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jadesnapart · 4 months

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my art summary for 2023!! 2022 summary (and beyond)

template by mossygator

so 2023 has been an interesting year. while I've done digital freelance online on and off for years- this was the first year I fully supported myself on freelance art. it was difficult, it was rewarding, and it granted me ample opportunity to grow; to finally figure out what kind of art I want to make.

for as much art as I've made in my life and as much as I enjoy creating it, I have honestly never had the mental space to work on thinking about where I need to go before the past year and a half. I've worked a lot on my personal health and lifestyle which has been a big part of my ability to grow and change. I have a degree in fine art and while I learned a lot there, the disparity between the art i was *supposed* to be making and the art I *wanted* to make at the time wasn't clear to me yet. after moving to a new state, supporting myself fully on art, and finally tabling at a convention I have a bit of a clearer view of what that all means.

so I guess you might be asking - what does it mean?

there's still some things for me to figure out fully, but I'm definitely going to be taking a bit of a break from commissions in 2024. not fully, but I'll be taking the time to focus on things that I didn't have the time for in 2023. this includes: more merch! traditional art! printmaking! my original comic!

I've spent so many years building a skillset and defining what's important to my work, why, and now I'm kind of figuring out how to expand on those ideas. it may not be clear from an art summary that mostly consists of what I jokingly refer to as "cute anime girls" irl, but the type of character design I've tried to cultivate is centered around the expansion of how we perceive a traditional character design - particularly for women or fem-aligned characters.

I appreciate that a lot of people have picked up on what I'm putting out there, perhaps even before I was. While I'm not the biggest artist online and these spaces are getting more hostile for artists in regard to AI or the state of Twitter, etc-- I feel fortunate that people see the intent I put into my work and want to see more.

I'll be expanding a lot more into screenprinting this year as that was a lot of what my degree was centered around, I'm passionate about it, and I think pushing my work beyond digital and into the traditional space is currently the path I want to take.

looking to expand some stuff into my Patreon like maybe monthly postcards if I get this screenprinting stuff going soon, more tabling, and original work.

anyway I hope everyone has a Happy New Year and may 2024 bring joy to you and yours! :)

#summary of art 2023 #summary of art #artists on tumblr #character design #illustration #fan art

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kess-in-the-perthchimzone · 19 days

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PerthChimon have a lot potential and have grown a lot in their abilities. But I feel like Dangerous Romance, whether right or wrongly, didn’t live up to the audience expectations. I’m hoping that they will get another series this year and it will be better received. If it’s not, I admit I will be alittle worried about their status within Gmmtv. I don’t like seeing good actors go to waste. My personal preference is for them to do a mafia AU, with two warring families sort of like Romeo/Juliet. But I will be happy with anything. Anyways just my two cents, love your meta!

Hi! Thanks for sharing all this! LOVE the warring families, Romeo & Juliet idea!!

I had to sit with this ask a bit because my brain wanted to write a novel about how wonderful Dangerous Romance is in so many ways and how I think it has been judged more harshly and unfairly than any other piece of media I’ve seen so far in my time in BL. But I have written a lot about it (all tagged here) and spoken about that at great length on the @criticallyobs podcast and I have to think anyone reading this already knows how I feel about DR, so I don’t want to distract from the actual point of this ask, which is PerthChimon’s future.

Regardless of how their next show performs, which I’ll come back to, I feel very confident they have a long future ahead for several reasons:

-Their popularity is clearly on the upward trajectory. Just this year to start they’ve had two fan meetings in Japan, one in Hong Kong, and one in Taipei. They themselves have showed us in videos how amazed they are by the crowds turning up at airports and waiting outside venues.

-GMMTV has invested a lot of time and resources in them since Nov 2022. They have an established brand (in terms of color, logo, etc) a new mascot (SOL CUTE MY BELOVED), are being featured at LOL, and had a role in the GMMTV fan weekend in Japan. While I don’t think it’s hard for GMMTV to split up a pair like Mark & Neo who’ve done one show together, once any two people are an official couple within the organization, I think GMMTV has almost no vested interest in splitting them. They would lose years of promotion and time developing the brand assets. Things like shared merch are a sign that GMMTV has faith they will continue to SELL for a long time.

-And on that note, their merch has been selling! The box set for Dangerous Romance is sold out. The photobook sold out and had to go to reorder. Money talks!!

-PerthChimon want to stay together a long time!! And given that I believe every branded pair breakup we’ve seen so far has been initiated by one or more members of the pair, I think that is important to note. Here’s just one quote:

Taken from this amazing PC translation blog.

Okay and then I want to talk about how DR performed and how their future show will very briefly. My number one takeaway is I don’t think all the negative voices on social media are a good marker for how it performed and that while it wasn’t a smash hit, I think Dangerous Romance did well by several markers:

-Views on YT are consistently over 1 million and many have cracked 2. Chimon’s OST is over 3

-DR did regularly trend in Thailand and several other countries on Twitter

-it consistently performed in the top 10 on the Viu streaming app; including being ranked number one (and P’Tha took notice!)

I also have spoken with several new people who are discovering it now and aren’t biased by the constant negativity towards it that was happening in the fall last year, and absolutely loved it (in fact, who couldn’t understand how there was backlash at all), so I think it’s going to be a show that becomes more popular and well regarded over time.

But all this aside, it’s hard to know how PC’s next show is going to do. A whole lot of people online already seem to have made their minds up about them based on their physical intimacy in a show set in high school. I however, am confident of two things:

1. They have only gotten closer and more physically comfortable with each other. That has been clear in their recent interviews and fan meetings.

2. They are absolutely amazing actors who are committed to their craft. They wouldn’t be this excited about their upcoming show if they didn’t feel confident about it. And they won’t give us anything less than their all!

This is way more than you asked for, I am just incredibly fascinated by the behind the scenes of branded pairs and why they exist and how they make money so I think about these things often!

#perth tanapon #chimon wachirawit #perthchimon #kess babbles about dangerous romance #kess gets knives emoji

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bigjimbopickens · 1 year

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For me personally, I won't be watching Kevin's stuff for a while to come. It is less about him though and more about the community he's brought to him, a community that now thinks he is one of them. A community that will likely stick around now as well. I don't remember reading anything in his apology regarding the vitriol he allowed to spread (though turning the comments off was the right thing to do), and I'm still soured by the lack of response to you regarding the p*** claims.

In any case I'm heavily disappointed. I love Kevin. He's the only YouTuber I have any merch from. And while I saw this coming I'm anguished. It sucks.

- also an autistic trans man

When I said I wouldn’t talk about this anymore I lied I wanna respond to this. I am contributing more to the convo with this though.

I feel the same way as I’m sure many others do too. And I’m glad you brought up the previous bs that happened just 2 or so months prior to all this because I was going to but felt like it wasn’t necessary as the post was already long enough.

