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Soooo frustrating that the solution is right there and fully accessible and yet so unsustainable *sigh*

Just remember y'all:

If you feel like everyone hates you, sleep. If you feel like you hate everyone, eat. If you feel like you hate yourself, shower.

Even if you can't manage doing those things, sometimes the reminder helps mitigate the feeling anyway.

unfortunately i Do feel better when i clean my living space and eat enough fruits and veggies and go outside and generally remember i am a mammal :| real pity that knowing this does not make it easier to do those things

#take care of yourself #it's a process #practice makes perfect #sleep eat and shower!

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#huge shout out to whoever made that video #they will eternally suffer glitter in their space so we can all experience the magic #i am in awe

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The people (me) yearn for animated pjo with 20 episode seasons

#it's me #i am also the people #but seriously #before the show actually dropped my only disappointment was that it would be live action #animation is just so perfect for this series #i will die on that hill #pjo fanart #cr: amesliu

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I feel like these are aesthetically the exact midpoint between the Aristocats and Cats (the stage musical to be clear)

Jean-Claude Götting - Montmartre Nocturne, 2019, encres acryliques et crayon noir sur papier

#to be extra clear #that is also a compliment #hal it's about cats #just cats doing their cat things while humans stand there uncomprehendingly

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Dragon Force

I drew this instead of working hahahahaha

It started with the desire to draw dramatic eyes and then I wanted to mess around with some of the dragon force designs and then I messed with all of them. (Erik and Acno don’t even have one. Granted, Acno entering Dragon Force is code for two-seconds-from-turning-into-a-dragon-and-wrecking-your-day, so eh.) I overhauled Wendy’s because I love the feathers but why pink? Anyway, she’s the color-of-the-sky now, yay.

I love how all of them are intimidating af in their own way. Dragons are scary and it’s the best thing. 

#each so different and yet equally intense #really captures the core vibe #fairy tail dragon slayers #dragon force #fairy tail fanart #cr: pencilofawesomeness

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Leverage x Onion headline

#once again the onion is the best #the onion #leverage

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Okay this is actually the tl;dr for the original video:

Source

What's The Point Of A Faithful Mario Adaptation?

Obvs this is very focused on video games to movies, but honestly the discourse on adaptations writ large is exactly how I usually talk about it. I've had the conversation so many times talking about adaptations (typically book to movie/tv or remakes of movies/tv) and how any adaptation should be looking at how the new medium can be uniquely leveraged to reimagine the same content. If I ever find the time I want to check out some of the references he uses and read more.

That's basically the tl;dr bc the rest is a lot of assorted thoughts on adaptation & meta content without a ton of cohesive flow. I have a lot of feelings on the topic and not a lot of structure while expressing them . . .

A huge example of missing the mark re: changing medium is all the live action Disney remakes. I personally find them somewhat disappointing across the board simply because they don't use the live action-ness to any substantial effect. It reads much more as "live action is the ultimate goal in cinema on principle" than "live action would provide genuine enhancement to the material in ways the original animation couldn't" which feels very hollow as a viewer. (Not even considering The Lion King and it's souless and still ultimately animated 'realistic' animals) The engaging aspect of retellings as discussed in this video - ie that they're a fundamental aspect of the human condition re: storytelling - is to cast new light on a beloved piece of content and, in doing so, shine up one facet of a larger jewel. That will inherently mean deviations to some extent, but those deviations ideally work in conversation with the source material and other adaptations, and changes are made with a purpose that will theoretically make up for anything lost in the process.

On that topic, changes - large or small - are a very slippery slope. I am generally inclined to hold the first version I encounter of a particular story (whether that is the original or not) much closer to my heart, and prefer that all the little details that make it up remain untouched. It seems to me that without all those little things, the story simply wouldn't be precisely what it is, and tweaking elements can have a major ripple effect. All that said, changing mediums fundamentally changes the tools you're working with and therefore your ability to convey the same narrative. For example, the most common change from book to movie is simply to cut and/or shorten scenes. Books can be a lot longer/narratively dense than movies can and it is unreasonable to make a 6hr movie just to include every scene. They are tonally very different mediums, and the audience expectations differ as well. Much as I hate to see scenes cut, I can understand the limitation. Similarly, movies & tv are subject to ratings that books are not. Many adaptations have to tone down violence, gore, and other mature or taboo content just to reach the same audiences as their source material and therefore cannot be wholly text accurate (Game of Thrones and Outlander would definitely fall into that category). Those types of adjustments are all understandble even if they take away from the viewing experience for some people. A quick call out for things like Rent or Little Shop of Horrors where the endings were completely changed in specific recognition of the fact that character death is much easier for theatre audiences to stomach than to see on screen bc you get to break the immersion at the end. The real problem, in my opinion/experience, is when changes are made with no clear goal/rationale/purpose - or worse, when source content is removed but then new material is added without justifying the switch (especially when that then causes plot holes or other narrative problems that need to be resolved!) Those kinds of things not only feel like a slap to the face on principle, but can radically alter the larger tone and miss more foundational aspects of the source material (at best; at worst they can actively go against characterizations, plot points, or worldbuilding established in the source material - a personal pet peeve of mine).

