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ultraclops · 3 years

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Day 3: Be True To Yourself

Aka me literally just infodumping about my Ocs because I love them ♡

Brought to you by Colorvision! Yep, I decided to get off my lazy butt and color traditionally today :)

First off, Tiara Depurrnaire (She/Her)! A Sweetypie cat who's partially related to the Snugglemagne family and, in my timeskip AU, Adorabat's future girlfriend. Like Adorabat, she lost her leg to a monster while wandering the King's dungeons. She aspires to be just as brave as Adorabat but lacks the gall, being content to watch and learn from the sidelines. As they both get older Tiara realizes that she is a lesbian, and develops a mutual crush on Adorabat that turns into a relationship. As she ages, Tiara' aspirations to become a hero fade, and she settles for becoming a ballet teacher. She learns to be brave in her own way and unconditionally supports her monster-slaying adventuring partner, no matter how their paths diverge.

T H E Y (Also I need to post my full adult Adorabat design sometime)

Next up is Sherbet (They/Them), a Sweetypie rabbit who makes ice cream for a living! I don't really have a backstory for them but I believe they realized they were nonbinary in their younger years (around early middle school age) and have fully embraced their identity! They don't let anything get them down and are eager to cheer up the citizens of Pure Heart Valley, one ice cream cone at a time. They're also good acquaintances with Badgerclops and Adorabat, for obvious reasons. Their eyes function similarly to Badgerclops', as they only open when they feel strong emotions.

Next (and honestly one of my favorites) is Moa Nola (Xe/Xem), an agender Oriental Shorthair cat who, surprisingly, isn't related to the Mao clan. Xe originally started off as a joke character based on the misspelling of Mao Mao's name in "I'm Mao Mao", but I eventually grew attached to xem and gave xem a full-fledged backstory. Xe comes from a family of fishermen, but after xyr father was killed in a monster attack, xe decided that xe wanted to become a legendary monster hunter. Xe created xyr cloak after xyr first successful monster fight. After being mistaken for the son of Shin Mao too many times, xe used it to xyr advantage and began going under Mao Mao's title for a while. However, after being stopped by Mao Mao himself, xe dropped the act and began looking for a new sense of purpose. Ironically, xe starts collecting antique ventriloquist dummies similar to Mr. Din Danalin.

Following up on the "based on a misspelling" theme is Rhapsody (She/They), a femme-aligned nonbinary Sweetypie vampire bat inspired by Adorabat's name being mistranslated as "doorbat" in YouTube autocaptions. She is Adorabat maternal cousin, as their mother is Sonara's sister. Rhapsody was heavily impacted by Sonara's death, but rather than becoming tough like Adorabat or overprotective like Eugene, she became more reserved out of fear that they could be next. In other words, she became a doorbat (haha funny). With the arrival of Mao Mao and Badgerclops, plus the defeat of the monster that killed their aunt, Rhapsody begins to come out of her shell and indulges in their biggest passion - music. Like Adorabat she learns to use their voice as a weapon, but hers is more of a siren's song than a sonic screech. In my timeskip AU, they leave Pure Heart Valley to become a popstar, writing songs inspired by her childhood memories and their home. It's obscured by the flag but the marking on her chest is a bleeding heart, emphasizing her passionate drive.

(Rhapsody's kid and adult forms [kinda old])

+ OCs of mine I didn't feel like making alternate drawings for:

Buzz-Buzz (Zhe/Ze/Zhey), a demigender Sweetypie bumblebee bat who protects the bees of Pure Heart Valley! Despite zer small stature, zhe is actually an adult, just naturally small. Zhe also grows herbs on the side and volunteers at the Pure Heart Valley hospital. Primarily because zhe has a crush on the head doctor there... (I did not make zer to selfship with Cuddlestein. Nope. Not at all.)

My Badgermao "fankid", Sai (They/He/It)! I say "fankid" in air quotes because they're from an AU where Badgerclops' spare arm became corrupt and gained a conscience. Their robot arm is actually their body - the rest of their body is a projection of light, similar to the gems from Steven Universe! They have masculine programming (as their AI was made using Badgerclops's DNA a la Cortana from Halo), but identify as agender and use they/he/it pronouns. Originally they began as a blank slate with no personality aside from the programmed personality Badgerclops gave them, but they eventually grow their own personality and moral compass as they analyze the Sheriff's Department's work. Just like Badgerclops, they have a passion for building robots and weapons, and can even modify themselves to fit the situation! Most of their creations are usually for fun, though.

