#i know nothing about the series this art trend is from i just know people draw ships like this and i wanted to do it too

[harunefrog]

I drew a thing!!! You know this one!!!

#isat #in stars and time #isat siffrin #isat isabeau #this took like the whole week #it probably wouldn't have if i didn't decide to redraw the template entirely from scartch #but you dont get it #i REALLY wanted the stars to have four points #anyway #im gonna probably do more sketches now #like get back to the sonic ones #or more AA au #if anyone is more familiar with aa case writing hmu because i have no idea what the hell im doing #but i really want to make this fangame #wait i haven't mentioned it before i am kinda working on an aa fangame for isat #but i wanna hold off on doing too much spritework until i have AT LEAST the tutorial case figured out #and i have literally no idea how to write a case that's like not very difficult and makes sense #anyway yeah i should probably stop this rant #OH WAIT ONE LAST THING #i know nothing about the series this art trend is from i just know people draw ships like this and i wanted to do it too #harune draws #I forgot i have to tag my art if i want it to be findable later

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

01/17/2024 Crew Recap

Well, today was once again a day of new and exciting things happening, and some fun progress on all fronts. Anything I missed -- as always please add. Links to all the threads are in the pictures so please visit them, I want to make sure people who actually posted them are credited :) I realize this is a lot, so if you don't wanna read it all, please at least hop to the bottom for a special message.

===Today's Impact===

Petition Status: We broke 58,000 Signatures! Great job everyone!

Our Flag Means Death Status on Television Stats -- Numbers went up a bit!

#SaveOFMD Trending #4 in Hungary, way to go friends!

Source

Wondering if your calls are working? THEY ARE! Apparently they are cataloging and categorizing calls.

Warner Bros Discovery Inc is still trending downward!

Our Flag For Palestine - Care for Gaza Fundraiser is up to $7535!

The team on this is pretty great about transparency, feel free to check out the twitter thread here

===Cast / Crew Sightings===

Chaos Dad, David Jenkins posted about the 35th Annual Glaad Media Awards Nominating Our Flag Means Death for Outstanding Comedy Series!

Con O'Neill started posting stories on IG with #SaveOFMD and also he showed up in a Screen Rant Plus interview! Our Flag Means Death Interview: Con O’Neill On Izzy & Blackbeard In Season 2

And our Pirate Queen Ruibo Qian was reposting save ofmd art on IG!

=Latest Twitter / Other Platform Insanity=

So apparently someone updated the Our Flag Means Death Wikipedia page to say one of the Production Companies was Astroglide, you cheeky little fuckers.

Source

Squishables joined the fun with Astroglide.

Astroglide Announced a Live Reaction Video to OFMD they'll be doing on Friday. Thanks to IG: _Irene_Adler for bringing this to my attention! Somehow I missed it looking at this post this morning.

===Articles===

1. Could HBO’s Beloved ‘Our Flag Means Death’ Jump To Another Ship After Cancellation?

2. Our Flag Means Death's "numbers weren't there" for renewal says MAX's boss - but it is welcome to sail to another platform

3. OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH CANCELED AT MAX, BUT IT COULD FIND LIFE ON OTHER PLATFORMS

===Ways to Help===

So I found of a new way to keep engagement up that I hadn't heard of before-- I apologize if you all already know about it and I'm repeating it! Daily Clicks to help with Engagement: Clickable Links below:

Our Flag Means Death Wikipedia Page Google Search for Our Flag Means Death Google UK Search for Our Flag Means Death Our Flag Means Death IMDB

Fundraiser for LimbPower

Looks like another fundraiser going on by our fellow OFMD Crew, right now is by For Our New Unicorn, that benefits LimbPower. This has been going on since December but has had some ramp up since the cancellation announcement. If you're looking for somewhere to donate, seems to be a good cause!

Calls / Emails / Faxes

I don't believe anything has changed in terms of calls and emails but here's the latest info in case you're just joining us, there's a lovely post over at @renewasacrew's post.

Postcards / Outside the US Fans

@renewasacrew has the following awesome post about how to send mail from outside the US: Are you outside the US and looking to send Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav a letter? 🏴‍☠️

Petition

As usual, sharing the petition with posts is super helpful, and @merryfinches has a cool guide on how to get additional email addresses if you want to help send more signatures here

Hashtag Updates from yesterday

#RenewAsACrew #SaveOFMD #TheNumbersWereThere.

================================================

❤️❤️Lastly because even if you are tired of hearing it, I'm going to keep saying it, so suck it up buttercup here comes some love ❤️❤️

================================================

Every single one of you is enough.

If you bust your ass for this campaign, YOU ARE ENOUGH.

If you signed the petition and that was it, YOU ARE ENOUGH

If you lurk and keep an eye on things, YOU ARE ENOUGH.

If you do nothing at all, and just take care of yourself, YOU ARE ENOUGH.

There is NOTHING in this world that you could do to make you not enough.

Remember that.

You are amazing-

and beautiful-

and everything you do every single day is wonderful-

and YOU are worthy of love.

You are doing a great job just being you. Keep doing that.

We are so lucky to have each and every one of you here on this planet with us.

Remember to drink some water, and take care of yourself if you can. Even if it's just a few minutes a day. You got this, and you're loved. 🥰

Love you crew. Have a good night/day, wherever you are on this little blue dot. <3

#ofmd #our flag means death #renew as a crew #save ofmd #thenumberswerethere #saveofmd #save our flag means death #our flag means us #ofmd daily recap

[friccafracc]

For the love of god info dump about the fucked up creature known as vash

OK SO HERES THE THING RIGHT ppl on twitter dot com have this trend going on with Vash the Stampede from the series TRIGUN, mainly the most recent studio Orange reboot's incarnation. The headcanon's origin is unknown to me, but I've seen lots of stellar art on the concept of Vash appearing as human but slightly to the left--which is very much in line with his original concept. This is Uncanny Vash; a Vash whose teeth are a little bit too sharp, whose eyes glow eerily in the dark, and who has strange glowing markings all over his body and i LOVE all of it SO MUCH. but most of it is not uncanny. Its monstrous.

Uncanny is what happens when someone's skin looks more like plastic than flesh. Someone who's smile stretches a bit too wide. Who's eyes are unblinkingly wide. Uncanny is undetectable at a glance. It's just someone you pass on the street. Maybe they give you sort of a strange vibe, but nothing worth dwelling on. You feel it when you stand next to them in the grocery line. Something about them starts rubbing you the wrong way. Their arms and fingers are too long, they way they turn their head is too smooth and slow. Their eyes are glassy. You notice they dont exactly know how to smile properly, or that it just looks like they're snarling. Their voice doesn't sound like it should be coming from them, like they stole it from someone else. Realizing these things feels akin to being boiled alive. It makes your skin crawl and you mind screams at you to get away. Uncanny is when something that isnt human is doing its best to mimic being human, and its almost there. I want uncanny Vash to struggle learning how to blend in with humanity and FREAK PEOPLE OUT ABOUT IT. i want him to scare people enough he becomes a creature whispered about like the boogeyman to scare naughty children into behaving. The human face is so complex and expressive, Vash finds it difficult to nail simple expressions like being happy or sad, so when he smiles it looks like hes about to start chasing you through the woods on all fours. I want him to keep his big blue eyes WIDE THE FUCK OPEN in the DAY on a DESERT PLANET. But hes not malicious or anything, hes the same ol' goofy, tragic Vash

#ask #text post #i am gatekeeping the uncanny valley #trigun

[astrojulia]

Why big post about Aries in Aquarius season 😫 do one for Aquarius please

Hello dear,

It's because I need order.. if I don't have it I end up doing nothing, LOL. But I stopped to think and did something else... (okay, the Pisces Season just started, but whatever 😆). There's an old post of mine that I gave a good rework, I hope you like the new version.

They have free and unitary thinking - Even though they are the sign of the community, we cannot forget that Aquarius is the FIXED air sign, in addition to having been ruled by Saturn for many (MANY) years, so it understands that the community exists , but that there must be space between the self and the world. In this, in this space that Aquarians create between themselves and each other, what is most affected is their mind and consequently their worldview, this means that everything that passes through this person's mind first passes through their Aquarian lens, which changes all the information they receive by sharing their experiences and learning. Got confused? So let's go. The Aquarius man (or woman... or others) is that person who will listen to something and say something completely different, not because he is crazy, but because that said “something” triggers a series of experiences that these people have already had making A equals B for them… even if only in the mind, that's why weird dots get connect and it's not possible to control the Aquarian's reasoning.

