#but the 2000s anime is what I remember the most and it’s in my heart forever I’m so sad it’s so niche

[cenpede]

Returning to one of the core anime’s that shaped me for warm ups🫶 Yuhki Kamatani I’ll never forget what you and Yoite did to me

#nabari no ou #miharu rokujo #yoite #I watched this when I was like 10 #I watched a lot of other older ones like card captor and sailor moon #but the 2000s anime is what I remember the most and it’s in my heart forever I’m so sad it’s so niche

[mistydeyes]

smth abt your recent 141 post gave me a thought.

somebody need to get these boys into a club, flashing lights, music and dancing, fun drinks and flashy y2k reader who’s lowkey an absolute party animal?? or an ex party animal, teehee anyways,,

imagine how fun it’d be dragging johnny onto the dance floor, drunkenly screaming that “this is my FAVORITE song!!”

i just see fics of them at bars and i just need to see them up in a club😫😫

thank you so much for requesting! i LOVE drunken club energy so much (something about going to a club and drinking a weak rum and coke on a thirsty thursday really does it for me). this totally fit the vibe of a previous request so please enjoy a little cameo of the best 2000s aesthetic character, Storm!

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summary: The 141 decides to allow you to pick the place for some drinks while on leave. You take the opportunity to get absolutely hammered and sing your heart out to some 2000s hits.

pairing: Taskforce 141 x reader (codename: Storm)

warnings: swearing

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"I thought they said we were going for drinks," Gaz shouted to Ghost over the loud 2000s dance music that blared on the dance floor. Gaz had found his way back to Price and Ghost after you had dragged him to the beats of Low by Flo Rida. After the chorus, you and your low-rise jeans and Harley Davis tiny top had disappeared with Soap in hand. He figured you would emerge eventually as he took a large gulp of his beer that appeared to be hot pink underneath the neon lights. "I am never letting Storm pick again," Ghost said and Gaz strained to hear him. But by the look of how drunk he was getting over the sugary drinks, it was clear Ghost was trying to make the most out of the experience.

"Here they come," Price yelled, almost as if he was delivering a warning, as you emerged from the crowd. Sweat coated your face and perfectly complicated the loose glitter from your makeup and the mingling crowd. Soap followed close behind, somehow losing his shirt after the three-minute song. "What happened out there?" Simon couldn't help but ask as you and Soap chugged the remainder of your dirty shirleys. "Met some Scousers," Soap breathlessly answered, "shirt went with 'em." The group laughed loudly as Soap fanned his sweating torso. "How'd you find this place, Storm?" Gaz asked, leaning forward closer to the group. "Went here a lot in sixth form and the summer before enlisting," you answered. You remembered the long nights and the hoarse voices you left with. You also remembered the paracetamol and glass of water affectionately left on your bedside table.

You continued to exchange wild stories about your drunken adventures including the time you threw up in someone's designer Juicy Couture bag. "And you still party like a teenager," Price couldn't help but tease as you threw your head back in laughter. "Don't see you complaining about all the compliments you've been getting, Captain," you quipped back. Almost on schedule, a young woman passed by the Captain and sent an air kiss his way with her glossed lips. You held your drink in the air and shared a toast with the group as you celebrated the woman's flirtations. Before Price could respond back, you could hear the beginning of your favorite early 2000s hits.

You jumped up, sloshing the drinks on the small metallic table. "Oh my god," you screamed, "this is my favorite song!" Unfortunately for Price and Soap, they were the nearest to you and your hands immediately began tugging them to the dance floor. Your sneakers squeaked against the floor as Soap relented but Price remained firmly in place. "I'm too old for this," Price said as he shook his head in dismay. "Whatever," you rolled your eyes, letting him fall back onto the plush couch, "but the next time there's a Britney song, I better see your boonie hat on the floor."

#task force 141 x reader #task force 141 #cod x reader #call of duty modern warfare #cod mwii #modern warfare 2 #simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley #call of duty #john soap mactavish #kyle gaz garrick #gaz x reader #soap x reader #price x reader #kyle garrick x reader #john price x reader #Johnny mactavish x reader #mw2 imagine #madebyizzie #izzie is writing

[hasaniwalker]

A word about Alice

“Have you seen that evil Alice in Wonderland game at best buy?”

That was how I was introduced to it. A game that would stay with me for years after. I had no idea what the person was talking about at my high school in the A.V. room. I was there frequently, editing my first stop motion film (An adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s the Raven).  They told me she had a knife and there was a thin cat next to her. I was intrigued and the next time I was at best buy I wandered to the Computer Game department and found the box.

That’s when I was introduced to American McGee's Alice.

I feel like I should mention, I was not and still am not really a PC gamer. I do console games mostly and reserve my computer for animation and editing. This game however, I needed to play it.  I was gripped by the image. The stark red background. The haunting stare of the character. the hand on the knife. It was unapologetically dark and I was obsessed. 

I went online wanting to learn more. It was early 2000 and my home internet was still dial up. I still recall going online to the Alice website and finding a countdown page. It was a music box, a child singing in the background, a terribly broken  tune looping as the box threatened to open. It was haunting and perfect.  I’d come home from school and for the short moment while I was the only one there, I’d go to the site and let that strange tune play though the house. At the end of the countdown, the box opened to reveal a decaying baby doll head (All of this is from memory and may be distorted by time. I unfortunately can’t find any images of the countdown page.) It stirred something in me to see that page come to life. It was the early days of internet. The time of MySpace. So the site was crude by today’s standards, but it was the most amazing thing to me at the time.

I’d leave it open on one of the computers while I was in A.V. at school. friends would come and we’d watch Alice move (sitting up from her seat, marveling at her blade, dusting off her dress.)

And of course, take time to show anyone the trailer.

I remember this time of being a teenager entering adulthood, feeling misunderstood, anxious, scared, and losing myself in the music of Garbage, Poe and Crystal Method. Alice fit right in to the aesthetic of everything I saw at the time.  If Wednesday was the goth friend saying and liking macabre things, Alice was the older teen sister angry with the world and ready to scream at it with you. She was grunge, she was dark, she was frightening and wonderful.

I couldn’t afford the game, but I could afford the soundtrack. I ordered it from Amazon. A site that was also in it’s early days at the time. I hadn’t ordered much form the site, but I needed this.

I’ll always remember when the email alert came. My package had been delivered. There was a storm that day. I lived in Phoenix Arizona, and when we have storms it looks like the world is ending. The sky was dark, the thunder was loud. You had to get inside. I came home and went to the mailbox. The CD shape of the package nearly made my heart stop. I knew what it was, but holding it felt like an achievement.  I listened to that music daily.

Now, so you know, I didn’t just admire this game from afar. I did get the game for my birthday one year. I had talked about it so much that it was almost certain my mom would remember. It was the first computer game I owned. I was terrible at using a keyboard for games and couldn’t get through the first few levels without a huge amount of struggle. It was a lot of getting used to and I loved it.  

From the opening cinematic, the menu screen, the sound of the bell when you start the game. It was exactly what I wanted.

At the time I couldn’t think of another game like Alice. It felt tailored made from people with my mindset. A frightful game with a deep story and a character I immediately identified with. At a time where games had very action oriented goals, Alice gave a backstory of an asylum even coming with a patient log for Alice. All of it detailing the terrible fire, her mental state, and the struggle she was going through.

The best part of this was that I wasn’t alone in my admiration for this story. You could walk into Hot Topic and Tower Records and be greeted by large Alice statues modeled from the box art that captured my imagination from the start.

I wanted to see more of this character. I dreamed of seeing a movie someday.

And it almost seemed like I would get my wish.

There was news that a film was being developed of Alice with Wes Craven directing and possibly Natalie Portman or Sarah Michelle Gellar playing Alice. part of me hoped for an animated film with the original voices, but I was still gripped by this news.

At the time, I didn’t consider myself a horror person (feels weird to write that now since I think I’ve always really been one). I didn’t really seek out horror films and avoided gore. But I wanted Alice to by a disturbing and imaginative experience. I wanted to be scared watching this while feeling for the main protagonist and wanting her to reclaim her mind.

In a world where this film went the way I hoped, people would have movie nights today of Midsommar, Pearl and Alice. It would be a film that would take you somewhere you were afraid to go, but couldn’t look away from.

But then...I heard the movie wasn’t happening...and news of Alice stopped.

I never stopped thinking about that macabre girl and her journey through a tattered land of her mind. I listened to the music, revisited the game and also drew her now and then. lines from the game even made it into my typical dialogue (”Promise only what you can deliver” wise words).

I also still dreamed of seeing a film someday and would imagine who would play Alice (for a while I kept seeing Emma Watson as the character, but also still like the idea of an animated Alice.)

Then, one day, watching Attack of the Show on G4. I saw the most unexpected image.

Alice was coming back, and this time she would be on consoles.

The thrill was back, and as soon as a trailer came out, I immediately shared it with everyone.

I was quick to buy the game when it came out, and it was wilder than I could have hoped. A gripping story with tragedy, beautiful animations and moments that sent a chill through me. The kind of chills that made me pause the game and take in what I was seeing. The sight of a monstrous train rampaging through wonderland was a gift. The way Alice’s mind would unravel things was mesmerizing. Seeing life in London through her eyes and getting more of the history of the character (and the twist of the Red Queen’s identity) it was perhaps the only game that really pulled me in fully. I love games like the Arkham series, Bioshock, Horizon, Silent Hill, and so on. Alice to me felt like something more. I wasn’t trying to save a city or save someone, I was playing to help retain someone’s sanity.

