#quasimodo is our star

[weeniedogjrs]

It's that time again @shiftythrifting

#christmas #quasimodo is our star

[annymation]

"This Wish" Reimagined

Asha's "I Want" song in my Wish rewrite

Something that quite bothered me in Wish’s “I want song” is that I never really… Connected with Asha as a character while listening to it.

With Ariel we WANT to see her get to the surface.

With Quasimodo we WANT to see him out of Notre Dame.

With Mirabel we WANT to see her make her family proud.

With Asha I want… her to have more than this…?

And what is “this”? Like, the subject is vague, and that’s because the song writer Julia Michels was asked to just “Write a song about a young woman that wants to fight an corrupt system” which is a neat concept… But Julia didn’t know what that corrupt system even was doing, I’m not joking, she said so on interviews, AND SHE SAID DISNEY ASKED HER TO DO IT IN 3 WEEKS LIKE GIRL!?

Anyway, as a result, I can’t really relate to Asha’s struggles because the song feel like it could be sang by ANYONE facing a hard situation where they “May be young but are not wrong” or “Have hesitations about what to do”…

But who is ASHA in this, aside from the person who is singing the song? Yeah, she wants more, but more WHAT?! You can listen to “When will my life begin” without watching Tangled and you’ll totally understand what Rapunzel’s personality is and what she wants… But in This Wish?… I don’t know who the heck is Asha, and I watched the movie!

It doesn’t help that in the movie the BIG HORRIBLE REVEAL that Asha is facing is that the system that only grants one wish per month… isn’t granting EVERYONE’S wishes… when that should’ve been common sense, like, does no one in Rosas understand basic math???

In my rewrite though, Asha has been silently questioning the system around her but knowing full well she couldn’t change it so she just accepted it, until the day arrived for her to give away her wish to conform to the expectations. She said she didn’t want to, and questioned if the king even granted all the wishes like he said he did. Seeing that she had spirit, the king and queen gaslight, gatekeep and girlboss manipulated her to get a wish out of her, and after that, by peeking through a door, Asha discovered the truth about her kingdom’s wish system, a truth so terrifying for her that she ran as far away as she could. And with no one else to help her… She made a wish upon a star.

(There, I summarized my rewrite so far, if that sounds cool to you consider checking it out here)

I think that’s a more interesting premise, and it gives Asha more nuance, but how do you translate ALL THAT into one song? Well, here’s how I’d change “This Wish” to do that:

“This Wish”

Should have listened to my own instincts No time to cry now for what could have been If I could show them everything I've seen Open their eyes to all the lies then Would they believe in me or in them? But when I speak, they tell me, "Sit down" But how can I when I've already started runnin'? All I wanted to do was grant my wish on my own But now that wish's stolen and, I am all alone [Chorus] So I look up at the stars to guide me For I know they can send me a sign If knowing what it could be is what drives me Then let me be the first to stand in line So I make this wish Asking us for freedom, hope and bliss So I make this wish To have something more for us than this [Post-Chorus] Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah-ah More than this, oh-ah-ah-ah For many years they’ve been tricking us all Yeah, they said “We’ll protect you” while being our downfall Now what’s a girl like me supposed to do? How do you fight a king and queen? oh and they’ve got magic too! And all I've got is reservations and hesitations On where I should even begin I'm past dipping my toes in But I'm not, no, I'm not past diving in If I could just be pointed in any given direction On where to go and what to do My legs are shaking, but my head's held high The way you always taught me to [Chorus] So I look up at the stars to guide me For I know they will send me a sign I'm sure there will be challenges that find me But I can take them on one at a time So I make this wish Asking us for freedom, hope and bliss So I make this wish To have something more for us than this [Post-Chorus] Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah (So I make this wish) Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah-ah (To have something more) More than this, oh-ah-ah-ah [Outro] So I make this wish To have something more for us than this!

Thank You For Reading!

#disney wish #wish 2023 #wish star #wish movie #wish rewrite #wish asha #wish disney #disney #asha x star boy #Asha wish #song lyrics #wish reimagined

[atarahderek]

Hunchback themed Inktober uploads

I'll be out on a hunting trip next weekend, so here's a day's advance on this week's Inktober prompts.

Day 15: Dagger

An illustration from chapter 6 of my HoND2 fix fic. Clopin confronts Sarousch and Sarousch steals his dagger and threatens to stab him with it.

Sarousch's face is intentionally pale. He powders it and generally tries to downplay his Romani features. His nose is not naturally that small. And his attempts to get it as small as it is have left him with a deviated septum and horrible sleep apnea. He gets kicked out of more places for snoring than for being Romani.

It's hard to convey rage when Clopin's face is half covered with a pink mask.

Days 16 & 17: Angel and Demon

Anyone who's analyzed this movie to any extent knows about the angel/devil dichotomy Quasimodo and Frollo have thrust Esmeralda into, and that part of the reason she chose Phoebus is because he's the only one of the three who saw her as human.

Starring the emoji versions of Esmeralda and Phoebus, here to run commentary on our story.