They like the different - Wow, that's obvious Julia (← that's my name, okay), but it's true when we say that they are attracted to the different for simply being different, whether in fashion or in ideas, they will look for different plastic artists , clothing brands… Aquarians, however, will settle for something some time in their life. Once they are older,they have a more specific taste and that will accompany them for the rest of their lives, this could be a color, a band, a haircut… And this taste of theirs can even become a trend for a while, but when it doesn't, they'll still like it.

They are stylish - It is in my humble experience, women mostly. First, let's remember what the word style really means :“set of trends, tastes, characteristic ways of behavior of an individual or group”, that is, it is not what is in fashion. Having an Aquarius friend is seeing a piece of clothing and knowing it's going to like it because it's just like them. As I said before, they have a specific taste, even more so when they get older (young aquarius are still testing everything). At the beginning of their lives they do things to really shock, combining adolescence with Aquarian rebelliousness reminds me, and a lot, of the cyberpunk style, but after a while, they can continue wearing their Mohawks until they are 70 years old or simply, being in love with a cardigan, but you know THAT cardigan from your aquarius friend.

They have a creative mind - A creative mind in my view is one that will find a way to express their feelings, their soul in some way, so it's not surprising to see an Aquarius working in the arts or in more everyday jobs such as hairdresser and makeup artist. Aquarius have a taste for creativity, they have an artist's soul and the need for creation, you won't see every Aquarius with a watermelon around their neck, but maybe, when you go to see the character customization of one of their games, the character has hair green, purple mustache and orange vest (yes dad I'm talking about you)

They have a hidden side - They have something very similar to their former ruler partner Capricorn, which is separating the personal from the professional. They are one thing inside the house, another thing outside... but now this goes on to all other areas of their life, the emotional and personal of an Aquarius is hidden by their rational and social, the Aquarius will say what it believe to be the best for that moment, what it believe people need to hear and often leave their opinion aside, they do what they think will be more harmonious or what will bring more progress to their social bond. I've heard and read from several people (non-Aquarians)who see Aquarians as someone who likes to cause chaos and seek to "cause problem", but being honest, one of the greatest desires of Aquarians is to be accepted in society... do you think that they do this “by chance”? Or just to piss you off? You have a great ego, congratulations.

They give their best version - Out in the world, they always give their best, their brightest and most humanitarian side, but when they don't feel willing to be positive that day, they isolate themselves until they “return to normality”, soIt's super normal if your Aquarius friend doesn't see their cell phone for a while, they'll only answer you when they feel ready, not everything is ghosting ok.

They are selective - When you just meet an Aquarius it will talk deeply and a lot with you, but it's a test to know your commonalities and your character, if after that they don't have an affinity with you, you'll just be a colleague to greet, but you will not be their friend. Knowing this, yes, they are very annoying sometimes, even more so in societies where being extroverted is seen as a quality and being introverted is almost like a disease (I'm talking about you Brazil…), but they are there selecting what and who they will spend their energy on and many people will be left off the list.

“The Aquarius energy” - I see this energy as the energy of humanitarianism. When you went through the selection of the previous topic, you see that the Aquarius person likes to raise the mood of any situation, I see this through two methods, being them being logical with the solutions to problems or being able to see the positive side of everything that happens, no matter the way the have choose, they want to see their small group well and mostly together. I see a lot of aquarius people going to events and places they are not a fan of, but doing it because their group likes it a lot and they are happy about it.

They always want that person who doesn't care about them... - For some reason, they always fall in love with that person who isn't giving them the slightest bit of attention, that they need to put up a sign saying "I like you" to their crush knowing they exist.. Aquarians are romantic people, especially women, and they like a challenge, so for some reason the idea of earning their own lover and going against all negative possibilities is something that excites them.

They are connected to sounds - Remember when I said that they have different taste, are stylish and selective… This happens a lot with music. That person who lives with headphones listening to music, who doesn't drive without it radio... Probably Aquarius. I see many having a favorite band, others who like only one style of music, but Aquarians are people who have a soundtrack to their life and their senses are very involved in the sounds they hear.

They are terrible liars - You probably don't know this part, but one of the symbols of Aquarius is the titan Prometheus who, even if he got screwed afterwards, brought fire to humanity. One of the representations of fire is truth, it is stepping out of the darkness and knowing what is real and that spark runs through all Aquarians. And well... the lie is the opposite of the truth, so people who are always looking for the truth don't end up becoming a good liar. I'm not going to say they don't lie, I do (and I'm an Aquarius) but they tend to blurt out what they really think rather than blurt out a lie that they end up screwing themselves over it. The biggest part of not being able to lie is not being able to lie to themselves, they can't deceive themselves to do something they don't like for example, because their nature does not allow them to do what they don't think is right. Also, they are good at detecting lies too..

They joke about everything - You know that person who makes an uncomfortable joke in the middle of a tense situation?…Nice to meet you, Aquarius. Many will be surprised and even irritated with them, and yes, over the years many Aquarians learn not to make jokes with people they don't know... but they are the kings of sarcasm, that's why they always put a joke in the middle of a tense situation.

They love to question - They are very curious and can't see an opportunity to learn more passing in front of them, so if they have the openness to ask and delve into the subject... they will ask and delve further into the subject... it is also a great strategy for them to strike up conversations and get closer.. so pay attention to this if you're into an Aquarius person.

They love change - Aquarius is a free spirit and air sign, so they don't like to put down roots and always change a little behavior to have a new routine, a new job or even go to a new country…. But we also cannot forget its fixed nature and its regencies. Being from Uranus, they always want to see new things quickly, for the world to change as quickly as possible, after all, chaos is the spark of creation, and with Saturn… they love change, but mostly in others, when others change to do something, because many times the Aquarius wants to continue doing the same and the make the other moves the gears of transformation.

They are liberal - Are they judgmental of others' behavior and beliefs? Yes. But for them. “Is this person's belief good for me?”, it turned out, what the other does (which is not illegal) is the other's problem. You'll see them in many different social groups, not wanting to change anyone's opinion if no one asked and will let you have your way... just don't forget that the Aquarius won't change them for you either.

They seek positivism - Aquarius always seeks to make the best of the situation and people, so they will always see the reason for what happened from the other's point of view and will place less blame on the shoulders of others, things happen because they have to happen, they don't always have a culprit.

They know how to take criticism - If you got a "no" from an Aquarius when criticizing them it was for two reasons, either you haven't known them for a long time or they don't see you as an authority on the subject, Aquarius knows that others will be able to see details they don't understand and seek help from those they trust for advice, especially in the field of love. Yes, we know that sometimes it is necessary to be more humble and accept the opinion of people that we see as laymen... but it is difficult LOL

They are magical beings - They have a different energy, they try to connect with the spiritual and with nature in some way because they feel the need to clean themselves from human connections from time to time, they are very affected by other people's energy, that's why they resort to various spiritual practices and alone time.

Magic hands - This is certainly the most curious one, Aquarians are tactile and touch sensitive people, so they have a lot of energy in their hands and can develop techniques like reiki and massage very easily and they are nice about it. Now can you understand a little why they hate agglomerations and hugging and kissing people?

Sources: Astro Elias - The 19 secrets inspiration Template by sorberts on tumblr PSD by wildfireresources on deviantart

#astro notes #all about astrology #astrojulia #aquarius #aquarius sun #aquarius stellium #maybe aquarius rising #but that's all no aquarius venus mars nessus... #astrology tips #witchblr #astroblr

[endcant]

bear with me bc i am drinking THC lemonade

whenever my “people shocked by me being interested in consumer aesthetics counter” ticks up by 1, i know that i have failed to express myself on the internet. i am obsessed with commercial ephemera. it’s not that i like it… it’s something deeper. something… worse? better? something more embarrassing, at least.

the only time i’ve ever done psychedelics my profound realization was that i really, really enjoyed going to target. i like the lights. i am always commenting on the products and whether i think they are on trend or off trend for what i understand the target demographic to be. i love nothing more than to watch someone pick up an object, briefly imagine their life with that object in it, and then either put it in their basket or put it back on the shelf. even moreso when i’m watching a friend shop. even moreso when we can only window shop and that friend starts explaining to me what they would do with the thing if they had the money to buy it.

i studied american pop music history in college and i continue to study the history of bubblegum pop in my free time. i want to eventually write up a video or a series or something about the extended international history of teenybopper bubblegum pop. i am trying to learn music industry jargon old and new in my target languages in an attempt to gain access to information about these things that i can’t access in english alone.

i read early 2010s posts about how minimalism was the only morally righteous visual style with rapt fascination. i had a vaporwave phase exactly one decade ago. my friends in high school would bring me arizona green teas because they knew i would find it aesthetic. my advanced painting teacher hated it because i kept painting pale minimalist watercolor pieces that looked like 90s waiting room wall decor. my dream at the time was moving to santa fe and becoming a fine artist.