The fascination with this character and world was just as alive as when I first saw all of it. I bought the art of book and still go through it and use it as a bit of inspiration if I have a creativity block.

 I carried my love for the character all the way to my work in animation and even built a stop motion puppet while I was working on Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio film. A character who I was so taken by in high school now stood on my desk.

All this is to say that this take on Alice Liddell and her fantasy world has had a great influence on me. I was prepared to continue following this story and I hoped to someday see her find her way to the big screen and have a final story where she would come to peace with what happened to her.

The news that the tale of Alice is not going to continue is devastating. It’s troubling to see so many stories be brought to an abrupt end. for finales to never be given and answers to questions to be lost forever. 

There are a lot of stories that I believe deserve to be told, but we’re constantly given entertainment that’s simple, easily digestible, with nothing to say except to reference nostalgia and trend online. It’s hard to find something that you can connect with. Something that you need a moment to think about after you’ve seen it. Something that gets you emotionally. These things are found mostly in the passion projects of creatives. The projects they pour so much into and want to present to the world.  The projects that are not just made with earnings in mind, but also how you’ll connect to the audience. I think these projects are important. They push us to look further in and to question how we connect and interact with a story.

Too easily these types of ideas are thrown aside now and it’s harder for anyone to finish the tale they wanted to present to the world if it doesn’t fit with what a studio algorithm says. It may be a dark time to be a creative right now, but I’ll remember the stories that I connected with. The ones that hit an emotional part of me and made me stop and think about a new perspective on life, fear, depression, joy and how I connect to these things.

Thank you American Mcgee and the Alice team for taking me and many others through a Wonderland that reached into our very soul. 

#alice #American McGee's Alice #Alice Madness Returns #Alice Liddell #games #american mcgee #stop motion #hot topic #stories #nostalgia #films #wes craven #emma watson #wonderland #alice in wonderland #pinocchio #Guillermo Del Toro #hasani #hasani walker #music #trent reznor #amazon #2000s nostalgia #2000s aesthetic #2000s childhood #wednesday #goth #horror #fear #creatives

[trueka]

Hi I just wanted to ask when you make your characters in blender do you sculpt their faces or do you use a different method? I also wanted to ask if you learned everything you know about blender from the froqqy vid you send a long to ago or did you learn some stuff with different vids? If so can you recommend some more vids :?

btw just wanted to say I love your art and you inspire me so much I’m doing blender cuz of you now hehe <3

hiii i actually made the faces in vroid and then uploaded the models to blender, then got rid of everything but the faces and adjusted as i wanted in sculpt mode :) the bodies/heads were made from scratch using what i learned from the froggy tut

also thank u sm im so glad to hear that omgg <33

and i havent opened blender in months but i remember often referencing several other videos, i'll link them below:

anything from intranetgirl is super helpful – their channel

also learned how to project textures onto the model instead of painting them in blender thru this vid –

Blender 2.8 Bake camera mapped projected texture tutorial

some timelapses that i think i learned a lot from –

[Blender + 3DCoat + CSP] 3D Lowpoly TimeLapse (Anime Chibi Girl)

[Blender + 3DCoat + CSP]3D Lowpoly TimeLapse (Blacksmith Girl)

Blender 2.91 - Character Sculpting & Retopology Part 1

i looked at other videos as well for more specific stuff (uv mapping, retopology, rigging, etc.) but i think these were the ones i frequented most. timelapses actually help sm so i rec watching a lot of those!

disclaimer: i was going for a 2000s mmorpg/kingdom hearts 2 look when making my models so some of these might be more helpful if ur going for the same vibe

i hope this helps! i'll update if i remember anything else

[oyasumi-ashurii]

Okay, so it might be a little hard for me to cohesively put all my thoughts and feelings into why I care so much about Final Fantasy VIII, but because of the 25th anniversary and seeing a lot of you talk about your love of the game I'll try the best I can. So here's my embarrassingly and extremely long personal history with the game and why it will always be my favorite.

Before FF8 I was mostly a Nintendo kid. Mario and Zelda were all I really knew, and as a hyperactive as I was I didn't really have the patience for anything story-heavy that took a lot of reading. Though I did I get a PlayStation later on I hardly bothered with anything other than Spyro or Crash. Anything similar in graphics to FF7 or 8 was mostly foreign to me too, with maybe the closest being my cousin having the first Resident Evil and I was far too young and too scared to bother with anything like that. So you can imagine the complete and utter shock kid me had going to my uncle's and seeing him play FF8 for the first time. I don't think it had been out too long but he was already on disc 3 in Esthar and, bless his soul, he let me play his save for a while. Being able to fly around the map on the Ragnarok?? The realistic proportions and animations in battle?? The absolute BANGER of a soundtrack?! All of it had me excitedly begging my parents to buy me the game. Nine year old me didn't know roman numerals, though, just that it was called Final Fantasy with some weird lettering. I had no idea of Final Fantasy as a series and I didn't know it was the eighth game or that there were eight of them at all. I couldn't remember what the cover looked like either and my uncle not long after that was going through his own personal troubles so I wasn't able to visit or ask him. We didn't have internet at home until the early 2000s (it was AOL dial-up too, jesus, I don't miss that) and my parents were strict about internet use, so I was stuck. My dad did eventually buy me an FF game as a surprise when I was eleven, and lmao can you believe I was genuinely upset because it was Final Fantasy VII?! That being said, I have an INSANE amount of love and respect for 7. Considering how much easier I think the materia system is to understand for newcomers, having it as my first, full FF experience was a bit of a blessing lol. FF7 hit me in a different way than 8 did, and maybe I'll make a post about it sometime.

So other than the brief times on the internet (I was only allowed on for an hour or two before I was kicked off) and reading gaming magazines I had hardly any access or knowledge about FF8 until years later. I knew the characters briefly and read some small stuff here and there about the world, but that was it. Even so, I STILL loved it. I would draw them (I've drawn most of my life, and I still do occasionally as a fun hobby), write about what I thought they were like, so, so much of me embarrassingly obsessing over it and driving my small group of friends in school bonkers (oh lordy I just remembered my preteen username I had used on an FF forum and now I'm cringing.) You get it. So why did I cling to the game so much, even though I barely played it? Why did it mean so much to me? Because around the time I was twelve I was deeply depressed, and throughout my middle school and early high school life video games and their stories were the only joy and comfort I had. I'm not going to go into much detail because it feels too personal to write on tumblr about and I'd rather not think back too much. If you want the gist it was at a moment in time I was mostly on my own. I felt isolated and alone, and due to growing up in and around strict, conservative circles I struggled with feeling far behind my peers, so my personal and school life suffered. Things got better though and I'm happy in my life now, so that's really it.

As I got a little older I had played other FF's and RPGs in between that I also fell in love with (especially Kingdom Hearts) and funnily enough horror games, but I still didn't get my hands on 8 until I got it on my fifteenth birthday and I was over the moon. That night and many nights and weekends after that I played every single bit of that game. I had printed walkthroughs and a guide of the junction system, with overly-detailed notes I had scribbled down and highlighted. I had written down all the rules of triple triad, weapon upgrades, item refinements and what you get from monsters, side-quests, all of it. I had never went all in into a game before, but I did it because I wanted to experience the game that gave preteen me comfort everything it had to offer. And I remember vividly when I finished it I cried until I was almost out of breath.

But you know, I didn't get emotional because of the nostalgic school-like feel and inspired real-world setting, or the overall main plot with magic, sci-fi and sorceresses. It wasn't even the deeply interwoven love stories, the theme of fate or the gameplay either, though I grew to love all of those things dearly with time.

It was because I was a socially-awkward and lonely fifteen year old girl that watched an equally as awkward seventeen year old boy overcome his own deeply-rooted fears and trauma and come out at the end of it all on the path to healing.

And I knew I'd be okay, and ever since then this game has and will always be that reminder and comfort for me.

Thanks for reading.

#ash.personal #ff8 #final fantasy

[shutupandplayasong]

Mandela Catalogue HCs

heheh hyperfixation go brrrrr

Please don't yell at me if these suck im sensitive 🥺 /hj

Mark:

Would have been the best big brother to Sarah I stg

Not afraid to wear a tiara and feather boa and have a tea party with her

This towering young man sat on a dinky little plastic chair sipping imaginary tea, pinky out and all

Aaagghhhhhhh i love him

Definitely one of those "super talented, high iq, gifted kids" before the burnout hit him

Every Christmas, Easter, and birthday he'd ask his parents for a dog. He never got one :(

Not exactly a Disney adult, just a big fan of animated movies in general.

I think his favorites would be The Iron Giant, Monsters Inc, and Lilo and Stitch

Honorable mentions to The Fox and The Hound and Oliver and Company but they make him cry

Mark Heathcliff best boy 1,000,000/10

Cesar:

Cesar fans, you have my whole heart fr

You really took nothing and ran with it I can't not respect that

I see him as a total mama's boy. As far as I know, there's no mention of his dad anywhere so I imagine it's just him and his mom.