#Inktober 2023 #dagger #angel #demon #the Hunchback of Notre Dame #Disney #sequel #Clopin Trouillefou #Quasimodo #Phoebus #Esmeralda #Frollo #Sarousch #emoji blitz

[disabilityshowdown]

and with that, folks, we have finished the preliminaries!

our aim was to get 132 characters narrowed down to 64, we narrowed them down to 67, because of an amazing three polls where the difference was made by literally a single vote, and i think as far as preliminaries go, that's not preference that's chance (one vote may make the difference when it comes to the final rounds, bc then it's exciting, but here that's a tie)

you can view the complete set here

which means more importantly, i can reveal who those 67 are up against!

so without further ado, here are the 64 characters that you guys nominated the most, in order of who got the most nominations! (read left to right, up to down, or look at the list i'm about to put under the cut)

the post containing the full bracket can be found here, and as usual, image description and list of characters under the cut!

ID: An 8x8 square containing icons of the following 64 characters, in this order:

Eda Clawthorne (The Owl House) 

Hiccup and Toothless (they’re a set do not separate) (How to Train Your Dragon)

Barbara Gordon/Oracle (DC)

Toph Beifong (Avatar: the Last Airbender)

Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Ashton Greymoore (Critical Role)

Finn Mertens (Adventure Time)

Kitty Softpaws (Puss in Boots)

Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Marvel)

Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Marvel)

Nicholas Benedict (The Mysterious Benedict Society)

Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - both Rise and IDW)

Octavio Silva (Apex Legends)

Crutchie (Newsies)

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (Star Wars)

Amaya (The Dragon Prince)

Charles Xavier/Professor X (Marvel)

Viktor (Arcane)

Taimi (Guild Wars 2)

Johnny Joestar (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)

Vash the Stampede (Trigun Stampede)

Drey Ferin (Just Roll With It)

Geordi LaForge (Star Trek)

Kaz Brekker (Six of Crows)

Melanie King (The Magnus Archives)

Snake (Zero Escape)

Future Leo (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Janice Palmer (Welcome to Night Vale)

Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)

Alphonse Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Marvel)

Della Duck (Ducktales)

Jayfeather (Warrior Cats)

Shouko Nishimiya (A Silent Voice)

Violet Evergarden (Violet Evergarden)

Briarlight (Warrior Cats)

Ticket Jerry (Dialtown)

Yang Xiao Long (RWBY)

Ricky Potts (Ride the Cyclone)

Jimmy Valmer (South Park)

Terezi Pyrope (Homestuck)

Bruno Madrigal (Encanto)

Gregory House (House MD)

Moon Knight (Marvel)

Shanks (One Piece)

Chai (Hi-Fi Rush)

Kazuhira Miller (Metal Gear Solid)

Izaya Orihara (Durarara)

Finnegan Wake (Monster High)

Frankie Stein (Monster High)

Sage Beldaruit (Witch Hat Atelier)

Urakawa Mamoru (Mega Man)

Teo (Avatar: the Last Airbender)

Tavros Nitram (Homestuck)

Hearthstone (Magnus Chase)

Tony Stark/Iron Man (Marvel)

Rani (Pixie Hollow)

Wilt (Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends)

Izumi Curtis (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Juno Steel (Penumbra Podcast)

Imperator Furiosa (Mad Max)

Bentley (Sly Cooper)

Quasimodo (Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Nagito Komaeda (Dangan Ronpa)

#disability showdown

[joethetoonfanandoutcast]

Once Upon a Studio

I saw the short on ABC last night, and it was truly the most magical five minutes Disney has given us in all these years.

Highlights of the short for me were:

The beautiful, authentic, new 2D animation that's not lazily recycled

2D animated characters blended with CG characters

Reprisals of most actors, especially Tom Hulce as Quasimodo, Nathan Lane as Timon, and unused recorded lines from Robin Williams as Genie

Characters from obscure Disney films among the cameos (including Melody Time, Ichabod & Mr. Toad, Fun and Fancy Free, Black Cauldron, Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Brother Bear, Home on the Range, Meet the Robinsons, etc.)

Rita, one of our underrated Saluki girls, making an appearance among the crowd

The characters ending the short with a heartfelt "When You Wish Upon a Star", including Pooh (hearing him sing one of the verses is satisfying)

Here's a group shot of everyone.

Happy 100, Disney.

This may probably be the last genuinely piece of magic we get from them.

#once upon a studio #disney 100 #disney crossover

[moonhoneygrove]

THE 2 SONG LIST

Someone on reddit asked for a 2 song rec from every SHINee album, plus soloists.

Took me 3 hours.

Only 2 songs?? Might as well ask for the moon, too, ha!

KOREAN RELEASES:

SHINee WORLD: Love's Way, SHINee World!

ROMEO: Talk to Me, Hit Me

2009, YEAR OF US: Y.O.U., SHINee Girl!