Anf the last one I have a reference for but not the least, Karma Vesper (She/They)! This one is actually my self-insert, lol. She is a biro-ace demigirl Javanese Cream-Point Cat! Her necklace was a gift from her family, and her hood was a gift from her mentor. After her village was ambushed by criminals, she became a wandering hero, and accidentally stumbled upon Pure Heart Valley while following a report of increased monster activity. At some point during her adventures alone she realized that she was biro-ace, since she felt no sexual attraction but still felt romantic attraction. Around the time she came to Pure Heart Valley she realized that she never really felt, like, 100% a GIRL girl (if that makes sense) and began identifying as a demigirl. (Yes this is my hidden self-actualization story :>) She enjoys researching gemstones and ancient artifacts, and the Ruby Pure Heart immediately caught her attention once she laid eyes on it. While she is still a wandering hero, she has a temporary residence in Pure Heart Valley, where she stays to research the Heart's powers as well as assist the townspeople. Her and the Sheriff's Department didn't start out on the best terms since Mao was worried she was trying to replace them, but they tolerate each other now.

+ the OCs I don't have references for:

I did have a reference for these guys but idk where it is rn ;-;. Anywway, my most recent OCs and also some of my favorite OCs are Bernard and Pierre, a black bear and polar bear respectively (both use He/Him)! They are both gay and in a healthy relationship & live in a cabin in the forest together. They are just. Two old gay granddads and I love them. Anyway! They both met after an accident which caused Bernard to blow out his left knee and Pierre to lose his left hand; they had been best friends since, and boyfriends later on! Bernard is a baker while Pierre is a wood carver, although they indulge in each other's interests as well. For the most part they just stay in their cabin in the forest, but they leave to buy groceries and sell their products.

And the final OC I'm gonna talk about is Storm Mao (They/Them)! They're from an AU where Mao was born in a litter of five, like his sisters. Ever since Storm were young, they felt like weren't "normal" compared to their siblings. They didn't feel like a girl or a boy. After Mao came out as a trans boy, they began questioning themselves further. Eventually they decided to ask Contacts Sister for help, as she was among the smartest of the Mao children. Contacts explained to Storm that there are people who don't identify as a boy or a girl, and Storm realized they weren't alone. Since then, they started identifying as nonbinary and began using they/them pronouns, and their family supported their decision. Aside from them and Mao, their litter siblings are also LGBTQ+ - Mamoru (He/Him) is AroAce, Bernadette (She/Her) is bi and Zhijun (He/Him) is gay. I'd talk about the AU more in a separate post, if anyone wants me too^ ^;;

If I remember any other LGBTQ+ OCs I have, I'll reblog with them ✌

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morningsound15 · 3 years

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i seem to remember you giving some podcast recs that i wanted to check out, but for some reason i can't find them on your blog anymore. am i mistaken? if not, do you think you could repeat them?

omg hi! sorry tumblr was NOT showing me any asks i’m really sorry idk when you sent this but yes! i love this question i love podcasts, and i think i’ve rec’d a few individual episodes? but i’ve definitely not made a whole post so i’m so down for this

idk what sorts of podcasts you listen to but i basically divide my podcasts into shit i listen to for education (leftist podcasts, news podcasts, etc,) and shit i listen to to keep myself sane (pop culture/movie/music podcasts, gay podcasts, tv recap podcasts of shows i used to watch) so i’m gonna give you a lot! basically my whole podcast queue list lol

i’ll link you to their online pages (if they have some! either youtube or a digital library) but most of them are on spotify i believe, a lot of these podcasts also have patreons and i personally listen to all of them through apple podcasts\

(under the cut because it’s LONG hope this helps!)

shit for education:

in a clump right off the top:

-- Revolutionary Left Radio - #1 essential listening for people interested in socialism, leftism, communism, marxism-leninism, etc. current events analyzed with leftist theory, great interviews, honest perspectives from organizers.