i was a proto-cottagecore blogger before cottagecore was named. i have well over 100 blogs, considering i hit 96 at some point during my previously mentioned decade-ago vaporwave phase. i do not bother to count anymore

as a young child, i used to go to the store almost daily with my parents and look for unfamiliar packs of gum so i could assess their packaging, flavor, and concept. i *really* cared about this. i got into this because i was given free packs of 5 gum and orange mountain dew at the halo 3 midnight release.

i learned HTML from neopets and i used to code gaiaonline themes and put them up on tektek. they sucked really bad btw.

i spent around 2 decades looking for the source of a single image of an anime river angel i saw on quizilla because she meant so much to me as a child about the power of what mere images could be only to find last year that the artist now draws hentai on pixiv and their art quality is now quite rushed. i think about this regularly when i think about creators i have idolized, and i don’t know what it means to me, but it feels like valuable information.

last night i couldnt sleep because i kept wanting to get on my phone to look at ancient greek vases on jstor

the worst part is i feel that the way that seeing ONLY consuming-or-not-consuming as the primary way to interact with the world is a serious mental roadblock for people in capitalist society. i think that consumer identity is a tool often used to warp the minds of citizens. i think that if i could go back in time and strangle edward bernays i would. i think that it is meaningful that american society has generated dozens of terms for “someone who is stealing or misusing a cultural signifier, or otherwise engaging with a culture or subculture under false pretenses/without doing due diligence/without participating in proper cultural exchange” over just the past couple centuries and that seeing and acknowledging the cycle is essential for anyone working in the arts

ive spent the past couple years reading up on historical art movements since industrialization to see how other art workers have dealt with their jobs being mechanized away, and ive decided to choose to value myself as a human animal who gets to experience the process of making things with my human animal body.

i am compelled to play piano when i drink red wine and i feel that i’m a fundamentally superficial being in function, but i can be more in purpose. like a poster. like a mask. like someone screaming so hard on stage that you believe them. that you look behind you to see what they are screaming at. i think in symbols and colors front and center, with verbal background chatter like an ever-tuning radio, and i am frustrated when people don’t understand that i am speaking my mind when i show them what i’ve made.

i care about aesthetics a lot. consumer and otherwise. it just so happens that i live in a capitalist society wherein the market attributes value to certain aesthetic information, which generates conversation about what certain images mean, what gives them value, what detracts from their value, what they are responding to, what responses they require in turn. but anywhere, anytime that there is a conversation about aesthetics, i want to be there.

i have always loved to perceive and to make, since the earliest stories anyone has to tell about baby cave. if i lost everything that makes me who and what i am right now, i believe i would still care about aesthetics. if there is anything left for even a cell of my body to experience, it would want to experience it beautifully and enjoy it deliciously.

happy 420

#we live in a consumer society -the aestheticer #this is just like #what its about #in da cave zone #🎤

[cherry-valentine]

Winter 2024 Anime Season

I didn’t do write ups for the Fall 2023 season because I was only watching two shows and they were just new seasons of shows I’ve written about multiple times before (Dr. Stone and Spy x Family) so I didn’t feel the need. Both were great. I’ll just leave it at that.

Mr. Villain’s Day Off is one of my favorites this season. Following a stereotypical Tokusatsu villain on his not so typical days off from villain work, the show is a tender hearted comedy without a single mean bone in its body. The humor here is more subtle and situational than the usual fast paced slapstick we often see in anime. As a result, the story actually has a heart. The main character, usually just called Shogun (reflecting his status in the villainous organization), spends his days at “work” fighting a team of Power Ranger-like heroes (each of whom actually get some decent characterization and cute moments, especially the perpetually lost Red) and plotting the destruction of humanity so that his race of aliens can take over the planet. But he spends his days off visiting the zoo to see the animals he’s come to adore: pandas. The charm of this extremely charming show is primarily in the contrast between the violent villain who wants to wipe out humanity and the quiet, good natured man who loves pandas and is genuinely enjoying learning about earth and human customs. The art is very nice, nothing too fancy but it serves the story well. The music is soothing. Overall it’s a very sweet and comforting series that wisely avoids going over the top with the comedy and never really drains its primary joke (villain who loves pandas) too much. Recommended (though you’ll definitely get more enjoyment out of this show if you’re at least vaguely familiar with Tokusatsu tropes).

A Sign of Affection is an incredibly sweet and gentle shoujo romance about a young deaf woman named Yuki and the relationship she forms with Itsuomi, a handsome guy from her college who knows several languages and decides to learn sign language after meeting her. There’s been a bit of a trend lately that I’m totally here for: shoujo romances that are wholesome and healthy. Though I definitely enjoy the drama of more spicy shows, it’s also very nice to relax and watch something that’s not going to piss me off. A Sign of Affection is very careful with its romance. Characters behave in more natural, mature ways. There are fewer misunderstandings and the ones we get are completely understandable. It’s just nice to see healthy, equal, consensual relationships. Because those are the ones I want to root for. Yuki’s disability is handled with delicacy and tact. We see her limitations and struggles but we also see her living a full and happy life. The art style is very typical for high quality shoujo. Lots of pastels and gentle, natural designs. The animation is fluid enough for a show like this, and the music fits it well. Recommended if you like romance.

Cherry Magic is a BL (Boys Love) series that continues the fairly recent trend of non toxic BL anime (that started with shows like Given and Sasaki and Miyano). Cherry Magic centers on Adachi, a shy man who discovers he has magical powers after hitting age 30 while still being a virgin. The power? To read the mind of anyone he touches. Out of curiosity he touches his handsome, popular coworker Kurosawa and finds out Kurosawa is in love with him. Once upon a time, nearly every BL anime that came out was full of toxic relationships and, I’ll call it a “strained relationship with consent”. There’s been a lot of discussion over the years about why that was and how people felt about it, but I for one (a straight cis woman, so take my opinion with a grain of salt) always found those aspects to be uncomfortable. Thankfully, like with shoujo romance, modern series have been moving away from abusive relationships with (very) dubious consent. Cherry Magic is refreshing, mainly in that the two leads are 30 and they actually form a very sweet and equal relationship. It’s a very slow burn romance, but it works well here. The art isn’t anything amazing. The character designs are rather generic and the animation quality dips noticeably after the first episode. But the music is nice and the writing is strong enough to carry the show. Recommended.

High Card season two is, so far, a bit of a letdown. Following a group of people using magic playing cards to give them special powers as they try to gather all the cards, the first season was a blast. The characters were fun and the plot, while occasionally getting a little dark, was overall upbeat and energetic. Season two is fine. I’m enjoying it and it’s had a few great episodes, but the pacing just feels off. Some episodes feel disjointed, and just when it seems like the plot is getting tense and urgent, things come to a screeching halt to have backstory or even side story episodes. To be clear, it’s still a very good anime, but so far the second season is failing to live up to the first. The art and animation are still great and the music is too (though the opening and ending themes just don’t compare to the absolute bangers of season one). Definitely still worth watching for the colorful, lively characters alone.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House is a very pretty supernatural shoujo series about an orphaned girl named Himari inheriting a house from a family she never knew, only to find it already occupied by a trio of handsome young men, two of whom are not actually human. It turns out Himari’s new house sits on the border between worlds, and one of the young men, Aoi, is tasked with guarding that border. The plot is fairly episodic, and the show’s main weakness is that it feels very familiar and predictable. The basic setup of “bright cheerful girl with no family moves in with supernatural hot guys” is not new. But it’s a common setup for a reason: it’s charming and fun. The art and design are very pretty. The music is a high point, with my favorite opening theme of the season. It’s a cute show. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s still a fun ride.

Sengoku Youko is a fantasy action series focusing a pair of traveling “siblings” (not related by blood) consisting of Tama (a fox spirit) and Jinka (a human who hates other humans and wants to become a spirit creature). Traveling with them is a young human man named Shinsuke who wants to be a swordsman. The plot is fairly episodic, with the siblings mostly wandering into dangerous situations involving spirit creatures. There’s an overarching plot about a human religious sect that’s been doing experiments to combine humans with spirit creatures, but that’s usually in the background of the other adventures and serves to provide villains. The characters are overall interesting and fun, and a few of them even avoid falling into the usual fantasy anime tropes, or flip those tropes around enough to be interesting. The fights are exciting, even if the powers and abilities aren’t always made clear. It’s nice that there are plenty of powerful lady characters as well. The art and animation are nice, and the music is great. The ending theme is hauntingly beautiful, and my favorite of the season by far.

