get on people's level. Often it seems more like he was trained as an EMT than a cop.

He doesn't approach strangers w a gun. He's so sincere and almost gullible in his faith in other people. That's not to say that he's stupid, he doesn't immediately trust people including Ada (although some folks wanna act like Leon is some lost puppy dog with 0 self-preservation skills). In a lot of ways he comes off a lot like a shonen mc despite him being so snarky. If anything, the closest comparisons I can think of are characters like Percy Jackson or early (comics-era) Peter Parker. All genuine, kind, smart people who are also spunky and funny. He stands his ground, voices his opinion, and is driven by duty. Yes, he's logical and level-headed and pleasant/easily digestible but he's definitely a big personality and a strong character. Practical =/= Boring.

I can't say that much of this changes going into RE4. The only real difference is that he's less gullible and sincere which definitely doesn't feel like its coming out of nowhere. He is 6 years older to be fair and while we only know of Operation Javier between the two installments, we know Leon gets sent on other missions... despite none of them being directly connected to BOWs until OJ. He's been trained by the military which is absolutely part of why he's less gullible other than the obvious reasons. And even then, he's so quick to untie Luis, despite not knowing if he's armed or dangerous, doesn't question the medicine Luis gives them, trusts Ada's intel for some reason, and still considers Krauser a good guy.

Leon was lied to by Ada, who he wanted to protect, and was left feeling used and betrayed. Only to be abandoned by Claire and had to look after the recently orphaned Sherry alone. That, plus the training would make him grow up quick... So what we're left with is the same old snarky, idealistic, but duty-driven Leon who is only a bit more grounded in reality/jaded.

It's also my opinion that all his cheesy one-liners is more than just a way to cope with stress.

Really think about how military training is meant to strip you of personality... It'd make sense that on solo missions he'd finally have the space to let his personality show. He has to hide it so much, ofc he'd be extra when there's no higher-ups to keep him in place. The thing that really hammers it home for me is that he tends to act a lot more serious when there's other agents/military involved. In both Degeneration and Operation Javier, Leon isn't funny. Even in most of Infinite Darkness he keeps his jokes to himself. He's been silly/campy since day one, it's just time and place and RE4 was the right time and place to let his personality shine (especially with all the other big personalities around him).

Leon's personality "change" just seems like a natural progression in response to his environment.

speaking of natural personality changes... I think Krauser and Luis's deaths really messed Leon up. In one day, Leon has to watch so many people die all over again. Innocent villagers slaughtered at his hand. I can imagine that knowing the parasite could be removed and that the villagers were tricked didn't sit easy on his mind either. Like yeah he gets Ashley home but that's one person saved vs the ~1000 that died. Krauser and Luis were important to him in different ways and in the end, things ended up just like Raccoon.

I think that's when it truly starts to set in for Leon that he's just as helpless as everyone else and what he's doing isn't much in the grand scheme of things... Not that he has a choice to stop. It also very easily explains why Leon starts to get more serious as time goes on. Fundamentally, he never really changes the part of him that gets easily attached and cares deeply about the lives of others, but as he ages, it gets harder for him to believe that what he's doing matters since nothing changes.

TD;DR: At the end of the day Leon's personality in RE4 isn't an outlier in his development, but likely of one of the last moments his personality gets to shine without as heavy a burden on his shoulders as he has later in his life. He was been always sassy and kinda campy since day one and him being the way he is in RE4 makes a lot of sense, even though he gets more serious in later installments.

[petra-creat0r]

Annual Update 2024

Alright everyone! New year, new updates for all my stuff!

Starting with ...

AtDFF and AYC

(The new signatures for my main art, AtDFF, and AYC)

As some, and by that I mean most of you have probably noticed, I rebooted AtDFF... again. I technically started a revamp all the way back in 2020 where I was redrawing the older updates to better match the current style and reformat the asks and text for better readability, but that didn't impede on the main updates (well, besides putting more onto mine and the rest of the team's work load.)

