#katetakes

[upagainstthesunset]

The notes in that poll are wild bc what im learning isnt that people are in fandoms without experiencing the source material. I already knew that happens.

Im learning that people dont know what "being in a fandom" means.

Reading fic, reblogging from a friend who's a fan of something, liking fanart is not enough to say youre IN a fandom. You are a lurker. Did people stop using this very helpful and valid term??

Im also finding that people dont know what engaging with the source material means.

Watching some episodes and falling behind, not finishing a book, only seeing some of a video game but not all of it IS STILL ENGAGING WITH THE SOURCE. Maybe im speaking out of turn here, but im pretty sure op of that poll meant you have never once watched an episode, never cracked open the book.

Like, am i losing my mind here? I thought these were straightforward concepts.

And like side note, i dont think making fan content about a character must require that youve read/watched the source. Thats so tight assed to expect from people and there are so many exceptions to the rule that like why even think that rule should be forced on everyone. But the problem is people who go around very involved and active in fandom, making opinions and stuff, even so far as to correct others! Like heres a rule of thumb.. dont act like something youre not. If you're not knowledgeable about a thing, dont act like you are. And we all lived happily ever after the end.

#katetakes #sorry but the results of that poll and then peoples lack of understanding over what fandom is ticked me off #ugh i wonder if i need a fandom wank tag #leave it to being in a comics fandom to make me start using terms from pre 2012

[lilygoat]

“Helltrash 2009″

Katetak.deviantart.com

#katetak #fashion

[boxoffairytalefriends]

Products used were: Green Zebra Metallic Brush Pen, Red Faber-Castell Ecco Pigment Pen, Purple Kuretake ZIG Wink of Luna Metallic Brush Pen, Rose Pink Karin BrushmakerPRO, Katetake ZIG White Cartoonist Brush Pen, Black Eddinv 1880 Drawliner 0.3 Pen, Brown Mont Marte Watercolour Paint, Gold Mont Marte Metallic Fine Liner, Moccasin Mont Marte Essential Colours Pencil, Blue BIC Marking Highlighter, Baby Blue CREATIVE PL Graphic Maker, Baby Pink CREATIVE PL Graphic Marker, Pink Elmer's Glitter Glue, Crystalina Derucan Kindyglitz, Black Acrylic Paint, Blue Pattened Masking Tape and Pearl Bead Sticker

#{🎧Dawn🎧}

[upagainstthesunset]

All I'm saying is, if a show's depiction of Wally West either as Kid Flash or as the Flash doesn't make you go "oh, Wally" (affectionate) and "oh, Wally" (exasperated) simultaneously, they've done something wrong.

#wally west #kid flash #the flash #katetakes #im calling this the wally west test

[upagainstthesunset]

Wally "you only touched me bc i let you" West

Wally "porcupine man" West

Wally "im with the IRS" West

#wally west #the flash #katetakes #i was gonna add like a WHOLE bunch more but then got distracted so you only get these three 😅 #reblog with additions so my dream of having a list of Just Wally Things can come true lol

[upagainstthesunset]

Sometimes i truly wish my fave wasnt so damned obscure.

#its lonely out in space #katetakes #missing the brief period of time when all i cared about was wally #how good i had it then #and now what do i have? not even scraps smh

[upagainstthesunset]

Im sorry guys but i slept well for once and naturally woke up early feeling good, so i come on here to enjoy the fun little things everyone posts and what do i find?

Literally six separate people complaining about batfam in fandom. I dont disagree, but day in day out half my dash is this. Its getting to the point where these kinds of posts are causing a more negative experience than the thing being complained about. Maybe consider how much youre complaining about the same one thing over and over again. And that youre the one perpetuating the topic of batfam superiority. Not a day goes by where i have the peace to not think about this bc someone is always bringing it back up.

Really unfortunate to feel the need to call this out bc every person i saw reblogging is a delight and i like all of you so, so much but like okay we get it. We get it and we agree already. Can we maybe at least reduce the amount this gets brought up? Just a little?

#i know this is an unpopular opinion #and ill probably delete later bc i dont want peoples feelings to be hurt #but damn dude can we have a day without talking about how other people are talking about batman?? #thanks for making my whole morning bat fandom wank and little else :( #katetakes

[upagainstthesunset]

Honestly though, Justice League animated gave us SO much with A Better World. Anytime i see fans exploring Lord Wally im like ha ha ha yes! >:D

Like do you think if he had been around when the Lords went off the deep end that maybe he'd be just like them? Do you think he'd be more cynical? More impatient? More cutting? More selfish? Quick to laugh and quick to anger?

Evil Wally what would you have been like?

#wally west #the flash #justice league #justice league unlimited #katetakes

[upagainstthesunset]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but i sort of dont like how artists draw a character so different that theyre unrecognizable without their costume or without standing next to another character theyre associated with.