AMIGO: - sorry, I can't remember which ones are the new ones on this repackage

LUCIFER: Quasimodo, Life

HELLO: Hello

SHERLOCK: Alarm Clock (the live is *chef's kiss*), Sherlock (Clue & Note)

MISCONCEPTIONS OF US: Spoiler, Dream Girl

MISCONCEPTIONS OF ME: Orgel, Dangerous

EVERYBODY: One Minute Back (live stage omfg), Close the Door,

ODD: Saviour, Hold You

MARRIED TO THE MUSIC: Odd Eye, Trigger

1 of 1: Feel Good, Shift

STORY OF LIGHT: I Say, Jump/Drive I'm sorry I couldn't decide)(

DON'T CALL ME/ATLANTIS: Kind, Kiss Kiss

HARD: 10X, The Feeling/Sweet Misery

JAPANESE RELEASES:

THE FIRST: Better, Start

BOYS MEET U: 1000 Year by Your Side, Keeping Love Again

FIVE: Kimi no Sei De, Melody

DXDXD: DxDxD, Sing Your Song

FROM NOW ON: Lucky Star, Winter Wonderland

SUPERSTAR: Superstar, Seasons

SOLOISTS:

ONEW:

VOICE: Blue

DICE: On the Way, In the Whale

CIRCLE: Circle, Anywhere/Paradise

COLLABS:

Onew + Punch/NINGNING: Way

JONGHYUN:

BASE: Neon, Deja Boo/Love Belt (sorry couldn't decide)

STORY OP #1: Happy Birthday, Diphylleia Grayi

SHE IS: all of it.

STORY OP #2: Just Chill, Our Season

SHININ': Shinin', Only One You Need - I've only listened to half of this. I'm sorry.

COLLABS:

SM THE BALLAD - Hot Times

JONGHYUN & HERITAGE: Your Voice

KEY:

FACE: Imagine, Easy to Love

HOLOGRAM: Hologram, City Girl

I WANNA BE: I Wanna Be (w/Soyeon)

BAD LOVE: Helium, Eighteen

GASOLINE: Ain't Gonna Dance, Another Life

KILLER: Killer, Easy

COLLABS:

Years & Years: If You're Over Me (remix)

AXODUS: Hold On

MINHO:

CHASE: Waterfall, Prove It

Falling Free (Japanese single)

TAEMIN:

ACE: Ace, Play Me

PRESS IT: One by One, Mystery Lover

SAYONARA HITORI: Sayonara Hitori,

FLAME OF LOVE: I'm Crying, Door

MOVE: Crazy 4 U, Back to You

MOVE-ING: Day and Night, Snow Flower

TAEMIN: Eclipse, Under My Skin, Better Man

WANT: Never Forever, Outro

FAMOUS: Exclusive, Colours

NEVER GONNA DANCE AGAIN PT 1: Strangers, Clockwork, Just Me and You

NEVER GONNA DANCE AGAIN PT 2: Heaven, Identity

ADVICE: Advice, Strings

#shinee

[ai-artificial-intelligence-ia]

AI imagined Disney characters if they starred in a horror movie SOURCE: @hitek.fr AI: @Misjourney ARTIST: @-- If Disney promises its fans that its universe is the place where dreams come true, you will realize that with this selection of images dreams can very quickly turn into nightmares! Indeed, as Halloween approaches, an Internet user had fun using artificial intelligence to imagine what the most emblematic characters of the Disney universe might look like if they were in the casting of a Disney film. horror. The AI has therefore generated quality visuals to immerse Mickey, Donald, Pinocchio, Winnie the Pooh or even the famous princesses such as Ariel, Elsa and Snow White in environments far removed from the colorful and magical ones that they are used to being around each other. Thus, it is in gloomy, nightmarish, gothic and sometimes apocalyptic settings that the characters from the Disney cartoons that rocked our childhood are presented. Imagine Mickey plunged into a city of fire and blood armed with a baseball bat which is reminiscent of the spirit of the film American Nightmare, Pinocchio transformed into an evil puppet sprayed with blood after decapitating Geppetto's head , Alice wearing a bloody rabbit mask lost in the middle of a forest or even Cinderella and Snow White in gothic mode. In short, so many situations that allow us to imagine our favorite Disney characters if they played in a horror film. 01 MICKEY MOUSE 02 WINNIE THE POOH 03 DUCK DONALD 04 PINOCCHIO 05 VAÏANA 06 ELSA 07 THE GENIUS 08 JASMINE 09 THE BEAST 10 SNOW WHITE 11 TIANE 12 CINDERELLA 13 QUASIMODO 14 OLAF 15 LIGHT YEAR 16 WOODED 17 DUMBO 18 BAMBI 19 ALICE 20 ARIEL #disney #horrorstory  #aiimages  #ai #movie #midjourney #waltdisney

#youtube

[pintsizeddeepthoughts]

25 of 250: Favorite Films - The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Not long ago, work colleagues and I got into a discussion about what our favorite films were. Given my categorical nature I could not resist writing down a list and, as a writing challenge, have decided to write 250 word reviews of my favorite 25 films of all-time. Note: these are my favorite films, not what I think are the best films of all time.

Directed by: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Written by: Tab Murphy, Irene Mecchi, Bob Tzudiker, Noni White, Jonathan Roberts

Starring: Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tony Jay, Kevin Kline

Year/Country: 1996/United States

Those who’ve enjoyed the dramatic, serious sequences in Pixar’s best movies owe Disney’s version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame a debt of gratitude. Why? Because it was the first Disney movie in the modern era to take true risks, emboldening the company to greenlight more than just animated musical comedies.

Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame was an odd choice for Disney to adapt. But after the critical success of Beauty and the Beast, Disney was Oscar hungry and this tale of political, judicial, and spiritual corruption is rich soil to till. The resulting product was an awkward fit. Directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise still had to make a Disney film - meaning songs and comedic relief. The latter is the primary driver of the film’s disjointed tone in the form of horribly miscast, unfunny gargoyles. 