#anime reviews #anime recommendations #winter 2024 anime #seasonal anime #text #mr villain's day off #a sign of affection #cherry magic

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

I don't watch a lot of US tv shows. Not because I think they are "bad", but more because they barely hold any appeal to me.

The last few I tried were like : let's start with a pointless sex scene, because dang, regular american boy loves that! Also, let's not pay anyone to do the light. Better if it's too dark to see anything at all 60% of the time, wow we're so gritty.

That said, I happened to stumble on Night Sky. And the reason I got interested was that for once, our two heroes were old people (and it's sci-fi, which I have always loved). And as the heroes, the tone of the first episode was very much slower, calmer and yet super interesting.

It had zero useless sex scenes the whole way, the plot unraveled at a pretty slow but good rhythm, the acting was good. Lovely.

and then.

and then, the number one reson why I've been mostly staying as far from US shows as humanly possible.

The reason why I absolutely despise 99% of all american TV shows.

They can't ever write a freaking ending, and you never know if a show is going to be "renewed" or not.

I've been watching so much shows from other countries where the show is clearly bought to last a set number of episodes, so there is always an ending. Good, bad, I don't even care, as long as it's there.

Now I'm left with no ending, more questions than answers, and the absolute certainty that this was my last ever foray into "made for the US" series.

What are your thoughts about that format? You obviously watch older movies, so I'm not sure if you are into shows at all. I'm curious.

Pfff, I watch sort of everything anon. And definitely tv series.

I wasn't sure how to answer your questions because there is a lot to unpack and honestly? In order to get an encompassing answer, I'd have to write a thesis. But I'll keep it short.

In terms of American shows not getting an ending and in turn, becoming a frustrating viewing experience, I'd say that it has more to do with current production practices and the industry at large, rather than the shows being American. The US has produced most of the greatest tv since its invention and we have experienced the golden age of television for the first couple of decades of the 21st century.

I'd say that the problem is represented by the streaming services and the run of the mill and cancelled shows are a product of that culture. Binge watching, too many projects getting a green light leading to a lot of trash as well, focusing too much on algorithm and quick social media response lead to abrupt cancellation. And sometimes they do it for tax purposes as well. It's the same in the film industry.

Getting out an entire season to streaming immediately hurts the people behind it. With cable tv, writers had a more long-term job, each season had more episodes, the episode was written specifically to fit in commercials as well. Direct to streaming changed that for the worst, hence the writers strike. There's a lot more to be said on this and you can watch this as well, it will help

Poor lighting has indeed been another criticism which I can understand. It's because they're shooting on digital and somehow it gives this illusion that it's more "realistic"? It's not, it's just lazy and it's a shame. Lighting in cinematography is an art and there's plenty of examples out there.

Lastly, the "useless sex scenes". I wonder what constitutes as useless for you though? The existence of a sex scene is not just for some "regular american boy". It's part of a lot of people's lives and being depicted in fiction is to be expected. There's nothing wrong with watching it, for everyone. Would it have a point only if it advances the plot? Could it not be another means of characterization? Of setting a mood? A commentary? Perhaps a glimpse into a life? There's plenty of reasons, even if it appears "pointless". It's unfortunate to see this trend nowadays, but at least it creates debates from people on all sides. I'd actually say that the lack of eroticism and the abundance of sexless characters in a lot of mainstream cinema/tv is creating a false, artificial image of a world that gets boring really fast and certainly a fictional Hollywood subpar to everything that came before.

#m thoughts #film talk #tv series #hollywood #american tv

[meimi-haneoka]

I’m sorry I said some unpleasant things to you earlier.

Your answer made me think about a lot of things I hadn’t thought before, both about CLAMP and Clear Card ? So thank you

I'm going to reply to this one immediately because I've been thinking for the past hour whether to reblog that post again and reply to your questions, or leave it be as I had said 😅

I'm sorry if I came across as irritated too, but the reason why I (and I think the other fan you reblogged from too) feel so over the edge about this topic is because it's been very difficult lately to interact with certain corners of the fandom without slipping into a puddle of negativity feeding on negativity, over matters that concretely no one of us can do anything about.

Sometimes I have the impression people see only the "artwork producing" side of Clamp and forget that they are human beings too, with their own wishes but most importantly, reasons and circumstances we know nothing about. And I have the impression the ease with how fans insult them might stem from (temporarily?) forgetting about that. It's so easy especially on the internet.

I don't know what perception you have of Clear Card and how much of what's been going on reaches other sides of the general Clamp fandom, but in 7 years and half many things changed, and I changed my perception too.

It might be absurd to think about that now, but there was a period early on when I also thought Clear Card could be here only as a commercial opportunity and I couldn't feel the love in the story. Turns out, I was probably influenced by external factors but most importantly, I hadn't reached the core of the story yet. I hadn't touched what was one of the biggest thematics they would talk about and I didn't understand yet what they were trying to do with this series, what risks they've taken to develop and portray properly those parts (like creating new characters that had importance and influence on the plot as much as the main character herself).

It's been 7 long, bumpy and difficult years of complaints in & out the CCS fandom, and the English official translation didn't help at all since it skewed most of the portrayal of the new characters. Now the last volume is out and I'm checking the comments of the Japanese fans, and lots of people who had dropped the series for the reasons I told you before are now satisfied with how the series ended.

A character in Clear Card says "when given the reason to change, no one can ever stay the same" and that's something we really need to remember more often. People, things, situations change. And what initially was discussed as just a one-shot to promote the start of the anime project, quickly changed into a full fledged and complex manga series. Ohkawa was probably struck with inspiration for a good story and thought it would've been a pity to develop it only through an anime, she wanted for them to tell that story with their own hands.

I also want to quickly address something you said in your reblog that I hadn't seen before.

For a lack of a better word, "fetish" to me means everything that encompasses your inclinations when you read a story. Those that make you go 😍 about it. It can be anything, big hands, wide shoulders, even kisses or the request for a wedding: I've seen over the years the most disparate complaints and even insults, sometimes, over those things. Like how Clamp didn't know how to draw anymore just because they didn't stay stuck in the past with their 90's shoulders and their art style is constantly changing depending on the themes of the story. It should be something to praise them for, because they're evolving and always keeping up to date with the trends, they're not stagnant.

I'm not saying we can't wish to see those things in their stories, what I said is that we can't expect them to live and work in the function of satisfying those requests for us. They should be free to write and draw what they really want to portray.

If I was able to make you see another side of the situation, I can only be glad about it! Thank you for your ask.

#reply

[lurkinglurkerwholurks]

Look for the Helpers

First posted: November 13, 2018

Focuses on: BatKids (Dick POV, Jason focused)

Favorite bookmark: "I am bawling."

Tier: Decidedly mid.

This is my "behind the scenes" series where I indulge myself horribly by annotating my fics. Link to the fic itself above. Thoughts below the cut.

I'd been chewing for awhile on the idea of Mr. Rogers and how much he meant to people. The Won't You Be My Neighbor documentary had released in January of this same year, and I'd sat in a theater and quietly bawled with a dark room full of strangers. Because his show was on PBS and geared, like Sesame Street, toward low income kids, making him have an outsized impact on Jason made the most sense.

Dick wondered if he would ever be used to the feeling of disconnect that came after a disaster. It felt like… He stabbed at a macaroni noodle and considered the radiant numbness spreading out from his chest.

This first bit, Dick mulling on the weirdness after a disaster that you manage to survive, was pulled from personal experience, but with the last half decade being what it's been, I can't even tell you which one I was pulling from. Hurricane wakes, most likely, though who really knows.

The never-ending white noise of sirens rushing to and fro weren’t real. The loss. The devastation. The chaos. 

That said, wow, what a weirdly prescient thing to read back through on this side of 2020.

“I don’t think human eyes are supposed to be that big,” he remarked solemnly, which prompted a snort of laughter from the others and placid disregard from Tim. “It’s anime, Dickie, don’t be so uncool.” Jason’s faux-whine made it clear that he was not, in fact, defending Tim’s artwork. “It’s a legitimate art form, and you both are snobs,” Tim said, his tone unruffled as he reached for his sandwich with his right hand, his left never slowing as he traced the warrior girl’s floating hair in purple crayon. “It is,” Damian agreed, which surprised Dick until he added, “when done correctly.” “Oh, bite me,” Tim retorted, but without any heat.

Of course Tim is a weeb. Tim and Damian.

“Is that Steph?” Jason asked, head now tilted to get a better look at Tim’s drawing. Intrigued, Dick craned his neck as well. “What? No!” Now Tim’s head snapped up, and he glared at Jason as one arm curled protectively around the crayon drawing. Dick would have been inclined to argue that the drawing could have been of anyone, as Tim wasn’t quite good enough to render a clear likeness. But the tips of Tim’s ears were pink.