There's also a whole conversation to be had about the phethora of movies adapted from books where they had to drastically expand the scope in order to fill a runtime. This mostly applies for picture book to movie adaptations (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Horton Hears a Who, most versions of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas), but also for longer form novels that are just less involved (idk if that's the right word for it) than movie producers would like (The Hobbit though that's a topic unto itself and overdiscussed to boot, A Wrinkle in Time, I would even place Cats [the movie] in this category) Just as another aspect to consider, particularly when it comes to the video game to movie adaptations he talks about in the video, but I think it's a separate enough topic to not get into here.

This video also naturally made me think of fanfiction (my husband & I actually paused it to have a sidebar on the topic) and how it often serves the retelling function discussed in the video. There's the stuff like describing scenes from an alternative character pov, writing in scenes that were skipped/glossed over, expanding on background moments, etc which are fundamentally about producing more of the existing content but a little to the left, as it were, while generally operating within the confines of canon. We, as consumers of the source material, simply want to have more of a thing we like and thus the lovely creative fans of the world produce content to fulfill that desire. There is also the wide variety of truely adapted content in fanfiction like AUs, canon divergence, role swaps, non-canonical shipping, or introducing realistic elements to stylized and/or sanitized source content (cursing, violence/injury, sex or other explicit material, diverse characters, etc) which by & large enhance the overall experience of engaging with the source material even while altering it. Even the act of speculation & extrapolation in the form of headcanon-ing helps audiences participate in the process of storytelling and subsequently enjoy it more as an active process of engagement, rather than something passively consumed.

There is also a conversation to be had about using adaptation as a vessel for accessibility to larger, newer, or different audiences. This is both on a logistical level (ex audiobooks & visual adaptations for those with dyslexia, cinematic versions of broadway shows for those who cannot afford to see it on stage, etc) and on a more abtract level (ex recasting a story with a female lead like His Girl Friday does with The Front Page in order to examine how the same circumstances play out differently, using a modern setting to make a statement on society through the lens of a known story like West Side Story does with Romeo & Juliet, etc). Many current remakes & adaptations of beloved franchises are no doubt motivated by profitability, but it doesn't change the fact that a variety of new viewers are being exposed to the source content for the first time. We as fans hope that will only be the gateway drug introducing fresh faces to the entire fandom, but even if it doesn't (or if the adaptation is intolerable to those who were already fans) there is some intrinsic merit to expanding that audience. Fanfiction also often operates to open source material up to marginalized audiences in ways mass produced content doesn't, and allows sidelined stories to be told through known material.

Idk where I really meant to land with all this, but the video really helped me solidify my existing Adaptation Thoughts and I wanted more people to see it and engage in a very interesting conversation!

#also huge callout about 1st person narration not translating well to film #still need to sit down for my rant about that one #but it was very validating to see him point it out #adapt with purpose & intention! #patrick willems #ps #i would also love to have a similar discussion on the role of parody in all of this #Youtube

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#i did not know the creator had said that #but i am not at all surprised or disappointed #leverage

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Telephone Sheep by Jean Luc Cornec

#those reblogs though #top tier

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A problem with Leverage AUs

First, to clarify: by “Leverage AU”, here I mean something with the characters from Leverage, but in a different setting. (Yes I know that there are multiple meanings that could have, that’s why I’m clarifying.)

Grifting, stealing, planning, and hitting people in the face, those are all pretty much universal, so long as there’s some form of society. Computers that are hackable, however, not so much. Therefore, what do we do with Hardison’s specialty, in a setting that doesn’t have computers?

#getting that analog right for him is soooo important #deal breaker in a leverage fic tbh

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Instantly thought of this fic:

(I would also highly recommend the rest of the series & silv3rbloodach3mist in general!)

Gajevy sketch featuring Cana. Will probably color this later.

By the way, here's what Cana said:

"Sooooo... who tops?"

#cana asking what everyone is thinking #gajevy #fairy tail fanart #cr: xfangheartx #fairy tail fanfic #cr: silv3rbloodach3mist

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You know, it may seem like Octavian is kind of a flat antagonist, especially following an act like Luke Castellan, but once you realize that he represents neofascism his actions and his fate seem more fitting and satisfying.

When Rick Riordan introduced Camp Jupiter, he folded ancient Rome into the lore of his series. Ancient Rome, which is famous for its tyrannical dictatorships and for being a massive inspiration for modern fascists such as the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Octavian, who I assume is named after Augustus Caesar, the first official emperor of Rome and a de facto dictator, represents the ugly side of the Roman Empire. It would be irresponsible and foolhardy for Riordan to portray a society meant to “carry on the spirit of Rome” and not address the fascist, exploitative legacy of Rome.