I get that often character designs are simple for the sake of drawing them thousands of times, and that each artist will have their own style. Thats all fine.

But i notice this A LOT with harley. Out of costume she can look literally like any blond woman that's thin and curvy, which in comics is well.. any blond woman. There is almost nothing about her face design that lets you know its her, and because of that ive seen so many different versions all claiming to be the same person. I can stretch my imagination only so much.

And those panels of Diana I just reblogged.. id have literally no idea thats her except that she has dark wavy hair. Her face looks so different that i read her as asian. (I will call out these are just two panels so might not be representative of the design.)

So that's another thing that especially rubs me the wrong way. Its not a huge deal breaker, but I am going to side eye artists who draw every "hot" female character as having asian traits. Its not too different than people drawing villains with hooked noses. But its so normalized that i think people see round face, button nose, slanty eyes as just plain cute (it is cute), so they accept it. But that doesnt mean thats what Diana Prince an Amazonion should look like. Im not saying she needs to be the exact opposite, im saying who tf is this woman im looking at bc it was unrecognizable until i saw the caption.

And just recently i griped about Cassie Sandsmark looking like Taylor Swift. Again, its a very good look. But its not Cassie.

So idk. Theres no solution here. Its just plain a peeve im venting about first thing on a monday morning. All im saying is if youre drawing a character for canon, its not free reign to do whatever as long as their hair color is right. :/

EDIT: I have since seen more panels of Diana and Donna from that scene, and I'm glad to report that it was just an out of context angle. That's a relief because a lot of the art has been good. My point still stands for everything else, but glad to see Wonder Woman actually does look mostly like Wonder Woman.

#katetakes

[upagainstthesunset]

Okay I had saved last rb in my drafts for a time when I was at the computer to type up my own thoughts that this brought up.

It would make sense that if Darkseid/Apokolips is "evil" (read: villain), then the opposite being Highfather/New Genesis is "good" (read: hero). That stands to reason for like 90% of super hero comics in DC. But interestingly, it's not a perfect 1:1 for New Gods. Yes Orion stood against Darkseid and swore to take down his own father if it was the last thing he did, but he would do so with his own hands. Not with weapons or armies. The Fourth World publication history became a bit of a mess, but in-universe that seemed to be the original plan.

And what's interesting is even that good vs evil thing isn't quite exactly right. It's more that the evil is oppression, and the opposite of oppression is free will. That is what those on New Genesis represent.

[ID: Two comic panels from New Gods (1971) #1. In the first Highfather and Orion bow to a group of children who had been singing. Highfather says, "First we boy to the young -- they are the carriers of life! They must remain free, Orion! Life flowers in freedom!" Orion replies, "In this cause I live as well."

In the second, the two walk through a darkened corridor. Orion says, "There is danger, then! Life and freedom are threatened--" To which Highfather says, "On a scale never before attempted! Come! We go to the chamber of the Source!" /END]

--

And as OP mentioned, it also wouldn't have been Highfather to fight against Darkseid anyway, because long, long ago Izaya the warrior had already done that. For many years! To the point of tearing apart all the universe around them. He looked at the destruction, the broken life and festering remnants of war, and saw that his actions were no better than Darkseids since in the end it all led to ruin. So he sought to find himself, and he did.

[ID: Two comic panels from New Gods (1971) #7 of Izaya. The first with his face in his hands. He wears gold, red and black armor and says, "We are worse than the old gods! They destroyed themselves!! We destroy everything!! This is Darkseid's way! I am infected by Darkseid!! To save New Genesis -- I must find Izaya!!"

In the second he rips off the shirt of armor and throws his staff. He yells into the sky, "I tear off my armor! I reject this war-staff as a weapon!!! I reject the way of war!!" /END]

--

That was all back in 1971. Since then several others have written Highfather and Orion, and even more have written Darkseid. Now for comparison, let's jump to 2013 and 2014 to see what New 52 gave us, since that seems to be what a lot of newer canon is based off of, and what many fans are familiar with...

If I recall correctly, the New Gods make an appearance first in Wonder woman. You can see even from a cover from this arc that the Highfather described above doesn't really seem like the one they're portraying. This cover would have you believe he is a dictator.

[ID: Cover of Wonder Woman (2011) #22 with the tagline "For the Glory of New Genesis" written in a blocky font with backwards R's. The image is a giant bust of Highfather with Wonder Woman and Orion flying in front. It is colored red and yellow and highly stylized to look soviet in appearance. /END]

--

Then In Superman we see Orion acting kind of like a jerk to be honest. In the past he had acted honorably and wanted to protect innocents. Yes he has violence and destruction running deep within him, but the whole point was that he could be something more. I don't remember a single time where he was vying for "the throne", so I really don't know where that line came from.