The Reboot

This past year though, I made the decision to completely reboot the comic for a few reasons. One was an attempt to renew my motivation, another was wanting to rework some of the lore, yet another was being inspired by @askfallenroyalty to remake the comic and post to ComicFury, but I think the main factor was... I wasn't all that happy with it. I think I kept comparing it to other comics, especially Fallen Royalty, which is my own issue, please don't go blaming anyone else. I knew I could do better, especially after over 5 years working on this, but now looking back, part of me feels that, rebooting it again is, in a way, diminishing those years. Even with the 2020 revamp, prior to it you could go through the updates and really look at how my art has progressed, and though true you can still scroll and find the old updates, it's just... not quite the same. Same can be said for the 2023 reboot.

Does that mean I'm going back on the reboot? No. I already have the next updates planned (I just haven't had a chance to work on them that often) and I really like the new lore of the world that I've come up with. I just think this will be the last time I ever reboot the comic. Whatever happens, happens, and I need to just roll with it. Even if what happens is our little roadtrip getting derailed into a corn field again, lol.

Comic Fury and New Comic?

With that said, what do I have in store for the new reboots of AtDFF and AYC? (yes AYC got rebooted too, I just haven't posted the first update like I did with AtDFF) Well, I mentioned a Comic Fury, which surprise. Both AtDFF and AYC have their own Comic Fury pages now! Don't worry, I still plan on posting to Tumblr as well, but now you can also find them on Comic Fury. Along with another comic I'm planning to do (eventually), Undertale-ish: The Comic. Ever wonder what Ish Frisk's journey through the Underground was like? Want to see what happened in most (not all) of their 800 runs? Want to see this child grapple with their self insecurities, perfectionism, and the responsibility of having full control over time and an entire civilization's lives in the palm of their hand? Want to see Chara as a ghost? Well that's what you'll get with Undertale-ish: The Comic! Coming I don't know since I such at scheduling and time management for these things!

Schedule

Speaking of scheduling! When are any of these comics coming out? Well... I just said I suck with schedules, and I can't promise really... anything when it comes to release but like... I know I for sure would like to release things... regularly? Even with the start of the reboot, I started it in April, and that stuff extended until at least August. Every summer I naively think "Oh! I'm gonna have so much time to work on the comic!" and then I get a summer job. Because I'm nearly 20 and going to college and even if I'm still living under my parent's roof, I can't entirely rely on my dad to pay my tuition. Only for half the year. Then during the school year, I have classes, and I feel burned out by the time I get home, and- It's a whole thing I need to find someway to work around or else nothing gets done and my brain just screams at itself. So, I think scheduling is something I'm gonna figure out throughout January, and try and get a backlog of updates ready throughout February to April or May so maybe we can start posting again in summer. Does that feel like a long wait? Even being near a year from the first update of the AtDFF reboot? Yes. But also I'm trying to over estimate and give myself the time and space I need while still attending college, and I wouldn't just be working on one comic update, but multiple. I'm trying to give myself space and some grace instead of making promises that feel hollow after a while of being unfufilled.

Lack of Motivation and How to Fix

Another thing to address, is my motivation when it comes to these series. I don't think it's accurate to say I've felt completely unmotivated to work on either comic, I mean, I was motivated for some of the beginning of last year to full on overhaul them, but I will say that, these comics have started to feel like a job. It's been something I've felt for a couple years now, where I've been having less fun with the comic as it's begun to feel like actual work. Believe me, I'm super excited for some of the later plot points of both AtDFF and AYC, and I love Undertale-ish and these characters but to get to those points or character moments, it feels like I'm slogging through what comes before it, which isn't good. This is something that sure, rebooting helped for a bit, before I got caught up in school and other stuff, but it's not a permanent solution and I've felt myself slipping back into the comic feeling like a job.

