zandra-lang-cave

[zandra-lang-cave]

[zandra-lang-cave]

HEY YOU!

Yeah, you! Are you trans? Do you like reading books? Or watching movies?

Do you like media about trans men/transmasculine characters but don't know where to find it?

That's sooo crazy because I have this little spreadsheet I'm working on where I'm trying to document all media with protagonists/major characters who are FTM or transmasculine.

The spreadsheet currently has 200+ entries spread across the following categories:

Books

Manga

Memoirs and non-fiction

Movies

TV Shows

Graphic novels / Comics

Webcomics

Audio dramas

Books and movies are also sorted by:

Which character is trans (MC, love interest, antagonist, etc)

If the trans character is POC

The trans character's sexuality (Because I saw lots of transhet guys sad about only being able to find gay romances)

If the author/actor is also trans (if we know for sure)

It's free to use, and free to add to as well! Editing permissions are on, and I check on the spreadsheet every now and then to make sure everything is in order and to clean up.

If you know something that isn't on the list, please add it! You don't have to fill in every single column, but fill it to the best of your abilities.

If you don't want to use the big ass long link below, you can also use: bit.ly/FTM-protags

I made this because I want it to be a community resource. So even if you're not a trans guy or transmasculine person, please reblog!

[zandra-lang-cave]

I Reblog, this has a reminder. Cause I finally start writing, and I keep getting stuck feeling my story is progressing too slow. Despite the fact that the whole point of my story is to be a slow burn main couple and found family of mist fits. But I keep feeling ain't advancing fast enough. I guess it is just impostor syndrome making me feel like this since I can only write a few dialogs per day. Non the less I need a reminder that I can do this shit!

Repeat after me:

The first draft just needs to exist

The second draft needs to be functional

The third draft needs to be effective

The first draft just needs to exist

The second draft needs to be functional

The third draft needs to be effective

The first draft just needs to exist

The second draft needs to be functional

The third draft needs to be effective

Remember, the second and third can't happen if you don't have something to work with. Your first draft will always be shit compared to your third, but at least it exists. The worst first draft is an unfinished one. The best first draft is a just completed one.

You read books/stories not in their first draft form-- only in their finished form (third, fourth, sometimes fifteenth draft). So stop comparing your first draft with a final one.

So, just write--you can make it better later. Perfectionism is the greatest weight a creator can carry.

[zandra-lang-cave]

Was I supposed to find out NaNoWriMo was a thing like literally today? One day before it starts? In my birthday month non the less. Exactly when I finally finished the outline of my book and started actually writing!

I will take this as a sign of the universe that I'm on the right track!

Sign me up to the challenge!

[zandra-lang-cave]

Consequences of obsession with shipping (Or why Tgamm fandom doing shipping from the start was a mistake)

So, i think this is something that needed to be addressed for a while now. Some of you probably aren't surprised for me to write a post about this since you have noticed this problem ages ago.

Disclaimer: What i'm going to talk about in here isn't against people who like shipping or against ships like Molly x Libby or Molly x Andrea. I'm fine with those ships, i even have rebloggued fanart of those myself in the past. What this is about is how far some people have taken these shipping thing in the fandom, even when the creators have clarified multiple times that some things weren't going to turn out as people expected them to be.

So, shipping, pairing up two characters or more, usually around the same age, because they have good chemistry together or people want to see how they would interact. At times people do things called ¨crack ships¨, which two characters that have no chemistry whatsoever being paired up together for the sake of the funnies.

Shipping exists in almost every fandom, is normal and the rule for it to exist. It isn't surprising to see that some ships exist in Tgamm fandom because of this too. That's all fine now. The problem is how much emphasis some parts of the Tgamm fandom have gave to shipping (mainly twitter and tiktok) to the point this brought problems to the fandom, which i'm going to talk now.

Some backstory

When Tgamm premiere was back on October 1st of 2021, around two years ago, people were going nuts over shipping between Molly with Libby or Andrea. It wasn't terrible but people were giving too much focus to that instead of talking about the characters or the themes of the show. It got so far that one of the creators, Bob Roth, had to intervene and clarify on twitter that people were looking too much into it and that, and i quote: ¨the internet has piled heaps of expectations on Molly based on very little data¨ and that ¨I think the best way to enjoy the show is to watch without preconceived notions and let it unfold naturally.¨

Source: https://twitter.com/automaticgravy/status/1444708477520072705

Sections of the fandom were giving too much emphasis on shipping in a show that barely had any romance at that point and it was mainly about the friendship-relationship between the two main characters Molly and Scratch. It was frustrating for people like me who were just trying to enjoy the show for what it was and what it was doing that instead of if a x ship became canon or not.

In a way i think this obsession with shipping really hurt the fandom and still has effect on it today was in how Scratch was perceived and analyzed as a character by the fandom and outside the fandom in general.

Scratch is one of the most complex characters in the show and one that changes the most from the first episode to now, in the second season (and still changing). In any other fandom Scratch would be a very popular character because of this, and yet, somehow in this fandom there are parts of it that seem to ignore his characterization and complexity, even when a good part of the story revolves around him and his growth.

Now, while there could be other factors that play a role in this, such as Scratch being a non-human character, or the younger audience relating more to the teen characters, i think it is hard for me to ignore that shipping had an impact in the way people view his character and the way talk about him. Because those who have watched the show without getting into shipping that much really like and appreciate his character. And they appreciate the show for what it does and the messages it gives.

After the creators clarified what their intentions with the characters were, the fandom seemed to calm down a bit and over time people started to appreciate the show more for its characters arcs, humor, themes and nice continuity for a slice of life show. All seemed to be going okay after season 1.

...Until some trolls around August-October 2022 leaked some footage from Season 2 introducing the Chens as characters, spoiling an important surprise for some fans and revealing some scenes of Molly crushing on the new boy character: Ollie Chen.