When most people think of this film, they recall the dark musical sequence of “Heaven’s Light/Hellfire”. Both songs address sexual awakening after Quasimodo (Hulce) and Frollo (Jay) meet the beautiful Esmeralda (Moore). Quasimodo sees this as luminous, comparing Esmeralda to light. Misogynistic, racist Frollo has a much more reactionary point-of-view. It’s here where this film realizes its potential. It understands different people have different attitudes towards attraction and embraces that complexity. “Hellfire” highlights Frollo’s guilt, revulsion, lust, and longing amongst thunderous music, apocalyptic lyrics, and gorgeous, traditionally hand-drawn animation. It’s where the film best marries the source material with the style, and why it’s my favorite Disney film of all time.

#25 of 250 #favorite films #film review #the hunchback of notre dame #disney #tom hulce #tony jay

[texaxwib]

BOOKS ADAPTED TO FILM”  The Hunchback (1997) I have to apologize.  When this movie was first released I did not watch it because I thought it would not measure up to the other movie I had watched as a child.  But I was wrong!  This remake is actually quite good.  It is based on Victor Hugo's iconic 1831 novel by the same name. Salma Hayek stars as Esmeralda, the gypsy woman.  Mandy Patinkin is Quasimodo; and Richard Harris is Dom Claude Frollo.  The supporting actors were excellent; and the scenery was awesome! Fun Fact:   The filming locations were Budapest, Hungary; Prague, Czech Republic; and Rouen, France.

I give this film 4.5 our of 5 stars. 

#movies #entertainment #books adapted to film #classic literature

[keykidpilipili]

Royalty of Heart AUs

Dead: assigning Princess of Heart status to gals only.

Woke: Assign Heart of Light status because of symbolism, buckwild randomness and good old irony.

#royalty of heart au #kingdom hearts #kh au #I kinda replaced Charlotte with Goldie O'Gilt because I wanted to put Ex-con on the ROH list #and also I wanted at least one character that was older than 40 #There's no rule that PoH have to be good people if you're not a coward #Star Crossed AU Kairi and Barbossa: Kh asking back our RoH status since we died once? Don't know her. #Other Buckwild idea: Davy Jones and William Turner too being ROH and take centuries to actually die for real and stop screwing them stats #pili's au stack #Also wanna be real with me? Quasimodo deserves that RoH spot

[weeniedogjrs]

A very merry Christmas from my family to yours with special thanks to @shiftythrifting

#quasimodo is our star #christmas #shiftythrifting #meme #holidays

[1of1girls-remade]

which SHINee songs make you the most emotional?

#for me it’s farewell my love and wish upon a star and quasimodo #and replay of course #bonus: before our spring and back to you even though they’re solo tracks #shinee #mine

[10yrsyart]

previous

i've wanted to draw these two together since i was a kid. which was surprisingly hard, considering how similar their personalities and mannerisms actually are 😂  ultimately, i think the difference between Punch and Quasi is that Punch has found his father's foundation, while Quasi is still struggle with the lies of his "father". but it did make me think about how sometimes the Lord allows our struggles to become strengthens that can help others. always on the basis of His promises to us.

"Nothing in all of creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:39)

transcript: 

Eli: Punchinello, there's someone Id like you to meet today. A young wood carver I've recently befriended.

Punch: Oh no Eli! Can't you pick someone else? I'm no impressive. And I haven't lost all my dots yet..

Eli: I picked you specifically! You're the perfect Wemmick for the job. I believe it would be good for him to meet you. Dots and all.

Punch: But...

Eli: Thankyou for waiting, my friend. Quasimodo, may I introduce you to Punchinello, one of my sons from the Wemmick village. I'll leave you two to get to know each other while I step out for a moment.

Quasi: Wow.. It's good to meet you! I don't think I can make anything as nice as you yet. I like your green paint.

Punch: Thanks

Quasi: What are the dots for?

Punch: Oh1 The Wemmicks give each other stars and dots. The stars are good, for good skills and good looks. And the dots,  are things that aren't good. Things they don't like about you.

Quasi: You.. you don't have any stars? I'm sorry... I only have dots too.

Punch: B-but Eli says what they think doesn't matter! I'm special because he made me and I'm his.The dots only stay if I let them. I haven't lost them all yet, but he tells me everyday.. and I think I believe him.

Quasi: Heh, is it that simple? You're lucky to have him..

Punch: ...We're not that different. I bet your Creator feels the same way. Why don't you ask Him.

Quasi: I-

Eli: Thankyou Punchinello, I think he will remember this visit.

Punch: Will you invite him back?

Eli: He knows he is always welcome to return. What do you think of him?

Punch: ..I like him.

Eli: Yes, he has a gentle spirit. Much like you.

Punch: Me?

Eli: Sometimes the best comfort comes from those who have suffered the same. All it takes is you being you. As I made you to be.

#christianity #faithstuff #you are special #punchinello #The Hunchback of Notre Dame #quasimodo #max lucado #bible verse #crossover #alternate universe #comic #faith #religion #jesus christ #long post. #my art #PunchQuasiAU

[superman86to99]

Superman #84 (December 1993)

Superman takes a short Paris vacation! Like, one day short. What's the worst that could happen?