As a little boy he was like "I'm gonna be the man of the house now!" and he stuck to it like glue

Taking the trash out, doing the dishes, mowing the lawn because "Mom, you deserve to get off your feet, you're working too hard"

I think him being a mama's boy and having so much respect for her would translate into huge respect for women in general

I like the idea of him painting his nails ❤

His room is like a walk-in freezer you can literally see his breath when he sleeps

Used to skateboard but eventually "grew out of it" (he actually broke his wrist and is too scared to do it again)

Adam:

This toxic little fuck i love him

The most "dont talk to me until I've had my coffee" person you'll ever meet.

Not having consistent access to coffee must have been miserable for him when he was on the run. Doubly miserable for poor Jonah having to put up with a grouchy Adam for who even knows how long

You remember that tiktok trend from a few years ago like "I look really intimidating until I smile"? ADAM ADAM ADAM ADAM ADAM!!!

He's such an angsty little shit with the most severe case of resting bitch face disease but on the rare occasion he actually smiles??? Human sunshine

Definitely the type to look down when he smiles to try and hide it

Wouldn't be caught DEAD singing out loud, but will absolutely murmur songs to himself under his breath.

Just imagining him folding laundry or cooking and singing whatever song is stuck in his head to himself I LOVE THIS MAN

He likes rock music in general but I feel like he's really into songs like Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls. Yknow those really mopey mid 2000s ballads?

Shattered by OAR, Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, stuff like that

Jonah:

Rip jonah you would've loved tiktok

Was a theater kid but he got kicked out of class. Dude was just too hyper to follow directions

What can he say? He just stole the spotlight 🤪 (he's crying inside)

Walks into every room twirling his car keys around his finger like a dork

Can not be trusted to stand still, it's best to just make him wear one of those backpack leashes for everyone's safety

A gamer but not in a toxic way. He's actually terrible at games but he thinks it's fun to dick around and goof off in them.

You knows those "girlfriend who bites" memes? That's him. He's the girlfriend who bites.

Thatcher:

You've heard of wine moms, you've heard of wine aunts, well get ready for wine dad

I feel like he paints? He strikes me as very artsy

Loves plants but can't keep them alive for shit. It's not even that he forgets to water them, he follows all the instructions, the plants just hate him

Can't sleep without a TV on, or at least some sort of white noise or music playing.

Total garbage at gift giving lmao but he's trying his best

"I got you this card. Happy birthday."

"Thatcher, this says 'My condolences'"

"I know"

#the mandela catalogue #mandela catalogue #the mandela catalogue headcanons #mandela catalogue headcanons #the mandela catalogue hcs #mandela catalogue hcs #cesar torres #mark heathcliff #adam murray #jonah marshall #thatcher davis #a vck original

[immortalarizona]

Died With a Hammer in His Hand: Unpacking the Myth of John Henry 

“John Henry said to his captain:  ‘You are nothing but a common man,  Before that steam drill shall beat me down,  I’ll die with my hammer in my hand.’”  — “John Henry, the Steel Driving Man,” recounted by W. T. Blankenship 

John Henry is one of America’s most well-known mythic heroes, immortalized in song, statue, postage stamp, and multiple movies (including a 2000 Disney animated short film which I vividly remember watching in elementary school). But if you’re unfamiliar with the legend, here’s a brief summary. 

John Henry was a freed slave who found himself working for a railroad company in the years following the Civil War as a steel driver. His job was to drive a steel spike into rock so that dynamite could be placed in the resulting hole, thus opening up a tunnel through the Appalachians. 

John Henry was the best on his crew, and he took pride in his work—so when a white salesman brought in a steam-powered drill, claiming that it could drill better than any man, he decided to challenge that claim. Henry entered into a contest with the machine to see who could carve out the deepest hole in the mountain in a single day. 

His victory cost him his life. 

Henry’s wife—sometimes named Polly Ann, sometimes named Lucy, sometimes not named at all—went to visit him on his deathbed that evening. In many versions of the ballad, Henry’s last words are a request for a glass of water. In other versions, he asks his wife to be true to him when he’s dead, or to do her best to raise their son. Many accounts say that he’s buried by a railroad, where “Every locomotive come roarin’ by, / Says there lays that steel drivin’ man” (lyrics from Onah L. Spencer). 

Bronze statue of John Henry near Talcott, West Virginia, sculpted by Charles Cooper.

The general consensus among historians now seems to be that the ballad of John Henry is one such legend that has its roots in historical fact, although the particulars are long obscured by the centuries that have since passed. Henry was born into slavery in the 1840s or 50s, either in North Carolina or Virginia (some accounts of the ballad lend credence to the latter claim). As for how John Henry found himself working for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway company, University of Georgia history professor Scott Reynolds Nelson posits in his book Steel Drivin’ Man that the man was sentenced to ten years in a Virginia prison for theft at only nineteen years of age, and that he was among many prisoners leased out by the state for labor. 

Did you know that the 13th Amendment makes an exception for slavery which is used “as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted”? (This practice continues to this day, and has become an industry worth tens of billions of dollars. Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola or simply “The Farm,” is a good place to begin if you’re wanting to look into chain gangs further.) John Henry the legend was a free worker who took on the backbreaking, often dangerous work of railroad labor under his own power and could demand any wage for his work, but John Henry the man may have lived and died in neoslavery. 

Speaking of Henry’s death, most retellings of the myth say that he died of sheer exhaustion. Some add in the detail that it was his heart that gave out because he worked himself too hard. However, alternate theories have been proposed for how the man died. Some historians say it was a stroke that killed him, while others posit silicosis. 

It’s this latter hypothesis which I find most intriguing. For those who aren’t familiar with it, the American Lung Association describes silicosis as “a lung disease caused by breathing in tiny bits of silica, a common mineral found in sand, quartz and many other types of rock.” It’s been an occupational hazard for construction workers since, well, the time of John Henry. What I find interesting are the implications for the narrative if the real Henry died of silicosis. In the folk ballad, Henry causes his own death by working himself too hard. On the other hand, the ones at fault if the man died of silicosis would be his employers—the ones responsible for the dangerous conditions he worked in. 

So why would John Henry’s cause of death change during the transition from fact to legend? 

The answer, as with many other fictionalized accounts of historical events, is that it simply makes for a more effective story. But not just that—a more effective message. So what might the ballad be trying to tell those who listen to it? 

First, let’s think about who this song was sung by and for. The ballad of John Henry is a work song, its rhythm meant to help railroad workers stay and strike in sync, in the same way a drumbeat helps soldiers march in step. It’s been sung by railroad workers, miners, construction workers, chain gangs, and country musicians. At its core, then, the ballad is a song of and for the American working class—specifically those people doing the same sort of backbreaking physical labor as John Henry himself. Many of these laborers would have been Black, and likely former slaves—especially when it came to Southern chain gangs. (See my above note about how American slavery was only mostly abolished, and then think about why the U.S. has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. . . but I digress.) 

An oil painting of John Henry by Frederick Brown. 

We’ve established that John Henry is a hero for working-class Americans during the time of the Second Industrial Revolution. But what sort of hero is he? Is he like Achilles, a paragon of his country’s values and an example for the audience to aspire to? Or is he an Icarus, a cautionary tale sung so the audience won’t repeat his mistakes? 

The answer depends on who’s telling the story. 

Onah L. Spencer is the source for one version which emerged from a Black community in Cincinnati, Ohio. When he recounted the lyrics to Guy B. Johnson for the latter’s 1929 book John Henry: Tracking Down a Negro Legend, he also stated that the song was used to motivate workers: “. . . if there was a slacker in a gang of workers it would stimulate him with its heroic masculine appeal.” 

In cases such as Spencer’s crew, then, John Henry’s death is presented as glorious, and Henry is seen as admirable for working so hard that it kills him. Here, he’s a good example. Taken to the extreme, the Achillean Henry encourages fellow workers to follow in his footsteps—to keep pushing themselves harder and harder until they finally keel over. 

This message doesn’t benefit the workers passing it along; it benefits the employers profiting from their labor. This, I think, is where the story blurs the line between myth and propaganda. And while the ballad of John Henry certainly isn’t singlehandedly responsible for the American tendency to overwork ourselves, it does reflect our attitudes about work in a way that’s worth unpacking. To me, this reeks of the Puritan work ethic. The belief was that you had to be working as often as you could; if you didn’t, the devil would be able to influence you. The Puritans were one of America’s foundational cultural influences—of course those values would have influenced the ballad of John Henry. 

Henry is a hero because he worked himself to death. If we see him as a good example, what does this say about the effects that capitalism has had on American attitudes? About the internalized belief that our worth as humans only comes from what we can contribute to the economy? Why do we see death from exhaustion as a fitting end for a former slave? 

Then again, maybe we’re not supposed to. 

A lithograph of John Henry, from the series American Folk Heroes, by William Gropper. 

Remember how I noted earlier that many of the laborers who first sang Henry’s ballad would themselves have been former slaves? It’s important because there’s a long history of American slaves using work songs as a tool of resistance against their oppressors, and these Black laborers—these “freed” slaves—would have carried that tradition with them into the Second Industrial Revolution. 

The ballad of John Henry, then, might have been sung with the intent of helping other workers survive the brutal conditions on the railroads. Here, Henry becomes an Icarus—a warning of what happens if you push yourself too hard. One version of the ballad recorded by Edward Douglas of the Ohio State Penitentiary contains lyrics which suggest that not every Henry was meant to be emulated. 