This scenes were clearly leaked with the purpose to start drama in the fandom, because things like this are what get fans too invested in shipping riled up. And that's what happened. Some fans got really mad over what was Molly having an innocent crush on a boy from her age. Something very normal for a girl of her age to have.

Months before the Season 2 premiere ¨The New (Para) Normal¨, some tiktok fans and parts of twitter (i assume teenagers) were creating accounts with the sole purpose to hate on Ollie's character way before they could see how the show was going to develop his character or was introduced on screen. Let me repeat: This was happening months before Season 2 premiere, some sections of the fandom were throwing shit to Ollie for no other reason than ¨interfering¨ with their ships (which no one was stopping them for shipping them even if it wasn't canon). Not to mention that the creators have clarified that some things weren't going to happen as people expected them to be, a statement that seemed to be ignored by some fans regardless.

I won't deny that some Ollie Chen fans or Mollie (Molly x Ollie) fans can't be toxic as well. I'm sure there is more than one example of Mollie shippers that can be annoying or start drama. The thing is, a good chunk of this is a consequence of certain parts of the fandom hating on a character and ship months before the Season 2 premiere. Of course this is going to lead to fans who are just trying to enjoy the show for what it is getting tired and angry of this shipping drama. I'm not saying that Mollie fans being toxic towards other fans is correct, what i'm saying is that i understand why that happened and perhaps it would have been avoided if fans had acted more normal about shipping.

Jump to April 2023, Season 2 premiere and the episode ¨I Wanna Dance with Some-Ollie¨ airing. In this episode has Molly and Scratch clashing over Molly having a crush on Ollie, with Scratch acting rather controlling of Molly (for personal issues he has) and Molly letting herself being too ¨blinded¨ by her crush on Ollie.

It's an episode that it is not hard to see where the two characters come from when you analyse it: Molly just wants to be with someone she really likes, has a lot in common with and she is struggling with all these feelings at a very young age. She also believes that Ollie can change and let go of his views among other things. Scratch has a reason to dislike Ollie because he is a ghosthunter and he suffers from some abandonment issues and is afraid of losing Molly as a friend in the episode.

The two have an ugly argument but they don't take long to make up, they both apologize to each other and Molly decides to avoid Ollie for the moment because it is too dangerous for Scratch, thus ending the ¨romance arc¨ between Ollie and Molly.

Despite Molly and Scratch making up at the end of episode, some people decided to start drama over this and call Molly a ¨horrible friend¨ among other things for... acting like a teenager would do at her age, making rushed decisions and not thinking straight. Something that Molly has been shown to be in previous episodes like ¨Ready, Set, Snow!¨. Of course, this discourse had to do with shipping again. Some people realized that it was very unnecessary since the problem was solved in the same episode it took place, with Molly ending her relationship with Ollie for that moment.

Eventually Ollie gave up his views against ghosts, apologized for his actions and later joined the Ghost Friends team to help other ghosts instead of capturing them. In some of the latest episodes he has been seen hanging out with Molly in more friendly way than romantic terms and both seem to be good friends with feelings for each other. I have talked about Ollie's character arc in other posts so i don't feel like repeating what i have already said again in here to not make this post too long.

Present Day, Present Time

Now most people (at least from what i have seen on Tumblr and Discord) seem to A) Like Ollie as a character or are okay with him or B) Are neutral about him and are fine with others liking him as long as they are respectful of their opinions

While the fandom in some ways appears to have grown past that whole shipping drama, there are still fans that everyone once in a while push their headcanons on other people and came up with things that aren't true about the show. I don't want to give names, but i know that one of my mutuals was harassed for posting some Mollie fanart she made a while ago. The user kept insisting how this artist was being ¨homophobic¨ among other things for... making fanart of a canon ship. To be fair, this user clearly had some issues but it is an example of something that still happens nowadays.

I'm going to be honest, at this point i don't consider people like this mentioned user ¨real fans¨ since they don't seem to even watch the show at all and only care about pushing their ships unto other people. They don't seem to care about what the show is trying to say or the way it is written. Again, it has nothing to do with them disliking Ollie or Mollie, that's fine by me. My issue is when they ignore everything else about the show and very likely don't watch it and then want to push their opinions on people who do watch it. These are people i don't want to be associated with and would rather avoid them instead.

TLDR: Leaks suck and people should try enjoying shows without getting too obsessed over shipping because it can make them ignore everything else the show is trying to tell and turn a fandom toxic in some ways. Enjoy shows for what they do and judge them based on that.

[zandra-lang-cave]

Haven't watch Beast Wars. But I'm one of the biggest fan for rescue bots, and let me tell you, it's a must watch for any transformers fan. To be honest, it is very different from other shows of the franchises. It basically has nothing to do with decepticons besides a few mentions here and there. It's episodic, but there are small arcs and recurring villains.

But to be fair, has great has it is and has much has I love it I know that it might not be for everyone. So here is a spoiler free bullet point for pros, cons, and either or depending on the watcher taste.

Pros:

- new bots and human characters that have yet to appear on any other transformers show. Great for new people who aren't familiar with transformers' legacy characters.

- a small number of legacy characters, but they are not the focal point or are interesting enough to be fresh and fun.

- objectively one of the best human cast in transformers history. Even if you hate humans in transformers, you're bound to like at least one in this show.

- great and consistent character writing for the most part.

- lots of great fanfic and fan art potential. There is already a lot of good of them already.

- good animation and character design.

Cons

- while it has great art and animation, it's starting to get dated, still watchable, but sometimes it can catch you off guard, especially in the later seasons.

- while the writing is great most of the time. When is bad is really bad.

Neutral

(good or bad depending on the watcher)

- It's episodic most of the time. It has bits and pices of plot, but episodic is the show default.

- Humans and bots got screen time half and half. but for people who don't like humans in transformers, it might be too much.

- it's part of the align continuity. It's has a lot of episodes that reference to transformers prime buts it's never specifically addressed. But it is a canonical part of the align continuity.

- decepticons are non existan here. They are reference to them but they don't show.