Oh, man.

So, for the past few issues, we've been hearing about children being abducted in Metropolis. Now we see that they're being kept inside a giant toy house by some creepy bald man in Quasimodo clothes who seems to be obsessed with toys -- a "Man of Toys," if you will. Side note: no wonder the children haven't been found... all the articles about them are just gibberish! (See clip below.)

The kidnapper thinks that these kids' parents don't deserve them, and that they're much better off here, in an underground hideout with a man who threatens to starve them if they don't play with him. (And I do mean literally play, with action figures and stuff.) Meanwhile, as these children cry for help, Superman is having the time of his life. While helping move a stranded ship with some huge-ass chains, Superman spots a sunken galleon with a treasure chest inside and fantasizes about keeping the booty...

...before turning it over to the authorities anyway, the big boy scout. Then, he wakes up Lois at 6 AM and tells her they should go to Paris right now, which usually means your significant other is having a mental breakdown, but in this case they can actually do it. And so, after deciding that he deserves to use his powers for fun every once in a while, Superman and Lois drop everything and fly to France with super-speed for the rest of the day/issue.

Anyway: back to the child abduction! Cat Grant and her son Adam attend a Halloween party at Adam's school, but there's a disturbed weirdo in a hideous costume lurking among the crowd. Yes, I'm talking about Jimmy Olsen in his Turtle Boy suit.

Shortly after that, a guy in a dinosaur costume (see, all the creeps are dressed as reptiles) lures Adam out of the party with the promise of "superb video games." What child could resist that? Of course, that turns out to be the kidnapper and Adam ends up in his hideout along with the rest of the missing children and, worst of all, not a single "Lextendo" console.

The kidnapper gets angry at Adam when he refers to the toys at the hideout as "old-fashioned junk" (he was REALLY looking forward to those video games), and even angrier when Adam tries to free the other kids. Adam is brave and puts up a good fight, but...

And those were Adam Morgan's final words. "Uh-oh."

Next, we have a pretty harrowing scene of Detective Turpin letting Cat know Adam’s body was found, and Jimmy and Perry White taking her to the morgue to identify the body (most people probably wouldn't bring their former boss to something like that, but Perry sadly knows more than most about losing a kid). As for Lois and Clark, they were gone so long that the Daily Planet had time to print a headline about the murders. The issue ends when the lovebirds walk into the office smiling like two people who just spent the night fooling around in Paris... only to feel like jackasses when they find out what happened.

To be continued!

Character-Watch:

And that's it for little Adam Morgan who, unlike the also tragically diseased Jerry White, didn't even get any post-death appearances. Adam went from a little kid scared of Superman, to a huge brat, to a character who was approaching likeability as of last week. That's why I hate it when DC kills off young characters like Adam or Liam Harper: in long-form storytelling, children represent potential. Look at how much Wally West or Dick Grayson evolved over the years compared to their mentors! Sure, there's a huge probability that Adam would have ended up disappearing from comics for 25 years anyway, but who knows, maybe we'd now know him as Teen Gangbuster or something. GangbusTEEN.

This issue also represents a turning point for the kidnapper, who is never named or seen clearly in the story itself but I don't think I'm shocking anyone by spoiling the fact that he's Toyman (it's in the cover, for one thing). In his last two appearances before this storyline, Toyman helped Superman save some kids from Sleez and looked genuinely sad to learn about Superman's death, so this is a pretty dramatic change for the character. We'll find out why he went from big softy to child killer in Superman #85 (but don't get your hopes up).

Plotline-Watch:

The most disturbing part of the issue, all things considered, is still the part where Toyman climbs into a giant crib and hugs a huge stuffed bunny. Look at serial killer Tommy Pickles here:

Don Sparrow says:  “Even with the upgrade, Toyman is still just a man in a suit, a common complaint about Superman’s rogues gallery.” Funny you should say that, because I JUST shared an old Wizard interview in our Twitter in which Dan Jurgens talks about how Doomsday came out of his frustration with the fact that most Superman villains are dudes in suits (plus other interesting tidbits from the era, like how it was actually Roger Stern’s idea to bring back Hank Henshaw, so check out that link!).

Don again: “The entire Superman storyline of this issue feels like filler. Diving for buried treasure and soaring off to Paris -- it all feels like wasted time next to the Adam storyline.” I have a theory that the entire ship sequence is there as an excuse to put Superman in those big chains and make that Spawn joke (which I didn’t get until now, since I’ve always read this issue in Spanish).

Superman says that pulling that big ship was "a little easier than expected" -- that's either another hint that there's something going on with Superman's powers since he came back, or a subtle dig at the state of American ship manufacturing.

Another adorable "window tap" scene for the books, and this is the sexiest one so far. Is it me or has Jurgens started copying more than just Teri Hatcher's hairdo from Lois & Clark? (For anyone who thinks Lois has gotten implants, I refer you to this clip.)

While in Paris, Lois asks Clark if he's ever wondered what would happen if his rocket had landed in other countries. Don: “Clark’s conversation with Lois sounds like a bunch of concepts for Elseworlds stories. We eventually would see a Russian Superman, and a British Superman, but not yet the French Superman. (Hire us, DC!)” Yep, got my French Superman pitch ready, Jim Lee. Or just let us do Russian Superman again, since Red Son wasn’t even the first time you published that idea.