“John Henry started on the right-hand side,  And the steam drill started on the left.  He said, ‘Before I’d let that steam drill beat me down,  I’d hammer my fool self to death,  Oh, I’d hammer my fool self to death.’” 

Don’t do what John Henry did, this version warns the audience. Be wiser than he was. Don’t push yourself quite so hard. Think of the people you’d be leaving behind if you’re not careful. 

Perhaps even the creation of this mythos was an act of defiance in and of itself. At this point, I think it bears mentioning that I myself am not Black and can only hypothesize based on what I’ve heard from people who are, but I see something radical in the act of raising up one of your own as your hero rather than venerating the people you’ve been told are superior to you. 

Remember, John Henry’s contest was versus a white man’s machine. It costs him everything, but he triumphs over the expectations of that steam drill salesman and proves his worth as a laborer and a person. John Cephas, a blues musician from Virginia who was interviewed by NPR for a report on John Henry back in 2002, had this to say of the myth: 

“It was a story that was close to being true. It’s like the underdog overcoming this powerful force. I mean even into today when you hear it (it) makes you take pride. I know especially for black people, and for people from other ethnic groups, that a lot of people are for the underdog.” 

Americans love underdog stories. Our own national origin myth is one! John Henry’s assertation of power and skill, the ballad’s declaration that Black people have the right to be proud of themselves too. . . no wonder this myth has resonated with so many people. No wonder it’s survived for a century and a half. 

In this light, then, John Henry once again becomes a hero for us, the audience, to emulate. In the fight against oppression, endurance like Henry’s becomes key. Justice is almost never won quickly. The odds stacked against us may seem impossible, but it’s worth trying anyways, even if we have to fight to our dying breaths. 

Artwork of John Henry as a defense worker by James Daugherty. 

John Henry has meant and been many things to a lot of people in the past two centuries. A representative of capitalist exploitation, a cautionary tale for workers, an inspiration to oppressed people in America, even a communist icon—but I’d like to take a moment to talk about what his story means to me. It’s not something I’ve seen discussed in my research, and I think it’s worth exploring. 

John Henry reflects fears of workers during the Second Industrial Revolution who saw how technology was evolving—how machines were being created that could do their jobs not just faster, but cheaper, because you don’t have to pay a machine like you would a person. They feared that they would be replaced, and that they would be left destitute while their former bosses grew richer and richer. And despite the centuries between us, this is a fear that I can understand. 

Often, I feel it myself. 

As an artist existing in online spaces during this new influx of AI-generated “art” and writing, I have witnessed many fears that we will be replaced by AI. Yes, there is a certain human quality to art that a generative learning model cannot replicate, but who’s to say that the much-vaunted free market will care? We can hope that art as a profession will survive, but we just don’t know. 

In John Henry’s struggle, I see my own. In the steam drill salesman, I see tech bros on the platform formerly known as Twitter showing off their latest batch of beautiful, hollow, AI-generated “art.” I see John Henry’s passion, his pride, his triumph. 

And I see hope. 

By his life and death, the mythic John Henry reassures me that human beings aren’t so easy to replace after all. He tells me that machines can be defeated. That one day, my vindication as an artist and writer will come, and the world will see our worth. 

The ballad of John Henry has endured like a mountain for a hundred and fifty years, and I hope it will survive for hundreds more—that John Henry’s hammer will continue to ring true throughout the ages. But in the midst of American mythos, it’s important not to lose sight of the historical facts behind it. Legends are interesting and inspirational and wonderful, but the real stories have something to tell us, too. 

Don’t forget to listen. 

Works Cited 

American Lung Association - Silicosis 

Ballad of America - This Old Hammer: About the Song 

Constitution of the United States - Thirteenth Amendment 

Encyclopedia Britannica - John Henry 

Flypaper by Soundfly - The Lasting Legacy of the Slave Trade on American Music 

Folk Renaissance - John Henry: Hero of American Folklore 

How Stuff Works - Was There a Real John Henry? 

ibiblio.org - John Henry: The Project 

National Park Service - The Superpower of Singing: Music and the Struggle Against Slavery 

NPR - Present at the Creation: John Henry 

NPR - Talk of the Nation: The Untold History of Post-Civil War ‘Neoslavery’ 

PBS - Mercy Street Revealed Blog - Singing in Slavery: Songs of Survival, Songs of Freedom 

Prof. Scott Reynolds Nelson - Steel Drivin’ Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend 

World Population Review - Incarceration Rates by Country 2024 

#john henry #american mythology #analysis #essay #black history month #ari speaks #hi I wrote this for my english class and I felt compelled to share it here

[exoid-the-locomotive-monarch]

I think since today’s the day, I should get off my chest what I think about Homestuck and the epilogues: the former is good and the latter is like an uncooked steak covered with diahhrea.

To elaborate, Homestuck is a cake that used too much baking soda and cooked in the oven for too short, its the same size as a cake but the outside is too airy and the inside is mushy and liquid batter, disgusting.

But there’s this middle part, between the layers that’s delicious as all hell, it uses grandma’s secret recipe and the chef was running a rush order, it’s a miracle he used the perfect ratio of egg to sugar to flour and milk, you can’t deny most chefs wish they could prepare a cake this good, and when one ingredient is off and it was underbaked, many critics would absolutely drop a solid 9 to a 5/10. It’s still good in my heart.

Now leaving the metaphors, I love this comic to an autistic degree. Its art direction and narration perfectly mix the feel of a strange adventure game published by some studio pushing the boundaries but had no budget so they end up reusing assets from stock images for most of its run, and for the second half abandoned jpgs for minimalist bean shaped heroes.

It has multiple flash animations, interactive walkarounds, and plenty of callbacks and reference to its own story beats and panels, it’s really good and even the secondary characters have a lot of dimension to them! The big issue was the pacing, and by god did Act 5 Act 2 cone out the miracle it did, balancing troll to human conversation perfectly, never abandoning the kids, and leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for the mess the trolls were about to make for themselves.

I even like act 6. Yeah I said it. Caliborn is funny, Calliope is eh, Roxy is the obvious character with the most going for her, Dirk has a good arc about his own struggles, but between him and the alpha kids, not so much. Jake had an arc for him to realize who he can be and his linits and how he should stand up for himself, and Jane was learning to trust her friends while being able to sleuth out manipulation or bad actors. Some of these words are in past tense because Hussie was now ping ponging to the boring 3 years where the kids are separated by dream bubbles and a long yard, almost never interacting with each other’s side of the 3 year journey (minus one DISTACTION by Rose and John hammering Bec’s head in with COOL NEW BREATH POWERS)

The pacing was a whole lot and openbound was a waste of time for 10 characters the fans could play with as dolls, but Act 6 Act 6 united both alpha and beta parties to actually do stuff.

But Hussie was also developing a (STILL UNFINISHED) adventure game(s) for his two new kidsonas that were going to give Alternia more breathing room and two new kidsonas an adventure to expand on the lore of Beta earth Roxy, Jake Harley, and a dead flighty broad.

After delaying when the comic should have ended by one and a half years, Hussie says “fuck it” and drops an awesome flash where everyone fucking dies. I was sad a little bit but remembered the comic had to end with the good guys winning so I just slogged another 500 pages watching a cool concept unfold: alter the timeline to unfuck the doomed timeline and fix the time paradox that would cause Lord English to not exist. Cool yeah?

The problem was after undoing 2000 pages of characterization Hussie needs to redo those 2000 pages and give characters worthwhile new arcs to solve, make everything both hunky dory on our way to the finish line but also start a new problem from railroading the characters into this new chance to win the game, and are clearly still coping or ignoring their other timeline’s struggles.

The best Hussie could do was 750 pages.

Build the new universe, kill the bad guys, save the troll race, finish Dave, Dirk, and Roxy’s character arc’s, we’ll finish the rest in a new timeline, the epilogues stuff. Drop in some vague shit at the last minute like “Ultimate Selves” “Aspect design and destiny” and some lip service to how these aren’t the same kids John knew, the look like them but they’re ever so different.

Then for like 6 months that was it, then the credits explained what happened to them and where they are now, and what’s unfinished.

Bonus updates we see a human cosplay space fish horns Hitler, a troll cosplay an immortal time demon hellbent on wrecking the corpse of every Universe he is aware of, and a carapacian cosplay a teleporting radiant dog demon that killed 3 parents. This was for Halloween.

Jane gets kidnapped by the goons you loved back when the comic only had 4 kids 3 adults a dog, some 4 chess friends, Jack, the midnight crew and the felt, and then she mind controls Jack and says she is going to get political.

Also the woobified side characters Wayward Vagabond and Oeregrine Me dicant are no longer “the deterrent of the original bad guy” and “silly marketable plush character who was once a veteran of the bloodiest massacre in Sburban history” they’re dead.

So what an ending huh, that was overwhelming, also unfinished. That epilogue should really tie in loose ends and end the narrative stakes of a work of fiction to a calm and satisfying pace like a traditional narrative does, boy oh boy can’t wait to expect that from the postmodern work of Homestuck hahahahahahahaha.

#homestuck #413 #15 year tumblrversary #15 years ago #webcomics #happy 413

[alpaca-clouds]

My personal Digimon season ranking

Given August is Digimon month, I cannot help but do one of these. Because, oh boy. I have not made one of those in a long, long while.