-it's a kid show. BUT it is 100% enjoyable for older audiences. Just be aware of the clasic kids' show cliches that might happen.

- the last season has a lot of good ideas but bad execution in many of them. Easily the worst of them, still good enough for a final season and decent finally. Just be aware of it.

So yeah, It's a good show. Might not be for everyone, but it's definitely a must watch for any transformers fans. especially new ones.

Ok so for my next Transformers series, I wanted to watch Beast Wars because everyone I know who's watched it loves it. But my brother is suggesting Rescue Bots because he thinks I'll really like it. Make the decision for me guys. Have you seen either? Both? Tell me about it!

[zandra-lang-cave]

It's that time. A small story based on my headcanons and thoughts of how the bots started their path to become rescuers.

Disclaimer, i dont know anything about the lore of the aligned continuity. I know bits and pices, but not enough for these ideas to work in canon. So anyone who is looking for canon following writings, this post (and my blog in general) aint for you.

Now, with that aside. the first one in the choping block is........

CHASE

The clasic noir movie fan, stickle up for the rules and no nonsense bot that has probably some form of autism! Yeah, I have thoughts about him. To be real he is my least favorite of the A team but is mainly cuase I relate to him the least, that's how my brain work is rare for me to like a character I can't relate to.

But personal preferences aside, let's look at my thoughts/ideas on one of my babies!

This is how I think his first few days/months of being alive went.

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

If someone ever asks what he remembers from before entering the forge, the answer will be... complicated, the best he could come with was "it feels like waking up from a long recharge," but he does remember what he felt when entering the forge.

He heard a voice, a very warm voice calling him, he still couldn't understand what it was at the time, but thinking back, it was definitely primus telling him what he would be known has.

Then he heard a gruft voice calling him, guiding him. A forger they call themselves. He explained what was happening. His spark needed a body since he got out of the well before he was ready.

"Yeah, this one Is definitely a velocitronian, eager to get out of the well like the lots of them. land base favorable frame and tin plating. too tin for any healty cybertronian" they speak, both to him and themselves "this one is going to need some help, don't worry your processor little light. You'll be redy to race to your sparks will in a few kliks, " the extranger tells him. He still couldn't see anything, but the voice reassured him greatly.

He remembered it being a slow process. At the time, he wasn't sure why. He just wanted it to be done fast so he could move freely. He really underestimated how delicate and important the process of helping a protofor with their bodies was.

When he was finally ready, he opened his optics and was met with the face of someone, another cybertronian, his mind told him. Even though he still didn't understand what that was, the forger helped with his first steps and guide to the process of knowing what and who he was.

"So what's your name, little light?" They ask.

"Chase," he answered in a small voice.

"Well, welcome to the land of the living Chace. You can call me Frostblast. Now let's give you a small tour, ok sparkling?" They tell him with a smile that seems warm despite their name.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Velocitron was... nice. It was an adjustment time after spending his first few cycles in a crash course of how things work here. But when he was finally let loose, a part of him was happy.

His first task was to scan an altmode. It was an odd experience for the first time, but he followed the advice he was given and just listened to his spark. He found the perfect alt mode.

The next step was to race his first race.

He really didn't understand how much he craved being able to drive to his spark content until he was racing for the first time. An amicable race with nothing on the line besides the satisfaction of winning. A standard procedure for any new sparkling that joins Velocitron.

It was nice. The speed, the wind in his frame, the friendly competition. It all just makes him so happy. This was a memory he kept deep in his spark. You never forget your first race has a velocitronian.

Life could only get better.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Life in velocitron was... harsh.

Don't get him wrong, he love his colony. But life was hard to bots that were not like him.

He was lucky. He can admit that his frame was the perfect average for a velocitronian. Nothing extraordinary but far from the worst to have on this planet.

His neighbor thought, that's a different story. She got it rough.

He met her after a few decacycles of arriving in velocitron. He had already joined a few races, he never won first place but manege to stay in the top 5 so he always ended with decent prices. This time It was a small competition for some rare energon treats. He was curious about them since it was the first time he saw something other than liquid energon, so he went for it.

He spots a lone bulky bot in a corner of the waiting room for the race. No one getting close to them and them not getting close to anyone. He got curious, so he chose to aproche the random bot. They didn't seem dangerous, they're bulky green frame had a lot of scratches and dents, but that just meant they probably raced in dangerous terrain. An experience racer by their looks.

"Hi," he start "the names is Cha-" he was interrupted.

"I know who you are rookie" they said to him in an annoying tone "the new hot racer of the zone" they said in fake excitement "You ain't even won first place in a race and your alredy popular, for primus sake" they add in a small tone.

All of their annoyance pass over his helm. Has they said he was still a rookie in pretty much everything. Including detecting others' sarcasm.

"Oh, well, nice to meet you. Can I get your name?" He asks. still unaware of the other annoyance and every other bot starting to stare at them.

The bot look arround the room before getting close to Chase "listen rookie" they say close to his faceplate. "I'm gonna give you some advice. Don't get close to bots like me for your sake and theirs. Don't go looking for trouble, " they finish. A voice sound from the speakers calling to all the racers. The stranger starts to move to the racetrack before being stopped by Chase's voice.

"I still didn't get your name," he says to them "its rude to know another's bot name when they don't know yours"

The bot watches him healm to pedes with disdain. But he could also see a small spark of curiosity in the other bot.

"Tell you what, rookie. Win the race, and I answer your questions," they challenged.

"That sounds like a deal," Chase said with a smile before following the rest to the racetrack.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

He'll be liying if he said he wasn't intrigued. There was something about the other bot that confused him. They seem to be an experienced racer, but no one wanted to be close to them. That was odd. He might be new, but has far has he understood experience racers are popular in velocitron, but no bot looked to be wanting to get close to them. He wanted to get to know the extranger better, maybe even be friends, that be nice.

This was the first time he actually felt motivated to win a race.