Don once more: “Another thing that makes no sense about the ‘new’ Toyman is his resentment of technological toys—when in previous appearances he himself had deadly high-tech toys to vex Superman over the years.” I especially resent his hatred of video game consoles. Incidentally, I wonder what types of games are available for Adam’s beloved Lextendo. Star Lex 64? Mega Man Lex? Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles & Lex?

No one is more upset at Lois and Clark for going AWOL than Whit. NO ONE. He's so furious that his usually grey mustache turned black.

Patreon-Watch:

As always, shout out to our patrons, Aaron, Murray Qualie, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, Samuel Doran, Bheki Latha, Mark Syp, Ryan Bush and Raphael Fischer! Last month’s exclusive Patreon article was about the recently unearthed sequel to Superman 64 for the PlayStation, featuring Metallo, Parasite, and Lois looking even hotter than in this issue:

Hot damn. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/superman86to99!

And believe it or not, Don Sparrow has even more to say about this issue. Read his section after the jump:

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow​):

I should start off my section with a big caveat:  I flat out hate this issue. There were several weird decisions made in the post-Death-and-Return era (most of them along the same lines of making the Superman titles more grim-and-gritty), and this story was one of the worst of them.  My theory is that, despite the praise and record-breaking sales of the Death and Return storyline, the Superman creative team felt pressure to have more extreme storylines, perhaps in response to the wildly successful Image books coming out at the time.  Between this story, and the upcoming “Spilled Blood” storyline, the Super books take a hard—but temporary--turn into more violent and upsetting storytelling—even though these stories are by the same writers as the previous few years. While death has always been a part of comics, and Superman comics was no exception, there is a jarring glibness and unfeeling toward the way violence is handled in these pages that is quite different from the stories that preceded it.  It’s made all the more jarring by the fact that well-established personalities suddenly veer wildly out of character, Toyman chief among them.  

We start with the cover, and while it is technically well-drawn (by the familiar team of Jurgens and Breeding) it’s also a very upsetting visual.  I think they should have gone with the pieta type pose with Adam and Superman, OR the scary badass bowie-knife Toyman (who apparently has a Cheshire cat smile now) but not both.  But the cover is a good hint at the tonal dissonance of the comic within.

We open with a splash of the now-extreme 90s looking Toyman, with his serial killer shaved head and spooky cloak, ignoring the pleas of hungry kids he has locked up in a tiny jail cell for days at a time (if that sentence doesn’t ring alarm bells for how wrong this is for a Superman story, I don’t know what will). For much of the issue Toyman’s eyes are obscured by glare on his lenses, further de-humanizing a character who was once one of Superman’s more empathetic bad guys.

We cut to Superman tugboating a huge tanker with giant chains and it’s a cool visual (one repeated in the Batman V Superman film).  It feels especially out of place to focus on, given how upsetting this issue is otherwise, but throughout the whole comic, Lois is drawn smoking hot, especially on the two page spread on pages 9-10.

The scenes depicting the actual murder, while still wildly out of place in a Superman comic, are well done, and give a real sense of darkness and menace, which I suppose is the intent.  Perhaps my least favourite visual is the Big Bird stuffie, silently bearing witness to what’s about to occur.

The edges of the panels on get more slashy and off-kilter (to me, looking very much like the layouts more typically seen in Image comics of the day) and I suppose I appreciate the restraint of how little Dan Jurgens shows of the death of a child, showing only a bloody slash on a black background.  This is still a pretty baroque image for a Superman comic, but certainly less violent than it could be, given what is happening.

Cat Grant’s silent horror is well staged, and powerful in its way.   Lastly, Clark Kent bending in sorrow and regret is a powerful image.

While this issue is handled marginally better, and more maturely than other comics on the shelf at this time, I still believe it is one of the biggest mistakes of the era.  Giving a long-established character an unceremonious death for shock value is gross on its own, but making it a child definitely crosses a line for me.  Making it worse is that, while the Toyman is a criminal and a killer, he has shown in past issues (a similar kidnapping storyline involving Sleez) that he genuinely cares for the well-being of children.  So for a long-time reader, this also felt like a betrayal of a long-established, fully developed character.   Adding to the ugliness of this is that Adam dies heroically, trying to free the children who have been caged, unfed, for days, but even in that regard, he fails.  The headline at the end of the issue confirms all the children are dead.  Adam’s death did not buy the other kids enough time to get away. It was all for nothing. Had Adam died, but the other children lived, maybe this issue wouldn’t leave quite as bad a taste. [Max: It’s weird because it’s all told in a way where it’s told in a way where it would make sense, narratively and within the story universe, that the other kids survived, but then it’s almost casually revealed that nope, they died too. A scene of one of the kids relaying Adam’s heroism to Cat in a future issue would have gone a long way.]

Superman doesn’t come off well in these pages, either.  It’s honestly the type of story they should just stay away from, because the more you think about all the calamity that is going on around the clock, the less defensible the whole Clark Kent persona becomes. Superman carving out time to romance his fiancée directly led to the preventable deaths of innocent children—how do you come back from that?