So how might I remedy this? Well, I think the solution might lie in another series I started this year, Drawing Junior Secret Squad until Chapter 3. Even if DJSSuC3 is more Deltarune focused, I've enjoyed drawing Chicago and my other fankids pretty much daily as, there's not that much pressure on it. Definitely not like there is with AtDFF or AYC. I don't have to line, or even color them since, they're just little doodles. I don't have to worry about missing a day since, I'll just do multiple the next day. They're quick, they're easy, I can just draw whatever idea I have with the characters I want, I'm having fun. Back when Ask the Dreemurr-Font Family was nothing but an ask chat on Amino, that's what I did it for. For fun. I wasn't worried with popularity or being like other creators, I just did silly little character driven roleplays for fun. I think that's been my issue with the comics. They aren't fun anymore. They're work because, I feel it's my job to tell this story rather than just... telling it because I want to. So, I think going forward, I'm gonna try to have more fun with the comics and Ish in general. For you all, that's probably gonna look like more sketches and doodles getting posted and maybe even just sharing small comics based off ideas that pop into my brain or from roleplays that happened in my server. Little things to help me regain the enjoyment I had with these comics and world.

Deltarune: Fool's Fate

I think that's all I've got to say on the Undertale based comics, so how about now we move onto something Deltarune related? As I was doing DJSSuC3, I introduced an idea called Deltarune: Fool's Fate. Aka, Chicago and Co's adventures through the Dark Worlds after Kris denied their destiny. So far, this has just been little doodles, character designs, and a roleplay I've been doing in my discord server. I've been having quite a bit of fun with that RP, we're nearly to the end of what would be the first "chapter" and have been fighting Dorothy, the secret boss of the Attic Dark World and who some of y'all might recall I made a real life doll of when my old computer finally kicked the bucket earlier this month. (I've still yet to make her dress or crown) I think roleplays have always been the thing I find the most enjoyable when it comes to character exploration as, I don't have to spend forever drawing comics and I get to sorta live through the characters. It's something I've been doing for characters from even before I was in this fandom. With the Fool's Fate roleplay too, I've also got to come up with elements that could feasibly be in an actual video game without, you know, actually coding a video game.

I don't know where Fool's Fate will go from here, while it'd be cool to have it be an actual fangame, I don't have that sort of skill. Nor the budget to pay a team. (My team for the comics is really just a bunch of friends I convinced to help me out for free.) Even with a sprite comic, it'd be too much. So, for now, it'll likely just remain a concept and roleplay. But, who knows. Maybe someday I could make it into something. I mean, after watching this year's Underevent I wanted to.

Other stuff

With all the UTDR stuff out of the way, what about some of my other stuff? (Because, surprise, Undertale and Deltarune aren't the ONLY things I do. Just the things I hyperfixate on the most.) Well, I've got my Fakemon region, Azmayca, POW-R, Dragon Riders, and Kinder Eyes which I started last summer. I don't really have any plans for them, asides from bugging people for ideas and doodling whenever I'm in the mood. However I think starting this year, I'm gonna try to post more of the doodles I make. Either ones in my sketchbook since DJSS gave me the confidence to post sketchy silly little doodles like that, or sketch doodles I draw digitally as warm ups. Though who knows. Maybe a hyperfixation swing some time during the summer will cause me to actually try to do something crazy like outline the whole Azmayca region and hypothetical game. Hopefully not something like that though. Making the evolutions of my redesigns of the starters might be nice.