Nowadays I'm awfully ambivalent on Tim/Steph and trend toward apathetic neutral. CECverse is an exception.

“Jason, if you lean over any farther, you’re going to knock over your soup,” Dick pointed out instead. Jason scowled, but settled back in his chair. “I’d make a joke, but one, we don’t make gags about Nazis anymore, and two, that show is old as dirt.”

I could not have predicted the Seinfeld renaissance among the youth.

Beneath the table, Dick tapped his fingertips together, one after the other. The numbness was still there, but if he didn’t think about it, it receded from the foreground. Not lessened or disappeared, just backed away to hover like a thin blanket over everything except what he was focusing on, which in turn made what he was focusing on seem harshly bright and loud. That was okay, though, if what he was focusing on was his brothers. Dick popped another forkful of cheesy noodles into his mouth and studied them, careful to keep a slight smile on his face as he did.

Oh. I remember what I was pulling from now. Not the numbness but the way you can chat and laugh and joke and seem normal when the world is upended and nothing is normal at all. Loss is weird.

They all tended to huddle a little closer together when Bruce was away.

I like this, the idea of them all gravitating, deliberately or subconsciously, so they're a team huddled, facing outward, without Bruce to hold their center.

Only Cass had been allowed to stay at the Manor. She and Alfred were planning a Masterpiece Theater Poirot mystery binge, with some Miss Marple and Jeeves and Wooster thrown in for flavoring. Dick wasn’t sure how much of the dialogue Cass could follow, but she seemed to find it a fun challenge to identify the murderer by body language alone. And anyone could enjoy the comedy of old J&W.

This took me a second to figure out, what Alfred and Cass might bond over and why, especially since Alfred is verbally cerebral and Cass finds words less useful. I think I made it work.

Jason was picking at Tim, who pretended to be grumpy and ignored his aggravating older brother in favor of tackling his roast beef sandwich with both hands.

Why roast beef, I don't know.

Dick took a few texts himself, mostly to coordinate the efforts and to relay the continued lack of news. Jason received none, though Dick caught him peeking at the screen once or twice.

I had a whole secondary storyline worked out with Bizarro that wasn't necessary or important at all but that would include a line about Jason taking care of Biz's plant. Something about it was supposed to be absolutely gutting, but I couldn't fit it in and now I don't remember what I had in mind.

Dick ducked his head as a familiar face filled the screen—Superman, a lone curl tumbling charmingly down his forehead, his chin turned to stare bravely into the distance. It was a stupid photo, boldly heroic in none of the ways that made Clark truly brave. That was the point, he knew, of a secret identity—no strong points of connection—but it rankled him to see the man portrayed as a stoic bastion of strength instead of the smiling, gentle man who used to pick Dick up by his ankles and swing him upside down.

Dick's point of view was a deliberate pick, as the eldest brother minding the wellbeing of the youngers, but also for how this specific worry would pick at him. Clark is a bigger part of his life than for the others.

But that was how these things went. Those that left were free to be reshaped into whatever was needed by those who were left behind. A beloved friend. A solemn warrior. A good soldier.

Yes, that was a jab.

The other members of the superhero community did their best to fill the power void, especially in Metropolis, which had been hardest hit and was now missing its white knight, though the Kent boys and Kara did their best.

I think this is the only time I ever acknowledge Kara in my fics. I don't know her. She will not appear.

Dick clamped a firm hand onto Damian’s shoulder and shoved the boy back into his seat before he could crawl over the table to stab Tim with his fork.

I make too many Damian stabbing jokes in these early fics. Or rather, I the writer mean them as funny moments but in-world they wouldn't be funny or in character, really. He's got a temper but he's not an impetuous hothead. I think I've gotten better (I hope) about, when I do joke, they're in-world jokes as well.

The diner was nestled between a rising skyscraper and a small neighborhood park, the kind community developers liked to slot into any little niche so that they could advertise nearby green space to prospective renters. It was no more than a small patch of green ringed with trees, bisected by a path with a small, two-tiered fountain in the middle. This neighborhood had been untouched by the extraterrestrial destruction, and the paths were at a midday lull, soft greys and greens and whites unbroken except for a jogger here, a mother and child there, a dogwalker off in the distance.

I plucked this park from real life. I don't remember where I was now, maybe Maryland, visiting friends? But I can still see the real-world park in my head, and how I altered it to make it into a place I could use in Gotham.

From what Dick could remember, even before, Jason had hated to show weakness. Though more expressive than Bruce by far, he hid his fears and sorrows beneath anger and rage. He had, in many ways, been more vulnerable with Bruce than Dick had been, willing to confront and challenge the older man when upset, but he had hated being coddled. The safest thing to do when Jason was in turmoil was to give him space and return when the dust had settled. 

meeeeeeeeeeeeee

“Maybe.” Dick tried to remember everything he had seen Bruce do right and everything he had seen Bruce do wrong. “But it’s still important to you, so it’s important to me. Tell me.”

I firmly love best a Bruce who doesn't always get it right but also doesn't always get it wrong. He's just a guy doing his best.

“I thought…” Jason slumped to the side until his shoulder rested against the tree. “I thought it’d taken everything it could. I lost a year of my life, my family, my home, my sanity.” He barked out a laugh, raspy and rough and dark with bitterness. “What else could I lose, right?”

I also love Jason getting to grieve his missing years, not just raging against Bruce and Gotham. I should do more with that.

“It wasn’t exciting or really funny. It was just this… this old guy. He’d come in to this clean house and hang up his jacket and take off his shoes and sing. He’d tell stories with these stupid puppets, and he never yelled or got mad. And he’d talk right to me. Every time, it was like he was talking right to me.” Jason swiped at his eyes again, fast, hard. “I guess it was because it was public access and they didn’t have a lot of other programming, but it felt like every time I needed him, he was on. Even when I got older, I’d turn him on sometimes, because no matter how scared or angry or sad I was, I knew he’d fix it. He’d tell me he was proud of me, that I was special, that I was okay just the way I was.”

I always hated the puppets, so that bit was more me than Jason. Jason was too young to get the show on first-run, so it makes sense that the reruns would be frequent and seemingly available whenever he needed them to be on. And it makes sense that a calm, gentle, supportive show would be a lifeline to him, a world where big, scary things don't appear or are talked through when they do.

Instead, he had ended up a murder victim and a killer. Dick wanted to pull Jason into a hug and let him know that he could still make a difference, that he had made a difference in Crime Alley, even if they still butted heads over methodology sometimes. He didn’t need to be ashamed of who he was. But then Jason whispered, “I didn’t know he’d died.”

Dick: Oh he's having a crisis about his behavior, oh no.

Jason: actually having an entirely different crisis

Like, imagine if you blipped out of existence for a few years and when you came back, you found out about Robin Williams or Steve Irwin retroactively.

They had never done anything like this, even before. Dick had been too busy being Nightwing to be a big brother, and Jason had had no reason to trust him. But that didn’t mean Dick couldn’t be here now, to make up for all his failures before. He pressed his lips to Jason’s scalp, then rested his cheek atop the man’s head and waited.

I still haven't fully settled in my own head exactly what the Nightwing-Robin transition was like for the three of them. When I started, I leaned on the fanon interpretation of Bruce and Dick fighting a lot and Dick and Jason as emotionally distant strangers. Now I think I've relegated a lot of that to individual interpretation (Dick feeling a lot of guilt that doesn't wholly match reality, for example), but it's still pretty fluid.

Dick could feel a tear or two wash down his own face as he tightened his hold on his brother’s shoulders. “He would be proud of you, you know. He wasn’t the kind of guy to ask for perfection, right? Just that you try. He’d be so proud, Jay.” “Why, because you are?” Jason had tried for sardonic, but the wry jab came out waterlogged and muffled between sniffles. “Yeah. Yeah, I am,” Dick murmured.

Choked myself up a little there.

“Mine was Bob Ross,” Tim offered suddenly. He had sat on the end, furthest from Jason but still close enough to be heard even in a low voice as he hugged his knees. “Not his death so much. He died before I knew who he was. But I liked to watch him paint. He made beautiful things from his mistakes. His happy accidents. It was good to hear, sometimes.” Dick and Jason took that in silently, digesting everything Tim had said and everything he hadn’t.

I knew each kid would have their own person to name, because that's how these conversations go. Mention Steve Irwin and someone else will mention Robin Williams or Chadwick Boseman or Amy Winehouse or whoever. Everyone has a death of a stranger that meant an awful lot to them. Figuring out who to pair to whom was an interesting puzzle, and I think the pairings I picked made sense. (Am realizing now how many shocking celebrity deaths are men.)