For those unaware, in November 2022 Kevin posted a sims 4 video where he recreated the original sims 4 cult, which the fandom mimicked in a way. He changed the rules in that one to ban werewolves, which was interpreted as “ban furries.”

I made a joke response to it using the fursuit I made of werewolf Jim Pickens and people took it wayyyy too seriously. I was harassed quite a bit for that because people take what Kevin says too seriously. And of course I was called a p*do over it too. That situation scared off a-lot of people from the community but my naive self thought that was as bad as it gets and wanted to fix it. I believed it was my fault. So I organized a raid to bring the positivity back and it worked. Until Kevin fucked it up again 2 months later. I’m not organizing another. I’m not fixing his community again, he broke it and I had no involvement this time.

I sorta let that one slide when really I shouldn’t have because it was just one user who was really causing an issue for me. And it also wasn’t Kevin’s fault that guy had issues. I heard that Kevin did vaguely mention it on stream but I didn’t catch it because I was flying that day. Coincidentally he did post his “I almost quit in 2022” video on the day of the raid, which I came across again and said half-jokingly “You should’ve.”

There is another situation similar that happened to me back in April 2021 that is somewhat related as well. It was during the first NoPixel stream when I did fanart of Grognak and people started getting mad over their pronouns in my replies. So out of spite me and another artist drew them with the non binary pride flag and people became horribly transphobic towards us. Other artists joined us and the mods banned whoever was being transphobic in the replies. So transphobia has always been an issue in the community unfortunately, I just didn’t realize it was that fucking bad.

I joined the community shortly after the pandemic started when the Tomodachi Life series had started and I wish we could go back to those days. It was so much fun. Kevin never does videos anymore about his characters and when he does they’re more challenge-based rather than lore/character focused. That’s a big reason why his sims series fell off so hard. Jim went from being this evil idiot yet genius cult leader to asexually reproducing 100 babies. With the last sims 4 video being one that started a fight in his community I have no idea how he’s going to continue it. I don’t even know if he’s aware of what happened to me. I know he saw the fursuit, he liked the tweet I made about it.

Oh man another long post. Damn I ramble a lot. But I think it needs to be said regardless. I have got to be the user of the community who got fucked over the most amount of times simply for existing haha. I am the embodiment of what the community seems to hate. Thankfully two other communities have already welcomed me so I don’t have to rely on this one as much anymore. I’m still thankful for all the good it’s done for me but I’ve never been in a fandom more toxic than the Call Me Kevin community.

I hope you’re also doing well, anonymous stranger.

#callmekevin #call me kevin

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kitkatopinions · 1 year

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what are your thoughts on this tweet MOB made regarding bumbleby in arrowfell?

I don't know much about MOB, but I completely agree on this matter. Having 'sisters' talk in a late 2022 game, after deliberately coding (coding, not confirming) bumble/by as romantic while selling pride merch with all four girls on it? Honestly, it's just transparent.

It's pretty frustrating that after everything fans are still acting like we're irrational for wanting there to have been actual main character queer rep sometime before the show with no censoring to work through turns ten years old. It's pretty frustrating that people act like it's irrational for people to say 'hey stop coding these characters as queer and romantic only to call them sisters later.' Like, what the fuck. Why is it that people are just okay with this? Do you know how easy it is? Have Yang say 'I'm so close to my whole team, they're my best friends, Weiss is even more like a sister these days!' Or you know what, it still wouldn't make it canon confirmed because it wouldn't be in the main show, but RWBY Arrowfell could've had some kind of conversation where they clearly talk about their feelings for each other to others. I'm so done with this run around. Yang could've been confirmed as queer as early as the first couple episodes of RW/BY volume one easily, without messing with the so called 'slow burn' of the bees. And yet people get angry at us for not wanting Yang to refer to Blake as a sister like a month and a half before 2023, after Rooster Teeth has sold merch by using shipping in the description and sold Pride shirts with the four main RW/BY girls on them.

#anti bumblby #anti bumblebee #anti bb #anti bmblb #anti blake x yang #anti yang x blake #anti blang #rwde #rwby criticism #anti rwby #rwby critical

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anctherdayofsun · 6 months

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Thanks for your answer about redbubble. I've seen lots of people using TS lyrics there apparently without any issues, but I understand your hesitation. Regarding the money, maybe you could use some for music/merch, to give back to her in a way. Or donate to a charity that you think she would support, like your local foodbank. Just an idea. I get it though, I would feel the same.

I love them all, but my absolute favourites are willow (posted Jul 2), cruel summer Jan 3 2021, ivy Jan 4 2021, midnight rain and dear reader May 1 and LGAD sep 23 2022 (I could go on lol). No pressure at all, I just wanted to let you know there is interest.

Thank you so much for your input and ideas!! Since I'm travelling right now it'll be a little while until I get a chance to update my redbubble store but it's nice for me to know that there is interest in the lyrics paintings too! <3

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kiscon · 2 years

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Progress Report #6 (Deadlines!)

Dear K/S friends,

Greetings! We can't believe it's October and we're just a month away from KiScon! 😱 Our excitement is nearing con farr levels, and so is a certain (albeit expected) amount of panic. High time for our 6th progress report. We really do not want to spam you with our updates, but there are several important points we need to address.

1. Reminder: Program Survey (urgent)

First of all, our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who has replied to our Program Survey and/or the Demographic Survey. About 50% of our registered attendees have filled in the surveys, and this is very helpful in tailoring the program to your interests. Before we finalise and publish the schedule for KiScon 2022, we would like to give those who have not had the time so far to fill in the surveys (plus the new members who joined us after the last newsletter had gone out) a chance to do that. If you want to give us your feedback and voice your wishes and suggestions, please do this as soon as possible.

2. Past newsletters:

Speaking of members who've joined us only recently and missed the past newsletters: You can find all our past progress reports with detailed information on many of the KiScon activities on our website in the FAQ section.

Here are the direct links, for quicker access:

KiScon Announcement (February 2022) Progress Report #1 (March 2022) Progress Report #2 (May 2022) Progress Report #3 (June 2022) Progress Report #4 (July 2022) Progress Report #5 incl. Program Survey (September 2022)

3. More submissions for the artshow and auction needed! (urgent)

Artshow: We've received lovely submissions for the artshow, but we'd be happy about more! Send us your artworks (digital or scans/photos of traditional art) to have them featured in our virtual exhibition (slideshow vid). Older and already published artworks are also welcome, and you do not need to be a KiScon attendee. We want to showcase the amazing talent in this fandom, and therefore the show is open to all K/S fans. You can get in touch via the form on our website or by email at artshow @ kiscon . org.

Auction: T'Lara is in the middle of putting together the auction catalogue, and – oh my goodness – there will be such wonderful gems to bid on! 😍 But we would love to have even more artworks or collector's pieces in the auction. If you want to sell something in the auction (either for yourself or as a donation to KiScon or a charitable cause), please get in touch with us as soon as possible. You can find detailed information on our website (and you can use the same form as for the artshow to submit something) and the email address artshow @ kiscon . org is also fine for any and all questions regarding the auction.