He really pushed himself harder than any other race before. And it shows since he ended up winning the race. Thought he was met with a surprise when he looked at the scoring board. Thera was the picture of the bot he met, their name on it, but the picture wasn't anywhere near where he thought it would be.

The bot, she/her pronouns, Landslide was her name based on the screen. She was the last one in the race. He was surprised, by the way she looked, she should have been in a better spot. Curiosity strikes him again.

When he was called to the podium, he tried to look for her on the crowd. He spotted her green frame, leaving the place, a bit more scratch and dented than before. Odd, the track didn't have any obstacles that would leave that much damage.

After he got his prize, he followed the path Landslide took. Funny enough, she lives at the same building he does.

"Landslid, wait!" Chase screams at her.

Landslide stops in her path and turns around to look at Chase. A small surprise could be looked in her optics.

"What's the matter rookie?, though I wouldn't hear from you after the race, " she says.

"Why will I do that. It's just a -" Landslide interjected him before he could finish.

"Careful sparkling. Don't say things you can't get back. Especially in the middle of the street, " she warned him. "Tell you what, share some of those treats you just win, and I'll give you a crash course on how to act in this colony"

"But I already got my guide course done," Chase says.

"The official one, maybe. But you need more street smarts if you don't want to get Mob in the streets, " she teased him "lets go to my place. This ain't a chat you want bots to hear"

"Alright," Chase says before following Landslide to the building.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Landslide place was small, it was one of the cheapest apartments in the building so it make sence. But the fact that Landslide was definitely older and more experienced than him made Chase wonder why she didn't live in a better place. She should have a few big wins on her name.

"So, listen, rookie." Landslide starts with a serious tone while she grab some of the treats from the table."You are still new to the planet, so bots will give you time to adjust. But that time has limit, if you don't know how to act before that time is done you'll be an outcast" she pause for a moment before adding "like me" she finish before starting eating the treats while giving Chase time to process what she just said.

"But... why?" Chase asks after a moment. "You seem like an experienced racer. Everyone should follow you with praises and admiration." He finished.

Landslide watches Chase for a klik, thinking of how to explain it to Chase.

"Chase, look at you. What do you describe your frame?" She says in a calm tone.

"Well, I'm smaller than the average bot. And plating is tinner than most. And I have a mostly blue body with gray accents due to my alt mode. But I don't see why that has to do with this conversation"

"I'm getting there, slow for a klik rookie," Landslide tease "now how do you describe my frame?" She asks.

"Big, green, bulky, and rough," Chase speaks dryly. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Landslide sight before speaking "rookie, it has to do with everything. This planet decides everything by racing. If you are not good for it, then you're a nobody at best. And a target at worst" Landslide tone sounds resign "you are right saying I'm an experience racer. I was one of the first velocitronians that spawn after we colonized this planet. I remember the time before racing became everything here. I saw how cybertronians like me whose frame didn't make them racers to the standar of this world got slowly shoved into the shadows. Bots like me don't get a chance to live, only to survive" she direct her sight to Chase before adding "meanwhile bots like you can have everything I have work vorns to get in just a few cycles" Landslide states bitterly.

Chase was silent for a few kliks. He could hear landslide eating the treats, but he could also hear the distant sound of speeding bots racing.

"It's just racing," he finally adds, "win or lose, good or bad at it. Why does it matter?" He asks.

"That's just how the ones in power choose to rule this place," Landslide answered. She sees how Chase starts to look at her with pity. "Don't do that," she says.

"Do what?" Chase ask.

"Looking me with pity," she answer "look rookie. I might have it bad, but I could be worse. I might not be able to win any big race, but u can get by just fine smashing the rookies, " she jokes.

"But you lose today," Chase says, worry.

"Yeah, I'll admit. These old pedes are getting rusty" she says while taping her limbs "either that or the new sparklings are spawning better at racing" she jokes while she grabs Tha last few of the treats "though you could use some practice in your turns. You give a lot of spaces for bots to pass you, " she finishes.

Chase stay silent for a moment, processing all that they just discussed, all while the racing noise from outside starts to feel heavy in Chases audio receptors.

He thought how landslide was older, older than most racers, yet she lost a race of mostly rookies like him. It's getting harder for her to race, he thought. Yet it's something that comes naturally to him.

"Teach me," he says.

"What you said sparkling?" Landslide ask.

"How to race. Teach me how to become a better racer, " he elaborates with determination in his voice.

"And why on primus good will should I do that?" She answer with disdain "rookie I got enough problems in my life and you ain't gonna become one of them."

"I'll give you part of my wins," he offers. "You have race since the start of this system. You have to know alot of tricks to win, specially since you werent built for it" Chase look at the dents and scratch in landslide frame before adding "the other racers are the ones that do that damage to you right? Teach me all you know, and I will share the wins so you don't have to race anymore." Chase finish with determination.

Landslide watch Chase top to bottom. Questioning if he has any hidden motives.

"Do you know what you are risking?" She ask "you are built to become one of the top racers on the zone. Scrap, maybe the planet!, but if you stay by my side, you lose all the benefits that will give you. Why risk that for a bot you just met?"

"Because it is not fair that bots like you have to deal with that," Chase answered without missing a klik.

Landslide stay silent just watch Chase right in the optics has if trying to see deep with in him.

"Ok. I'm smart enough to know when I'm been bested, " she answers."I'll see you with in a decacycle at the entrance of the crystal gardens. From there I take you to a secure training center, I know a bot that will let us train there without questions" she Pause for a klik before adding "this will have to be on the down low. We don't want any bots knowing we have this deal, or else it will end bad for the both of us. Got it, rookie?" She finishes while extending a servo towards Chase.

"You got a deal landslide!" Chase answer.

They both shake servos. Sementing the start of a friendship will make an impact in both of their lives.

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

And done. I'm been writing this since Wednesday! I was so excited when I finally got an idea for how I thought Chase early life in velocitron would have been like.