[ID: Two panels from Superman (2011) #18 of Orion. The first is after defeating a monster. He says with an angry wrinkled face, "But seriously... You can't even muster a 'thank you'?"

In the second he has a smoother face and thinks "Is this why I'm so angry? Because I'm tired of being treated more like an errand boy than an heir to the throne?" /END]

--

And the last item to point out is from Godhead (my beloathed) where Highfather and all of New Genesis is portrayed as a warring planet that attacked OA (if I remember right, I try not to think of this story as much as possible). Here you can see Highfather is shown as an armored leader of thousands of troops. This to me is the antithesis of what Highfather stands for, and a slap in the face of the character building Jack Kirby did. Was this meant to be before he denounced war? I can only hope so given the armor colors. But it doesn't seem to be the case since this is taking place when Orion is already a full adult.

[ID: A comic panel from Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead #1. Highfather stands on a balcony far above thousands of troops standing in formation. He wears heavy gold, red and black armor. Narration reads, "Every since -- for time beyond measure -- we have readied for the next battle with Darkseid. We know not when the final confrontation will come... only that it will." /END]

--

So in all of the above you can see how newer readers (if you can call 2014 new), might really think that Highfather is meant to actively fight Darkseid, and that Orion is his warrior son who is next in line for some great throne. And that's really a shame because New Gods was a story about real human emotion and choices, even if it was about gods. Jack Kirby explicitly wanted to make a story for modern audiences where the gods represented the people of today!

Anyway, I've been meaning to express this whole concept of N52 New Gods and why it's such a disservice for a while now, and that last ask/reply gave me the courage to sit down and do it. There's so much more than this that we could go into, so consider this scratching the surface. And like OP of that reply, I too don't really know what tf is going on with New Gods right now, especially if their horribly out of character appearance in Action Comics from just over a year ago is canon. I think once again they're off in limbo and writers don't really know what to do with them. Sadly all too common.

#katetakes #new gods #fourth world #highfather #darkseid #orion #newgodsmeta #wow this post took me literally an hour to put together jeez

[upagainstthesunset]

Highfather offers his hand.

[ID: Two comic panels by Jack Kirby of Highgather's hand as it's offered to a child.

In the first from Forever People #7, he makes a fist, and Esak places his hand on it. Highfather says, "And what of power, Esak!!? Is this not the naked fist of power??" Esak replies, "True! -- But power to which the lightning dances!! -- On the infinite roads of time!! Show our friends that right road sire!!"

In the second from New Gods #7, he holds his hand open as young Orion drops his weapon. Highfather says, "The hand, or the weapon, Orion!! I, too, had to make that choice!! --- Decide!!" /END]

--

And a couple more to mull over.

[ID: Two more comic panels by Jack Kirby.

In the first from Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #147, Highfather holds out the Wonder Staff and says, "To serve a friend is to serve New Genesis!! It would be a simple task to return you to Earth! --- You have only to grasp the Wonder Staff!" Superman's hand is shown reaching for the staff. He says, "You mean --- all I have to do is --- ??"

In the second from DC Graphic Novel #4 Hunger Dogs, Supertown is shown floating far above. Someone inside the travelling city says, "Am I a -- a coward?" Highfather replies, "If you are a coward, then take my coward's hand." /END]

#new gods #fourth world #high father #highfather #jack kirby #dc comics #katetakes #newgodsmeta

[upagainstthesunset]

I think what we need is a Flash and New Gods crossover mini series. Not for any particular reason other than to appease me. But there's potential, i swear!

C'mon DC, remember when Bart and his team rode around on the Super Cycle? Remember when Barry went beyond the Source Wall to save Orion? Remember when Wally had the Mobius Chair? And remember that one episode of Justice League Unlimited where Orion went to Flash Appreciation Day, or how about the one where Wally helped Scott and Barda? Don't be cowards, give me us more!

I want to see a Wally and Lightray team up! I want Jai and Irey to visit New Genesis! I want Barry to do some time travelling shenanigans with Metron! I want the Forever People to hang out with Bart and Ace! I want Highfather to have a heartfelt conversation with Jay the first Flash! I want Max and Himon to exchange tales from their pasts!

I can't be the only one who'd be down for this!!

#katetakes #flashfam #new gods #fourth world

[upagainstthesunset]

A very minor comics gripe.

Sometimes there are plots where the characters arent acting like themselves and we're supposed to go hey! Thats not right! They wouldnt say or do that! And then there's a reveal that they were mind controlled, under some other influence, from an alternate universe, etc etc etc. Pick your poison it doesnt really matter. It's a way for writers to be a little subversive and explore "what ifs" about characters.

But 1, its been done bc everything in comics has been done. It's a trope that i personally dont vibe with like 90% of the time.

And 2, if youre going to do it, you must write in the cathartic moment where things are put right. Break those characters out of their mind fog! Free them to again be the best versions of themselves! Or even let them realize maybe the "wrong" ways they acted were frighteningly all too easy to happen for real, and now they have to unpack that. Like, give us a resolution, please.