Commissions

Another thing I'd like to finally do next year is update my commissions sheet. It's something I've had in the work for a while now, and was working on along side launching the comic updates. But, like the comics, school and work got in the way so... I sorta forgot about it. Regardless! I'm gonna try to post my updated sheet some time within the next few months, it's mostly just been havin to draw or find recent examples of my work. Hopefully then I'll actually get some more commissions because, um *looks at the whooping $3.94 in my checking account* I could really use the extra money. I might work during the summers and get grade payments from my dad but, that stuff is to pay my tuition and some of my lunches during the semester, and even with lunches, 500 dollars is spread thin through 17, 16 ish weeks. That's like, only $30 a week, which is maybe enough to cover buying lunch at the campus food court like, once or twice from the food court. Maybe three times if I'm lucky and conservative with my spending. Not to mention that $300 of that went to my new laptop, and even if I should be getting $300 from a paycheck I was never paid back when I worked at Arby's 3 summers ago, I still haven't gotten that gift card in the mail so... Yeah. If I was living on my own, I'd be screwed. Which is why commissions and Patreon are like, my only source of income during the school year. (I still need to look into getting an on campus job for this upcoming semester but that's its own whole big can of worms.)

Patreon

Speaking of Patreon, that's another goal I want to set. Actually posting to it again. I had a burst early last year were I was regularly posting to Patreon with early access chapters of The Puppet and the Real Boy (before I retconned that with Fool's Fate) and thanks to my only Patreon ever @kierangecko, I managed to make around $50 bucks which ended up being used to help get blanks for some of my Christmas gifts for people (thank you Gecko. I know I did stop posting after like, May, but that money really came in handy.) So for this next year, I'm gonna try to post to that again. Be it WIPs of the comic, scripts, little doodles I don't post on Tumblr or whatever, I want to make Patreon another source of income. Which involves posting to it at least monthly. And even if I don't, then you guys won't have to worry about anything since I've got it set to not charge for months I don't post anything.

Resolution Review

So, to review some of my... I guess you could call them resolutions, though I'd rather think of them as goals I don't absolutely have to hold myself too but would just like to accomplish, I'd like to...

Have more fun when with AtDFF and AYC through drawing and posting more loose, silly comics and doodles

Try figuring out a posting and work schedule for AtDFF and AYC by then end of January

Hopefully get a back log of updates for both comics ready to release by summer

Start on and release Undertale-ish: The Comic sometime this year

Keep doing Drawing Junior Secret Squad until Chapter 3 until Chapters 3 and 4 of Deltarune hopefully come out sometime this year.

Possibly design hypothetical secret boss predictions for Chapters 4 and 5 of Deltarune before the next chapters come out.

Keep working on, designing characters for, and coming up with Dark Worlds for Deltarune: Fool's Fate. Perhaps even drawing some tarot cards with the chapter bosses.

Post more about my other projects, even if they're only sketchbook drawings or warm up doodles.

Update my commissions page and hopefully take more commissions to earn some extra money/save up for college or to move out.

Post regularly to my Patreon, also to earn some extra money.

Generally have a better year than 2023 and to find more enjoyment in my art and projects.

Closing

Ho boy! That was... A lot! This has turned out to be one very long post. Hehe. Well, should be over now that I've said all I need too. Also, if I haven't said it already, I'd like to thank all of you for supporting me and my art. Be it my comics, DJSSuC3, my other projects, or anything I've posted this year. It means a lot to me that people even like what I draw and you all mean the world to me. With all of that out of the way, thank you Creative Creators and I hope you have a Happy New Year.

[fantasygerard2000]

On Snow White, I don't particularly have any feelings on the remake one way or the other (though production sounds like a mess, ngl), but when Rachel basically said that the story would be updated... I honestly didn't understand what the big fuss was about and still don't on that part specifically. The Prince is barely in the original film as is, so while Snow White is clearly a romantic, I don't think it's fair to say "they're disregarding the love story" or whatever, because there was barely a love story to begin with besides one interaction at the very beginning and again at the end unless you count Someday My Prince Will Come, as the story itself wasn't really what Walt wanted to focus on as much as he did the animation; even much of the praise the film received at the time had more to do with the style and music than anything else, and deservedly so. I'd even say the comics and musical did a better job at developing the two romantic leads than their own film did!