-- Red Menace - featuring the host of Rev Left, a podcast that mainly deep dives into leftist theory and texts (specifically marxist-leninist theory, but also mao, fanon, stalin, etc.) if you are new to theory and have trouble tackling difficult texts, this is the podcast for you

-- Guerrilla History - from the host of Rev Left, a podcast that looks at revolutionary uprisings from the perspective of those on the ground, using the past to help make sense of the present

and then some others:

-- 5-4 - "A podcast where we dissect and analyze the Supreme Court decisions that have made this country –by a wide margin– the worst country in the world" all about the us supreme court and the decisions that keep us strangled. great legal analysis highly recommend for people who care about the courts

-- Bad Faith - featuring former bernie sanders press secretary briahna joy gray and chapo trap house host (i know guys i know) virgil texas, this is a more accessible introduction to thinking outside of the american political binary. for people who liked bernie and need to figure out where to go next, this podcast might be helpful, or it just might feed your petty soul

-- Citations Needed - if you only listen to one american news podcast, let it be this one. with a focus on american news and how our news industry manipulates us into supporting imperialism and mass death

-- Death Panel - on pop culture and politics, particularly focusing on the healthcare industry in america and why it’s designed to kill all of us.

-- Decolonized Buffalo (youtube) - with a focus on decolonial theory and current events

-- IT’S GOING DOWN - with a focus on revolutionary anarchist, anti-fascist, anti-capitalist grassroots revolts and social movements across north america.

-- Millennials Are Killing Capitalism - i really recommend everyone follow the host of this podcast josh briond (@ jos.hau on insta and @ queersocialism on twitter) because they have been fundamental to my personal journey into leftist literature, their podcast is incredible and their pop culture takes are always fire. interviews, theory, essential takes on the news.

-- Moderate Rebels (podcast / youtube) - if you want to learn about international news/foreign policy from an anti-imperialist source, Moderate Rebels is the best recommendation i can give you. greyzone reporters Max Bluementhal and Ben Norton host a weekly news podcast that is essential listening if you want to understand what it is to live in the core of the world’s imperialist center

-- Radical Reflections - for an international perspective on revolutionary history, from a comrade based in scotland

-- The Black Sublime Podcast - for a black, queer perspective on pop culture, politics, oppression, and liberation

-- The East is a Podcast - for a perspective on leftist theory, history, and revolutionary movements centering people from the (quote unquote) ‘east’. recent episodes cover such topics as (including but not limited to) china, india, paul robeson, war, decolonization, palestine, iran, tunisia, and strongly centering muslim writers, thinkers and scientists

-- The Minyan - jewish comrades! (specifically marxist-leninist)

-- The Red Nation Podcast -- indigenous comrades (mostly in north america - USA/Canada). essential listening for anyone living in emperial/colonial powerhouses in north america. The Red Nation also has great educational resources

-- Useful Idiots - standard news podcast from people much smarter than me who hate the political establishment almost as much as i do. they have some really good interview episodes

-- Working Class History - some really cool episodes on important events in working class history! great episode on The Exotic Dancer’s Union aka the first stripper co-op in america

shit for sanity/fun:

-- Bad Romance Podcast - comedians jourdain searles and bronwyn isaac watch terrible romantic comedies and then tell you all about them

-- Buffering the Vampire Slayer - THE buffy rewatch podcast! they’re deep into season 6 at this point, but features great (gay!) content, buffy analysis, excellent guests, interviews with the original cast, and an original song every episode based on that episode. this podcast brings me only joy

-- Girls on Porn - a porn review podcast featuring only ethically-made porn, tackling kink, fetishization, racism in the porn industry, and so much more

-- GLEEwind - don’t judge me lol i like recap podcasts and this one has the right amount of fun with the right amount of will schuester hate

-- How Did This Get Made? - funny people (and great actors) Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas watch truly awful movies and then talk all about it

-- Keep It! - for everything in music, tv and celebrity culture featuring Ira Madison III, Louis Virtel, and Aida Osman. great interviews, always makes me laugh

-- Las Culturistas - bowen yang and matt rogers’ weekly culture podcast, also featuring great interviews and a lot of survivor talk

-- Popcast - i don’t like the NYT but i do sometimes like their music podcast, they review new shit, big shit, and all the shit you might be hearing about from the music world

-- Still Processing - again, do not like the NYT but DO like what jenna wortham and wesley morris have to say about what’s happening in the world

-- The Big Picture - another movie podcast! this one features great interviews with actors and directors, as well as takes on popular movies that i generally agree with (although way too much love for marvel movies for me)

-- Why Won’t You Date Me? - nicole beyer’s hilarious podcast where she talks to other comedians about their dating woes. surprisingly heart-felt, always hilarious

#anonymous #asks #communist on main #podcasts #recommendation #podcast recommendations #recs #reference #long post

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helloandwelcometomariasblog · 4 years

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Review #55: Suddenly Seventeen

Written and Directed by Zhang Mo

I didn’t know this movie would be this deep. Really.