So there are a few reasons i dont like the trope that i think are pretty reasonable and im wondering if others feel the same. The first is that its often not done well. That cathartic moment doesnt really happen so the whole thing that felt like wtf the entire time doesnt have a satisfying payoff. And going along with that, if the writer doesn't key in readers that hey these characters are "not right" at least part way through, then we're stuck with shitty versions of characters we love and wondering why. A bit of writing advice i got once from a playwright was to not be coy with readers when its not necessary. In the case of comics i think that can be applied as yes subvert expectations and play with that, but dont try to trick your audience for an entire arc just to say GOTCHA at the end. Fool the characters we should identify with while reading, dont fool us.

And the biggest and honestly most obvious reason that im not usually a fan of this is that i just plain dont want to read issue after issue of characters i enjoy not being characters i enjoy. Sure sometimes its interesting or funny or tragic, but usually its just not a good time. Ive talked about it a few times, but a good example is New Gods vol 4 where the gods are hyper hedonistic and violent and a mess. I dont want that, i want them being heroic and strong of heart! And the reason im even writing this post is bc I just saw a reblog of someones take from Young Justice Dark Crisis, and yeah! They were right to be like wtf kon would not act like this! The in-universe has the explanation of the fake world (or whatever) trying to convince him its what he wants and its so seductive that he falls into the trap, unlike Bart who does not. So sure, thats a legitimate story and all. But i do not fucking want to read it! I dont want to read kon being pissy and butthurt and accusatory, i dont want to read cassie trying to seemingly brainwash bart! No! I want them to have zany af adventures and then surprise everyone by pulling through!

So yeah. Its a gripe ive talked about before, and will probably bring up again. Its not a huge thing, but it is something that i think isnt satisfying for readers.

#katetakes #this is a pet peeve up there with how adams force feeds trad families down readers throats (imo) #and if you like these things then great im glad these stories have found an audience that appreciates them #its just not for me

[upagainstthesunset]

Wrt DCAU Justice League, a lot of fans like to include a bit about Batman ensuring the Watchtower is always stocked with plenty of food specifically so Flash never gets hungry. I really like that idea, and it makes total sense as a thing Batman would be concerned with bc youve gotta keep your teammates in prime health, but also bc he's the one paying for everything and prob the one deciding how much food to keep on hand in the first place.

But whenever it comes up, i get this ridiculous mental image of Batman LITERALLY being the one to stock the kitchen. Like hes the one there filling cupboards and making sure theres fresh fruit and veggies, at least early on when it's just the seven of them. One day he transports up with 50 loaves of bread, just like "J'onn do not ask".

Also here’s this

#and jonns like i was not going to ask #justice league #justice league unlimited #dcau #batman #bruce wayne #wally west #the flash #katetakes

[upagainstthesunset]

I read through some of the comics i picked up yesterday. Some i was already familiar with, others not. But ugghhh just a reminder HOW MUCH i love that era of wally. Hes still so immature and he loves money and him and linda are still a new thing and people think hes kind of annoying and he always helps if he sees someone in need and and and. Hes just SO him. That's wally. Thats wally west do you understand? And also he's shirtless in like every other issue for some reason.

#wally west #the flash #the editor described him as very elemental and i felt that #katetakes

[upagainstthesunset]

Michael Allred what the hell did I just read? 😂

[Image: Four comic panels from Solo #7 featuring the Teen Titans having a party.

In the first, Robin spits out a drink while Kid Flash and Aqualad look on. Robin says, "Yuck! What is this stuff?" Kid Flash replies, "My mom's homemade root beer. Not all of us are millionaires. I already spent my allowance this week. That's the best I could do for my share of the treats." Wonder Girl exclaims to Aqualad who has his mouth full of fish sticks. "Eeew! Aqualad! Those fish sticks are still frozen! You're supposed to thaw them and cook them first!"

Second panel is of Kid Flash rushing to a payphone and thinking, "'No share of treats, no share of party' Big meanie! He's a big Hitler!"

Third panel is of a globe focused mostly on North America with yellow squiggly lines and a zip sound effect, representing Kid Flash running around.

Fourth panel is back at the party. Bat-mite drinks bottles on the counter and Zook reclines behind a bar stool. Bat-mite says, "Fermented! Yum! Just don't anybody light a match! Whew." Kid Flash comes to a halt with cases of bottles and says, "There! I hope you choke!" In the foreground Robin says, "Never mind that now, Twinkle-Toes. My deductive skills have just alerted me to an even bigger problem!" /End]

#teen titans #wally west #kid flash #donna troy #wonder girl #garth of shayeris #aqualad #dick grayson #robin #bat mite #zook #katetakes #ive really been having fun with these one-offs #also garth why are you like this