Granted, putting even less emphasis on it won't necessarily help either, but my point is, it seems like Disney isn't really doing anything that hasn't already been done before anyway, including by Disney themselves. Hell, they've been trying to subvert the "Classic Princess" trope since the Renaissance, and then you have '07's Enchanted, which served as a great parody and love letter to the films that came before it. For Snow White directly, you of course have Snow White from OUaT, as well as her LEGO version from The Castle Quest special and I believe one of the Twisted Tale books too; a sweet romantic who won't hesitate to help her friends when the going gets tough. If I had to guess, it's more likely the film will simply continue this, but how well it does it will obviously all depend on the execution.

It could be bad, it could be good. I honestly don't really care. I just think it's funny how the older princesses are getting so much praise now after being derided for so long—something I've honestly been wanting to see happen for years because yes—but the second it's announced there's going to be a remake—mind you, a remake with a WoC leading the film at that—there's all this uproar and defense of the original films, when there was barely any previously except for a pretty small community, especially when it came to Snow White. Not saying that any criticism whatsoever is a bad thing and I'm all for reevaluation, but you also can't deny there's a certain pattern to all this, one that needs to be talked about more.

Snow White is in this awkward spot where it's obvious that it aged like milk while people who herald don't want it to be changed while it sits on the pedestal and rotting.

Any media official media made by Disney that's centered on her and her movie has either kept her passiveness, flanderize to the point of parody, or give her an axe and talk to dragons because why not.

Hell, even other adaptations of Snow White after Disney have try to update the story by emphasizing the romance more than in the 1937 film. Like what you said, Disney themselves even updated the story in the musical and comic adaptation.

I recently discovered a children's book about Snow White made by Disney where she meets and befriends three giants and introduces them to the dwarfs. It's a cute charming short story that emphasizes how Snow White works best in small doses because her status as the first princess and first movie has cause people to tire of her yet they barely want her to change.

[madhogthymaster]

Fuga 3: A Melody of Redemption

[This article is a companion piece for Fuga 2: A Melody of Rage]

I feel reticent in writing down my thoughts on Fuga 3 on account that I have very few notes about it: this was an almost complete turnaround from the mistakes of the second game and an appropriate conclusion to the themes that began with the first game. The biggest exercise in course-correcting I have seen in a long while!

I mean it when I say this feels designed to address all my very specific criticisms about Fuga 2 down to the wire: within the first couple of chapters, Malt gets whisked away for plot reasons, leaving the rest of the cast to rise to the occasion and restoring them as main characters - including and especially Mei. The Soul Cannon feature makes sense, Responsibility is back on the menu and, most crucially, the furry nazies are The Bad Guys again! This does not undo the damage caused by its predecessor but it’s a massive step into a more salubrious direction. The game only gets better from that moment onward.

What we have here is a reprisal of the same narrative and world-building bits that defined the framework of the entire Little Tail Bronx series, up and to the point it’s basically a remake of Solatorobo. Its status as a loosely connected prequel was overtaken by a much more delineated role within the canon, as if to bridge the gap between the older fans (me) and the newer fans (also me).

The big “Come Together” moment, right at the end, feels earned as the true final boss isn’t the (advertised) world-ending threat but a relic of the dehumanizing cruelty and blind hatred of the war machine fueled by fascist oppression, both metaphorical and literal. It’s funny because, in many ways, it’s a redo on the final boss from Fuga 2 except, this time around, they adopted the correct framing to make the intended message resonate. You know, as opposed to… doing the exact opposite.

There are elements that do not work such as the entire point of Malt’s estranged brother, who swoops into the scene with his own “Kemono Friends” to steal his backstory from Naruto’s Itachi Mishima and wind up feeling entirely redundant. Quite frankly, every aspect of the plot is extremely predictable (including the “surprise challenger”) but that’s besides the point. Fuga, Solatorobo and Little Tail Bronx in general, are games about overcoming adversity and embracing togetherness. Which can only be achieved by learning from our past, our wars, our means of self-destruction, and do better for the future, as communities and as people. It’s a message so simple yet so difficult to convey without accidentally falling into the Can’t We All Get Along? forgiveness rhetoric.