4. Dealer memberships:

If you have a dealer membership, you get advertising space in the con book (i.e. the program booklet), access to the dealer's room, and a booth on Conline. But we urgently require you to get in touch with us and let us know what you would like us to include. Have a zine to promote or a zine store (on Ebay, Bigcartel etc.)? Want us to advertise your Etsy store with all the delicious K/S merch?

Please send your submissions to larissa @ kiscon . org!

5. Goodie bag: once more with feeling Our digital goodie bag is still quite empty... At past KiScons the goodie bags were always full of lovely souvenirs: badges and sweets and stickers and many other things that were meant to prolong the joy even after the con weekend. We would love to transfer this tradition into the digital space. Here are some suggestions to get those creative juices flowing:

Want to make a podfic or filk or mixtape/playlist for the con bag? Have some cool Trek-themed crochet or sewing patterns that you would like to share? An awesome desktop or phone wallpaper or digital stickers/badges/icons that members can then use on their social media? Maybe a cool recipe for K/S cookies or a lovely manip? A link to your amazing Star Trek picrew maker? Colouring pages or printable paper dolls? Send your goodies to larissa @ kiscon . org as soon as possible, please. 6. And another reminder: Vidshow Deadline is coming up (10 Oct) At the risk of repeating ourselves and boring you... Send us your creations, lovely vidders! Deadline for vid submission (preferably by Dropbox or similar download link): 10 October, to larissa @ kiscon . org. Please use the form on the KiScon website for giving us the details (title, length, etc.) on your vids.

Premieres of all genres: these are vids that have not been published on the Internet or distributed on DVDs/tapes yet (we are lenient if the vid has been shown at a convention in the past, as long as it is not available anywhere). Vids created in or after 2020 (and unpublished) are eligible for our competition.

Classics of all genres: vids that showcase the history and rich variety of K/S and Star Trek vidding from the late 1970s to the 2010s.

Fun & danceable song vids for our Disco Night & Sing-a-Long (Saturday night): exactly what it says on the tin – upbeat vids suitable for singing along and dancing the night away!

For more details, please see the 2nd progress report. This seems also like a good opportunity to mention that there are (physical) prizes for the winners of our competitions. K/S notebooks and badges and many other delightful items are waiting for you.

7. Pub Nights and KiScon test runs: The next Pub Nights on the KiScon Discord server are on:

15 October, 3 p.m. EDT – including a test run on Conline with a Zoom panel and tiiiiny vidshow 29 October, 5 p.m. EDT – including a test run on Conline with a Zoom panel and tiiiiny vidshow If you had a look at Conline lately, you might have noticed that there are now two more days mentioned for KiScon: the 15th and the 29th of October. These are our test or dress rehearsal days, and you are welcome to join us for the test flight. We really want you to have a smooth con experience without technical problems, so it is important to sort out everything ahead of the con weekend. Pub Nights are a great opportunity to check out Discord and familiarise yourself with the tools we will use during the convention. For two of our upcoming October Pub Nights, we'll have a test run where we can try out Conline and make sure everyone can connect and access the panels and shows. We'll happily explain how to use Conline, Discord, and Zoom. Ask Us All The Questions. Apart from these event dates, you can always reach out to us if you need more assistance (1lostone @ kiscon . org and lillian @ kiscon . org). Here's also your reminder to log into Conline and make sure you use a fannish badge name (not your wallet name!!), have set your correct time zone (will be important for the schedule), and maybe add some info about you (e.g. your AO3 link) if you are comfortable with this. Here is a handy how-to. 8. Where to find information & announcements: Official website KiScon Discord server Tumblr blog Twitter Conline Facebook Group Dreamwidth Yours in K/S,

T’Lara on behalf of the KiScon concom

#kiscon #KiScon2022 #KiScon 2022 #k/s #kirk/spock #spacehusbands #spirk #james t kirk #spock #thyla #my thyla my captain #t'hy'la

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scotts-takes · 1 year

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Best of Ensemble Stars 2022

Number 7 - Deep Eclipse - Eden

So yes, this is cheating, as this song released on December 31st at the start of the SS Final. However, if we want to be technical, it wasn’t actually added to the song list till January! So it can go on here…

Eden is…not my favorite unit. Eden tends to be at the top of the “cool” end of the Cute-Cool scale, and I much prefer things towards the cute end. I’m happy to leave them to the many EdenP to love! (it makes getting into merch box splits a lot easier when you aren't targeting the popular ones) There music is also hit or miss to me. Majestic Magic and Miracle are both incredible songs, but it’s unfair to say they are just Eden songs, as they involve Switch and Trickstar. Sunlit Smile? That's an Eve song. Beast of the End? That's an Adam song. Sure, DITA is fine, Exceed has some charm, but nothing from Eden proper had really gotten to me, before Deep Eclipse.

The first thing that hits you is the slowness of the opening- Eden songs tend to be more "powerful" and demanding of your attention, while here, the entire song- chorus and all- seems to be reserved in a way that doesn't usually happen in Enstars. Songs that are specifically made to go into Enstars music (ie, anything made after 2019 that wasn't an album B-side) follows a pattern of being easily trimmed down to 2 minutes while still feeling complete, as well as having a catchy chorus that makes for a great short clip. Deep Eclipse feels different in that regard- yes, the chours is easily clippable, but it lacks the energy that most other songs have. It's really distinct, but you WILL be singing along to it.

Having played a lot of Engstars this year and seen people encountering it as their first experience with the franchise, i have come to respect the level of improvement that has come to MV design from HappyEle. In the first year, we just had things that were variants of "idols on stage", and then in 2021 we got stuff like Mystic Fragerence that felt less like a stage performance and more of a produced music video, and then in 2022 we got things like Finder Girl and Believe 4 Leaves that felt like big budget music videos you would have seen on MTV back in the day that cost millions to produce. Deep Eclipse is firmly in the "Idols on a stage" category, but it's probably the best version of it there is- there is so much color, so much dynamic camera movement, so many small details to pick out.

I'm still not an Eden fan, but I am a HUGE fan of Deep Eclipse!

#ensemble stars #jun sazanami #ibara saegusa #hiyori tomoe #nagisa ran #end of year

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withbarehands-zine · 2 years

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🌟 PRODUCTION UPDATES 🌟

All future updates regarding the production of the physical merch will be posted in the thread below, along with merch previews!

We'll be sending emails before we proceed with shipment to confirm addresses, but feel free DM if your address changes! 💛

UPDATED: October 2, 2022

✦ All items have been ordered and all invoices have been paid!

✦ Prints are being shipped to our shipping mod this week! We estimate that we can begin shipping paper bundles near the start of August.

✦ Full bundles will be shipped shortly after!