Came for Darren Wang. Stayed for the female lead. Started off thinking it was a typical and mediocre time-travelling romcom, told myself to keep watching for Darren Wang, and ended up blown away.

I really thought it would be a typical time-travelling romcom. I honestly thought Liang would just be transported back ten years. But NO. This was where I was first surprised. Instead of taking her back to the setting of her seventeen year old self, she actually just changes... in her mind. Her mind becomes seventeen. I found that so refreshing. When she looks at her reflection on the car window after the first chocolate, I thought, “What? She doesn’t look younger at all.” I thought that was what Liang was looking at - the fact that she’d changed into the seventeen year old self and she was physically younger. But no. Same body, just younger mind. That was the first thing that I found new and refreshing.

The second surprise came when Liang changed back. I was expecting the entire film to be about Liang living her seventeen year old life, and doing or undoing whatever mistakes she’d made. But no. What happens is that the chocolate only lasts 5 hours, and Liang goes back and forth between Little Liang and Big Liang. At first, I thought the premise was sloppy and that the film wouldn’t be able to carry it out well. I really underestimated the film (slap). I think it’s because there are just so many of these time travelling romcoms that follow the exact same path, and I guess I expected the same for this one. I watched, half skeptical, half not expecting anything, as the film presented us with its theory: one chocolate lasts 5 hours, and camera flashes bring Big Liang back. I think I felt the sloppiness with scenes such as Liang randomly reaching for the chocolate whenever she was sad - like, even when people are sad, they look at what they’re eating, you know? Especially if you have to take off a wrapper to get to the food??? And it was just so CONVENIENTLY COINCIDENTAL that the one chocolate was right there. And that Little Liang threw down the book that contained the rest of the chocolate. Those things. I’m really not a fan of convenient coincidence. Make it make sense.

But other than that, once I got past that and became more and more immersed in the story, I started really liking it, and was blown away by some aspects. Like I said before, the film takes the time travelling romcom a step further, and what I absolutely loved was how Little Liang and Big Liang began communicating with each other and actually started building a relationship. Not only were they helping each other out and getting to know each other (Big Liang reconnecting with her past, teenage self), Big Liang actually became somewhat of a mother/big sister role to Little Liang near the end, which I found really moving.

The third aspect I found refreshing was how Little Liang and Big Liang became the main relationship line, and how they were almost each other’s antagonist. I honestly squealed with delight when they started going against each other, like the scene where Little Liang puts herself among those zombies before turning back into Big Liang, or when Big Liang eats the chilly chicken before turning into Little Liang. I also loved the scene where Big Liang just nonchalantly kisses Yan and then asks him to take her home, making Yan shout out, “Are you playing me or what?” It was hilarious. I don’t think I’ve seen a time travelling romcom that puts the future and past selves together in such proximity and makes them the main relationship line. They usually build relationships with other people or, if it was a typical one from that genre, I guess Liang would be mending her relationship with Mao or pursuing a new life with Yan. But instead the film is all about finding yourself and being true to yourself again, and not giving up on your dreams. Being yourself first and foremost before being one with someone else. Liang had lost herself during those ten years. When the film first started, I have to say that I was annoyed at how much Liang’s life was based on Mao. I’m glad I kept watching and got to see Liang change and become independent. Even in the end, even when she does seem like she’ll consider Mao again, I felt happy for her. Because she had changed, and she would now live differently even with Mao by her side. In fact, I think it wouldn’t have made sense if she fully rejected Mao. It’s more like her to consider Mao again and I actually like the theme of reconciliation. Becoming independent and strong and finding yourself doesn’t always mean fully breaking it off with your lover/husband/etc. Sometimes it means mending relationships and stepping into it again as a stronger person. Both Liang and Mao had things to learn, and they changed in the end. I’m sure their relationship would work out so much more positively.