Setting aside that whole bungle, the core idea of presenting anthropomorphic animals as successors to the burdensome legacy of the Old Humanity, dealing with the damage its warring technology and ideologies continue to do to their society, makes the message so much more powerful. It’s up to the New World (furries) to undo the horrors of the Old World in order to grasp a better Tomorrow, and it all starts by eradicating fascism from the face of Earth.

So, yes, you could say that Fuga 3 is almost the same experience as Fuga 2 but more polished. How’s that for a “review”?

---

As an addendum, I wish to draw a special spotlight on Les Aventures de Sucre, a comic book series that exists within the Fuga universe. Aside from the adorable art inspired by Hergè’s Tintin, it worked as a narrative parallel to the overarching story.

The “author” was introduced as an actual character in the second game and became a much more central figure in this final instalment just as the comic’s run reached its conclusion.

What I find notable is how the quality of the comic improved over the course of the trilogy, going from de-saturated, worn out pages to higher quality ones in full colour, directly emulating the growth such a series would have had in real life. There is beauty and melancholy to this approach.

It’s a reflection of the developer team’s journey in making the games they’ve always wanted to make, pulling them out from the clutches of oblivion. Sucre is, ironically, a piece of “fake” art that celebrates the reality of the Fuga trilogy’s existence.

Who knows what the future will bring us? Hopefully, it’s more furry games.

---

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[caelcstis]

Ⅶ✎❀✑◑

munday asks. // @8elphgor currently accepting.

Ⅶ If you have multiple blogs and/or muses, which one is your favorite? Why?

i only have this blog and lucifer ( @applctini ) and he's a sideblog. i haven't done much since making him in the summer. i adore the theme i've made for him and he's much more structured than my main blog lmao - but that's being fixed. but i've have my multi since?? 2020? moved around some times, but yeah i am attached to this blog. lucifer's purely on his own blog because i have my own lucifer and tags would become confusing tbh.

✎ When choosing a name for your muse, did you pick something special or meaningful in some way?

when it comes to my korean muses, yes i do go through logs of names and pick out their names typically. most of my ocs are biblical or from some sort of text, so they're already given names, just my designs. but even minhyuk, they're my otome mc so i purposefully gave them the initials so in english writing their initials spell MC.

❀ What is a muse you want to play but haven’t? Why haven’t you played them yet?

idk if it really counts but?? lucifer i would like to interact with more than just my alastor on discord but i do get nervous with big fandoms tbh and when i finally get the courage, most of it's died out lmao. like yes i've played him, but not really in the public setting of tumblr ( at least seriously ).

another one is, ik he's on my blog, chu wanning - unfortunately i haven't found many, if any, rp blogs for the erha universe. i've seen beautiful artwork done by amazing artists here, but blogs? no, not really. it was my first danmei i actually fell in love with so hard, more than the popular titles of like mdzs that got live actions and multiple remakes between the comic and show before china decided to add more censorship and put a halt to any danmei live actions. cwn is just such a muse i call to so much with his behavior and the way he loves and i adore the story of erha, i would love for someone - or multiple !! people to dive in that universe with me.