If he seems out of character, that's by choice. He's fresh out of the well, so his personality hasn't set yet, so I want it to reflect that but have a few hints of what will eventually be his canon personality.

I personally believe Chase didn't become his canon self until he got to the rescue bots academy on cybertron. So when I eventually write that, I will show how I believe he becomes like that.

Also, for those who might like landslides, she is an important OC I give for Chase arc.

Spoiler alert, is velocitron. If you know your lore, you know her fate.

[zandra-lang-cave]

And this is why I can't enjoy the owl house anymore. I still love the show, but man, the radical fans really ruin it for me. Looking for good fan content for the show without running into some bitter radical fan that can't move on is exhausting.

I’ve had this in the back of my mind for a while but I think certain owl house and amphibia fans need to be more… normal? About other Disney TVA shows existing.

I’m not saying no one is allowed to be mad that toh got canceled or amphibia never got any proper merch, I’m mad too, but I keep seeing people’s anger over their favourite shows bleed into anger at other shows on the network for simply existing.

Like, I remember when the ghost and molly mcgee was accused of being the reason True Colours got pulled because it’s theme song happened to air that day.

I remember when the Witchverse- a show that only has a promotional poster to its name- got dragged on by owl house fans when it was announced because their show with witches got cancelled.

And I don’t need to remember people treating big city greens like its a soulless project that only exists to convince network executives that episodic cartoons should reign supreme because that’s the only time these people acknowledge big city greens exists.

And I’m seeing this happen again with Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur! Merch for the show got revealed a while ago- and by merch I mean a singular funko pop- and so much people reacted with resentment because toh and amphibia didn’t get merch. Never mind that MGADD’s merchandising is done by Marvel because it’s a Marvel show first and a Disney TVA show second, the fact that it had something toh and amphibia didn’t was enough to spark outrage from some people.

I’m not saying that everyone has to love every single one of these shows, but lately it feels like so many people want every new release to be treated as badly as the owl house was or have their episodes leaked like amphibia out of spite.

People need to stop pitting creatives and their passion projects against each other and start directing their anger at who’s actually to blame: the Network.

[zandra-lang-cave]

Please reblog if you think that “they/them/theirs” is a valid set of pronouns.

this post must be reblogged by everyone

[zandra-lang-cave]

Moon Girl is just MAGIC

I'll be honest with you, I've never actually read the Moon Girl comics. I think at the point it came out, I just was not into Marvel. Either I was more concerned with the MCU, or with what DC Comics was doing at the moment.

However? I was surprised to find out she had a show coming out this year. Knowing that iconic actor Laurence Fishburne was behind it piqued my interest. After watching the first few episodes, I was hooked.

So today, I'll be reviewing Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Welcome to House of Milesverse, and I hope you enjoy reading this. Let's start from the top.

What makes 'Moon Girl' worth it?

The basics;

Moon Girl is different from your usual superhero formula, but it is also similar. The series stars 13-year-old Lunella Lafayette (Diamond White), who one day conducts an experiment that creates a portal. From that portal comes Devil Dinosaur (Fred Tatasciore), a large dog-like creature who quickly becomes Lunella's best friend. The two of them fight crime in the Lower-east-side of New York as Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur!

The show does not lean one way or another when it comes to silliness or seriousness. There are many episodes that include comedic jokes and antics. However, those episodes are also filled with deep morals and lessons. In a way, it creates a balanced series that does not hinder itself by feeling the need to push in more jokes.

I think this neutrality also works when the episode does do serious topics. The two-parter finale was such a quick change of pace that I loved it. You get the idea that things really might be in danger at this point, and it's filled with so many surprising twists.

Many of the episodes also deal with Lunella's growth as a character. She is fully realized and she comes with her own flaws. We get an episode where she feels like she's wasting too much time. Her method of dealing with this is creating a skip button to wind past moments with her family. She quickly realizes that the skip button is ruining her life, and decides to destroy it.

There are plenty of episodes in the series where Moon Girl learns an important lesson. I think what I like most is that it definitely fits with that age, and you can see her take those lessons in stride.

There's more to Moon Girl

There's more to Moon Girl than just the hero, by the way. She has a cast of other characters helping her either directly or indirectly. In addition, Lunella does not tackle every problem by herself.

Her best friend is Casey Calderon (Libe Barer), a young girl of mixed Jewish and Puerto-Rican ancestry. She's something of a fashionista, but she also tries her best to help. Casey works as Lunella's confidant, and also her manager.

Her other best friend - and just as important as Lunella herself, is Devil Dinosaur. He's a large Tyrannosaurus Rex that eats and smashes everything in his way. In spite of his fearsome look, Devil's actually a cute and well-meaning pet.

You also have Lunella's family, including her caring mother Adria Lafayette (Sasheer Zamata), and her bumbling father, James Lafayette (Jermaine Fowler). You have her wise grandfather 'Pops' (Gary Anthony Williams), who is also the proprietor of the family's skating business. You have her grandmother 'Mimi' (Alfre Woodard), who, spoiler alert, actually was the ORIGINAL Moon Girl. She knows that Lunella's taken the name and become a superhero as well.

You have all these characters who all add so much to Lunella's character. You can really feel the love whenever they interact with her. Of course, one major character is very different from the rest. Heck, he's only had two episodes to show how prominent he is.

You're right, it's time for us to talk about...

The Beyonder (BEYOND all things?)

The Beyonder (Laurence Fishburne) is an omnipotent threat sent to analyze the worth of Humanity. He decides to partner up with Lunella since she's the smartest person on the planet.

You quickly get the feeling that Beyonder is really beyond this world. He's such an alien entity that he's unlike anything Lunella has faced or ever will face. In a way, The Beyonder works as a perfect foil to Lunella because of this.

Beyonder was only active in two episodes, but you feel his presence elsewhere. Throughout the series, he serves as an omnipresent narrator for the audience. He provides us with information on many of Lunella's villains.