One quirk of timing with this fic was I wrote it and happened to post, completely by accident, the day that Stan Lee died. Folks were really feeling it in my comments section.

#fanfic bts brain dump

[alicenpai]

Have you answered Q21 and 30 yet? Would love to hear your thoughts on those :o

21. Art styles nothing like your own but you like anyways

hi chiko!

I think I tried so many different styles over the years, and bc of art school I can probably draw in cartoony or anime styles pretty alright, so I won't pick any kind of animation adjacent styles for this one!

Edward Gorey, Ronald Searle

Norman Rockwell, J.C. Leyendecker

Dean Cornwall, Mead Schaeffer

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated

this one is tough! as I haven't been drawing a lot of full pieces/posting very very sporadically this year.

like what is considered "underrated"? is it notes? funny enough I think before the pandemic my art used to get more notes, so, would someone consider my recent works "underrated" in that sense? it's tricky. 🤔 I know it's easy to blame the algorithm but there are so many factors at play that we cannot qualitatively control for. being on the right platform at the right time, drawing for the right fandom at the right time, catering to a suitable audience, how you format the post (like do you show closeups or just post the full illust or crop your art? do you just post a video instead??), and a suitable caption (e.g. something witty, relatable, funny, or just something basic like emojis or just 1 word)

for me I consider a work "underrated" or underperforming (I think is a better word for it), is if the drawing is not interesting enough that nothing is said about it. either about either subject matter or artistic techniques. for me connecting to others through art is so integral to the artist experience. if a post gets 1000 notes but it gets 0 comments, then i consider it a failure. if something gets 100 notes but it gets many comments, i would consider it the opposite of "underrated'.

like would original drawings be more underrated than fanart? 🤔 people have trouble connecting to ocs since they don't know the source material, so often those kinds of posts would get less notes or less comments. just interesting things to think about.

it's easy to go into the archive and look at the older stuff that possibly didn't get seen around as much, but i'll try to pull some more recent pieces.

I think this 6 fanarts did badly in comparison to other works because the trend appeared in 2020 but I wasn't able to complete this that year ^__T and the trend didn't come back in 2021... guess I'm not a trend setter..................... sighs 😔 haha

I do want to try this kind of fanart compilation again though! I'm bad at drawing under pressure though so I would have to come up with my own prompts...

this Kekkai Sensen x Trigun piece! I think the crossover alienated fans of both series bc you had to enjoy both T__T and I also didn't draw characters from either series interacting so I don't think it ended up that interesting? bc I wanted to make this a diptych (it's clear that there's a middle divide now that I mention it) but the triptych didn't end up happening!

besides both being created by Yasuhiro Nightow, I haven't come across that many fans who are fans of both, actually...? it's not in the case where the author's work is more or less similar in tone (or same universe), like Baccano x Durarara, Pandora Hearts x Vanitas no Carte, Higurashi x Umineko. I think something like trigun x cowboy bebop would have worked better because people are always unfortunately comparing the two hahahaha.

#ask #i had this in my drafts for a few days then forgot about it sorry! #chiko akihari #q

[x0401x]

Why was Tokyo Babylon 2021 cancelled?

My God. My good God. That is one rabbit hole that I would never expect to see in my inbox. Down this bitch we go.

Brace yourself, dear Anon. You’re about to be told the biggest bullshit of GoHands’ history. Not because it’s a lie but because it’s fucking ridiculous.

(Sorry for taking so long to reply, by the way. As you can see, this took a while to write down. 😅)

So, GoHands. The studio that produced rather niche series such as Hand Shakers, WiZ and Seitokai Yakuindomo. The studio that was responsible for this remake of Tokyo Babylon.

And also the studio that has unlearned how to make anything other than K Project.

Now, don’t get me wrong - I love GoHands and K Project is one of my favorite franchises. Been in the fandom for a decade now and will never leave it. But during these ten years, it feels like GoHands has let the success of K overtake every other new work of theirs. K Project is a series that has a very distinct and remarkable visual identity. It’s easily identifiable and therefore should’ve been kept as something unique.

It was not.

GoHands seems to think, from all the praise they received for K’s innovative style, that said style is the key to a successful anime. That’s the only reason I could think of as to why they keep making every title that came after K into a visually identical copy of it. Praeter no Kizu, Coppelion, you name it. Everything that came after K looks exactly like it, which is already bad enough when you consider that K was kind of a bettered version of Mardock Scramble’s visuals in the first place.

I prayed a lot when I saw the remake announcement, but sadly, Tokyo Babylon (2021) couldn’t escape that trend. And you know what didn’t make things any better? The fact that Suzuki Shingo, the character designer, has been regressing in art style quality ever since Hand Shakers and now apparently can no longer draw adults and teenagers without making them look like babies.

So you have good animation, but shitty art style and even shittier character design adaptations. After the first previews came out, people immediately started to complain. Mainly about Seishirou, who was looking nothing like himself. And while the complaints were coming in, people also began pointing out something else, which then became the reason for the cancellation of the anime reboot: plagiarism.

Turns out that the character outfits had been copied from real-life ones made by beginner fashion designers. Basically, Suzuki Shingo had been taking the design ideas from small artists who’d been posting their creations online. None of these people had yet made names for themselves at the time of the offense, so they were very obscure, not at all easy-to-track newbies in the fashion industry. GoHands targeted them wholly on purpose. Even Subaru’s onmyouji garments were a stolen design. And not only the clothes but also the way the characters pose in official art are all copycats of other people’s works.

But wait, it gets worse! GoHands has actually been doing that for a long time now. It’s sort of a quirk? Obsession? That Suzuki Shingo has had for a while. This time around just so happened to be the last straw.

So what happened after GoHands was busted? Well, they lost the project. The remake was canceled, with the studio issuing an apology, saying that they hadn’t checked enough to make sure there were no signs of plagiarism in the designs (because it’s true that designers often use magazines and such for references, but making changes so that they’re really just that - references). The production committee then ditched them, but an announcement followed soon after, claiming that there was a restart planned for the reboot project. I mean, a lot of people do want to see it happen, and a permanent cancelation would be a total waste of time, potential and money. So we’re probably getting Tokyo Babylon in the future anyway, but with a different title and from a different studio. Perhaps on TB’s 35th anniversary.

Again, I love GoHands. I’m not happy about what happened to them. But they had it coming. This was the most unnecessary ordeal ever and I hope they have learned from it.

#tokyo babylon #gohands #clamp #tokyo babylon 2021

[honeylunnes]

perpetually growing list of random rosa facts

- she was born on the night of a new moon

- she fidgets with her hair a lot, especially if shes bored or anxious

- shes really clumsy, but insists that it has nothing to do with her heels. shes actually right, and to most peoples surprise shes even more uncoordinated in flats or barefoot

- she used to be insecure about her height, especially being taller than most of the guys in her life, but eventually began trying to take pride in it instead. it went too far though, and she now gets weirdly competitive whenever she encounters men taller than her (why she wears heels every day)

- shes got a sweet tooth, and especially loves most if not all strawberry desserts

- she would love to be able to make her own treats, but every attempt somehow manages to lead to failure

- shes a sucker for bad pickup lines, and traditionally “corny” romance in general. she finds it incredibly endearing

- semi related, but shes very dense. she seldom registers the subtleties of romance and has unknowingly shot peoples advances down because she just didnt realize they were shooting their shot

- aside from the few she played as a kid, very detached from video games. she really likes the art she sees of various series on social media, though

- shes heard of splatoon, and was intrigued by it at first. however she finds the creative liberties that lead to inaccuracies to be too frustrating to engage with the game or conversations about it. finding out otters are extinct was also incredibly disappointing for her

- despite using social media, she hardly ever interacts with people or engages with trends. most references to memes and other online current events from her peers go right over her head

- she has fangs! because shes so reserved very few people know this, but they become apparent whenever she laughs hard or gives a wide smile

- i have in my notes that when shes drunk she acts like pinkie pie. idk what i meant by that but make of it what you wish

- while she can get easily annoyed, its difficult to make her genuinely angry. the exception to this is rude customers, and her coworkers keep a little plushie behind the counter for her to take out her frustrations on when she encounters one

- she grew up on sailor moon, and still holds it very dear to her heart. (looking back on it she realized there was a lot of gender envy involved there) her favorite character is sailor neptune

- she has a habit (running gag?) of finding animals typically seen as gross or creepy really cute and endearing, especially snails and slugs.