✦ Now that prints have arrived, our production/shipping mod has sent out a shipping address confirmation email as paper only bundles are ready to be packed and shipped! Please check your inboxes/spam, especially if you've changed addresses.

✦ Several flat bundle orders have been posted! Shipping for other types of packages will begin shortly. We thank you for your patience!

✦ NEW! To save on shipping costs, we've had some orders shipped to our head mod's address, including physical and paper merch. However, extensive delays in shipping occurred, despite us paying for express shipping.

✦ That said, one parcel containing paper merch and pouches has finally arrived! We are now awaiting one last parcel with the last of the merch (keychains) before we can finalise shipping. Thank you for your patience!

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nyxelestia · 1 year

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I posted 3,226 times in 2022

102 posts created (3%)

3,124 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@thecookiemonster77

@clotpolesonly

@spongebobssquarepants

@toboldlynerd

@athingofvikings

I tagged 3,085 of my posts in 2022

Only 4% of my posts had no tags

#kinnporsche the series - 399 posts

#humor - 302 posts

#the witcher - 287 posts

#teen wolf - 261 posts

#fanart - 237 posts

#jaskier - 158 posts

#nyxie laughed - 154 posts

#tumblr - 151 posts

#the untamed - 128 posts

#yennefer - 126 posts

Longest Tag: 117 characters

#so i think my parents assumed i would either be a surgeon or a serial killer so i got lots of doctor toys for a while

My Top Posts in 2022:

The media’s portrayal of Jon Stewart criticism of the Harry Potter goblins honestly explains a lot about fandom puritanism and social media mobs.

The tl;dr for anyone who is out of the loop is that on a podcast in December, Jon Stewart criticized the goblins in Harry Potter as being antisemitic in their depiction/origin - which is true, and people have been saying that for years.

As far as I know, though, he only called the tropes and goblins themselves antisemitic, not JKR herself. Yet now multiple media outlets are claiming that Jon Stewart accused her of antisemtism - and now, claiming Stewart is trying to walk back or deny his criticism when he rightfully says he did not.

And honestly, this explains a lot about the telephone game the media has become in the age of social-media and Internet dominated news.

677 notes - Posted January 5, 2022

just in time

759 notes - Posted October 28, 2022

tumblr_video

929 notes - Posted March 24, 2022

Pixar’s full letter, obtained by Variety, follows:

A Statement to Leadership from the LGBTQIA+ Employees of Pixar & Their Allies

We are writing because we are disappointed, hurt, afraid, and angry. In regards to Disney’s financial involvement with legislators behind the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, we hoped that our company would show up for us. But it didn’t.

Monday’s email, “Our Unwavering Commitment to the LGBTQ+ Community”, rang hollow. It began with the claim that Disney has a long history of supporting the LGBT community, but Disney Parks did not officially host Pride until 2019, in Paris alone. Disney has a history of shutting down fan-created Pride events in the parks, even removing same-sex couples for dancing together in the 1980’s. Additionally, Disney began capitalizing on Pride in 2018 with The Rainbow Mickey Collection, (while de-emphasizing the terms like LGBTQ+ and not even featuring explicitly LGBTQIA+ pieces such as Pride flag pins until 2021). To this end, it feels terrible to be a part of a company that makes money from Pride merch when it chooses to “step back” in times of our greatest need, when our rights are at risk.

The second claim stated that “corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds”. However, the very email making this claim opened with a corporate statement regarding the ongoing situation in Ukraine. Eight days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Disney paused the release of theatrical films in Russia and announced “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation.” Following the siege on the capital in 2021, Disney stopped all political donations to members of Congress who had objected to the presidential election results. In 2016, Disney told the state of Georgia: “We will plan to take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law” in response to the controversial Religious Liberty bill. By taking a stand, Disney directly affected the legislative outcome in Georgia. It has been proven that Disney’s corporate statements can and do make a difference.

Finally, we come to the push for Content as the answer. We at Pixar have personally witnessed beautiful stories, full of diverse characters, come back from Disney corporate reviews shaved down to crumbs of what they once were. Nearly every moment of overtly gay affection is cut at Disney’s behest, regardless of when there is protest from both the creative teams and executive leadership at Pixar. Even if creating LGBTQIA+ content was the answer to fixing the discriminatory legislation in the world, we are being barred from creating it. Beyond the “inspiring content” that we aren’t even allowed to create, we require action.

We are calling on Disney leadership to immediately withdraw all financial support from the legislators behind the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, to fully denounce this legislation publicly, and to make amends for their financial involvement. While signing on to donate to the HRC is a step in the correct direction, the shareholder meeting on Wednesday made it clear that this is not enough. Throughout the shareholder meeting, Disney did not take a hard stance in support of the LGBTQIA+ community, they instead attempted to placate “both sides” – and did not condemn hateful messages shared during the question and answer portion of the meeting. This is not what it means to “unequivocally stand in support of our LGBTQ+ employees, their families, and their communities.”

Disney taking a stand by honoring their company values has changed the course of legislation in the past. If Disney is true in its values, it will take a decisive public stand against the discriminatory legislation occurring in Florida and offer tangible support for the LGBTQIA+ communities affected by bigoted legislation sweeping the country. Stand against this bill in Florida and against the similar bills in South Carolina, Arizona, Virginia, and Tennessee. Stand against the transphobic legislation in Texas, Iowa, Utah, Kansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, and Alabama. Many hateful groups are attempting to eradicate us through legislation – we need you to stand with us entirely, not in empty words.

This matter is not something that can wait until Reimagine Tomorrow in April, or Pride Month in June. This matter needs to be addressed now. This is urgent. 42% of LGBTQIA+ youth seriously considered suicide in 2021, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth, with a large factor being the lack of support that these discriminatory legislations enable. Disney claims to care for the welfare of children, but supporting politicians like this directly hurts one of their most vulnerable audiences. There are lives at stake and Disney’s support could save those lives. “We still have more work to do,” your email said. This is that work.

Signed with Pride, The LGBTQIA+ employees of Pixar, and their allies

Disney has not publicly responded to Pixar’s claims, but after criticism over its belated response to the just-passed “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the $148.5-billion-dollar company pledged an astonishingly meager $5 million to “nonprofit organizations that advance social justice. The Human Rights Campaign advocacy group has refused to take the money—which is, for the record, 0.00003367 percent of Disney’s net worth—until the company takes more substantive action to combat the bill.

1,478 notes - Posted March 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

2,512 notes - Posted July 28, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #tumblr #wtf 2022 #2022 year in review

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swiftlypoet · 3 months

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Preface & Disclaimer

I just wanted to talk about what recently came about in regards to her sending a cease and desist letter to the college boy (Jack Sweeney) who has been tracking her private jet location. The main intention is not to protect/defend Taylor, but rather to offer a wider perspective on this topic in relation to her.