Now, let me tell you one thing clear: I have been in the Digimon fandom since Adventure started airing 2000 in Germany. I still vividly remember getting into the show and what the first episodes I watched were. I have obsessed about this show for so long...

But I also have unpopular opinions when it comes to the seasons. So let me get to those.

And please note: I will not list Digimon Adventure: (2020), as I only watched the first 22 episodes and then just dropped it. But I will list Digimon Adventure tri., though it is not quite a season.

#1 Digimon Tamers

My number one Digimon season is and will probably always be Digimon Tamers. This show really has no right to be as good as it is. Like, holy shit. This show went so hard in so many regards.

It really is the only season of Digimon that has something like a proper pacing. With only a couple of episodes being actual filler, while most do progress either story or character arcs. And those character arcs are so fucking good.

When I was a kid, I got so hooked on Ruki, because she was just such a good female character. But by now I do appreciate them all. (Well, Ryou maybe less, but that is a story for another day. Because he is one of those examples where I also grew up on those games and I love game!Ryou...)

Also, the amount of amazing background characters is kinda hilarious. Like, background figures like Janyuu, Yamaki or Shibumi are so well written.

Not to mention: For a 2001 merchandise TV show with 51 episodes, the animation has no business being as good as it is. How is it, that this series still has better animation than some of the later series?!

So, yeah, all around great show. Love it. Will rewatch most certainly a couple more times.

#2 Digimon Universe Applimonsters

And while a lot of people will absolutely understand, why I put Tamers in first place, pretty much most people will not get, why I would put Appmon in second place. Because other than Tamers this has a ton of filler episodes.

But to me none of that really matters, based on the fact that I just love the freaking character writing in this show, all the references to computer history and also... The fact that this show is gay as fuck. I mean, holy fuck, the entire Haru/Yuujin thing? Yeah, it warms my little queer heart so much!

But other than that it is another series where I really just love all the characters a ton. Haru is probably the goggle boy I relate to most out of all of Digimon. But I also really loved the other characters in this series, including the Digimon partners and what not.

So, yeah, to me this is my second favorite Digimon show.

#3 Digimon Savers

Masaru in a way is the polar opposite character to Haru, isn't he? While Haru is this soft spoken, introverted guy, Masaru is just this pure hardcore masculinity! GAAAAR! So, while I do like him less as a character than I like Takato or Haru, I did enjoy the writing in this show quite a lot. There were a ton of personal stakes to the story, that the others seasons did not bring in as much as this show did. And that was something I really enjoyed.

And while it got ridiculous at times, I also liked how Masaru was a bit more involved in the battles by punching stuff. Though I kinda am sad that they did not go with that original concept where all the characters would've been able to punch stuff.

I also enjoyed that the characters were a bit older in this, though ironically my favorite characters from the season are Chika and Ikuto.

#4 Digimon Ghost Game

There might be some bias here based on the fact alone that it is the most recent season of the franchise. But even though it was basically 100% episodic, I did enjoy almost every one of those episodes. Basically the show is 100% vibes for me, but oh boy, do I love those vibes.

I find this season kinda weird in terms of how it kinda pushed for two Digimon/human ships, with Ruli/Angoramon clearly being coded into the text, while it is also fairly clear that Jellymon is romantically interested in Kiyo. I mean, there always were seasons where you could definitely go for Digimon/human ships....... but it was never like this. But then again: All power to the monster fuckers, right? xD

And yeah... Being a fan of the horror genre, I absolutely adored how many episodes were based around classical horror stories from all around the world. That was so freaking fun! :D

#5 Digimon Adventure 02

Okay, let me make one thing clear: Digimon Adventure 02 is not a good series. It is not. Knowing what I know about how chaotic it was behind the scenes, aka how chaotic and cursed this production was, this is also not a big surprise. I disliked the show for this for quite long. I mean, there is tons of filler and the animation is soooooo bad in soooo many episodes. I mean, there is a ton of fan animation that is better than this series. But...

It also is kinda charming.

See, the thing about this show is, that I kinda still do like how the characters develop over the show and how... positive a lot of it is. The characters are sweet with each other and even with their enemies. And a huge chunk of the show is also dedicated to the characters outright trying to rebuild the digital world.

Also, this show has Ken, who to this day is one of my favorite Digimon characters. So, fuck it. I actually still kinda like it.

#6 Digimon Frontier

Fun Fact: I grew up with the Japanese dub of Digimon, but Digimon Frontier is the one season, where I actually kinda liked the US Dub, just based on the US soundtrack for this show. I really kinda liked the vibe it had.

In a way I do feel that this show had in fact the strongest character designs out of all of Digimon. The characters just have the right level of detail. They do not look overdesigned, but also not too simple. I really digged that. And yes, as a kid I cosplayed Takuya a lot.

To me the series just mostly suffers when it comes to the pacing. Not because of the fillers really (I am fine with fillers, as long as the fillers are fun), but rather in terms of the Cherubimon-arc being sooooo long and everything happening after it feeling kind of like an afterthought.

But I still very much like the characters. I just wished they did not make Junpei a glutton. One fat character who isn't a glutton. Is that so much to ask?

#7 Digimon Xros Hunters

For anyone now going like: "But this is not even a series on its own!" I will kindly ask you: "Shut up, this is my list." Because those couple of episodes from Xros Wars that were clearly just meant to fill the timeslot for a couple more weeks, do have a very different vibes from the rest of the show.

Now, this also is basically just filler + then the crossover event. But... At times this was kinda sweet. I liked the vibes this show had at times and some of the characters were kinda likeable.

And I really liked the opening.

It was not good. Definitely wasn't. But there was stuff about it I liked.

#8 Digimon Adventure

Yeah, let's get to my most controversial Digimon opinion: I do not like Digimon Adventure a lot. I really don't. Some of the characters are fine, yes, but... I do not like a lot more of this show. Mostly because I fucking hate the crest system and how morally simplistic the show is, with the bad guys just all being bad guys with not much depth. Meanwhile most of the characters are horribly underwritten and have their entire character arcs rushed through within like two episodes.

And I just hate Yamato and how the show just tries to excuse all of his bullshit. There. I said it. I think he is a horrible character. A horrible brother. And a horrible friend. So, yeah, fuck him.

And Nishizono, the showrunner, had no plan where he was going when he started writing. Not entirely his fault, given that he inherited a production that two other writing teams already had abandoned. But maaaaaan, it shows.

#9 Digimon Xros Wars

What is there to say?

Digimon Xros Wars sucked. It sucked. And to this day I wonder what the drama behind the scenes was. We know there was drama (given the showrunner abandoned the production half-way through!) but details are sparse even ten years later.

But, yeah. Taiki is a fucking Gary Stu and the plot just shifts around him. The story is a whole mess. The female characters get sexualized to no end. Everyone who is not Taiki gets sidelined constantly. The animation is inconsistent. And what not.

And the really sad fact: The manga is so fucking good.

I am fairly certain that most issues are because of production drama. And one day I am gonna find out what that drama was.

#10 Digimon Adventure tri.

Digimon Adventure tri. is one of the things that by themselves are not good, but get really bad once you consider the universe it is set in. It is one of those things put into an existing canon without honoring the existing canon at all.

It just ignores basically everything happening in 02. The character developments from anything that has happened before. The 02 characters are just not there. The "original chosen children" exist and yet the OVA does not give them the attention they deserve. And Meiko is just... Oh boy. Meiko is just a horrible character for so many reasons.

It is just fucking sad that this exists. So fucking sad. Just why?!

Also, for OVAs the animation is so bad. Soooooo bad.

#digimon #digimon adventure #digimon adventure 02 #digimon tamers #digimon frontier #digimon savers #digimon xros wars #digimon universe appli monsters #appmon #digimon adventure tri #unpopular opinion

[ginkovskij]

top five animes

Hi Maša 🤍 Don't mind me rambling a little in asnwering the question (:

The Rose of Versailles (1979-1980), adapted from the manga by Riyoko Ikeda. The scandals, the intrigues, the dramatic sparkling eyes and glittery tears! The big crush I had on Lady Oscar! I used to watch it all the time on television when I was a child (and a teen, and now as I am an adult) so there's a sentimental value to it too. This anime has the most specialest spot on my heart (:

ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept (2017), adapted from the manga by Natsume Ono. Not long ago I was rambling to no end about how much I love this one so it's no surprise I'm putting it on the list hehe. This anime has a super nice style, a banger funk sound track, great characters and a thrilling plot about a golpe and also delicious looking food. I found it by accident five years ago and regularly watch it every year, this is how much I like it.

House of Five Leaves (2010), adapted from the manga by Natsume Ono again (what can I say, I am a fan) I found it after watching ACCA and despite it being something entirely different, I think one can recognise Natsume Ono's touch in the lingering sense of ambiguity in the plot, the subtle tensions and the super charming characters that make both animes real bangers, the writing is great! The range, ma'am.

Mononoke (2007). This was recommended by a friend who suggested I may have liked the style and, guess what! they were right. The atmosphere is eerie and strange in the most charming way and compliments perfectly the various horror-themed plots. I haven't watched it in ages (,:

One Piece (1999-ongoing), adapted from the manga by Eiichiro Oda. Doesn't need introductions. Iconic. I have the fondest memories of One Piece that cover basically all my life. It feel so weird to think one day it will be over.