✑ Do you prefer writing OCs or canon characters? Why?

i've grown very attached to my ocs. like i said i've had this multi since 2020, maybe 2019. i used to adore writing canon charas, but i think the older i got i kind of fell out of it. i had much drama in the fandoms i've been part of - both included in the drama and not. i am okay with writing canon charas, but i also know a lot of canon characters i pick have much to be desired in their backstory and such so i get that opportunity to make them very headcanon based lmao.

i think the most set canon character i have that doesn't have a lot of my additions to is elliot - mostly because he died so young and we got about??? 30 chapters with him compared to most of the other characters who were there from 1-104. in his modern verse is where i have a little more fun with him, but beyond that, i do not touch his character very often than the information we've been given him (which i am grateful towards mochijun for making many side stories about him growing up since he obviously didn't get to be an adult)

◑ What is a side to your muse you want to show off, but haven’t had the chance to yet?

i'll answer this for raphael since he's my usual brainrot muse. but i just want him to get angry. he's only ever been so angry once and that was when he went toe to toe with gabriel. usually he's so docile, so sweet and warm, but lord it is so refreshing to write him mad. to write him so pissed off he doesn't care about the aftermath and doesn't care if he's pressuring others under his emotions. if they can feel an ounce of what he feels daily, perhaps someone could understand why he chooses his usual demeanor over how much he actually feels and hurts.

[theteethofgod]

Week One of Random Horror.

Stream of consciousness reviews below (heavy spoilers)

Insidious: Chapter 2.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/3

Typical that our first spin would land us on a sequel - luckily I watched the first one all the time as a kid so I’m pretty familiar with both plot and characters.

I’ve got to be honest, the majority of my enjoyment of this film came both from how damn good it looks and its commitment to being a Ghost Story™️. The lighting is wonderful, especially for a Blumhouse horror which typically either under light or simply take no creative direction with it whatsoever.

Narratively it’s above average. I am a sucker for a sequel that expertly fills in the gaps from the original and the scenes of Josh in the Further recontextualised without really uprooting some of the best sequences from the first film. Also a big fan of the comic relief of the two idiot ghost hunters trying to contact their dead boss via haunted dice - honestly kinda giving Shakespearean comedy in some places.

Despite some strong scares early on and a very clear love for its neo-gothic aesthetics the film falls flat in the third act. I remember a lot of discourse around whether or not a cross dressing serial killer is transphobic but honestly the bigger crime here is that they do nothing with him. I appreciate the attempt at the twist that the ghost isn’t actually “evil” just desperate to relive a stolen childhood but nothing interesting was done with it and it did feel like the film decided that it was time that you understood that and dropped everything else in favour of conveying this singular idea.

Was it scary? No

Was it fun? Yeah.

Would I recommend? Watch the first one, if you like it keep going.

The Blob (1988 Remake)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

The fact that I have gone my entire life without seeing this is outrageous. I believe that I naively dismissed it due to the ridiculous title (I have never seen the original either). Turns out that this is a properly nasty film. Characters are introduced, fleshed out, made funny, gentle, awful, or just irritating and then all are dissolved in a screaming, writhing mess of stunning practical effects. This film has no regard for horror conventions when it comes to violence: children are dissolved on screen and the sheriff off - his acid eaten body floating past the woman he was on his way to rescue in her final moments.

I can only assume that the twist would have been even more effective had I seen the original - the “alien” turning out to be a US government biological warfare experiment feels uniquely post-Vietnam. Even without the impact of the original story being subverted, it was a great reveal that breathed some brand new tension into a second half that could have fallen flat once the blob had used all his tricks (there’s only so much “oh no he’s on the ceiling” a film can make fun).

Was it scary? Kinda.

Was it fun? Fuck yes.

Would I recommend? Yes absolutely it is on youtube go watch it.

Bone Tomahawk

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I literally watched this film for the first time like a week ago so of course it would come up immediately.

I don’t know why but the first time I watched this I was absolutely convinced it was a lot older than it is. Maybe it was the first kill where they just bash a totally stiff mannequin around. Maybe it was because I just don’t associate the 2010s with 2 hour long horror western hybrids. Either way, this film is a lot of fun. I’ve read plenty of debate around whether or not it qualifies as a horror film but I think these people are too caught up in base aesthetics. Monsters come to town and kidnap the doctor, a cowboy, the sheriff and his deputy (who defo have something going on, it can’t just be me), and a sketchy outsider must hunt them down and get her back. The film uses the classic western formula but supplements the Cowboys vs Indians model for Cowboys vs Other, whilst maintaining the native presence as kind of mediators - aware of both sides and choosing, fairly, to say fuck that we’re not getting involved.