(Note: Of course, there might be some bias, as I do like her as an artist. But I will try to do my best to put all of my opinions in the appropriate section.)

Brief Introduction to Climate Change and Global Warming

CO2 (carbon dioxide) is one of the various gasses that is naturally and artificially occurring in the atmosphere. These gasses are known as "greenhouse gasses". The name derives from a phenomenon called the "greenhouse effect", which was mentioned in various works as early as the 1800s by physicist and mathematician Joseph Fourier (Source).

The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the surface of a planet, namely, the Earth. (Source)

In simple terms, when the Sun's rays hit the surface of the Earth, part of this energy is converted into heat and remains trapped in the atmosphere keeping an average of 33 degrees Celsius. Whereas, part of it is reflected back into space. The gases responsible for this effect, are the greenhouse gases, which predominantly include carbon dioxide and methane among other gasses.

Therefore, it is logical to create an association between greenhouse gasses emitted by humans and rapid climate change.

(Note: We make a distinction when talking about "global warming" and "climate change". They are both natural processes that are accelerated by human contributions. The former refers to the increase of the global average temperature compared to 1880. The latter refers to the changing weather patterns made more extreme and frequent by human pollution. These two phenomena have been shown to be positively correlated.)

I will not be talking about this in any further detail, as it is out of the scope of this post. If you want to learn more, there are plenty of resources online that you can easily find.

Carbon Emissions & Taylor Swift

A lot of discourse has arisen from this topic association. It is no secret that a lot of celebrities travel by means of private jets or yachts. This practice has been scrutinised a lot by the public, especially in regards to the carbon footprint they leave on the climate. As reported in The Guardian, in 2022, Taylor Swift's private jet has emitted a total of around 8,300 MtCO2, the highest amount among all of the other celebrities. People who are also huge emitters are people such as Floyd Mayweather, Drake, the Kardashians, Travis Scott, etc. (Source). The yearly global average CO2 emissions is at around 37 billion MtCO2, that is, approximately 101,000,000 MtCO2 per day. This makes Taylor's highest yearly emission in 2022 part of the 0.008% of the global average daily emissions.

The scrutiny The scrutiny towards celebrities is definitely a valid argument. They represent a group of people with wealth that is above the average person. Thus, they have the privilege to make better choices that the average person may not have or cannot afford to make. Therefore, to put them at a higher standard, even as role models for current and future generations, is a reasonable thing to do. However, much of this scrutiny has been victim to opportunism and plain hate towards certain people, especially Taylor Swift, who has a very polarised image in the public eye (especially after 2019/20). We can try to find causes and perks that define an exact model to the level of hate and love that she receives from people. However, it is undeniable that some of it comes from misogyny and anti-capitalist feelings. As of 2024, Taylor has been officially labelled as a billionaire (based on her net worth), and one of the only people who have achieved this status from selling her own music, concerts, and merch.

Action & Counteraction Taylor Swift has disclosed to the public that she tries to offset her "carbon footprint" by buying what is called "carbon credits". Carbon credits are a sort of investment in green and sustainable projects that aim at slowing down global warming rates or actively trying to reduce the greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.

It is not really certain whether offsetting carbon emissions by buying carbon credits really effectively works. It is definitely helpful to invest in these technologies, researches, and projects, as they are the future of sustainability and they do need the funds. However, these investments don't actively help balance out the emissions from a private jet. At least, not in the immediate future. Therefore, it is a "buffered counteraction". That is, the rate at which these green and sustainable technologies come out and get used widespread cannot keep up with the emissions increase. This has been used as additional scrutiny towards Taylor Swift.

The "carbon footprint" brainwash Where does the term "carbon footprint" even come from? Well, this concept has always been on people's minds but took off after the second industrial revolution, as the number of manufacturers increased and consumerism became rampant across the globe. This growth became a problem since it generated a lot of trash and waste that polluted indigenous lands. In fact, in the 70s various commercials, notably the "Crying Indian", were used to point out these issues. In a way to deter these criticisms, in a way to avoid being stopped from profiting off of their current ways, the response from these industries was to push the blame of pollution onto the consumers, off of the shoulders of the manufacturers themselves.

In particular, the most controversial brainwashing campaign was started by BP in 2004, by establishing an awareness on the consumer's carbon footprint by their usage of natural gasses and oil, rather than taking accountability on their own practices in the first place. Alongside BP, ExxonMobil was already attempting at projecting this responsibility on the public in the 70s. All of this led to "carbon footprint" being part of our daily lexicon even now. Companies still talk about being "carbon neutral" or disclose their "carbon footprint". However, an issue with this concept is that being carbon neutral does not do anything pertaining to the climate. You are not making less emissions, in the sense that, the energy is still distributed somewhere else. Therefore, the power plants that generate that energy still created those emissions. The goal in terms of carbon footprint would be to be carbon negative/positive. That is, actively trying to contribute positively to the climate, perhaps by converting CO2 into something more sustainable.

In regards to carbon credits and offset, we have evidence that they actually aid the climate at a very low percentage. Therefore, it may not be a desirable long-term solution. As the NYT puts it, we need "government regulation, effective carbon taxes, national standards for renewable energy and electrification, the elimination of legacy subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, strict auto emission standards and new national building codes.". However, all of these initiatives, decrease the dependency on the fossil fuel industry which makes a ton of money to global governments. Therefore, the only effective way to actually tackle global warming and climate change is to force the hand of governments, to care about its citizens and to change their ways.

(Source)

Conclusions – A weaponised nuanced global problem "Solving" climate change is not a simple task. It's not like fixing your lifestyle, or going to sleep at a regular hour every night. It's a systemic issue, which similarly to other systemic issues (such as racism), it is very hard to actually do something about it as average people. Often times, this topic among others is weaponised to bring other people down. In the face of anti-capitalist sentiments, the general public does not have any issue in dehumanising people who are contributing more than them on average to polluting the Earth. However, as we have explored today, it is a much more nuanced topic, and these nuances cannot be overlooked. The "carbon footprint" issue is not going to solve anything, unless we all become carbon negative/positive. However, these solutions can only gain momentum if the culprits at the source take accountability and action about it. That is, mainly the fossil fuel and food industry, as well as the travel industry. Taylor Swift flying her private jet is contributing to the emissions actively. By not travelling, she still wouldn't be carbon neutral or positive like the rest of us. Those big industries are still generating that amount of emissions. These slight individual choices do not affect the industry enough to actually make any significant changes (Source). Those industries overproduce energy and supplies in excess, so whether you use them or not, they still find a way to be part of the problem. Of course, a long-term global scale boycott against these industries would effectively halt their gains in a significant way. But this is also not really a feasible solution. Especially given that we have become so accustomed to all of our needs being provided by them in the first place, and this global scale dependency on them is the reason why a lot of products can sell at such low prices. This also means that it's the only way people in the lower income classes can afford to survive, whether it is about food, clothes, or electricity. Therefore, in conclusion, the only way that we can actually make any changes on this matter is by holding our governments and these industries responsible. While holding the consumer responsible is not going to benefit anyone whatsoever. They will just find another greedy client and the cycle goes on. The thing is not to break the dependency on these providers and manufacturers, but to change the way they are able to provide us these things. The role of the government is to take care of its people, and this is part of their responsibility.