Special mentions: Mushishi (2005-2006) thank you Dani forever for recommending it, Cowboy Bebop (1999-2000) banger that I never finished, F (1988) that nobody remembers but I was literally obsessed with it as a kid

#replying super late #thanks for asking maša (: #this is an invitation to send more anime titles to watch please (: #mashashere #gin answer

[otakween]

Digimon Tamers - Episode 50

Meh, I didn't like this episode. It was just kind of boring and felt like a repeat of the last episode. I think they gave this show too many episodes so a lot of these finale episodes just feel like padding. Some fat trimming was needed.

Notes:

Takato's parents being like "that's my boy" as Dukemon flew off into the distance came off as very funny/silly to me

It's a really good thing that Culumon stuck by Juri. It gave her someone to snap her out of her funk and someone for her to fight for when Culumon's in peril.

Why does a little Leomon hologram suddenly show up on Juri's digivice? What's that supposed to mean...?

Really not sure what that giant blue and orange blob they all flew into to use the red card was supposed to be or where it came from. Is that something the adults created?

The side characters are all kinda flopping as usual. Kenta and Hirokazu show up randomly only to be interrupted by the authorities who were looking for them (thanks for nothing, boys!) Meanwhile, Ryo interrupts the main trio to be like "And I'm here too!" (I don't dislike Ryo, he's just very flat as a character). I did kind of like the moment between Shiuchun and Lopmon where Lopmon is sad that they can't digivolve to ultimate. At least that scene had some heart to it.

So I haven't been paying attention to digivice colors at all and was surprised to see that Ruki's is blue and Takato's is yellow. I remember that Takato's shattered at one point and used to be red. Did it turn yellow when he got it back? I guess I kinda thought Ruki's would be yellow since that's Renamon's main color...(since Jian's is green for Terriermon). Also, also, Ryo's is blue too but the design is different. I'd like to see a behind-the-scenes explanation for these choices.

Main reason I thought this episode was stupid is a new threat appears from the digital world, but like...why did we need this? It's design is much worse than the creepy "goddess" monster from the previous episode. It's just a big blob with an angry mouth. When Ruki said "I'm afraid," I didn't buy it because it didn't look intimidating to me at all. It also has scythes haphazardly coming out of its body in a way the just looks janky. It feel like there was very little thought put into this design. Why couldn't they just fight the goddess monster? This is dumb! (Also...dat early 2000s CGI lol).

(It's pretty obvious to me which one looks cooler)

Mako and Ai moment was sweet. Interesting that they share a digivice...that's a new development. I'd feel kind of annoyed if that happened to me and everyone else go their own partner/digivice. It's purple, because Impmon.

I'm pretty sure there's no deep meaning behind it but I wish they'd stop putting Juri in a crucified position. It's just overdone in anime lol

I thought the opening theme was misused in this episode. Save that for the ending! It just didn't have any emotional impact here.

Grani's sacrifice also had very little emotional impact since he was just barely a character (only started talking this episode). I like Dukemon's new look, but I wish the wings didn't glow so much that they have zero detail. He looked more badass in the title card than in the actual episode.

Whelp! Only one episode to go. Very excited to see this one wrapped up. Mostly excited for whatever after-the-battle/epilogue stuff they throw at us since I've found most of the battle scenes to be kinda dull. Onto the next!

#digimon tamers #digimon #anime

[foxgloveinthesun]

Get to Know the Fanfic Writer

I got tagged by @hrh-spinach ! I haven’t been long on tumblr and haven’t followed a lot of my fellow fanfic writers yet, so if you stumble on this and want to give it a try, consider yourselves invited to :)

When did you post your first-ever fanfic?

2005, when I lived in the USA (no relation between the two facts, though). But  started writing as a teen in the glorious early 2000s I guess (yes, I’m ancient, ’83 baby you guys!)

First Character(s) you wrote?

Wrote for myself? Louis de Pointe du Lac from the Vampires Chronicles by Ann Rice. I loved Louis – but never hated Lestat though!

For actual online publishing value, I don’t remember if it was a Vision of Escaflowne fanfic (I was an anime dork) or a Michael Lee fic from Witch Hunter Robin. My most serious fanfic was starring Michael though. If you don’t know him he was a poor teenage white hat hacker imprisoned by the shady organization he hacked into for funsies. He was then forced to do computer related tasks for them to be allowed to stay alive. Poor kid even wears dogtags. Little did I know it was the start of my obsession for dog-coded characters that end up paying a heavy price for just wanting to have fun…

Main Character(s) you're currently writing?

Why, Jesse Pinkman of course.

It always sounds a little ridiculous to state it this way but I relate to him on so many levels... I'll keep it at the fact that his character development actually really helped me realize there were some things I owed to myself to refuse…

He is an advocate for anyone who's struggled with addiction, has ever felt inadequate, out of place and belittled for it... I love how so many different people will reinterpret and embrace him thanks to that.

Character(s) you haven't written about before but plan to soon?

Diane Pinkman? It’s the chapter after the one I’m finishing and I’m looking forward to writing her. Two Sides of a Coin has just been a huge excuse for writing from the POVs of many of the characters that are still alive around the timelines of Ozymandias/Granite State/Felina.

My favorite one of these chapters is Andrea’s though.

I'm still surprised I included Walt as a regular POV through the fic, never thought I had it in me to write him (but then I also wrote from Welker's and Kenny's of course Todd's POV, so... I have this need to understand the rationales that sustains assholes and what/who scares me... It's a trauma thing ^^;).

Fandom(s) you're currently writing?

Breaking Bad/BCS mostly. I’m a huge fan of Charlie Broker too - and of whenever Aaron Paul stars in a story that criticizes toxic masculinity, so I have a Black Mirror WIP as well.

Would love to write about some of my favorite French shows (Black Hearts, l’Opéra, very recently Polar Park a brand new series that I just binged, or Engrenages, or the Holy Grail Quest parody Kaamelot… so many of them!) but that would not touch many readers and for fanfics, I’m a comment whore.

Besides, I want to finish my 4 WIPs (I count the post ElCamino fic that will follow Two Sides of a Coin as an ongoing WIP because I’ve started writing it already in order to stay sane while I finish TSoaC!)

I also need to focus on my personal stories, so, not enough time for other fandoms!

Platonic Pairing(s) you're currently writing?

Oh my… I have this silly AU where Walt gets decommissioned and Jesse and Gale get to work together in the Superlab and they develop this silly puppy cute friendship. I was afraid it would be a bit morbid given what happens in canon, but I don’t know… I really think they could have been a support for one another in different circumstances! It's a crack fic this one XD

Next chapter: Gale feeds Jesse healthy food and Jesse is a bit upset that he has been given vegan food without knowing it because vegan food is weird, ok (even though he liked it)! As a retaliation, he will call Gale’s bullshit regarding the “freedom” of addicts to buy and use drugs once they’re hooked – especially when you produce a super pure crystal that is even more addictive.... Hypocritical much, Gale?

Jesse calling out anyone’s bullshit is always a treat to write!

Romantic Pairing(s) you're currently writing?

Cliff and Lana Stanfield from Black Mirror’s “Beyond the Sea”. I really love how the interpretation of the characters’ relationships evolve as you delve into the story. Not going to spoil but there is one scene between them that really turns the table and reveals the truth of their relationship and that really got to me…

Your top AO3 tags?

Character study would be the main, because I take writing fanfic as a character building exercise. A nice sandbox to practice in.

Toxic masculinity is also one of the main topics I end up regularly tackling one way or the other…

Backstory brainrot is another one, I guess? I can’t help falling into interpretative backstory madness…

Current platform you use for posting?

A long time ago, I used to be on fanfiction.net… But the interface hasn’t evolved and feels less user friendly. Nowadays only on AO3. I’m aware of the controversies. I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t looked into them because the platform is convenient and I’ve read some great fics there…Not proud of that.

Snippet of the WIP you are currently working on?

I’m not good at snippets! I tried and was about to share around 2500 words of next chapter ^^; So I won’t!

Regarding Two Sides of a Coin, I would love to publish next chapter soon(ish). I would actually love to start publishing my ElCamino/post ElCamino sequel sometimes at the end of the year but that doesn't seem realistic...

Next chapter is from Todd's POV (the last one normally, I cannot with him anymore but I have to commit to my writing plan no matter how hurtful it is to my soul!). I’m realizing most of the structure of the chapters of Part 4 will be built on the same model: flashbacks that allow me to give into my backstory frenzy and “current events” (we have made it to early July by now I think, September is getting closer!).

This chapter heavily rests on the working theory I’ve developed in the fic that even if Todd and Jesse were not friends per se during the Vamonos era, they had some kind of friendly relationship going on, though Jesse would have kept a bit of distance.