When he does finally show up, it's a huge impact on the audience. His first episode focused on him forcing Lunella to work with her friend, Eduardo. Eduardo (voiced by Michael Cimino) is loud, loves music, and is generally annoying. Beyonder ultimately leaves them alone when Lunella proves that she can work with him.

In another episode, The Beyonder forces Lunella to confront her fears. She's forced to go to Coney Island and rescue Mimi, her grandmother. Ultimately with Devil Dinosaur's help, Lunella conquers the test and once more impresses Beyonder.

In the comics, Beyonder is a traditional enemy of the Avengers. However, I think making him a threat to Moon Girl works well. Laurence Fishburne gives him such a flamboyant and charismatic tone that it just works.

Also? He has a good theme song.

The show tackles important lessons in diversity

Let's talk about the fifth episode, Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow. In this episode, Lunella Lafayette becomes self-conscious about taking care of her hair. She tries to create a solution to strengthen her hair, but it falls out. Because of this, her hair becomes a sentient monster named Mane that wants to use the solution to create an army of hair monster

Eventually, Lunella comes clean to her family about her insecurities regarding her hair. Mimi and Adria help her through it, while also telling her that she needs a neutralizer. Both Mimi and Adria help by recounting their experiences with trying to straighten their hair.

This is what culminates in her defeating Mane. It is not done through combat but through friendship. All Mane wanted was to feel loved, and just like Adria said; "To love your hair is to love yourself". It sends an important message about how we should love our hair and take care of it.

Hair in particular can be an important part of your appearance. We oftentimes forget about the things we have because we want something else. Lunella wanted straight hair over her natural curls. By the end of the episode, she began to love her natural hair for what it was. I believe this episode is such a foundational confidence-building idea for young black girls.

The eleventh episode is just as important, and it is called Like Mother, Like Moon Girl. The episode's focus is on themes like gentrification, and using her voice. It's an impressive topic for a kiddy superhero TV series.

The episode focuses on Lunella being made community captain by one of the council presidents, Pena. Pena also hires two inventors, a husband-and-wife duo known as the Muzzlers. Although they appear nice, the Muzzlers seek to improve the Lower East Side by any means. This involves them trying to change the LES, at the vehement objections of the community.

The Muzzlers use their talents to erase the community's culture and soul. They replace it with a dull, technological city without its voice. At first, Moon Girl is rejected by the community who blame her for erasing the LES' identity.

However, after a conversation with her mother, Adria, she finds strength. She and the community rally together to stop the Muzzlers and their noise-canceling devices. They win and manage to defeat the Muzzlers.

Both of these episodes talk about serious topics, especially relating to black people. I believe that these two best represents the series' style and personality. These episodes really showcase the best in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.

Moon Girl's soundtrack is awesome

Beyond the series' storytelling and characters is its soundtrack. The songs match the fast-paced action scenes that they are supposed to represent. They are also just very fun to listen to as well.

Heck, the fight scenes in general are also a spectacle to look at. We really see Moon Girl put her tools to use. Her jetpack, her skates, and her wings are all excellent additions.

This battle right here is one of my favorites to use. Although, it does not involve Lunella fighting back until later. The main point of the battle was to make 'Gravitas' run out of energy and leave him open. It really sells Lunella's strategical mindset, set to Childish Gambino's Sweatpants.

In combat, Devil Dinosaur can be seen as a hindrance, but that's not the truth. Although he is always cumbersome, he can be pretty useful. Lunella and Devil work well together, and their cooperation is often what results in their enemy's defeat.

Lastly, there's the main theme, 'Moon Girl Magic' performed by Diamond White. It is a flashy pop tune that just fills you with confidence. I think it's one of the best-animated openings of recent.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is a masterpiece

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is a show that is very unafraid to be what it is. It's a Marvel series based off of a lesser-known Marvel character. It has a beautifully animated New York, a diverse cast, and well-meaning morals.

I love how upbeat and aspirational the series can be. What I also enjoy is how the creator, Laurence Fishburne, made it because of his love for comics. I think it's wonderful seeing how comics have impacted places and people. I wish there was more of that representation in the world.

I recommend that just like Devil Dinosaur you take a bite at the series. So far it might be one of the better animated series of the 2020s. The good news is that it is only going to get better from here.

Thank you for reading this review of the series, I hope you enjoyed it. My next series? We could say that it is going to be transformational for you, me, and the new fans out there.

That's right, we're taking it to the Terrans on this one. I will do my review of the recently-finished Transformers Earthspark series. As the Transformers maniac that I am, I know it's going to get crazy.

[zandra-lang-cave]

Listen. Il admit I'm late to the party. I'm literally in episode 14 right now. But let me just say. I'm fucking hype!!!

I haven't have this much fun watching a show since I don't know how long. I been hype for other shows mainly cause of the lore and world. But this is the first time I feel like I'm having genuine fun.

So to anyone que haven't watch it yet. Go see it. Raise those view baby!!!!

Good news everyone

[zandra-lang-cave]

THE GHOST AND MOLLY MCGEE HEADCANONS

SUPPORT CAST EDITION

GRANDMA NIN

■ She elope with her husband to the US. This is why she doesn't care about her daughter's elope. She did the same thing.

■ Since neither of her kids where interested in keeping the family restaurant she decide to sell it to a close long time worker of her when she was ready to retired (she is slightly disappointed it didn't stay a family business but doesn't hold it against her kids).

■ Her fascination with ghosts is because it was one of the few things she could keep from her culture after immigrating to the US.

■ use to sing lullabies in Thai for her grandkids when they were babies. Start doing it again for molly in calls after the "100% molly mcgee" episode.

LIBBY STEIN-TORRES

■ has books in Portuguese that she reads every once in a while with a dictionary.

■ teach her friends some Hebrew frases (mostly curse words).

■ in the future, she becomes a writer under a pen name. Can't handle people knowing her name.