Opinion Thus, from a broader perspective, the scrutiny that Taylor Swift faces is non-sensical and clearly used as a way to find something to complain about, in an attempt to make her look bad and bring her down. This has been the case for several years, especially after the whole period of time where people just collectively decided that they could not tolerate Taylor Swift anymore. We have seen a rise in popularity recently, as she started the eras tour in 2023, she released a Grammy winning album "Midnights" in 2022 which broke several records, she made a lot of TV appearances following her relationship with Travis Kelce, and she has also been nominated by notable magazine publishers as a very powerful and remarkable figure in the music industry. All of this, culminated with her success reaching an extreme that has never been reached before, and with this the amount of hate also increased by the same factor. This "hate" is a separate topic that can be explored, which relates to internal online conflicts, personal beliefs, social norms, misogyny, and the dehumanisation of celebrities which is sadly encouraged by a lot of them in the first place (directly or indirectly).

To address, the situation with Jack Sweeney briefly: Taylor Swift has sent a cease and desist letter to this college student (who is known for tracking private jets, e.g. Elon Musk's private jet), who has been tracking her private jet location and emissions for a few years now. The reasoning provided by the student is that this is to provide more awareness on the "carbon emissions" celebrities produce. However, Taylor Swift's spokesperson argued that sharing her location in real time is dangerous for her, as it has been the case in the past that she had stalkers and malicious people intrude in her house (e.g. recently in NYC). All of this also contributes to creating a dangerous environment for herself and the people crowding at her destinations. She has not commented too much on the emissions, justifying it by saying that her plane is actually loaned out by other people and that she is not the only one riding it (Source). However, the main reason for the C&D is in regards to her safety and privacy.

(I also find it ironic that this college boy, who is obsessed with planes and allegedly rides them himself privately, uses the "emissions" argument to appear morally superior).

I have already shared my view on all of this above. I do feel like it's not necessarily bad to track the carbon emissions of these jets. As I mentioned, it is a good thing to still hold them accountable in a way for them to also take initiatives in contributing to green projects (financially at the least). However, I do believe that sharing her location is a very dangerous thing, and the very reason that she cannot travel on public transportation. A lot of people try to make examples out of other celebrities, but the thing is that compared to Taylor Swift, their celebrity and popularity status is just not on the same level. I do not mean this as an offence to those celebrities, but you cannot compare Keanu Reeves taking the subway to Taylor Swift taking it. Her celebrity status is beyond what other celebrities have reached (in positive and negative light). Therefore, there aren't a lot of people who you can actually compare her to. Given also the rise of hate towards her in recent years, it has become even more clear that she is unable to do this, and she has also been open about being anxious in public spaces due to this. As we have witnessed recently with the deepfakes, she has a valid reason to find it troublesome to be around other people in public.

Lastly, the most superficial and obvious reasoning for her emissions is that, especially with the start of the eras tour, she has to travel around the world. So those emissions are business-related, I guess. But yeah, don't suddenly forget all of the above after reading this paragraph.

Carbon tracker: https://carbontracker.myclimate.org

#taylor swift #swifties #opinion #think piece

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thetoxicgamer · 8 months

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VALORANT fans could be a vital source of warmth during the seemingly imminent esports winter

The try-hards you encounter in Unrated or Swiftplay are usually the first thing that springs to mind when you think of "sweaty" VALORANT gamers. But at Champions 2023, you got to see a considerably more upbeat perspective on "sweaty" VALORANT fans in the hours before the start of the match days. As part of Riot Games’ VCT Champions add-ons, a Fan Fest was put on for players of all skill levels in the early hours of each morning during the finals in the Kia Forum parking lot. Eager fans who were up and about bright and early at 8am local—definitely not gamer hours—could get a chance to meet up. Some fans turned out right away, and the event swelled to several hundreds of people before the gates to the arena finally opened. Watching and hearing several people who’ve only met online, some even who only knew each other by their Discord usernames, finally meet in person was really touching and sweet. Even those of us in the media who’ve only heard each other in digital press conferences got to join in on experiencing that feeling. But one thing that really stuck out to me during the pre-match festivities, other than the terrible pull-up jump shot Acend Elevated and I saw from the Red Bull court, was how much merchandise was in people’s hands and flying off the stands. VALORANT fans are willing to spend, which could provide some relief from the impending esports winter. This term has been thrown around excessively over the past year or so, as the industry as a whole is resetting from the bloated valuations and investment figures from before the pandemic. While ultimately good for long-term growth, there will be significant growing pains, in the form of shuttered orgs, scaled-back salaries and content, and people losing jobs. As always, the question comes down to how esports organizations make money during these trying times. Well, one of the few profitable paths for organizations can be merchandise. As much as was said about Sentinels in the wake of their crowdfunding launch, making and selling merch has been profitable for them, and those profits improved from roughly $1.3 million in 2021 to $1.9 million in 2022. While walking around Fan Fest, it felt like at least two-thirds of the fans there were wearing either team jerseys or official VALORANT merchandise. And the longest lines outside of the ones to meet influencers were the ones for gear. As soon as people got into the venue, it was a mad dash to the stores inside to snag the high-value items like plushies and hoodies. Saturday was the most packed by a considerable margin, due to it being both a weekend and the grand finals. There were plenty of Paper Rex and Evil Geniuses jerseys, but also jerseys supporting Fnatic, Liquid, 100 Thieves, Cloud9, Sentinels, FaZe, and TSM. The lines were even longer, and the number of bags in people’s hands was at its highest. So this is all well and good for Riot, but what about the organizations looking to survive? It proved to me that fans really do care about VALORANT and its esports scene, even if they’re more likely to be supporters of individual players than teams. Esports fans have been regarded as more stingy than traditional sports fans, but between merch and in-game items like the Champions bundle and hopefully the eventual partnered team skins, that might finally be changing. Teams and organizations will need to learn to capitalize on more than just merch if they can even get that right, but it’s proven to be a profitable arm for companies that have really struggled to ever be profitable. If you can get fans to go stand in a baking Los Angeles parking lot to buy merchandise en masse, then maybe the esports fan market is more lucrative than we thought. As a result, maybe more will survive the winter than we thought would. Read the full article

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mdrblogblog · 2 years

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***LAST ROUND - CYPRESS RIVER SNAKES AND LADDERS OCT 1/2***

We are approaching our last round of the 2022 Manitoba Dirt Riders Manitoba Cup series brought to you by Capitol Motosports!

Let's chat race weekend details!