- her favorite song is “cassiopeia” by sara bareilles

- she doesnt care about astrology in the traditional sense but does pay some attention to it solely because of its association with the stars and constellations

- she refuses to admit it, but she scares *super* easy

- she owns that ikea shark but is completely oblivious to the memes abt it, she just likes sharks

- her sense of humor suuucks. not that she’ll tell bad jokes, but she’s the only one laughing when someone else tells one. most ppl assume she’s laughing at the person, but she just genuinely finds the joke funny

- while her sweater is largely a security blanket of sorts for her, she also gets cold rly easily, even if its fairly warm out, which is how she can wear it and insists on doing so regardless of the weather or time of year

gonna keep adding random shit to this as i think of more :]

#rosaposting

[ray-the-fanatic]

seeing leosagi trend on twitter makes me so happy though at the same time i kinda avoid it cuz a majority of it is yu/ichi usagi that's with leo and i don't wanna ruin the fun of the people who enjoy the samurai rabbit show, i tried getting into the show a month ago but it just... did not catch my eye the same way rise did

maybe it's cuz the show's not technically about the og usagi or the fact that i struggle to care about cast and story itself cuz it feels... boring to me? idk, it's just hard for me to get into shipping rise leo with yu/ichi when i'm not really interested in the character or show (yu/ichi i mean), esp when i'm more attached to everyone's version of rise usagi

sorry if this seems a bit ranty ^^;;;

Okay  1. I was answering another ask when I saw this and deiced nope I need to answer this! 2.no so yes let us talk about this because i see you I feel you and get what you mean as well.3. Sorry this is gonna be a lil long.

Okay so I recalled when they originally announced doing the samurai rabbit show and I was excited cause Usagi content. Forgot about it till finally getting back into tmnt after being convinced to finally watch rise cause o didn't when it originally aired. Which sent me down a rabbit hole obsession on usagi in time for the Samurai Rabbit show coming out. And to make this easier when I say Usagi I’ll be talking about Usagi Miyamoto and Yu/ichi for Usagi Yu/ichi yes I know they have the same first name that's the point it’s just for clarification here.

Now I do not mind the show it’s fine for what it is and I think Yu/ichi is cute and interesting but I have a love hate thing for the show. I spoke to a mutual on tiktok about this and I know I made a post on my thoughts about the show. I like the concept of Usagi descendant  Yu/ichi trying to become a samurai in a future time period when Samurai aren’t around, because he idolizes Usagi. Only to find out Usagi is a bad guy so he tries to clear their name. Despite that set up its not really what we get and Yui/chi didn’t really clear their name im still annoyed about that. I do still enjoy Yu/ichi mostly the design I even drew some inspiration from it for my own rise usagi because I liked the bangs. And I do find he and rise leo could be fun buuuuuuuut He is not the Usagi I want.

See as I have gotten more into Usagi’s own series I have just really come to love the character even more and love the idea of him in rise compared to a cross over with samurai rabbit. I just love the idea of the conflict in personality I just want him to be a grounded samurai who is emotionally in touch. Like especially with Leo going into his role as a leader I just love the idea of that being when he meets Usagi because of how special that friendship is in the 03 series. Besides I enjoy the Lore of Usagi Yojimbo and would love tidbits of it in rise uwu

Well I will still share and enjoy ship art of both cause i’m greedy and like Leosagi I do agree with people that the two should have different ships names. I saw seabunny mention for rise leo and yu/ichi and thats cute. But yeah well the sudden boom on twitter been nice to see and I have a friend who prefers that version simply cause yu/ichi is cannon over a rise usagi is. Thats fine though I also feel there another reason for the push on yui/chi i’m just being skeptical though so i wont say that in this. I just personally perfect Usagi myself over yui/chi. Again theres nothing wrong with him it’s just well I feel hes getting more praise than what is earned really. Based off the show am I a fan of it? eh I like it i don't know if its something i’ll re-watch I wish the writing was better I kind wanna do a fix it fic for it but that's a lot of work compared to one shots lol

TL;DR: Well I dont mind yu/ichi as a charater when it comes to the leosagi thing esp for Rise I’m in the side of Usagi Miyamoto over Usagi Yui/chi. And feel they should have different ship names also 03/2012 usagi > over any other usagi uwu

#ask box #also this is a safe space ranting is tots allowed #just no hate allowed here

[altmusicposting]

Arcane: Intersection of Vibes and Meaning

In 2021, Netflix released an absolute bombshell of an animated show that fleshed out the backstories of some of the Champions (playable characters) of League of Legends from Riot games. As someone who's never played the game, I still enjoyed the show immensely. First of all, the art style is beautiful, and each character is well-crafted in appearance and mannerisms. With a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, a record sweep of 9 Annies (awards for animated shows), and being the only gaming series to win an Emmy, Arcane shattered expectations. The thing that I loved about it though, was how much there was to it. On the surface, the two main plotlines follow sisters Powder & Vi and inventors/scientists Jayce & Viktor. There is an overall comparison between Piltover, the ridiculously wealthy City of Progress, and its undercity, which has taken on its own name, Zaun. Beyond the obvious though, there is a strong sense of political commentary on wealth, policing, war, economics, and morality. There's so many moral gray areas, and the attention to detail is fantastic. But, this is a post about music.

Needless to say, I was very inspired by the show. In addition to the deeper connotations of the show, the aesthetics and general "vibes" of the show, it's cities, and characters were very strong. I decided to make a playlist that incorporated that duality. One that got you pumped but also got you thinking, as is my style I'm learning. For this assignment, I have linked an abridged version of that playlist (which is about 30 or so songs at this point) that I think gets the bulk of the jist across. I will say, the soundtrack used in the actual show is pretty solid in and of itself, and I recommend you listen to it as well. I did include two of the "official" songs in this mix, but most are just other songs that speak to both the surface and deeper levels of the show. I will say now though, I do focus more on the overall vibes, and the aesthetic of Zaun than of Piltover.

First up is Enemy, by Imagine Dragons ft. JID. This song was used as the title song for the show and honestly covers the feelings of the main characters, Jinx in particular, pretty well. The version used in the intro is the one linked above, and the official music video is linked below (spoiler alert for the video, if you don't know the show). There is also a version done without JID, where his rap is replaced by a bridge, but I personally prefer the version with him. Many of the characters in the show either are forced into, or willingly make decisions that turn them into the enemy in the eyes of someone else, even if they started on the same side. It is upbeat and high energy, but lonely and heartbreaking when you think about it too long, which is honestly fitting.

The second song on the list is Blood//Water by grandson. I don't really remember how I first found this song. It was most likely from one of the mixes Spotify makes for you based on what you listen to. I've listened to a few more of grandson's song since, and I like them all so far. In an interview with Audacity, grandson said "I think as we're confronted with more and more alarming headlines, and more and more of a sense of urgency, I think we all get more tribal." That idea comes through clearly in Arcane, the lines are so clearly drawn, too many mistakes have been made, too many people betrayed, promises broken, and damage done. There are people who still walk those lines and blur them though, which is interesting. The title, of course, also calls to mind the old saying "blood is thicker than water" and the arguments that go with it. Additionally, this song also keeps a high energy, headbangy musicality behind the seriousness of the lyrics (you'll notice a trend here).

Third is Go To War by Nothing More. The lyrics deal with war, obviously, but also trust and love, futility, and why people fight. Yes, this is another upbeat, heavy rock song with hard-hitting lyrics. I promise they're not all like this, but I like that kind of music a lot, and it fits. This fits with the show for reasons previously stated, which I will not repeat for the sake of keeping this moving.

Next is Enough by Ra ft. Dustin Bates of Starset. I found this song because Starset is a favorite band of mine, and I'm pretty sure I listened to their whole discography when I was on my last kick. This one is less energetic, and sounds more tired, like its carrying the weight of its lyrics. There is still passion and energy behind it though, especially during the chorus, because it is an outcry. There is a wondering of when and what will be enough that is mirrored somewhat in the show. However, I think this is moreso supposed to be a sentiment we have as a viewer, something we are brought to by seeing the individual and large-scale struggles in Arcane.

Following that is Mad Hatter by Melanie Martinez. And honestly, it just gave me such intense Jinx vibes I couldn't not include it. Jinx, one of the main characters, goes through a number of traumatic incidents, and suffers a lot of mental and emotional damage from it. She is what would be colloquially referred to as a "crazy" or "insane" character akin possibly to Harley Quinn. With Jinx though it exists in this weird back and forth state where she seems to question or reject her new persona sometimes and fully embrace it in others. This song seems to have that dilemma as well, with the lyrics switching between, "I'm not alarmed/so what if I'm crazy?/All the best people are," and "Doctor, doctor, please listen." There is also the line "poppin' poppin' balloons with guns," which is so very Jinx. The whole song has this very dark, creepy undertone hidden behind a sweet/fun melody, which is also, very Jinx.