Octavian is written as cruel, power-hungry, cunning, and imperialistic. He basically has no redeeming qualities, and all the heroic characters unilaterally despise him. Octavian believes he was encouraged by the gods to lead an assault on Camp Half-Blood, and during this battle he gets caught in an onager and accidentally blows himself up. Octavian is shown destroying himself because he tried to overextend the reach of his empire. He is a victim of his own imperialism, collapsing under the weight of an empire supported by unsustainable cruelty. His death mirrors the downfall of the Roman Empire.

(It is interesting to note that Nico di Angelo is the one to prevent any interference in Octavian’s death, since Nico lived in Mussolini’s Italy, something that is contextually acknowledged in The Tower of Nero. Mussolini was obsessed with ancient Rome and had intentions to revive the ancient origins of his country to merge them with its fascist present. Nico recalls his father Hades telling him that some people had to die as he allowed Octavian to destroy himself. I just find it really fitting that the the character who experienced 20th century fascist Europe firsthand was the one to treat Octavian’s neofascist resurgence without mercy.)

Octavian’s death is harsh, complete, and decisive – which is the only way to kill fascism. Octavian may not be interesting as a character like Luke is, but his arc and his death are full of thematic meaning. I think Rick Riordan did the right thing in obliterating the character that represented the unsavory political ideologies of ancient Rome.

And if that wasn’t overt enough a condemnation of fascism, the entire Trials of Apollo series is explicitly about antifascism. The main antagonists in this series are three of the most notoriously cruel Roman dictators, and the heroic characters are tasked with destroying them so that they don’t take over America. Considering that the classics field is rife with neofascists, I found it appropriate for Riordan to make the antifascism extremely contextual in his series inspired by ancient Greece and Rome.

#simple yet effective #it's the riordanverse equivalent of captain america punching nazis #you just gotta purge the fascists #full stop #octavian hoo #character analysis

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Coliseum Au part 5. confrontation

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

#legend of zelda #original comic #cr: blueskittlesart

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Just gonna put the link here bc everyone really does need to read the fic that inspired this:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/51981973/chapters/131450635

It's amazing, and this art captures the moment SO WELL it's making me so happy rn

"Careful, Shorty, kinda sounds like you don't wanna be dancin' with me."

Levy discovers that Gajeel is actually a pretty good dancer in my entry for day one of Gajevyweek - Discoveries - and I discover that drawing two people dancing is actually pretty goddamned difficult.

This art was inspired by "The Era of Shadows and Sunshine" by RomanticHawthorn! Go read it now! *spooky hand movements*

Also, a little announcement from my side - I am super busy IRL at the moment, so I don't have time to participate much more this week. I'm lucky I had this piece still in the bank lol. I might post again for Sun/Moon tho!

#Gajevyweek2024 #fairy tail fanart #cr: mavikiu #gajevy #gajeel redfox #levy mcgarden #fairy tail #fairy tail fanfic

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sick of “scottish independence” this and “irish reunification” that

theres 3 of us and 1 of england

i say we just kick the english out the uk

#i just really need someone to design the flag #please and thank you

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me, quietly whispering to the ao3 page of an author who doesn’t even know I exist: I am obsessed with you

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Anyone else immediately think of Borderlands 3 when all of Rhys' favorite spots are getting obliterated by the giant laser?

Prompt #65

“You can’t be serious right? You want to fight me just because I took down your favorite bakery shop?!” The villain exclaimed in disbelief, their jaw wide open.

The hero didn’t falter, frowning with their eyebrows and lips. “It had the best banana bread! You can’t just do that and not expect me to come find your ass!” The hero said, defensively.

The villain couldn’t help but find it cute, as they let out a laugh. “How about I promise to buy you the best bakery shop in the world?”

The hero took a step forward. “It doesn’t matter. I want the one that you destroyed.”

“I didn’t know.” The villain sighed, feeling like helpless parent that had thrown an old toy of their child, and now the child wanted it back.

The hero jabbed their finger to the villain’s chest, squinting their eyes. “You pay the owner to build it back, and I won’t fight you.” They demanded, staring daggers into the villain’s eyes.

“Fine.” The villain mumbled, after thinking for a second.

“Fine?” The hero questioned, not being able to believe the villain’s words.

The villain nodded. “Yes, fine.”

“You promise?” The hero asked, smiling slightly, as their hand smoothed over the villain’s chest.

“Yes, I promise, hero.” The villain smiled reluctantly as well.

And they indeed did help the owner rebuild the shop, an even bigger one just to see that gleaming smile on the hero’s face when they suggested it.

Oh, and they also had many dates in the shop.

#he's wound and all out of bagels