Registration:

-NOW OPEN! If you want to use PayPal for payment, please register online before 3pm on Friday. If cash is your way, head over to the scoring trailer to scan your helmet each day (but be sure to do it in enough time so there are no late fees).

-Any first time MDR riders will need a membership, so please be sure to have that as well - check in with Val if you need [email protected]

-Fees: Saturday is $28 and Sunday is $48

Volunteering:

-Website is ready to head to so you can sign up for volunteering, this will close at 3pm Friday

-Let's get the boards filled up as much as we can before the weekend and help it run smooth

-For any questions regarding volunteering, our Volunteer Coordinator will be in a blue vest, come find her and we can get your questions answered and you signed up.

Sweeping:

-If you are signing up for sweeping, be sure to sweep for the track you are able to ride

-If you have swept in previous years please know that we have made adjustments to keep our sweepers safe as well, so please be sure to attend the mandatory sweepers meeting prior to each race.

Camping:

-Be familiar with the rules of camping (dogs on leashes, pick up after them; 1st gear riding through the pits, helmets for everyone on 2 wheels, helmets on under 18 on 4 wheels, etc)

-Available to camp Friday and Saturday night

Gate:

-Each person is required to wear a bracelet they will receive with entry (all riders must have on their wrist when they get helmets scanned/register)

-Gate Fee is $5 for everyone 12 and over, free under 12

Merch:

-We will have the last fee tanks/tees and vintage merch available

-Kozies will also be available for $5 each

-NEW - we will have toques and hats available! Toques will be $20 and hats will be $30, so bring cash. Limited stock available

-The last order of hoodies will also be available

-This will be available at time of race results both Saturday and Sunday

Canteen/Food:

-We will have a food truck on site! Tamale Time will have breakfast and lunch options that look absolutely amazing and delicious!

Community Fire:

-Please note that as of right now, we are doing one community fire. If something changes there will be fire rings provided and those will be the only fires permitted

Track:

-The track will be closed for any bike riding, but feel free to walk the track

-If any concerns arise, please find a board member to discuss

-Our race day coordinator is Kelly Mauws but any board member will be able to assist

Entertainment:

-A shout out to Chudd's and Jon Thompson as they will be putting a movie on Saturday night after the results are read off!

Medics will be onsite and we hope to give them an easy weekend. Thanks to Axalta for the continued support through the year with the sponsorship.

Directions are posted in the venues tab.

See you this weekend!

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asphodelical · 2 years

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The Great Anime Rewatch of 2022 - Part XI

Seirei no Moribito

First watched: August 2011 Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 8 New rating: 6

English dub. The most compelling aspect of Moribito for me is Chagum. I’m an absolute sucker for the character trope of “sheltered rich person learning the ways of the world.”

One of the main reasons why I lowered the score is that it’s slow. Individual scenes can often be a chore to get through. I.E. Watching Shuga (whose name I can hear without thinking of Min Yoongi) solve a puzzle lock to go into an underground passage and nothing else is boring. I appreciate the how wanting to take its time to show the audience these things, but it couldn’t do it a little faster? It’s also very inefficient at communicating information—lots of infodumping via talking heads and drab monologues.

Perhaps the bigger problem I have is that once the primary objective of faking Chagum’s death is accomplished in episode six, there are no other goals. Thus Moribito turns into an episodic series until episode fourteen, with stories that don’t do enough to serve the characters, or interest/entertain me. There was a distinct lack of stakes and loss, so I never felt any real tension. Also, no one ever thought to give Balsa and Chagum fake names while they’re still living in town? It was still an okay journey, but I liked this way less than I did before. __________________________________

Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu

First watched: I have no idea Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 8 New rating: 6

I got into anime around the time Haruhi was one of, if not the biggest thing in anime. Just like mostly everyone else at the time, I was super into it—knew all of the character songs, the ‘Hare Hare Yukai’ dance, bought merch at the first and only anime con I ever went to. I’m 90% sure I’ve rewatched the TV series at some point; I just don’t remember when. My feelings for Haruhi have more than mellowed out since then. I think there’s still fun to be had, but it’s nowhere near close to a favorite. I’m glad people have stopped putting it on the holiest of anime pedestals. But let’s revisit the movie, which is regarded as one of the best pieces of Haruhi media.

Holy shit this movie is over two hours long. Watching Kyon make himself look like an asshole and an idiot due to his lack of genre savvy-ness is fucking painful. Contrivances like these always feel like red flags of weaker writing. Please, give your characters some fucking tact. It’s not that hard. I know people do it for the ~drama~ but please stop.

I think my favorite part of the movie is the lack of Haruhi for 80% of its run time. Kyon is a way less enjoyable character than I remember, and reads way more of a self-insert. Anytime the movie goes into slow-mo, I roll my eyes. Everyone praises Shoushitsu for its premise and tone, but this sort of thing isn’t exactly unique. It wasn’t in 2010, and it’s definitely not now. Whatever. I’m like one of three people in the whole world who rated this less than a 9 and no one reads this anyway, so who gives a shit about what I think.

There are few stories/franchises in any media that I feel like I’ve ‘outgrown.’ I don’t like saying it because it makes me sound old and elitist. And just because I’m not in the target demographic doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it. (Percy Jackson was written for middle schoolers and I enjoy it each time I reread it.) However, I’m confident in saying that I have outgrown Haruhi.

On a random note: It’s interesting that despite Haruhi was a massive phenomenon, none of the female seiyuus have had long term success in their careers. Meanwhile, Ono Daisuke and Sugita Tomokazu have been thriving for almost two decades with no signs of slowing down. __________________________________

Macross Frontier + Itsuwari no Utahime + Sayonara no Tsubasa

First watched: October 2009, October 2011 Rewatched: July 2022

Original ratings: 7, 8, 8 New ratings: 6, 7, 7

Going into my rewatch spree, I had no intention of revisiting nearly every piece of Macross media I’ve watched before. Life comes at you fast.

Macross Frontier - Finally revisiting my gateway Macross. It’s fun coming back to it and understanding the references to other characters and installments, like Minmay and Zero. Everything related to Frontier has the best music of any Macross ever. This is not up for debate. (Sheryl has the better songs. Ranka’s kind of suck in the TV series, with the obvious exception of ‘Aimo,’ and her Minmay covers.

First things first: Why in the name of the Macross Galaxy are Ranka and Sheryl simping so hard for Alto? Mikhail is RIGHT. THERE. Sure, he’s a compulsive flirt, but Mikhail is aware of his problems. He’s also supportive, and makes his own decisions. Alto is boring and led along by everyone else.

Ranka is…much worse than I remember. She’s quite the Mary Sue, perhaps the biggest one in everything I’ve rewatched so far. 500% distilled wish fulfillment for teenage girls, including but not limited to: being part Zentradi, getting launched into superstardom easily, constantly being rescued by the love interest, a long lost brother, and having a magical voice with the power to quell an entire alien fleet. The fact that she clings to Alto, someone she doesn’t even know, does not help her. I’m chalking that up to lazy writing. Nakajima Megumi’s voice acting clearly improved as the show progressed.