■ peope finds her relatable since she rarely attends in person events for her writing due to anxiety and paranoia of crazy fans. In the few she gets courage to atend she wears a mask of a random character from her books. Made by molly, of course. (got this idea from paru itagaki, she wears a chicken head when in camera)

ANDREA DAVENPORT

■ Her first crush was Peter Parker. No spiderman, just Peter Parker.

■ After her break from social media. She experiments with cultural knowledge content by interviewing her friends. She didn't stick to it, but she loved to have them more involved in her craft.

■ Since libby writes under a pen name and doesn't do a lot of in person events, Andrea is in charge of her publicity.

■ when she eventually finds out about scratch and the other ghost, she gets super interested in their life. She interviewed some ghosts every once in a while on a podcast call, "forgotten ghouls: stories beyond the grave." People think it's a fictional show pretending to be real.

OLIVER "OLLIE" CHEN

■ watch movies every Saturday night with Blair. Sometimes, the ghost friends join, but it is usually just the two of them.

■ words run in the ghost world that he used to be a ghost hunter. Many ghosts tried to scare him in revenge. Molly and scratch have to intervene once they find out cause ollie belive he deserves it.

■ He loves theater. Eventually, he becomes a community theater director for Brighton.

■ When he and molly started dating, he got a shovel talk by EVERYONE that cares for molly. Her family, her friends, patty, Bobby, many ghosts, etc. He took it all like a champ cause he was high in happiness from molly saying yes.

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

And done!!! Next will be my favorite ghosts!

Honestly, most of these are headcanons. I plan on writing once season two ends or small drawings I want to do. I need to practice drawing since I stopped 3 years ago.

[zandra-lang-cave]

That's the thing. Even if (big enfacis on IF), this show animators don't have it has bad has others, the truth is the animation industry has a whole its at its breaking point. I would have been hopeful of this show to fix these inconsistencies in the second season and at least get to reach a third one.... if we weren't in the middle of a writers and actors strike.

Season 2 was already confirmed since before season 1 was released (I hear people say it don't know of its true but less assume it is) so there is probably already binding contracts for everyone that is currently working on it, they can't stop working without risking lawsuit. So season 2 is almost guaranteed unless someone higher chose to cancel the show *knockon wood*. But I don't see the show getting more than that.

My reson is, the animators will probably join the strike if things don't get solved. I admit my reasoning is mainly based on this video

https://youtu.be/-ZS2W1eRGs4

This guy did a great job explaining the possible future for animation. If the strike keeps going until 2024, then the animators will most likely join the strike.

And if that happens, say goodbye to any American show that has been planned to release or continue. Yes, that includes earthspark. Cancelations had already started before the strike, and if things keep going like this, any show that is airing or plan to air may as well be gone.

I love this show, but i ain't getting my hopes up for more than a second season. Honestly, nothing is the fault of the people who work on the show. They just got to realse their work at the worst time possible.

BUT WHY THOUGH ?! I JUST WANTED TO SEE MY SPIDER BOY OK

I'm really disappointed to know that 2 major scenes would have explained alot. Having tarantulas instead of Soundwave would make sense SOUNDWAVE IS STILL UPSET and maybe didn't wanna help. Now I have no idea the status of Soundwave for whats gonna be set up for next season cause all points seem to be at Soundwave still being upset and not being ok with any of this.

His lack of presence at the end of the season would have made sense cause mayne he'd be the next antagonist. Everything has kinda pointed to that. Including when he was captured and had ravage pop out.

Which btw WAS explained in another deleted scene

Kitty ravage (she/her) and Soundwave!! She has a purpose and it explained how and why she popped out. It also gave staracream more time to show "yeah star is still a schemer and not the best guy" not taking away from his trauma but it is starscream we are talking about. Making his character a bit more established and his moment with Hashtag more earned. Given if I had no prior idea to who staracream is , I'd have no idea why ppl domt like staravream and just assumed he was bad.

Also Soundwave character stuff with ravage. The story board arits sound itvwas a good choice to cut it since it took attention away from the episode 14. But??? It didn't???? Like it explained how Shockwave got out, why ravage popped out and more of Starscream's character. I dont know why they didn't go with it because it makes Soundwave and Ravage whole thing so purposeless and makes no sense.

I'm a bit frustrated with it all. It was still amazing. First season. Still a wonderful show. But makes no sense to cut these things out when it laid a better understanding and it left things in that now have no purpose being there and probs won't be mentioned of expanded upon. Because no there is no point to. We're past that point.

[zandra-lang-cave]

I honestly believe someone higher up demanded the changes. There is no way any writer/storyboarder would change these scenes for what we actually got. This one's make way too much sense for them to not be what the show crew actually want it. Plus, the fact that the ravages teaser was kept means it was probably a last-minute change that was made after that scene was finished or close to finish. You might think it would be easy to just take it out, but I'm pretty sure the episode still needs to fill the run time. "Make another scene," you might think, but again, it ain't that easy.

For those who don't know how the animation pipeline works. in very, very, simple terms. Everything is made at the same time, multiple episodes are at diferent stages of production at the same time, an episode might be being storyboarded at the same time other is being written and other is being animated. Big plot points are/should be stablish before starting the pipeline so everything can run smoothly. Change anything big or important at the last minute, and this throws the whole process off.

I'm no professional artist/animator, but I know a little about the animation pipeline, enough to understand that no writer/storyboarder will change something so big has that deleted scene, without having something else ready to replace it. Just thinking about sounds like too much work.

And I honestly, i would not be surprised if that is what happened, that someone the team couldn't say no demanded those changes. since we all know that the people who make those changes usually don't know what they are messing up.

This is pure speculation, so take it with a grain of salt, I might be (probably are) wrong. But honestly, with how the industry is right now, what is more probable? A writers/storyboarder poor choice? or someone higher up demanding changes?

BUT WHY THOUGH ?! I JUST WANTED TO SEE MY SPIDER BOY OK

I'm really disappointed to know that 2 major scenes would have explained alot. Having tarantulas instead of Soundwave would make sense SOUNDWAVE IS STILL UPSET and maybe didn't wanna help. Now I have no idea the status of Soundwave for whats gonna be set up for next season cause all points seem to be at Soundwave still being upset and not being ok with any of this.