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

I’m always looking for hints that perhaps Jimmy or Perry know Superman’s secret identity deep down, and Jimmy’s anger at Lois and Clark on their return to the Daily Planet offices would seem to give that theory some credence, as he’s as angry at them as if he knew Clark really were Superman.  Either that, or he’s ticked that it fell to him, and none of them to escort Cat into the morgue. [Max: Has this issue finally converted you to the “Jimmy is terrible” side now, Don?]

I don’t think I’m the only one who disliked the new Toyman—SPOILERS BE HERE: years later, in Action Comics #865, Geoff Johns retconned this whole story, reverting Schott into the criminal who over-relates to kids, rather than the child-killer of this story.  Apparently the infantile Schott, who speaks to “Mother” a la Norman Bates, is a robot so lifelike it fools even Superman, and the “Mother” he’s constantly replying to was the real Winslow Schott trying to recall the malfunctioning robot. [Max: That’s one Geoff Johns retcon I really didn’t mind, even if it felt kind of derivative of his similar “all the Brainiacs are robots made by the real Brainiac” reveal.]

#superman #dan jurgens #josef rubinstein #toyman #cat grant #adam morgan #dan turpin #whit #gangbusteen #super luthor fighter ii turbo championship edition

[harrison-osterfield-appreciation]

Some heroes with disabilities (feel free to add more) :

Luke Skywalker, from Star Wars (prosthetic hand).

Barbara Gordon/Batwoman/Oracle, from D.C. (paralysed from the waist down).

Cassandra Cain/Batgirl, from D.C. (deaf).

Cyborg/Victor Stone, from D.C. (basically entire body of prosthetics).

Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier/Captain America, from Marvel (prosthetic arm).

Thor, from Marvel (missing an eye, in some comics and the MCU).

Odin, from Marvel (missing an eye).

Clint Barton/Hawkeye/Ronin, from Marvel (deaf, in the comics).

Matt Murdock/Daredevil, from Marvel (blind).

Charles Xavier/Professor X, from Marvel (paralysed from the waist down).

James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes/War Machine/The Iron Patriot from Marvel (paralysed from the waist down, in the MCU).

Cable/Nathan Summers, from Marvel (mechanical prosthetic eye and arm).

Tony Stark/Iron Man, from Marvel (implant to save his heart, briefly paralysed from the waist down in the comics).

Doctor Mid-Nite/Charles McNider, from Marvel (blind).

Misty Knight, from Marvel (prosthetic arm).

Madame Web, from Marvel (blind).

Jubilee, from Marvel (dyscalculia, a numbers-based learning disability).

Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange, from Marvel (extensive nerve damage to his hands).

Wade Wilson/Deadpool, from Marvel (chronic pain).

Flash Thompson/Agent Venom, from Marvel (double amputee).

Nebula, from Marvel (multiple mechanical prosthetics).

Makkari/an Eternal, from Marvel (deaf, in the MCU, played by a deaf actress).

Jake Sully from Avatar (paralysed from the waist down).

Geordi La Forge from Star Trek. (blind).

Imperator Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road (prosthetic arm).

Quasimodo from The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (physical abnormalities).

Captain Barbossa from Pirates Of The Caribbean, arguably a hero or villain or generally neutral but definitely chaotic and badass (leg amputee).

Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody, from the Harry Potter series (prosthetic eye, prosthetic leg).

Xander Harris, from Buffy The Vampire Slayer (partially blind, at the end of the television show and throughout the comics).

Augustus Waters, from The Fault In Our Stars (prosthetic leg).

Peeta Mellark, from The Hunger Games (prosthetic leg, in the books).

Hiccup, from How To Train Your Dragon (prosthetic leg, and his dragon, Toothless, also has a prosthetic tail part).

#Marvel #DC #Harry Potter #The Hunger Games #HP #THG #TFIOS #The Fault In Our Stars #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #BTVS #How To Train Your Dragon #HTTYD #Star Trek #Avatar #Barbara Gordon #Tony Stark #Bucky Barnes #Doctor Strange #Xander Harris #Augustus Waters #Deadpool #Wade Wilson #disabilities #feminism #disability #disabled #Cyborg #Thor #Luke Skywalker #Star Wars

[have-a-hiddles]

Tagged by @eyanril, so I’m following her format.

Rules: List the first and last lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!) See if there are any patterns. Then tag 10 authors!

Tagging: @juniorstarcatcherfiction, @oh-great-authoress, @britinthewoods, @ngoc12thefangirl, @bighound-littlebird, @phelfromgrace, @maulfrk, @dying-suffering-french-stalkers, and anyone else who wants.

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1) A Perfect Storm (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Hux and Rose stranded on Crait, Character(s): Hux/Rose )

All too-familiar aching pain raced across his entire frame as Hux gasped a ragged breath down his bruised throat. // The wars might go on out there, among the stars, but for them, everything to come would be very different, no matter what they discovered.

2) The Dangers Of Nar Shadda Casinos (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Posing as a couple on Nar Shadda, Character(s): Hux/Rose )

Rose hurries down a roughhewn street, although she tries to not look like she is hurrying. // He can.

3) A Change Of Mind (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Hux making his decision to turn against Kylo, Character(s): Hux, Pryde, Palpatine)

Hux swallowed hard, watching the set of Allegiant General Pryde’s shoulders as the older man watched the Supreme Leader’s antics amidst the smoke and ruin of Mustafar. // But he would never answer to a Sith Lord again.