You know how we’re always told to be nice to ourselves, to cheer ourselves on, to be our own best friend. That’s what this film reminded me of. It was like a huge metaphor for that. Big Liang finally got to see who she used to be, and how much she’d changed. Neither of them were perfect, and that’s why they needed each other. We can’t live as our teenage selves forever - one day we have to grow up and mature - but we can’t live as our adult selves and shed those pure and childlike qualities we used to have either. Little Liang definitely had qualities Big Liang had lost. And I really loved how Big Liang learned to become independent and stand on her own two feet even without Little Liang. Like the water scene, that didn’t mean she had lost Little Liang. It simply meant that Little Liang was now a part of her, and Big Liang needed to remember the child she used to be.

Little Liang was a pretty good influence on Big Liang. As I watched, I thought back to my own seventeen year old self. If I had an experience like that, would Little Me be a good influence on Big Me? Funnily enough, Big Liang in the movie is the exact same age as I am now - which made me think even deeper about this concept. As a seventeen year old... I definitely wasn’t like Little Liang. When I saw Little Liang overdosing on the chocolates and running to catch Yan at the train station, I honestly... I honestly sat there thinking, “That’s what young love is.” I had no thoughts of stopping Little Liang, or chastising her, or lecturing her about how much of a playboy Yan actually is and how he doesn’t deserve her blah blah. You know, older sister/mother talk. Instead, all I felt was sadness for Little Liang, and I totally accepted her feelings and her actions and just felt sad for her. 안타까웠고 I couldn’t help thinking that that’s what seventeen year olds do when they’re in love. I usually don’t like films that have characters say they love each other when they hardly even know each other, but for some reason, this film made sense. It was just very realistic for two teenagers to act that way.

Back to thinking about my seventeen year old self - I guess that would be me in my last year of high school? I definitely wasn’t like Little Liang back then. So I don’t think I would’ve had a huuuge influence on my current self, but I definitely was brighter, more positive, more enthusiastic, more naive, and I was just generally a happier person. I don’t think I was as sensitive or easily blue as I am now. I don’t know how I changed, but I guess I did. I face more stressful things nowadays as an adult, but I have less resilience. Or maybe I had more resilience back then because the issues weren’t as serious or heavy as they are now. I’m not sure if I could regain those characteristics of my seventeen year old self. Let’s not get too deep - I’m getting a headache lol.

Oh and Darren Wang. I wasn’t completely fond of his character in this film, but he played it well, and he played his age well. As in, he really did seem like a teenager and a young person acting that age. I kind of want to see him in a different role though. He plays similar roles in most of his films (well, I’ve only seen three so far so I guess I shouldn’t speak too soon). But the train scene, wow. If I were Little Liang and I could draw that well I would definitely be drawing him as well. Haha. He is really captivating o_o. I kind of felt sorry for Yan in the end, because poor Yan, all he did was fall for a pretty girl who was interested in him first on a train. I guess his only fault would be that he was just constantly trying to get in her pants and seemed a bit predatory in some moments (jumping on her the moment she realises the door is locked?), but I did feel sorry for him when he got the water poured on him and at the end when he half sadly looks at the bulletin with Liang on it. He got played by an older woman lmao. But look at how successful she is. But HE DID SAY inside the tent that night that ‘chasing dreams’ have nothing to do with age. I loved that quote. All in all though, Big Liang could have never gotten together with Yan, because let’s face it (realistically) Yan is essentially a young playboy biker and Liang is a adult careerwoman. Or maybe that’s my closedmindedness talking. But honestly, in reality, it wouldn’t work out. Yan was immature (”You can’t give me what I want!” Seriously?).

ANYWAY. Let’s end this review by saying that I wasn’t expecting it to be this deep, I really enjoyed it, it made me think a lot (which is always the reason I type about a film here) and it was a film that got better and better as it progressed. Let me go find another Darren Wang film now. (Nothing will ever beat Our Times though! Nothing!!)

I’ve come back to add that all that led me to rewatching Our Times, and I’m a teary mess all over again, slamming fists on desks and wailing for multiple reasons. Our Times has probably become... one of my favourite films... WAAAH

#review

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