His lack of presence at the end of the season would have made sense cause mayne he'd be the next antagonist. Everything has kinda pointed to that. Including when he was captured and had ravage pop out.

Which btw WAS explained in another deleted scene

Kitty ravage (she/her) and Soundwave!! She has a purpose and it explained how and why she popped out. It also gave staracream more time to show "yeah star is still a schemer and not the best guy" not taking away from his trauma but it is starscream we are talking about. Making his character a bit more established and his moment with Hashtag more earned. Given if I had no prior idea to who staracream is , I'd have no idea why ppl domt like staravream and just assumed he was bad.

Also Soundwave character stuff with ravage. The story board arits sound itvwas a good choice to cut it since it took attention away from the episode 14. But??? It didn't???? Like it explained how Shockwave got out, why ravage popped out and more of Starscream's character. I dont know why they didn't go with it because it makes Soundwave and Ravage whole thing so purposeless and makes no sense.

I'm a bit frustrated with it all. It was still amazing. First season. Still a wonderful show. But makes no sense to cut these things out when it laid a better understanding and it left things in that now have no purpose being there and probs won't be mentioned of expanded upon. Because no there is no point to. We're past that point.

[zandra-lang-cave]

So that is how that happens!!!! I was so confused about why he suddenly woke up!! Like, I just assumed it was decay, but cybertronian tech should last more than 30 years before starting to decay! I can't believe they cut this part!!

Makes you wonder how many inconsistencies can be because they cut scenes out.

i cant believe they cut this

[zandra-lang-cave]

I actually want for them to take that path. Genuinely.

Like we saw rose arc in reverse, we see the good before the bad. I want the terrans to see the good Megatron and slowly realize how bad he was.

But the difference here would be that Megatron is still alive. He can still make up for what he did. And boy will the terrans make sure of it.

They really out here doing some Rose Quartz shit with Megatron

[zandra-lang-cave]

Welcome to Wednesday/Thursdays of random thoughts.

Also, know as my tired overnight brain gets to weird places.

Today's thoughts are. things that give me and other people gender/body euphoria.

It's relatively easy to know when something doesn't feel right in your body or the way we express ourselves, aka dysphoria. But sometimes people get gender/body euphoria, basically the opposite of dysphoria, it's hard to explain but for me there are certain things I wear, say or do to express myself that just feels right.

To give some context and avoid misunderstanding, Im not trans but I use they/she pronouns, I don't consider my self any were ouside of the gender binary (though peole might disagree where my placement should be) i just like being called they every once in a while, mostly online. I'm a lady and use she/her IRL all the time for 2 reasons.

1 I haven't even bother to tell people i like to use they/them, just thhinking in having to explaining it gives me a migraine, it's easier to just use she/her and it doesn't bother me most of the time. And 2 my native language is Spanish and is one of the hardest languages to use any sort of neutral pronouns, most words are gendered so there are not many chances in my life for people to call me any sort of neutral term, again it doesn't bother me most of the time.

With that explain there are certain things I do/wear/say that gives me gender/body euphoria, most are just sutil stuff but they fill me with such joy that no one but me can understand completely.

My family nicknames are "pumpking" and "chele," and they both give me euphoria.

Pumpkin is an inside family joke base on the fact I don't like anything Pumpkin flavor, mostly my sisters and nices/nephews use this, and I love it when they call me that instead of my name or any other gender word like aunt or sister. Can I explain why? Not really. I just think it fills me with more joy than it's probably normal.

"Chele" Is a word we use in my home country to call white skin people since they are relatively rare. This one is use mostly by my parents and I can actually explain why it gives me euphoria, it's one of the few terms in my native language that is gender neutral and it feels great when they use it, it feels gender validating without being cultural exclusive. That is something I can feel rarely since I am basically still in the closet gender identity wise.

I preferred "Masculine" clothes/colors/activities to the point one of my sisters asked me if I wanted to be a boy. The answer is a very hard NO. I like being a lady, and the idea of being a man just doesn't feel right to me.

But I tend to like more "masculine" clothes like pants, shorts and long t-shirts, the few "feminine" clothes I wear are either "masculine" colors or neutral colors (that my sisters insist are still masculine). One vivid memory I have is of my sister asking why I want a blue pencil case instead of the pink one, I say I just like blue better but she say it was a boy color so she bought the pink one. I didn't Really care about the color, I just didn't wanted to look at an eye-bleeding shiny pink all day, I would have like it if it was a soft pink instead of a neon one.

I love boxing as an exercise (Don't care for it has a sport), and everyone thinks it is way too masculine, but for me, it makes me feel like a powerful queen. Don't know why, but it just feels validating. Even if everyone else thinks it is just for boys, I rarely feel more women than when I'm exercise boxing.

And last and definitely the weirdest one, I like wearing masks.

My coworkers always ask why i wear them even after they stop being required. I just said it is because I don't want to have to smile to people, half true, but in reality, it just gives me gender euphoria I can't understand. I have even considered wearing them at home, but I do not want to hear all my family's questions. If I do so, that's gonna stay in my head. But if im grocery shopping or at the mall, i will 100% wear a mask.

The best way i can explain it its, I just feel like myself when I wear a mask. It's not like I dislike how i look without them, but something just clicks in my mind, and I just go "this it's right."

That concluded my thoughts on things that give me gender/body euphoria. I don't usually think this hard about my gender identity, i tend to just say "im a woman but i use she/her pronouns", despite the fact I'm aware the answer is more complex than that.

I feel most people focus on the things that make them feel dysphoria rather than what can make them more in tune with the way they feel. especially people like me who don't really have a word that describes what we are. We just feel what we feel and try our best to explain it to everyone else.

I wanna know what other things people find that give them euphoria.

Reblog or comment something that makes you feel like you that you can't explain.