That’s not to say it’s some kind of radical colonial horror. Instead I think this was simply included to acknowledge the issues of writing a genre that inherently requires the Other in a period of genocide and displacement.

Mannequin kill aside, the gore is fantastic. There’s one scene in particular that is just absolutely sickeningly brutal and I loved it so much.

Not all that much to say about this one - it’s a slow burn character drama against the backdrop of western horror. It’s fun it’s gross there’s cowboys.

Is it scary? No

Is it fun? Yes

Would I recommend? Yes!

The Omen

⭐️⭐️1/2

Full disclosure: I have tried to watch this film many times and this was the only time I managed. Nothing about this really resonates with me. There’s two main subgenres of horror that never really move me, religious and children/family. I was raised not only atheist but completely removed from any form of religion, genuinely believing that Jesus was kinda like santa in the sense that it’s something you tell kids to make christmas more fun. The idea that people genuinely believe in souls and hell and the like is something that I really struggle to empathise with, no matter how much I’ve tried. I also can’t think of anything worse than being married with kids so the whole Desecration Of The Nuclear Family also falls totally flat. Luckily for me this film combines the two and then goes on for all of time. Damien is not threatening, his nurse is not threatening, the dogs are not threatening. The baboons were kind of scary but not exactly the antagonist.

The priest and photographer both had insanely good deaths - the latter felt a little cheapened by how impressed the film seemed to be with it, but good all the same. The graveyard scene was beautifully lit and I was briefly engaged when he got his arm impaled on the fence.

I don’t like this one. It’s boring and I have nothing to say about it. I hope I never have to watch it again.

Is it scary? No

Is it fun? No

Would I recommend? No.

Hatchet

⭐️

I hate this fucking movie. Perhaps unfairly, but hear me out. 2000s horror is perhaps one of the most cohesive periods in the genres history. The post-9/11 practical effects torture porn dirty warehouses rusty metal and that awful brown/green diseased colour scheme that feels like it infects everything it touches. Controversially I do not attribute this to the classic Saw -> Hostel -> Worthless Derivative Imitators that every History Of Horror book will. Instead I think that we do not pay enough attention to the 2003 Texas Chainsaw remake. Tobe Hooper’s OG commentary on the meat industry finds new thematic relevance in the wake of mass loss of life - especially an event such as 9/11 which saw people trapped amongst the dying and the dead, knowing it was only a matter of time. What is that if not the experience of the slaughterhouse. “Torture porn” (which is a whole discussion in itself) was not about the act of killing, it was about the knowledge that you will die. Combine this genuinely compelling emotional foundation with some of the most ridiculous chinese-whisper warped tropes from the classics (sex being thematically important -> some of the horniest shit you’ve seen in your life, for example) and you get the weird offputting hybrid of the schlocky and the cliche with the genuine zeitgeist of the destruction of the body and sudden outbursts of violence.

How the FUCK do you fail at parodying that. By the time Hatchet came around (2006) these themes had become so codified that if you ask anyone about horror, even now in our “elevated” era, they’ll probably default to describing them (aside from maybe the classics, but that’s a given). Hatchet fails to nail down a single piece of commentary on the genre aside from “sexualised girls” (who incidentally are the funniest part of the film for this exact reason). The villain is cool looking and the practical effects are genuinely outstanding but for a horror comedy that consistently seems desperate to reflect on itself it ends up creating nothing more than a below average replication of the genre with perhaps one or two jokes funnier than your average bottom tier slasher. The whole time I just wished I was watching Scary Movie.

Was it scary? No

Was it fun? No

Would I recommend? No