On the other hand, Sheryl is way better than I remember. This is a lady who makes decisions. She wants to learn how to pilot? She does it. She takes action when her more experienced pilot is out of commission. She fails and the ship blows up, but she made the effort. Her flaws include being spoiled and jealous and they show themselves at appropriate times. Sheryl is a strong enough character that she doesn’t need all of the extra elements that Ranka has. I do wish they changed her age, because she’s way too sexualized to be 17 y/o.

The only thing that Ranka has going for her over Sheryl is that her seiyuu also sings. Having Sheryl’s seiyuu and singing voice being two different women is an unfortunate disconnect. Were the staff so taken by May’n’s voice that they had to use her no matter what? Even if it meant hiring a separate seiyuu for Sheryl’s speaking voice?

As for everything else: The fact that Mikhail’s name was inconsistent was bizarre. Anytime it was focused on the military stuff I checked out. Grace is a dull villain. The relationship between Mikhail and Klan feels more like siblings than lovers. It’s hard to be invested in a love triangle when only one of its points is worth a damn. It doesn’t even have the decency to make a decision.

Itsuwari no Utahime - This is why I came here! Massive improvements in almost every aspect. Having Ranka already a part of the friends group does absolute wonders for the story and everyone involved. Alto is also massively improved here. We finally get to understand his feelings about acting during his monologue on the train.

There’s still an issue for me concerning Ranka: the creators seem to be at war about whether to sexualize or infantilize her. It’s like the thought of neither didn’t often cross their minds.

There are a few weird points—the awkward glossing over the Miss Macross Pageant. If someone is watching these films without having seen the TV series, that will make no sense. The fix is pitifully easy, too: Don’t reference the pageant at all, and just have Ozma and Ranka talk about her desire to sing.

Sayonara no Tsubasa - Behold, the true divergence from the TV series. Ranka finally took charge and confessed to Alto. This is one of the best changes. The villains are all still crap and some of them got off’d way too easily. All of the supporting cast also suffered in these films; most of them were just there for the sake of being there. Although it’s more important that the central trio improved. Sheryl and Alto’s fate still leave me a bit unfulfilled, but at least there was finally a resolution to the fucking love triangle. Overall I’d take the films over the TV series any day.

A brief summary of all the musical sequences:

‘Universal Bunny’: we sure are sexualizing a 17 y/o character but man this is good shit

‘Forbidden Elixir’: feels like a gender fluid dream.

‘Nijiiro Kuma Kuma’: it doesn’t get more infantile than this.

The entire Alcatraz bit: I like the homage to Macross 7.

‘Sayonara no Tsubasa’: Amazing. What a send off.

On a final note: It must be nice to be able to sing without warming up. Can’t relate. __________________________________

Mushishi Zoku Shou

First watched: 2014, original airdate Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 10 New rating: 10

Episodic series by nature will never all be winners. Not even my beloved Cowboy Bebop can say all 26 episodes are top notch quality. The exception to the rule is Mushishi. It always has been. The way it elegantly tells deeply human narratives that dig into deep fears—fears that we may not have even known we had—along with its masterful storytelling is something unique to it and it alone. Nothing that has been influenced by Mushishi, or tried to replicate it, has ever come close. It’s one of the scariest horror anime that doesn’t label/market itself as such. I’m so glad I still love Mushishi. __________________________________

Yona of the Dawn

First watched: May 2015 Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 7 New rating: 8

Shoujo has been on a decline for a long time now. The demographic has stagnated, from the death of Shoujo Beat to a lack of creativity and innovation. Yona of the Dawn is one of the few newer shoujo titles that feels like it’s trying to do something. Reverse harems can be good if there’s effort put into them!

As I mentioned in the Moribito section, I’m still a sucker for Yona’s central character type: a sheltered/privileged person growing more worldly and such. She has a clear arc and is constantly tested, and pushes herself. She has agency and often makes her own decisions. Hak and Jaeha are also great. Out of the main guys, they’re the most nuanced. Jaeha in particular was a standout because Yona had to earn his loyalty more than anyone else’s. And Jaeha’s internal struggle with his dragon’s blood. Good stuff. Anytime Hak and Jaeha are scene partners is just a great time. Hak and Yona have genuine chemistry that makes them one of my favorite couples in recent memory. Kiha, Yun, and Shinha leave a lot to be desired, but are still likable. (Kiha and Shinha faded into the background by the pirate arc.) Zeno just entered the season too late. Overall I enjoy the chemistry the party has with each other. They’re fun.

Yona’s weakness is its worldbuilding—it’s (morally) simplistic and often under thought. Example: the events that start the story are borne out of a dislike for the king because he’s pacifist and ‘weak.’ But we never get any sense of that from the guards or the citizens of the kingdom until the coup has already been executed. However, it absolutely improved as it went along, with a lot of moments of real thought put into it. Example: the two episodes with Suwon and the earth chief. The chief wins the battle and the entire kingdom demands to have the same necklace he wore. That’s genuinely great. Even though overall I wish the worldbuilding was a little more nuanced, the things it does absolutely exceeds other fantasy/sci-fi anime. coughtriguncough Yona also does that annoying thing of using misconstrued gay situations as humor, like in episode 18 with Hak and Jaeha. Not cool and not funny.

But the pros outweigh the cons. The moments that hit absolutely hit. (Yona and Suwon running into each other at the end? Holy shit, what a moment.) I really enjoy Yona. I still want another season or two because I think it’s a story worth animating.

The second opening song didn’t need to be there. Keep the sweeping orchestral piece. (Especially if half of the opening is recycled visuals, come on.) __________________________________

Macross: Do You Remember Love?

First watched: October 2011 Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 8 New rating: 7

I am not the person to about DYRL? properly. Eleven years later from my first viewing, and a lot of it still holds up today. The thing I care for least about the original Macross is its characters. Especially Hikaru. He still sucks. Minmay’s music will either sound charming or outdated depending on what kind of music you grew up with. The first half hour was a little rough, but everything improved after that. DYRL? is an important part of anime history and I’m glad I revisited it. __________________________________

Mob Psycho 100 + 2

First watched: 2016, 2020, original airdates Rewatched: July-August 2022

Original ratings: 8, 8 New ratings: 6, 7

First season - I enjoyed this less upon rewatch. I much preferred the story when it more contained within normal daily life and was focused on a smaller cast. As soon as the character count exploded and the shady organizations got involved, my investment dipped. Once Reigan (my favorite Mob character) finally came back in episode 11, it felt like a return to form. But the funny moments are still funny, and the first half is incredibly entertaining.

Second season - I liked the second season more because it was so focused on Mob and Reigan as people. Sadly I still can’t say that I have any emotional attachment to the characters.

#anime

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