4) A Drop Of Water And A Little Pity (Fandom: Hunchback of Notre Dame, Subject: Quasimodo's thoughts and feelings while on the pillory, Character(s): Quasimodo, Esmeralda, Frollo)

He looked down at the cracking, wooden floorboards that supported him, trying desperately not to think about the slice of leather and metal across his back. // “Belle…”

5) A Rose Among Thorns (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Rose is Hux's handler while he spies for the Resistance, Character(s): Rose/Hux)

“Say that again?” Rose demanded, her voice was somewhat drowned out amid the bustle of Ajan Kloss. // Life and, as it turned out, love was what had happened while they had been busy making other plans.

6) Fate Decided And Dawning (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Ben and Rey making and trying out their new lightsabers, Character(s): Ben/Rey)

Despite his attempts to burnish the lightsaber pommel’s greyish finish to a silvery shine, it remained weather worn. // They both waved to BB-8's strident burbling welcome as they returned to the ship that for now, they called home, just as the stars began to shine brightly above them.

7) Interlude: Of Desire And Decision (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Hux and Seela finally get to consumate their relationship, Character(s): Hux/OFC)

One of the perks of being on the Tantive was that just about everything one could need was within a short walking distance. // "I will never stop loving you.”

8) Memory Past And Pursued (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Rey is seduced by Ben proficiency in the kitchen bay, Character(s): Ben/Rey)

"Never thought I'd miss my calligraphy set," Ben mused. // Ben curled around her, cradling them together in a kind of nest, as they drifted into a dreamless, contented sleep.

9) Howling Of the Heart (Fandom: Game of Thrones, Subject: Sandor survives and is pissed about it, Character(s): Sandor/Sansa, Arya, Bran, assorted OCs)

Everything was burning. // It suited him well enough; he didn't care for those types of games anyway, and he knew he could face any reservations they'd express... if they dared to.

10) Interlude: Of Help And Healing (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Hux has surgery and Seela helps him recover, Character(s): Hux/OFC)

Seela hung up her flight jacket, leaving her in a sleeveless top and some loose fatigue pants. // "Love... your mother could well be alive!"

11) Love Forged And Forgiven (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Everyone's leaving Ajan Kloss and loose ends need to be tied up, Character(s): Finn/Poe, Ben/Rey, Hux/OFC)

Finn didn’t move. // "I'll never let you go, sweetheart."

12) Interlude: Secrets And Sharing (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Aftermatch of Leia's funeral, Character(s): Hux/OFC)

"You did good out there, Armie," Seela said as they headed back to the hangar to continue inventory and putting together supply packs for those leaving soon. // She actually laughed in shock for a second before catching him in a sweet kiss. "I love you, too freykaa."

13) Hope Remembered And Renewed (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Leia's funeral/memorial, Character(s): Ben/Rey, Hux/OFC, Poe)

"You should attend, Armie," Seela urged. // Something we finally have enough of.

14) Interlude: Of Chaos And Caring (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Bunch of vigniettes after Voices Within and Without, Character(s): Hux/OFC, Ben/Rey, Finn, Poe, Kaydel)

The realization that he should be dead hit him harder than a blaster bolt. // And for the first time, Armitage Hux felt hope.

15) Voices Within And Without (Fandom: Star Wars, Subject: Ben Solo deserved better, Character(s): Ben/Rey)

What parts of his body that he could feel were in agony as he scrambled for purchase on the jagged rockface. // “Wow. You have no room to be twitting me about Ben.”

16) Why The Caged Bird Sings (Fandom: Game of Thrones, Subject: Sandor and Sansa make love AFTER the battle against the dead, Character(s): Sandor/Sansa)

Sitting at the high table in the great hall of Winterfell, Sansa struggled to sort out her emotions following their narrow victory against the Army of the Dead. // "Ah, fuck me!" he swore in disgust.

17) The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night (Fandom: Game of Thrones, Subject: Sandor and Sansa make love BEFORE the battle against the dead, Character(s): Sandor/Sansa)

Sansa took a deep breath, watching the cloudy vapor swirl above her face. // So help her, Seven; if she managed to live through the rest of this night, she was going to find Sandor Clegane and she was going to make her dreams real.

18) Of This, Our Time (Fandom: Hiddlestoners, Subject: Shameless self-insert fantasy, Character(s): Tom Hiddleston/thinly veiled version of the author)

He was definitely lost and that was not a good thing; especially since the August evening sky was gloomy with rain clouds. // Very soon...

19) Mating Habits (Fandom: Hiddlestoners, Subject: Tom is a museum curator, Character(s): Tom Hiddleston/OFC)

Free museum days were fantastic. // “Wild Irish Elks couldn't stop me.”

20) Soothe the Savage Beast (Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Subject: Introducing Sigyn!, Character(s): Loki/Sigyn, Odin, Thor, Frigga)

Sometimes she wished she’d never come to the palace, that she’d stayed in her little village in Vanaheim, safe with her own people. // "We will face it. Head on. Together."

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Patterns: I seem to like "establishing shots" for opening lines and maybe somewhat abrupt ending lines.

Fave Opening Line: “Say that again?” Rose demanded, her voice was somewhat drowned out amid the bustle of Ajan Kloss. I just like how it opens in the middle of conversation. Way to toss the audience in without their swimmies.