I see Todd as relationship starved and he started projecting more onto his intractions with Jesse than there really was (just always rememer this will never be a Todd/Jesse fic, ty!). Jesse on the other hand, at this point of the series, had been efficiently cut from all his supports - by Walter of course (Andrea, his family…) but also by Mike. The scene where Skinny and Badger stop by to bring the roadie cases and Mike is on the look-out so Jesse kicks them out asap is so sad and kind of infuriating. Full confession, I'm not a Mike stan even though I love him as a character and love what he brings to the story. So… regarding dudes his age that his two “mentors” allow him to talk to… Jesse’d have been limited to Todd at this point. And he needs connection, we know that… which is why I think and explore the idea that they did have some form of camaraderie that meant something very different for each of them until the events Dead freight…

Back to next chapter, Todd is really hard to write, so I take my time… I actually want to go a bit further with his character study and test some of his limits without breaking out of character. Tough ballance! It’s a bit of a challenge right now…

#fanfic author ranting instead of writing fanfics #more than you asked for

[grison-in-space]

Humans with their deep bias about what particular dogs are born for will deny it, but the dogs who excel at Frisbee are also retrievers at heart. They are border collies, Australian shepherds, whippets, mixed-breed cattle dogs, mutts—fast and agile. Labradors can do the routines too, and a few, including mixes, have made it into the finals over the years, but as a rule they lack the speed and agility needed to compete at the top level. A sixty- or seventy-pound Lab is also too heavy for most people to handle in the series of close-order drills and body vaults that win competitions. When we take dogs, define them by what they do, and breed them for those talents, regardless of their pedigree, we end up with some interesting animals—and if the breeding is pursued in narrow enough fashion, new breeds. Thus, an enterprising person could create a Frisbee breed: light, fast, agile, leaping retrievers.

Dog’s Best Friend, Mark Derr (1997)

I find it extremely funny that Derr has essentially predicted the 'sport mix' here, as well as identifying one of the major markets for dogs capable of doing this work (i.e. disc dog competitors).

Remember, he's writing in 1997. My memory of sport mixes isn't as great as I'm sure someone in the middle of those sports could tell us, but I remember beginning to see people openly breeding these crosses in flyball in particular around the early 2010s, and that was intensely controversial at the time. For instance, look at this 2013 forum thread on the subject.

A little bit of looking at Blue Cedar Sport Dog's history shows me Snap, a Border Terrier/BC cross born in 1999, as well as two Borderjacks born 2000. I can't say Blue Cedar is the oldest sport-oriented kennel producing these mixes out there, but they're certainly the most prominent and one of the oldest kennels frequently producing those dogs that I'm aware of.

So this book came out just before people started making those crosses. I'd love to know whether it directly inspired the sport mixes we have today, or whether it was just encouragement to do so.

#mark derr #dogs #dogblr #dog's best friend #still keep being startled by how much this book influenced me over the years

[dangerliesbeforeyou]

tagged by @howdydowdy <3 thankss!! i also don't watch a tonne of shows but i do watch a lot of films so i'm gonna do a combo of the two lol

8 shows/films to get to know me

borstal boy (2000(?) film) - watching this as a teen Changed me tbh... it also definitely gave me one of my first glimpses of a bisexual character on screen... also danny dyer plays a gay sailor in this i mean??? what more could you want lol (also feel like this film is equal parts depressing and hopeful which is my ideal kinda film lol)

the simpsons - i watched this religiously as a kid (every night at 6pm on channel 4 lol) so much so that my family makes jokes that everything i know i know from the simpsons lol...

would i lie to you? (uk panel show) - i feel like this show really explains a lot of my style of humour (i've literally nearly pissed myself whilst watching this show at times lol), plus i've had a crush on david mitchell for years which like no that isn't relevant to this list but i'm including it anyway... one of my fav clips is 'lee mack's keys' (give it a search on youtube it's hilar lol)

watership down (1970s animated film, i also love the book too btw) - the animation style of the very first part of this film has literally never left me, it's like ingrained onto my brain as the most incredible thing ever! the rest of the film is also amazing, albeit brutal at times which definitely fucked me up as a kid... esp that evil rabbit (wormwort?), pretty sure i was terrified of him lol

hook (1990s film (yes i know i could look up the exact date but i'm not gonna cos i'm lazy)) - this is one of the films that i know so many quotes from & me and my family use them to each other all the time lol (you're doing it peter! RUFIO RUFIO RU FI OHHHHH you're. afraid. you're. going. to. get. sucked. out. stop acting like a child!! i am a child!? RUN HOME JACK RUN HOME JACK wait...HOME RUN JACK HOME RUN JACK don't stop me smee don't stop me stop me smee stop me ... you get the picture lol) robin william's films just have a special place in my heart and this is one of the best imo

gayle (youtube comedy series) - it's embarrassing how much i think about this series & i literally rewatch it at least once every year so... i feel like that says a lot about me... idk WHAT exactly it says but it is.. it's a lot lol

i'm a cyborg but that's ok (2008(??) film) - if you asked me what my favourite park chanwook film is, you'd probs guess i'd pick the handmaiden, but you'd be so so so wrong, because THIS film is an absolute masterpiece that hasn't left me since my sister showed it to me like 10 years ago lol... it's about mental illness and stigma and grief and love and also rain (the singer) yodels in it whilst flying through the air it's great

labyrinth (1986 film (hey i actually remembered the date lol!) - i'm been thinking for ages what final thing to include and realised it had been staring me in the face: labyrinth, literally my favourite film of all time lol! it's equal amounts comedic, creepy, emotional, plus david bowie is there in ALL his glory (some may say too much glory but i'd tell them to shut their goddamn mouths lol)! the songs are amazing, the ballroom scene literally shaped who i am now.. it's a film about adolescence, siblings, it's about friendship and found family, it's about growing up but also keeping your childhood close at heart, should you need it... it's also about david bowie's bul- *gunshot*

that's all folks! i did try and not just include stuff that i'm nostalgic about, but unfortunately nostalgia is my middle name so most of these are things i've connected to for a very long time...

tagging (no pressure to actually do it ofc, the original prompt is 8 shows i think but you can essentially change it to 8 anything in my book lol): @dollopheadsandclotpoles @wovesaxe @micamicster @platypusplayhere @sylvasa @asoftspotforangels @zelvuska

#i actually tagged people omg?! #i havent read this through so this may be insane ramblings.... #tbf even if i did read it through it would still be that so... #personal #tag game #i feel like these are definitely representative of me lol... #random comedies/heartfelt dramas about friendship and family and love/specifically british stuff/nostalgia/etc

[j-ellyfish]

8 Shows to know you

Tagged by @fortune-maiden

Tagging: @paperuniverse @germanyskrazythiccass @hondakiku @fireandiceland @maryeve-the-bitch @crumpled--notes (feel free to ignore it ofc)

Thank you for the tag! This is gonna be challenging because I don't watch much in general, and as a consequence many/most of these are from my childhood or many years ago, but still-

Trying to mix it up with some Western cartoons/shows too :3

1. Pokémon

Even though I haven't followed the anime religiously since DP times, I can't avoid adding it since it sparked my interest in Pokémon videogames when I was 5 and I'm still a huge Pokémon fan to this day, 22 years later. The Gen1-2 anime has the most special place in my heart, but I am quite fond of the Gen3 anime too. Not as much of the Gen4 anime, but I did like it.

2. Hetalia

Yes, pulling out the two most meaningful ones to my existence right away. What do I have to say about Hetalia? 12 years and counting, I can be a very loyal fan when something resonates enough with my heart. I watched the anime first, and I fell in love at episode 1 already. Not even sure why, but yeah. You can't explain love, can you? y-y

3. Corrector Yui

A sadly quite underrated majokko anime from the early 2000s. I'm not the biggest magical girl fan, and I soon grew out of that phase when I was a kid, but this anime, oh God, this anime. I love it so much, I plan to rewatch it entirely but so far I only binged several episodes. But anytime I'm like "okay I'm just watching this one ep" I end up binging at least two or three. Which is a lot for my standard, I drop anime very easily especially nowadays. The fact that it can keep my nostalgia going and it doesn't give me the "my god how did I like this as a kid?" reaction (unlike Tokyo Mew Mew, sorry).

Also!! This anime is structured in a way that loosely resembles AUs and I remember this is one of the aspects that got me hooked as a kid in the first place (the other aspect is that the protagonist isn't actually using magic, but rather highly advanced technology). Basically, the protagonist can materialize herself into the Internet and each site is basically an Alternate Universe - there's one themed like the Far West, one that is populated by characters from fairytales, one sets you up as the protagonist of a Murder Mystery and so on. It's such a cute idea, I love it a lot!! I think it influenced my taste in fandom experience a lot, despite back then I didn't even have access to the Internet.

4. The Simpsons

Listen. The first seasons were gold. No wonder they gave birth to so many memes. I'm always up to watch them, and newer seasons fucking enrage me. How tf do you ruin such a good show?? Yikes. Anyway, I'm pretty sure it shaped my humor a bit because there's so many quotes and scenes I remember and come to my mind whenever they apply/relate to something I'm seeing.

5. Hamtaro

I was addicted to this anime, I had so many plushies and toys too!! Too bad someone convinced me to give away most of them when I was in the preteen phase, fuck. Probably not something I'd ever rewatch because I'm way out of the target now, but some scene here and there?? Sign me up! Obviously, I'm talking about the old seasons, because they look awful with the newer design where they have giant heads and the tiniest body. Relationship dynamics between the characters were so good.

Also the videogames! Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite! and Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Heartbreak are great games that can be enjoyed by adults too. They're very wholesome and with a nice humor, perfect cozy games for when you want to just play something cute and positive that still requires a little bit of thinking.