Sixth is Daddy Issues by The Neighborhood. Honestly, this is mostly just in there because so many of the characters have trauma and/or problems, especially with regards to their parental/father figures. The refrain of "go ahead and cry little girl...I know that you got daddy issues," is also particularly fitting with Jinx and Vi.

The seventh song is Insane by Black Gryph0n and Baasik. This is actually a fan-made song about the character Alastor from Hazbin Hotel arriving in Hell. I chose to include it though, because I think the way the friendly/jazzy tune contrasts with the rather violent lyrics fits with the energy of the show, especially Jinx. Also, again, the reference to possible insanity. I am also realizing as I write this that a lot of the songs are vibes based on Jinx, which, as she's central to the show is probably fair.

The eighth song is Brittle by Icon for Higher. Oh look, another Jinx song. We are back to high energy rock/alternative songs, this time with lyrics about mental health. There are several moments in the show when Jinx is fighting against being perceived as weak, physically and mentally/emotionally. The lines "Maybe I have a tendency to snap on people telling me/"You fit inside this box we built, we know you better than yourself"/they're lying, they're lying, they're lying," especially evoke Jinx for me. There is also a distinct electronic, staticky element to the music itself that fits with both the steampunk vibe of both halves of the city and the glitchy, dissociative moments Jinx has.

Ninth is W.D.Y.W.F.M by The Neighborhood. The strange acronym stands for What Do You Want From Me, and I can see quite a few of the characters asking that, namely Jinx, Vi, and Jayce, as they are the most displaced in the show, trying to find out what the people in their lives want them to do/be. There is also a questioning of "maybe this is all that I can be," which fits with the themes of identity and station/class, and following lines question who's at fault for what has happened between the subjects in the song. This is another slower (relatively), pleading song. Emotions are at the forefront for this one.

However, in terms of emotional songs, number ten probably has W.D.Y.W.F.M. beat. Ten is It's Alright by Mother Mother. It's a song of reassurance, and understanding that sometimes people make mistakes, big and small. Pretty much all of the main characters need this. Like I said earlier, there is so much trauma, almost everyone needs a hug.

The last song in this abridged playlist is Misfit Toys by Pusha T and Mako. This is the other song from the soundtrack I've included. It is used to properly introduce one of my favorite characters (who I've not talked about yet) Ekko, The Boy Savior. He is working outside of the main adversaries, Piltover and Zaun, to create a more equal and safe community in the undercity. He is from and very much directly affected by the injustices imposed on the citizens of the undercity by Piltover and the heirarchy in Zaun. This song really encapsulates his third-party, justice at all costs angle, and is honestly just a bop.

As a collection, this (and the full playlist) will have you nodding, headbanging, in your feelings, and wanting to tear down the establishment. At least, that's how it makes me feel most of the time. If you find none of those options favorable, it makes a great playlist for working out or just feeling like a badass walking down the street. I hope this made you think about how music often blends making statements with creating a mood.

#music #arcane #my writing #my thoughts #rock #arcane league of legends #playlist #jinx #netflix arcane #vibes #Spotify #Youtube

[speedrunner-fuchs-wulf]

Tag yo crap. Please. For the sanity of all.

I've seen a trend with people I follow not tagging stuff they reblog/make.

THIS IS A PROBLEM.

Why?

Because of two reasons.

Reason One: People can't find the content you create/reblog, so your posts get no notes.

Reason Two: People who follow you for your [fandom] content but not your [other fandom] content can't block the proper tags because you don't tag stuff, so people will most likely unfollow you because they don't want to see content from [fandom they don't like] that they can't block because there are no tags to block that aren't just sentences.

Here's a scenario for R1: I like Jet Set Radio. A lot. Someone else, let's call them Beat, likes it too, but never tags their art with a tag like #JSR or #JetSetRadio, or the sort. Let's say I search up JSR content, and find stuff I've already seen, plus a few new pieces, but nothing made by Beat. As a result, Beat's content gets no engagement, so they assume people don't like it, and never make JSR content again. If they just tagged it correctly, I would've found and reblogged their content, assuming I like it, meaning more people get to see it.

Here's a scenario for R2: I don't like Star Wars enough that I have the fandom tag blocked. I follow someone for their Final Fantasy XIV content, and know that that person likes Star Wars, it says so in their blog bio. Then they reblog some Star Wars content, and don't tag it. Now I'm stuck having to scroll past content on my dashboard I never wanted to see in the first place because there are no tags that match the ones I blocked to make the ones I've already blocked. In fact, the tags are something strange, like #Light of the Sabre or #Gosh I love this series so much I wish I saw this stuff sooner, or just zero tags at all. I'm now mad, because I now get bombarded with content I thought I blocked all of.

"But what if I wanna use my own fancy tags, like using #potatoadventures for every time I make my FFXIV content?" I hear you say. The optimal way to go about this is to either A) make and pin a post explaining your tags, so people know what to block, or B) add an additional tag that is for the overarching fandom/topic the post is about.

Also, if you exclusively tag using terms only those in the fandom would know, tag the post with the fandom name people outside the fandom would be able to understand and can easily block.

TL;DR: I'm sick and tired of seeing Star Wars and politics content on my dash that isn't tagged so I can block it, because I hate Star Wars and politics of any sort make me angry enough to give me migraines. Tag yo crap. Please.

#Tag yo crap. #Please. #If not for me #for other people. #Tumblr

[strooples]

Random non Halloween-related Halloween night cartoon rambles:

My sister recently recommended me All Saints Street and looking at the thumbnail on YouTube, the art style seems super cute! I watched the trailer and may give it a go soon :D. It’s up on my tabs, and I’m honestly curious how it is!! She said I might’ve liked it bc it’s slice-of-life. But I haven’t even gotten around to a close friend’s recommendation of Ousama Ranking, bc I am terrible with recommendations… I also forgot most of the anime movies I wanted to wanted T~T. Short attention spans are a curse :((

I have absolutely so so SO much to say about JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures, as I’m basically nearing the end of Season 3. But part 2 where Joseph is the hilarious protagonist has got to be my favorite??? It is just such a good mix of action and hilarity lololol. I really gotta thank the mix of BoBoBo, Bakuten Shoot, and pt. 2 JoJo for getting me back the feel of excitement from being a young kid who enjoyed cartoons mainly marketed towards boys and shonen anime.

The more I draw Bakuten Stuff thing, the more I wonder how Metal Fusion is. It’s the Beyblade series my SO, sister, and people around me generally refer to/remember. But all IK so far is that Gingka is the protag, the dub voice was a bit iffy for him, and little else?? Has anyone watched Metal Fusion — dub or sub?

The release of Wiglett makes me so happy!! Gosh, I would DIE for Wiglett (figuratively of course!). It’s such a cute pokemon aaaaa. And all the Wiglett and Diglett drawings I keep seeing on my feed give me such joy lololol.

And speaking of art, another thing I have to add is that I really really want to draw Kamisama Kiss art. I had a passing thought of it the other day, and though it’s a relatively old shoujo, I only found out about it last year! And watched + rewatched it a 2nd time within a single year. I may do a 3rd watch-through. It’s an oddly comforting anime?? And the traditional Japanese aesthetic and clothing of characters is so pretty!! I don’t know though if I can do much RN bc my anatomy skills are still a bit lacking (so I guess we will see?).

Lastly, I dropped a TON of Webtoons (reader’s burnout, slow/bad pacing, stories going in weird directions etc.) and I’ve been looking for new ones to read. But I haven’t quite felt much of a push towards the medium, and nothing seems to catch my eye or focus for long. It’s sorta sad seeing the direction the platform is going in tho. And tropes are not bad necessarily — not if you do them up well with the right amount of creativity. But since I was primarily drawn to the platform for romance stories, I realized some of the same tropes that sell to an audience have been rehashed so many times. And it’s not really fun anymore when you consider that romance is an already-oversaturated genre in any platform. Guess my desire for a good romance-oriented story may have to go to shoujo instead!!

Edit bc I forgot:

Also wtf is going on with the Miraculous Ladybug fandom??? I dropped the show maybe 2 years ago (burnout, toxic writing, the fandom getting a bit crazy). But since it’s been trending, I keep seeing *SPOILERS* stuff about the love square reversing in Season 5??? Is there actually progression?!?!! Yooooo…. I really wanna see what’s going on. Like skipping the more irrelevant bits and jumping to plot. But I may not because I just feel so conflicted on the story, which has so so much potential, but is done kinda on iffy grounds.

#thoughts #tv shows #sometimes i need to just ramble into the void #because i enjoy talking about/reading/watching fiction #so have my brain dump of thoughts #and happy halloween night