6. Community

Ngl, I don't think I've watched all of it because I simply do not have the habit of watching TV shows on streaming sites and I don't really obsess over them, I just watch them as they're broadcasted on regular TV. But this one was so good (at least as long as Troy was around), I love how meta it can get by playing with different tropes, genres and even media. Probably the only American show with real actors that has a place in my heart.

7. The Amazing World Of Gumball

Like the rest of the American stuff in this list, I don't actively search for it, but if I cross path with it I'll gladly watch it. Gumball is one of those things that gets me so hooked for the time an episode is playing. I love how non-sense it is, but I think how creative it is visually, merging many different animation methods, is actually what attracts me the most to it. I simply love how all these different mediums and styles are made to coexist in the same frames.

8. Binan koukou Chikyuu bouei-bu LOVE!

Aka, virtually the last anime I managed to watch without dropping it after the first episode. God, it is so hard for me to resonate enough with an anime/show/anything, I'm sooo picky 😅 Anyway, ye, this is mostly what filled my thoughts for a good chunk of my hiatus period where I took a break from the Hetalia fandom (that lasted a few years). I obsessed quite a lot about it, I love the first season especially (second season is alright, HappyKiss should burn at a stake, sorry) and I feel compelled to add it to this list especially for how much I related to one of the characters especially and because my favorite ship (which wasn't even canon, barely had any moment 💔) accidentally inspired some aspects of a ship between my original OCs. Yes, I have OCs. And a story I'd like to work on. Maybe one day ... I'd love to show my babies to you guys one day.

#write new post no reblog thanks! #ary spoke

[christian-is-a-dumb-boy]

Before I start, if you happen to find stumble onto this, this is for a class that I'm in. I choose Tumblr because I realized that it's actually a very good place to do this assignment and it would be very fun and interesting to make a Visual Essay here and with my themes too, which is very Tumblr and Pinterest like (which is where I got many of these photos from). If you are in my class, I'm sorry that I came up with this idea. My Visual Essay - Media Throughout the Years and How it Shaped who I Am. By Christian M.

2010 - 2012 was a unique time for fashion. There was still some 2000's elements in our fashion, and these photos show that. It's really iconic how everybody dressed like a wealthy suburban mother despite being a 16 year old named Amber from Albany, Georgia. Fashion in this era was about looking and dressing older, and we see this in our media too. Pretty Little Liars had girls who were supposed to be 15 but dressed like 23 year old interns from NYC, and Nene Leakes literally wore the second outfit in her "The Ghetto" meme from Real Housewives of Atlanta. I was five in 2010, so obviously I wasn't dressing like this, but I thought every teen just looked old because of how they dress despite having one green streak and braces.

This type of being older mentality also was in our music at the time, but in a different way. I love early 2010's music because everybody just was going down the electro pop pipeline, and all of the songs were good. One of my favorite songs back then was Selena Gomez's 'Love You Like a Love Song", which is really underrated. It's just peak early 2010s wannabe futuristic pop, because the song has some techno in it when Selena sings. I was a huge Selena fan already because of Wizards of Waverly Place, and this song changed my life (being dramatic but you get the idea). She isn't the only one that does this. Kesha was well known for doing this and again, Kesha made some bangers. The music was all about sounding like the future, while the casual fashion was about looking older. https://open.spotify.com/track/0laYHRpNTS6i8FXdupHkJ4?si=209bee3a44664ce9 https://open.spotify.com/track/3pYDZTJM2tVBUhIRifWVzI?si=cc6cacc99b024f27

Oh 2013, how you were just....bad for casual fashion. This is where I remember analyzing what people wore and noticing what was trendy and what we liked. It was bad. Teal tops that said 'Pink' literally held us at gunpoint to wear them. I was never really experimented with clothing as a kid because in my opinion, most of the boys clothing at the time was bad, which is why all of the photos are gonna be women's clothing because they either look good, or iconically bad. That was a pet peeve with me whenever we went shoe shopping. The girl shoes were colorful and had personality while the boy shoes were black and white, or an ugly neon green or orange in some random lines if you took gym too seriously at age 8. This is when I wished I was a teen in 2013 because 2013 tumblr hipster and grunge fashion was something that I wished to lived in.

2013 music was really good or bad. Despite coming out in 2009, Party in the U.S.A I feel like was huge in 2013 which made everybody (including me) to wear American flag shirts, pants, and bathing suits. One amazing song from 2013 was Demi Lovato's Heart Attack. Back in her prime, she made some hits, and one of them was this song (Shout out to Give Your Heart a Break too, another amazing hit). It was bad for me. I only had Episode (that story app) because Demi was in it. Demi and Heart Attack accidently created my first internet phase, and it's something that Demi Lovato that has nothing to do it but still needs to pay the price for.

You saw these images and probably went "Chris, how the hell did Demi Lovato made 9 year old you into a anime fan and why?" in your head, and I'll tell you how and why! So like I said, obsessed with Heart Attack when I was a kid, and while I was on YouTube searching for the song, I found this video of Heart Attack, but in the title, it had the words 'nightcore video' in it, and it had Taiga (short girl in the first photo) in her angel outfit from ToraDora (which I never watched until recently and I recommend it along with the other three). If you don't know what nightcore is, it's just song sped up to make the singer sound anime like (which they didn't but regardless I still ate that shit up). These are top tier shows, honestly. I honestly think mostly everybody in my class would like Yuri on Ice (because it's an creative english class). https://open.spotify.com/track/5w24qGKT4DHCKHKU0jPlcK?si=df10a0191d3441ee

Every queer kid had a musical phase. That's just how it is. I don't make the rules for it. I was also that queer kid. My 5th grade teacher, Mr. DeBell, told my class in 2015 that there was a musical about Alexander Hamilton, and played You'll Be Back. I was hooked. Listened to the soundtrack regularly and found other musicals like Be More Chill, Dear Evan Hansen, Every Starkids musical. I'm a terrible singer, but I'm still gonna try belting First Burn. This was also the year I had my Percy Jackson phase, another queer kid staple. I found Percy so charming and Nico so cute in the books and it's so embarrassing, yet so funny. The Percy Jackson Musical was the first musical I ever saw too because we went on a school field trip for it. https://open.spotify.com/track/1A2gifkaEngunqZAFHUS0j?si=c753e346c04141e7

You just saw these images and are either cringing at me, cringing at younger you, or both. 2016 was where my "edgy" phase started. I wasn't edgy in the way every other guy in 2016 was edgy, if anything, cringe culture would've bullied me, but I just liked those angry "emo" songs and disturbing anime's. This is also when I discovered punk, alt, emo and goth fashion, which is all different thing and I don't care what people say, those types of fashions have always look good. People who dressed like that, especially now because cringe culture has been making a comeback, are being harassed but they are really the sweetest and down to earth people ever. People who dressed alt, or punk, or goth were always nice to me and I will always defend them. I personally don't dress like that because I was called emo for wearing a black jacket and black pants in the winter in New York, so obviously people don't like that type of fashion where I'm from, and also if you know me in real life, you know I'm a 5'6 year old guy who has the face of a twink (Tyler Oakley let's be honest), so I don't think I could pull it off. But if you look at my profile picture, it's what I would dress like if I could pull it off, and I probably would kill a fragile, sickly Victorian child before the black plaque reaches them if they saw this version of me.

These were all from different time periods except for the top picture. For 2015 - 2018 fashion that was considered "emo" or punk or goth, it wasn't but that's what i grew up on. These had a gripe on us back in 2015. I remember seeing so many people on youtube wearing that striped school girl skirt and people in pinterest showing off their cat stocking. other alt or "alt" fashion were band shirts, specifically PATD and TOP, flannels, short hair but very long hair in the front, stockings in general.

A few years later, in 2019, I got into K-pop. I wish I had a unique story but I don't. My exe who's also a close friend of mine now was just playing a K-pop song because he also likes it and it was TWIT by Hwasa and it was catchy to me, so I looked it up, found out that she was in a group, Mamamoo, and that was it. I listened to a few songs before like obviously Gangnam Style and Gentleman by PSY when they blew up and also Like This by Wonder Girls (who are legends) when I was a kid. My top three groups in their debut order are Girl's Generation (2007), Rania (2011) and TWICE (2015). If you ever wanna give the genre a try, Girl's Generation and TWICE are the two groups to listen to, as someone who of course loves and also used those two groups to get other people into K-pop both accidentally or on purpose.

I think it's really funny how 12 year old me was listening to "sad" music and music that is just "so deep and so meaningful" and then 14 - 16 year old me listened to just the most upbeat and happy, catchy music (Rania's is the only one that isn't cheerful, their music is very camp if you know what that means). https://open.spotify.com/track/6qyz1KOlGJsKYJ4ZsRmRSD?si=7cd52297243b4301 https://open.spotify.com/track/2BQIMF7CyLe2xAKzh74A4C?si=ff220ef47b3143f2 https://open.spotify.com/track/1utDFK1ARQcuZSwapf3cfb?si=97492c9682a74e12

I am really excited to see what college me is gonna get into. I still like most of these things, and it'll be interesting to see what similar new stuff are gonna come out in the next few years.

#homework #college #college student #essay #visual essay #english #my writing #writing #hello lgbt community #music #fashion #essay writing #twice #panic! at the disco #patd #mirai nikki #demi lovato #tumblr writers #free! iwatobi swim club #free! #free! anime #toradora #hamilton musical #percy jackson #Spotify